✅ Subscribe To My Channel ➡️ Support my work on PATREON www.patreon.com/shmupjunkieslushfund I put a lot of love into this episode and made it universal and family friendly. Please use it to share with your friends, kids, and anyone that it may help spread the love of shmups! CHAPTERS 00:00 - Shmups are Shooters 02:29 - Console Wars 03:29 - Arcades 04:19 - Why Shooters are Amazing 05:29 - Two Classics 06:08 - NES / FAMICOM 8bit 06:57 - Sega Strikes Back - Mega Drive (Genesis) 07:57 - Super Nintendo - Quality over Quantity 09:43 - Rise of the PC Engine - King of Shooters 12:15 - Just getting started - Shooters on CD 13:24 - Peak Shooter - The Best of Days 14:35 - What happened? The Decline begins 14:59 - Enter the Street Fighter 15:55 - The Arcade comes home - Sega Saturn and Playstation 16:54 - What did you call it? First Person Shooters and the birth of Shmup 18:23 - What do we do now? 21:22 - The Future of Shmups
Really good video and also another mention to this is the company NAMCO which helped get shmups or shooters off the ground though it can be debated if the games can be considered shmups or shooters like works of Glaxaian, Galaga and Xevious.
Thank you. I know youtube takes time and you can't blow up overnight. Have to put in the blood, sweat and tears. I mainly just want videos like this to get out there as they can do a lot for bringing more attention to the genre. And I am really enjoying making them.
This video is still my all time fav that I’ve made so far and I always hope more people keep discovering it. Even though I made it, it’s one I can even go back and watch any time. If I ever became much better at editing I can see myself going back to this, remastering it, and trying to make it into a little documentary. Something that parents can show their kids on what it was like at the time and an introduction to the games.
@@ShmupJunkie , I looking for the title of an arcade game shoot em up from the early 80's in which after each stage, you need to connect the shuttle head onto the body, gradually connecting all. Please let me know if you know the title.
I have to say your enthusiasm for stg sold me on playing all the ones I never knew about. Hundreds of hours of classics and it all because people like you show love and appreciation for games I never thought about. Been playing nothing but old school STG games. All because creators like this. Excellent channel. Opened my eyes to a whole genre. I can't believe I missed out on so many classics.
Probably my favorite intro I've made to date, I can watch the first five min myself on repeat. I gotta do another vid like this one of these days as I enjoyed the heck out of making this one.
Abadox, Gradius, R-Type, U.N. Squadron, Raiden...bro my heart! I can still hum some of the tunes to this day! I love when he brought up the Super NES, the first stage theme of Gradius 3 started playing...LONG LIVE SHOOTERS!!!!
@@ShmupJunkie you should. That intro was pure gold. You've even inspired me to go back and play some PCE shooters since I never owned or played that console growing up.
@@dewaynesutton440 Bro!! And don't forget Life Force, Ray Storm, Section Z(the NES port), Guardian Legends, and Dragon Spirit(NES)....speaking of Dragon Spirit, I just played the PCE version a couple nights ago and I got destroyed on just the second level lol
Thanks I appreciate that. Though I've made some good ones since, this may be my favorite so far just for nostalgic reasons and how it's watchable by most anyone and some of us with our kids. I wanted to make something introductory anyone can watch but those of us who grew up would get the extra kick from.
Very inspiring video ... I'm with you! As a child of the 80s (actually started gaming in the 70s), shooters have been an integral part of my life for all of these many years. My devotion has ebbed and flowed with the vagaries of life, but you're right that today is an amazing time for fans of the genre. We have never been able to play so many of the old classics, many of them on modern TV's and sound systems with an arcade stick -- wow! 1980's me would have been blown away by the experience my kids and I can have in my living room today. I personally would push the golden age of shmups (especially arcade style) into the Saturn era, but you have started an interesting conversation here about what happened to the genre from the late 90's on. Keep it comin, mate, your channel is fantastic!
Thanks! Really glad you enjoyed this one. It became this ode to an era the more I worked on it. I can remember back to Defender and other games on the Atari but I was so young I can barely recall it. I did miss out on that earlier and mid 80s arcade scene that was likely so cool. A room full of those old cabinets all blaring away creates this awesome sound you can’t replicate at home or on a computer. When I’ve gone to some good retro arcades with it all going I can imagine what it was like. Those older Atari cabinets had good bass and a mid range to the sound. I agree the Saturn was a great time for those who loved the genre, but it was a bad time for the developers. Sales were way down and instead of companies like Raizing and Cave being rewarded for their awesome work they all eventually had to shut down due to lack of profit. Kind of like the last year of a console where the best games come out but don’t sell like they should because everyone has moved on to the next gen consoles already. But with M2 making their own IPs now I’m excited for another renaissance.
@@ShmupJunkie Yeah my biggest years in the arcades were 79-84, and those arcades were my favorite places in the world. The wall of sound you describe was a big part of it, but also the fact that you could enjoy yourself for hours, spending only a few bucks, surrounded by other young people having honest and light-hearted fun. It can't be overstated how big a blow it was to the industry once they started charging more than 25 cents per play -- that changed everything. But in the early 80s it was great: you'd set your *one quarter* on the edge of the cab to reserve the next game, watch your friends (or even strangers) play their game while waiting your turn, and that was awesome. I guess that's the first ancestor of modern let's-play videos (but we could have conversations and root people on back then). I was lucky enough to live 2 blocks away from a little college in our suburb, and there was a nice arcade literally on the corner a 3-minute walk down the street. Livin' the dream! The place had about 15-20 arcade games at a time, a lot of them very good, and the owner was an old guy who didn't play games but was a good listener and thoughtful about the games he got in there. Three of my favorites -- Astro Blaster, Gorf, and Xevious -- were there for years! I got so good at those, I could high-score them at any arcade in town for awhile -- which annoyed those older college kids, LOL! Every month or two my parents would drive us to one of the big arcades in town that had 50+ games and I was in heaven. As to your other point: the financial failures of PC Engine and Saturn outside of Japan meant the writing was on the wall for consoles aiming at an arcade experience by that time. As you discuss in this video, a lot of players were ready for new kinds of game experiences at home. It's too bad shooter-dev companies went through such financial hardship in the late 90s, though a couple of the little guys like Cave did survive. I think Cave made some great shooters into the early 2000's (love Progear & Ketsui!), but as they got more and more bullet-hell I don't find their games after 2004-2005 quite as compelling. We'll see what M2 can do in the next few years ... I sort of get the idea that they are not flush with cash, even with all that work-for-hire stuff they've been doing for Sega and other mini-consoles lately. If we can play the entire Toaplan catalog on our Switches in a few years, that will be amazing -- and I'm sure M2 has many other things planned as well. Worried about pricing, though. To stay afloat I think that M2 will have to charge a fair amount for those games, just like they have for the ShotTriggers games they've already released. Those price points around $35 digital and $65 physical for one game are not really conducive to attracting new shooter fans. Can they afford to charge less? Anyway, let's hope their projects succeed! I know that people like your channel's viewers will enjoy the heck out of them.
@@sonicmania9993 That was a fun read thank you. At least I was lucky enough to still be around when it was fun to hang out at arcades, even if it was a bit later. More around when the RType cabinets started showing up so a good bit of the older Atari cabs were still there. Of course pac man was everywhere, but I still remember playing moon patrol, defender, tron, Star Wars etc. too. I agree once I had to plunk a dollar into a dragons lair machine to play that became a bit ridiculous. The fancier games cost more. Likely also why fighters took off they remained a quarter to compete for a long time. M2 is trying to develop their own IPs now too like they did with GG Aleste 3 and if the quality is there like GG3 was I’ll gladly pay and support full pop 50-60 bucks for brand new games. I agree it’s tougher to do for ports of older stuff people will expect that lower $30 approx price point. I think they are still a small shop too. I’m sure you remember we used to all pay full price for just about any game in the early days even if it was a stinker and ended up buried in the desert 😅.
😂 Very aptly put. Both HAM in the traditional sense hamming it up with the nostalgia, and HAM in the urban dictionary sense 😅 Two weeks of work but it was worth it. That's awesome you still found 1943 in an old arcade. I haven't seen it around in ages. Speaking of 1943, have you ever tried 1943 Kai on PC Engine? It's a suped up version, graphics a bit improved over arcade and the tunes as well. But the main thing is a few extra stages (4 or 5 I think) where it becomes like a totally different game and on wild mode, suped up plane and all. It's like Naxat said OK we've made a nice port and have extra time, lets make some kick ass levels that blow the first part of the game away. It's hard to explain but if you liked 1943, you would totally dig what Kai does with it's final few stages not in the original. Even the graphics change and become next level with more parallax and other effects. Really quite unique and a reward for those that can get there.
Bravo!! Early 90's shooters were also my fondest memories as a young teen, going from the TurboGrafx-16 to the SNES to the Duo, my fondest memories of intense gaming and greatest sense of accomplishment came from beating games like Blazing Lazers, Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Air Zonk, UN Squadron, Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder.. these games and this genre to me, had the most memorable action, graphics and music and when done great, nothing could beat the feeling! Thanks for making this video!!
You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it. I felt the same there weren't other genres that gave me that sense of adrenaline and barely making it through alive with sweaty palms. And they always showcased cool graphics but especially great music. You played and beat all the killer ones you mentioned, so you know how awesome the music was. I wanted to make an homage to what it was like and the feeling of playing them back then. And I'm definitely happy with how it came out given I'm an amateur just trying to make a cool video.
Thank you. Yes nostalgia is very romanticized in our minds. We always remember the good and gloss over the bad as the years progress. That being said I sure wouldn't mind a trip back for a month or two if such a thing existed. But you can never recreate that first experience of something or relive it again, only remember how it was. The very definition of bittersweet.
Greetings from Brazil. Your videos are awesome, man. BTW, regarding the "shmups are shooters" polemic, I'd like to add a little interesting foot note: in my native language, portuguese, we use a specific term to refer to this genre, called "navinha"(which could be translated as "tiny spaceship"). This term has been used since the 80s and I personally think it's quite interesting, specially if we consider how tiny the player's ship can be when compared to the bosses or how crowded the screen can become sometimes in those games.
Hey! I like that bit of history I always love knowing the different ways we all called these games. I have a friend on IG that calls himself jogosdenavinhashmups. Now I better understand what it means. 😀 Last year I learned the Spanish name for these games also, matamarcianos for killing martians.
You really outdid yourself on this one, between this and the hour of pure goodness last week you're putting everyone else to shame! Keep fighting the good fight!!
Thanks man, and thanks for being a part of the omega blast week too. You really made some huge jumps and I was proud to see it. It brought out the best in everyone who put the time in. As long as there is a fight to be had, I'll keep fighting it.
Absolutely SPECTACULAR!!!! You painted this picture the same way that I WISH I could with people that didn't get to experience the GOLDEN AGE of arcades in the early to mid 80's! I hope that the genre does come storming back, but until then, I'll do what I can to spread the good word. I guess worst-case-scenario, I'll die happy knowing that I did once get to sit down and play though Radiant Silvergun with my 11-year old daughter!
Wow!! Just as expected, this is an amazing video full of history and nostalgia!! You had me time traveling and remembering so many good times as a child and young teenager. I know that every era has its own special place in life but what we’ve lived and experienced in the 80’s and early 90’s can hardly be matched. I share with you the feeling and mission to keep history alive and to revive these amazing games!! I want my kids to know why is it that we play, collect and cherish games from back in the day. Congrats man, loved it and am going to watch it again this afternoon. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 PS: I have sent your link to friends that are not from the gaming community but I am sure they are going to be very glad to see this video.
Thank you my friend. And I do hope it's something your kids will also enjoy and see a glimpse into those days. It's like an alien world to a young generation. I made this specifically to share with anyone and a video that not only shoot em up veterans can enjoy. Providing this kind of experience for people is the reason I keep making these videos. It's a reward unto itself and also something I can watch again and enjoy as well.
Yes, it’s like another world but my kids and wife are quite used to seeing my gaming side so I already told them that we are going to watch an special video this afternoon, one that comprises my childhood and passion 👍🏻👍🏻
@@ShmupJunkie it’s quite a zoo here 😂 they really enjoyed the video, had to explain/translate it at some points but they were so awed that we are playing Gunbird on the Switch right now. 👍🏻👌🏻
This video elicited sentimental chills down this retro gamers spine... I love how you broke down pop culture of those two eras... And even included wrestling clips... Utterly masterful video! Wow
Thanks! It's honestly still my favorite video I've done as it's universal and feels like something anyone can watch, whether they are into shmups or not. And something maybe parents can use to show their kids what the games were about back then along with that time. I'd like to be able to make something like this again someday, so glad you enjoyed it too.
Shmupjunkie, you definitely can tell you love this genre and your enthusiasm shows it. Keep up the good work and its good to know I'll be up to date on the latest shooter releases because you definitely will be!!
Thanks I’m always stoked to know so many people are enjoying my vids. But I have to be honest I’m not the greatest in keeping up with the latest and greatest. I’m spending a lot of time revisiting great older games and getting new people excited about them. I do play a bunch of new ones too of course but there are so many lately I can’t keep up while making videos 😅. But I guess that’s a good thing. We are seeing an indie renaissance in the genre but now the content just isn’t coming from big studios any longer. Anything exceptional I will definitely try to cover like I just did this week with SuperXYX.
Great video! I can appreciate there must've been lots of writing/editing work here. I often think how the genre wasn't niche at all when I was a kid. I remember crowding around arcade games like Salamander, Image Fight, R-Type II and even not-so-good games like Carrier Air Wing! (hey, you could shoot through a building! :) ). One of my most nostalgic arcade memories was the first time I saw Gradius II (or Vulcan Venture as they called it in Europe). I had no idea the game existed (pre-internet!), then one day I came across it in an arcade. I recognised the ship...and the multiples...and the laser....and if there was any doubt this was the latest in the series, the profound title sequence certainly confirmed it! We'd all been impressed by the flames in stage 3 of Salamander, so those suns creeping into view for the first time with huge dragons coming out of them was fantastic. They have the game at my local retro arcade and it still makes me smile to this day.
That's so awesome you have a real Gradius 2 cab local you can still play. I never see stuff like that around anymore here. The retro arcades are either way old school like Atari days, or lots of beat em ups and fighting games. All cool but I rarely get to see a good shooter cabinet anymore. Not a Gradius for sure. Man I remember carrier airwing it was the like a sequel to Area 88 right. Too bad we never really saw that one ported anywhere.
Wow what can I say? This video is nothing short of a masterpiece. I can’t tell you how influenced I am right now. Especially as a content creator myself. You’re doing amazing work. I have an idea for a shooter that has never been done. I’m an artist but no programming skills at all. Maybe one day I can build a small team of people who love shooters to make that game happen. But until then, I’ll keep spreading the shooter love and streaming these games on my channel. And with enough luck, make content that is compelling as this video. Thanks for your time and effort you put into this ShmupJunkie. I can’t wait to see what you have in store next.
I’m really glad you enjoyed it and it’s been a pleasure having you in the omega blast competition, as well as the discord group. You just may meet the right people to help you on your project as well. I think many of us dream of making our own shmup, but for now I’m content with promoting the ones that get made. We all have a role to play. And at the moment I’m the crack dealer 😅
Thank you appreciate that. I keep trying to make small improvements every week and bring something new. And it's all the great feedback that keeps me going.
This vid is a thing of beauty. You can almost touch the love for the genre. And even if my demographic is just a little younger than yours, you brought me back to a lot of memories of me playing Aero Blaster on my MD. Keep them coming!
Awesome that’s so cool to hear. It was listening to that intro music that kick started my imagination for a video like this. Even if you weren’t around for it specifically, as a fan of the genre you instinctually get it. This was a hard one to do and took a lot of work, but I think it’ll stand the test of time. I’d like to do something like this and take 2-3 weeks once every so often for passion projects like this one.
Thanks! This is still one of my old favs I made long ago. It pretty much inspired my most recent video to do something similar only more general. I had a blast making this especially the intro.
Thank you my friend. I honestly did too in some parts while working on it. That's how I know I am on the right track. I wanted to make some all of us who grew up at the time can watch it many times and remember some of the great times. And also make it general and friendly that us older folks can watch with kids and siblings to show them what the time was all about.
Thank you that's very cool of you to say and good feedback for me. I am often a bit self conscious of narration as I don't have a deep or strong voice, or an interesting accent, so I am not sure if I can keep attention. I'm no David Attenborough 😅 I just try to speak with passion for the material and hope it comes through. I'll definitely try to do more of these from time to time as it was fun to do something different from the norm.
Such a beautiful video. You plucked those nostalgia chords like a pro. It truly felt like a feel-good video from the 80s/90s. Thank you so much for making it. :)
You're totally welcome and exactly what I was going for. Something that can be rewatched and also shared with non shmup players. And I'm happy to see so many people enjoying it.
Well...that was pretty amazing! Nostalgia overload. It's funny. I've loved shooters all my life but then I see videos like this and am once again reminded that there are a wealth of shooters that I missed, but still, they were and still are a big part of my life. I'm surprised you didn't mention games like Star Fox or Panzer Dragoon, which in many ways evolved shooters by delivering character and story rich worlds, but also entered the 3D era with great success. Amazing video though, best one I've seen in a long time! Subbed!
Thanks! Yes I was going for an overall macro view of the time so I kept pulling myself back from adding more and more. I wanted to talk about the great PC shmups of the time on Amiga, x68K, and PC in general as there were many. And spend more time on arcades too. In the end I wanted to keep it at 20 min so I had to keep stopping myself from adding and adding and making it too detailed versus something even non shmup fans can watch. I always did consider Starfox a 3D shmup since you have full control of your ship vs Panzer which is beautiful, but it's more of a shooting gallery with limited control of your dragon's movement. But I am with you all the way on the story aspect. Those games and the later gens started trying to add immersion during the game itself. The first time I really started seeing story in more games including shooters was the PC Engine CD/Duo. Many of those shooters had story sequences in between stages, especially games like Download that went full out story mode, even sometimes during the game as well. It was very common for any pc engine cd game to have a ton of cut scenes and it added a lot for me personally. Especially back then when it was the first time games ever had them along with full voice acting.
Great vid Junkie! My introduction and love for the genre started off with the Slowdown King, SNES Gradius 3. And the game got even BETTER with the no slowdown hack!
Oh man that hack is incredible. It put the game into my top 3 on the SNES. It was already brilliant I just never liked the slow gameplay, but once that was fixed it's just a complete banger. If anything, it could use just a tiny bit of purposeful slowdown like Konami implemented on purpose. But I would rather have it this way than like playing through molasses in some sections. It brought the rush back.
Thanks it's great to hear you enjoyed it. FYI that synth wave music is by a friend of mine Zak Vortex who has a channel here on YT. Lots of similar work including a really nice new Weird Science themed release. He is new and I feel going to be popular one day. I love his work.
100% with you ! And I want to say that I'm enjoying every second of your content as the far away Shmup addict I am. Keep spreading the Shmup word with the greatness who caracterize you bro, the Shooters age will never end with all of us !
Hey dude! What's up I'm glad to still see you around sometimes. I know I am not on IG much anymore these videos keep me busy. I love making them though. We keep spreading the shmup love and hopefully it will only grow. 🤘
I was thinking in the middle of this video, "I don't remember shooters being in arcades". And then, like magic, you explained why. This video was so on the nose, and makes me wish instead of SFII I had R-Type. The experience from shooters doesn't really die, and you can tell this by shooter fans getting excited by new releases just as much as the old, whereas SFII - the original and it's "Supers" - continue to get more re-releases than any other fighter and new releases are met with more cynicism than joy. Another great video. Keep it up!
I definitely remember playing lots of shooters in arcades, but here in the US the selection was more limited. Plenty of the big time games, but never the great imports like Batsugun, Batrider, any Cave games or the like. Heck I barely ever saw Gradius. Plenty of RType, Legendary Wings and some other great classics I do remember playing a lot in the arcade. But as nice as it was... nothing compared to Japan. No wonder they still have a thriving shmup scene. I love my old SF games but I am definitely over the clones and special releases. It's hard to innovate it's just more of the same.
Thanks! I'm always so happy to see new people still finding this video, as it's one of my favorites I have ever done. Universal in a way I hope anyone can enjoy and not just enthusiasts of the genre.
Amazing video. I enjoyed every second of this. I grew up in a small U.K. seaside town and we used to go to the arcades every weekend and even after school when Double Dragon was released. Subscribed
Thanks a ton for letting me use your great track for parts of the video it felt perfect. It was actually just listening to it that gave me the thought of the video itself. I wasn’t sure what my next one would be and the song answered the question. The images of what I could do to the music and intro just came together. So thank you this video was inspired by your music. Man did DD kick my ass back then. I couldn’t get anywhere without a mountain of quarters. It wasn’t until part 2 on the NES where I got the hang of it.
This is MLiG quality stuff! As someone born in the early 80s and instantly captivated by the likes of Life Force, Contra and 1943 I loved every minute of this!
Thanks that’s quite a compliment. I think one of them is a pro editor so I’m just an amateur slowly learning more editing skills. I can see why they release videos rarely it’s a lot of editing work. This one was for the fans. Old school shooter vets that grew up in that era. I made something that I know I’d enjoy watching and something us older folks can show their kids.
haha, I was trying to avoid doing just a look at my games type of video, there are enough of those around. I like people to see them, but something feels odd about just doing a video talking about them and flaunting games. I know a lot of others do so it's just my hang up, as I do it all the time on my IG account in photos. So I try to showcase them as I talk about them in bits and make it more about the game vs look at my stuff. I did show my entire PC Engine shooter collection in this one though, with the three way split screen in one part near the beginning. 😉
@@ShmupJunkie - Yeah, I saw that part and it was AWESOME. I get you don’t want to flaunt what you have, but I’m a collector and love to see what others have. I also turn it into a “what games have I missed” list to collect for the future. But of course, you do what you want to: no pressure. Your channel shows your passion for shooters and that’s good enough for me!
@@jkemp6791 Are you on Instagram at all? It’s a great place for collectors to meet as well and I’ve learned about a lot of games there I’d never heard of before. It’s not necessarily to become some big account many just share as they please and just follow others who’s collection they like seeing. I met a lot of cool people there.
AMAZING Video sir! 100% agree with everything you said. As a Indie dev myself you really got me thinking about what type of Shooter to do next and I think it would be awesome to have some collaboration on a new game to keep the genre alive!
Wouldn’t it be sweet if big developers put money into financing indie projects? Kind of like Netflix does. Hands off they just get a piece of the profit. Some of the best new ideas come from independent creators.
Thank you. I was trying something new and learning a couple editing techniques that will be useful for future vids. I'll be first in line for that RType VR experience when it's done right.
@@ShmupJunkie I loved how you had all of those active videos of the games you were calling off onscreen overlapping at the same time. That really made an impact on me for your dialog during those segments.
It was the right style to go on this one. I didn’t want to make something about me or around a personality, but something anyone can watch years from now like a nostalgia video. I just wanted to narrate. Although I do wish I had a better narration voice with an interesting accent. The wife says my voice puts her to sleep 😅
@@ShmupJunkie well, I totally dig it. Maybe not always but it totally fits what you were trying to achieve. I don’t know man, some of those Brits put me to sleep with that monotone slickness with some narrations. Like watching National Geographic in class ZZZzzzz.
Thanks man, I really appreciate that. I put a lot of love into it and it had a similar effect on me in parts while making it. So I hoped that would transfer to some watching it. I wanted to make something that can be rewatched and enjoyed over the years.
Thank you buddy. Old folks like us can't help but love this kind of stuff and I had a great time making it. Maybe it will be something we can, or will someday show our kids and grand kids of what it was like at the time. So I wanted to make something like this. Even I was surprised how well it came out. I just watched it again myself last night haha
Thank you. This is still one of my old, all time favs that I made long ago. I’m currently working on another with a very similar theme and vibe to this one. I’m a sucker for nostalgia 😅
Fantastic work here! 👍 don't think the era could av been summed up better than what you served us all with this. As a huge fan of space shooters myself, the primary reason i adored my Megadrive as a kid, you hit me with one of my greatest nostalgic moments in this video. The Thunderforce 4 title screen is a trip itself. The incredible title tune blasting away as the Rynex weaved in n out of gunfire as Thunderforce 4 rolls across the screen! My 14 yr old self nearly exploded with excitement 😊 again, great work here Junkie!
I still feel that excitement whenever I watch that intro. One of the greatest ever. No need for complexity. It does all the right things to hype you up to play and you're left ready to tear into it. It's flawless. And I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was going for that same hit of nostalgia and excitement
Wow! Thanks that’s awesome to hear. I’m glad you found me and enjoyed them that much. This is honestly my favorite I really love how it came out too. This and the recent Compile history video I made are the two most popular ones. So I’ll definitely be making more like it.
@@ShmupJunkie I love documentary style videos and will be watching the Compile one next. I hope you continue this format and focus on other legendary developers (maybe a Saturn focused video or hidden gems).
@@matthewwachter9070 ooh you’ll enjoy that one too. You can bet I’ll be doing many more highlights of great devs like this. I enjoy them and apparently they do really well. I’ve got plans for quite a few more.
Just discovered your chanel and man what you say it HITS the mark💪🎮 magical memories & times we were lucky to be alive Music, videogames, tv shows, toys, cartoons/anime... We are LUCKY to have lived in that time period Thanks for your words (i think the same things really i do) so your words really hit the mark Thanks👍👍for the uploads i will explore you chanel & share your videos with my gaming friends (some i know since 1986... Hi Mr weedman & Fzd) i know they will enjoy your videos Greetings from Mexico
Very glad you found my channel and one of my old, favorite videos. I have a lot of great history videos that came after this and nostalgia I think you will also enjoy a lot. Thank you for commenting and I look forward to your thoughts on some of my later works too. Greetings from California!
Thank you. I really enjoyed making this especially the intro. I’m working on a very similar video right now actually on what it was like gaming and growing up during that time.
@@ShmupJunkie loved it, great video :) I loved hearing about the transition from shooter to shmup, the rise of fighting games, and talk of boosting our community. Your editing is amazing.
The term "Shmup" is a lot older than you think. Back in the mid 80s the term "Shoot'em up" was invented by game magazines like ZAPP64, C+VG etc. in the UK. Predated FPS for at least a decade. Later the term Shoot'em ups morph into "shmup" and stay until these days. Love your channel. Bring back loads of fond gaming memories!
Thank you for a most excellent video! It brought a tear or two to my eyes. It's 22 minutes of my childhood condensed. Like the other commenter says, what a beautiful love letter to our favourite genre. ❤️
You're very welcome and I am glad you enjoyed it so much. It's a good feeling when a video does exactly what you intended that it does. It makes you feel like an amateur film maker 😁
Remember watching this video when it first came out .....I don't comment often but man this is one beautiful video..... Still your best one in my opinion
It's still my all time favorite one too! I really love how the intro came out. My editing wasn't on the same level yet I was still learning, but it just worked. It's the one I can even still rewatch myself and enjoy.
@@ShmupJunkie you did well, be proud. Your names getting quite big across the communities.Keep that content coming man.....looking forward to more system Vs system games. All the best from across the water.
This deserves an Emmy!! Wow! You e outdone yourself (again) my friend. Seriously man.......this is GREAT!!! I can’t wait to share this everyone I know. 🔥
Thanks man I love to hear it. I am stoked with it too and I am really hoping people who aren't into shmups either may watch it and say damn, I want to play some of those games. Then promptly get their ass kicked and realize why they never played them 😂 But that is part of the problem actually and why the genre needs to expand if it's ever going to gain a wider audience again. When someone thinks a game looks cool and decides to play it, they have to leave feeling like they had a great time and want to play it again. There are classic shmups that did that better than ever, like Soldier Blade. Even if you never got past level 2 or 3 your first time, you can't come away from it and not be thinking damn that was so much fun I want to play it again. It was a rush to play and the music was incredible. Shmups lost that at some point in my mind.
So what can i say about this Video? This is the Video of the year i would say...! Your Passion for the Genre is untouched! The Video is rapidfire skill! The best Part is when the Thunderforce and Gate of Thunder Soundtrack is starting. 🤘 Kudos from Germany! 🙏
Thank you I’m very pleased you and others are enjoying it so much. It’s a work of passion for sure. Nothing gets me in the mood for shooting like the thunder force intro. It’s perfection. 👌
Yet an other ace video, man. To me shmups or shooters or STG or shoot'em ups are the most quintessential video games, simply because they were the earliest games I played one century ago or something. Space Invaders, Gorf, Phoenix, Omega Race and others. They were primitive (and probably not even shmups according to some as there is no scrolling but I disagree) but sure left a lasting imprint on me and many others.
I’m with you in that I consider these early prototypes like space invaders shooting games. That’s exactly what they were whether they scrolled or not. The mechanics are there, games had to start somewhere. I’d consider them an STG before something like a platforming run n gun which is certainly not. So yeah ignore the naysayers. Those classics are the great, great grandparents of our favorite genre and we should respect our elders 😁. In my corner of pc engine shooters I have Galaga and Space Invaders ports. They belong right next to all my other shooters and are part of the family. 👍🏻
The intro music is what originally inspired me and got the ideas going in my head. It's by Zak Vortex and he has a channel as well. He was very kind to let me use the track for the video and it was perfect.
To share a secret with you... I think it's mine too. 😂 And I made it. I love nostalgia videos like this and tried to make something I could enjoy watching myself when I'm old(er) and maybe with grandkids haha. Maybe UA-cam will be gone by then but I'll have my original files!
Thank you so much. I love when someone new finds the channel and likes the content. A lot of my stuff is all about nostalgia, so if you eventually get to checking out any of my older vids, you may find quite a bit to enjoy. I've only been at it for a few months, so there are only so many. Glad to have you here.
Shmup Junkie, you’re one of the BEST shooter enthusiasts that I’ve ever seen! And that Zak Vortex track took me back to the 80’s. We need a Ray’s Arcade Chronology review from you soon! Rayforce and Raystorm are my favorite Shooters ever.
I became familiar with that term a few years ago via some Brazilian friends of mine and still love using it now yeah. I kept seeing them refer to the games that way and was wondering what martians had to do with it haha. But it's such a cool term, better than shmups.
@@ShmupJunkie It came from the original Space Invaders. Back then the average English level of a Spanish was... extremely poor, even null. For most of them, reading the English titles was hard and impossible, that's why most classic arcades received affectionate nicknames. For example, PacMan was called "come-cocos" which means "coconut eater" or "boogiemen eater" (since he eats ghosts and small dots that look like coconut bites). Space Invaders was called "Marcianitos": "Little Martians".
Thank you so much I'm glad you did find it inspiring. That was the goal. And to leave the viewer with a sense that they are a part of the community that is making them more popular at the moment. Inspiring future shooter fans is my top priority and only us current fans can do it.
Shooters, Scrolling Shooters, Shoot em ups, Schmups. There are earlier non scrolling shooters in the history of gaming. The comeback you are looking for happenned with the xbox 360. It's most downloaded game was a shooter. Geometry Wars II, my favourite. When I was young, I remember older men having train sets in their attic, or garage. If they had youtube, they'd be trying to make a comeback too. There's one small store in the country dedicated to model trains. None to jukeboxes. Even today, the chess community yearn for their heyday of the past. Today, as the young have become old, they seek to create gaming rooms. Not with trains, but with computer games, consoles and cabinets. Tomorrow, there will be a channel dedicated to bringing back the tomogotchi. Thank you for making great content and sharing your history and enthusiasm. It's a joy to watch your videos x
Nostalgia makes something we loved as young uns even better than the reality. It seems our brains like to remember the good and glorify it, while forgetting the bad. And to that I say, ignorance is bliss! 😂 Without glossing over the reality of things, it's honestly great to remember things fondly that way and allows us (or at least me) to experience those memories with rose colored glasses. And like you said, decades from now, when I am in my 60s, those in their 40s will be reminiscing about the good 'ol days of their gen, and later still, when youtube is long gone, we will be remembering the glory days of youtube lol. It's already just changed so much from it's early days when it was so anything goes and people were just having fun. I try to bring that back a bit with the silly skits and not taking every single video too seriously, just doing what is fun. What I really need them to do is bring back the original Nestle Drumsticks properly. All those crappy king cone knock offs aren't the same and I can never find the real thing when I'm craving them. The good stuff, plain and simple vanilla without all the fudge filled centers and plastic-like flavor of the swirl top. How did I start talking about drumsticks? 😂 Damn I want one so bad now...
@@ShmupJunkie The Internet today is like a limp dick. The law slowly caught up. The early days, anything goes. Now every single site you visit there is an "accept cookies' prompt. Advertisers everywhere. UA-camrs everywhere. Apps apps apps. The world controlled by a few memes and headlines. Forget that bollocks and let's reminisce about the good stuff and set our own agenda. Which is why I like your videos so much. Never tried those drumsticks. They look alright. I swear McDonald's milkshakes tasted better in the 80's. I wonder if there's an ice cream level in a shoot em up ? Hmmmm I'm joyously watching your library of videos. So far they are all titled "most brutal..". How about most fun? Unless for you, the more brutal the more fun? Like a sadist. Or masochist. I get them confused. How about a flying dominatrix shooter? She shoots out dildos and has a special whip bomb. And when you press down A it's auto fire. Cos I'm old and my hands are fucked :)
That was exceptional, Shmup Junkie. Really, I’d love to see more episodes like this. I really liked the ideas you pitched for future shmup games. It would be awesome to get in the cockpit of a R Type VR game.
Thanks dude. Just brain storming no idea if it works, but trying to think outside the box. If it played like a shmup and not a weird flight sim it would be awesome. Real question is can it be played without getting sick 😅
@Orzuum I’m hoping one day that type of 3D experience can be translated into more of a shoot em up vs a flight sim. Kind of like how platformers transitioned into 3D and expanded the genre, but still managed to maintain the identity of a platformer. Not sure if it’s feasible with shmups but it’s an intriguing idea.
I think shmups have a number of things going for them in the current era. 1) A generation growing up on emulators with access to everything have an easier time encountering them. 2) A generation growing up on mobile gaming, which favours simpler design concepts with streamlined inputs and shorter play sessions. A great many of the most popular mobile games are just Atari 2600 or 8-bit era concepts with a fresh coat of paint. 3) The growth of the indie scene as a genuine and meaningful market segment has helped a lot, as the structure of these games makes them conducive to that scene. 4) The retro-gaming boom has put a spotlight on them, as shmups are invariably very prominent among the most obscenely expensive - and thereby coveted - games. The twitch nature of them has allowed them to age well. 5) Online leaderboards are relatively simple to incorporate, making score relevant in a way it couldn't be in the era where shmups fell off. 6) These games are tailor-made for the adderall generation, especially for anyone looking for something other than an FPS/3PS. 7) The Switch. Nintendo have spent two decades conspicuously nurturing nostalgia for their 8 & 16-bit glory days. At the same time, with less horsepower & fewer 3rd party AAA releases taking up oxygen the Switch makes a natural home for indies. Nintendo are very aware of this and give them a decent amount of promotion. Of course, indie developers being who they are (ie., people who typically share the same purist approach to mechanics Nintendo does and often have a worshipful appreciation of the classics from their glory days), are quite often very happy with the notion of seeing their work on a Nintendo platform. At the same time, the Switch's sheer dominance in Japan has made it the natural home for small-time Japanese games looking for the widest audience. And of course, the portable nature of the console favours the same elements mobile gaming does. It's for all these reasons the Switch has very clearly been the single biggest driver of the genre's renaissance. It's been a perfect storm of convergent elements. I don't know how far this momentum will go, but Crimson Clover feels like an arrival moment to me. That's a game with sufficient spectacle to wow anyone who sees it, whether they're into the genre or not, and has the design quality to back it up. But the thing the genre HAS to do is make itself understood. That's been the single biggest reason for it remaining in the shadows. Nobody looking at these games from the outside understands the difference between them. Nobody understands that they're meant to be a battle against yourself, mastered by throwing yourself at them for dozens or even hundreds of hours like a Dark Souls game until you're pulling off things that looked impossible. They just think they're for people born with crazy reflexes or a weird penchant for repetition. Esoteric scoring systems implemented with zero explanation don't help anybody either; in fact I'd argue they're a turnoff which leaves a game appearing inaccessible, or its most meaningful mechanics not understood or even known about (playing Ikaruga purely for survival is like playing Street Fighter without learning combos or special moves). And the genre needs a little more in the way of story elements and meaningful personalities around a game to ground it in some sort of relatable identity. This is exactly why Touhou is a gateway to the genre for so many people. This doesn't mean clogging a game up with cinemas that'll just get repetitive (looking at you, Raiden V), but it does mean offering up identifiable, relatable or attractive/interesting characters rather than just a random assemblage of rectangles on a fuselage and calling it an avatar.
Some really awesome points there and ones I agree with, especially in the end with your mention of focus on scoring and mechanics. Every great game has to have a "hook." Something that draws anyone to try it out... not just experts or people who know what it is. And scoring, as fun as it is for veterans of the games, is not a hook for most players. They simply don't care. They play for the fun of it, as do I. As in your Ikaruga example, it has a phenomenal hook with it's polarity system. It's why you play the game and why it's so well regarded. Of course it's critical to scoring, but that's beside the point. It's how you approach and learn the game, regardless of your ultimate score. It makes it fun and unique. All good platformers had hooks. Something that made their gameplay unique aside from the aesthetics and music. Or sometimes the gameplay is just so good, like Crimson Clover, where it's played for the sheer fun of it, and the spectacle is part of it. But I am with you 100% on that. For shmups to keep growing and especially to bring in a new audience, they have to be understood and have a unique aspect aside from simply dodging bullets. And they absolutely need to be more accessible. Dark Souls style games are know as the "hardcore" of 3rd person open world games, but it's just a niche within a broader genre. Shmups are pretty much ONLY hardcore, the end. It's as if there was no Ghosts of Tsushima, or Witcher, or Horizon, or GTA, only Dark Souls games that were hard as hell. And that was all there was. And it would be a niche with nothing more. There will always be a place for hardcore shmups, but they need to be more than that. They used to be more than that, which is a big part of my video, and they need to be again for wider acceptance. Crimson Clover goes a long way to making it more accessible to all, but it also LOOKS so damn hard to anyone watching. When in fact Novice mode is very playable. Like you said, the stigma of what shmups are is already set for those not into that type of game. Very hard to change. That's why I'm always looking for a new paradigm or approach to come along that has the DNA of a shmup, but doesn't necessarily look or come off like one. I don't know what that looks like yet, but I am open to it.
Man oh man, thank you so much for bringing me back. My first foray was a tad later than most with Star Soldier vanishing earth and R-Type delta in the late 90’s. I definitely felt the joy of a child watching again, thank you so much.
That's so awesome to hear as it's what I was really going for when making the video. A hit of nostalgia for us who loved and grew up with them, and to try and convey what it was like at the time for those looking in from the outside. Something universal people can share with non-shmup enthusiasts or their kids. It's still my favorite video I made so far that I also can still watch sometimes and enjoy. So I appreciate that feedback.
@@ShmupJunkie I've been reading youtube comments of young lads that happened to play ?Xevious? I don't remember exactly in the XBox 360 or something like that
@@tubbiele2 Xevious influenced the majority of vertical shmups including Zanac and what came after. Last I really played it was on my NES. Kind of like an early step into scrolling shooters
I love it when people find this older video of mine. I was just starting to try and up my production quality and editing and thought a nostalgic homage to that era was a perfect video to make. And despite some of my newer videos being more advanced in that manner, this is still absolutely one of my all time favorite I've made. Glad you found it. It's what started my trend to making more history and developer videos afterward, starting with the history on Compile Shooters and just going from there. I enjoy making these most of all.
There's not enough words to really describe the type of over all enthusiastism felt living in those eras it's simply something you had to of lived through back then to really appreciate it in the same way.
Absolutely, and I tried really hard to capture some of it in the video. I say this a lot but... whenever I am down on feeling old, I remember if I was any other age, I wouldn't have grown up during this awesome time. And wouldn't give that up for anything.
That was the goal buddy thank you. I knew a lot of us would resonate with it. I made it like an old school nostalgia video only without the low res vhs look. That would be a cool filter to add now that I think about it though.
Good memories all around. Glad there are people that went through the same journey through the 80s and 90s like I did. Dream was to make games, but ended up in IT sales. Definitely would have been over your house everyday in junior high. Great work!
Haha, everyone was welcome we all had a good time back then. I think we all dreamed of working in games as unrealistic as it may have been. I started in IT as well, not on the sales side but same industry, before eventually getting into AV which was my hobby. We kind of had to be over each other's houses constantly, as few ever owned more than one system. So we each had to play the other consoles we didn't own somewhere else.
@@ShmupJunkie Lol! Same here. I just had an NES in '86 and a Genesis later in HS, but had a couple friends that had the SNES, Genesis, 3DO, and even the Turbografx 16 with the CD addon. Watching the Ys opening for the first time was a memorable moment and I've been a fan since. Wish I started buying 10yrs ago....
Excellent episode!! Fuel for me back in the day at the arcade was a Mt. Dew and pack of Skittles. Same at home sometimes. I feel very fortunate to have grown up during the golden age of video games. Keep up the great work!!
Thanks! Unfortunately if my fuel was still Mt Dew and Skittles I'd likely end up in the bathroom later that day playing the rest of my games on the switch. 😅 One more thing I miss about those days, an impervious constitution. But I remind myself whenever I feel down for getting old, there was no other time I would've rather grown up.
Thank you! That means a lot as I worked quite hard on it and spent weeks on the editing. I wanted it to be something watchable over the years. Much appreciated
Awesome video man! Nice r-type Pic by the way. I remember putting a lot of quarters in r-type myself. Shooters are making a comeback. Can't wait to play cotton reboot, and hopefully more remakes will follow.
I was lucky to have that old pic of me. Grandpa decided to take a photo while I was at it and wish I had more of those. I think they’ll keep releasing cool remakes and we will see new indie games as long as we keep supporting it and show the market is there.
Superb showcase of editing skill here. As a fellow youtuber I see the invisible work that goes into a video like this. Keep it up, I'm sure you'll get an audience soon enough
Thank you that means a lot. I am always trying to improve skills here and there and make the videos more immersive and personal. So I'm glad it's noticeable up on screen and doesn't come across as overdone or cheesy. I am no pro, but will keep slowly improving the little things. You're right it really is a massive amount of work.
I am trying to think back to the seediest arcades I've been to and I keep coming up with Vegas 😅 Not the fancy affairs they became now. Back when the Flamingo and the older hotels were a thing. Playing Legendary Wings and Gladiator in the corners and it still smelled like smoke wafting in from the casino. Not my favorite type of seedy lol. I still miss it just the same though.
@@ShmupJunkie I was born and raised in Brazil, and during the 80s and 90s arcades were a huge part of the gaming culture over there. We wouldn't get most console releases (only Master System and Mega Drive via a local company that had licensed them), and game hardware was extremely expensive and out of the reach for most kids. So, arcades were the best thing, since we'd get bootleg PCBs smuggled through Paraguay at reasonable prices, which were put into generic plywood cabinets and sent across the country. Needless to say, arcades frequently were a den of small-time criminals and had other issues as well. So you had to be very aware at all times, and the PVP took place both in games and across the street, if you defeated people in the local gang =)
I’m really glad you found this one! It’s one of my favorite I’ve done so far along with the History of Compile video. Very universal that I hope most anyone can enjoy whether they’re into shmups or not.
You certainly weren't overselling this nostalgia shot. I sat down to relax with this, and now i am hyped for something, i don't even know exactly what or why. I better bust out my TG16 and think on it more.
Ha! Mission accomplished. I am sure you may end up on either Blazing Lazers or maybe one of the Soldier games as I often do, but lately I have been trying to go back to others I also like that I don't play as often. Like Hana Taaka Daka is a truly excellent game.
The first time I came across the term SHMUP was in the Zzap 64 issue 3 (I think) review of Dropzone, and because I have dyslexia I read it as SHUMP and for years thought SHUMP was short for shoot em up
I've been looking for a new channel to binge. I'm happy I came across this channel, not many people are putting out content like yours. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I really liked this video it's one of my favorite, so I'm glad you found it. I made a few more historical/nostalgic ones like it as well. Really hope you enjoy what else you look up.
You and me both! I made this a good while ago but the intro is still one of my favs. So I love when new people still find it. I still play Life Force and Salamander for nostalgia alone. This was the start of me getting into making history videos for series like RType and Thunder Force. I think we all miss those days and enjoy reliving some of those games again.
I introduced my wife to shooters and she currently loves playing Dodonpachi, Raiden, Cyvern and several others. She gets excited when we can play a new one, thanks for making this great video!
Wow lucky! Friend of mine on discord got his wife into them a while back and she recently got her first 1cc. I play games with the wife too but no way she is going near a shooter. They give her anxiety lol.
@@ShmupJunkie that’s funny! It helps on emulation because we have infinite “quarters” haha. I even got her into Magic Cotton 2 on Saturn, she appreciates it all. Her worst games are racing games and platformers like Mario and Sonic.
I miss shmups. I have never been very good at them, but was always fascinated by the genre. It's really hard to explain why exactly. Thanks to indie devs and things like steam there were quite some good new shmups in the last years. More than I actually have the time to play.
They always give me more of a rush playing it feels like a shot of adrenaline sometimes. Think that's why I enjoy them most. The Indie community is pretty much all we have right now aside from the rereleases of older games by some publishers. I'm trying to spotlight them regularly in videos. I'm hoping it continues to grow and more people get into them vs just being a temporary bump in popularity.
I'm with you bro, you can bet! Great video, you hit me with a smart bomb of nostalgia man, still have shivers. I'm proud of my Switch shooters library, and ready to support the genre in any ways! #SHMUPSARESHOOTERS !
A smart bomb of nostalgia I like that. 😀 thanks bro I am very glad you enjoyed it. The best thing we can do is support the new indie developed games that are worth playing so we continue to get more.
Excellent Video. I’ve been playing shooters since Space Invaders, Moon Cresta and Gorf. Shooters and 2D fighters were always my favorites. Just received G Darius and Cotton Reboot. Also preordered R-Type Final 2. It’s a Shmup renaissance right now. Excellent work Shmup Junkie.
Thanks! Very much a renaissance at least for us enthusiasts so far this year. Been enjoying Cotton myself and working on Natsuki Chronicles this week, with an RType history video slated in honor of Final 2 coming. We’ve got our hands full this year!
This is mandatory viewing for anyone even moderately interested in shooters or just in video game history in general. I can tell this guy is around the same age as me; part of a generation that was born around the same time video games themselves were born.
I’ll admit my nostalgia only goes back far enough for the 8bit days and later. I was about 3yr old when I got an Atari 2600 and while I remember playing it plenty (and defender being my first shooter) I just don’t have the same memory and feels for it. So I’m missing a generation behind me of good stuff I was too young for even if I did play moon patrol and gyruss etc. And I kind of gave it a short shrift here which I regret as they’re important, but I’m definitely really stoked with how it came out. It’s still one of my fav videos so I’m glad you really enjoyed it too.
Man in the early 80s I was still pretty young. I was playing Atari at 4-5yrs old but my memories are blurry from that time. It was the later 80s and 90s I was finally old enough to really appreciate it. Good times.
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I put a lot of love into this episode and made it universal and family friendly. Please use it to share with your friends, kids, and anyone that it may help spread the love of shmups!
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Shmups are Shooters
02:29 - Console Wars
03:29 - Arcades
04:19 - Why Shooters are Amazing
05:29 - Two Classics
06:08 - NES / FAMICOM 8bit
06:57 - Sega Strikes Back - Mega Drive (Genesis)
07:57 - Super Nintendo - Quality over Quantity
09:43 - Rise of the PC Engine - King of Shooters
12:15 - Just getting started - Shooters on CD
13:24 - Peak Shooter - The Best of Days
14:35 - What happened? The Decline begins
14:59 - Enter the Street Fighter
15:55 - The Arcade comes home - Sega Saturn and Playstation
16:54 - What did you call it? First Person Shooters and the birth of Shmup
18:23 - What do we do now?
21:22 - The Future of Shmups
Really good video and also another mention to this is the company NAMCO which helped get shmups or shooters off the ground though it can be debated if the games can be considered shmups or shooters like works of Glaxaian, Galaga and Xevious.
You deserve much more credit than you receive, hopefully you’ll continue to grow. Keep on it.
Thank you. I know youtube takes time and you can't blow up overnight. Have to put in the blood, sweat and tears. I mainly just want videos like this to get out there as they can do a lot for bringing more attention to the genre. And I am really enjoying making them.
Man seriously, this almost brought tears to my eyes. What a phenomenal video, thank you so much for making this.
This video is still my all time fav that I’ve made so far and I always hope more people keep discovering it. Even though I made it, it’s one I can even go back and watch any time. If I ever became much better at editing I can see myself going back to this, remastering it, and trying to make it into a little documentary. Something that parents can show their kids on what it was like at the time and an introduction to the games.
@@ShmupJunkie , I looking for the title of an arcade game shoot em up from the early 80's
in which after each stage, you need to connect the shuttle head onto the body, gradually connecting all. Please let me know if you know the title.
Awesome video. Really one of my favorite channels right here.
Man I had so much fun making the intro for this one. I still rewatch the opening 5 min sometimes.
This video is a precious love letter to the genre. You seriously deserve more subs. Amazing as always.
Thank you, definitely what I was going for. And hope something that can be rewatched in the future by many more.
I have to say your enthusiasm for stg sold me on playing all the ones I never knew about. Hundreds of hours of classics and it all because people like you show love and appreciation for games I never thought about. Been playing nothing but old school STG games. All because creators like this. Excellent channel. Opened my eyes to a whole genre. I can't believe I missed out on so many classics.
That intro hit me hard bro! What a time to truly be alive
Probably my favorite intro I've made to date, I can watch the first five min myself on repeat. I gotta do another vid like this one of these days as I enjoyed the heck out of making this one.
Abadox, Gradius, R-Type, U.N. Squadron, Raiden...bro my heart! I can still hum some of the tunes to this day! I love when he brought up the Super NES, the first stage theme of Gradius 3 started playing...LONG LIVE SHOOTERS!!!!
@@ShmupJunkie you should. That intro was pure gold. You've even inspired me to go back and play some PCE shooters since I never owned or played that console growing up.
@@dewaynesutton440 Bro!! And don't forget Life Force, Ray Storm, Section Z(the NES port), Guardian Legends, and Dragon Spirit(NES)....speaking of Dragon Spirit, I just played the PCE version a couple nights ago and I got destroyed on just the second level lol
@@KingAlexIII I STILL want to play Raystorm. One day I'll get it.
You have created a well-written love letter to the 80's and the golden age of the arcade. Your production values are also top notch.
Thanks I appreciate that. Though I've made some good ones since, this may be my favorite so far just for nostalgic reasons and how it's watchable by most anyone and some of us with our kids. I wanted to make something introductory anyone can watch but those of us who grew up would get the extra kick from.
Very inspiring video ... I'm with you! As a child of the 80s (actually started gaming in the 70s), shooters have been an integral part of my life for all of these many years. My devotion has ebbed and flowed with the vagaries of life, but you're right that today is an amazing time for fans of the genre. We have never been able to play so many of the old classics, many of them on modern TV's and sound systems with an arcade stick -- wow! 1980's me would have been blown away by the experience my kids and I can have in my living room today. I personally would push the golden age of shmups (especially arcade style) into the Saturn era, but you have started an interesting conversation here about what happened to the genre from the late 90's on. Keep it comin, mate, your channel is fantastic!
Thanks! Really glad you enjoyed this one. It became this ode to an era the more I worked on it. I can remember back to Defender and other games on the Atari but I was so young I can barely recall it. I did miss out on that earlier and mid 80s arcade scene that was likely so cool. A room full of those old cabinets all blaring away creates this awesome sound you can’t replicate at home or on a computer. When I’ve gone to some good retro arcades with it all going I can imagine what it was like. Those older Atari cabinets had good bass and a mid range to the sound.
I agree the Saturn was a great time for those who loved the genre, but it was a bad time for the developers. Sales were way down and instead of companies like Raizing and Cave being rewarded for their awesome work they all eventually had to shut down due to lack of profit. Kind of like the last year of a console where the best games come out but don’t sell like they should because everyone has moved on to the next gen consoles already. But with M2 making their own IPs now I’m excited for another renaissance.
@@ShmupJunkie Yeah my biggest years in the arcades were 79-84, and those arcades were my favorite places in the world. The wall of sound you describe was a big part of it, but also the fact that you could enjoy yourself for hours, spending only a few bucks, surrounded by other young people having honest and light-hearted fun. It can't be overstated how big a blow it was to the industry once they started charging more than 25 cents per play -- that changed everything. But in the early 80s it was great: you'd set your *one quarter* on the edge of the cab to reserve the next game, watch your friends (or even strangers) play their game while waiting your turn, and that was awesome. I guess that's the first ancestor of modern let's-play videos (but we could have conversations and root people on back then). I was lucky enough to live 2 blocks away from a little college in our suburb, and there was a nice arcade literally on the corner a 3-minute walk down the street. Livin' the dream! The place had about 15-20 arcade games at a time, a lot of them very good, and the owner was an old guy who didn't play games but was a good listener and thoughtful about the games he got in there. Three of my favorites -- Astro Blaster, Gorf, and Xevious -- were there for years! I got so good at those, I could high-score them at any arcade in town for awhile -- which annoyed those older college kids, LOL! Every month or two my parents would drive us to one of the big arcades in town that had 50+ games and I was in heaven.
As to your other point: the financial failures of PC Engine and Saturn outside of Japan meant the writing was on the wall for consoles aiming at an arcade experience by that time. As you discuss in this video, a lot of players were ready for new kinds of game experiences at home. It's too bad shooter-dev companies went through such financial hardship in the late 90s, though a couple of the little guys like Cave did survive. I think Cave made some great shooters into the early 2000's (love Progear & Ketsui!), but as they got more and more bullet-hell I don't find their games after 2004-2005 quite as compelling. We'll see what M2 can do in the next few years ... I sort of get the idea that they are not flush with cash, even with all that work-for-hire stuff they've been doing for Sega and other mini-consoles lately. If we can play the entire Toaplan catalog on our Switches in a few years, that will be amazing -- and I'm sure M2 has many other things planned as well. Worried about pricing, though. To stay afloat I think that M2 will have to charge a fair amount for those games, just like they have for the ShotTriggers games they've already released. Those price points around $35 digital and $65 physical for one game are not really conducive to attracting new shooter fans. Can they afford to charge less? Anyway, let's hope their projects succeed! I know that people like your channel's viewers will enjoy the heck out of them.
@@sonicmania9993 That was a fun read thank you. At least I was lucky enough to still be around when it was fun to hang out at arcades, even if it was a bit later. More around when the RType cabinets started showing up so a good bit of the older Atari cabs were still there. Of course pac man was everywhere, but I still remember playing moon patrol, defender, tron, Star Wars etc. too.
I agree once I had to plunk a dollar into a dragons lair machine to play that became a bit ridiculous. The fancier games cost more. Likely also why fighters took off they remained a quarter to compete for a long time.
M2 is trying to develop their own IPs now too like they did with GG Aleste 3 and if the quality is there like GG3 was I’ll gladly pay and support full pop 50-60 bucks for brand new games. I agree it’s tougher to do for ports of older stuff people will expect that lower $30 approx price point. I think they are still a small shop too. I’m sure you remember we used to all pay full price for just about any game in the early days even if it was a stinker and ended up buried in the desert 😅.
@@ShmupJunkie LOL, I sure do remember paying full-price for a few stinkers back in the day!
My dude, you went HAM on this one!! Also shout out to capcom s 1943 series, I recently played it at an arcade and was really impressed.
😂 Very aptly put. Both HAM in the traditional sense hamming it up with the nostalgia, and HAM in the urban dictionary sense 😅 Two weeks of work but it was worth it. That's awesome you still found 1943 in an old arcade. I haven't seen it around in ages. Speaking of 1943, have you ever tried 1943 Kai on PC Engine? It's a suped up version, graphics a bit improved over arcade and the tunes as well. But the main thing is a few extra stages (4 or 5 I think) where it becomes like a totally different game and on wild mode, suped up plane and all. It's like Naxat said OK we've made a nice port and have extra time, lets make some kick ass levels that blow the first part of the game away. It's hard to explain but if you liked 1943, you would totally dig what Kai does with it's final few stages not in the original. Even the graphics change and become next level with more parallax and other effects. Really quite unique and a reward for those that can get there.
@@ShmupJunkie yes I have tried kai! I 'll have to try out the pc engine version!
Bravo!! Early 90's shooters were also my fondest memories as a young teen, going from the TurboGrafx-16 to the SNES to the Duo, my fondest memories of intense gaming and greatest sense of accomplishment came from beating games like Blazing Lazers, Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Air Zonk, UN Squadron, Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder.. these games and this genre to me, had the most memorable action, graphics and music and when done great, nothing could beat the feeling! Thanks for making this video!!
You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it. I felt the same there weren't other genres that gave me that sense of adrenaline and barely making it through alive with sweaty palms. And they always showcased cool graphics but especially great music. You played and beat all the killer ones you mentioned, so you know how awesome the music was. I wanted to make an homage to what it was like and the feeling of playing them back then. And I'm definitely happy with how it came out given I'm an amateur just trying to make a cool video.
Incredible video, with a romanticized and lucid vision on the part of those who experienced an entire era, thanks for the beautiful composition!
Thank you. Yes nostalgia is very romanticized in our minds. We always remember the good and gloss over the bad as the years progress. That being said I sure wouldn't mind a trip back for a month or two if such a thing existed. But you can never recreate that first experience of something or relive it again, only remember how it was. The very definition of bittersweet.
Greetings from Brazil. Your videos are awesome, man. BTW, regarding the "shmups are shooters" polemic, I'd like to add a little interesting foot note: in my native language, portuguese, we use a specific term to refer to this genre, called "navinha"(which could be translated as "tiny spaceship"). This term has been used since the 80s and I personally think it's quite interesting, specially if we consider how tiny the player's ship can be when compared to the bosses or how crowded the screen can become sometimes in those games.
Hey! I like that bit of history I always love knowing the different ways we all called these games. I have a friend on IG that calls himself jogosdenavinhashmups. Now I better understand what it means. 😀 Last year I learned the Spanish name for these games also, matamarcianos for killing martians.
You really outdid yourself on this one, between this and the hour of pure goodness last week you're putting everyone else to shame! Keep fighting the good fight!!
Thanks man, and thanks for being a part of the omega blast week too. You really made some huge jumps and I was proud to see it. It brought out the best in everyone who put the time in. As long as there is a fight to be had, I'll keep fighting it.
Great video!! Nice that Wings of Bluestar got featured. The dev put some real passion behind it.
Absolutely I wasn’t going to miss a chance especially since I have good footage of my own from when I did a review for it. I really enjoyed the game.
Absolutely SPECTACULAR!!!! You painted this picture the same way that I WISH I could with people that didn't get to experience the GOLDEN AGE of arcades in the early to mid 80's! I hope that the genre does come storming back, but until then, I'll do what I can to spread the good word. I guess worst-case-scenario, I'll die happy knowing that I did once get to sit down and play though Radiant Silvergun with my 11-year old daughter!
Wow!! Just as expected, this is an amazing video full of history and nostalgia!! You had me time traveling and remembering so many good times as a child and young teenager. I know that every era has its own special place in life but what we’ve lived and experienced in the 80’s and early 90’s can hardly be matched. I share with you the feeling and mission to keep history alive and to revive these amazing games!! I want my kids to know why is it that we play, collect and cherish games from back in the day. Congrats man, loved it and am going to watch it again this afternoon. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 PS: I have sent your link to friends that are not from the gaming community but I am sure they are going to be very glad to see this video.
Thank you my friend. And I do hope it's something your kids will also enjoy and see a glimpse into those days. It's like an alien world to a young generation. I made this specifically to share with anyone and a video that not only shoot em up veterans can enjoy. Providing this kind of experience for people is the reason I keep making these videos. It's a reward unto itself and also something I can watch again and enjoy as well.
Yes, it’s like another world but my kids and wife are quite used to seeing my gaming side so I already told them that we are going to watch an special video this afternoon, one that comprises my childhood and passion 👍🏻👍🏻
@@unlimitedretrogaming how old are the kids? It will be fun to know how they felt about it later after you guys watched it.
@@ShmupJunkie it’s quite a zoo here 😂 they really enjoyed the video, had to explain/translate it at some points but they were so awed that we are playing Gunbird on the Switch right now. 👍🏻👌🏻
@@unlimitedretrogaming Success!!! 😂
This video elicited sentimental chills down this retro gamers spine... I love how you broke down pop culture of those two eras... And even included wrestling clips... Utterly masterful video! Wow
Thanks! It's honestly still my favorite video I've done as it's universal and feels like something anyone can watch, whether they are into shmups or not. And something maybe parents can use to show their kids what the games were about back then along with that time. I'd like to be able to make something like this again someday, so glad you enjoyed it too.
Shmupjunkie, you definitely can tell you love this genre and your enthusiasm shows it. Keep up the good work and its good to know I'll be up to date on the latest shooter releases because you definitely will be!!
Thanks I’m always stoked to know so many people are enjoying my vids. But I have to be honest I’m not the greatest in keeping up with the latest and greatest. I’m spending a lot of time revisiting great older games and getting new people excited about them. I do play a bunch of new ones too of course but there are so many lately I can’t keep up while making videos 😅. But I guess that’s a good thing. We are seeing an indie renaissance in the genre but now the content just isn’t coming from big studios any longer. Anything exceptional I will definitely try to cover like I just did this week with SuperXYX.
Great video! I can appreciate there must've been lots of writing/editing work here. I often think how the genre wasn't niche at all when I was a kid. I remember crowding around arcade games like Salamander, Image Fight, R-Type II and even not-so-good games like Carrier Air Wing! (hey, you could shoot through a building! :) ). One of my most nostalgic arcade memories was the first time I saw Gradius II (or Vulcan Venture as they called it in Europe). I had no idea the game existed (pre-internet!), then one day I came across it in an arcade. I recognised the ship...and the multiples...and the laser....and if there was any doubt this was the latest in the series, the profound title sequence certainly confirmed it! We'd all been impressed by the flames in stage 3 of Salamander, so those suns creeping into view for the first time with huge dragons coming out of them was fantastic. They have the game at my local retro arcade and it still makes me smile to this day.
That's so awesome you have a real Gradius 2 cab local you can still play. I never see stuff like that around anymore here. The retro arcades are either way old school like Atari days, or lots of beat em ups and fighting games. All cool but I rarely get to see a good shooter cabinet anymore. Not a Gradius for sure. Man I remember carrier airwing it was the like a sequel to Area 88 right. Too bad we never really saw that one ported anywhere.
Wow what can I say? This video is nothing short of a masterpiece. I can’t tell you how influenced I am right now. Especially as a content creator myself. You’re doing amazing work. I have an idea for a shooter that has never been done. I’m an artist but no programming skills at all. Maybe one day I can build a small team of people who love shooters to make that game happen. But until then, I’ll keep spreading the shooter love and streaming these games on my channel. And with enough luck, make content that is compelling as this video. Thanks for your time and effort you put into this ShmupJunkie. I can’t wait to see what you have in store next.
I’m really glad you enjoyed it and it’s been a pleasure having you in the omega blast competition, as well as the discord group. You just may meet the right people to help you on your project as well. I think many of us dream of making our own shmup, but for now I’m content with promoting the ones that get made. We all have a role to play. And at the moment I’m the crack dealer 😅
Excellent work.
This is fastly becoming my favorite subscription.
Thank you appreciate that. I keep trying to make small improvements every week and bring something new. And it's all the great feedback that keeps me going.
This vid is a thing of beauty. You can almost touch the love for the genre. And even if my demographic is just a little younger than yours, you brought me back to a lot of memories of me playing Aero Blaster on my MD. Keep them coming!
Awesome that’s so cool to hear. It was listening to that intro music that kick started my imagination for a video like this. Even if you weren’t around for it specifically, as a fan of the genre you instinctually get it. This was a hard one to do and took a lot of work, but I think it’ll stand the test of time. I’d like to do something like this and take 2-3 weeks once every so often for passion projects like this one.
Not only was this a wonderful mini documentary, but a passionate recollection of shooters and their roots. This was a beautiful video
Thanks! This is still one of my old favs I made long ago. It pretty much inspired my most recent video to do something similar only more general. I had a blast making this especially the intro.
where is B-Wings??!!! great music, great mechanics where you could abandon your wings when you see a better one floating on the screen..... B-Wings!!!
Beautiful my friend! 👏 A perfect video, full of emotion and memories. I got chills watching her. In short: Thank you! 😊
Thank you my friend. I honestly did too in some parts while working on it. That's how I know I am on the right track. I wanted to make some all of us who grew up at the time can watch it many times and remember some of the great times. And also make it general and friendly that us older folks can watch with kids and siblings to show them what the time was all about.
you've definitely outdone yourself with this one! incredible retrospective, fantastic production values, and super professional commentary.
Thank you that's very cool of you to say and good feedback for me. I am often a bit self conscious of narration as I don't have a deep or strong voice, or an interesting accent, so I am not sure if I can keep attention. I'm no David Attenborough 😅 I just try to speak with passion for the material and hope it comes through. I'll definitely try to do more of these from time to time as it was fun to do something different from the norm.
Such a beautiful video. You plucked those nostalgia chords like a pro. It truly felt like a feel-good video from the 80s/90s. Thank you so much for making it. :)
You're totally welcome and exactly what I was going for. Something that can be rewatched and also shared with non shmup players. And I'm happy to see so many people enjoying it.
Well...that was pretty amazing! Nostalgia overload. It's funny. I've loved shooters all my life but then I see videos like this and am once again reminded that there are a wealth of shooters that I missed, but still, they were and still are a big part of my life. I'm surprised you didn't mention games like Star Fox or Panzer Dragoon, which in many ways evolved shooters by delivering character and story rich worlds, but also entered the 3D era with great success. Amazing video though, best one I've seen in a long time! Subbed!
Thanks! Yes I was going for an overall macro view of the time so I kept pulling myself back from adding more and more. I wanted to talk about the great PC shmups of the time on Amiga, x68K, and PC in general as there were many. And spend more time on arcades too. In the end I wanted to keep it at 20 min so I had to keep stopping myself from adding and adding and making it too detailed versus something even non shmup fans can watch. I always did consider Starfox a 3D shmup since you have full control of your ship vs Panzer which is beautiful, but it's more of a shooting gallery with limited control of your dragon's movement. But I am with you all the way on the story aspect. Those games and the later gens started trying to add immersion during the game itself. The first time I really started seeing story in more games including shooters was the PC Engine CD/Duo. Many of those shooters had story sequences in between stages, especially games like Download that went full out story mode, even sometimes during the game as well. It was very common for any pc engine cd game to have a ton of cut scenes and it added a lot for me personally. Especially back then when it was the first time games ever had them along with full voice acting.
Great vid Junkie!
My introduction and love for the genre started off with the Slowdown King, SNES Gradius 3. And the game got even BETTER with the no slowdown hack!
Oh man that hack is incredible. It put the game into my top 3 on the SNES. It was already brilliant I just never liked the slow gameplay, but once that was fixed it's just a complete banger. If anything, it could use just a tiny bit of purposeful slowdown like Konami implemented on purpose. But I would rather have it this way than like playing through molasses in some sections. It brought the rush back.
Good background synthwave music, nostalgic and interesting commentary = you bought me. Great content here!
Thanks it's great to hear you enjoyed it. FYI that synth wave music is by a friend of mine Zak Vortex who has a channel here on YT. Lots of similar work including a really nice new Weird Science themed release. He is new and I feel going to be popular one day. I love his work.
100% with you !
And I want to say that I'm enjoying every second of your content as the far away Shmup addict I am.
Keep spreading the Shmup word with the greatness who caracterize you bro, the Shooters age will never end with all of us !
Hey dude! What's up I'm glad to still see you around sometimes. I know I am not on IG much anymore these videos keep me busy. I love making them though. We keep spreading the shmup love and hopefully it will only grow. 🤘
I was thinking in the middle of this video, "I don't remember shooters being in arcades".
And then, like magic, you explained why. This video was so on the nose, and makes me wish instead of SFII I had R-Type. The experience from shooters doesn't really die, and you can tell this by shooter fans getting excited by new releases just as much as the old, whereas SFII - the original and it's "Supers" - continue to get more re-releases than any other fighter and new releases are met with more cynicism than joy.
Another great video. Keep it up!
I definitely remember playing lots of shooters in arcades, but here in the US the selection was more limited. Plenty of the big time games, but never the great imports like Batsugun, Batrider, any Cave games or the like. Heck I barely ever saw Gradius. Plenty of RType, Legendary Wings and some other great classics I do remember playing a lot in the arcade. But as nice as it was... nothing compared to Japan. No wonder they still have a thriving shmup scene. I love my old SF games but I am definitely over the clones and special releases. It's hard to innovate it's just more of the same.
Bravo , this was excellent. You speak to all of my sensibilities. Brilliantly edited, oozing with passion. Loved it.
Thanks! I'm always so happy to see new people still finding this video, as it's one of my favorites I have ever done. Universal in a way I hope anyone can enjoy and not just enthusiasts of the genre.
You said it ALL , Shmups was and still part of our life, like old movies; a link to the nostalgic past and all that was good. Love your narration.
Amazing video. I enjoyed every second of this. I grew up in a small U.K. seaside town and we used to go to the arcades every weekend and even after school when Double Dragon was released. Subscribed
Thanks a ton for letting me use your great track for parts of the video it felt perfect. It was actually just listening to it that gave me the thought of the video itself. I wasn’t sure what my next one would be and the song answered the question. The images of what I could do to the music and intro just came together. So thank you this video was inspired by your music.
Man did DD kick my ass back then. I couldn’t get anywhere without a mountain of quarters. It wasn’t until part 2 on the NES where I got the hang of it.
This is MLiG quality stuff! As someone born in the early 80s and instantly captivated by the likes of Life Force, Contra and 1943 I loved every minute of this!
Thanks that’s quite a compliment. I think one of them is a pro editor so I’m just an amateur slowly learning more editing skills. I can see why they release videos rarely it’s a lot of editing work. This one was for the fans. Old school shooter vets that grew up in that era. I made something that I know I’d enjoy watching and something us older folks can show their kids.
And with a single video, you have just become my go-to UA-cam voice on shooters.
Shmup collection video next??? *hint hint*
haha, I was trying to avoid doing just a look at my games type of video, there are enough of those around. I like people to see them, but something feels odd about just doing a video talking about them and flaunting games. I know a lot of others do so it's just my hang up, as I do it all the time on my IG account in photos. So I try to showcase them as I talk about them in bits and make it more about the game vs look at my stuff. I did show my entire PC Engine shooter collection in this one though, with the three way split screen in one part near the beginning. 😉
@@ShmupJunkie - Yeah, I saw that part and it was AWESOME. I get you don’t want to flaunt what you have, but I’m a collector and love to see what others have. I also turn it into a “what games have I missed” list to collect for the future. But of course, you do what you want to: no pressure. Your channel shows your passion for shooters and that’s good enough for me!
@@jkemp6791 Are you on Instagram at all? It’s a great place for collectors to meet as well and I’ve learned about a lot of games there I’d never heard of before. It’s not necessarily to become some big account many just share as they please and just follow others who’s collection they like seeing. I met a lot of cool people there.
AMAZING Video sir! 100% agree with everything you said. As a Indie dev myself you really got me thinking about what type of Shooter to do next and I think it would be awesome to have some collaboration on a new game to keep the genre alive!
Wouldn’t it be sweet if big developers put money into financing indie projects? Kind of like Netflix does. Hands off they just get a piece of the profit. Some of the best new ideas come from independent creators.
Much effort put in this video, it's really great!
Yes a ton, and thank you. It was all worth it to see so many enjoying it
R-Type with VR would be freaking amazing! I really like how you did this video! Great formula.
Thank you. I was trying something new and learning a couple editing techniques that will be useful for future vids. I'll be first in line for that RType VR experience when it's done right.
@@ShmupJunkie I loved how you had all of those active videos of the games you were calling off onscreen overlapping at the same time. That really made an impact on me for your dialog during those segments.
Love the docu-style video! My love for shooters is newly found but it’s great to see why you love them so much! Keep it up as always!
It was the right style to go on this one. I didn’t want to make something about me or around a personality, but something anyone can watch years from now like a nostalgia video. I just wanted to narrate. Although I do wish I had a better narration voice with an interesting accent. The wife says my voice puts her to sleep 😅
@@ShmupJunkie well, I totally dig it. Maybe not always but it totally fits what you were trying to achieve. I don’t know man, some of those Brits put me to sleep with that monotone slickness with some narrations. Like watching National Geographic in class ZZZzzzz.
@@joshmiller887 if you recall my British accent from the lords of Thunder video you know we don’t need me doing more of that! 😂
Seriously made me choke up a couple of times. What a beautiful video, Junkie.
Thanks man, I really appreciate that. I put a lot of love into it and it had a similar effect on me in parts while making it. So I hoped that would transfer to some watching it. I wanted to make something that can be rewatched and enjoyed over the years.
Man, What an incredible labor of love this was, and a nostalgia trip to savor! So well done!
Thank you buddy. Old folks like us can't help but love this kind of stuff and I had a great time making it. Maybe it will be something we can, or will someday show our kids and grand kids of what it was like at the time. So I wanted to make something like this. Even I was surprised how well it came out. I just watched it again myself last night haha
What a love letter to the genre, as is every video you make.
Thank you. This is still one of my old, all time favs that I made long ago. I’m currently working on another with a very similar theme and vibe to this one. I’m a sucker for nostalgia 😅
Fantastic work here! 👍 don't think the era could av been summed up better than what you served us all with this. As a huge fan of space shooters myself, the primary reason i adored my Megadrive as a kid, you hit me with one of my greatest nostalgic moments in this video. The Thunderforce 4 title screen is a trip itself. The incredible title tune blasting away as the Rynex weaved in n out of gunfire as Thunderforce 4 rolls across the screen! My 14 yr old self nearly exploded with excitement 😊 again, great work here Junkie!
I still feel that excitement whenever I watch that intro. One of the greatest ever. No need for complexity. It does all the right things to hype you up to play and you're left ready to tear into it. It's flawless. And I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was going for that same hit of nostalgia and excitement
You sum it all up so well. I felt the same. Couldn't say it better.
Just discovered your channel and have watched about a dozen videos in the last 2 days. This is the best one yet. Well done!
Wow! Thanks that’s awesome to hear. I’m glad you found me and enjoyed them that much. This is honestly my favorite I really love how it came out too. This and the recent Compile history video I made are the two most popular ones. So I’ll definitely be making more like it.
@@ShmupJunkie I love documentary style videos and will be watching the Compile one next. I hope you continue this format and focus on other legendary developers (maybe a Saturn focused video or hidden gems).
@@matthewwachter9070 ooh you’ll enjoy that one too. You can bet I’ll be doing many more highlights of great devs like this. I enjoy them and apparently they do really well. I’ve got plans for quite a few more.
Just discovered your chanel and man what you say it HITS the mark💪🎮 magical memories & times we were lucky to be alive
Music, videogames, tv shows, toys, cartoons/anime...
We are LUCKY to have lived in that time period
Thanks for your words (i think the same things really i do) so your words really hit the mark
Thanks👍👍for the uploads i will explore you chanel & share your videos with my gaming friends (some i know since 1986... Hi Mr weedman & Fzd) i know they will enjoy your videos
Greetings from Mexico
Very glad you found my channel and one of my old, favorite videos. I have a lot of great history videos that came after this and nostalgia I think you will also enjoy a lot. Thank you for commenting and I look forward to your thoughts on some of my later works too. Greetings from California!
Sharing your video. You described it perfectly. This video brought a tear to my eye. As if you pulled a piece of my childhood heart onto the screen.
Thank you. I really enjoyed making this especially the intro. I’m working on a very similar video right now actually on what it was like gaming and growing up during that time.
Because they look amazing and feel satisfying! Looking forward to this one my shmup friend!
And because they give you that rush of adrenaline that few other genres can do the same way. 🤘 Hope you do enjoy I had a lot of fun making it.
@@ShmupJunkie loved it, great video :) I loved hearing about the transition from shooter to shmup, the rise of fighting games, and talk of boosting our community. Your editing is amazing.
One of most beautiful video of internet !
A love letter to players.
Thanks for this masterpiece !
You are very welcome and it’s a pleasure to hear. Now I can enjoy it myself as well. 😁
Great anthology. Congrats from Brazil 🇧🇷 my friend.
You’re welcome. I really enjoyed making this one. 👌
The term "Shmup" is a lot older than you think. Back in the mid 80s the term "Shoot'em up" was invented by game magazines like ZAPP64, C+VG etc. in the UK. Predated FPS for at least a decade. Later the term Shoot'em ups morph into "shmup" and stay until these days. Love your channel. Bring back loads of fond gaming memories!
Thank you for a most excellent video! It brought a tear or two to my eyes.
It's 22 minutes of my childhood condensed.
Like the other commenter says, what a beautiful love letter to our favourite genre. ❤️
You're very welcome and I am glad you enjoyed it so much. It's a good feeling when a video does exactly what you intended that it does. It makes you feel like an amateur film maker 😁
One of the best gaming videos I've seen on youtube, this is a masterpiece.
Thanks! This is still one of my favorite videos I’ve made as well. I am hoping it has long legs and new viewers will keep finding it.
Remember watching this video when it first came out .....I don't comment often but man this is one beautiful video.....
Still your best one in my opinion
It's still my all time favorite one too! I really love how the intro came out. My editing wasn't on the same level yet I was still learning, but it just worked. It's the one I can even still rewatch myself and enjoy.
@@ShmupJunkie you did well, be proud. Your names getting quite big across the communities.Keep that content coming man.....looking forward to more system Vs system games. All the best from across the water.
Bravo! That intro gave me shivers!
Thanks! I worked really hard on the first few minutes and learning new editing. I wanted it to be just right. I'm glad it had the desired effect 😀
Same here! Haven't got 'em like that in a long time.
This deserves an Emmy!! Wow! You e outdone yourself (again) my friend. Seriously man.......this is GREAT!!! I can’t wait to share this everyone I know. 🔥
Thanks man I love to hear it. I am stoked with it too and I am really hoping people who aren't into shmups either may watch it and say damn, I want to play some of those games. Then promptly get their ass kicked and realize why they never played them 😂 But that is part of the problem actually and why the genre needs to expand if it's ever going to gain a wider audience again. When someone thinks a game looks cool and decides to play it, they have to leave feeling like they had a great time and want to play it again. There are classic shmups that did that better than ever, like Soldier Blade. Even if you never got past level 2 or 3 your first time, you can't come away from it and not be thinking damn that was so much fun I want to play it again. It was a rush to play and the music was incredible. Shmups lost that at some point in my mind.
This exciting and inspiring channel has become my favorite ever. Keep up the stunning job you're doing here.
Thank you. And this video is still one of my all time favorites. So I’m glad you found it. I really loved making this one.
So what can i say about this Video? This is the Video of the year i would say...! Your Passion for the Genre is untouched! The Video is rapidfire skill! The best Part is when the Thunderforce and Gate of Thunder Soundtrack is starting. 🤘 Kudos from Germany! 🙏
Thank you I’m very pleased you and others are enjoying it so much. It’s a work of passion for sure. Nothing gets me in the mood for shooting like the thunder force intro. It’s perfection. 👌
Yet an other ace video, man. To me shmups or shooters or STG or shoot'em ups are the most quintessential video games, simply because they were the earliest games I played one century ago or something. Space Invaders, Gorf, Phoenix, Omega Race and others. They were primitive (and probably not even shmups according to some as there is no scrolling but I disagree) but sure left a lasting imprint on me and many others.
I’m with you in that I consider these early prototypes like space invaders shooting games. That’s exactly what they were whether they scrolled or not. The mechanics are there, games had to start somewhere. I’d consider them an STG before something like a platforming run n gun which is certainly not. So yeah ignore the naysayers. Those classics are the great, great grandparents of our favorite genre and we should respect our elders 😁. In my corner of pc engine shooters I have Galaga and Space Invaders ports. They belong right next to all my other shooters and are part of the family. 👍🏻
Space Invaders is one of the most played games ever for a reason. Respect.
Tuned in for watch #2. I love the background music you chose. It is excellent.
The intro music is what originally inspired me and got the ideas going in my head. It's by Zak Vortex and he has a channel as well. He was very kind to let me use the track for the video and it was perfect.
@@ShmupJunkie it really was. I love that "Synth wave" style of music.
This MIGHT be my favorite shmup video of all time. And ive been binge watching stg weekly :o
To share a secret with you... I think it's mine too. 😂 And I made it. I love nostalgia videos like this and tried to make something I could enjoy watching myself when I'm old(er) and maybe with grandkids haha. Maybe UA-cam will be gone by then but I'll have my original files!
New subscriber here. What a fantastic video, full of memories and nostalgia with great music also. Brilliant.
Thank you so much. I love when someone new finds the channel and likes the content. A lot of my stuff is all about nostalgia, so if you eventually get to checking out any of my older vids, you may find quite a bit to enjoy. I've only been at it for a few months, so there are only so many. Glad to have you here.
Shmup Junkie, you’re one of the BEST shooter enthusiasts that I’ve ever seen! And that Zak Vortex track took me back to the 80’s. We need a Ray’s Arcade Chronology review from you soon! Rayforce and Raystorm are my favorite Shooters ever.
I’m working on a pretty similar style video right now actually. Including some new Zak Vortex music as well haha. I love his work.
Fun fact: the term used back then in Spain for 2D shooters was "matamarcianos" which literally translates as "martian slayer".
I became familiar with that term a few years ago via some Brazilian friends of mine and still love using it now yeah. I kept seeing them refer to the games that way and was wondering what martians had to do with it haha. But it's such a cool term, better than shmups.
@@ShmupJunkie It came from the original Space Invaders. Back then the average English level of a Spanish was... extremely poor, even null. For most of them, reading the English titles was hard and impossible, that's why most classic arcades received affectionate nicknames.
For example, PacMan was called "come-cocos" which means "coconut eater" or "boogiemen eater" (since he eats ghosts and small dots that look like coconut bites).
Space Invaders was called "Marcianitos": "Little Martians".
Thanks for making this AMAZING video!!!
You're welcome! Still one of my old favorites too.
Spectacular upload & viewpoints from a shooter fan, for current shooter fans, to help inspire future shooter fans ; ) So glad im subbed here.
Thank you so much I'm glad you did find it inspiring. That was the goal. And to leave the viewer with a sense that they are a part of the community that is making them more popular at the moment. Inspiring future shooter fans is my top priority and only us current fans can do it.
Shooters, Scrolling Shooters, Shoot em ups, Schmups.
There are earlier non scrolling shooters in the history of gaming. The comeback you are looking for happenned with the xbox 360. It's most downloaded game was a shooter. Geometry Wars II, my favourite.
When I was young, I remember older men having train sets in their attic, or garage. If they had youtube, they'd be trying to make a comeback too. There's one small store in the country dedicated to model trains. None to jukeboxes. Even today, the chess community yearn for their heyday of the past.
Today, as the young have become old, they seek to create gaming rooms. Not with trains, but with computer games, consoles and cabinets.
Tomorrow, there will be a channel dedicated to bringing back the tomogotchi.
Thank you for making great content and sharing your history and enthusiasm. It's a joy to watch your videos x
Nostalgia makes something we loved as young uns even better than the reality. It seems our brains like to remember the good and glorify it, while forgetting the bad. And to that I say, ignorance is bliss! 😂 Without glossing over the reality of things, it's honestly great to remember things fondly that way and allows us (or at least me) to experience those memories with rose colored glasses. And like you said, decades from now, when I am in my 60s, those in their 40s will be reminiscing about the good 'ol days of their gen, and later still, when youtube is long gone, we will be remembering the glory days of youtube lol. It's already just changed so much from it's early days when it was so anything goes and people were just having fun. I try to bring that back a bit with the silly skits and not taking every single video too seriously, just doing what is fun. What I really need them to do is bring back the original Nestle Drumsticks properly. All those crappy king cone knock offs aren't the same and I can never find the real thing when I'm craving them. The good stuff, plain and simple vanilla without all the fudge filled centers and plastic-like flavor of the swirl top. How did I start talking about drumsticks? 😂 Damn I want one so bad now...
@@ShmupJunkie
The Internet today is like a limp dick. The law slowly caught up. The early days, anything goes. Now every single site you visit there is an "accept cookies' prompt. Advertisers everywhere. UA-camrs everywhere. Apps apps apps. The world controlled by a few memes and headlines.
Forget that bollocks and let's reminisce about the good stuff and set our own agenda. Which is why I like your videos so much. Never tried those drumsticks. They look alright. I swear McDonald's milkshakes tasted better in the 80's. I wonder if there's an ice cream level in a shoot em up ? Hmmmm
I'm joyously watching your library of videos. So far they are all titled "most brutal..".
How about most fun? Unless for you, the more brutal the more fun? Like a sadist. Or masochist. I get them confused. How about a flying dominatrix shooter? She shoots out dildos and has a special whip bomb. And when you press down A it's auto fire. Cos I'm old and my hands are fucked :)
That was exceptional, Shmup Junkie. Really, I’d love to see more episodes like this. I really liked the ideas you pitched for future shmup games. It would be awesome to get in the cockpit of a R Type VR game.
Thanks dude. Just brain storming no idea if it works, but trying to think outside the box. If it played like a shmup and not a weird flight sim it would be awesome. Real question is can it be played without getting sick 😅
@Orzuum I’m hoping one day that type of 3D experience can be translated into more of a shoot em up vs a flight sim. Kind of like how platformers transitioned into 3D and expanded the genre, but still managed to maintain the identity of a platformer. Not sure if it’s feasible with shmups but it’s an intriguing idea.
I think shmups have a number of things going for them in the current era.
1) A generation growing up on emulators with access to everything have an easier time encountering them.
2) A generation growing up on mobile gaming, which favours simpler design concepts with streamlined inputs and shorter play sessions. A great many of the most popular mobile games are just Atari 2600 or 8-bit era concepts with a fresh coat of paint.
3) The growth of the indie scene as a genuine and meaningful market segment has helped a lot, as the structure of these games makes them conducive to that scene.
4) The retro-gaming boom has put a spotlight on them, as shmups are invariably very prominent among the most obscenely expensive - and thereby coveted - games. The twitch nature of them has allowed them to age well.
5) Online leaderboards are relatively simple to incorporate, making score relevant in a way it couldn't be in the era where shmups fell off.
6) These games are tailor-made for the adderall generation, especially for anyone looking for something other than an FPS/3PS.
7) The Switch. Nintendo have spent two decades conspicuously nurturing nostalgia for their 8 & 16-bit glory days. At the same time, with less horsepower & fewer 3rd party AAA releases taking up oxygen the Switch makes a natural home for indies. Nintendo are very aware of this and give them a decent amount of promotion. Of course, indie developers being who they are (ie., people who typically share the same purist approach to mechanics Nintendo does and often have a worshipful appreciation of the classics from their glory days), are quite often very happy with the notion of seeing their work on a Nintendo platform. At the same time, the Switch's sheer dominance in Japan has made it the natural home for small-time Japanese games looking for the widest audience. And of course, the portable nature of the console favours the same elements mobile gaming does. It's for all these reasons the Switch has very clearly been the single biggest driver of the genre's renaissance. It's been a perfect storm of convergent elements.
I don't know how far this momentum will go, but Crimson Clover feels like an arrival moment to me. That's a game with sufficient spectacle to wow anyone who sees it, whether they're into the genre or not, and has the design quality to back it up.
But the thing the genre HAS to do is make itself understood. That's been the single biggest reason for it remaining in the shadows. Nobody looking at these games from the outside understands the difference between them. Nobody understands that they're meant to be a battle against yourself, mastered by throwing yourself at them for dozens or even hundreds of hours like a Dark Souls game until you're pulling off things that looked impossible. They just think they're for people born with crazy reflexes or a weird penchant for repetition. Esoteric scoring systems implemented with zero explanation don't help anybody either; in fact I'd argue they're a turnoff which leaves a game appearing inaccessible, or its most meaningful mechanics not understood or even known about (playing Ikaruga purely for survival is like playing Street Fighter without learning combos or special moves). And the genre needs a little more in the way of story elements and meaningful personalities around a game to ground it in some sort of relatable identity. This is exactly why Touhou is a gateway to the genre for so many people. This doesn't mean clogging a game up with cinemas that'll just get repetitive (looking at you, Raiden V), but it does mean offering up identifiable, relatable or attractive/interesting characters rather than just a random assemblage of rectangles on a fuselage and calling it an avatar.
Some really awesome points there and ones I agree with, especially in the end with your mention of focus on scoring and mechanics. Every great game has to have a "hook." Something that draws anyone to try it out... not just experts or people who know what it is. And scoring, as fun as it is for veterans of the games, is not a hook for most players. They simply don't care. They play for the fun of it, as do I. As in your Ikaruga example, it has a phenomenal hook with it's polarity system. It's why you play the game and why it's so well regarded. Of course it's critical to scoring, but that's beside the point. It's how you approach and learn the game, regardless of your ultimate score. It makes it fun and unique. All good platformers had hooks. Something that made their gameplay unique aside from the aesthetics and music. Or sometimes the gameplay is just so good, like Crimson Clover, where it's played for the sheer fun of it, and the spectacle is part of it. But I am with you 100% on that. For shmups to keep growing and especially to bring in a new audience, they have to be understood and have a unique aspect aside from simply dodging bullets. And they absolutely need to be more accessible. Dark Souls style games are know as the "hardcore" of 3rd person open world games, but it's just a niche within a broader genre. Shmups are pretty much ONLY hardcore, the end. It's as if there was no Ghosts of Tsushima, or Witcher, or Horizon, or GTA, only Dark Souls games that were hard as hell. And that was all there was. And it would be a niche with nothing more. There will always be a place for hardcore shmups, but they need to be more than that. They used to be more than that, which is a big part of my video, and they need to be again for wider acceptance. Crimson Clover goes a long way to making it more accessible to all, but it also LOOKS so damn hard to anyone watching. When in fact Novice mode is very playable. Like you said, the stigma of what shmups are is already set for those not into that type of game. Very hard to change. That's why I'm always looking for a new paradigm or approach to come along that has the DNA of a shmup, but doesn't necessarily look or come off like one. I don't know what that looks like yet, but I am open to it.
Man oh man, thank you so much for bringing me back. My first foray was a tad later than most with Star Soldier vanishing earth and R-Type delta in the late 90’s. I definitely felt the joy of a child watching again, thank you so much.
That's so awesome to hear as it's what I was really going for when making the video. A hit of nostalgia for us who loved and grew up with them, and to try and convey what it was like at the time for those looking in from the outside. Something universal people can share with non-shmup enthusiasts or their kids. It's still my favorite video I made so far that I also can still watch sometimes and enjoy. So I appreciate that feedback.
@@ShmupJunkie I've been reading youtube comments of young lads that happened to play ?Xevious? I don't remember exactly in the XBox 360 or something like that
@@tubbiele2 Xevious influenced the majority of vertical shmups including Zanac and what came after. Last I really played it was on my NES. Kind of like an early step into scrolling shooters
Right in the feels! You absolutely nail the feel of what it was like at the height of late 80s STGs. Subscribed!
I love it when people find this older video of mine. I was just starting to try and up my production quality and editing and thought a nostalgic homage to that era was a perfect video to make. And despite some of my newer videos being more advanced in that manner, this is still absolutely one of my all time favorite I've made. Glad you found it. It's what started my trend to making more history and developer videos afterward, starting with the history on Compile Shooters and just going from there. I enjoy making these most of all.
There's not enough words to really describe the type of over all enthusiastism felt living in those eras it's simply something you had to of lived through back then to really appreciate it in the same way.
Absolutely, and I tried really hard to capture some of it in the video. I say this a lot but... whenever I am down on feeling old, I remember if I was any other age, I wouldn't have grown up during this awesome time. And wouldn't give that up for anything.
Brilliant vid dude 👏 nothing quite like a nostalgia trip. This was basically my fondest childhood memories summed up in 22 mins.
That was the goal buddy thank you. I knew a lot of us would resonate with it. I made it like an old school nostalgia video only without the low res vhs look. That would be a cool filter to add now that I think about it though.
Good memories all around. Glad there are people that went through the same journey through the 80s and 90s like I did. Dream was to make games, but ended up in IT sales. Definitely would have been over your house everyday in junior high. Great work!
Haha, everyone was welcome we all had a good time back then. I think we all dreamed of working in games as unrealistic as it may have been. I started in IT as well, not on the sales side but same industry, before eventually getting into AV which was my hobby. We kind of had to be over each other's houses constantly, as few ever owned more than one system. So we each had to play the other consoles we didn't own somewhere else.
@@ShmupJunkie Lol! Same here. I just had an NES in '86 and a Genesis later in HS, but had a couple friends that had the SNES, Genesis, 3DO, and even the Turbografx 16 with the CD addon. Watching the Ys opening for the first time was a memorable moment and I've been a fan since. Wish I started buying 10yrs ago....
Excellent episode!! Fuel for me back in the day at the arcade was a Mt. Dew and pack of Skittles. Same at home sometimes. I feel very fortunate to have grown up during the golden age of video games. Keep up the great work!!
Thanks! Unfortunately if my fuel was still Mt Dew and Skittles I'd likely end up in the bathroom later that day playing the rest of my games on the switch. 😅 One more thing I miss about those days, an impervious constitution. But I remind myself whenever I feel down for getting old, there was no other time I would've rather grown up.
AAA video, one of the best videos I have ever seen on retro gaming.
Thank you! That means a lot as I worked quite hard on it and spent weeks on the editing. I wanted it to be something watchable over the years. Much appreciated
Awesome video man! Nice r-type Pic by the way. I remember putting a lot of quarters in r-type myself. Shooters are making a comeback. Can't wait to play cotton reboot, and hopefully more remakes will follow.
I was lucky to have that old pic of me. Grandpa decided to take a photo while I was at it and wish I had more of those. I think they’ll keep releasing cool remakes and we will see new indie games as long as we keep supporting it and show the market is there.
This video is a masterpiece, you got it dude ! Congrats
Superb showcase of editing skill here. As a fellow youtuber I see the invisible work that goes into a video like this. Keep it up, I'm sure you'll get an audience soon enough
Thank you that means a lot. I am always trying to improve skills here and there and make the videos more immersive and personal. So I'm glad it's noticeable up on screen and doesn't come across as overdone or cheesy. I am no pro, but will keep slowly improving the little things. You're right it really is a massive amount of work.
Oh yeah, this is right up my alley. I was forged in seedy arcades, and I've learned to love shmups in them. Nice script and editing!
I am trying to think back to the seediest arcades I've been to and I keep coming up with Vegas 😅 Not the fancy affairs they became now. Back when the Flamingo and the older hotels were a thing. Playing Legendary Wings and Gladiator in the corners and it still smelled like smoke wafting in from the casino. Not my favorite type of seedy lol. I still miss it just the same though.
@@ShmupJunkie I was born and raised in Brazil, and during the 80s and 90s arcades were a huge part of the gaming culture over there. We wouldn't get most console releases (only Master System and Mega Drive via a local company that had licensed them), and game hardware was extremely expensive and out of the reach for most kids. So, arcades were the best thing, since we'd get bootleg PCBs smuggled through Paraguay at reasonable prices, which were put into generic plywood cabinets and sent across the country.
Needless to say, arcades frequently were a den of small-time criminals and had other issues as well. So you had to be very aware at all times, and the PVP took place both in games and across the street, if you defeated people in the local gang =)
Just wanted to say what a well researched and presented video this was, your passion for the genre really shows.
You've got yourself another sub!
I’m really glad you found this one! It’s one of my favorite I’ve done so far along with the History of Compile video. Very universal that I hope most anyone can enjoy whether they’re into shmups or not.
You certainly weren't overselling this nostalgia shot. I sat down to relax with this, and now i am hyped for something, i don't even know exactly what or why. I better bust out my TG16 and think on it more.
Ha! Mission accomplished. I am sure you may end up on either Blazing Lazers or maybe one of the Soldier games as I often do, but lately I have been trying to go back to others I also like that I don't play as often. Like Hana Taaka Daka is a truly excellent game.
Great video mate, the perfect nostalgia trip.
Thanks man. Good to see you here. Some of your favs represented I figured it’d be up your alley. It was a trip to make as well.
The first time I came across the term SHMUP was in the Zzap 64 issue 3 (I think) review of Dropzone, and because I have dyslexia I read it as SHUMP and for years thought SHUMP was short for shoot em up
Love the channel man, especially all the PC Engine love ! Thank you for some of the best Shmup videos on UA-cam!
Awesome I’m glad and thanks. Though I try to spread the wealth there will never be a shortage of pc engine love here 😁
I've been looking for a new channel to binge. I'm happy I came across this channel, not many people are putting out content like yours. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I really liked this video it's one of my favorite, so I'm glad you found it. I made a few more historical/nostalgic ones like it as well. Really hope you enjoy what else you look up.
Well, this video made me shed a tear. Where has the time gone since I played Lifeforce? Definitely subscribing.
You and me both! I made this a good while ago but the intro is still one of my favs. So I love when new people still find it. I still play Life Force and Salamander for nostalgia alone. This was the start of me getting into making history videos for series like RType and Thunder Force. I think we all miss those days and enjoy reliving some of those games again.
This video just brought tears to my eyes , great video thanks for the content!
This is still one of my favorite I have ever done, so I'm glad you enjoyed it too. It's one I'll rewatch myself in the future.
Wow over 2k views in two days, that’s incredible. I love to see your channel grow and I’m enjoying every moment of this video right now.
Yeah man I’m pretty blown away too it’s doing so well. It was a lot of work but it certainly motivates me to make more like it one day.
I introduced my wife to shooters and she currently loves playing Dodonpachi, Raiden, Cyvern and several others. She gets excited when we can play a new one, thanks for making this great video!
Wow lucky! Friend of mine on discord got his wife into them a while back and she recently got her first 1cc. I play games with the wife too but no way she is going near a shooter. They give her anxiety lol.
@@ShmupJunkie that’s funny! It helps on emulation because we have infinite “quarters” haha. I even got her into Magic Cotton 2 on Saturn, she appreciates it all. Her worst games are racing games and platformers like Mario and Sonic.
I miss shmups. I have never been very good at them, but was always fascinated by the genre. It's really hard to explain why exactly.
Thanks to indie devs and things like steam there were quite some good new shmups in the last years. More than I actually have the time to play.
They always give me more of a rush playing it feels like a shot of adrenaline sometimes. Think that's why I enjoy them most. The Indie community is pretty much all we have right now aside from the rereleases of older games by some publishers. I'm trying to spotlight them regularly in videos. I'm hoping it continues to grow and more people get into them vs just being a temporary bump in popularity.
@@ShmupJunkie Yeah and we should be grateful for that and support them as much as possible. :D
I'm with you bro, you can bet! Great video, you hit me with a smart bomb of nostalgia man, still have shivers.
I'm proud of my Switch shooters library, and ready to support the genre in any ways! #SHMUPSARESHOOTERS !
A smart bomb of nostalgia I like that. 😀 thanks bro I am very glad you enjoyed it. The best thing we can do is support the new indie developed games that are worth playing so we continue to get more.
Great job Junkie! This video brought back great memories
Thank you. It brought back a lot just making it. And I had that soundtrack playing most of the time I worked on it 😅
Excellent Video. I’ve been playing shooters since Space Invaders, Moon Cresta and Gorf. Shooters and 2D fighters were always my favorites. Just received G Darius and Cotton Reboot. Also preordered R-Type Final 2. It’s a Shmup renaissance right now. Excellent work Shmup Junkie.
Thanks! Very much a renaissance at least for us enthusiasts so far this year. Been enjoying Cotton myself and working on Natsuki Chronicles this week, with an RType history video slated in honor of Final 2 coming. We’ve got our hands full this year!
What an amazing episode!!!! Thank you!!! And btw....I AM WITH YOU!!!! HELL YEAH!!!
I know you are dude 🤘 and I knew you would enjoy it. Motivation and perspective for your own great work in progress.
@@ShmupJunkie Thank you!!!
Awesome video bro!! So glad I found this channel!
Thanks! This was a labor of love for me at the time. I really enjoyed making that intro especially.
This is mandatory viewing for anyone even moderately interested in shooters or just in video game history in general. I can tell this guy is around the same age as me; part of a generation that was born around the same time video games themselves were born.
I’ll admit my nostalgia only goes back far enough for the 8bit days and later. I was about 3yr old when I got an Atari 2600 and while I remember playing it plenty (and defender being my first shooter) I just don’t have the same memory and feels for it. So I’m missing a generation behind me of good stuff I was too young for even if I did play moon patrol and gyruss etc. And I kind of gave it a short shrift here which I regret as they’re important, but I’m definitely really stoked with how it came out. It’s still one of my fav videos so I’m glad you really enjoyed it too.
Happy to be an early 80's kid! Games grew and advanced as we grew. Gradius was the first arcade game i really played and spend all my allowances on.
Man in the early 80s I was still pretty young. I was playing Atari at 4-5yrs old but my memories are blurry from that time. It was the later 80s and 90s I was finally old enough to really appreciate it. Good times.