You know, one reason I think Ikaruga is so well regarded even among more casual gamers is that it's one of the few shmups where the scoring system is very very transparent and easily understandable at a glance. That way, even a casual player or spectator can immediately recognize the depth that's available for both scoring and staying alive. Whereas a lot of other shooters have somewhat arcane or unexplained combo/multiplier mechanics. If people can't see why your game is deep, then they won't look past the surface and will dismiss it as a 20-30 minute game with no real replay value.
Exactly. This is what we've been saying for a while and a huge driver for the community to work on the shmups.wiki and video/score repositories as well as guides. Great observation.
Plus, Ikaruga got a standalone gamecube version. There weren't really a ton of shmups available in the west on console at that time. Everybody "gets" Ikaruga right away, its REALLY hard to argue a death wasent your fault when I could see you not switch polarity :)
I disagree. I would say the score system is a casual-repellent as it is not at all easy or intuitive. As someone who isn't a huge fan of said scoring system, I still find plenty of enjoyment in this game because it's still challenging and, more importantly, fun. I don't care about score that much.
Bro i love that fact that you know so much about schmups. You can tell that youre very into the genre. It shows in your vids. The way you review these games definitely shows your love for these games.
I'd buy ZeroRanger on Switch in a heartbeat. Battle Garegga too, but let's be honest... who wouldn't? I'm still holding out hope for Ketsui on the Switch.
Nice! Glad to see some Blazing Star rep. Haven’t played nearly enough, but my list would be 1) Crimzon Clover 2) DoDonPachi 3) Armed Police Batrider 4) Jamestown 5) Blazing Star 6) Eschatos 7) Danmaku Unlimited 3 8) Ikaruga 9) Giga Wing 10) Boogie Wings
Finally, someone mentioning armed police batrider. Loved that game since I played it several years ago, ironically I never played it in the arcades. You got a good list there either way, though I wished more people mentioned games from Techno soft. Like Hyper Duel, go check it out if you've never played it
The Fugazi/AtDI/Paramore example was so perfect and hilarious 😂 That's the first time I've ever heard anyone put that out there like that even though it's so universal among alternative types, well done. I'm so glad I no longer feel the need to make myself listen to The Locust, Burning Witch, or Melt Banana. Actually MB sometimes kicks ass...but I no longer see that as a personality trait lol
Ha I'm glad you enjoyed the example! Yeah for anyone around alt scenes growing up I thought the example would resonate ha! I do think it's pretty important to try and dig through my own personal preference based on behavior rather then by what sounds cool XD
Oh good question, i believe in my review of it I said I liked it more then Donpachi (the game before dodonpachi, and I do) but yes it isn't super far off from being on the list, I believe I have about 10 hours in the game :-)
I'd suggest looking into Mexico and Latam listings, MVS carts are really plentiful and popular there, Neo Geo had always been insanely popular over here.
@@TheElectricUnderground The Sekiro of Shmups. Likely coming with Super Easy mode in April. There's something about those games, the audio feedback from the shot is strangely satisfying. Like you can almost feel it.
Great mention of Zero Ranger! Steam recommended me the game and I wasn't sure what I was getting into, as the game from the video simply doesn't look all that colorful. But after getting the game I could not put it down. It is just fun, plus the plot is psychedelic and makes you want to keep on playing just to see what is going to happen. Looking at the game time, my most played shooter on Steam is actually a game called Nova Drift, another indie game which is kinda like an updated Astroid but with RPG elements and rogue-light gameplay. It's perhaps not a good game for competitive gameplay but the customization opportunities makes the game super fun to play.
I just added hundreds of çlassic shooters to my mega drive mini, have only so far played through Batsugun, but this vid is perfect timing. Couple of weeks ago I had no clue on any games from Taoplan, Cave, Psyiko, Raizing etc.
Super cool criteria. This is why I like your videos. It's not just a list of 10 Cave games. I mean, we all could make those kinds of lists if we wanted to. So I'll post mine, going off the same rules you gave: Espgaluda II. So, if I were trying to be a hipster, I'd put Akai Katana in here. I think Akai Katana is seriously underrated and I want to play a lot more of it. But Espgaluda II is the CAVE shmup that has the most play time on my Switch. I'm still not sure how it has so much, considering I've barely scratched the surface of the content in the game. Espgaluda II reminds me a lot of Futari, which was the first Cave game I played and first Cave game I owned (on 360.) Espgaluda has such a perfect length and level design, and the slow-mo feature is extremely cool. As always for Cave, it's beautiful to look at and sounds amazing. I think cave shills probably underrate Espgaluda II a little bit. Castle Shikigami 2. I probably don't have all that many hours into this one in some respects, because my ps2 didn't track my hours when I was a kid/teen. But this was THE game that got me into shmups and it's far and away my favorite Alfa System game and favorite ps2 shmup. I played shmups before Castle Shikigami 2 but never liked them all that much. I wouldn't be playing shmups now if not for Castle Shikigami. Gradius V. This is my favorite Treasure game and my favorite Gradius. The option system is fantastic, the game is beautiful and I like how recovery is less obnoxious than some Gradius titles. Gekirindan. My favorite Taito/pseudo-Raizing/Toaplan era shmup. A super fun classic shmup, I like to think of this as Tatsujin-Ou, but actually fun. Blazing Star, I mean... Hell yeah, best neo-geo shmup by far. One of the most-played Arcade Archives shmups on my switch. Definitely inspired by r-type, but it also has a little bit of that proto-danmaku (dadmaku) in it, and the game isn't nearly as punishing as r-type. Tons of ship types, great anime presentation... It might be the best shmup Hamster have ported to modern consoles. In the Hunt. The best Irem/nazca dev shmup for me. It's brutal, even more so than r-type in some ways. But one only needs to look at it to see why it's so cool. Also notable that this game does NOT use checkpoints, so you can credit feed if you're a scrub like me. X-Multiply is probably a better game, but In The Hunt's presentation is miles above. Caladrius Blaze. Favorite MOSS/Raiden dev game. This feels like Castle Shikigami 2 made by the Raiden team, and I love it. This game does upgrading the right way. Upgrades are only persistent for a single run and reset after each attempt. There's no euroshmupping allowed here. Like Shikigami, you have a ton of characters who all play very differently. Salamander/Life Force. So hear me out, Salamander is made by Konami, not Treasure. It's also technically not part of the Gradius series. Salamander is the only game I really play on the konami arcade collection. That collection has a pretty decent amount of play time on it, and that is from Salamander (+ a little bit of gradius 2). If Gekirindan is a better Tatsujin, then Salamander is better Gradius. Recovery is way less obnoxious because you can grab power ups like options directly instead of spending points. I really dig the mix of hori and vert sections too. Thunder Force AC. I like it a lot more than IV actually. There's a great M2 port, but the game is also fantastic on its own. I enjoy the dark, moody atmosphere and the gameplay is top-notch. More shmup devs need to give players control over the ship speed and weapon choices, rather than forcing players to grab power ups. Folks accuse this game of being too easy... Well, that's because the devs give you the power and let you decide how to use it. Anything is easy when you remove all the BS. Neko Navy. It's cute and fun. What more do I need? Some dislike the bomb-centric, cancel-heavy, scoring-focused play style, but I don't mind it at all. Capcom needs some representation here, but I don't have any single game that I like over the others. 1941, 1944 Loop Master (made by Raizing), Varth and Giga Wing are all very cool games. I don't mention Progear because I think that game is pretty brutal and I'd rather play almost any other Cave game. So, I guess you can say Giga Wing takes this slot, or maybe 1941... But really, all four of the ones I mentioned are super cool and they're all on the arcade stadium.
Awesome list my dude!! Yeah I think the hourly playtime is an important criteria (at least in my own mind) because otherwise I do think people can really start to bias their lists and favorites based on what sounds appealing more then what's actually accurate to behavior ha. Also good news, Akai Katana is the patreon voted review for this month so I am going to have a vid for it really soon!
@@TheElectricUnderground Nice. I know it's on an older console, but Akai Katana IS still readily available on an HD system. Even now, I believe it's priced around $50, which for an older physical shmup is not too bad. But there were years and years where this game was $20 in bargain bins. Sort of like Guwange on XBLA, more people should be made aware of Akai Katana's awesomeness. Definitely my favorite cave hori shmup. I also think it's reasonable to expect Live Wire might port Akai Katana in the future, since Live Wire have (so far) been porting games that had existing port jobs on either PC or xbox 360. I could imagine xbox 360 ports of Futari and Akai Katana making it to switch.
I like Touhou 9 IN. I love one of its mechanics where you can play 2 characters at the same time for example Reimu when unfocused and then the gap hag Yukari when focused or Youmu (myon) when unfocused and my waifu Yuyuko when focused. Also Marisa’s theme. I also have a list of my own: 1. Xeno Fighters R (its a shmup fangame where lots of other shmups are in one game like Raiden, Strikers, Battle Garegga, etc.) 2. Mushihimesama (not just because of Reco but also its my first bullet hell game I played and I love the bosses and the soundtrack) 3. Imperishable Night 4. EoSD (my first Touhou game I played) 5. Subterranean Animism (the final boss shoots giant nuclear balls) 6. Strikers 1945 7. Strikers 1945 II 8. Strikers 1945 Plus 9. Aero Fighters 2/Sonic Wings 2 10. Strikers 1999
Amazing list. Very nice selection and your way of describing the games are perfect, great job! Also glad to see Strikers 1945 on the list, it's my favourite.
I am working on a 1 cc of blue revolver and i noticed just practicing straight into the hardest modes over and over even as a total scrub makes it so much easier after a little effort. We need stage practice and even save states in all shmups!
Strikers 1945 II is my favorite Psikyo shmup as well. I come back to it more than any other Psikyo game by far, even though I like many of their games quite a bit.
I appreciate setting out the criteria and the genuine approach to ranking. When I do an overall ranking for games, I like to limit myself to either a 1/per series or 1/per developer. It gives other games a chance to shine and you can choose the best representation of that "game-type". Can't stand redundant information!
Yeah exactly, and since I have already covered all my thoughts on cave games in my cave tier list, making another cave heavy list did feel like repeating myself.
yeah isn't it awesome how much more affordable psikyo pcbs are! one of the few games where you can recommend the pcb and not have it cost so much money.
i think i would make my list too. let's see what my favorite STG from different studio: 1. ESPGaluda 2 (Cave) 2. Thunder Force V (Technosoft) 3. Raystorm (Taito) 4. Eschatos (Qute) 5. Touhou 18 Koryuudou-Unconnected Marketeers (Team Shanghai Alice) 6. Crimzon Clover: World Explosion (Yotsubane) 7. Raiden IV (Moss) 8. Soukyugurentai-Terra diver (Raising) 9. RefleX (Siter Skain) 10. Grand Cross Renovation (ES4) Honorable Mention: - Gigawing Generation (Takumi) - Forgotten Worlds (Capcom) - Dogyuun (Toaplan) - Zanac Neo (Compile)
@@LoganTheDevilMayCryFan man i really want to try Raystorm HD. i just play the original PSX and arcade one. the thing i got from 360 emulator is the trial version of Raystorm HD.
I’m new to the genre and recently got an Xbox Series S. I don’t know if there are any “well of course you have to play X and Y” because I don’t even know how to filter for the genre in the store. I’ll enjoy being subbed to the channel and learning new things :) (probably old news to many of you though, haha. Still, fun.) Edit: just wishlisted battle garega in the Xbox store, thanks!
Had the same issue on PS4, could only pick a few out of the thousands in the 'arcade' section. Tried the Japan store as well, but the only japanese I understand is the text for 'fighting games' :)
Great video! Per spent hour is a very interesting metric. Just want to play after seeing your video. My favorite shump is without hesitation Mushihimesama.
A perfectly respectable list. And yes, play time has to be taken as a relevant factor in how you really feel about a game, or how well it fits into your life. I'm glad to hear you're planning a Blazing Star video, I've been nominating it in the monthly vote forever. Aside from being the definitive Neo Geo STG, it's a game that merits a deep dive based on its unconventional scoring system and the different ways all the ships interact with it.
Only played a few shmups, kinda getting into the genre at the moment. My favourites so far would be: - Radiant Silvergun - ESP RaDe - Battlemania 2/ Trouble Shooter 2? - Sol Cresta
My list would be very different. Roughly, in no particular order: Cyvern Border Down DariusBurst EX+ (similar developer I know) Much Muchi Pork Hellfire XX Mission Ketsui R-Type Salamander Strike Witches hakugin no tsubasa.
Very interesting list. I'm not too surprised because I've known you for a while ago now, I was perhaps surprised at Strikers II. This seems like a very "personal" video nonetheless and I'm glad you included a lot of these games (like Radiant Silvergun and ZeroRanger in particular, also quite surprised you included Touhou IN which I agree is a great game). You could do this same format for the other genres you like, from rail shooters to beat em ups. Looking forward to shmupslam 5, have a great day Mark.
Nice list, probably. I haven't played like half of those. Especially the PC only games. I probably couldn't do a top 10 STG list like that, especially with just one per developer, since I only play them casually here and there. But my favorites are Mushihimesama Futari (and many other of Cave's games, I think Akai Katana doesn't get enough love), Crimzon Clover, of course, is awesome. Best Treasure game for me is Gradius V, even if it's a bit slow and too long. I also like some older titles like R-Type 2 and even Galaga is still great. Now that I think about it, I still quite enjoy old stuff like Xevious, Star Force and Defender. Maybe difficult scoring mechanics just aren't for me. lol
I definitely think that's the case for zero ranger not coming to switch yet! If they do make it, I will shill for the ultimate collectors physical edition! Love that game.
Dodonpachi Resurrection: 37,1 hours. Mushihimesama: 13,7 Deahsmiles: 10,4 Judgement Silversword: 9,2 Space Invaders Extreme: 7,2 These are the ones I've played the most on Steam. I've played many more, of course (since the MSX days xD), and in many different ways. I liked that Blazing Star on the list, I think the same about the best STG in Neo Geo, it's very good and I've always thought it was an attempt to bring to Neo Geo the new wave of STG´s that were coming out with their deep score systems. I really like the Strikers series too, a more classic gameplay but really intense. One day I have to play Danmaku Unlimited 3, to see if it is true that it is as good as it is said hehe ^^ And I don't want to miss the opportunity to name the great Twin Tiger Shark, love it! BTW, great list! PD: Excuse my English, it's not that good on its own to express everything I want to say and I need to use a translator. PD2: I recently bought Crisis Wing and it's amazing!
Danmakus are awesome. I prefer modern Japanese style danmaku because I’m a weeb to the classic style but I still enjoy playing the classic style of space ship shooter though horizontal or vertical. I also prefer vertical to horizontal because no stupid hazards to watch out for other than enemies and their bullets and there will be a lot of bullets (because danmaku BRUH!) making up for the lack of obstacles if you can call it that. That’s just my opinion though but yours may differ from mine. And the added bonus of a tate option should the game have it and your monitor being able to display vertically. It’s awesome. CAVE is the best imo. Just a shame they don’t make games anymore but their legacy lives on. Also happy to see the recent revival of shmups and rereleases galore.
Best of 11 random categories Game that raised me: Thunder Force 4 Game that aged best: Twin Cobra Best beginner game: Chorensha Best non-ship game: ESP RaDe Best of this decade: GG Aleste 3 Comfort game: GG Aleste 1 Hardest game I haven't given up: Ketsui Best real arcade machine played: Saidaioujou Exa Best 1cc'd game: Cosmo Dreamer Hardest to recommend: Battle Garegga Best from dev not known for shmups: Gleylancer
Nice list! I loved those developer interviews! What other genres are you into? I know you like some rail shooters, beat em' ups, fighting games? etc but do you play like twin stick shooters etc? Tactical shooters? Rogue likes?
I do want to dabble more with twin stick stuff and some alternative fps games (like devil daggers) but probably the other genre that I'm really into is character action games like Ninja gaiden, Devil may cry, etc.
How do i find out frames of lag on each game/console? Is it tested and gathered on a website? How do i test it myself? Great video and great channel 😀👌
@@TheElectricUnderground that's alright man. I'm still fine with Strikers 1945 II being on the list. I had that game on Switch but I don't play it as much because of the joy con drift problem. That said, I'm fine with the list still and I still subbed to the channel
Funny how my favorite console, the Sega Saturn. Even powerful consoles like the 360 still can't keep up with it, actually blast wind by Technosoft is another great one. Still a great vid though, and god knows im a Raizing fan.
9:15 I guess you are no longer a Djentleman? Totally agree on the soundtrack. I could talk for hours about heavy metal commodification and what makes guitar music good or bad.
I felt the same way about Ikaruga vs Radiant Silvergun. Flipping the ship all the time in Ikaruga isn't my favorite thing even though I have nothing against it. Radiant Silvergun is a different story for me -- love it, it's amazing. Mine from top to bottom: Gate of Thunder Ketsui Battle Garegga Axelay Crimzon Clover Mushihimesama Futari Radiant Silvergun Lords of Thunder Star Parodier Space Megaforce / Super Aleste Blazing Star is a near miss for my top 10. I'm a little biased for console shmups because they don't have the same issues of incredibly sharp difficulty incline so much as arcade shmups.
@@TheElectricUnderground You know a couple of shmups with a melee attack I can think of now are Steredenn and Freedom Finger. Or Astebreed come to think of it (thankfully several of those have analog movement too). Yeah in general it's a standout feature.
I wish you still had you steam sale video up :(. I know the steam sale is over, but it was a good video to use as a reference for some good shooters to pick up in the future.
@@TheElectricUnderground Yes...the final boss is insane, at times....Strikers 1945 II huh...i own the Psikyo Shooting Star Alpha Collection....yes the zero div laggy port...i also own the ACA port of the Neo Geo pseudo upgrade
If I would make a list like this, it would be looking like this: 1) Touhou 7 2) Seihou 1 3) Dodonpachi Resurrection Yes, only 3. I could make a Top 10 list, but I didn't played many games long enough to make it a solid list.
I mean a proper save state with multiple slots, not that weird interrupt system they have going. Idk why they did that rather then just add in proper save states ha.
I prefer soukygourentai to battle garrega,nice shout for strikers 2 but like zero gunner 2 as my personal psykio shooter,also question what is your frav shmup from technosoft and taito mine be hyper duel and Darius gaiden,laters
Fun fact: If what i have seen on the Shmup scene is true Zero Ranger is the third game that i know, that has an encore stage. Where after the boss, when you thought its over, *you have to escape the destruction* The other two is Strania: The Stella Machina, and an indie game called Twilight Insanity (probably a good contender for Pateron shmup pick. Its a hidden gem, for sure) Check those two out. Definitely worth your time.
![FNAF Into the Pit has A LOT of Unused Graphics | LOST BITS [TetraBitGaming]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6YhZCRdipl4/mqdefault.jpg)
You know, one reason I think Ikaruga is so well regarded even among more casual gamers is that it's one of the few shmups where the scoring system is very very transparent and easily understandable at a glance. That way, even a casual player or spectator can immediately recognize the depth that's available for both scoring and staying alive. Whereas a lot of other shooters have somewhat arcane or unexplained combo/multiplier mechanics.
If people can't see why your game is deep, then they won't look past the surface and will dismiss it as a 20-30 minute game with no real replay value.
Excellent observation! I agree!
Exactly. This is what we've been saying for a while and a huge driver for the community to work on the shmups.wiki and video/score repositories as well as guides. Great observation.
Plus, Ikaruga got a standalone gamecube version. There weren't really a ton of shmups available in the west on console at that time. Everybody "gets" Ikaruga right away, its REALLY hard to argue a death wasent your fault when I could see you not switch polarity :)
I disagree. I would say the score system is a casual-repellent as it is not at all easy or intuitive. As someone who isn't a huge fan of said scoring system, I still find plenty of enjoyment in this game because it's still challenging and, more importantly, fun. I don't care about score that much.
Bro i love that fact that you know so much about schmups. You can tell that youre very into the genre. It shows in your vids. The way you review these games definitely shows your love for these games.
I'd buy ZeroRanger on Switch in a heartbeat. Battle Garegga too, but let's be honest... who wouldn't? I'm still holding out hope for Ketsui on the Switch.
yeah why they never brought ket to switch I will never understand. You can run it on switch through non nintendo approved methods.
Nice! Glad to see some Blazing Star rep. Haven’t played nearly enough, but my list would be
1) Crimzon Clover
2) DoDonPachi
3) Armed Police Batrider
4) Jamestown
5) Blazing Star
6) Eschatos
7) Danmaku Unlimited 3
8) Ikaruga
9) Giga Wing
10) Boogie Wings
Oh yeah batrider is awesome!!!!
Gigawing is kinda forgotten a little. and honestly need more recognation. im a gigawing fan btw.
Glad to see Boogie Wings on somebody list.
So few people know that game or how crazy fun it is
Bonus!
Finally, someone mentioning armed police batrider. Loved that game since I played it several years ago, ironically I never played it in the arcades. You got a good list there either way, though I wished more people mentioned games from Techno soft. Like Hyper Duel, go check it out if you've never played it
The Fugazi/AtDI/Paramore example was so perfect and hilarious 😂 That's the first time I've ever heard anyone put that out there like that even though it's so universal among alternative types, well done. I'm so glad I no longer feel the need to make myself listen to The Locust, Burning Witch, or Melt Banana.
Actually MB sometimes kicks ass...but I no longer see that as a personality trait lol
Ha I'm glad you enjoyed the example! Yeah for anyone around alt scenes growing up I thought the example would resonate ha! I do think it's pretty important to try and dig through my own personal preference based on behavior rather then by what sounds cool XD
I’m surprised Batsugun isn’t in the list cause in its video review you said that you do like playing it more than Dodonpachi.
Thanks for your work !
Oh good question, i believe in my review of it I said I liked it more then Donpachi (the game before dodonpachi, and I do) but yes it isn't super far off from being on the list, I believe I have about 10 hours in the game :-)
Awesome choices, Strikers II is also my favorite Psikyo game. I’m still looking for a Blazing Star MVS cart, it’s hard to find a decent deal.
Oh I bet!!!! Neo geo is getting so crazy these days
I'd suggest looking into Mexico and Latam listings, MVS carts are really plentiful and popular there, Neo Geo had always been insanely popular over here.
1. Flying Shark
2. Salamander (ac and msx)
3. Gradius (ac and msx)
4. Dangun Feveron
5. Dragon Blaze
6. Gradius V
7. Strikers 1945 II
8. Ketsui
9. Mushihimesama Futari
10. Crimzon Clover : out-Caves Cave
have you ever played same same same, the other version of flying shark, holy hell that game is hard ha.
@@TheElectricUnderground The Sekiro of Shmups. Likely coming with Super Easy mode in April. There's something about those games, the audio feedback from the shot is strangely satisfying. Like you can almost feel it.
@futureskeltons66 Some great taste there. Bullet proof !!!!
Fun video, and I'm hype for the next Shmupslam!
Also I always stay tuned to the end of your videos to hear dj420 PRAISE IT! Cracks me up every time.
I know what a fun user name!!
Thank you so much for your content, your videos got me interested into shmups. What a whole new world of Video Games I missed all these years
No problem!! Thank you for the nice comment :-)
Great mention of Zero Ranger! Steam recommended me the game and I wasn't sure what I was getting into, as the game from the video simply doesn't look all that colorful. But after getting the game I could not put it down. It is just fun, plus the plot is psychedelic and makes you want to keep on playing just to see what is going to happen. Looking at the game time, my most played shooter on Steam is actually a game called Nova Drift, another indie game which is kinda like an updated Astroid but with RPG elements and rogue-light gameplay. It's perhaps not a good game for competitive gameplay but the customization opportunities makes the game super fun to play.
Loving the Under Defeat soundtrack in the background!
Nice ear!! One of my fav shmup osts
yep, remember the soundcloud days! used to hear during commuting. Happy for your success!
That s awesome!! The podcast is now in Spotify and I think most other platforms, finally found free hosting ha
Those quotes on the game title cards.
glad you enjoyed them ;-)
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah, just to be clear: I did. :D
I just added hundreds of çlassic shooters to my mega drive mini, have only so far played through Batsugun, but this vid is perfect timing. Couple of weeks ago I had no clue on any games from Taoplan, Cave, Psyiko, Raizing etc.
That s awesome! Gotta check out musha too!
Super cool criteria. This is why I like your videos. It's not just a list of 10 Cave games. I mean, we all could make those kinds of lists if we wanted to. So I'll post mine, going off the same rules you gave:
Espgaluda II. So, if I were trying to be a hipster, I'd put Akai Katana in here. I think Akai Katana is seriously underrated and I want to play a lot more of it. But Espgaluda II is the CAVE shmup that has the most play time on my Switch. I'm still not sure how it has so much, considering I've barely scratched the surface of the content in the game. Espgaluda II reminds me a lot of Futari, which was the first Cave game I played and first Cave game I owned (on 360.) Espgaluda has such a perfect length and level design, and the slow-mo feature is extremely cool. As always for Cave, it's beautiful to look at and sounds amazing. I think cave shills probably underrate Espgaluda II a little bit.
Castle Shikigami 2. I probably don't have all that many hours into this one in some respects, because my ps2 didn't track my hours when I was a kid/teen. But this was THE game that got me into shmups and it's far and away my favorite Alfa System game and favorite ps2 shmup. I played shmups before Castle Shikigami 2 but never liked them all that much. I wouldn't be playing shmups now if not for Castle Shikigami.
Gradius V. This is my favorite Treasure game and my favorite Gradius. The option system is fantastic, the game is beautiful and I like how recovery is less obnoxious than some Gradius titles.
Gekirindan. My favorite Taito/pseudo-Raizing/Toaplan era shmup. A super fun classic shmup, I like to think of this as Tatsujin-Ou, but actually fun.
Blazing Star, I mean... Hell yeah, best neo-geo shmup by far. One of the most-played Arcade Archives shmups on my switch. Definitely inspired by r-type, but it also has a little bit of that proto-danmaku (dadmaku) in it, and the game isn't nearly as punishing as r-type. Tons of ship types, great anime presentation... It might be the best shmup Hamster have ported to modern consoles.
In the Hunt. The best Irem/nazca dev shmup for me. It's brutal, even more so than r-type in some ways. But one only needs to look at it to see why it's so cool. Also notable that this game does NOT use checkpoints, so you can credit feed if you're a scrub like me. X-Multiply is probably a better game, but In The Hunt's presentation is miles above.
Caladrius Blaze. Favorite MOSS/Raiden dev game. This feels like Castle Shikigami 2 made by the Raiden team, and I love it. This game does upgrading the right way. Upgrades are only persistent for a single run and reset after each attempt. There's no euroshmupping allowed here. Like Shikigami, you have a ton of characters who all play very differently.
Salamander/Life Force. So hear me out, Salamander is made by Konami, not Treasure. It's also technically not part of the Gradius series. Salamander is the only game I really play on the konami arcade collection. That collection has a pretty decent amount of play time on it, and that is from Salamander (+ a little bit of gradius 2). If Gekirindan is a better Tatsujin, then Salamander is better Gradius. Recovery is way less obnoxious because you can grab power ups like options directly instead of spending points. I really dig the mix of hori and vert sections too.
Thunder Force AC. I like it a lot more than IV actually. There's a great M2 port, but the game is also fantastic on its own. I enjoy the dark, moody atmosphere and the gameplay is top-notch. More shmup devs need to give players control over the ship speed and weapon choices, rather than forcing players to grab power ups. Folks accuse this game of being too easy... Well, that's because the devs give you the power and let you decide how to use it. Anything is easy when you remove all the BS.
Neko Navy. It's cute and fun. What more do I need? Some dislike the bomb-centric, cancel-heavy, scoring-focused play style, but I don't mind it at all.
Capcom needs some representation here, but I don't have any single game that I like over the others. 1941, 1944 Loop Master (made by Raizing), Varth and Giga Wing are all very cool games. I don't mention Progear because I think that game is pretty brutal and I'd rather play almost any other Cave game. So, I guess you can say Giga Wing takes this slot, or maybe 1941... But really, all four of the ones I mentioned are super cool and they're all on the arcade stadium.
Awesome list my dude!! Yeah I think the hourly playtime is an important criteria (at least in my own mind) because otherwise I do think people can really start to bias their lists and favorites based on what sounds appealing more then what's actually accurate to behavior ha. Also good news, Akai Katana is the patreon voted review for this month so I am going to have a vid for it really soon!
@@TheElectricUnderground Nice. I know it's on an older console, but Akai Katana IS still readily available on an HD system. Even now, I believe it's priced around $50, which for an older physical shmup is not too bad. But there were years and years where this game was $20 in bargain bins. Sort of like Guwange on XBLA, more people should be made aware of Akai Katana's awesomeness. Definitely my favorite cave hori shmup. I also think it's reasonable to expect Live Wire might port Akai Katana in the future, since Live Wire have (so far) been porting games that had existing port jobs on either PC or xbox 360. I could imagine xbox 360 ports of Futari and Akai Katana making it to switch.
Great list, though I was honestly waiting to see what your number 1 choice was before I subscribed. I'm now subscribed.
1. DoDonPachi
2. ZeroRanger
3. Imperishable Night
4. G-Darius
5. Batsugun Special
6. Esp Ra De
7. Jamestown
8. Progear
9. Gun Nac
10. Super EDF
My favs are R-Type 1, R-Type Leo, Raptor Call of the Shadows, Gradius V
oh r-type leo!!! love that game, very under rated.
I like Touhou 9 IN. I love one of its mechanics where you can play 2 characters at the same time for example Reimu when unfocused and then the gap hag Yukari when focused or Youmu (myon) when unfocused and my waifu Yuyuko when focused. Also Marisa’s theme. I also have a list of my own:
1. Xeno Fighters R (its a shmup fangame where lots of other shmups are in one game like Raiden, Strikers, Battle Garegga, etc.)
2. Mushihimesama (not just because of Reco but also its my first bullet hell game I played and I love the bosses and the soundtrack)
3. Imperishable Night
4. EoSD (my first Touhou game I played)
5. Subterranean Animism (the final boss shoots giant nuclear balls)
6. Strikers 1945
7. Strikers 1945 II
8. Strikers 1945 Plus
9. Aero Fighters 2/Sonic Wings 2
10. Strikers 1999
Oh yeah it was painful for me not to have mushi on my list as it is one of my fav shmups, just barely behind ddp and doj
Hell yeah. Blazing star was the game that got me into the genre. Had no idea you liked it so much
Yes gonna do a 1cc commentary of it soon!
Amazing list. Very nice selection and your way of describing the games are perfect, great job!
Also glad to see Strikers 1945 on the list, it's my favourite.
Yes it s a fantastic game!
Sweet list! All of these games & studios are top tier.
Glad to see Blazing Star (and the ONLY Hori Shmup in the list) make the cut!
Yes neo geo in the house!! Gonna get the 1cc soon
Bonus!
I am working on a 1 cc of blue revolver and i noticed just practicing straight into the hardest modes over and over even as a total scrub makes it so much easier after a little effort. We need stage practice and even save states in all shmups!
Yea wtf y no save states? Tired of grinding parts i already have memorized to get to parts that kick my ass
Awesome video man!
Thanks so much!
Impressive List!
Some of my favorites: Under Defeat, DDPR, SoldnerX final proto, Axelay, Crimson Clover, DDPSOJ,
oh yes axelay was one of my first 1ccs!
@@TheElectricUnderground arms installation is complete, good luck
Have you ever heard of Jamestown +?
Toaplan collection will be on MiSTer maybe this year
Oh snap that s really cool!! Batsugun batsugun!
@@TheElectricUnderground yeah man. Zero Wing WIP was already released, but I think you have to manually install it still.
Strikers 1945 II is my favorite Psikyo shmup as well. I come back to it more than any other Psikyo game by far, even though I like many of their games quite a bit.
I appreciate setting out the criteria and the genuine approach to ranking. When I do an overall ranking for games, I like to limit myself to either a 1/per series or 1/per developer. It gives other games a chance to shine and you can choose the best representation of that "game-type". Can't stand redundant information!
Yeah exactly, and since I have already covered all my thoughts on cave games in my cave tier list, making another cave heavy list did feel like repeating myself.
Strikers 1945 II would also be my choice from the Psikyo line. I also have the PCB and it's definitely one that's in a cab constantly.
yeah isn't it awesome how much more affordable psikyo pcbs are! one of the few games where you can recommend the pcb and not have it cost so much money.
i think i would make my list too. let's see what my favorite STG from different studio:
1. ESPGaluda 2 (Cave)
2. Thunder Force V (Technosoft)
3. Raystorm (Taito)
4. Eschatos (Qute)
5. Touhou 18 Koryuudou-Unconnected Marketeers (Team Shanghai Alice)
6. Crimzon Clover: World Explosion (Yotsubane)
7. Raiden IV (Moss)
8. Soukyugurentai-Terra diver (Raising)
9. RefleX (Siter Skain)
10. Grand Cross Renovation (ES4)
Honorable Mention:
- Gigawing Generation (Takumi)
- Forgotten Worlds (Capcom)
- Dogyuun (Toaplan)
- Zanac Neo (Compile)
Oh raystorm, such an important game!!! I need to cover it on the channel
@@TheElectricUnderground yeah imo its the best in trilogy. Also i love Raystorm soundtrack more than Rayforce.
@@RuV9999 I have it's remaster on Xbox 360. Still attempting to beat the 13 Planes mode
@@LoganTheDevilMayCryFan man i really want to try Raystorm HD. i just play the original PSX and arcade one. the thing i got from 360 emulator is the trial version of Raystorm HD.
Loove this list. Forgotten Worlds and Zanac Neo!!
I’m new to the genre and recently got an Xbox Series S. I don’t know if there are any “well of course you have to play X and Y” because I don’t even know how to filter for the genre in the store. I’ll enjoy being subbed to the channel and learning new things :) (probably old news to many of you though, haha. Still, fun.)
Edit: just wishlisted battle garega in the Xbox store, thanks!
Oh yeah as an Xbox player you got to get battle garegga and dangun feveron, I really wish M2 continued to release on the Xbox
Had the same issue on PS4, could only pick a few out of the thousands in the 'arcade' section. Tried the Japan store as well, but the only japanese I understand is the text for 'fighting games' :)
Amazing content! Your videos were the gateway to the amazing wonderland of shoot em ups for me. Thank you kindly!
I m really happy to hear that! Thanks for tuning in!
Great video! Per spent hour is a very interesting metric.
Just want to play after seeing your video.
My favorite shump is without hesitation Mushihimesama.
I love mushi as well!!!! It's one of my fav shmups if I removed the one game per developer rule ha.
I love your work and the passion you put into it man
That's awesome to hear! Thank you so much for tuning in my friend :-)
A perfectly respectable list. And yes, play time has to be taken as a relevant factor in how you really feel about a game, or how well it fits into your life. I'm glad to hear you're planning a Blazing Star video, I've been nominating it in the monthly vote forever. Aside from being the definitive Neo Geo STG, it's a game that merits a deep dive based on its unconventional scoring system and the different ways all the ships interact with it.
Yes blazing star will break free from the voting cue ha! I need to do a vid on axelay as well.
@@TheElectricUnderground Yeah, I was half expecting Axelay to show up in this video, with it being your logo for so long.
Only played a few shmups, kinda getting into the genre at the moment.
My favourites so far would be:
- Radiant Silvergun
- ESP RaDe
- Battlemania 2/ Trouble Shooter 2?
- Sol Cresta
My list would be very different. Roughly, in no particular order:
Cyvern
Border Down
DariusBurst EX+ (similar developer I know)
Much Muchi Pork
Hellfire
XX Mission
Ketsui
R-Type
Salamander
Strike Witches hakugin no tsubasa.
Very interesting list. I'm not too surprised because I've known you for a while ago now, I was perhaps surprised at Strikers II. This seems like a very "personal" video nonetheless and I'm glad you included a lot of these games (like Radiant Silvergun and ZeroRanger in particular, also quite surprised you included Touhou IN which I agree is a great game). You could do this same format for the other genres you like, from rail shooters to beat em ups. Looking forward to shmupslam 5, have a great day Mark.
Oh yeah a rail shooters vid would be really cool!
Nice list, probably. I haven't played like half of those. Especially the PC only games.
I probably couldn't do a top 10 STG list like that, especially with just one per developer, since I only play them casually here and there. But my favorites are Mushihimesama Futari (and many other of Cave's games, I think Akai Katana doesn't get enough love), Crimzon Clover, of course, is awesome. Best Treasure game for me is Gradius V, even if it's a bit slow and too long. I also like some older titles like R-Type 2 and even Galaga is still great.
Now that I think about it, I still quite enjoy old stuff like Xevious, Star Force and Defender. Maybe difficult scoring mechanics just aren't for me. lol
I'm glad the list helped introduce some new games! yes the one game per dev rule really changed the list and hopefully added variety ha.
Soundtrack from Under Defeat. Class!
ur words on battle garegga are on point
Hell yeah!!! Such an awesome game
Dude at the drive-in is one of my favorite bands!! The Mars Volta is my all time favorite.
I love ATDI as well!
I definitely think that's the case for zero ranger not coming to switch yet! If they do make it, I will shill for the ultimate collectors physical edition! Love that game.
Fugazi is always a correct answer. 😀
Classic content.
Hours and hours and hours and hours.
Looking forward to a TEU production
1. Gradius 3
2. Truxton
3. 19XX War Against Destiny
4. Battle Backraid
5. ESP ra De.
6. Shienryu
7. Raiden 2
8. Strikers 1945
9. Gerkirindan
10. Ghost Pilots
Good stuff!
Great taste
somehow missed this, good stuff! Blazing Star is sick!
Yes I need to make a vid on it at some point :-)
He put Blazing Star on the list. Bonus!
Fantastic video and great recommendations!
Thanks!!! It was fun to make and talk about these games :-)
I still love Fugazi after 30 years. Except for End Hits. I get what you're saying, though.
Fugazi is a good band :-)
lol
We share the same Top 2 !!
Battle Garegga and Dodonpachi
that's awesome!!
You said hipster 😅😂🤣 next is young whipper snapper! Bad joke aside, great fav's!
Yep we were hipsters back in the day ;-)
For me the best shmups:
a) Aleste 2
b) Danmaku U3
c) Crimzon Clover
d) Futari
e) Space Manbow
f) Thunder Force IV
Space mambo ❤
Dodonpachi Resurrection: 37,1 hours.
Mushihimesama: 13,7
Deahsmiles: 10,4
Judgement Silversword: 9,2
Space Invaders Extreme: 7,2
These are the ones I've played the most on Steam. I've played many more, of course (since the MSX days xD), and in many different ways.
I liked that Blazing Star on the list, I think the same about the best STG in Neo Geo, it's very good and I've always thought it was an attempt to bring to Neo Geo the new wave of STG´s that were coming out with their deep score systems.
I really like the Strikers series too, a more classic gameplay but really intense.
One day I have to play Danmaku Unlimited 3, to see if it is true that it is as good as it is said hehe ^^
And I don't want to miss the opportunity to name the great Twin Tiger Shark, love it!
BTW, great list!
PD: Excuse my English, it's not that good on its own to express everything I want to say and I need to use a translator.
PD2: I recently bought Crisis Wing and it's amazing!
nice!!
glad to know you didnt forget about touhou quest!
Danmakus are awesome. I prefer modern Japanese style danmaku because I’m a weeb to the classic style but I still enjoy playing the classic style of space ship shooter though horizontal or vertical. I also prefer vertical to horizontal because no stupid hazards to watch out for other than enemies and their bullets and there will be a lot of bullets (because danmaku BRUH!) making up for the lack of obstacles if you can call it that. That’s just my opinion though but yours may differ from mine. And the added bonus of a tate option should the game have it and your monitor being able to display vertically. It’s awesome. CAVE is the best imo. Just a shame they don’t make games anymore but their legacy lives on. Also happy to see the recent revival of shmups and rereleases galore.
What a great channel, man!
Thanks so much my dude!!!
Fugazi
Good band!!
Best of 11 random categories
Game that raised me: Thunder Force 4
Game that aged best: Twin Cobra
Best beginner game: Chorensha
Best non-ship game: ESP RaDe
Best of this decade: GG Aleste 3
Comfort game: GG Aleste 1
Hardest game I haven't given up: Ketsui
Best real arcade machine played: Saidaioujou Exa
Best 1cc'd game: Cosmo Dreamer
Hardest to recommend: Battle Garegga
Best from dev not known for shmups: Gleylancer
Hell yeah! Love these categories!
Cho REN Sha firepower !
Nice list! I loved those developer interviews!
What other genres are you into? I know you like some rail shooters, beat em' ups, fighting games? etc but do you play like twin stick shooters etc? Tactical shooters? Rogue likes?
I do want to dabble more with twin stick stuff and some alternative fps games (like devil daggers) but probably the other genre that I'm really into is character action games like Ninja gaiden, Devil may cry, etc.
@@TheElectricUnderground Oh cool. I heard of devil daggers but haven't tried it yet. Probably will now 🤣.
same 1st place. My first 1CC on an arcade game
Great choices. I'm well into Lords of Thunder atm. oh and Zero Ranger!
How do i find out frames of lag on each game/console? Is it tested and gathered on a website? How do i test it myself?
Great video and great channel 😀👌
Where's Raiden? I was hoping a Seibu Kaihatsu or MOSS entry would end up here. If another favorite SHMUP list is being made, will it be included?
Ever since I discovered psikyo I don t play Raiden as much, but I did sneak some Raiden righters aces in the intro
@@TheElectricUnderground that's alright man. I'm still fine with Strikers 1945 II being on the list. I had that game on Switch but I don't play it as much because of the joy con drift problem. That said, I'm fine with the list still and I still subbed to the channel
Exactly
Funny how my favorite console, the Sega Saturn. Even powerful consoles like the 360 still can't keep up with it, actually blast wind by Technosoft is another great one. Still a great vid though, and god knows im a Raizing fan.
ZeroRanger is definitely one of the most important shmups I've ever played.
9:15 I guess you are no longer a Djentleman?
Totally agree on the soundtrack. I could talk for hours about heavy metal commodification and what makes guitar music good or bad.
Yeah I think it just needed a little more polish, it s really hard to pin down exactly
@@TheElectricUnderground I think it's about authenticity, but I'll spare you a rant ;)
Ikaruga is a Puzzle-Shmup
the puzzle shmup ;-)
Ha ;-)
Been waiting forever for that Crimzon Clover physical copy from 1st press games.
holy crap have you received it yet?
@@TheElectricUnderground the listing in their website still says. "Coming Soon"
I felt the same way about Ikaruga vs Radiant Silvergun. Flipping the ship all the time in Ikaruga isn't my favorite thing even though I have nothing against it. Radiant Silvergun is a different story for me -- love it, it's amazing. Mine from top to bottom:
Gate of Thunder
Ketsui
Battle Garegga
Axelay
Crimzon Clover
Mushihimesama Futari
Radiant Silvergun
Lords of Thunder
Star Parodier
Space Megaforce / Super Aleste
Blazing Star is a near miss for my top 10. I'm a little biased for console shmups because they don't have the same issues of incredibly sharp difficulty incline so much as arcade shmups.
yeah the sword mechanics of silvergun are super under-rated too, just that weapon alone has a lot going on with it.
@@TheElectricUnderground You know a couple of shmups with a melee attack I can think of now are Steredenn and Freedom Finger. Or Astebreed come to think of it (thankfully several of those have analog movement too). Yeah in general it's a standout feature.
10. daioujou
9. daioujou
8. daioujou
7. daioujou
6. daioujou
5. daioujou
4. daioujou
3. daioujou
2. daioujou
1. daioujou
Perfect list!
Great list! I'm not a Cave player so my number 1 is Rayforce.
rayforce is fantastic!
Forget that $3000 Dodonpachi PCB. I really hope M2 gives Donpachi and Dodonpachi modern ports. $3000 would be a trip to Japan to me. :)
No kidding, there is absolutely no way I can afford that pcb ha, that s insane
Man can we somehow push for more mecha based shmups????? I love mechas and I seriously wish there was some modern ones.
DDP in Sega Astro City cab is stable in Sugoi arcade in Helsinki
I want one!!!
I wish you still had you steam sale video up :(. I know the steam sale is over, but it was a good video to use as a reference for some good shooters to pick up in the future.
It is! I just renamed it :-) Here it is: ruclips.net/video/LRbdFEFDmbQ/видео.html
@@TheElectricUnderground thank you very much :).
Great video, would love to see a top ten of console exclusives
Oh that is a good idea! I'll have to do a vid like that in the future!
Nice list, do you have a recommendations for run and guns?
Absolutely!!!!! Metal slug series for sure! Blazing chrome as well. I have some commentary clears of metal slug on the channel :-)
@@TheElectricUnderground excellent choices. You would like Huntdown if you are a fan of blazing chrome.
Project X by Team 17 is very cool.. best game on the Amiga
Blazing Star is my favourite NG shmup as well..but boy it's hard...not as much as its prequel, Pulstar, though xD
Yeah that last stretch is brutal
@@TheElectricUnderground Yes...the final boss is insane, at times....Strikers 1945 II huh...i own the Psikyo Shooting Star Alpha Collection....yes the zero div laggy port...i also own the ACA port of the Neo Geo pseudo upgrade
I'd go with armed police batrider over garegga. And mushihimesama over dodonpachi.
All great games, it's like picking from classics at this point.
@@TheElectricUnderground I'm getting a new computer so I've been looking up shooters and found your great channel. Keep up the great work!
Batrider is on point !!!!
mark is keanu double in wick movies
Ha just need to grow the hair out a bit
If I would make a list like this, it would be looking like this:
1) Touhou 7
2) Seihou 1
3) Dodonpachi Resurrection
Yes, only 3. I could make a Top 10 list, but I didn't played many games long enough to make it a solid list.
Touhou 7 is also great! That's the next episode of touhou quest I believe!
As much as I love shmups, I must say, my top ten games would have only a couple of them, and Bloodborne is my favorite game of all time.
Oh cool, did you see the ps1 demake of bloodborne, I've been thinking about giving it a try ha.
@@TheElectricUnderground Go for it. It is pretty cool. It gave me some Nightmare Creatures vibe. ( a Nice PS1 game by the way )
I was wondering if you have played Cambria Sword?
I haven t! At least I can't remember doing so ha
No love for Compile?
Blazing star on Switch does actually have a save state feature.
I mean a proper save state with multiple slots, not that weird interrupt system they have going. Idk why they did that rather then just add in proper save states ha.
What's with that ALESTE branch?!
And ue revolver double action didn't release yet I guess.....
I prefer soukygourentai to battle garrega,nice shout for strikers 2 but like zero gunner 2 as my personal psykio shooter,also question what is your frav shmup from technosoft and taito mine be hyper duel and Darius gaiden,laters
i really hope zeroranger comes to playstation
Me too!
Not only is Zero Ranger not on Switch it also doesn't play on Steam Deck either.
No xevious.
No I hardly ever play it :-)
I guess I'm to old school.
Fun fact: If what i have seen on the Shmup scene is true
Zero Ranger is the third game that i know, that has an encore stage. Where after the boss, when you thought its over, *you have to escape the destruction*
The other two is Strania: The Stella Machina, and an indie game called Twilight Insanity (probably a good contender for Pateron shmup pick. Its a hidden gem, for sure)
Check those two out. Definitely worth your time.
Oh that s really cool!! I ve never heard of Twilight insanity, sounds interesting!
never heard of gradius 3?
@@ciaranperry4677 that one is a cutscene
The one that i listed?
*You have to PLAY the final sequence*
Which means EXTRA pressure to NOT fuck it up 😏
@@alexhndr no it isn't you have to escape the final tunnels after the boss before the cutscene.
what's the best way to play Radiant Silvergun these days?
Damn...no Darius huh?
I like Darius gaiden a lot but I tend not to play it as much as these other games :-)
What’s in your opinion the best Shmup on Nintendo Switch right now?
Hi, how can I play Do Donpachi on PC is there a steam version?
Great list!
Where is Gradius IV?!?
Sorry, it is a great game though :-)
@@TheElectricUnderground If your channel wasn't so good, I might be offended. :)