# I'm looking for a new old school type space shooter



## sami (Dec 15, 2008)

Okay, "shmups" are my all time favorite genre of video games. I'm talking about old school space shooters (usually 2D), mostly side or top view scrolling.

I know I haven't played all of them and am looking to add more under my belt. Any suggestions? Also, I don't like the ones where when you die, you start at the beginning of the stage but will settle for one at this point...

List of what I've played:

1942/3/99/XX series (NES, Arcade)
Abadox (NES)
AeroFighter/SonicWings (NeoGeo)
Afterburner I/II (Gen)
Air Buster/AeroBlasters (Gen)
Air Diver (Gen)
Aleste (SNES)
Andro Dunos (NeoGeo)
Area 88/UN Squadron (SNES, Arcade)
Axelay (SNES)
Battle Squadron (Gen) I HATE THIS GAME
BioHazard Battle (Gen)
Burning Force (Gen)
Curse (Gen)
Darius Series (Multi)
Einhander (PS1)
Elemental Master (was supposed to be a space shooter at first) (Gen)
Fantasy Zone (multi)
Final Zone (Gen)
Forgotten Worlds/Forbidden Worlds (Arc)
Gaiares (Gen)
Granada (Gen)
The Guardian Legend!!! (NES)
Gun Nac (NES)
Gyruss (original and NES remake)
Hellfire (Gen)
Ikaruga (DC, GC)
Layer Section/RayStorm/RayCrisis (PS1)
Legendary Wings (NES)
Lifeforce/Salamander/Gradius/Paradious (Multi)
M.U.S.H.A (Gen)
Panzer Dragoon/Saga/Orta (Saturn/Xbox)
Phalanx (SNES)
Pulstar (NeoGeo)
R-Type (Multi)
Radiant Silvergun (Sat)
Raiden (Arc)
Section Z (NES)
SideArms (Arc)
Silpheed (PC)
Space Harrier I, 3D, II (SMS, Arcade, Gen)
ThunderBlade/Super ThunderBlade (SMS, Gen)
Thunder Force II, III, Spirits (SNES), IV (Lightening Force), V Perfect System (Multi)
Viewpoint (NeoGeo)
Whip Rush (Gen)
Wings of Wor/Gynoug (Gen)
Xevious/Super Xevious/remake (Arcade, PS1)
Zanac!!! (NES)
Zaxxon (Arc)
Zero Wing (Gen) ALL UR BASE! BASE BASE BASE!

Soooo anyone know something that's not on this list?? TIA~!


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## zimbloth (Dec 15, 2008)

Cool I love those games too. Yeah you're missing a lot, some classics too. Just a few that come to mind...

Guardian Force (Saturn)
Raiden (Arcade, Jaguar)
Raiden II (Arcade)
Raiden Project (PSX --> has both Raiden & Raiden II)
Stinger (NES, a true classic)
Tempest 2000 (Jaguar, PC)
Dragon Spirit (Arcade, TG16, NES)
Galactic Attack (Saturn)

Saturn really was the best console I can think of for these types of games, you can see some more you may or may not have missed here. There were also more I had on the import Playstation but I don't remember the names anymore.


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## sami (Dec 15, 2008)

Oh snap!! Is Guardian Force like Part 2 of Varth? I forgot to mention Varth. I've got that rom on System16.

I've played Raiden, which also reminds me of Truxton (Gen).

I've got Stinger but never ever seen or played it before. I've also got Dragon Force but never really got into it. Gonna have to try that too.

Tempest, lol. Old school vector graphics! Gonna have to try 2000.

Oh man, I didn't know they made Layer Section for Saturn! (Galatic Attack). Gonna have to get that.

Genesis has the most of my favorite shooters, but yeah, Saturn had the best!!


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## Ishan (Dec 15, 2008)

If you're into MAME I suggest you try ESP Ra.De.


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 15, 2008)

Philisoma and In The Hunt were great fun back when I had a PSX.


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## Randy (Dec 15, 2008)

*GRADIUS 3!*


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## sami (Dec 15, 2008)

^ 

I have the same habit. When sitting there and nothing on the screen, I wiggle around in a circle a few times or some other random spazzing. hahaha



Ishan said:


> If you're into MAME I suggest you try ESP Ra.De.



ESP looks awesome!!



ZeroSignal said:


> Philisoma and In The Hunt were great fun back when I had a PSX.



Never heard of those, will defintiely see if I can find it although finding ps1 games is getting harder and harder


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 15, 2008)

Just to give you an idea of what Philisoma was about:


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 15, 2008)

And In The Hunt, which is apparently from the guys who brought us Metal Slug. Personally I prefer In The Hunt.


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## sami (Dec 15, 2008)

|OO
|--\
|---O OOOOOOOOO!!!!

Dude ESP looks friggin awesome as well as Philisoma and In the Hunt!! I think I've got some hours waiting to burn on these games here.

Keep em coming! Right now I'm gonna zombinize myself in ESP.


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## Ishan (Dec 16, 2008)

ESP Ra.De. is one of my favorite ever, I can't get enough of it, it's awesome


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## sami (Dec 16, 2008)

Awesome, yes it is!!! But  it's a short game??


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## DDDorian (Dec 16, 2008)

There's a game called Summer Carnival '92 Recca for NES that has to be seen to be believed. The amount of stuff on screen at once (with almost no flicker/slowdown, I might add) is astounding, it's practically a bullet hell game, and it's fun to boot. Good luck trying to beat it though

There are a whole bunch of TurboGrafix/PC Engine shmups that aren't on the list that you should grab, including the Star Soldier series (Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier and Soldier Blade in particular) Gates Of Thunder, Lords Of Thunder, Blazing Lasers and the Spriggan games are all great. If you have a Wii, pretty much all these games are available for purchase via the Virtual Console too

I didn't see Geometry Wars on your list? It's not really a scrolling shooter, it's multi-directional, but it's massively fun and addictive and has a cool retro-minimalist art style. If you have an X360 you can download the first and second games from XBLA (no point getting the first one though), or you can buy Geometry Wars: Galaxies for Wii and DS, which is like Geometry Wars 1.5 more than a full-on sequel which is also an option.

A couple more: Bangai-O, which was released for the N64, got an enhanced/upgraded port to the Dreamcast and just got a sequel for DS as Bangai-O Spirits. It's a Treasure game, and is as much a puzzle game as it is a shooter, but you'll dig it, I'm sure. The DS game lets you create your own levels and trade them online, which is awesome. I also recommend Rez, which is like Panzer Dragoon on acid Available on Dreamcast, PS2 (complete with vibrator!) and an HD version on XBLA. It's not really that long or hard, but it's definitely not something you'll forget in a hurry.

I'm sure I'll think of tons more, but that should do for now. Enjoy!


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## sami (Dec 17, 2008)

If it's on NES, I have that rom already. Someone gave me a 700MB CD of NES roms several years ago. It has EVERY single rom dump which includes multiple rev's, multiple countries, and bad dumps! So yeah, I should have Summer Carnival then.

I had a friend who had a Star Soldier version on CD I believe? I remember using the select button to change speed. He wouldn't let me play it much, but often bragged that he had a TG16 CD.

Geometry Wars? Sounds like the "top-view levels" of Thunder Force II where you roam around freely instead of being led through linearly.

Bangai-O! Man, I could never find that game... by the time I learned of it, it was after DC's demise.

Yeah, keep the list going DDD! ^_^


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## Dr. Von Goosewing (Dec 17, 2008)

I know you said new old school, but check out Uridium 2 on the Amiga:



Awesome concept/gameplay, awesome graphics, awesome music... 

Honestly, it's great fun to play!


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## madmurphy13 (Dec 27, 2008)

I love old school shooters like these, you can find a lot of freeware games on pcgamer demo discs that are a pretty cool throwback to these sort of games. My all time favorite had to be Sol Feace for the Mega CD. I'm still guilty of playing it every now and then on my laptop . God bless emulators lol. Even to this day though I don't think I've ever managed to complete it, it gets incredibly hard on the later levels.

Great music too 
YouTube - Sol-Feace Mega CD Japanese version (better sound effects)


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## sami (Dec 28, 2008)

^oh yeah, I owned a Sega CD and it came with that. I can't remember which is which, but the other one was called "Sol-Deace." aka Cart based vs Sega CD based.


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## I_infect (Dec 28, 2008)

*Zillion - Sega Master System

Obscure though. One of the better one I've played and would play again, from that era. I was addicted.
*


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## sami (Dec 28, 2008)

I haven't tried that game, but it reminds me of Impossible Mission for C64.


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## sami (Jul 6, 2009)

*takes notes from previous posts again*

Over the weekend, I played several good shooters on the Dreamcast. Though they're not as good ESP Ra De, but they hold their own.

Trizeal
Bangai-O (hard after stage 8!!)
Mars Matrix (haven't played it yet)
*Shikigami no Shiro II* (really cool)
Chaos Field
Radilgy
Under Defeat (reminds me of good old Thunder Blade)
*Karous* (great game, but short..)
Tiggerheart Excelsia (spelling)


What a STRANGE shooter! lol

The title of this game is 7 words haha:
Cho Aniki: Kyukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyo Otoko (Sega Saturn)


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## DDDorian (Jul 7, 2009)

Oh god, Cho Aniki... there's a ton of games in that series, mostly shmups but some fighting games too, the newer ones are even MORE homoerotic The first game is available on Wii's Virtual Console, I wonder who got fired at Nintendo for letting that one through

Of the games you listed, you'll be happy to know that Karous, Chaos Field and Radilgy were all rereleased on the Wii on one disc called "Ultimate Shooting Collection". Karous got some optional waggle control but otherwise they're basically the same as the DC ports. No online leaderboards though, which seems like a pretty dumb mistake to make in this day and age. Shikigami no Shiro 3 was released for Wii too as Castle Of Shikigami 3 - 2 is probably a little better (and the Engrish is funnier) but if you liked 2 you'll like 3. It's on PC as well I think. Triggerheart Exelica is on XBLA now too with leaderboards and stuff if you have a 360.

Most of the current shmups are being released on the 360 in Japan but the games are all region-locked so there's no way to play them without a Japanese console, it's a total pain in the arse. A Dreamcast and/or PS2 will cover most of the good ones up from about 2001-2006 though, and as you already know there's a ton to choose from.


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## sami (Jul 7, 2009)

Good god Dorian  Again your knowledge of games has impressed me yet again.

Karous's graphics really surprised me as soon as stage 1 started. Game is too short though.. I WANT MORE! lol.

And yeah, Shikigami no Shiro 2 is amazing!

My stepson just got a 360 for his birthday and doesn't even touch his Wii that much anymore. I'm a see if I can buy it from him lol.


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## DDDorian (Jul 7, 2009)

It just so happens that your taste in games matches mine. I see huys here going on about Call Of Duty or Oblivion or whatever and zone out instantly

If you want some bullet-heavy games to play on PC, grab the latest version of MAME and look for:

DonPachi
DoDonPachi
Guwange
Dangun Feveron
Battle Garegga
Armed Police Batrider
Batsugun
Battle Bakraid

Most of those games are by Cave, the same guys behind ESP Ra. De and pretty much all the best modern shmups. Like I said before, some of their newer games (like ESPgaluda) went to the PS2 and can be played pretty easily but all their current stuff goes to Japanese 360s and is unplayable without a Japanese console.


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## sami (Jul 7, 2009)

AWESOME. Will definitely see what I can get my hands on!!


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jul 7, 2009)

Assuming these haven't been mentioned (mostly on SNES though):

Any Parodius game. (even if they're easy, it's still a good laugh)

And on that note, add the Twinbee series. 

Macross Scambled Valkyire (SNES)

There was the old Macross vertical Shooter on arcades, and the more obscure Macross Plus too. 

Super Swiv (or Silkworm)

100% Cotton (a bit obscure)

And for more outside Raiden style games, a la Metal Slug:

Sunset Riders 

Damn, I'm really showing signs of age... 

There's a whole mess of other ones where I don't know the title, like that one where you control Fairies, or the one with the Ninja where his plane throws Shurikens, or even the one based on the Sengoku period...


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jul 7, 2009)

Xenon and Xenon2 for gameboy.
REALLY fun and long games, like R-Type but vertical.
Has tons of cool weapons and some awesome bosses.


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## forelander (Jul 7, 2009)

Halley Wars?


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## sami (Jul 30, 2009)

I FINALLY got to play Zanac X Zanac (ps1)!!!

I've spent countless hours playing the old school NES Zanac (still do). The sequel is great, but it could've been perfect.

Your special weapon can only be powered up to level 3 and doesn't cut bullets on the highest level (vs 5-6(?) levels of power up on NES). But they give three ships to choose from and each of the 8 special weapons act different with each ship.

Also, the 2 level smart bomb ability is really cool! It also acts different with each special weapon.

Your regular shot doesn't extend as wide when you power up "enough" or find one of those smiley faces on the ground. They only insta-charge your smart bomb ability to level 2.

No level warp bombs, no "instant boss death fairies" although they do exist in this game.

Why can't more shmups have as many different weapon options as this game? Shmup makers need to learn!


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## dexmix (Jul 30, 2009)

Ikaruga (N64)


check it out.

also Nanostray 1 and 2 (NDS) aren't too hard but are fun.
I also liked Iridion II (GBA) same makers as nanostray.

and check out PomPomGames.com they have some cheap PC games that are awesome.
Space tripper just plain rocks (fairly difficult) - and Astro Tripper looks even more amazing. warning - these games will give you sore thumbs.


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## sami (Jul 30, 2009)

Oh yeah, I've owned Ikaruga....on Dreamcast even!


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## sami (Mar 24, 2010)

Just played Star Soldier for N64. Thought it was pretty good although it took me about 20 minutes to beat.

Is that the only shooter they have for this system?


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## synrgy (Mar 24, 2010)

There's a super rad game on XBLA called Omega Five you should check out.


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## chaosxcomplex (Mar 24, 2010)

Not space games, but I didn't notice the Contra and Metal Slug series...two awesome side scrolling shooter series'.


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## sami (Mar 24, 2010)

^Oh yeah, who doesn't know Contra?  And yeah, I've played most of the Metal Slugs!



synrgy said:


> There's a super rad game on XBLA called Omega Five you should check out.




oh man, that looks killer!!


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## JakSchitt (Mar 24, 2010)

+1 for Ikaruga. Got it on XBOX Live and its awsome. And Geometry Wars 1 and 2.


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## sami (Mar 24, 2010)

sadly I don't have a 360


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## Mr Violence (Mar 24, 2010)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> Assuming these haven't been mentioned (mostly on SNES though):
> 
> Any Parodius game. (even if they're easy, it's still a good laugh)
> 
> ...




SUNSET RIDERS! What other game could you be a cowboy that dual-wields automatic shotguns?! I loved that game.

Also, on the shooter front, I used to love Strike Gunner for SNES when I was little. Went back recently and realized how easy it was, but still had fun.

Ikaruga still kicks my ass.


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