[fatty]

Humble Bundle has an excellent Capcom game bundle for $20:

Capcom Cup: Fighters & Arcade Classics Pack

Get 70+ classic Capcom games—including a huge Street Fighter collection—in this massive bundle. Pay what you want and help support Children’s Miracle Network.

www.humblebundle.com

• Tier 1: $2
  • Ultra Street Fighter IV
  • 34% Off Coupon for Street Fighter 6
• Tier 2: $20
  • Street Fighter V - Champion Edition
  • Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
  • Ultra Street Fighter IV
  • 34% Off Coupon for Street Fighter 6
  • Capcom Arcade Stadium
  • Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium
  • Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
  • Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition
  • Street Fighter II - Hyper Fighting
  • Street Fighter II - The World Warrior
  • Street Fighter Alpha 3
  • Street Fighter Alpha 2
  • Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams
  • Street Fighter
  • Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo
  • Super Gem Fighter Mini Max
  • Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
  • Mega Man: The Power Fighter

 

[regawdless]

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is getting a timed demo on Steam Feb 5th - 12th (NextFest).

I know @DonDonDonPata was keeping an eye on this one:

announcement: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1248080/view/3954791175763616999?l=english

Man fuck me, I was so busy with work, kids, flu, house stuff etc. that I forgot to play that demo and it's gone. Shit.

Did anyone here play it? Any impressions?

 

[Spiders]

Man fuck me, I was so busy with work, kids, flu, house stuff etc. that I forgot to play that demo and it's gone. Shit.

Did anyone here play it? Any impressions?

Nah I didn't even get a moment :/

Edit: I'll buy it sight unseen... looks too gorgeous, gameplay looks faaaaast, and reading the developer posts on the farm they sound really ambitious.

 

[Vyse]

Article:

DEVIL BLADE REBOOT

Overview

Devil Blade, a 1996 indie shmup released only in Japan, gets a full remake almost a quarter century later, taking advantage of the latest technology.

An immersive pseudo-3D experience that pushes the limits of pixel art. A perfect fusion of background music and evolving stage design, only possible in a SHMUP! A seamless presentation that connects all scenes in one cohesive package.

"Dodge, shoot, and destroy" without any extra baggage. A stoic design concept that pursues the primitive catharsis of Shmups to the extreme.

Destroying enemies in close vicinity dramatically increases both the difficulty and your score. With the Berserk System, dangerous play is the best choice, as high risk brings high reward.

Features

【2D pixel art graphics with an obsessive level of detail】
Rendered in the original 320x240 resolution of the classics, but with visuals that defy the limits of pixel art! Experience immersive pseudo-3D, making use of modern techniques such as multiple parallax scrolling, and zoom effects.

【Berserk System】
Dramatically increase the difficulty and score by destroying enemies in close proximity! The difficulty level varies greatly depending on your play style. From beginners who just want to clear the game, to advanced players aiming for a high score, the game is designed to be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in shmups.

【Retro Mode】
This is an Arrange mode of "Devilblade" created in Dezaemon+ in 1996 with the Berserk system added and with the same atmosphere as the original. You can enjoy the reboot version and the retro version, both old and the new.

Specs
・Ultra-hardcore, 100% pure mechanics focused vertical scrolling shmup
・Two types of shots + bombs - a back-to-basics playstyle
・Berserk System increases difficulty and score when enemies are destroyed close to the player
・Story mode to play through all 6 stages in order
・Stage select to choose any stage to replay
・Four levels of difficulty that can be changed at the players discretion
・Retro Mode that recreates the original Dezaemon+ version is included
・Unlockables that reward repeat playthroughs
・STEAM achievements and global rankings
・Multilingual localization handled by passionate shmup fans
・Heavily customizable settings to tune the game to your liking
・Built using the dedicated shmup game engine Shooting Game Builder
・Intense soundtrack by hasu drives the gameplay

※Dezaemon Plus is a shmup creation tool originally released only in Japan for PlayStation on May 24, 1996

 

[Vyse]

Rainbow Cotton for the Dreamcast coming worldwide to modern platforms on May 9.

 

[Spiders]

Rainbow Cotton for the Dreamcast coming worldwide to modern platforms on May 9.

This, Missile Dancer 2, Asura the Striker, Amp, Mirage Feathers, Fur Squadron 2... truly the year of the "rail shooter"!

 

[regawdless]

This, Missile Dancer 2, Asura the Striker, Amp, Mirage Feathers, Fur Squadron 2... truly the year of the "rail shooter"!

That said I'd still want a Starfox 64 like rail shooter with modernized visuals. One that offers a similar style and action, but paired with spectacular visual effects. with tight controls and multiple paths. Nothing is really scratching that itch for me. Whisker Squadron for example doesn't seem too hot either.

 

[Spiders]

 

[Spiders]

That said I'd still want a Starfox 64 like rail shooter with modernized visuals. One that offers a similar style and action, but paired with spectacular visual effects. with tight controls and multiple paths. Nothing is really scratching that itch for me. Whisker Squadron for example doesn't seem too hot either.

Ex Zodiac is pretty cool, but definitely "retro". Maybe something in VR has the spectacle??

 

[Bullet Club]

Ex-UPL Staffers Publish Incredible New Video Of Unreleased Shmup

Kaisoku! Sparrows!! was developed before UPL filed for bankruptcy in '92

www.timeextension.com

 

[Hego Damask]

 

[Spiders]

Super XYX 'leaked' for consoles, TBD 2024:


A demonstration from Shmup Slam:


Really fun game but it was a bit fussy for me on PC... looking forward to a console version.

 

[WhatIsThis?]

Looking forward to reading this thread from top to bottom.

The Saturn contains all my shmup needs but always on the look out for newer titles.

Rayforce aka Layer Section aka Galactic Attack is my GOAT. The simple mechanics, pixel art, and OST are 10/10 all day. Amazing game.

 

[OuterSpace]

Rayforce aka Layer Section aka Galactic Attack is my GOAT. The simple mechanics, pixel art, and OST are 10/10 all day. Amazing game.

Definitely a great game. Shame neither sequel came close to the original.

If you're interested in a similar style shmup on Saturn, check out Soukyugurentai.

 

[Spiders]

Looking forward to reading this thread from top to bottom.

The Saturn contains all my shmup needs but always on the look out for newer titles.

Rayforce aka Layer Section aka Galactic Attack is my GOAT. The simple mechanics, pixel art, and OST are 10/10 all day. Amazing game.

RayForce is so good! I don't have the chops for serious play, but I love throwing credits at it. The "storytelling" is still probably the best the genre has. I've seen a few of my shmup buddies get the 1CC on the M2 port in the last couple of months. ...one day!!!

HAMSTER released Master of Weapon for the Arcade Archives series recently, It's has a lot of the talent that ended up making RayForce if you ever want to check it out. Not on that level, but it's a solid game and cool bit of history.

 

[WhatIsThis?]

RayForce is so good! I don't have the chops for serious play, but I love throwing credits at it. The "storytelling" is still probably the best the genre has. I've seen a few of my shmup buddies get the 1CC on the M2 port in the last couple of months. ...one day!!!

HAMSTER released Master of Weapon for the Arcade Archives series recently, It's has a lot of the talent that ended up making RayForce if you ever want to check it out. Not on that level, but it's a solid game and cool bit of history.

That game looks fantastic, thanks for sharing, never heard of that game in my life.

It's like PC-Engine Ray Force, lol. So damn cool.

 

[WhatIsThis?]

Baby's first shmup but holy shit is this game fun. Words cannot explain the joy I felt when GOG launched and lo and behold, Tyrian 2000 is there for FREE. I couldn't believe it. It also runs on a SNES classic but you gotta turn the settings down a bit to avoid slowdown, lol.

Tyrian 2000

And you thought being a Terraforming Engineer would be a quiet life compared to being a S

www.gog.com

 

[Spiders]

Baby's first shmup but holy shit is this game fun. Words cannot explain the joy I felt when GOG launched and lo and behold, Tyrian 2000 is there for FREE. I couldn't believe it. It also runs on a SNES classic but you gotta turn the settings down a bit to avoid slowdown, lol.

Tyrian 2000

And you thought being a Terraforming Engineer would be a quiet life compared to being a S

www.gog.com

A lot of people on r/shmups are very fond of this one. One of those games I never heard of now I feel like it gets brought up every couple of weeks! I haven't messed with the DOS core on MiSTer yet but I'm hoping this runs on it and plays nice.

Raptor: Call of the Shadows is another one a lot of people have fond memories of.

 

[WhatIsThis?]

A lot of people on r/shmups are very fond of this one. One of those games I never heard of now I feel like it gets brought up every couple of weeks! I haven't messed with the DOS core on MiSTer yet but I'm hoping this runs on it and plays nice.

Raptor: Call of the Shadows is another one a lot of people have fond memories of.

Yea, Raptor is always mentioned alongside Tyrian. I've played it a bit but can't remember anything. One of those games I need to sink some time into.

Tyrian is more of an adventure shooter than a pure shmup. You earn money via destruction and can upgrade your weapons, shield, generator. You have a health bar. You also collect files/lore throughout. It's incredibly easy but the vibe is absolutely spot on and the OST is incredible. Definitely give it some love when you have the chance.

 

[Spiders]

Lots of announcements incoming from Shooter FES:

Under Defeat coming to PC and modern consoles:

Under Defeat coming to PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC this winter

City Connection and G.rev will release Under Defeat for PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam this winter, the companies announced.

www.gematsu.com

NeverAwake DLC announced:

NeverAwake DLC ‘FLASH BACK’ announced

Publisher Phoenixx and developer Neotro have announced NeverAwake downloadable content “FLASH BACK.” It will launch this summer.

www.gematsu.com

 

[Spiders]

PS3 exclusive (i think?) Mamorukun Curse coming to PC, modern consoles:

Mamorukun Curse! coming to PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC in 2025

City Connection and G.rev will release Mamorukun Curse! for PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam in 2025, the companies announced.

www.gematsu.com

 

[Spiders]

Picked up the Toaplan Vol. 4 and I kind of love Grind Stormer??? The bundle discount brought the set of 4 to around 20 bucks.



I think Dogyuun is very cool too, but it highlights what I hate playing on PC: Setting my PCB to X-Input, D-Input, or Switch all have differing layouts, some don't support all the buttons for some reason, I have to go to Windows Settings to get a map of Button 1, 2, 3, etc., while most games are using an XBOX layout convention (A/B/X/Y), but this abstracts again to Steam Layout, which detects the Switch, but even that imposes the XBOX layout A/B/X/Y over the Switch layout B/A/Y/X, the assignments are generic and not game conventions (Fire Weapon, FireAlt), and all this with no way to test what button is actually doing what until I'm in game!

This is usually fine for simple 2 button games (kinda), but Dogyuun clearly has some mechanics that are not clear at all from what the generic buttons are called (Fire, FireAlt, Smart Bomb).... Fire is the only one that does what it says on the tin lol

Grind Stormer has option/bits that can me manipulated by moving the ship and locked into place by rapid fire... I think? If that's the case the game would really benefit from the M2 treatment when I can set multiple granular levels of auto-fire frequency.

I should really just get more comfortable using MAME at this point haha

/rant

 

[DonDonDonPata]

PS3 exclusive (i think?) Mamorukun Curse coming to PC, modern consoles:

Mamorukun Curse! coming to PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC in 2025

City Connection and G.rev will release Mamorukun Curse! for PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam in 2025, the companies announced.

www.gematsu.com

I have a digital copy on my PS3. Years ago I tried to import a physical copy but the seller fell through and the price quickly shot up. Oh well. Such is the life of a shmup player

It's pretty fun! It reminds me of Pocky & Rocky but way more bullet hell-y. I hope they port over Gulti's BEST GAME.... Raiden Fighters. Also their Switch shooter RXN Raijin was surprisingly good.

 

[Spiders]

I have a digital copy on my PS3. Years ago I tried to import a physical copy but the seller fell through and the price quickly shot up. Oh well. Such is the life of a shmup player

It's pretty fun! It reminds me of Pocky & Rocky but way more bullet hell-y. I hope they port over Gulti's BEST GAME.... Raiden Fighters. Also their Switch shooter RXN Raijin was surprisingly good.

-Love me some Pocky & Rocky... does it have some kind of defense options/bullet mitigation?
-I forgot about RXN Raijin!!! I wish I nabbed it when I could... delisted and it's like $190 for a copy on eBay!
-Raiden Fighters is still really popular. I see people posting runs all the time! Would be a great game to port to current systems.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

-Love me some Pocky & Rocky... does it have some kind of defense options/bullet mitigation?

Depends on the character you're playing but yeah, one of the game's central mechanics is bullet-cancelling with your curse shot and keeping a long chain going for the whole stage if possible.

 

[Spiders]

The Touhou-like Shikhondo just got an update/arrangement/expansion something or other...

I never got it to run easy without using joy2key and even still it would mess up, but in for a penny, in for a pound, hopefully the fixed it up and improved it.
I'll update when I get a chance to play it.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

The Touhou-like Shikhondo just got an update/arrangement/expansion something or other...

I never got it to run easy without using joy2key and even still it would mess up, but in for a penny, in for a pound, hopefully the fixed it up and improved it.
I'll update when I get a chance to play it.

I have the console version and I liked it a lot. Pretty cool to see them coming out with a new version.

 

[Spiders]

I have the console version and I liked it a lot. Pretty cool to see them coming out with a new version.

Played a bit last night. So far, very cool. Biggest change is going from 4:3 to 19:6, patterns look gorgeous and have better visibility with new bullet artwork. Enemies look much nicer too. Patterns themselves look the same as original as far as I can tell, but I only tried 'Arcade Mode' so far.

This is definitely based off the exArcadia release and altered enough to get this past that contract which is very cool. I hope this starts a trend!
The input mapping is improved but still a bit fussy. I tried it on a WASD style mix box (Touhou tradition and all that) but will try a with a lever next time I fire it up.

 

[Spiders]

Terarin wrote an article detaling the systems and mechanics in his upcoming Crystal Breaker (Steam/Switch)

About the new Shmup Crystal Breaker - TERARIN GAMES

>>日本語 Crystal Breaker is an aggressive vertical shmup. It requires close range attacks and quick destruction. There are a total of 8 stages. And your goal is to clear all stages. The next stage will be unlocked when you clear the stage. Once a stage is unlocked, it can be played at any time...

www.teraringames.com

It's all about the close range combat, has rank, bonus enemies, and a 30 second boss timer.... and I am very excited about this!

Designed like an 8-stage caravan and looks to be a scorer's playground.

 

[Spiders]

A rookie pilot becomes the top player!

...maybe.

A video about the mechanics and mindset of playing for score. Plus cats, coffee, and a quasi-religious tract on the spirituality of gaming.



Big thanks to @DonDonDonPata 's dunpachi.com essays on "Score Chasers" for sharpening my intuition and opinion about score play.... that site was really a goldmine.

 

[OuterSpace]

Messed around with Macross Shooting Insight for a bit. Unfortunately it joins the large pantheon of lackluster Macross shmups that are really only appealing to Macross fans and not shmup fans.

Basically it's a widescreen shmup that alternates between hori, vert, overhead twinstick(ish) style and once in a blue moon a quasi-Space Harrier perspective. The question of how you handle each transformation mode in a Macross game is sidestepped in this by auto-switching to a diff transformation mode based on the perspective.

Also it's a lifebar shmup (Which only gets slight a refill between stages) with a single life(Death means restarting the stage with the same amount of life you began with) and includes an invincible quick dash mechanic like we see in so many current 2d action games.

The difficulty is completely front loaded, seemingly oddly challenging during the first stage and then being a cakewalk after. The most bothersome part is the majority of the difficulty comes from the constant visual obfuscation. Not only will it have busy backgrounds with tons of asteroids and shit flying around but at times a song sequence will happen and the screen with get splattered with an instagram filter of pink sparkles and shit all over. The game does not give a fuck about your visibility.

Oddly only Story Mode is available and must be completed before you can unlock Arcade Mode. Story mode basically being endless text and still character images between stages. If you cannot read or speak Japanese then it'll be worthless to you. In fact this whole package is very much like an oldschool JP import in that it is not English friendly whatsoever.

This is supposed to be getting an English release at some point but it's clear they're cutting Hikaru(Rick Hunter) , Minmei and all the DYRL related stuff, which kinda kills that release imo.

As mentioned, very much a game for Macross fans first and foremost though even then, Macross 2036, Scrambled Valkyrie and DYRL(PS1/Saturn game) are all better options for your Macross shmup fix.

 

[Grinchy]

I've been trying to get Espgaluda installed on my PS2 hdd and it just hasn't gone my way lol. But I keep seeing it's a really fun shmup

 

[Spiders]

I've been trying to get Espgaluda installed on my PS2 hdd and it just hasn't gone my way lol. But I keep seeing it's a really fun shmup

What are you using? I still have my old HD Loader and Sony HDD with Shiki 2 and some other gems on it and rather than fuck around, I got a new hard drive to setup with OPL... haven't tried to do it all yet though.

 

[Grinchy]

What are you using? I still have my old HD Loader and Sony HDD with Shiki 2 and some other gems on it and rather than fuck around, I got a new hard drive to setup with OPL... haven't tried to do it all yet though.

Fat PS2, OPL, etc. I never had any issues setting up and installing games, but for some reason my PC no longer recognizes the PS2 drives so I can't seem to install locally.

I set up the network installer, and it was working just fine on most games, but has errors when trying to install these 2 Japanese games (Espgaluda and Nights). I'm sure hours of tinkering would solve it but I was just looking for a quick go at it haha


edit - ok maybe it's just that my other HDD was getting too full and it was causing errors because of that. I have an old SSD I was going to set up as a PS1 drive for POPStarter and just randomly decided to install Espgaluda onto that, and it's installing just fine over the network...

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Messed around with Macross Shooting Insight for a bit. Unfortunately it joins the large pantheon of lackluster Macross shmups that are really only appealing to Macross fans and not shmup fans.

Basically it's a widescreen shmup that alternates between hori, vert, overhead twinstick(ish) style and once in a blue moon a quasi-Space Harrier perspective. The question of how you handle each transformation mode in a Macross game is sidestepped in this by auto-switching to a diff transformation mode based on the perspective.

Also it's a lifebar shmup (Which only gets slight a refill between stages) with a single life(Death means restarting the stage with the same amount of life you began with) and includes an invincible quick dash mechanic like we see in so many current 2d action games.

The difficulty is completely front loaded, seemingly oddly challenging during the first stage and then being a cakewalk after. The most bothersome part is the majority of the difficulty comes from the constant visual obfuscation. Not only will it have busy backgrounds with tons of asteroids and shit flying around but at times a song sequence will happen and the screen with get splattered with an instagram filter of pink sparkles and shit all over. The game does not give a fuck about your visibility.

Oddly only Story Mode is available and must be completed before you can unlock Arcade Mode. Story mode basically being endless text and still character images between stages. If you cannot read or speak Japanese then it'll be worthless to you. In fact this whole package is very much like an oldschool JP import in that it is not English friendly whatsoever.

This is supposed to be getting an English release at some point but it's clear they're cutting Hikaru(Rick Hunter) , Minmei and all the DYRL related stuff, which kinda kills that release imo.

As mentioned, very much a game for Macross fans first and foremost though even then, Macross 2036, Scrambled Valkyrie and DYRL(PS1/Saturn game) are all better options for your Macross shmup fix.

Great write up!

I've been trying to get Espgaluda installed on my PS2 hdd and it just hasn't gone my way lol. But I keep seeing it's a really fun shmup

yeah it's exceptional. I hope you end up liking it. CAVE shmups tend to be really, really good whether you wanna play casually or if you wanna get that 1CC, and Espgaluda is one of their very best. If you get the chance, try out ESP Ra.de and Espgaluda 2, too.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Messed around with Macross Shooting Insight for a bit. Unfortunately it joins the large pantheon of lackluster Macross shmups that are really only appealing to Macross fans and not shmup fans.

Basically it's a widescreen shmup that alternates between hori, vert, overhead twinstick(ish) style and once in a blue moon a quasi-Space Harrier perspective. The question of how you handle each transformation mode in a Macross game is sidestepped in this by auto-switching to a diff transformation mode based on the perspective.

Also it's a lifebar shmup (Which only gets slight a refill between stages) with a single life(Death means restarting the stage with the same amount of life you began with) and includes an invincible quick dash mechanic like we see in so many current 2d action games.

The difficulty is completely front loaded, seemingly oddly challenging during the first stage and then being a cakewalk after. The most bothersome part is the majority of the difficulty comes from the constant visual obfuscation. Not only will it have busy backgrounds with tons of asteroids and shit flying around but at times a song sequence will happen and the screen with get splattered with an instagram filter of pink sparkles and shit all over. The game does not give a fuck about your visibility.

Oddly only Story Mode is available and must be completed before you can unlock Arcade Mode. Story mode basically being endless text and still character images between stages. If you cannot read or speak Japanese then it'll be worthless to you. In fact this whole package is very much like an oldschool JP import in that it is not English friendly whatsoever.

This is supposed to be getting an English release at some point but it's clear they're cutting Hikaru(Rick Hunter) , Minmei and all the DYRL related stuff, which kinda kills that release imo.

As mentioned, very much a game for Macross fans first and foremost though even then, Macross 2036, Scrambled Valkyrie and DYRL(PS1/Saturn game) are all better options for your Macross shmup fix.

I feel bad for knowing what DYRL stands for..

 

[OuterSpace]

I feel bad for knowing what DYRL stands for..

You shouldn't because that movie is great.

Now if you know what Clash of the Bionoids is...

 

[Vyse]

Devil Blade Reboot from Vanillaware artist Shigatake set to release later this month.

 

[Spiders]

Devil Blade Reboot from Vanillaware artist Shigatake set to release later this month.

This looks so sick! Anybody play the original? I never heard of it.

From Time Extension:

Vanillaware Artist's 1996 PS1 Shmup 'Devil Blade' Is Getting A Modern-Day Reboot

Update: Release date confirmed

www.timeextension.com

The game was originally developed by Shigatake, a Japanese illustrator known for their work with Vanillaware, and was created using the shoot 'em up creation software Dezaemon Plus.

 

[Spiders]

For $1.59 maybe???



Also the Mirage Feathers demo is out and very, very good. I actually ended up playing with a mouse in my left hand and arcade stick buttons in my right. Felt great! Oddballs with proper analog arcade or flight stick are in for a treat... or a you can use a gamepad or whatever.