/vr/ - Retro Games

Anyone else like this one?

Nice, blocky, distinct visuals, and blaring ear-raping synth music are kind of integral to the shooter experience for me.

Super fun shooter with sick graphics and music. Classic Toaplan quality.

Raiden 1 is ok, I think Raiden 2 is more fun.

This one has their famous Engrish.
Last one I post, I hope OP is happy.

What does /vr/ think of this company? As I've said before, to me it's the #1 most underlooked video game company of all time. Not underrated since from what I've seen most of those that have come across their games (usually arcade enthusiasts) grow to at least like their games. I've seen a few on /vr/, for instance.
Why do I say so? I barely see them credited for what they achieved outside of the circles of said arcade enthusiasts. I mean, everyone knows the impact Dragon Quest had on JRPGs even if they haven't played it nor any other DQ / Enix game, for instance. What Toaplan did for vertically scrolling shoot'em ups is no short of legendary: while the most popular games of the scrolling genre when it started to boom in the mid 80's were horizontal (Gradius, R-Type, Darius...), these guys almost singlehandedly established and polish the now known as the "vertical formula". The impact Capcom's 19XX series had on later verts is virtually negligible in comparison.
The popular Raiden by Seibu Kaihatsu is essentially a very good Toaplan inspired game, for instance (of the likes of Twin Cobra and a bunch of others they made before Raiden).
Their selection of games is, to me at least, very good. They even touched on the bullet hell formula before it even became a thing (Batsugun), the only thing they missed before going bankrupt was complex scoring systems.
From their aforementioned slower paced games similar to the later Raiden, to the frantic Truxton and its sequel, to their cool run and guns OutZone and FixEight, and of course my pic related.
Not only they influenced the shooter scene while alive and after: their employees went to other companies after it closed down and extended Toaplan's legacy even more, such as Cave (DoDonPachi) and Takumi (Mars Matrix).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTvSRQhOWGQ

Play this one hooked up to a sub.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_0Pzh8m5K0