/vr/ - Retro Games

I think you would find these games to be the best:

Thunder Force III - friendly to beginners, great music, lots of stage/enemy variety. Don't feel bad for falling for a trap; each stage has a trap or moment that's meant to 'getcha' but you usually get enough lives to tank through the worst of it.

Thunder Force IV - more of the above but amplified x10. Much more difficult but it is a joy to play.

Forgotten Worlds - capcom bliss. Get used to the unorthodox controls (rotate your guy with A and C, shoot with B), and you will find a marvelously inventive shmup with neat bosses and loads of weapons to buy and try out.

Steel Empire - it's not 'the best' but it is a well-made, colorful, and delightful shooter that really pulls you in with its detailed dieselpunk world.

Fire Shark - hard but has a high degree of refinement and playability. One of the games that really lay the foundation for vertical-scrolling shooters. Really good stage design.

>>7347630
JP cover art is superior

>>7347630
Undead line and Elemental master if you want something different.

Hellfire and Zero wing are good.

>>7347630

>>7347630
MUSHA

>>7348470
I don't see how the Aleste series is so revered. They're kind of monotonous even by shmup standards

>>7347630
Oh those not mentioned yet:

Truxton - a classic of the genre. Tough, good music, and an old school aesthetic.

Grind Stormer - I know it's not the best, but I have a soft spot for it. I think it's fun but there's definitely better picks to be had.

Gaiares - I haven't spent much time with this one but those who have are only positive about it. From what I understand it has some unique ideas that make it stand out.

The others that come to mind which haven't been mentioned so far are Bio Hazard Battle, Sagaia, Raiden Trad, Phelios, Wings of Wor, Vapor Trail, and Sol Deace but I've never played those.

Also, Elimate Down and Gleylancer but those are JP only.

>>7347630
Hellfire
Zero Wing
Truxton

All Toaplan shmups, Toaplan is well known for making excellent shmups.

>>7347630
divine sealing

>>7349672
Flying Shark
Twin Cobra

Haven't played the genesis versions, also Toaplan.

>>7349672
>truxton

>>7347630
1. Musha Aleste
2. Thunderforce IV
3. Aero Blasters

>>7347630
MUSHA is the best on the system.

>>7347754
>Thunder Force III - friendly to beginners, great music, lots of stage/enemy variety. Don't feel bad for falling for a trap; each stage has a trap or moment that's meant to 'getcha' but you usually get enough lives to tank through the worst of it.
>Thunder Force IV - more of the above but amplified x10. Much more difficult but it is a joy to play.
I have been playing these lately and they are very fun

Nice stuff

More a hybrid shooter but I liked this one.

>>7347630
>>7347768
JP box is better
>>7348470
Both covers are good

>>7347630
Duh.

>>7351465
Strangely I like them both. The US cover looks like it belongs to an 80s saturday morning cartoon show. I had the Japanese one as a poster (from a high quality scan) on my wall for ages.

>>7349672
Based and Batsu-pilled

I wipe my ass on this game

>>7347630
I'm quite fond of this one.

Gleylancer

>>7347630
>Thunder Force IV
>Gaiares
>Musha Aleste
>Gley Lancer
>Eliminate Down
>Battle Mania Daiginjou
>Lords of Thunder (CD)
>Gynoug

I dismissed TF3 as easy some years ago, but was playing it on mania recently and it's pretty fun and decently challenging, especially if you go for a no death.

>>7351465
>>7351479
Limited Edition cover is the best one.

>>7351249
looks better than the arcade

>>7353240
Almost forgot that this was a thing.
I wonder what happened to Jamie Bunker.

>>7354675
Found his twitter

>>7349707
Based

>>7352950
It is good for a no skill slob like me

I am playing Thunder Force AC, I can get to the final level but not win yet. On TF4 I can only get to like stage 7 or 8 out of 10 I think.

>>7356226
Yeah even if TF3 /AC are on the easy side they aren't braindead by any means. TF4 is great but I don't like how blade slowdowns the game so much, TF2 an 3 aren't as impressive looking but theis performance is impeccable.

>>7356449
I am playing the Switch ports so slowdown is mostly a non-issue. I picked them up because I mindlessly bought (almost) the whole Sega Ages series whether or not I knew the game, just because, and I am slowly working through them.

I like them both a bunch for different reasons, TF3 feels more focused and mostly more fair, TF4 has more spectacle but it's heavy on blind deaths and it is long... I've spent a lot more time with TF4 with less progress to show for it, and that's only on normal difficulty.