Today I was taking a look at my Dreamcast games and came across Zero Gunner 2 again.
For anyone unaware of this game, it's pretty much your basic shmup using helicopters by Psikyo, but with a nifty gimmick: you can change the direction you're facing, much like the PC "Warning Forever".
The first Zero Gunner is apparently emulated in MAME, but I've never played it.
I never really heard much talk about either of them, didn't even heard of the series until 2 came out. It's rather nice and only moderately difficult on normal (with 8 difficulty settings I beleive).
Anyone else familiar with this game or the series?
If anyone else has some shmups they feel are underrated and not talked about enough, feel free to post about them!
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Film112004-12-24 6:53
Dunno if this is underrated as such but I never hear much talk about it even though it is quite possibly one of the best and most original shmup around especially on the GameCubes 'limited' range of games.
I love the system of white and dark and the way it is cleverly implemented into the game. Might sound easy but it is one of the hardest games I've ever played - meaning it is one of the best of course ;)
PS: do tripcodes work on world4ch or just image boards?
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Film112004-12-24 6:54
I'm such an idiot, forgot to mention the actual game - IKARUGA.
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pollen2004-12-24 7:08
duder, ikaruga isn't especially underrated. esp rade is an underrated game. ikaruga is, in my oppinion very widely known and appreciated by a whole bunch of people, not only fans and wimps.
i do agree with you that it's one of the hardest game ever... if you don't count viewtiful joe, that is.
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Anonymous2004-12-24 7:53
XII Stag. I like that whole side attack thing it's got going on.
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posem_diest2004-12-24 8:21
Abadox. It was like Lifeforce, in the entire going into the monster's innards sort of thing. But, unlike Lifeforce, Abadox was beatable.
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W.T. Snacks!TcT.PTG1.22004-12-24 8:28
>>2 >>4 is right, Ikaruga really isn't underrated at all, it's actually very popular.
>>5
I fucking _hated_ XII Stag. Not so much the concept, but the whole "MASH YOUR DPAD BACK AND FORTH REALLY FAST" was really annoying, and it wasn't any better with a stick.
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Film112004-12-24 8:50
>>7
Oh, fair enough then. I just don't hear about it that much and the reviews that were given to it weren't really like "OMG WOW" even though it DID deseve that.
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SHK!2004-12-24 9:28
I played ZeroGunner 2, and frankly, you could do without this game. Just like your standard coin-up shoot-em-up games, the enemy will kill you, and fast, just to suck more quarters out of you. You're no longer on an arcade machine, but the philosophy hasn't changed... :(
Basically, I was met with infuriatingly fast lasers, showers of bullets, anything to get me trapped with absolutely nowhere to go. If you don't know what the boss is going to do in advance, you'll have literally no way of avoiding some of his attacks.
The same also roughly applies to Mars Matrix, but at least those guys had the wit to include a shield if the situation became desperate.
And of course, Ikaruga did it best by minimizing "trap moves" like that.
Yes, but it was reviewed. AT ALL. A great deal of these games didn't get half the attention that Ikaruga had when it came out on GameCube, and even fewer games even saw the light of day on store shelves outside of a bargain bin. Ikaruga may not have blown up many skirts review-wise, but it caused even casual shmup fans to stop and take notice, due to it's presence.
Personally I liked Zero Gunner 2... I guess it's a love of helicopers or some shit. Anyway... Dreamcast had some awesome shmups. Zero Gunner 2, Gunbird 2, Mars Matrix, GigaWing 2... some really nice ones.
I'm surprised someone mentioned ESP.ra.de It's odd when people have heard of any CAVE games when mentioned in passing. It's a work of art both in gameplay and simply in the beholding. Definetly a favorite.
To add one to the list: Dimahoo (Great Mahou Daisakusen) was a fave of mine from the moment it was released, though it didn't get any of the attention it deserved.
Oh and speaking of Cave, one word:
Guwange~
Sends chills down the spine does it not?
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Anonymous2004-12-24 10:31 (sage)
>>9
re: bosses
what all shmups have in some form, is patterns. :confused:
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Anonymous2004-12-24 12:51
Cave just fucking owns. Esperade is like.... one of the best ever, from the music to the gameplay.
Guwange is also a good mention, altho its slower paced imho.
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Ed_Oscuro2004-12-24 13:14
CAVE games seem held in pretty high regard where I come from.
Now, Battle Mania (Vic Tokai > Mega Drive seems pretty good. And M.U.S.H.A. Aleste - Fullmetal Fighter Elinor is REALLY, REALLY good.
Sengoku Ace is a great game too. Saturn -> GET
Not many people seem to talk about G-Darius...love that game.
I also like Gynoug for some reason or other.
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2004-12-24 13:19(capped)
I love Einhander and will probably have to go out and buy it for myself after Christmas. I wish Square (or now SQUENIX) made more forays into shooters like they did with this one.
After seeing that crazy Japanese guy beat Ikaruga perfectly, and another play both fighters at once, I went out and bought it. Unfortunately, I suck at the game and get extremely aggravatad every time I play it.
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Sub!.bc9zrwsEM2004-12-24 16:23
You have to keep in mind that the point of the typical 2d shooter is not to run into bullets and chuck in coins until the game says it's over. Ideally, you're working towards a one-life run. The design philosophy requires a certain combination of reflexes and memorization. This is to varying degrees depending on what you're playing, but both are ALWAYS involved.
Right now I'm playing Castle Shikigami 2 (oh no america-name). I don't know what to think of it. There are a lot of different play styles, but only the very first character is really good. When you play as him, though, you can basically disregard enemies and just bullet-scrape for the entire level. I'll put some time into it, but for bullet-scraping games I like Psyvariar a lot more. Is Psyvariar 2 out for ps2 yet?
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W.T. Snacks!TcT.PTG1.22004-12-24 16:39
>>15
How is the US version? I've only played Shikigami no Shiro 2 for DC (due to not having a PS2 currently). I'm assuming since they didn't name it Mobile Light Force 3 and give it the same cover art, they actually didn't leave a lot of crap out?
Not sure about Psyvariar 2, but I look forward to it. I find it a lot easier to use the PS2 d-pad in shmups than the Dreamcast's.
what?! what about BLIND KOREAN GUITAR MAN? his second attack form is uber -- arguably he's even better than Kuga.
also, where're the obligatory mentions of Shanghai Alice and ABA Games? though I want to say that they receive a lot of attention already, I really get the feeling that all shmups are "underrated" and are slowly fading into that little hidden niche market along with Ikaruga and Cave's Mushihime Ultra mode...
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Blah2004-12-24 18:18
Psiyko makes some sweet shooters. Sengoku Ace was an average top down shooter, but its sequel, Sengoku Blade, is a cool side scrolling shooter (think technology plus feudal Japan in Ninja Ressurection), has awesome amounts of detail in its sprites, and an attractive female I need to find more "fan art" of.
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Anonymous2004-12-24 18:37
This thread needs a little bit more Steam Hearts lovin!
Really, has anyone had the chance to play it?
Also, comedy "Radiant Silvergun is way underrated" option.
It's almost completely intact from the Japanese version. Even tate is in. All changes are superficial. Whatever the first two screens were in the original (I assume company logos) have been replaced with XS Games' logo and their FOUR PERSON credits. The localization is awful as expected; the manual and most in-game text seem babelfished and then smoothed over slightly. The manual, in fact, mentions a MOBILE LIGHT FORCE 3 ATTACK (bomb). The SCEA-mandated English voice work is, of course, terrible to the point of being memorable.
Steam Hearts seems to get more mention (in "certain circles") than nearly all the other games here combined! I'd say you have two comedy options there sir :D
>>36
Eh, I have Raiden DX for PS1. I'm not that much of a fan of the Raiden series. The only one I actually enjoy somewhat is Raiden Fighters Jet. I have some hopes for Raiden 3 though.
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elboomo2004-12-29 4:02
Shmups lovers=D
raiden 3 looks great, hopefully it won't be a let down. i've been very partial to REZ, even though it's not the traditional shoot em up, it's still very fun
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X680002004-12-29 6:50
Bangai-O is that expensive already? PAL Version too? Because have 2 or 3 sealed copys of it \o/
Great game too
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Anonymous2007-08-19 14:21 ID:uDWZE/ls
sup 2004
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Anonymous2007-08-19 14:58 ID:pabSKN6g
There is no such thing as an underrated shoot 'em up.
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Anonymous2007-08-19 16:49 ID:NpSXhY9w
Chu Chu Rocket was better
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Anonymous2007-08-20 4:08 ID:mm/JUAKN
ChoRenSha 68k is pretty cool. Originally for the Sharp x68000 home pc/console.
Starsoldier, vanishing earth: from Electrobrain on N64
My top favs that don't get enough recognition.
Axelay I like because the enemies are almost always different in each stages. Also, the music captures the mood in each stage perfectly, making alot of it feel more epic. One other awesome feature are the weapons. No two weapons are the same, requiring a different level of strategy and skill based on your selection.
Hyperzone isn't really fast paced, but the challenge facter is high. Nice forward scrolling game.
Einhander. Great storyline, awesome stage setup, great bosses, epic music, and a nice arsenal that you can steal from enemies, including a beam sword. Anyone who loves grappler ships would love this game.
Starsoldier has alot of charm to it, despite being generic in everyway possible. Big thing for me is the fact that there are extra paths and hidden levels to access, despite being short in this awesome feature.
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Anonymous2007-08-21 1:17 ID:ge/VTLFh
WARNING FOREVER
sucks after HYPERHEXASUPERGIGAEXTRAWIDEULTIMATEDOOM
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Anonymous2007-08-21 1:41 ID:ge/VTLFh
Zero Gunner
There are known problems wth this game
The video emulation isn't 100% accurate. THIS GAME DOESN'T WORK. You won't be able to make it work correctly. Don't bother.
Type OK or move the joystick to left then right to continue.
NOOOO!
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Anonymous2007-08-21 5:44 ID:5Yt1b3iv
star goose!
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Anonymous2007-08-22 15:56 ID:Hv34b9sk
does Geometry Wars count?
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RustyRifter2007-08-22 20:33 ID:MaeO25RO
>>49
I forgot to mention that one. Nice Robotron styled game.
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Anonymous2007-08-22 22:06 ID:g2Sjct+a
Did someone say Star Goose holy fuck that game is hard
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Anonymous2007-08-22 22:51 ID:Ofad23Cf
>>47
There's a dedicated Model 2 emulator that will run Zero Gunner playably. Can't remember where it lives, but some emu site or other will doubtless have it if you search.
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Anonymous2007-08-28 3:18 ID:ztNjlcSm
No one talks about Parodius anymore.
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Anonymous2007-08-28 4:26 ID:V+SJ3VF7
>>53
Well, it's kind of a dead series, and never did have a huge following outside Japan and whatever niche of a niche elsewhere found it funny. Still, Otomedius (Gradius with boobs) looks like it might drag the Parodius spirit into the new millennium.
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Anonymous2007-08-28 16:29 ID:E4+nnaeu
Does anyone have Snacus' tripcode?
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Anonymous2007-08-28 17:19 ID:1/H8wbUb
What about Macross Scrambled Valkyrie on the SNES?
Highway Hunter has got to be one of my favourite top-down shooters ever. Bloody difficult though, since you didn't just have to dodge bullets, but there was a road to follow as well (which destroyed you if you hit the edge). x_x