Ugh.. this screenshot of Layer Section looks really cuted-out. Is this a shot from the Saturn Version?

This game is the one with most alternative titles I have ever seen! Rayforce, Layer Section, Galactic Attack and Gunlock. They are all the very same game :D

Hey Shatty.
Yes, the Saturn Emu is not quite perfect yet. Some graphic glitches.

Afterreviewing the posts and playing alot of the games (again)i would have to say Jeff Minter is the king of shooters.

I think the top three should be


1.Tempest 2000 (frenetic is not the word)
2. Ancipital (everyone overlooks this fantastic shooter)
3. Revenge of the mutant camels.

the other shooters I`d mention are

thunderforce 3 and 4

Uridium, R-type and Darius Gaiden

Starfox 64 - 1997 - Nintendo 64

I have to say that this is one of my all time favourites, albeit an easy game but it’s just so damn playable.

Tons of ships on the screen at one time and the way you talked to the co-pilots added to the atmosphere. Great music and sound effects with Arcadey game play made it a “cant put down” sort of game.

Well for me anyway.

Yap, I heard about this saturn emulator. It needs lots of horsepower to run at a decente speed.

I am glad to have a Saturn here at home :D


And Star-Fox is no shoot'em up! :D

it is kind of:confused

Erm
well, Star Fox is a 3D shooter. Your ship can move in 3 different axis. In a "pure" shoot'em up, you should only move in 2 axis.

This is an eternal argue in the shmups.com forum :D

OK then, its a 3D shoot em up, I'll get back to you with my fav true shmup! lol;)

First: SWIV - Amiga

Best sound and playability ever in a shooter - the explosions make my room vibrate, unbelievable!

And originality - playing the jeep means you will not be hit by the flying things (most of the enemies fly) so that is easier, BUT you have to dodge all the buildings, use bridges, jump over obstacles, be careful at the train crossing etc.

And then in the water, the jeep becomes a boat and there's all this inertia suddenly that makes it slide... wow! All this makes the background interactive. And really the background becomes a major factor in the whole experience, making you feel like actually being in that world!

Also it had really imaginative bosses, like the giant stationary laser cannon!

The makers of swiv figured out what I think is the secret to fun in shmups:
Give the player many small enemies that are blasted each by just ONE HIT. Then make the game harder by simply dumping more enemies and faster enemies at the player. Most shooters make the mistake of confronting the player with enemies that each take at least two shots to kill. That is too slow, and much less fun! And that is why silkworm and swiv still stand out for me as the most fun shmups ever!

Second: Raiden II - Arcade/Playstation 1 (windows version sucks apparently)

It is just hard enough to be fair and possible, but still so damn HARD!
Graphics have incredible pixel perfect attention to detail. Explosions with little pixel perfect rotating pieces of shrapnel flying everywhere just make it fun to blast away at them.
It's just great old school fun with none of these stupid complicated zen-like rule and point systems like Ikaruga. Those zen things are too complicated for me. I just want to shoot. I think a shooter should be about survival and not about collecting score, a shmup is not a pinball game after all! pffh...

I will definately agree with this one!. After playing SWIV for a couple of months Solid!!!.. i managed to finish it with 1 life left. and yep, when it was all over i thought to myself .. F@#K that was a great game!.

My brother used to work 12 hour afternoon shifts, and every night he would come home, he burst into the bedroom, and ask me how far i got for that night!, but he would instead ask.. " How many % ?????? ".

I have attached that picture you posted too rsn8887 because that end of level Gun and the other end of level Guns like that, made me Crap my pants!!!!.... the SOUND it used to make when it shot that large beam, was amazing!!!!... and it would really start to make me nervous.. LOL ..

Great game.. :great

Ah yes, I love the Raiden series on the arcades ;)

Jose Qs.. *checks thread date* woaa.. did Y2k just become nostalgic

Hybris

Mine has to be operation thunderbolt on the Amiga, it's very addictive and I am very good
at it:D

Not really a shoot 'em up clarencebeaks but ok :p

Swiv
Super Stardust
Banshee
R-Type II

Amiga:

Hybris, Battle Squadron, Disposable Hero

C64:

Armalyte
IO
Uridium
Terra Cresta
Slap Fight


Genesis/Mega Drive/32X/CD:

Gynoug
Musha Aleste
Gaiares
Thunderforce III & IV
Android Assault
Kolibri
Gley Lancer


PC-Engine/TurboGrafx/CD

Gunhed
Cyber Core
Terra Cresta II
Superstar Soldier
Nexzr
Spriggan 1 & 2
Star Parodier
Gradius II
Steam Hearts
R-Type
Sylphia
Sapphire
Super Raiden
and more

PSX:

R-Type Delta
Gradius Gaiden
Zanac X Zanac
Raiden Project & DX

SNES:

Axelay
Super Aleste
Parodius
Gradius III

Sega Master System:

Powerstrike I & II (= Aleste)
R-Type

Good point DamienD, well I would have to say "r-type", then xenon 2.As
my younger brother use to say, "R-Type... It's up your arse!":laughing