Most difficult shmups you've ever played?

gtmartini

Rugal's Thug
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If I die on the 3rd level of Pulstar i hit reset and start over.
MAn, I think I really suck os shmugs... lol
I was playing it now, well i got to level 6. I think I better understand the game now . You have to use the shield in front of you to stop incoming bullets, also what distracts me is that I think the ship is the shield and I hit the wall because of that, I`m getting used to it. And as read that a lot of people says the game is hard, probably that is why I gave up in the past so easily.
 

FilthyRear

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MAn, I think I really suck os shmugs... lol
I was playing it now, well i got to level 6. I think I better understand the game now . You have to use the shield in front of you to stop incoming bullets, also what distracts me is that I think the ship is the shield and I hit the wall because of that, I`m getting used to it. And as read that a lot of people says the game is hard, probably that is why I gave up in the past so easily.

What's a shmug?
 

Morden

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Blazing Star gets too much credit for being prohibitively difficult. It's been a while, but the only part that really bothered me was the 6th (?) stage boss, which is basically this gigantic ship you pick apart. It's tedious, if anything else, and destroys the flow of the game, which is uneven to begin with. That soundtrack, though.

I've been getting into Ketsui again lately, and it's a pleasure. Sure, the game is hard, but it's a different kind of hard. There's a method to its madness. The scoring system is great, the progression is perfect and it all just fits so well together. There are so many Cave shooters which are great, but at the end of the day I can take or leave, but Ketsui stands out somehow.

I'll be getting Garegga for PS4 soon, as well as Raiden V for the Xbox, so I'm looking at a couple of weeks of good shooting. Garegga isn't easy either.
 

Mr. Mort

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So I've been playing different versions of Gradius II lately (mostly the Famicom version), and that game is tough. You can do serious damage once you're all powered-up, but losing all your power ups upon death is devastating. In some spots, there's no chance to advance at all. The FC is a little kinder since you restart at the beginning of the stage when you die, giving you a chance to get at least some power ups. The PCE and arcade versions only set you back to a checkpoint when you continue, where it's usually too difficult to proceed. Or maybe I just suck at the game.
 

The_Chosen_One

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So I've been playing different versions of Gradius II lately (mostly the Famicom version), and that game is tough. You can do serious damage once you're all powered-up, but losing all your power ups upon death is devastating. In some spots, there's no chance to advance at all. The FC is a little kinder since you restart at the beginning of the stage when you die, giving you a chance to get at least some power ups. The PCE and arcade versions only set you back to a checkpoint when you continue, where it's usually too difficult to proceed. Or maybe I just suck at the game.

That style of game where you lose all power ups on death and you can't damage anything with your stock weapon is one of the most frustrating. It's almost a 1cc or nothing, you think you have multiple lives but really you start back in a brutal area with a peashooter that takes 50 hits to kill popcorn.
 

egg_sanwich

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Checkpoint shooters requiring multiple item pickups to power up a level (eg. Truxton, Fire Shark) are especially frustrating. You have to grab one pickup per life for 3 lives until you have a chance again.
 

Mr. Mort

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That style of game where you lose all power ups on death and you can't damage anything with your stock weapon is one of the most frustrating. It's almost a 1cc or nothing, you think you have multiple lives but really you start back in a brutal area with a peashooter that takes 50 hits to kill popcorn.

Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. It sure makes for a frustrating experience, and can push a lot of gamers to say "fuck that" and move on to something else.
 

gtmartini

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Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. It sure makes for a frustrating experience, and can push a lot of gamers to say "fuck that" and move on to something else.

That is why I gave up on some shooters, I just ended pulstar thanks to a incentive from the user andsuchisdeath and the game is good, but getting back to a checkpoint is a pain in the ass. Raiden for the Jaguar let you come back at the same place and if had a lot of power, it gives you power-ups, And you have bombs :). There are so many other good shooters that uses check points and I really say "Fuck that" like you said and gave up.
 

oliverclaude

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That is why I gave up on some shooters, I just ended pulstar thanks to a incentive from the user andsuchisdeath and the game is good, but getting back to a checkpoint is a pain in the ass.

In my opinion Pulstar's difficulty problem is based entirely on the lack of speed regulation. Irem evolved not until R-Type Delta, where you could adjust your velocity, thus making Delta one of the easiest entries in the family tree. There are only certain points, where dying is equal to a game over.

In all previous games you are initially not only one damn slow cannon fodder, you also loose the first icon to the almighty "S". Oh yeah, let's not forget that speed icons make, once you set, can make you too fast, i.e. kill you. An exception is Viewpoint, where, blessedly, your ship is set to a perfect speed from the 'one, two, three, four HEY!' get go ;).
 

Morden

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Bought Ghost Blade HD on the PS4 today [since it was cheaper than both Xbox One and Wii U versions; good job Sony], and I have to say, at first glance, this is probably the best NG Dev shmup I've played. I missed out on the Dreamcast version. You can't find it anywhere. RedSpot store is gone and the only game HuCast sells is the digital version of Ghost Blade. NG Dev store doesn't sell it either. At least they weren't last time I checked.

Anyway, it's too early to say more, but so far I like it. I played through the first two stages, just to see what I paid for, and I'll definitely be spending more time with this title.
 

oliverclaude

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Talking 'bout NG:DEV STGs... the most difficult for me is the original Last Hope. It's very european in this regard, though it tries hard to be japanese. But indeed, there are moments where they fully succeed in being the German R-Type. Respect.
 

xorthen

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Most of them are pretty challenging. Dodonpachi Daiojou is a bitch, so are most of the Darius games.
 

geise

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At first glance playing Gunlock / Galactic Attack it doesn't seem so hard. However going for a 1cc is still something I have yet to accomplish and I've owned it on Saturn since day one. I choke at area 6. I think I will stop worrying about chain locking for points by that stage. Finally getting back into it I am very rusty. Anyone else think old age is affecting their shooting skills? My reaction time seems to suck now.
 
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Probably been listed already, however, I'd throw in X-Multiply. Love that game but it is incredibly challenging.

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oliverclaude

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Tatsujin on the pce. Convert tate into yoko and see bullets fired at your ship right in front of you. It's doable with memorization, but then again, you'll prolly have to memorize that it supposed to make fun, too.
 

cr8zykuban0

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I gotta say image fight 2 on the pc engine has been a tough one for me at first. The first stage boss would totally kick my ass. Thankfully there are unlimited continues and a check point once you reach a certain part of the stage.
 

MCF 76

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Tatsujin on the pce. Convert tate into yoko and see bullets fired at your ship right in front of you. It's doable with memorization, but then again, you'll prolly have to memorize that it supposed to make fun, too.

I concur, I had this game but sold it. Way beyond my skill level ballz hard.
 

oliverclaude

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I concur, I had this game but sold it. Way beyond my skill level ballz hard.

Hahaha, I know exactly what you're talking about. I tried it on the EASY setting, though and then at least the bullet speed was acceptable. The funny thing is, that most pce arcade ports are programmed with a lesser difficulty, which makes them so enjoyable in the first place, sometimes even more than the original game -- Legend of Hero Tonma, Cloud Master, Kyukyoku Tiger for example, are all following this concept. Not Tatsujin. Too bad, since it's really better than the MD version.
 

s. k. technique

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Another for Tatsujin/Truxton. Personally, I slightly prefer the MD version to the the PCE, but the PCE version is tough. It feels like your ship is too slow and underpowered at the start and the first few enemies input read your controls (I'm sure they dont). Ikaruga and Viewpoint (in two player) are also great.

I really like DeathSmiles, but once it gets to a point with revenge bullets, the game becomes too tough for me.
 
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