The Perfect NES Shmup?

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I love space ship shooters. There's nothing more satisfying than shooting down hordes of homicidal aliens. The Nes has plenty great ones too. Some games have two player options. Others have you in control of a cave man, knight, or even an angel! Some shooters have bland graphics but fun gameplay. Others, have great graphics and poor gameplay. Still, some have never been released on the Nintendo outside of Japan. But which game is the perfect fit? What has the best blend of action, power-ups, challenge, and uniqueness?

While I may not be the best at shmups, I do like them quite a bit. Here's a little list of some of my oh-so-favorite choices that you should definitely check out:

Will's List of Super Cool Shooters that Super Cool People Like You Should Check Out:

• Jackal (Not an auto scroller, but its basically in the same category)
• Gyruss (Unique circular movement a la Tempest)
• Adventures of Dino Riki (Caveman fighting dinosaurs)
• Abadox (Horizontal and vertically scrolling shooter both up AND down!) 
• Legendary Wings (Two Player Simultaneous shmup)
• 1942 
• 1943 (You can customize your fighter plane)

The First Shooter I Ever Played:

-Xevious

I remember being bored when I first played this. My Uncle Marc had an NES and would often let myself and my two brothers borrow games from him. One of the first ones was indeed Xevious. The ho-hum music and lack of any power-ups and sound effects didn't give me a great first impression. I hated it. The graphics were ugly and I couldn't make it too far (one hit kills!?).

So initially I was put off by shooters at a young age. Ha, ha, ha! Oh well, I guess the bike ride to his place was good for me even if the game wasn't. 

The Runner-Up:
Fantasy Zone

Let's not forget a little game called Fantasy Zone! It's one of my newer favorites of the genre. A port of the game exists thanks in part to Tengen (aka Atari). Basically it's a cute shooter that was a MEGA hit in Japan. 

While not 2 players it is a fun and challenging game. The best part about it is the fact that you can buy various power-ups from shops found in each level! With its fun music, nice challenge, and great power ups, I really think it's one of the best on the system. But not perfect. That title goes to...

My Perfect Space Ship Shooter:

Life Force (a.k.a. Salamander)

First off it has two player co-op. Second, it's tough. But, it's not so tough that the game is not fun. Third, it has awesome music. Fourth, the graphics are probably the best of any shmup we ever got in North America.

Add in the Gradius weapon system, sick looking bosses (here's looking at you Giant Brain Thing!), as well as overhead scrolling stages...damn Konami! You truly are the kings of kings.




But Will, what of Gradius?! And yes Gradius is in there. It's the most beloved space ship game on the nes. But for the aforementioned blurbs above, I like Life Force best. Other great ones include Dino Riki. Riki has got too be one of the hardest of ANY nes game I've ever played. It mixes auto scrolling with platforming bits! Now that's a tough challenge I have yet to conquer! Jackal is an unusual one. Essentially part Choplifter mixed in with Guerrilla War. Trust me, the game is great and it's two player simultaneous!

Anyways, there's my list. Let me know what you think, and tell me some of your favorites. And not just on the NES, but any platform. I'm actually quite fond of Raiden Trad, and the Thunder Force series. Later Lazer brains!

-Will ^>^