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So what's the best shmup currently available on Switch?

ScOULaris

ScOULaris

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Oct 25, 2017
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The Switch has been steadily becoming a haven for re-releases of classic games across a whole host of genres, and one genre that definitely seems to have found a home on Nintendo's wildly successful hybrid console is shmups (shoot 'em ups). I'm someone who has always loved the genre but hasn't spent as much time with it as I'd like, and I'm looking to rectify that by adding some of the better shmups currently on the eShop to my Switch library.

While certain choices might be the most obvious or popular (e.g. Ikaruga), I'm hoping to separate the wheat from the chaff among the countless other classic ports, indie games, and remasters available today on the eShop. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to these games (bullet hell vs classic, vertical vs horizontal, etc.), so I hope to see a variety of responses within this thread.

The one gaping void that I'm noticing right now is a complete lack of Cave shmups on the Switch. They make some of my all-time favorite bullet-hell shooters, easily, and if Switch ports of their greatest hits started showing up on the eShop I wouldn't be able to resist snatching them all up.

I also plan on getting one of these bad boys when they become available on Fangamer so I can get my TATE on without wasting screen real estate.

flipgrip3-fs8_1024x1024.png
 

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I strongly recommend Danmaku Unlimited 3. Its sharp looking, sounds great, and plays real tight. Check it out!
 

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It's probably not the best shooter on the console and it's certainly one of the most expensive ($20), but Super Hydorah is a game I'd recommend to just about anyone, especially someone new to the genre.



Otherwise, games like Strikers 1945, Gunbird 1 and 2, and Dragon Blaze (all from Psikyo) come highly recommended. R-Type Dimensions EX is also fantastic.
 
Boy Wander

Boy Wander

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I would recommend Steredenn. Rogue like shoot em up with random weapon drops and enemy patterns. Has that one more try feeling nailed down.
 
Caspar

Caspar

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Lots of great Psikyo shooters available, such as Strikers 1945 and Gunbird.

Pulstar is one I've been playing a lot though, as it's slow enough for me not to suck at it so bad.
 

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For a much less traditional one, Black Bird is very very good.
I've also been very impressed with the R-Type release.
 

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My picks from the indie catalog: Aqua Kitty and Graceful Explosion Machine are fun, charming Defender-ish bidirectional shooters. Danmaku Unlimited 3 is as unoriginal as its name, but it's a fun graze-heavy bullet-hell. Super Hydorah is a neat riff on Gradius. I've heard good things about Black Bird, but haven't yet checked it out for myself.

The best classic shooters on the eShop IMO are the Shock Troopers games. (If you're willing to expand the definition of shmup to Commando-style run-and-guns.)
 

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It'll be interesting to see if M2 follows through on ShotTriggers releases on Switch. Ketsui would be great.

As for what's available right now, man, it's hard to say. There are a lot. I'm mostly torn between Gunbird 2 and Ikaruga, I think.

Flip Grip is cool. I don't know if I'll get much use out of it because I greatly prefer a big screen and an arcade stick, but the option is well worth the low price.
 
Mupod

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Well, it has Gunbird 2 and Thunder Force IV, can't go wrong with those. I'm not big on bullet hell though.

edit: oh hey it has Blazing Star too.
 
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cardboardboxer

cardboardboxer

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Oct 28, 2017
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Ikaruga is the winner for how the entire GUI rotates and how it uses the extra space in TATE mode to give you more information. It is a perfect showcase for the flip grip, and my favorite shmup out of the ones we have so far.

Some of the other games where the game will rotate but all menus don't drive me nuts.
 
Regiruler

Regiruler

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It's Super Hydorah. I'm confident on that.

The middle is a bit weird with bizarrely short levels, but it has a fantastic ramp-up to the climax.

I generally don't factor in plot, but it's so esoteric and bizarre in Ikaruga that I hold that against it, and there's a bit too much of "make your own difficulty" outside of the overly difficult default difficulty settings.
 
PassiveObserver

PassiveObserver

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Oct 27, 2017
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Did they fix whatever issues were plaguing Zero Gunner 2 on Switch? That's probably my favorite of the shmups available on Switch (dont' own one.)
 
Cymbal Head

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Tain said:
It'll be interesting to see if M2 follows through on ShotTriggers releases on Switch. Ketsui would be great.

As for what's available right now, man, it's hard to say. There are a lot. I'm mostly torn between Gunbird 2 and Ikaruga, I think.

Flip Grip is cool. I don't know if I'll get much use out of it because I greatly prefer a big screen and an arcade stick, but the option is well worth the low price.
Click to expand...
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Give me Dangun Feveron
 
Mega Man Zero

Mega Man Zero

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R-Type Dimensions is good. It's the 2 arcade games in original mode and the widescreen 3D graphics remakes. https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/r-type-dimensions-ex-switch

There's a lot of Psikyo shooters on the eShop by Zerodiv.
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/tengai-for-nintendo-switch
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/samurai-aces-for-nintendo-switch
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gunbird2-for-nintendo-switch

I've heard good things about Rival Megagun, which is a competitive shooter. https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/rival-megagun-switch

Also keep an eye out for Devil Engine coming in early 2019 (probably). https://store.steampowered.com/wishlist/profiles/76561197990640813/
 
Acido

Acido

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Oct 31, 2017
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Graceful Explosion Machine is really good



Is Metal Slug considered shoot em up? Most of those games are already on the eShop.
 

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Danmaku Unlimited 3, Neko Navy, Black Bird, ikaruga, and all the Psikyo stuff. Shikhondo seems good, haven't tried it yet though. Skyforce Anniversary and Reloaded seem decent also.
 
GeekyDad

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ScOULaris said:
The one gaping void that I'm noticing right now is a complete lack of Cave shmups on the Switch. They make some of my all-time favorite bullet-hell shooters, easily, and if Switch ports of their greatest hits started showing up on the eShop I wouldn't be able to resist snatching them all up.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

e6fea855011ab9c48d99424a57ca6b13--buddhist-monk-tibetan-buddhism.jpg


Dear God, make it happen!
 
JayBee

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I like zero gunner 2. But that's my dreamcast bias. It's very good imho
 
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angelgrievous

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I know it's an old thread and this is an old video but some good info for those looking:



I'm not the biggest Metal Jesus fan but some of his stuff is cool.
 
Ninjadom

Ninjadom

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Oct 25, 2017
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ScOULaris said:
The one gaping void that I'm noticing right now is a complete lack of Cave shmups on the Switch. They make some of my all-time favorite bullet-hell shooters, easily, and if Switch ports of their greatest hits started showing up on the eShop I wouldn't be able to resist snatching them all up
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Small bump
I cannot understand what's going on with Cave Co Ltd. They're just don't seem interested.

1) They still haven't updated their iOS shooters to work with the current 64-bit operating system. So all of their shooters don't run/work on modern iPhones and iPads. But these shooters are still available for purchase in the App Store.

2) If their ports of Deathsmiles, ESP Galuda II, DoDonpachi games, Mushihimesama games etc...ran so well on iOS devices back in 2010 to 2014, then surely the Switch could do a fantastic job of running these games. ESP Galuda II ran super smooth and silky on an iPhone 3GS back in Spring 2010

Now it's not as if Cave don't know their games exist, the y recently had a sale on their shooters (Deathsmiles) for Golden Week on Steam.
 

rawhide

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Oct 28, 2017
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Cave doesn't have a console division anymore, most of the people behind their old iOS ports quit years ago and the ones who are left are working around the clock on their mega-successful Japanese mobile game Gothic wa Mahou Otome.

M2 or some other publisher might elect to license Cave's games for consoles, mobile or wherever but Cave can't and won't port anything anywhere themselves.
 
Ninjadom

Ninjadom

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Oct 25, 2017
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rawhide said:
Cave doesn't have a console division anymore, most of the people behind their old iOS ports quit years ago and the ones who are left are working around the clock on their mega-successful Japanese mobile game Gothic wa Mahou Otome.

M2 or some other publisher might elect to license Cave's games for consoles, mobile or wherever but Cave can't and won't port anything anywhere themselves.
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Cave should at least recompile their iOS shooters to be compatible with iOS 11 & 12 seeing as they're still selling those shooters on the App Store.
 
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