PII | 1,892 Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) What are your picks for favorite ODDBALL shooter / shoot 'em up games? (any console) For counter example, I love Silver Surfer but there's nothing really odd about it, unless you count a hot-pink Sasquatch in go-go boots as odd. Even so, Silver Surfer's uniquely styled final boss does not effect the gameplay with its style... I'm really big on shooters that feature a character on the ground that has to jump obstacles/pits of doom etc. Something about the interplay of having to do that while simultaneously shooting everything in sight does it for me. Lately I've been playing "Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000" on 32x and having a good time. Only thing I really knew going in is that its purportedly one of those games that some people think is pretty good while others think its bad. I've been having a lot of fun. Graphics, Music, Sound Effects are Delicious and the game play is unique with the practice of "Ship Jumping." There are these Couriers on your side that zip down like insects and you can jump and doc your little ship inside and then use that ship with its features until you decide to jump back out again. Sometimes they get damaged and start to smoke and you have to jump back out before it blows. You can also "jump" enemy ships as well. It makes things pretty interesting. When I looked up the history of what critics said about this game I was very surprised that it was almost uniformly negative! Also, just started playing "Dreadnaught Factor" on Intellivision: You fly a little "X-wing" type craft attempting to defend the Earth from these Massive Freighters that take up the whole screen and then a lot more. You sort of "wave" your ship back and forth (up/down), varying the speed while attempting to shoot out all of the Freighter's guns, missiles, engines, and power sources. It seems pretty tough on the higher levels and there are a number of different freighters to take out. It's also on 5200 and Atari 400 Computers. Anyway, I've been additionally wondering who else might have played these 2 before and what thoughts anyone might have on them. Edited February 5, 2023 by PII 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phart010 | 1,708 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 What kind of shooter are we talking about? It sounds like you are limiting the discussion to shmups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nesmaster14 | 436 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) I've never heard of Zaxxon 2000 (don't have a 32X anymore, played Zaxxon though). It sounds interesting with the ship jumping. Somehow I've heard of Dreadnaught Factor before, but haven't played it yet. Here's a few somewhat nontraditional shmups I like: Atomic Runner (Genesis, 1992) - Spoiler It may first appear like a run 'n gun, but it's auto-scrolling and has more in common with a shooter, but on-foot. There's some added strategy with the platforming sections, the levels and music are detailed and interesting, there's weapon variety, and it's overall quite fun to play. One thing I remember is the controls are really good, but you might have to change the control settings to match your preference. Boogie Wings (Arcade, 1992) - Spoiler Oddly enough by the same publisher, but only released in arcades. It has a few neat mechanics; your main bi-plane has a hook where you can drag most objects. When your plane takes too much damage and explodes, the character will run afoot on the ground with guns-blazing. On the ground you can enter random sub-vehicles such as a horse, motorcycle, giraffe, etc. There are some parts where this changes the gameplay quite a bit. To me it's cooler than Parodius and has more gameplay variety, and also pre-dates features seen in Metal Slug years later. Sqoon (NES) - Spoiler To me it's one of the richest NES shooters as far as gameplay mechanics and overall charm. It's been a bit since I've played it, but I remember there being a lot of tasks to juggle at once, between rescuing the little guys and transferring them to the surface/etc., to strategically bombing the underground factories, all the while balancing your energy meter and avoiding enemies. Fun game. There's probably some C64 shooters I've played that'd fit the oddball shooter gameplay mechanics category too. I'd have to remember which ones though, haha. There's also Otocky on Famicom Disk System, which is like a procedurally generated rhythm music shooter, it's a bit wonky but definitely unique. Edited February 5, 2023 by nesmaster14 formatting 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,526 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Super Xevious on Famicom looks normal on the surface, but you have to satisfy certain conditions (like docking with other ships, finding the right path, etc.) to advance the levels, or it loops. Loop too much and the game starts throwing random projectiles at you. Quarth is a puzzle shooter. You're fixed on the bottom like Galaga, and you have to fill in blocks to remove them, kind of an inverted Tetris. Abadox set the standard for bio-nightmare shooter games. It's kind of tame now compared to what came later, but in 1990 it was WEIRD. 1 hour ago, phart010 said: It sounds like you are limiting the discussion to shoot-em-ups, because people who say shmups are dorks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,983 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Well the biggest oddball shooter of them all.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Pac | 7,577 Graphics Team · Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 These aren't necessarily my favorite oddball shoot-em-ups, but I get a kick out of the concepts: Deadly Duck [2600] It's a typical Space Invaders / Phoenix clone, but you play as a duck firing bullets from its mouth, and you avoid fireflies and crabs that try to smush you with bricks. Genius. Quarth [Famicom] It's a Tetris-esque puzzle game disguised as a space-shooter. And an honorable mention for Planet Patrol [2600] - a space-shooter with the nerve to scroll right-to-left. The audacity of these developers, I tell you... Spoiler -CasualCart 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Pac | 7,577 Graphics Team · Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 2 hours ago, Tulpa said: Super Xevious on Famicom looks normal on the surface, but you have to satisfy certain conditions (like docking with other ships, finding the right path, etc.) to advance the levels, or it loops. Loop too much and the game starts throwing random projectiles at you. Quarth is a puzzle shooter. You're fixed on the bottom like Galaga, and you have to fill in blocks to remove them, kind of an inverted Tetris. Abadox set the standard for bio-nightmare shooter games. It's kind of tame now compared to what came later, but in 1990 it was WEIRD. Oops - looks like you beat me to Quarth haha. And I'd argue that Salamander was the title that "set the standard for bio-nightmare shooter games", and Abadox rode its coattails to some degree. (Abadox is my favorite game of all time, though, so I'm definitely not throwing any shade here.) And I was really disappointed when I picked-up Super Xevious a few years ago and learned that you can't just idly fly along and expect to progress. I don't wanna think, I wanna blow stuff up with my laaaasers!!! -CasualCart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,892 Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) @phart010 Did my best to correct that in the o.g. post. Originally I just put "shooter" since I know that shmup is like kryptonite for some and relegated "shmup" to the tags. Anywho, I wasn't specifically trying to limit it to "shoot 'em ups", but it was primarily what I was thinking about eg. games that force scroll vertically, horizontally, isometrically and feature a 3rd person view of a character/sprite. So, I wasn't really thinking of a game like "punisher" on NES for example which force scrolls and has a first person view, but neither was I specifically trying to exclude everything outside my emphasis of VS/HS/IS,3rdP games. Additionally we have forward scrolling (like star fox) and arcade style (single screen.), Hybrids (Xexyz), light gun games which I wouldn't include here unless its also a protection game like "Baby Boomer" or "Gumshoe" and I suppose run n' guns which I really wasn't looking to include unless its like Nesmaster14's description of "Atomic Runner" above w/forced scrolling as a factor. But if there is one you wish to mention for some unique factor I don't think the inquisition will be too aggressive. So to sum up I've tried to set an emphasis but not much in the way of hard rules other than that the gameplay makes it stand out in some big/significant way from the standard formula of progressing, while shooting and collecting power ups. Hopefully that helps. @nesmaster14 Just watched the first 2 levels of "Boogie Wings." OMG Wow! Can't believe this was never ported!! Love the "Turn of the Century" theme too! @Sumez Soooo...... "The Adventures Of Red Body-Suit-Man VS. Orange Body-Suit-Man-With-Bathtub-Mounted-To-His-Back?" Edited February 5, 2023 by PII 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,526 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 1 hour ago, CasualCart said: And I'd argue that Salamander was the title that "set the standard for bio-nightmare shooter games", and Abadox rode its coattails to some degree. (Abadox is my favorite game of all time, though, so I'm definitely not throwing any shade here.) Yeah, but in Life Force/Salamander, only the first and fourth levels were like that. When I first heard about the game, I thought the whole game would be like Abadox, so I was really surprised when I got to the fire and pyramid levels. I was like, "What does this have to do with fighting inside an alien creature?" Both are great, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phart010 | 1,708 Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 59 minutes ago, PII said: @phart010 Did my best to correct that in the o.g. post. Originally I just put "shooter" since I know that shmup is like kryptonite for some and relegated "shmup" to the tags. Anywho, I wasn't specifically trying to limit it to "shoot 'em ups", but it was primarily what I was thinking about eg. games that force scroll vertically, horizontally, isometrically and feature a 3rd person view of a character/sprite. So, I wasn't really thinking of a game like "punisher" on NES for example which force scrolls and has a first person view, but neither was I specifically trying to exclude everything outside my emphasis of VS/HS/IS,3rdP games. Additionally we have forward scrolling (like star fox) and arcade style (single screen.), Hybrids (Xexyz), light gun games which I wouldn't include here unless its also a protection game like "Baby Boomer" or "Gumshoe" and I suppose run n' guns which I really wasn't looking to include unless its like Nesmaster14's description of "Atomic Runner" above w/forced scrolling as a factor. But if there is one you wish to mention for some unique factor I don't think the inquisition will be too aggressive. So to sum up I've tried to set an emphasis but not much in the way of hard rules other than that the gameplay makes it stand out in some big/significant way from the standard formula of progressing, while shooting and collecting power ups. Hopefully that helps. @nesmaster14 Just watched the first 2 levels of "Boogie Wings." OMG Wow! Can't believe this was never ported!! Love the "Turn of the Century" theme too! @Sumez Soooo...... "The Adventures Of Red Body-Suit-Man VS. Orange Body-Suit-Man-With-Bathtub-Mounted-To-His-Back?" I appreciate the effort you put into this reply. It was not deserved 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaia Gensouki | 1,076 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Maybe you might be interested in Undeadline on the Mega Drive. It's a Japan exclusive, so it doesn't get mentioned all that often, but it's a cool and fairly unusual shmup, where you're playing a warrior fighting against hordes of the undead and other fantastical creatures. You also have similar themed weapons and magic. On top of that you can collect up to three fairies in the six levels to get a permanent power-up. It's basically a crude leveling mechanic. So you can put points into things like speed, strength, magic etc. Speed is pretty obvious. What the other stats do though is that they make certain weapons stronger. As for the stages, you can choose to play the six stages in any order you like, similar to Mega Man. This is of course also a strategic choice. Back when I was trying really hard to beat this game I would choose the most difficult stages first and reset if I've wasted to many lives etc. So yeah, it's a really cool game with nice graphics, barely any slowdown and an amazing soundtrack. The only real problem is, that this game is unbelievably difficult. It's easily one of the hardest shmups on the Mega Drive/Genesis. And if it's still too "easy" for you, you can still play it on hard mode. Btw., this is actually a port of an older Japanese PC game. In the original there were even different characters with different status attributes. But I got the impression that the Mega Drive version runs faster and more fluidly. I also like the grungy sound of the MD sound chip. (On a side note: the most likely inspiration for Undeadline might have been Knightmare, another shmup by Konami on the MSX that seems very similar in style, but I've never played it. Yet.) Next up, most people seem to hate this game, but I have a certain soft spot for it: King's Knight on the NES. This game also features some light RPG and adventure elements in its gameplay along some other "unique" mechanics. It's pretty rough and I won't claim that it's some sort fo misunderstood classic or anything, but it's certainly different from other games in this genre. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,983 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 8 minutes ago, Gaia Gensouki said: Maybe you might be interested in Undeadline on the Mega Drive. It's a Japan exclusive, so it doesn't get mentioned all that often, Probably because no one can afford it I honestly see it quite often topping favourite lists for the MegaDrive, and I've enjoyed what I played of it - but not enough to drop such a hefty investment 14 hours ago, CasualCart said: Quarth [Famicom] It's a Tetris-esque puzzle game disguised as a space-shooter. Try out the arcade version, IMO it's way more fun. The Famicom version is weird, because you can play it seemingly forever without it ever posing much of a challenge. Until the final few stages where it suddenly because way too fast to do anything. The arcade one feels more balanced, where it starts getting really tough around stages 3 or 4, but still in a way where taking a death feels like it was entirely your own fault. I need to try the GB version some time, too. I've heard people say it feels more like a sequel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaia Gensouki | 1,076 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 58 minutes ago, Sumez said: Probably because no one can afford it I honestly see it quite often topping favourite lists for the MegaDrive, and I've enjoyed what I played of it - but not enough to drop such a hefty investment Oh, I see. But that's where emulators or Everdrives come into play! Alternatively you can buy it legally for roughly 2.3 USD on Project EGG: https://www.amusement-center.com/project/egg/game/?product_id=1647 They also have other expensive Mega Drive/Genesis shmups like Gaiares, Gleylancer, Vapor Trail and Aero Blasters. It's of course not the same as having the original cartridge, but I still appreciate it that some of these older and more expensive games are made available again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nintegageo | 582 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Elemental Master or Viewpoint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 11,812 Administrator · Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Dino Riki, bruv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,121 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Don’t you shoot at carrots in Gun-Nac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,526 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 7 minutes ago, a3quit4s said: Don’t you shoot at carrots in Gun-Nac And candles and flying logs and gold bars and a giant lucky cat and... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhyNotZoidberg | 586 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Leave it to me to mention Gun.Smoke! The NES version in particular adds a quest-like element in that you have to find a « wanted » poster to spawn the boss, otherwise the level loops around. So you play a lonesome cowboy out for bounty and justice, you can buy weapons and ride a horse which grants better movement and a little bit of bullet absorbtion. The controls are fun: B shoots at 10:00 and 11:00, A shoots at 1:00 and 2:09. A+B shoot at 12:00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPX | 1,371 Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Parodius and Pop’n Twin Bee comes to mind with oddball enemies and bosses, coming from the minds of Konami. Einhander (PS1) is one of my favourite shooters of all time. Not really an oddball game, but more of uniqueness regarding the visuals ~ 2.5D and dual-weaponry mechanics where you can do all sorts of combos. Also unique because it came from Squaresoft, who are more popular for their RPG games. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPX | 1,371 Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 On 2/6/2023 at 6:14 AM, CasualCart said: And an honorable mention for Planet Patrol [2600] - a space-shooter with the nerve to scroll right-to-left. The audacity of these developers, I tell you... Reveal hidden contents -CasualCart All we need now is a shooter that scrolls from top to bottom and we will have a complete shooter revolution! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 2,983 Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 3 minutes ago, GPX said: All we need now is a shooter that scrolls from top to bottom and we will have a complete shooter revolution! https://youtu.be/V6lFtVlruzA?t=251 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPX | 1,371 Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 4 minutes ago, Sumez said: https://youtu.be/V6lFtVlruzA?t=251 Within a day, I’ve now learnt there are rebellious games that scrolls from top to bottom and right to left. Feeling kind of tripped out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Pac | 7,577 Graphics Team · Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 3 hours ago, GPX said: All we need now is a shooter that scrolls from top to bottom and we will have a complete shooter revolution! Burai Fighter [NES] auto-scrolls in all directions. It's chaos, dude. CHAOS!!! -CasualCart 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,892 Posted February 8, 2023 Author Share Posted February 8, 2023 On 2/6/2023 at 1:36 PM, Gloves said: Dino Riki, bruv. Now this, I absolutely knew was coming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,892 Posted February 8, 2023 Author Share Posted February 8, 2023 (edited) On 2/6/2023 at 5:29 PM, WhyNotZoidberg said: Leave it to me to mention Gun.Smoke! The NES version in particular adds a quest-like element in that you have to find a « wanted » poster to spawn the boss, otherwise the level loops around. So you play a lonesome cowboy out for bounty and justice, you can buy weapons and ride a horse which grants better movement and a little bit of bullet absorbtion. The controls are fun: B shoots at 10:00 and 11:00, A shoots at 1:00 and 2:09. A+B shoot at 12:00. Also, Prince shows up at the end of level 4 without his Steel Horse and attempts to dance you into submission.. Edited April 30, 2023 by PII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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