Best Shoot Em Ups on Turbografx & PC Engine

[Black Tiger]

The term "shoot-'em-ups" is frowned upon around here. We prefer "Shumps".

Too often discussion of "best" lists are tainted by misguided methods of measuring a game's quality. The whole point of games is to be enjoyable and entertaining. I appreciate games ranging from too easy to too hard and don't confuse "accessible" with entertaining.

With that said, here are some of the most enjoyable PCE shumps for me:

Aeroblasters
Magical Chase
Cybercore
Super Darius II
Download 2
Cho Aniki
Ai Cho Aniki
Star Parodia
Gate of Thunder
Lords of Thunder
Sapphire
Kiaidon 00
Gradius II
Sylphia
Spriggan
Spriggan Mk2
Macross 2036

[dqualls187]

The term "shoot-'em-ups" is frowned upon around here. We prefer "Shumps".

Too often discussion of "best" lists are tainted by misguided methods of measuring a game's quality. The whole point of games is to be enjoyable and entertaining. I appreciate games ranging from too easy to too hard and don't confuse "accessible" with entertaining.

With that said, here are some of the most enjoyable PCE shumps for me:

Aeroblasters
Magical Chase
Cybercore
Super Darius II
Download 2
Cho Aniki
Ai Cho Aniki
Star Parodia
Gate of Thunder
Lords of Thunder
Sapphire
Kiaidon 00
Gradius II
Sylphia
Spriggan
Spriggan Mk2
Macross 2036

You know, I only used the term "Shoot Em Up" because i got shit for using "Shmup" in another forum. Guess you just can't please everyone 

[o.pwuaioc]

Don't listen to Black Tiger. It's "shooter" around here, not shoot em up or shmup.

What are we, barbarians?

[escarioth]

Blazing Lasers will always be part of my top favorites since the day
i first played back as a kid. 

[esteban]

It's less hate, and more you need to resize it so it's not so huge.

No, I'm very sensitive about huge sigs. I'd rather have no sigs at all than allow imbeciles to have sigs.

Truth.

[grolt]

Fitting we have a vertical sig in a shoot em up thread.

I'm pretty terrible at shooters, but I do like playing them.  I am still missing a lot of the titans for the system, but of the 10 or so that I've played, I'm partial to FANTASY ZONE for the cuteness, colors and most importantly non-linearity and lack of forced scrolling.  It was really ahead of its time and you can see games like ORDYNE piggybacking on its mechanics and style, right down to the upgrade shops mid-level.  Plus, the TG-16 port is the best I've seen on home consoles in the US - the Master System version had slowdowns whenever you used the turbo shot.  PSYCHOSIS isn't the best-looking game, but the upgrades are unique and it's a lot of fun.  DEEP BLUE gets a bad rap and would be a lot better if there were more lives/continues.  Next to FANTASY ZONE, at this point I'd have to say I'm most impressed with GALAGA '90.  So much charm and personality from that game, with the little classical spaceship dance interludes.  It's got a nice pace to it, and some variety going between the standard single screen stages of the original to some scrolling stages and bosses.  It just looked like one of the dime a dozen space shooters out there, but the whole thing just really impressed me.  The only thing I'm not liking about GALAGA is that the starry background makes it really tough to see the similarly white-specked enemy fire.

[majors]

... i got shit for using "Shmup" in another forum. Guess you just can't please everyone 

First, there is no other forum. Second, this is all initiation hazing...we gotta see how thick a skin you got.

I like my pew pew games.

[grolt]

... i got shit for using "Shmup" in another forum. Guess you just can't please everyone 

First, there is no other forum. Second, this is all initiation hazing...we gotta see how thick a skin you got.

I like my pew pew games.

Personally, I prefer the "shmup" designation, but will respect the preference of the forum.  It avoids confusion with light gun games also generally being called shooters, and the "up" in shmup to me works also to signify the typical upwards vertical scrolling of most games of its type.  Plus, it just sounds cool to me - like "snes" instead of "S.N.E.S." as purists would have you say.

[o.pwuaioc]

I like my pew pew games.

That's literally what I call them when referencing them to my wife.

Personally, I prefer the "shmup" designation, but will respect the preference of the form.  It avoids confusion with light gun games also generally being called shooters, and the "up" in shmup to me works also to signify the typical upwards vertical scrolling of most games of its type.

When a bank robber "shoots up" a bank, they're not shooting vertically. Plus, shmup literally is just the abbreviation of "shoot em up."

Shooter is accurate. People still say RPG even though they could mean everything from hack and slash Diablo II to turn-based Final Fantasy. If you want to be more precise, 2D scrolling shooter? Or, as majors said, pew pew pew.

[grolt]

I like my pew pew games.

That's literally what I call them when referencing them to my wife.

Personally, I prefer the "shmup" designation, but will respect the preference of the form.  It avoids confusion with light gun games also generally being called shooters, and the "up" in shmup to me works also to signify the typical upwards vertical scrolling of most games of its type.

When a bank robber "shoots up" a bank, they're not shooting vertically. Plus, shmup literally is just the abbreviation of "shoot em up."

Shooter is accurate. People still say RPG even though they could mean everything from hack and slash Diablo II to turn-based Final Fantasy. If you want to be more precise, 2D scrolling shooter? Or, as majors said, pew pew pew.

I'm aware "shmup" is a portmanteau of "shoot 'em up", I was just pointing out the fitting coincidence that the "up" can also signify the vertical style of those games (I can't really think of any other type of game that exclusively would have all gameplay going upwards on the screen compared to your usual right to left horizontal or single screen gaming).

[esteban]

I like my pew pew games.

That's literally what I call them when referencing them to my wife.

Personally, I prefer the "shmup" designation, but will respect the preference of the form.  It avoids confusion with light gun games also generally being called shooters, and the "up" in shmup to me works also to signify the typical upwards vertical scrolling of most games of its type.

When a bank robber "shoots up" a bank, they're not shooting vertically. Plus, shmup literally is just the abbreviation of "shoot em up."

Shooter is accurate. People still say RPG even though they could mean everything from hack and slash Diablo II to turn-based Final Fantasy. If you want to be more precise, 2D scrolling shooter? Or, as majors said, pew pew pew.

I'm aware "shmup" is a portmanteau of "shoot 'em up", I was just pointing out the fitting coincidence that the "up" can also signify the vertical style of those games (I can't really think of any other type of game that exclusively would have all gameplay going upwards on the screen compared to your usual right to left horizontal or single screen gaming).

A lot of video game genres scroll up: racing-action games (Bump N Jump, Spy Hunter)...

[dqualls187]

It's less hate, and more you need to resize it so it's not so huge.

No, I'm very sensitive about huge sigs. I'd rather have no sigs at all than allow imbeciles to have sigs.

Truth.

I think someone needs a snickers bar 

[esteban]

It's less hate, and more you need to resize it so it's not so huge.

No, I'm very sensitive about huge sigs. I'd rather have no sigs at all than allow imbeciles to have sigs.

Truth.

I think someone needs a snickers bar 

I love SNICKERS.  And Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

[dqualls187]

It's less hate, and more you need to resize it so it's not so huge.

No, I'm very sensitive about huge sigs. I'd rather have no sigs at all than allow imbeciles to have sigs.

Truth.

I think someone needs a snickers bar 

I love SNICKERS.  And Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Was always more of a Take 5 guy myself 

[VenomMacbeth]

Thunder Force IV.