If you had to pick between these 3 shooters.....

[Zero_Gamer]

Of the three. Gate of Thunder is the only PCE exclusive and the more fast paced game of the three.

Winds of Thunder is great too but maybe a little bit more difficult so if your a noobie at shmups, Gate would be your best choice.

Gradius 2 is, IMHO, the best episode of the Gradius series after Gradius V. This port is quite faithful to the arcade and deserves being played.

Very difficult choice but if you want to get the real PCE feeling, Gate of Thunder has my vote.

See to me Lords of Thunder is the faster paced game. It feels like more crap is always flying at you, and it's hard to keep up. Especially since its imperative that you collect as many crystals as possible. Doing so without getting hit makes this one much more frantic feeling to me.

[spenoza]

Gate is the most well-crafted package, IMO. Putting aside the whole 4-in-1 value proposition, Gate is just a fantastic shooter that is well-paced, has good weapon balance, and excellent music.

[Black Tiger]

Of the three. Gate of Thunder is the only PCE exclusive and the more fast paced game of the three.

Winds of Thunder is great too but maybe a little bit more difficult so if your a noobie at shmups, Gate would be your best choice.

Gradius 2 is, IMHO, the best episode of the Gradius series after Gradius V. This port is quite faithful to the arcade and deserves being played.

Very difficult choice but if you want to get the real PCE feeling, Gate of Thunder has my vote.

See to me Lords of Thunder is the faster paced game. It feels like more crap is always flying at you, and it's hard to keep up. Especially since its imperative that you collect as many crystals as possible. Doing so without getting hit makes this one much more frantic feeling to me.

Everyone has a different skill set with games, but to me Gate feels like like I'm just relaxing on cruise control and moving around when necessary compared to Lords, where it feels more like an action platformer the way you move around so much more and deal with much more variety of scrolling and speeds. The variety of assets and gameplay overall make Lords feel twice as big as Gate. Lords has also always been more fun for me.

[TheAlphaOmegaX3]

 Made my choice. Each game is excellent in their own way. In the end I decided, for right now, I think I want a different type of shooter that takes the action out of the realm of space/futuristic elements. I bought Winds Of Thunder for the different atmosphere and the different...Lords of Thunder? lol, to rain death upon my foes.

The other 2 are still on my wish list. I'll continue to be patient and look for another deal. In the not so far off future I'm sure I'll be enjoying all three. Thank you guys again for the input! This community is great.

[Otaking]

I bought Winds Of Thunder

[TheAlphaOmegaX3]

I bought Winds Of Thunder

LOL!

[jtucci31]

Well I see that you bought Winds of Thunder. Either way, excellent choice! I like Gate of Thunder slightly more as the music for me is slightly better (though both kick ass).

[esteban]

I bought Winds Of Thunder

You will not be disappointed. You said $60?

That's only $10 more than picking it up at at Electronics Boutique:



More trivia, including stuff hidden in the Japanese Winds of Thunder artwork:

 http://archives.tg-16.com/Dengeki_PC_Engine_1993_05.htm

[exodus]

gate of thunder 100%. I've gotten the most enjoyment out of that game vs pretty much any other shooter on the system.

[TheAlphaOmegaX3]

You will not be disappointed. You said $60?
That's only $10 more than picking it up at at Electronics Boutique

 Yep. That's exactly how I looked at it! LOL. Honestly, I looked at it like buying a new release on the current gen consoles. As long as the price does not go much over that, I have a hard time picking any current gen game when PCE gaming blows nearly everything away that has come out the past two years. IMO, from Atari to now, this newest generation of gaming is the worst so far.

More trivia, including stuff hidden in the Japanese Winds of Thunder artwork:
http://archives.tg-16.com/Dengeki_PC_Engine_1993_05.htm

Sweet! I love geek'in out over things like that. I'll insert that nugget of info in my sea of random gaming knowledge.

[BlueBMW]

There are a few new games that stand out on occasion.  Mostly they're Wii U titles like DKC Tropical Freeze or Super Mario 3D World.

[Necromancer]

Winds o' Thunder was a fine choice; it and Gate o' Thunder are both must haves, and the order you buy 'em in ain't all that important.

Have fun!

[SaturdayMorningRobots]

Winds/Lords of Thunder is probably the objective best but I prefer Gate. TBH you can't go wrong with any of them but you can play Gradius on almost any device.

[esteban]

Winds/Lords of Thunder is probably the objective best but I prefer Gate. TBH you can't go wrong with any of them but you can play Gradius on almost any device.

You're not wrong.

Gate O' Thunder is the better shootemup, arguably, but Lords O' Thunder has the more creative eye-candy-aesthetics.

But...both are too easy.

Which is a good thing if you are not the biggest fan of the genre.

[elmer]

But...both are too easy.

Oh dear, I must really suck at playing shootemups, then!  :oops:

Gotta put my vote out for Gate of Thunder ... the intro just sets it up perfectly with some excellent music that you just couldn't find on your friend's SNES/Genesis. A perfect showcase for the Turbo Duo.