Best Shoot Em Ups for Beginners

[@MetalJesusRocks]

Hey man, EXCELLENT video! I love how in depth you go here with tons of options for people to check out. Great work on the video!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I’m really glad you found it and enjoyed it. And really appreciate the share. I’ve been focusing my channel on getting more new players into the genre and showing them how exciting they can be!

[@robbystrange4772]

Hidden gemmmmmmmmm!

[@jonniefast]

killer upload mate i was able to beat cuphead @ 100% but i dont think im an "expert" yet favorite genre since childhood

[@user-yk1cw8im4h]

DAMN METALJESUSROCKS IS COMMENTING ON YOUR CHANNEL!!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@user-yk1cw8im4h He was also cool enough to share this video on Twitter. I’m glad he found and liked it.

[@arrowviper8882]

I love that you try to make shmups more popular and I really think your attitude is the right way to go. No one likes an elitist and by focusing on fun we can make more people interested. Keep up the good work!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks man, I think most of us are on the right side of things. The negative side is just often more vocal. I don't mind being the one to shame them for it. 😁

[@krumpkrumpkrumpkrump]

@@ShmupJunkie I'm also glad I found this. I was thinking of what to suggest people play if they don't want to puzzle out R-Type or Gradius. This is a wealth of solid options

[@Daniel-it1dp]

So, I’m a shmup beginner still after 30 casual years.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I'd say I am still a casual player with very few exceptions. Shmups can make anyone feel like a beginner with how hard they can be, so I hope you at least see some interesting ones on this list you may not have tried. Though after 30 years I will guess you've tried a whole lot.

[@wwallo]

Not just you.. 🙈🙈

[@jfroco]

Hahaha I was thinking the same

[@Daniel-it1dp]

@@ShmupJunkie I was mostly joking since I have really just been casually into shoot em ups since the NES. Ever since Life Force and R-Type I’ve always had an intrigue and interest in Shmups. When too many people told me that Ikaruga was insurmountable back in the day and then later that it is an easier bullet hell I didn’t bother giving the bullet hell sub-genre a go. First mistake is taking peoples’ words for things that’s bitten me far too many times. If I could spend more time to take shmups more seriously and practice I’m sure I could get better. I preordered Deathsmiles for 360 back in the day but didn’t end up playing it all that much so I should dust it off and start there. I’m what kids these days would call “old” but I can kick ass in Call of Duty and Fortnite because competitive shooters is what I’ve spent so much of my gaming time on these last 12 years since I can hop in for a few matches without much time commitment. I even beat Revan in SWTOR back in the day when he was still the pinnacle of challenge with my raid team as the person responsible for calling out aberrations. I’m trying to finally take Shmups more seriously and building a collection across PC Engine, Mega Drive, Saturn, 360, and PS4 and need to find one game to focus on to hone my shmup skills so this video is a great help. I love your last bit on inclusion since it’s so important. One last thing, I’ve been outbid far too many times on Mushihimesama Futari lately 😒

[@Blueflag04]

You're not alone

[@MrMrFreddy]

You are one of the most positive and kind people I've seen talking about games, especially games with a very specific audience like shmups. Cheers, subscriber earned.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hey, thank you! That was a kind and sincere compliment and much appreciated. And welcome to the channel! There’s so many great entry and mid level shmups out there to highlight I’ve long considered making another one for this series.

[@MrMrFreddy]

@@ShmupJunkie your channel is a treasure trove! I've always liked shmups and classic run and guns since the time I played Gradius and Metal Slug with my older brother in the late 90s/early 2000s, but I kind of lost touch with them. Recently, I've started to love them again and to really, seriously dig into them. So your channel is a fantastic place to discover new ones to play! Plus, I love the historical side of things, your Toaplan video was amazing and it felt awesome to discover that I did in fact play Twin Cobra with my brother all those years ago (but I didn't remember the name)! Thanks for the content and what you bring to the table in terms of content and personality.

[@ShmupJunkie]

What was your first 1CC? What other games would you like to see in part 2? Let me know in the comments! And check out the list below for even more recommended shmups for beginners ✅ Subscribe To My Channel ➡️ Support me on PATREON www.patreon.com/shmupjunkiesl...​ CHAPTERS 00:00​ - Timmy vs Jets n Guns 02:30​ - Shmups for Beginners 04:53​ - Star Parodier on PC Engine 08:04​ - Blazing Lazers TurboGrafx Revisited - Tips 09:25​ - Steel Empire and Battlemania 2 on Mega Drive 13:49​ - Raging Blasters on Steam 17:10​ - Batsugun Special Version, Arcade and Sega Saturn 20:16​ - CAVE Novice Modes Special (Deathsmiles, Mushihimesama Futari, Espgaluda 2) 27:34​ - Touhou Easy Mode - The Best Bullet Hell Training 31:34​ - Jamestown on PS4 and Steam, Multiplayer 33:52​ - Natsuki Chronicles Easy Mode on PS4, Steam and Xbox 37:15​ - What about Euro Shmups? 42:32​ - Finale Thank you to all the awesome friends on my Discord that helped contribute to this video with their suggestions and discussion. It wouldn't be the same without you. Additional Recommended Shoot Em Ups for Beginners Additional Recommended Shmups for Beginners: 1. Game Gear Aleste (Nintendo Switch/PS4 Aleste Collection) 2. Neko Navy (Steam) 3. Super Aleste Normal (SNES) 4. Arrow Flash (Mega Drive) 5. Espgaluda (PS2) 6. Mushihimesama (PS2 and Xbox360) 7. Lords of Thunder (SegaCD) 8. Life Force (NES using Konami code) 9. MechaRitz Steel Rondo (Steam) 10. Revolver 360 Reactor (Steam) 11. Super Hydorah (XboxOne, PS4, Switch, Steam) 12. Pandara (Steam) 13. Ten&Till (Steam) 14. Battlemania (Mega Drive) 15. Harmful Park (PS1) 16. Coryoon (PC Engine) 17. Psychic Storm (PC Engine)

[@floriansolatges9624]

I've discovered the shmup world one month ago, buying a raspberry pi, and I like yours videos (gonna whatch this one!), lots of passion in it thanks ;) For the moment I can do the firts two levels in games like DDP or Espgaluda without dying once, and then it gets a bit too hard but I like these games so I keep coming. I play also Terra Driver (Soukiou) on the PS1 on the RPI (the saturn doesn't run on it) and it seems doable when you know the mechanics of the game (not taking to much power ups for example). I say that but I'm far from doing a 1 cc yet ahah

[@neondagger]

My first 1cc was Guwange. It's definitely not easy, as you will often hear, but if you strategize a bit and can survive up to the last stage you'll get a full life restock. But I'd probably recommend Deathsmiles to most beginners. It has everything you want to get started and maintain interest when you want to level up.

[@BalsticMaker12]

My first 1cc was Touhou 8 on Easy. A senior infected me with Touhou at the time.

[@neondagger]

@@BalsticMaker12 A senior infected you with Touhou? Is this slang for something?

[@KGRAMR]

Just by pure stroke of luck, one of my first 1CCs in arcades was Hyper Duel using the white ship without save states via MAME.

[@painovoimaton]

Glad to see you finally talk about Touhou project. It's a great series, especially when you remember it is *literally* all made by one man.

[@ShmupJunkie]

A very very busy man. And I really enjoyed my short time with it so I'm going to play it more for sure. It would be good to become a bit more experienced with it so I can mention it again in future videos as well.

[@alyasVictorio]

I first saw Touhou as IP itself from this bullet hell video before the algorithm recommended me its music "Bad Apple" that made me fully recognized Touhou afterwards

[@SleepingCocoon]

your attitude is so great - there aren't enough loud voices saying "do it your way and have fun" in more hardcore niches like this.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I am doing my best to make it less of a hardcore niche, and show that anyone can have fun with them, even if you're not hardcore. I don't consider myself hardcore either, just experienced and I still mainly play for fun above anything else. The hardcore contingent is important, and they give some of us something to work toward and admire, but it's ok to just be average at shmups and have fun. I think some people want it to remain a small niche. And it will as long as it's not seen as a genre that anyone can enjoy.

[@SleepingCocoon]

@@ShmupJunkie 100%! i love being in the game's world through STGs, the best are like a guided tour full of wonderful sights and sounds. fun, interesting, or inspiring game mechanics on top of it is just the icing on the cake. it's such a versatile genre.

[@AlchemistTongueDrums]

The MAN, the MYTH, the LEGEND. We love you, Junkie. Always look forward to your awesome content.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Haha, thanks. Is it a myth that I'm a man? Or a legend? 😅 I'll go with option b. I'll keep doing what I'm doing long as I can, and glad you really look forward to it.

[@reagandow850]

We didn’t have a choice back in the day other then to “get gud” Things are much easier these days for people to get into shmups and that’s awesome. It does seem that our niche games have been catching on with more and more people lately and that’s just amazing!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

yeah it was much much harder to grind games back then, and it was lucky we were kids. It's hard to imagine as an adult having that much time to play a game over again from the start until you could figure out the very late levels. We are spoiled now with saves and modes but it's great for practice. I do hope these entry level games and maybe even Final 2 brings in even more new people trying it out. You never know who it will catch on with. That's why I don't dog on the euro shmups, there's a small percent of those who like those that will eventually want to move on and play better ones. They just start there as they don't know any better or want casual fun. Sooner or later you get tired of the Pabst blue ribbon and want some craft brew... well not everyone haha

[@AnthonyFlack]

@@ShmupJunkie - It depends on the game, but for arcade games I mostly just do it really slowly. I've been trying to get to the second loop in DoDonPachi for a real long time now, but I'm in no hurry. I'm quite happy being middlingly good at DDP. I just drop a credit and give it a quick blast every so often. That's how we used to play the arcade games back in the day after all. I never used to credit feed the machines, I'd play it once, see how far I can get, and come back and try again tomorrow... and I do the same thing now. That's what's so great about shmups, you can have a go any time you've got fifteen minutes to spare; you don't have to play it 50 times in a row (although you might find that you do).

[@SAM-ru4vx]

Well I did 1cc an arcade game once when I was 10 🤫

[@exitmundi6962]

Your videos have been a big factor in getting me more deeply into the SHMUP genre. I always enjoyed them, but in a casual "credit feeder" and "use bombs as a panic button" kinda way where I never really got any good at them and just enjoyed the spectacle. Thanks to solid advice from your videos and some practice I can now get relatively close to 1CC'ing some easier titles like Blazing Lazers and Giga Wing (I'll get there one day) and the internal mechanics within the genre itself are becoming way more apparent. Great stuff!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I'm really stoked to hear my vids have done that for you. If you are close to a 1CC in Giga Wing that's something to be proud of as it's not an easy game. You can definitely get blazing lazers down without too much headache long as you take advantage of those golden lives to respawn. Please do share when you do manage to get your first one. We have a lot of good people on the discord doing that and helping each other out. Even if you don't get it, the fun is simply in being good enough to enjoy it and feeling proficient. It does make it more fun to play than just dying constantly and credit feeding.

[@tempphonedownload1972]

No shame in credit feeding. I think Ikaruga took me like a dozen credits to get through on the easy difficulty first time I played it. Fast forward maybe 100-200 hours and a good several years, I was S++ ranking every stage on normal. I think I 1cc'd it with terrible score around 50 hours in, but the true joy to be found in that one for me was total mastery of every stage and the combo/chaining system. But you can do it. That's why I love shmups. You try, you learn, you get better, you make another try - eventually you can!

[@Blackrock18]

I recently got into shmups within the past year. Shmups Skill Test taught me a ton!

[@ShmupJunkie]

There are some really good shmup trainers out there like that, and I was thinking of doing a video one day about those games specifically. There is another one being worked on now that is looking really cool too. In general, all shmups should have much better training modes but because of the arcade origins, it was just accepted as something they didn't do.

[@hooksnfangs6006]

Oh hey! It's about time I see Touhou on this channel! XD The games are very good at teaching bullet dodging fundamentals and a good gateway into bullet hells. I avoided bullet hells for the longest time but Touhou was one of the reasons why I got into the genre. Weaving through beautifully made patterns was just so fun.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but obviously there is something to it. Deathsmiles was the first game that got me into trying bullet hell, but Touhou almost feels so chill while playing. Which I really liked along with the music. I am going to give it more time soon as I want to see what it has to offer. I've barely scratched the surface. I won't be playing on Lunatic or anything haha, but I do want to beat 7 and 8 on normal and see where I want to go from there.

[@noop9k]

Another side-effect of Touhou is that“Bad Apple” animation became very popular in demoscene. Just search for it. Also, the music became popular even among those who never played an STG in their entire life.

[@yogsothoth915]

Touhou's concept for "Spellcards" naming the attack patterns is pretty great, and rewarding you by keeping track of the captured spells feels pretty good. I used to think most of the shmup satisfaction came from blowing up spaceships until Touhou showed me its dodging the patterns themselves. And even just enjoying how dang pretty they can be

[@God-ch8lq]

@@ShmupJunkie touhou 13 has doj style chaining and hyper system

[@Spartan77]

I have no complaints about your videos, I just have to watch them about 10 minutes at a time, or as time permits. I will NOT complaint about the duration of your videos, since all the content in them has a message and a purpose. Also the humor is the best part. During the crud lock downs it was not an issue at all but life is slowly going back to a pre-crud state of normalcy, thank God. Keep doing what you are doing, your videos are amazing, almost as good as M.U.S.H.A, Robo Aleste or Truxton but still good.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Believe me I get it. I have almost no time to watch other vids myself, especially with all the time I spend making them along with the rest of life. I watch in the evenings, sometimes in bits whenever I can, and stick to just a few favorite channels. Only so much time in a day. And if my videos were as good as those classics, I'd probably be on somebody else's payroll making them for a living haha. I would rather make videos about how cool they are instead.

[@Spartan77]

@@ShmupJunkie Your videos are great, please don't change them, I will continue to watch them as time permits.

[@wrathchild8920]

Hahaha bro don't EVER stop tinfoil timmy! Too good! This is quickly becoming my favorite channel. Well done my friend, and great advice.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Timmy is even more popular than I thought it would be, so he isn't going anywhere. Haters gonna hate but I have too much fun with it. Timmy will be happy to know you enjoy him so much haha

[@AnthonyFlack]

@@ShmupJunkie - I think he makes a good foil for you. HA

[@fran_friki]

I'm here only to thank you for the service you are giving the genre. As like you, I'm focused on talk and play shmups with that less hardcore focused speech. So, thank you again. Great video. Love your passion in every said word.

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're welcome and thank you for the kind words. I'm just doing what works for me just like yourself and many other great creators putting out videos for our favorite genre.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Shout out to touhou 8 imperishable night! :-D some other great beginner shmups that come to mind are crimzon clover, blue revolver, Zeroranger, danmaku unlimited 3, dodonpachi ressurection, mushihimesama, and deathtiny mode on Ketsui on ps4 :-)

[@ShmupJunkie]

I was pleasantly surprised at how fun and actually relaxing playing touhou was, and the music is really nice. I'm going to spend some more time with them now. They really get serious on Stage 4 it seems even on easy. There is a lot of room for so many more games, I may have to make the next episode rapid fire and show a lot more.

[@superultrathanksmom3845]

Man Crimzon Clover is such a blast, I got into shmups a couple months ago, because of TouHou. I'm trying to 1cc th06 on normal because I love the music in that game but I keep getting sidetracked by discovering amazing shmups to play and i've already spent about 50 euro's or so on all kinds of insane games. Some of my favourites being Crimzon Clover, Ikaruga and Hellsinkers. Hellsinkers truly is another beauty to behold, one of the most cryptic games I've ever encountered. The break mode > double break in Crimzon Clover feels so pumped man, the lock mechanic is great, and the visuals are just stunning and so overloading it makes my ADHD brain go ultra-happy-overdrive.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@superultrathanksmom3845 You’re playing some damn hard games for just getting into them a couple months ago. I still need to give Hellsinker a go I’ve not yet messed with that one yet. I usually prefer fast paced manic shmups.

[@verstraetenandre]

I found out that MushihimeSama 1.5 is a very good starting point on PC or Xbox - The novice mode is more than doable (and i mean 1cc!) with just a bit of practice (i'm 43, still a noob and do it easily now) and the progression from there to original mode feels so good, great design!!! I am pretty confident that i'm gonna 1cc the normal mode pretty soon!

[@jcwadkins2100]

Yessss, this was the video I've been waiting on!! I feel like with a genre like this mainly overlooked because of the difficulty which falsely leaves most to think if u play one you seen em all, I feel this genre is sorely in need of passionate players to show more love to the entry level games too help the popularity of it to grow. Great video again as always man keep em coming

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're welcome, and there are so many really great and fun shooters that are on the easier side. Most of them are honestly, like Soldier Blade and Lords of Thunder. They're just fun and present enough difficulty to be, but without being crazy hard. All my favorites are in that medium. And I'll be doing more videos on my favs, especially since I'm close to having covered most consoles on hardest games anyway. I think I only have PS2 and the NES left that I would want to do.

[@willmistretta]

The Guardian Legend is what hooked me. The adventure game format I already liked was enough incentive to keep me trying the shooting bits until I was hooked on them, too.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I wish they made more like Guardian, as it was a great way to get new players into these types of games, by just throwing in those sections. I would love to see another good game like that someday, even if an independent Steam game.

[@noop9k]

And the version I saw first was in Japanese. Only many years later found it again and completed.

[@noop9k]

@@ShmupJunkie BTW, have you seen shmup segments in NieR: Automata or Shadows of the Damned? Can’t say they are very good though.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@noop9k I feel like a dunce for never having played Nier. I know some swear it’s great. I just missed it when it came out and never caught up.

[@noop9k]

@@ShmupJunkie Well, it is not *that* great. It obviously does bullethell attack patterns in multiple view angles (vertical flying segments, side view platforming, top down platforming action, hacking minigame.) but the gameplay is not really tight, RPG leveling, melee and cheap evasion move completely dominate over the need to dodge bullets, at least on normal difficulty. And honestly, the game is overrated as a whole(no time to go into all the problems), but still very adorable. The hacking minigame doesn’t care about levels, weapons or upgrades and IMO the tightest part of the experience.

[@Rationalific]

Man, you rant the gamut here! Excellent info for games from older systems as well as games that are easily obtainable now on Steam and such! Great stuff!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I did try to cover all the bases old and new, that was the idea. I may make another of these someday as there were so many great games I could still recommend.

[@Rationalific]

👍

[@ToniRamirez]

I've found some of your videos encouraging people to not give up on shmups and I'm grateful for them. I'm definitely trying to get at least a little better at this genre, which I find fascinating, albeit very hard. For now I've only managed to beat Magic Girl and GG Aleste, but both of them are very easy and generous with lives or continues. Thanks!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I love hearing that so thank you for the feedback. There's plenty of shmups that I've played and not beaten for lack of time investment. And I still play and have a lot of fun with them regardless. Some are just very difficult but fun, so beating them isn't always a requirement. You'll naturally play the ones you enjoy most enough to slowly improve. And there's a ton of very accessible ones out there. I made this video a long time ago and there are so many more good ones to suggest, so I may revisit it again one day.

[@Adam-ei4oj]

I highly recommend death smiles. My first non novice mode 1cc

[@Risingson2]

Discovered your videos today. I am a more traditional point n click / crpg player but this year I felt like coming back to more arcadey genres, first with Pinball (declaring an official lifelong relationship with Pinball FX3) and shoot em ups, mostly through my ps vita. I am middle aged and have problems with short distance sight, so I was growing up with the unforgiving 80s and 90s offerings like Terra Force, Typhoon (Ajax when it was imported to Spain), P-47 or UN Squadron - ending with the apex of them all for me, the Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters series - and I barely played anything in the computer that I liked so coming back to my dreaded bullet hell has been a learning experience, and wow, I am so surprised at how accessible the Cave games, Jamestown and many other games are nowadays, like really putting the effort on teaching you mechanics and gradually getting better at them. They are pure labour of love to all the players from a genre that is traditionally considered only for the best hardcore skilled players (well, still is if you want to see The True Bosses anyway). Next stop, Touhou.

[@ShmupJunkie]

First of all, welcome! I’m glad you found my channel and for the reasons I make a lot of my vids. You’ll find plenty to dig into and explore in terms of shmups and arcade style games. I grew up playing a ton of point and click on my old 486 computer I built as a kid and really e joyed them, along with plenty of console RPGs. So I play the gamut and enjoy the variety, even if I focus on my favorite genres now here. You’ll absolutely dig the couple Touhou games I recommended in this video and they’re fantastic for getting comfortable with bullet hell and dodging patterns. More chill than Cave with great easy modes that aren’t “easy” but perfect for learning. Hope you find some of my other videos useful too and good luck on Touhou. Let me know how you got on with those and which you tried. It helps that they have great music.

[@ownageDan]

No mention of ZeroRanger? It's a great introduction with its continue system and white vanilla mode. Also great consistent artstyle and absolutely awesome music. And one of the few SHMUPs with an actually interesting story / lore behind it.

[@PeteOliva]

I have been playing shmups since the NES days, Gradius and 1943 were some of my first and favorite games. I have always loved this genre but have never claimed to be very good at it. I beat so few of the games (although I did legitimately best Blazing Lazers on my TG-16 back in the day, and RType and Life Force, too), but I have always been so enthralled by the awesome visuals and music. So yes, I consider myself a casual player even after decades, because even if I did never finish one of them here or there in a legit way, I still always come back just because of the funness. Loved this video so much!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! Really glad you enjoyed it and that my message comes across loud and clear. These games can be enjoyed by anyone despite their innate difficulty compared to many other genres. I've been thinking about making another video like this for some time with more, as there are so many good ones to recommend. I remember the nice feeling of accomplishment finishing Blazing on my TG16 back then as well. One thing I loved about Compile games is they often gave you many ways to progress in the game and crutches and secrets to make it more manageable. In the case of Blazing it was all the golden orbs to allow you to respawn. I'm sure I collected several or more working my way up to the games final levels when I finished it the first time, as that Stage 9 was brutal.

[@ultor7654]

Amazing quality documentary. Top notch editing, commentary and presentation. We are blessed to have you Sir...and Timmy as well! And btw very nice Shelby mate!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! And that's actually not my Shelby. I used to track a couple old cars like an NSX and a Celica I had, but the Shelby was from someone else. All my footage is still on VHS that's how long ago it was haha, I really need to get that transferred digital before I lose it. It worked as a good example though. I'll let Timmy know you're a fan too, he will be happy to know he has fans.

[@ultor7654]

@@ShmupJunkie ;)

[@deltatango-six7941]

Great video, SJ. Talking about popular, Euro Shmups got me thinking about how much I actually enjoyed Sky Force when I gave it a try. I usually stick to traditional Japanese vertical and horizontal shmups but the rpg style grinding for ship upgrades, wingmen and new ships drew me in. The easier difficulty stuff was not much of a challenge but the insane difficulty kept me on my toes, plus the two player mode allowed my oldest daughter and wife to take turns playing with me. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing. My daughter wanted nothing to do with DDP but she actually asked to play Skyforce with me. Probably due to the little "YeeeeeHa!" the downed pilots yell when you rescue them haha.

[@owlison76]

These are all excellent choices for beginners. Dodonpachi Saidaioujou has an excellent Novice mode and the music is pure heaven. Also thank you for your positive inclusive comments at the end of this video. As someone that is not very good at this genre, I appreciate all of these recommendations and plan on recommending these to my friends.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I remember playing the Arrange mode in SDOJ which was easier and pretty cool, but that's different from the Novice mode right? I don't think I ever tried it then. So I will have to check it out and maybe recommend it in a future vid. I'm glad my last bit at the end is getting a positive response, as I wasn't sure if I was ranting about something when I could've squeezed in another game, but it just worked out. And it was a good message to get across.

[@owlison76]

@@ShmupJunkie Definitely a breathe of fresh air in the current toxic gaming community. Keep it up! And yes the Novice mode is different and really helped me get into bullet hells. SDOJ stage 3 is my jam.

[@chadmolitor6691]

Glad you included Espgaluda. I just introduced my friend to the first one this weekend. I was showing him a bunch of shooters since he doesnt have a lot of experience in them. There's enough going on to keep someone interested and the presentation is phenomenal.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Absolutely. And the original is likely even simpler and better to start out with, but I really like the second too for it's great easy mode and beautiful presentation. I can see kids enjoying that and being able to play through it on the novice mode for fun.

[@randy7894]

Your enthusiasm is infectious. I'm binge watching your videos. Very informative and entertaining. Keep it up, mate.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I hope you enjoy most of what you find... there are some really good ones in there I'm proud of.

[@Opimusp]

what a great video this is!! shoot em up is the genre that I play the most. I soon have all shoot em up to mega drive, Saturn and dreamcast as I like to collect games and have them physically. I mostly collect the Japanese editions as I'm happy to display them in the video game room. then I have a lot of shoot em up for other platforms as CAVE are my favourites. I have tested and played many of the bullet hell games. especially the dodonpachi games. spent thousands of hours on them for high scores. But sky force reloaded is the game I like the most which is a euro shoot em up. I'm the best in the world at it (I have videos on my channel that show it). but it has felt almost a little embarrassing in the Danmaku (bullet hell) community to talk about the fact that I like sky force reloaded the most. you make amazing videos. been going through your videos again now that I had another baby and don't have time to play as often. greetings Emil from Sweden

[@darkridearts]

My first shooter was Lifeforce NES. My friend growing up and I would cheese the 30 lives code and see how far we could get. We got pretty good back then

[@ShmupJunkie]

Playing it with that code is a good way to get started too, I and I'm sure most others did the same. It was my most played shooter on the NES and it still holds up.

[@Drinkabeerandplayagameofficial]

Good to see GG Aleste on the list in the description. I think that’s the only shmup I’ll ever beat my first time playing through it. Great vid

[@ShmupJunkie]

Absolutely! I wanted to squeeze it in but could only fit so many games, so I'll leave it for a round 2 of this video someday. But I definitely wanted it in the recommended list. Bot GG Aleste games really, even if the second is a bit harder, it's still one that belongs. That whole Aleste collection is great to be honest, as it adds the save states, no slowdown options, and the new GG3 can be practiced on any level in training modes, so any of those games are super accessible on it. It will definitely get mentioned in the next one.

[@kbxthegamemaster06]

The game that really got me into shmups was Raiden X, a flash game that was a tribute to the first two Raidens. I played it a lot when I was 7-9 years old.🙂

[@ShmupJunkie]

oh that's neat, I didn't know a flash game for it even existed. Just more proof how simple or crazy a first game can be, and still get someone interested in the style and want to play more.

[@Daedroh]

Yo! Same except with me it was the SNES version of that game.

[@U.F.O_0908]

So much love for this video man. I keep discovering new stuff thanks to channels like yours. Natsuki Chronicles?? Pure shooting heaven! And I never would have known about it were it not for you. Thanks for having so much passion for games old and new, and for sharing it!

[@abrslam]

I really loved this video. It's so nice to see this kind of content for new players. The difficulty and "get gud" mentality you see a lot of can make getting into this genre really difficult (at least in my expericence). I don't have any games to recommend for part 2 just yet but maybe touch on the importance of finding a community to engage in? I know getting involved with the discord really motivated me to keep playing and improving. In a genre that can make you feel as isolated as this one that community is really helpful.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's a really excellent idea and a great suggestion. People feel intimidated by the games and with others who play them well, and don't feel comfortable engaging or like they have anything to contribute. We've built a nice community on the discord and I want to encourage more people to join. Especially those that are new. Right now, I can't think of a better place for new players to feel welcome than on my discord. And that's not thanks to me, but really all of you that have helped make it that way. An inviting and fun place free of the mentality that pervades a lot of similar communities. It's like the shmups safe space 😂

[@noaht2005]

That car analogy was unexpected, but as a car enthusiast it was very welcome. Can’t wait to try these out

[@ShmupJunkie]

It honestly just came to me while I was writing the script and I almost didn't even include it, but in the end just left it in. Turned out it clicked with a lot of people so I'm glad I did.

[@alfredocanas6802]

My first experience with shooters was playing Twin Cobra at the arcades, I have to say it was a pretty hard game to explore the genre but I remember I was pumped by the music and I just kept pumping quarters.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Twin Cobra is brutal man, and the mega drive port takes no prisoners either. I featured it when I did my hardest shmups on mega drive video, only it was in part 2. The PC Engine port of it is actually quite fun and not as devastatingly hard.

[@alfredocanas6802]

@@ShmupJunkie it was literally Baptism by fire

[@SocialAutism]

Also, that Laguna Seca corkscrew footage was wild. Being the IndyCar abd IMSA fan that I am, that's one of my favorite corners, beside Canada corner at Road Anerica.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Have you ever had the opportunity to drive it? It's really crazy being in a car and taking that section quickly. Such a technical track. I don't know how easy it is to get track days there any more, but they used to hold open days there for clubs to enjoy it. I watched some old SCCA races live there too and spent some time in the pits with one of the race crews. Good times man I tell you. I just don't miss the extreme cost of that sport, so I switched to karting. Much easier on the wallet. 😅

[@SocialAutism]

@@ShmupJunkie I used to do the track days prior to the IndyCar race at RA. Something special about that race down to Canada Corner. I'd love to drive Laguna.

[@maxyliano]

I'm excited for part 2! I started playing Touhou (11, I think, Subterranean Animism) - went from easy to clearing it on hard, but never quite got past the third level on the highest difficulty. The shmup I like best, however, is Axelay on the SNES for nostalgic reasons - especially the music. Anyway, thanks for the videos!

[@ShmupJunkie]

It's a real shame Axelay never got some sequels, it was such a cool game and one of my SNES favs too along with Super Aleste. My goal is to get back to Touhou 7 and 8 and do the same, clear them on easy then normal, and maybe hard, but given the time investment needed it may not be realistic. But I enjoyed them both more than I expected and I've been wanting to play them more now.

[@makarsk]

Dude your channel is amazing

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. Really glad you're enjoying binging some of them. Really fun one coming up soon this Sunday too I can't wait to release it.

[@martinevans1206]

“So I’ve COMPILEd a list…” - I saw what you did there! 😉

[@ShmupJunkie]

haha, the list could have used more Compile. Actually, as far as learning to play and great console shumps that are challenging but beatable, Compile did it best. I think Blazing Lazers was my first early 1CC I was proud of.

[@Pooby1000]

My new favorite channel. I've always liked shooters but you've taken that interest to a new level.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hey, I'm glad you found it or the algo pointed you this way. I've got lots more in the works. One of the main reasons I keep doing this it to help grow interest in the games, as I'm not a fan of the niche they've become. I was around when they were as casual to play for fun as most other games, and I want to do my part in showing they can be.

[@jonatana.4540]

Yeah, this resonated with me. I can play games, I'm even fairly good at some of them, but it really sucks a lot of the fun out of it when someone tells me how I MUST play a game correctly. If I want that information, I either ask for advice or seek it out myself. I value the feeling of discovery very much, and I like to preserve that for as long as I can, even if it means that I am not progressing as far as I could if I followed someone else's flawless recipe. I've played shmups "wrong" my entire life and enjoyed it, and I've only recently begun to try to actually complete some of them. You channel sparked something in me :)

[@ShmupJunkie]

I think a lot of us growing up with them played them like any other game. That's just what they were, and only certain arcade based shooters emphasized the scoring aspect, especially the old Atari games like Galaga. So it makes sense the games are score focused. But once they became more advanced with graphics and music, especially console only games, it really was just about having fun. Many of us never finished Contra, Vania or others for a long time either, but just kept playing them for fun. So it was the same. I think scoring is something you get into AFTER you've already discovered a shmup you like, and finished it, and enjoy it enough you want to get more out of it and need more challenge. As it is another design aspect of the game you can enjoy. But not for everyone, and I think focusing on it first can turn a lot of people off. So I feel you on that. Many of my old school games I still just play for the fun of it and that's cool with me too.

[@tubbiele2]

@@ShmupJunkie for me, the game that taught me to understand the beauty of scoring was DDP. It is an integral part of the game because actually it is in your face :D "kill! Grab the stars! Grab the bees! Here there are even more stars! Look at the big number upper left! It means something!" Lol I love it

[@AnthonyFlack]

@@tubbiele2 - and max out your bombs! What a feeling to ride a bomb max all the way through a stage. I can't even get to the second loop yet, but I still get a kick out of trying to ride the bomb max and aiming for perfect bee runs. And getting a new top score position (against myself) if things go well. Nothing but a prais-e will come to my lips when describing this game.

[@tubbiele2]

@@AnthonyFlack oh yes yes yes the max bonus! And if you get another bomb the message scrolls faster! Wooo destruction! Playing it with MAME/keyboard. Max record up to the fifth stage, years ago. I regret nothing! :D

[@AnthonyFlack]

@@tubbiele2 - yeah I've got as far as stage 5 on 1 credit too. But I can feel stage 6 is almost within reach...

[@gameoverziggy]

Great video! Lots of information. Came here off MJR. Subscribed!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I'm stoked and thankful he gave me the shout out and glad you found me. I did a really helpful Shooter 101 video a while back that a lot of people found really fun and helpful too, it's on my main welcome page. It's a good primer for getting better and practicing them efficiently.

[@melvinblackburn195]

This is just a fantastic video, with a fantastic message therein. Futari on the 360 is also my favorite Cave game and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to every level of player. Keep up the great work.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I'm really stoked to hear you enjoyed it, and that Futari is your fav too. That and Ketsui are the two I dig most, but Ketsui is pretty impenetrable for anyone but a very experienced player. Futari is perfect for almost anyone with all the modes and training. And man do I love the music in that game, especially that final stage.

[@reinhart.sieger]

I JUST LOVE THE TIN FOIL HAT GUY from the first time I saw him in your videos 😂😂😂

[@ShmupJunkie]

hahaha, love him or hate him, it seems he is here to stay. I just have too much fun being dumb with him. Tinfoil Timmy!

[@Outshinedsg]

I love the novice modes on the CAVE shmups, but I agree it's a huge difficulty leap if you try to climb to normal. One of the first shmups I ever played seriously for score was Crimzon Clover on Novice Mode, which is an incredibly fun game and still a challenge, but not impenetrable. To add a recommendation, I would also add Qute's other game, Eschatos, which is also relatively beginner friendly. You have a generous shield mechanic which allows you to face-tank some shot patterns if you start to lose track of what's going on. Eschatos is also just a fantastic game in general and is one of the best games I can think of for epitomizing the simple, pure joy of playing a frantic shmup. It's kind of an homage to the classic themes and feel of retro games, while being graphically modern and approachable with cool set pieces. Out of this world soundtrack too. The type of game you can play as your first shmup, and fall in love with and play for score for years if you want to.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Eschatos is in my top 10 favorite shooters of all time so you won’t hear me arguing haha. I did a really great segment for it in my history of Qute video where I highlighted all their games. Incredible developer period. I never thought of it as entry level though if playing on the easiest mode it’s definitely forgiving with less bullets but still pretty spicy to complete when first learning it. If I ever make a part two for this CC novice mode will very likely make it though!

[@elanwebster3647]

Saw that sky force image in the intro and thought you were going to recommend that, had me worried there for a second!

[@ShmupJunkie]

haha, well to be fair, I know a few people that really like that game and recommend as a fun, casual shmup to play. I think it and Jets n Guns are examples of that style that many enjoy and are well made. But I would stop short of recommending them, as I haven't played them enough myself to know, plus I was more focusing on traditional shmups to build those skills and improve as a player. I don't know how much something like sky force would do that. I will find out if I ever make some time to play it.

[@elanwebster3647]

@@ShmupJunkie I have beef with sky force because I read the reviews, which were all positive, then I bought the thing and played it, instant buyers remorse. I dont mean to come across elitist though, the more people playing any shmup can only be a good thing, i do have an issue is with the devs, however, who should know better, what with an entire history of the genre to learn from. Anyway cool vid man, keep em coming!

[@keithstone001]

My easiest goto for newbies is life-force on the nes. It's a super manageable game. Then upgrade to games like The guardian legend in the TGL password mode, or Gradius. Love this stuff. Great memories of grinding Einheinder on ps1 to get good.

[@rudeboyspodcast]

SO glad you brought up JamesTown. That's one of the first SHMUP's I ever played simply because I didn't grow up with the genre and a friend recommended it to me. Also, I LOVE the silly dumb things you do on your channel, man. Your videos make my week!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I honestly really enjoy some of the dumb antics, it's just fun to come up with them. It helps me enjoy the process more so it's not going anywhere given most people like them. And I think parents with kids watching do too, I get that a lot. I wish had more friends to play some Jamestown multiplayer, as it really comes into it's own versus just playing alone.

[@crazyoldschool6342]

Another great video. I myself love all shooters no matter if they're easy or hard. Sky force and jets n guns series are actually one of my favorites. I actually like games with a progression system to it.

[@ShmupJunkie]

We had a few people on my discord that also enjoy both those games (I hadn't played them yet at the time) and it spurred a big and interesting discussion about them. It's what convinced me to take that angle on the video and address that issue, where lots of folks in the community tend to dismiss or ridicule them. When there are some great examples of good games in that sub-genre too. You probably like Natsuki Chronicles then since it's essentially doing something similar.

[@sebastianflesjandersen939]

Just discovered your YT channel - I'm a 70s-80s Shmup-fan and "kid"(no expert mind you). Super awesome to see fellow Shmup-fans and some times it seems/feels lonely being a fan of a such niche category of games. I'll definitely be watching more of your vids - keep keepin' it up - awesome content 😎🥇🏆🔥

[@ShmupJunkie]

Awesome! Love it when the algo works and glad you found my channel. There’s one video I did that’s still one of my favorite called Amazing Shootemups of the 80s and 90s. You’re about my age then so you’ll totally dig it. If you’re looking for a good hit of nostalgia check that one out. I’m doing my best to try and make the genre just a bit less niche and get more new people to discover it. As it used to be when we grew up.

[@thedanielstraight]

If never heard of Natsuki Chronicles, I just downloaded it on my PS5. I've always been a huge fan of Jamestown, such a great game. It's got great mechanics and hilarious writing, almost like 1950's pulp sci-fi. Great list, sir!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I hope you enjoy Natsuki! It's got a ton of content to dig into! I need to find some friends to play Jamestown with me, as it's clearly so much cooler with friends.

[@Slappaccino]

I'm pretty new to the channel, and have to say I absolutely love the borderline "anti-humor" comedy bits in your videos. They remind me a lot of the dudes from Console Wars. It's campy and fun, and they make your channel stand out from the other shmuppers.

[@ShmupJunkie]

It’s very love it or hate it based on comments I get. Many like you really enjoy the skits and silliness. Others hate when I do it and tell me they love the videos but hate the cringe humor. Can’t please everyone. This is all a hobby for me though so when the mood strikes I just go with it and enjoy myself. Sometimes maybe a bit too much 😆.

[@yakyback]

ZeroRanger absolutely deserves a spot on a list for beginner friendly shmups! It’s relatively challenging but has a great checkpoint system that is forgiving enough that anyone can beat the game, but it’s implemented in a way that still requires players to learn and grow which will give them the fulfillment a good shmup can provide. Not to mention it’s extremely polished and an overall amazing game.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's definitely a game that was on my list, but I didn't quite include as I was going for as easy as possible entry level shmups for this one. Some for even first time players. But I agree and my next video will be for good entry levels shmups that will give you a fair challenge at the same time. So that and games like Crimson Clover novice can be on there.

[@andou013]

Been playing through Ginga Force for the last couple of weeks and finally unlocked hard more. I was wondering where to go from there, so this list is super helpful, thank you!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Ginga Force is a really tough game even on easy. Just on normal it’s pretty brutal. Natsuki is definitely easier to start but it’s hard modes are also pretty insane. Congrats on getting that far in Ginga Force.

[@IamMarkSmith]

I love “Deathsmiles!”

[@ShmupJunkie]

The game that got me into bullet hell. Super accessible!

[@ShmupJunkie]

@snkrules If killer music is priority which it is for me, Eschatos will shock and amaze. Can’t believe how good that soundtrack is.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@snkrules no I’ve never made any trouble witches videos before. I’ve actually never owned or played the 360 version. I hear Neo is hard to get now and not for sale anywhere.

[@InsideSmoke]

I enjoyed your wisdom at the end of the video, it reminded me of something I read in Bushido way of the samurai; How can you hope to rehabilitate a man when you shame him?

[@ShmupJunkie]

I almost didn't include that in the end, since it was kind of off topic and not about the games. But in the end I left it in for those who would want to keep watching. I've always approached changing others minds that way and it's been of service to me throughout my life. It applies to politics, religion, and all walks of life. Now I've been educated that it's the way of the samurai. Sold!

[@InsideSmoke]

@@ShmupJunkie the reason I started watching your videos was because I'm not very good and shooters but I still love them and you have done a few videos encouraging beginners and it's refreshing to see an experienced player helping others find a way into the genre instead of acting like look how good I am at these shooters. We can all feel it is coming from a genuine place. Thanks for all the great content.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@InsideSmoke Thank you. That and I’ve got enough experience to know how good I am not. Not compared to the serious competitive players out there. As kids we all just played for fun regardless of how good we were and it was a big part of what made them popular before they became more niche and seen as for experts only. I’d love to get back to that time when they were games for anyone to enjoy. So I’m glad that it comes across in my videos as that’s how I still see them. As do many of our generation that grew up with them.

[@colonelsandwich641]

Very much appreciate the open mindedness during the euro shmups section, looking down on a certain group of people within your community will only do more harm than good.

[@ShmupJunkie]

And alienate a percent of those people that may have been good candidates to get into more traditional shmups.absolutely

[@Wischmob_vE]

When was he open minded? Genuine question since both his parts about "Euro shmups" are basically a collection of "Ok, you are wrong for liking this games and probably just do so because you suck at ´real´ shmups, but that is ´ok´" ... He is talking down to this part of the community for no reason but his pure dislike for the genre. He, at no point, said anything positive aside from "it is ok to like the wrong thing" ... That is not something positive, that is giving you the verbal middle finger but trying to mask it behind some words.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@Wischmob_vE If you watched the last several minutes of this video, that’s a pretty twisted interpretation of an inclusive message to respect everyone’s choice of games whatever one personally thinks of them. It was about welcoming them into a community and not degrading their choice which is very prevalent and counterproductive in many circles. If a message to try introducing them to more technical, traditional shmups with respect instead of being degrading is perceived as a middle finger... that speaks of a personal bias or trauma versus the actual content. If it came across that way it certainly wasn’t intentional. The idea is that some will appreciate the gesture and it’ll open up another exciting world for them. And if not that’s ok too. But with an elitist approach those that would’ve become fans of the larger genre end up pushed away instead. I played a ton of PC euro style shmups growing up and still have good memories of many. It’s true the early skits did portray the message you claim, but that was intentional and tongue in cheek, so I could later shut that viewpoint down at the end of the video.

[@ianjacka469]

@@Wischmob_vE I play Euro schmups and didn't see any narrow mindedness. I think he was being sarcastic in his earlier comments and the comments you are referring to. I think the sarcasm just went over your head and indicates a low intellect within you. His videos have encouraged me to invest more time and effort and increased my confidence levels.

[@ianjacka469]

@@ShmupJunkie Shisuke Nakamura's comments couldn't be further off the mark. That section of the video made me feel more confident about playing Euro schmups as a 42 yr old man. I don't think Shisuke 'gets' sarcasm unfortunately. Keep up the good work. As we say here in the UK "Don't let the bastards grind you down"

[@perrymason9942]

OMG. The spontaneous and unexpected Ow My Balls clip just made me lose it. You sir have such good taste! That movie is equal parts hilarious and darkly prescient. These videos are just excellent. My kids loved the Cotton Reboot video. The family joke that we keep repeating is that they aren't tootsie rolls, they're Willows. Which someone will just randomly drop on a Sunday for no reason.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hahaha, I thought that would catch some people off guard. It was a perfect moment to do it too. It's hard to watch that movie now and not wonder if things are almost there in some parts. I always love hearing that some people are watching the videos with their kids and how much they enjoy them. It's a big part of why even though I do some suggestive things from time to time, it's more veiled kind of like in animated films for those in the know. I want to keep things fun and family friendly. Don't need to curse up a storm to be entertaining. I don't eat much sweets actually so that bag of willow is still sitting around awaiting the next Halloween give aways.

[@eternity9099]

SkyForce is really addictive and fun. I never knew it was frowned upon in the shmup community. I haven’t really found many shmups I don’t like though. I guess I am just easily amused.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I know a lot of people that like Sky Force, and it's one of those euro style shmups that I think many consider well made. It may not be traditional but it's still fun. I had a couple folks on my discord talk about it so I wanted to show it. I think all of those type of games are frowned upon only by serious players as they don't find much value in grinding it, getting a 1CC or playing for score. But as casual fun it's well liked. Look at all those Steam reviews! Over 1000 I think and mostly positive.

[@PortableXombie]

Skyforce is the game that got me back into shmups. And with channels like this and Mark's, I am realizing how many great shooters I missed out on once Street Fighter II and the fighting genre as a whole took over my gaming life.

[@eternity9099]

@@ShmupJunkie Yeah you’re probably right. It’s not even set up to be able to “1cc” considering how the levels, difficulty tiers and upgrades are set up. Playing on insane difficulty even with a fully upgraded ship on the latter levels does offer a decent challenge though. At least for my skill level.

[@Blueflag04]

I played the original sky force and have been following the series since then

[@ChairmanMeow1]

I've commented on a few of your videos but this is the one that got me interested in shmups. I got into Blazing Lasers and it all went from there.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Nothing makes me happier than hearing Blazing had that effect on you. Though I played plenty before as a kid, it was Blazing that made me fall in love with them and constantly seek out more and more. It was that amazing back in the day for it’s time. But given how much has evolved since then and how high our standards have become, it’s so cool knowing it can have that effect on someone decades later. It has its flaws but it’s a special game.

[@PikaStu666]

Yeah I’m a total beginner, but I love attempting to play Cave shooters and similar bullet-hell shmups. I love the pretty colours and the awesome soundtracks. And on the rare occasion I nail I certain section, the adrenaline rush is amazing. Psyvariar, Mushihimesama and R-Type Final are my personal favourites as they’re manageable shmups with great presentation. Oh and Soukyugurentai on Saturn, although I do struggle with that a LOT! Great video as always Mr Junkie. Love your work!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. And don't feel bad about Souky, it's actually a really tough game after the initial stages. It's quite hard and I had it in my top 5 hardest Saturn video. Some Cave shooters are great to just have fun. They get a rap for being impossible but not all are, like Mushi or especially Deathsmiles I showed and the first Espgaluda, even on normal. It looks worse than it is once you try it and get the hang of it. I got some recommendations for Psyvariar actually for the video, so I am going to look into it and see if maybe it makes sense for an eventual follow up video. As I have many more games I wanted to include. I'm sure you're looking forward to final 2 since you're a big fan of the first.

[@PikaStu666]

@@ShmupJunkie oh yeah I was impressed with the Switch demo for Final 2. I’ll buy it on Steam though, for the big screen and arcade stick. Would love to see a PS2 Hardest Shooters video from you. I know there’s not loads, but there’s a few Cave games, Gradius V, Thunderforce 6 etc...

[@Oribaa90]

I am new in the genre and I love your videos. I was too young to know all the classic shmups. My first Shmup was Deathsmiles on the Xbox 360. After that I imported Mushihimesama. And that is how it all started. I tried to learn about the genre and which games you should know: I already had a dreamcast so I tried its Shmups. After that I bought my first Mega Drive, Saturn, PC Engine and finally a Neo Geo. I am still bad at these games but I love them. I am still learning a lot and your videos are a good source for information. Last week I played Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder and Star Parodia for the first time in my life.

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's really cool, as Deathsmiles is the game that got me into trying more bullet hell. I didn't care to for a while until I played that game and it opened me up to more. How did you like the Thunder games and Parodier? Pretty fun right? And killer music. If you are playing them on the mini, try Soldier Blade next if you haven't. It's one of my favorite that I still play most often today.

[@Oribaa90]

I was shocked how great the music on CD games on a PC Engine sounds. It was also the very first time I played a CD game because I only had an old PC Engine and now I bought an SSDS3. Great games. I think Star Parodier was the easiest shmup that I have ever played. On my first try I didn't die until sixth stage.

[@SameNameDifferentGame]

Timmy using a boobie mouse pad is a wonderful little character touch. 😂

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hahaha I was curious who would catch that. I knew I’d find a good use for that Psikyo collection pad eventually

[@SameNameDifferentGame]

@@ShmupJunkie I think I have one someone gave me as a joke somewhere, too. I know I've never used my Deathsmiles 360 faceplate, but could at some point for a similar gag! 😅

[@Marinho10]

Shoot Em Ups are my favourite thing to play on my Switch when in handheld mode. So you can imagine how "bullet hells" are not ideal for me to play, the screen size doesn't help for such games. So having this list of "more casual" shoot em ups it's incredible. Thank you.

[@bl85gamer]

You not being a judgy shmup a-hole is one of the many reasons why I got so much love for you man 👏🏼👏🏼 That was one of the reasons why for many years I never played these games and always thought I sucked at them because of the shmup snubs who always talked smack😅 Guess what though...I still suck at them but keep coming back because I'm entertained 😉 Also like Timmaaaay I also enjoy Sky Force and Sine Mora 😝 Can't wait to try Batsugun Special 😍 sounds like a lot of fun specially since I've gotten my ass kicked by regular Batsugun in countless occasions 😆

[@ShmupJunkie]

Dude, you'll totally smoke Special after playing the regular version. It doesn't get serious until loop 2. And you don't suck, you almost finished Blazing on your first try no thanks to someone. Now this video finally gives you all those tips you wish you had the first time 😂 I need to try Sine Mora. Some people really like it, others hate it. Bullet Heaven gave it a pretty decent review and I'm not that picky as long as they are fun. That's one I missed.

[@arcadianlhadattshirotsughW33Z]

yeah i got Sine Mora from xbox live a good amount of months ago... its pretty good... kinda obtuse in its mechanics at first but its world, art and gameplay is interesting enough to keep at it..its totally worth the i guess dollar or 2 since xbox live gold is 50 a year and you get 4 free games a month (2 xbone, 2 x360)... your the first person ive seen bring it up...

[@retromodernsystems9227]

you sir are a godsend to the shooter community, your work honors this great genre and is a tremendous asset for all us. a sincere Thanks.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. This video was highly requested and a long time coming, so I was glad to see it so well received.

[@silentfanatic]

Great video and a really excellent message about inclusion. My first bullet hell game was Mushihimesama Futari 1.5 on 360, and it was so engrossing I decided to seek out other stuff in that vein. Unfortunately the elitist attitude on a certain forum discouraged me from thinking I could ever learn to be any better. Some things never change!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! And thankfully things aren’t nearly as bad as they seem. Most of the good folks looking for community online are doing it on discord. In terms of shmups it’s a smaller community, but there’s over 1000 on my server already. Almost hard to believe. And it’s super welcoming to everyone with a lot of entry level players too. So I think many who got fed up with the forums found a more welcoming community on a couple good discords. And I’ve learned there’s far more of us than there are of them. Futari is awesome btw I’m a big fan. It wasn’t my first but it’s certainly my favorite of Cave.

[@RaydinAE11]

I'm new to the world of shmups. As an adult I just started playing this year and now I am hooked. Your lessons have definitely helped me. I actually beat one! Blast Wind! My strategy is play soukyugurentai and get as far as I can on the standard settings. I get to the level right after the giant green mech and I run out of credits. Then I play the easier ones. I just keep at it and little bit by bit I go further and further. I feel so alive. Thank you for the confidence. These games can be really intimidating.

[@Panthera91]

I found your channel because of the Cotton Reboot review and now I see this one... I really like the way you do the videos, thank you so much! I'll take a look on the games you showed 😊

[@ShmupJunkie]

I’m really glad you found me and enjoyed my videos. I have a lot more just like it so I hope you enjoy them too.

[@Racer-X-090]

Great video! Love your positivity. There are some Shmup focused KZbinrs out there that just seem to hate everything that doesn't fit a VERY specific mold. You always seem to just enjoy all types of shmups for many different reasons.

[@Amalga_Heart]

Something I really want to stress for new players, is that it's really important to understand that there are very different kinds of difficulty and challenges, and your own personal skillset could work well with one, but not necessarily with another. So, even if you start out and it just isnt going anywhere... try a different type. You might find a very different experience. In my case, my skillset suits bullet-hell games. I react fast and can mentally process many things at once... so I got good at the genre. Even beating Mushihime on Ultra. Which sounds like I should be an expert at any of these, yeah? But no. Put me in, say, the R-Type series and it's basically a comedy reel. That series is very heavy on testing your memory, and I've got a memory like a cheese grater (aka, full of holes) so I end up just smacking into everything. Just embarassing. But gaming is like that... even within one genre, there are many types of gameplay design and challenges, and trying different ones is important to see what fits you best. As for individual games, my suggestion is the original Giga Wing, which can be found on MAME. It was also my intro into the genre, and eventually my first true 1CC. It has a unique shield mechanic, that can reflect enemy bullets while even protecting you from direct impacts (which you can use to sit on top of enemy firing points and hit them with ALL THE BULLETS, which is just fun), and the shield recharges on a timer. This makes the game very forgiving, but of course, you have to be properly dodging when the shield is on cooldown. Like any bullet hell game, you have a tiny hitbox, so you'll learn to thread the needle, and you'll learn accurate and careful movement, while still being able to do fun stuff like rushing at things when you do use your shield. It also has a great scoring system revolving around that shield, which is just fun to do and rewarding. It's not hard to get an initial win (though the 5th stage does present a big difficulty spike), but a TRUE win... as in, defeating the true final boss... will provide a real challenge, as you have to meet very specific conditions (one of which is "dont use more than 2 bombs the whole time" if I recall correctly) to reach the thing, otherwise the game will end after the 5th boss (or is it the 6th? Feh, I cant remember... like I said, cheese grater). And when you do reach the true boss, it's a wild fight, but not an insurmountable mess like Cave's ultimate bosses. Overall it's a forgiving game that still has some strong challenge once you're ready for it, with mechanics that are just darned fun to do, and also has a very high skill ceiling for those that really get into it. The only real flaw with that game in my opinion is that the 4th boss is a walking design disaster that always felt like it wasnt tested at all. You can literally beat it by sitting perfectly still at the bottom center of the screen, not moving whatsoever, and occasionally just activating the shield. I mean, come on, devs, you did so well with everything else, how did that one happen?

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you for the very detailed comment and I agree that there is so much variety in shmups, it's important to try various games and see what works for you. I always thought most people found Giga Wing to be very hard, but I can see it as a good entry point for that style of game. I had someone comment in another post they felt Mars Matrix was good for beginners. As good as that game is, my first thought was are you nuts? That game is insanely difficult for anyone that isn't already very acquainted with shmup mechanics and experienced. Having a shield and screen clearing ability sounds like it would make a game easy, but it's all in how it's implemented. When used as a crutch it only gets you so far. It's like saying Ghosts n Goblins gives you infinite continues so it's not too hard, but it's really there because it's insanely hard so you need it haha. Giga Wing pretty much requires the shield as without it, it's impossible for anyone but an expert. Giga Wing is actually very fair compared to Mars though. I think my next video won't focus on super easy games, but ones that are good for players with some experience but not beyond finishing an easier game, that are fun and will push them a little at the same time. Giga Wing is a good one for that.

[@RodrigoGarciaCarmona]

Great video! Thanks for taking our suggestions from the Discord. BTW, I think you're onto something with the auto racing and shmups comparison. You're the second person I know that moved from the former to the latter, and I don't know many people that are really onto shmups... You must be happy with the change in hobby, since you probably saved A LOT of money. ;)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hahaha, oh yes, when it comes to cost there is no comparing to auto racing. Even the most rabid type of game collecting can't compare to that sport. It's really for those with disposable income once you want to do it seriously. It's why I moved to renting go karts for a weekend, and recommended it to others, as you can still get the high and technical side of the sport without spending a fortune on your vehicle. It's really the purest form and more accessible in terms of money. And thank you in return for all the help and suggestions. I only wish I could include even more and now have lots of content to make another one in the future.

[@RodrigoGarciaCarmona]

@@ShmupJunkie Oh, I can see. So the karts are the PC Engine Mini of the auto racing. It's not the same as the real deal, but it's enough for 95 % perfect of the people and perfectly serviceable for what it is.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@RodrigoGarciaCarmona Actually much better than that. Real karts are the purest form of the sport. They handle better, pull more Gs, and allow you to race wheel to wheel against others more easily. And they are all equal. So it eliminates variables like your personal vehicle etc. Real 250cc go karts perform better then almost any car. They’re a real rush. And you can rent one for a whole day at events for a few hundred dollars. Many who just want to race and aren’t interested in messing with car mods and parts go that route. It’s like the cheapest, fastest way to seriously race and not lesser. F1 cars are like the pro version of karts.

[@RodrigoGarciaCarmona]

@@ShmupJunkie Oh! You've piqued mi interest! Let's hope I don't end very deep into the rabbit hole. I have enough hobbies as it is...

[@BigJuffer]

Great video as always mate, and I've got to agree after Deathsmiles, Mushi Futari Black Label is the easiest Cave shmup to 1cc. Some great tips on how to approach the other games as a Novice too - anything that gets more people playing shmups has got to be good :)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks man! It seems like most of the Cave games have some sort of easy mode and they're all extremely accessible. What I liked about Futari's Arrange mode, is it wasn't so much an easy mode at all, but also a unique game that plays so differently. I was actually able to easily play it on Ultra in that mode, otherwise impossible!

[@zachpowell8653]

This was exactly the video I've been looking for. Thanks man. Skyforce Reloaded is one of my overall favorite games of all time and I can't find anything else to scratch that itch.

[@РогулинАлександр-ш6м]

Jamestown on PC back in 2012 was the game that make me love this genre. Now I has it on my PC, PS4 and Switch. Amazing game! It's so sad that it still has no physical release ((

[@ShmupJunkie]

I would love to play it more multiplayer with friends. It’s just so much more fun that way and the more the better.

[@PeranMe]

This video, and the advice given within it, has changed my life an ever so tiny amount to the better. Thank you for taking the time to use your considerable talents to bring in new people to the best videogame genre ever. Awesome!

[@KrystianMajewski]

This an awesome list. I also particulary appriciate the sentiment at the end. What keeps a genre alive and healthy are the cheerleaders. And your channel is a shining beacon. Keep it up! Btw, was that car footage of you doing the corkscrew?!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks. That was in fact the corkscrew at Laguna Seca, though that particular footage wasn't mine. I've run that track a couple times in an old NSX I used to have, but all my footage is still on VHS. That's how long ago it was haha. And I should convert it. So I used some other footage I had just as an example. Wonderful track though and quite difficult and technical.

[@x4ndro]

Man, this video is so good. Thanks for this. Gonna try those PCE, especially Blazing Lasers.

[@randomlad7851]

Sky Force is one of the first game ive play in my life. Its a big part of my childhood, and also what makes me loves the shmup genre, despite well i probally cannot beat 95% of those. Fast forward to last year, in a middle of the pandemic, bored and just tired of all the competitive games, discover the Sky Force 2014, 2016 remake, its like that one part full of void in my heart filled with joy again. I remember struggle with the stage 2 boss, and sheer amout of happiness when that goddamn gunship finally falls down and explode. I remember listening to the classic track plays during credit knowing i beat an actual final bosses. I dont care if its a easy shmup game, i dont care if the upgrade, medal mechanic makes it a "im not like other girls" of shmup (in fact, it encouraged me to replay stages, push me out of my limit and try out new difficulty). Its my childhood with a new look, but still hold its old feeling, and it amazing. Thanks to Sky Force, i developed interest in Shmup in general. Been watching Shmup tips, gameplays, and actually touched Touhou, as i always look down at the game before. Theres still many more depth to the genre, an i did not lived in the age of arcade to experience many other great shmup. It will be a long trip, and if not because of Sky Force, i may never step on this genre, but i did, and i did not regret it. (Sorry for any bad grammar i made, English is not my main language)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Wonderful to hear your story and thank you for sharing it. I was also someone that never played Touhou before but am now slowly trying it more because of recommendations from others, and it's really good. I will try Sky Force someday too, though I have played older games very similar that I enjoyed too. I think we all play many of them for nostalgia, and sometimes it doesn't matter if the game is perfect, only what we enjoyed playing long ago. And playing it again brings back those memories. I think these less traditional games can often be the gateway to trying more, like it was for you. You are lucky to now get to experience a lot of new games for the first time and I hope you enjoy it. Do share with us here if you find something new you really loved playing.

[@vermillion16]

Another great vid. I'm currently in love with Deathsmiles. Like you say, the lowest difficulty is too easy (even for me), but I love the fact that you can switch difficulties between stages. This means I can go easy on one particular stage if it's giving me grief, but then go in hard on levels I'm more confident with. And if I've only got one life left between stages, I ramp up the difficulty, rack up the points and go out in a blaze of glory. Wonderful.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I may need to do a feature on Deathsmiles coming up as they’re rereleasing them soon as a collection this year. It’s a game that got lots of folks into bullet hell originally including me. It has a broader appeal mainly from the aesthetic and theme. So it may bring in more new players again.

[@IamMarkSmith]

“Jamestown” has play mechanics that I wish more should would adopt like being able to buy different ships and such. I love that “level up” or ability to customize in game. It provides incentive to continue playing.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah and it's much more popular now, especially with Steam games. Lots of older PC games did it too like Tyrian which was popular. Traditional Japanese STGs don't like to do it, but the last two QUTE games did it great!

[@noop9k]

I do play some of these euroshmups from time to time, but Raptor and Tyrian were disappointing. Did not deliver what I expected from a shmup, even if graphics was good.

[@EatingCtrlV]

4 seconds into the video and I already see the greatest controller ever designed. Thumbs up.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Hell yeah it’s the only way I play my shmups these days. I’ve got an adapter for that thing to work on most of my systems haha.

[@EatingCtrlV]

@@ShmupJunkie It's like everybody gave up making good Dpads after that controller. Even Nintendo can't make a good Dpad to save its life these days. Shooters and Fighters, Saturn JPN pad or bust.

[@hikoseijuro1649]

0:04 THAT mouse pad. Where can I get one?

[@ShmupJunkie]

Lol, that’s part of the Psikyo volume 3 box set on switch. It’s not for sale anymore and goes for big bucks on eBay. Not worth it unless you’re really into collecting but you can look it up. It was a Japan only release. If you like the mouse pad you’ll like the box too 🤣

[@ezzong]

What a great channel you have my good sir. I played shmup when I was little but because I suck and don't have the best fast/twitch response I moved on to RPGs. But then your videos made me want to revisit this genre and oh man did I fell in love with it. I still suck though, kept losing, but it is so addictive to keep playing and to be honest it's almost like a meditative experience seeing all those colourful deathly bullets and bombs coming at you. I kept playing those games thanks to your infectious passion. Hope you're doing well to continues the great work of this channel. Cheers.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I’m really glad to hear that and my videos played a part. One of the main reasons I am doing this. To rekindle the love many of us had for these games but often was forgotten over time. I also love certain games that get me into a zone and I kind of disappear into it. Meditative is a good analogy.

[@ezzong]

@@ShmupJunkie surely it is! Thanks for the kind response 👌

[@petercap2398]

was hoping you'd make one of these eventually for us plebs :)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Haha, if enough people like this episode and it does well I will make more. The mob hath spoken!

[@samuraispiritsx]

Deathsmiles was the game that got me into shooters, I kept seeing it at my import store on 360 and passed on it many times thinking the cover was really weird looking. I took a chance on it one day and it changed my life.

[@AnthonyFlack]

As soon as you mentioned you were making this list I knew Star Parodier was going to be in there. It's a bit too easy for my taste (and I am not hardcore by any means) but it's still very cool.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah it's really the perfect starter shooter that almost anyone can play, and it was perfect as the first game to mention. I always liked it too just for the quirkiness of it, even if it is too easy. But if you never played one in your life it's a good start.

[@mrmonkeyman79]

Another great video and I think very necessary as the obsession with difficulty in a lot of shmup focussed channels can put people off the genre. Great shout with Empire of Steel too, it's one of the few shoot em ups I finished without cheats on my mega drive. My personal recommendations that weren't converted fully here. Gley Lancer- a nice no frills mega drive shooter that really pulls it's punches for the first half of the game and has selectable auto targeting options. Soldier Blade - you mentioned it in passing but I really feel this is an easy game to pick up even if it gets hard later on. I think it's helped that taking a hit with enough power ups doesn't insta kill you and instead removes a few power levels.

[@ShmupJunkie]

You know Soldier Blade is like one of my all time favorites, now I just play it on the harder mode for some more challenge. I was thinking about it, but since I already did Parodier and Blazing Lazers again I wanted to save it. It definitely does ramp up starting half way and can be tough for beginners but it's such a good game, it would keep people playing it. Steel Empire was a first 1CC for one on my discord too, it's perfect to get started. There were a couple more mega drive shmups like Gleylancer you mentioned, and even easier Arrow Flash I was thinking to save for part 2 if there is a demand for it.

[@arsenskavin130]

I think Mushihimesama (Futari) is fantastic for beginners. It's very addictive and actually forgiving, i was surprised when i finished it, i thought it will be much harder when i saw high-score showcase on speedrun marathon. But it turned out completely different, it was tons of fun even on my very first runs and gave me new awesome feeling "oh wow i dodged that bullets i made it!".

[@ShmupJunkie]

Couldn’t agree more Futari is just a wonderful game. Even when it gets hard starting on stage 3, you feel like you can overcome it if you keep practicing. The game has a rhythm you can fall into. Futari has been my favorite Cave shmup along with Ketsui for a long time and I’m not a huge bullet hell aficionado. It’s just a blast to play for me too so I agree ☝️

[@unlimitedretrogaming]

Just watched this video with my youngest kid and we were admiring some missing games, specially Star Parodier, Steel Empire and the elusives Battle Manias (both). I think I will be playing Deathsmiles with him later on this afternoon, since he was awed! Great video and content my friend, glad to be able to watch this with my kids 👍🏻👍🏻

[@ShmupJunkie]

So happy for this my man. I really thought Deathsmiles would get the attention of kids, there is something about the aesthetic. Just let them play on Rank 1 it's super easy and they'll love it!

[@unlimitedretrogaming]

@@ShmupJunkie thanks! Also, I forgot to comment about your other hobby, so awesome and I liked the analogies between shmups and car racing.

[@HeavyMetalfps]

I kinda wish Espgaluda I & II were on Steam, i've been loving the Deathsmiles, Mushihimesama, and Dodonpachi ports.

[@verstraetenandre]

For now, i have to rely on Xbox emulation for Espgaluda! (Xenia) I also wish there were more pc ports!

[@colinbaldwin7773]

I love shmups ever since playing Thunderforce 3 for the first time back in 1990 which also happens to be my favourite. Fantastic informative video thanks 👍😊

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. Yes, Thunder Force III is a wonderful starting point, and I was close to including it in this video but in the end, the other two were a bit easier for beginners. TF3 is a great game though and many still name it as their favorite.

[@jeromeellsworth1320]

Thank you for the message of being accepting of people who like different things

[@ShmupJunkie]

Not enough of that going on in the gaming community in general.

[@kelp7060]

@@ShmupJunkie Hey mate, great video. I just found your channel so I don't know if you've covered it before but I'm very interested to know why you find 'euro-shumps' to be bad. I don't expect you to cover it though, just curious. I'll go through your other vids eventually.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@kelp7060 Thanks. And no I don’t find euro shmups to be bad at all. They have a bad reputation is all. Some is deserved as back in even the early days, there was a copious amount of shmups that had pretty poor design and mechanics and it gained a reputation. But some were also cool and well made. So it’s become a derogatory term over the years that doesn’t follow the “rules” of what enthusiasts consider a good shmup. But it’s bad for the community and isolates a lot of potential future players, so I made a point of deconstructing it at the end of the video if you caught it.

[@kelp7060]

@@ShmupJunkie I caught it now. Thanks very much for the response ^^

[@riggel8804]

My first 2all was Sorcer Striker. I owe some it to you and Mark. Before then I was Getting 1ccs on hard games but avoiding shmups. Every time I picked up a shooter it was R type 2 or Dodonpachi--really bad choices to get started. Thank you for being so welcoming to new players.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Lol yeah, a 2All in those games is nearly impossible. That’s like Marks crowning achievement after god knows how much play time. Any 2All in a shmup is usually impressive congrats on that in Sorcerer Striker. That’s a really cool game I wish would get a physical release.

[@riggel8804]

@@ShmupJunkie Thanks! Yea I had to emulate it. Thanks for the advice in this video. I've been wanting to play Batsugun but I was intimidated. I'm going to give the special version a try soon. I'm working on a 1cc of super street fighter 2 turbo Hardest difficulty. Akuma is the real deal.

[@jeremygregorio7472]

Crimson Clover seemed a good intro to Bullet Hell. Not sure if it teaches bad habits though

[@ShmupJunkie]

I don't think so, CC is a really well made game. I considered including the Novice mode here, but honestly even Novice can be quite a challenge for newcomers. It's a very good game though.

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

What kind of bad habit will I develop on that game?

[@jeremygregorio7472]

@@soratheorangejuicemascot5809 the novice mode has bullet patterns that are so simple you might not really learn the tricks of dodging.

[@Knuckelsix44]

Death Smiles guy here lol, Great video man!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks. Deathsmiles is the game that got me into bullet hell when I was resistant to them, so it’s got universal appeal.

[@anvb5a1]

I am 41 and i started with Super Aleste on SNES when i was.... 11, start with that one!

[@jonniefast]

killer title i was just playing the genesis version

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah Super Aleste is a really good one on normal mode. It's not bad for someone somewhat familiar with the games already as it's not THAT easy, but a fun challenge for someone still getting into them. When I do a follow up video, Super Aleste will very likely be on it along with thunder force III.

[@anvb5a1]

@@ShmupJunkie Oh, i found it quite easy personnally, cleared it when i was 11, once you get your favourite weapon (mine was the laser, homing mode) to lv6 and you get going, you stack tons of lives and you got like 20+ golden revives upon reaching the final boss, which is enough to just bomb him to death without a care in the world, as he's the only challenge really on normal mode. I remember it all still today, i also remember feeling dizzy while watching the credits screen because the whole run took around 3 hours and a half!

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@anvb5a1 Three hours plus? Holy crap. The game is long but not that long. How did you manage that. It’s true on the extends if you know the trick from the previous games that makes it much easier.

[@anvb5a1]

@@ShmupJunkie I don't remember stopping or anything, if i remember well, the game had 15 levels or something like that. Just talking about it makes me wanna do a run just for the sake of it and see if it was as long as i remember, maybe it's just me being confused and the game taking like 1 hour and a half, i got 3,5 hours in my mind but i could be wrong, i remember feeling dizzy and needing a good lunch after it, and trying to stick that memorable run into my memories along with the duration but i could have one or 2 failing clusters in my brain today! :D

[@RobotPlaysGames]

Thanks for putting this list together!

[@ShmupJunkie]

You’re welcome. I’ve been thinking of doing a follow up as I’ve put another good list together and this one was really useful for a lot of people.

[@RobotPlaysGames]

@@ShmupJunkie That would be great!