The History of Music in SHOOT EM UPS

The History of Music in Shoot Em Ups, celebrating the epic games, soundtracks and composers that defined the genre. What was your favorite shooting game soundtrack? Your favorite developer? Your favorite console? Konami? Compile? Technosoft? Cave? Did the Mega Drive, Super Nintendo, or the PC Engine have your all time favorite shooter music? Was it Gradius or R-Type you loved most? While it's impossible to cover every amazing STG, every talented musician, and every unique console, this shmup musical history presents some of the greatest of all time in all their glory. From the earliest days of Arcades, home computers like the MSX and Commodore64, to the 8bit era of the NES and Sega Master System, the shooting revolution of the 16bit years on the PC Engine, Mega Drive and SNES, to the late years of the Sega Saturn, Playstation and beyond. A compilation of legends, and the great music that defined them.
#shootemup #shmup
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Huge Thanks to my Discord and all the awesome folks who helped with suggestions and recommendations for this video, even if I could only fit a portion into the final work.
Additional thanks to CHINOPOLIS and PEARL for their Touhou gameplay footage
You can find both of their channels and expert plays here:
CHINOPOLIS: / raussdower
PEARL: / @ase-prl
Some of the great composers and bands featured in this video:
Miki Higashino
ZUN
Manabu Namiki
Yousuke Yasui
Masahiro Yuge
Tatsuya Uemura
Konami Kukeiha Club
Zuntata
T's Music
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[@BamdTheBamd]

i respect composers who can make music still sound good even after 1000 attempts

[@ShmupJunkie]

Especially true of caravan modes haha. I would literally want to throw it out the window after replaying the same 2min for 12 hours in a matter of days if it wasn't for the tunes that keep you going.

[@Crcvmbdfl]

Totally agree, am stuck at trying to 1 CC Darius Gaiden , and really love replaying that first stage with its music theme, having a first stage outstanding music theme is key in shmups

[@touhoufever2499]

When a whole section of a series’ fanbase is just there for the music, you know you done good

[@maskedbadass6802]

I can tell from your username you already know it's all about "U.N. Owen Was Her?"

[@ihaveadream7858]

@@maskedbadass6802 bad apple is way more popular than UN Owen and any of its remixes

[@maskedbadass6802]

​@@ihaveadream7858 Dunno about "way more" popular. Most people wouldn't even know about it if it weren't for Touhou 6 being more accessible as the first Windows game, plus the incredibly memeable U.N Owen. The Ronald McDonald Insanity video pretty much created Touhou's Western audience, and then the most popular version of Bad Apple grew like 3 years after because they made it a J-Pop song by adding female vocals.

[@ihaveadream7858]

@@maskedbadass6802 UN and Ronald created the Touhou western fanbase, but the bulk of the Touhou fanbase are Eastern, with Bad Apple making it more popular in the East as it appeals to anime fans here and in the West too.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

You mean Katamari. Not a shmup, but a rmup.

[@AzrialAlaria]

I believe that Zuntata is the master of this stuff. Darius series is a great example. They also tend to match up their music to the action on screen. They did this to great effect on the Dariusburst series of games! Thanks for the content, Shmup Junkie!

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're welcome and I have to agree. Not everyone loves Zuntata's work, it's very experimental, but it does exactly what it's meant to. The Darius games feel like they do almost exclusively because of their music for the series.

[@iansarver8444]

The Ninja Warriors series is my favorite but I love Zuntata's work on vg soundtracks.

[@AoiHeartStranger]

​@@ShmupJunkie art direction is also great in darius.

[@deviancepurplehaze6045]

I still remember Twin Bee soundtrack to this day. Einhander songs are super epic too.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I was actually going to include some Einhander in this video, but because Square Enix has been going after some videos with their music in it, I chose to play it safe. That was the main reason otherwise I had a track picked out for it too.

[@Amni3D]

Einhander's boss tune is S+

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@Amni3D Totally agree it’s still one of my fav tunes on the system. I actually wanted to show some Einhander here but played it safe as Square Enix has been going after some videos lately using their music.

[@CodyCallaway]

Easily one of the best videos you have ever made junkie (and you’ve had some amazing ones)! This was such a ride through history. Thanks for all you do for the community. Keep making the videos and we will keep devouring them.

[@ShmupJunkie]

It's hard to go wrong featuring great music. I just try to set it up and let the games and music speak for themselves. As long as I have more to make and continue to enjoy it, I'll definitely keep on making them.

[@secretysecret1551]

i agree. Kind of made me wish he would now expand beyond shooters since he was soooo spot on with this one.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@secretysecret1551 Oh I will here and there. Like I did with the Capcom arcade stadium or the pc engine history videos where it made sense. Other series I really like. I plan diversify to grow the audience but still keep focusing on growing the genre at the same time. I gotta hook em with other content but then get them to stay for the shmups haha.

[@secretysecret1551]

@@ShmupJunkie awesome news. by no means was my comment intended as a complaint. I'm just wanting more of this retro-perfection. You and gamesack are the only youtubers that actually feel like they played games for enjoyment back in the day. Everyone else lacks the retro-tinted-glasses when looking at things.

[@Godsgood111]

@@secretysecret1551 amen, I'd love to see gamesack create a modern shmups video featuring schmup junkie

[@PhoticSneezeOne]

After nearly 3 decades, those thunderforce 4 and axelay soundtracks still give me goosebumps. unbelievable

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yep, it's that music that we mostly remember most. Crazy how that works.

[@BixbySnyder209]

Truth

[@NorthGameGod]

That mention to SCC is gold. That chip made me become a videogame musician.

[@electronjunkie5697]

8 and 16-bit shmup chip tunes... Always hitting me right in the feels!!!

[@mutkaheki]

Damn right, the music definitely made the games stand out in our memories. Another amazing video, thank-you.

[@atheismcrew1524]

"The INSANELY good music of shoot em ups" >immediately starts with Gradius.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Anything else would be uncivilized 😉

[@jszekerj]

The single most memorable and nostalgic aspect of retro games and gaming in general. So many huge influences in my life and creativity. Gradius III and Space Manbow are some of the best most epic soundtracks. MSX Nemesis II right with them too. TF3+4, Musha, Grind Stormer, Zero Wing! Amazing flat out. My favorite topic, thanks for such a great video entry! Awesome retrospective!

[@ShmupJunkie]

I thought you would enjoy this one dude given your musical background and talent. If I could actually play well enough, I'd constantly be tempted to try and learn my favorite tracks and play them myself. All those early chip tunes especially mega drive tracks really lend themselves to jamming on an electric.

[@jaymorrison8419]

try GleyLancer

[@jszekerj]

@@ShmupJunkie yesss. I really been wanting to get back to attempting videogame music. Would be a blast and could make videos of it again. As you know now that even just creating that video aspect enough is some work. Learning a piece then recording mixing and performing it is a whole beast.

[@headman82]

I feel like these developers are well aware of how important the music is to a shmup, because you’ll be playing it over and over and enjoying the tunes. One could argue the music is the most important aspect of a stg

[@ShmupJunkie]

Most likely yes, at least the good devs did. Konami had a huge band with tons of members making music for all their games and it's no wonder some of the best music of that time came from them.

[@salemite]

That Gradius 3 theme is burned into my young brain. Even though I loved Darius Twin more on SNES, those tunes were unbeatable.

[@ShmupJunkie]

What was your favorite shooting game soundtrack of all time? Was it included in this video of the most Epic Music of Shoot Em Ups? If not I'll bet I'm going to hear about it! Let's see how many "I can't believe you didn't mention XYZ" comments I can get! haha. Seriously though, it's impossible to cover anywhere near every game I wanted, let alone every incredible soundtrack out there without creating a 9 hour long Lord of the Rings style epic. So let me know your all time favorites. And when I do a Top 10 STG soundtracks countdown video, I can make sure I give it a good long listen. ✅ Subscribe To My Channel ➡️ Support me on PATREON www.patreon.com/shmupjunkieslushfund

[@jonniefast]

pc engine cd @ sapphire 😎 the only game cd soundtrack ikeep in my car permanently

[@Skeletroy]

Pretty cool topic for a video, you've got a lot of great music here. One of my two favorites is Raiden II (and 4 by association, I suppose, although I'm not a huge fan of some of the remixes), the soundtrack has a sort of triumphant sadness that really resonates with me. My other favorite is Soldier Blade. The TurboGrafx had an awesome soundchip, and a lot of their shooters are as fun to listen to as to play. Soldier Blade is a cut above the rest for me, it's intense, the drums sound great, and it's just all really well composed.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@Skeletroy Soldier Blade is likely my fav shooter on the system and part of that is the awesome chip tunes. Says a lot when a hucard competes with some of the best cd tracks on that console. It’s one of my most played games.

[@ShmupJunkie]

@@jonniefast that boss music is 🔥🔥🔥

[@noop9k]

Dragon Spirit(PCE), Silpheed(SCD) music among my top favs.

[@philmason9653]

Wow, all these years I had _no idea_ the TG-16 used wavetable synthesis! I'd seen it listed as PSG and figured all those cool sounds were just really adept use of pulse wave modulation. Now I'm fascinated with it all over again. Great job on the video, I had so many smiles from Gyruss onward. Please make another, there's so much to explore with this topic.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah, it was a very unique implementation and I learned some things as well with more research. The memory was very limited, but they could use all sorts of early digital sound and dynamically use them for the music. I'm not sure what gave the PCE specifically it's signature sound but I always loved it and how melodic it could be while retaining that 8bit quality from the famicom days. It's only a matter of time before I do something else like this one, only with a new approach once I get a good idea for it.

[@jamiecampbell8855]

I was never a shoot em ups fan, but your work has gone a way to addressing this interest. Plus your documentary on the pc engine/turbo grafx was amazing. Well done.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! And sorry for the late reply, it takes a while to catch up. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, I put a TON of time into those PCE videos so I'm glad they did well. I was waiting to do that console justice for a long time.

[@unlimitedretrogaming]

I had to pause the video and grab a beer, what a magnificent video once again my friend!! This genre has the best music hands down. For me, nothing like the music from Gradius, Life Force, Cotton, Tatsujin and, thanks for introducing me to, Lords of Thunder!

[@PlayNewApp]

Awesome. 😘🌈 Nice upload my friend.😊 Like it. 🤗👍

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you I’m glad you enjoyed. I had a good time making it.

[@ezeepeezy]

Oh man, this is easily one of my favorites of your episodes! I Was just telling you how much music influences my gaming experiences, and you so eloquently and beautifully stated that here! So well done, my friend!👏🏽🥰

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks dude! I'm glad you had time to check this out and relax with everything going on. It's always a ton of fun making music episodes and I wasn't going to miss just a taste of Axelay in there.

[@ezeepeezy]

Shmup Junkie So happy to see it included! Yeah this gave me a welcome distraction from everything going on, important to still find time for self-care. Also, there's a ton of games in here that I'm DYING to seek out now!

[@nostartia]

Loved every second of this video! When I was a kid, I felt a little bit alone when I realized how crazy I was for those amazing soundtracks. Thank god time put everything in its place, and your video is a great example of that. Keep it up!

[@Randhrick]

As a huge fan of video game music I enjoyed this episode so much, people don't talk enough of what I think is a very important aspect of video games. Very well made episode you covered all the important games that I consider to be a staple in STG video game music and you also talked about new games like Devil Engine. Bravo sir .

[@ShmupJunkie]

I really tried, and yet even I can think of some important games and tracks I feel bad for missing. There are just so many it's really hard to edit things out. I hope the video does well and if there is a demand for similar in the future I will definitely make more. I certainly enjoyed making it.

[@joshmiller887]

Amazing video! You never fail to do your homework. There IS just something about that C64 sound. It hits all the right feels. Cd quality was also great, but I’ll take the 8-bit and 16-bit soundtracks any day over them.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Lucky for me I have a great group of folks on my discord that help me with my homework ahaha. Mainly when it comes to the old computer systems as I never got to own a C64, Amiga or any of the others. Only see them in magazines. I was PC only at the time. So their input was super helpful. And I'll need to do an episode for those beauties at some point as they all had some great shooters on them. I'm with you on the chip tunes, they got the magic.

[@ajsingh4545]

Along with RPGs, Shmups have the best music tracks all around.

[@Myako]

Such an amazing video. The way music gets one's emotions pumped up really has no parallel among the components of a video game. Thanks for making this!! 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻 And I'm still very sad no one has tried a Turbografx/Supergrafx-CD port of "Cho Ren Sha 68k". 😔

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's an interesting take. Maybe someday someone will try coding that game onto a 16bit console, as it could at least come close to reproducing it. The game will be playable on the Sharp68K Mister core so at least that's a plus. It's back in development and coming along nicely from what I hear.

[@Touhou-forever]

Ah yes ZUN (太田順也) when I first became a Touhou fan I didn't believe other Touhou fans telling me that ZUN does the music, the coding, the drawing and the graphics all by himself it wasn't until I watched a documentary about Touhou that ZUN showed people how he makes the Touhou games also keep in mind that this documentary about Touhou is completely in Japanese and there are some videos of it on KZbin with English subtitles but it is sadly incomplete because not all of the parts of the documentary is on KZbin unfortunately but it was a very interesting documentary all the same I listen to Touhou music all of the time as well as none Touhou music keep up the good work.

[@ultor7654]

Always spot on mate! I can't be more agree with your final conclusion. So many souvenir from my childhood come out of my memories with these gorgeous music. Thank you so much!

[@Carina_d3a]

I have never had a video give me so many back tingles and single tear moments. Thank you, Shmup Junkie 💖💖💖💖💖

[@canticledrawl]

Thank you for an incredible soundtrack!

[@sudacagamer]

Not a shoot em up per se but I still missed a Star Fox mention (SNES) probably one of the best and most underrated OSTs out there from the 16 bit era. Great job as always and thanks for not including timmy haha

[@ShmupJunkie]

I totally consider Starfox a shoot em up, it has all the ingredients and just happens to be a more 3D perspective. I didn't play a lot of Starfox myself so I think I am missing out on a lot of that soundtrack. Now that you mentioned it I will give it a good listen later. I remember they even made a limited vinyl for it at one point.

[@MegaYoYo]

Amazing work here! I personally think that music is 50% of a great game. The other 50% being gameplay. This is incredibly important in shmups. One of my favorite OST's is Area 88 (U.N. Squadron). Even the mission briefing and mission select stages bop!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Totally agree and UnSq is highly underrated. It’s probably my fav soundtrack on the Snes and great across the entire game. Graphics seem to sell games but I always placed them last after music and gameplay too. They’re nice but you get used to them. We don’t rave about them decades later like great music or the gameplay. It’s very analogous to a great film too. The soundtrack helps make the movie.

[@ceberuss_yt8266]

Thank you for filling my heart with joy, hearing the excellent selection. My favorite is probably Axelay, being a snes kid. But damn, the genesis and pcengine have awesome tunes too. And that’s only the 16bit gen… 🙌

[@ShmupJunkie]

The 16bit gen was still my all time fav in terms of music. Not only with the awesome chip tunes, but imo the best early cd music on the pc engine games. I'll always have a nostalgia for them. UN Squadron on SNES was always my favorite on that system for music, very underrated.

[@MrDirkles]

Every time i watch one of your videos i learn something and that is despite being into computer games since i first encountered space invaders in the childrens room of my local pub when i was eight years old. An amazing video!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're not the only one. Every time I make a video I learn something, or many somethings. Especially in terms of systems I know less like the European computer systems. I have some great people on my discord with so much knowledge, and they help a lot in filling in the holes where I need it most.

[@quibquatch3975]

Great ending! Soldier Blade's OST is probably the zenith of all shooter chip tunes for me. That PC Engine "sound" brings a tear to my eye every time with it's early 90's feel and warm tones. Sounds amazing regardless of game genre.

[@ShmupJunkie]

No exaggeration to say it’s probably my favorite chip tune soundtrack of all time. For sure in terms of shooters. Simply love it. The PCE in general had my favorite sound and more games that I loved the music than any other.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

IMO Final Soldier is the epitome. It has a way better OST, not just 1 or 2 songs, but all are great, and the game is nicer too, not the style-hotch-potch of Soldier Blade (them ugly clouds and purple lava lamp levels!). Also the powerups function better, not the ADHD pods that are impossible to avoid. Best of all, you can get 2 Final Soldiers for the price of 1 Soldier Blade.

[@SuperLlama42]

I've never been particularly good at shmups. But like fighting games, I'm hooked on the soundtracks, and they're a big part of what keeps me coming back.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I'll admit the music in many games and especially the shmup genre is more important to me than graphics. Even when a game looks and play amazing, when the music isn't there, it feels like something is missing.

[@ThunderForce222]

Your monologue brought me to actual tears.....Everything you said.....all of it......can never ever be said better.....

[@ShmupJunkie]

It’s said even better by the music itself, words just can’t replicate the experience it gives us. I often wish I had more musical talent myself to be able to express in that way.

[@ThunderForce222]

Hyakutaru Tsukumo ----S.S.H. -Thunder Force VII:Knight's of Legend. If I could just meet or speak to him just once, and tell him how much his music has directly affected my life, made me cry. Gave me confidence. Gave me strength to face the enemy In Iraq & Afghanistan. Gave me hope, when I walked the streets homeless in pouring rain, Gave me inspiration to arrange my own OST's and kept me alive when I didn't have the will to keep going......I would give anything....for that chance.

[@andrewbutler9533]

Enjoyed the hell out of that! So glad that Shoot em up fans such as yourself and Studio Mudprints exist. 👍👍👍

[@ShmupJunkie]

Me too, as I also need something to watch haha. I'm a noob compared to Mudprints, Ed has been around for a long time. Over 300 reviews it's nuts.

[@Phantasiafans]

You are so right. The music some of these games have to offer is outstanding. You pointed out the brilliant Eschatos to me in another video and I fell in love with the game but also with the music. I listen to it in my car while driving, at hone and in my recording studio. One thing I adore about STG music is that it blends different fast styles (around 140 bpm). It does not matter if the tune is power metal, techno, classical or jazz influenced, as long as it is uplifting and driving enough to support the action.

[@ShmupJunkie]

The fact that I got you into playing Eschatos is good enough for me and music to my ears haha. Absolutely adore that game now every since a friend helped me discover it too. No surprise partly because of the amazing music.

[@Renegaiden_]

This is such a beautiful compilation of chiptune classics and contemporary classics. These composed works can all stand the test of time with the insane melodic craftsmanship. Thank you for celebrating this legacy of inspirational VGM.

[@naseemhamed3488]

This guy never misses

[@wewyllenium]

I love the past. It's raw, simple and straight to the heart!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Especially the 8/16bit chip tunes. I won't get tired of them I think ever.

[@PaStef37]

Excellent video ! A wave of nostalgia and good words for the future. I'm recently back in the genre, remembering and discovering so many things, among them your channel which is just perfect for that. The stars must be right... Le'ts keep the shoot'em up flame alive.

[@blanderstg7221]

Holy crap, I completely forgot about Gaiares until that song came in. I played the hell out of that game back in high school. Never made it past stage 2, I think. Might have to plan a return trip one of these days... Excellent video! Thanks for unlocking this wellspring of buried memories!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Heck yeah Gaiares was one of the best on the mega drive. I still play it from time to time. Was the total package. Really tough game but a heck of a good one.

[@ShamanNoodles]

Great music is one of the things that kept me going back to 16 bit RPG's. Happy to discover more awesome music outside that genre. Shooters are dope

[@ShmupJunkie]

It's hard for me to think of an early genre that didn't have great music. All the famous platformers esp. from Konami had awesome music. Ninja Gaiden on NES was always a fav too. Blaster Master. The great RPGs like you said. I don't ever really get tired of playing those old games and the music is definitely a part of it. The original FinalFantasy tunes were a mainstay in my brain after playing it on the NES as a kid.

[@jacksparrow4111]

Another great video, and with lots of new ideas for more videos. Like for example, shooters on the MSX, the Amiga and the X68000. Some of my all time favorite tunes that with just a few seconds put me in the mood for shooters are the begining of R-Type, Tatsujin/Truxton (I love the accelerated version of the Mega Drive) and Thunderforce 4. But there are so many! Your videos actually motivate me to put more hours into shooters and to buy more new shooters to support the developers so that we get more games.

[@michielkroder4031]

Another incredible video. The editing, narrative and track picks are out of this world. And I was happy to see some of the tracks we picked for our shmup music podcast come by as well! 😊

[@ShmupJunkie]

I noticed that too actually. I looked at your link and was like, oh I did that one too, and that one, and that one. Looks like we were thinking of a lot of similar games.

[@MiiDev69]

This was an incredible documentary! I am glad Thunder Force V made in, even though it was just for a brief moment. Thunder Force V, Gradius 3 and Raiden 2 were the games I grew up with and their soundtracks are master pieces. Thank you ever so much for your work.

[@ShmupJunkie]

You’re welcome. I love music in games and it’s always been critical for me, so I wanted to make something fun like this for a while. It’d be impossible not to mention thunder force and Gradius in a video like this. Both Konami and Technosoft made some of the best music of that era. Raiden was always a classic too with Go Sato’s compositions.

[@f.k.b.16]

It's amazing how good of an arcade port Gradius was on the NES!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Both that and Life Force, probably my two most played shooters on the system. And yeah, both fantastic for the time. Despite later versions being even better, I often go back and play the old NES versions for the nostalgia of it.

[@RyuHirakashi1]

This video is a masterpiece! There’s so much rich history to shooters. I was simply amazed all the excellent games with amazing music that has been made over the decades. For me I still listen to the guardian legend’s ost. So amazing that I still love the music decades after I initially played. This is one of your best videos junkie! Keep doing what you’re doing your level of knowledge of these games is just as amazing!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Guardian Legend is just a great game in general and an old fav from those days. I still will play it from time to time. What's crazy is this video only scratches the surface of it all and there are so many games I missed. Too bad this one wasn't very popular, youtube isn't that into videos about music I suppose. But I really enjoyed making it as the soundtracks to games are a huge part of what I remember about them.

[@thomashampel761]

Your introduction in absolutely on point. Wow!

[@run1cc347]

Enjoyed all of this! Thanks

[@amerigocosta7452]

Man, you're nailing it video after video! I grew up with the C64 and that distinctive SID sound is something I could never forget. It was the ancient Gyruss on the C64 that made me realise how important the music was in a shooter. I want to mention three legendary computer shmups with great soundtracks that deserve appreciation: Tyrian 2000 for the PC, Flame Zapper Kotsujin for the PC-98 and Wings of Death for the Atari ST.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Oh man, Flame Zapper. That one is so cool and I only learned about it from a friend on Twitter around last year. I didn't get to grow up with these computer systems and missed most of the games, only learning more about them now. But I do remember Tyrian 2000 as I was mainly playing PC. A lot of people have good memories of that one and I still see homages to it in modern games. I'm going to be exploring a lot more games on the Mister soon for C64, Amiga and MSX that I missed out on.

[@krosigrim]

Amazing opening statements. Watching the video is inspirational both AUDIBLY and visually. So many amazing games...

[@krosigrim]

And again, seen titles I didnt know about

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I thought it would be fun to make a music oriented episode like this one. Kind of a history but different. Only trouble is there are always many composers and tracks I didn't include that I would have liked to.

[@krosigrim]

@@ShmupJunkie Indeed! You had to strike a balance and you did just that. Look at it this way, you have the option to make a follow up.

[@visionop8]

I love the game music of this period, especially the 16-bit era. On weekends when me and the lady have had a little wine and a bit of cannibus, we retreat to the studio and she listens to me play Sega Genesis covers on a Yamaha DX7. I do a lot of square wave covers of NES songs on other synths but it seems that the Sega Genesis shooters via Yamaha DX7 covers are the big hit here. This is an incredible video and thank you for the good time! You've inspired me and I might have to work in some Zero Wing covers. Spoiler alert: every time this ends in a cover of Mr. Mister's Broken Wings. The Yamaha FM chip is eternal.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Dude, Zero Wings tune would be awesome played that way as they have some killer melodies. I love the second stage as well as the Final, but a bunch of them are good. Next to Tatsujin it's my favorite soundtrack of theirs. I'd be a big fan of the old NES covers too as I grew up with those too and miss so many of those chip tunes. Especially some of the Sunsoft games ❤

[@KollisionBR]

An immensely satisfying video, sent several chills down my spine! This is great to remind us why we fell in love with this genre in the first place.

[@mattiasjallow9705]

You always put a smile on my face with your videos! You do incredible work and I cannot even begin to describe how important your videos are! Massive respect Shmup Junkie!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you man that means a lot. And I really enjoy making them. Sorry it takes so long to respond sometimes it's a lot of comments to catch up on, but I try. I hope a video like this has some legs and lasts a long time here for more to find and enjoy.

[@matteste]

And seriously, that closing segment at 33:55 was just something special.

[@ShmupJunkie]

With the Devil Engine soundtrack? Hell yeah that’ll make any sequence awesome. Thank you. Just a shame the dev and publisher had so many issues with its release as it’s a rad game.

[@matteste]

@@ShmupJunkie Not just with the soundtrack but just the speech in general. You just really nailed that part.

[@mazonemayu]

You've outdone yourself again, this should be used as a promo video for the entire genre & to lure a new generation of players LoL. A bit surprised you didn't use Ikaruga, as that soundtrack is out of this world...keep it up mate

[@ShmupJunkie]

Glad you enjoyed it! I think these kinds of nostalgia videos are a good way to get some new people into the genre too, so I like making them. I was actually thinking I missed on not mentioning the radiant silvergun ost, as most see it as one of the seminal works. But Ikaruga does have some awesome music too. I could’ve made this video an hour and still missed too much good music lol.

[@mazonemayu]

@@ShmupJunkie LoL so true, too many good tunes out there ;)

[@ericlueck8419]

For a great modern Mega Man-like game I can only describe as a Shmup with great music, I can't recommend Copy Kitty enough. It has hundreds of weapon combinations to pick from as the main selling point, but also has a dynamic soundtrack throughout the whole game to reflect the mood. Even the HP warning sound and powerup noises don't just statically happen, they sink and play to the soundtrack. Highly recommended for the most obscure of obscure indie games.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Wow, obscure is right I never heard of it. Neko Navy is the only cat themed shmup I heard of, and here comes another. Thanks for the recommendation, as at least I can throw it on my list and search it up when I have some time.

[@camargotechx7]

An awesome soundtrack is a requirement for great shmups. It’s what keeps me putting in one more credit, having one more shot at the final boss, one more crack at the high score. Thanks SJ for this awesome video, it’s my favorite thus far 👍🏽

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's high praise thank you. I'm stoked you enjoyed it that much. I think this one and my older amazing shmups of the 80s and 90s and are my favorites I've made, along with the pc engine history. I can't take too much credit for this one, as the music itself is really what is so good. I just try to edit it in a way that makes listening to clips of all these tracks memorable and organize it in a meaningful way.

[@Eudessp]

Best video in 2021 for me so far!! I'm very happy and excited about so much content!!! I have no words to thank you for!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

That's high praise thank you! I'm having lots of fun making these and I hope more people get to see it.

[@retroheed6226]

Great video showcasing some amazing shooter tunes, great job :)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks buddy. Sorry for the slow reply just catching up on some comments. Can't have a great shooter without some good music. I know you appreciate it more than most. It's what keeps us coming back... even to some games we maybe shouldn't haha.

[@braikingboss9137]

Fantastic video!!! Surely the music of my childhood so many memories brought back, you know, truly appreciate you, keep doing this amazing work and keep killing it and keep growing and growing and growing best wishes for your channel always

[@DodonEnthusiasticArt]

Shmup's all folks! Wonderful focus on shooting music dude, it gives me shivers! So many awesome tracks from our favorite genre, marvelous. Always ready for shooters' come back here!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks dude! And sorry for the slow reply, it takes a while to catch up every evening. I know how much you enjoy killer music in games so I knew you would like this one. 2021 is another good year for new shmups, I'm excited for what's coming next. My next video actually is for new shmups coming this year.

[@Outshinedsg]

I feel like most shmups have above average soundtracks, with a good number of them being in the "best of all time" tier of music. Really tough to condense 40 years of amazing music into a single 30 minute video! There are so many memorable games. Loved your selections though. I might have included some examples from Raiden in this list, simply because for many people that was *the* 90's arcade shooter they remember.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Yeah there’s a ton I would’ve loved and should’ve included. I didn’t even mention Radiant Silvergun! Doh. Raiden is classic that’s a miss Id go back and include if I could.

[@MrKyokugenryu]

Amazing video. I opened 28 new tabs during the video to remind me listening to my favorite games tracks. Thank you !

[@Crcvmbdfl]

Manabu Namiki's music is amazing ❤

[@yeeeeehaaaaaw]

I just recently became in love with shmups, and my favorites so far are ikaruga of course, super star soldier, soldier blade and final soldier. And man discovering this channel is giving me so much to sink my teeth in. Great content!

[@ShmupJunkie]

So awesome to hear that. Did you find a personal favorite across any of the Soldier games?

[@alestex]

Absolutely amazing episode! Love the attention to detail with all the composers and soundteams featured.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I had a great time time working on it and pretty happy with how it came out. I just wish musical episodes were more popular on youtube as I'd enjoy making more. But regardless I'm glad there is a good one out there now.

[@metalknight83]

Every video you create is a shmups love letter, your job has become an important part of shooters history! Nice video as always!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. It's always a pleasure doing a musical episode as they pretty much write themselves. I'm pretty happy with how it came out, even if it's not the most popular topic for whatever reason. I don't see much like it on youtube so I wanted to make something people can search down the road.

[@joshthefunkdoc]

Darius Gaiden & G-Darius aren't just my favorite game soundtracks of all time - they're a major reason those are some of my favorite games of all-time even though i'm ass at shmups. To this day i can't find any "real music" that sounds quite like them... Thanks for the video!

[@ShmupJunkie]

There really isn't much music that sounds like those games, it's truly unique. Some love it and others don't quite get it, but it's brilliantly composed. The one G Darius track I showed in this one is so awesome, especially on that final stage with the boss flashing in during the storm in the background. One of the coolest moments in the game.

[@martinholden9686]

Wot an absolutely superb video this is! I knew i was going to love watching this & you delivered as always junkie! Great work 👍

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! It’s always a blast doing a musical video and this one came out great. If they were more popular I’d do more but it was still worth doing something like it. I hope it gets found more long term as it feels like it’s important historically. And a nice hit of nostalgia to boot.

[@acecarrera1]

I honestly think game music composition of 8 and 16 bit era was better than mainstream pop, it was like life's best kept secret, known only to us who played video games.Great work highlighting some of them in this well made video.

[@KingLizzardsGameLounge]

Excellent video, this must have taken hours.... A Serious trip down nostalgia road for me and great to see some old friends (especially the Amiga, thank you!) plus some awesome looking newer games I'm not aware of, but will be looking up for sure. The music is where just as much of the magic is for me in these games with the R-Type's, UN Squandron, Axelay and so on that instantly run rampant in my mind musically when I think of them. I've had R-Type's tune in my head since Sunday, when I first started watching! Awesome video dude.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you dude. I'm glad you got a chance to catch up and enjoy it. You were lucky to enjoy the Amiga growing up, to where it was as possible for me as a turbografx was for you. Just didn't really exist in the US or where I lived and could only drool over them in magazines. I am definitely going to do an Amiga Shmups episode at one point as I have a lot of folks on the discord that are very knowledgeable in it. So they'll point me in the right direction and I'm finally going to play a lot of those beauties.

[@KingLizzardsGameLounge]

@@ShmupJunkie Awesome mate. Looking forward to that. I'll try to chip in as I played a lot back in those days.

[@Steve_UK77]

I grew up with the C64 and Amiga500 so videogame music was always essential for me when choosing a game. I always mention it but.... Natsuki Chronicles and Ginga Force have such AMAZING tracks, it makes a difference!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Absolutely, anything by that composer is awesome. Eschatos is still my favorite work of his, but all those games are magic OST.

[@brianbergmusic5288]

I felt personally catered to with this video. I cannot thank you enough for creating it (other than a new sub). This video even gave me a new obsession: That Lords of Thunder OST. It sounds like they hired my favorite guitarists from the 80s to make something extra kickass.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Really glad you found me through this video and enjoyed it so much. Yes, the band was a company called T’s music and they did some awesome soundtracks that generation. Lords of Thunder and Cotton on pc engine was some of their best work.

[@pirateFinn]

Being strongly reminded of how much I loved the music of Gradius Gaiden from the moment that intro started.

[@pirateFinn]

Also in some ways, Contra Hard Corps (tho Contra as a whole) felt like the music was lifted straight out of shmups with the tone.

[@ShmupJunkie]

I would’ve liked to squeeze some Gaiden music in here too if I could. Konami was on fire and they’ve been sorely missed. The original Contra is still an old fav for so many of us that I can’t help but play through at least once every year. Though it’s not as fun as back then when I would kill my friend on the waterfall stage by leaving them behind haha.

[@thanasysdim]

Man how cool was that!!! Thank you so much for this video!!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

You’re welcome! The music in this genre is amazing so I thought a video celebrating it would be a lot of fun to make.

[@GMetzo]

awesome video mate. i stumbled upon it randomly and it is for sure one I will revisit later. spectacular work. keep it up!

[@kitzen1795]

this video feels like a 2 for 1 deal, cause i'm a sucker for some good music, and i've also trying to get into more shmups lately. ended up finding quite a lot of games that caught my eye. and great video, i'll definitely be sticking around for more!

[@kevward2596]

😎long live shmups 💪boss video shmup junkie loved watching this one ,listening to all the classic sounds from my childhood ,and appreciate them all once again,love my shmups always have always will👍thanks again for representing us all who love shmups/bullethell games😎

[@ShmupJunkie]

You're welcome and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. As much as I did making it.

[@CousinHubertRetrogaming]

As always you rocked a classic video here shmupie 😭😭😭🔥 I love how late 80's early 90's Williams pinballs sound just like the Megadrive soundchip! ie. Whirlwind, Earthshaker, Taxi, Diner etc! 😀

[@ShmupJunkie]

Does it really? I wonder what kind of sound chip/device those machines used? I'm a total noob when it comes to old pinball machines. I enjoyed them like anyone else but never got into the tech behind them and how they operate. All I know is they look terribly complex when I've seen them opened up.

[@oxcellent]

Awesome video, thanks so much. Especially, as I'm coming from Europe, that you mentioned the mostly awesome music in Shmups on Home Computer Systems which often get overlooked when videos were made from a US perspective

[@ShmupJunkie]

I grew up in the US, though I was originally born in Europe, so I never got to play most of those computer games. I had to learn about them later and play on emulation. But I have a great group of people on my discord and many from UK and other parts of Europe, so they helped a lot in getting me some good information to use for the video.

[@virtuafighter3]

As soon as I saw the title I gave thumbs up. Totally original topic and excellent treatment of the topic in the video.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I really never saw it done before and I guess it's because music oriented videos on youtube don't do well (which I learned after making this haha), so they aren't made often. But I love game music and especially in shooters, so I always wanted to make something celebrating the great music in these games and glad I did.

[@projetolaunchbox693]

Sir. This is one of the best shmups game videos I've ever seen. Just Awesome!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks! I really enjoy making these kind of nostalgic historical videos. This and the one I did called Amazing Shoot Em Ups of the 80s and 90s are a couple of my favorite I've done.

[@serakthepreparer4805]

Great video! The secret stage in R-Type for the master system is my favorite!

[@jeffkenshiro_fr2895]

Great video !! Music participate at minimum 50% of shmup greatness !!!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Agreed! Great music can make an average game much better. Or make a great game feel like it’s missing something. It feels like the heart of the game.

[@tescoshortage]

TFV is what sparked my love for shmup soundtracks. The entire Tecnosoft team and Hyakutaro Tsukumo did a phenomenal job in the production of Thunder Force V.

[@OperationPhantom]

Thanks for mentioning the C64 and Amiga; I grew up with those systems and the music was and is a HUGE part of my continuing love for them. Enjoyed the whole video BTW, so many talented musicians and memorable soundtracks!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thanks, and yeah I couldn't leave the great PC games music out of the conversation. There was still so much more I missed and could've shown... it's endless. And I would've liked to spend a little more time on it, but I had to mention them.

[@JDragon272]

Yes, I agree - great music is needed for Shoot Em’ Ups to make the experience of the Genre great. Some of my favorites are: * U.N. Squadron / Area 88 - SNES * Gradius III - SNES * Ikaruga - GameCube/Switch * Axelay - SNES * Raiden II - Arcade or PS1 Remix * Gate of Thunder - TurboGrafix-16 CD/PC Engine * ThunderForce III - Sega Genesis * Sol-Feace - Sega CD

[@zoydo5794]

Great video (as always), keep up the good work! ✌🏻💚

[@SouthernMenace]

So much love in this video. Music was always a big factor in my love for shmups.

[@ShmupJunkie]

Same here. I’ll even put up with some pretty bad ones if the music is awesome. When it all comes together it’s magic.

[@jasonwells1719]

Awesome video documentary. Thank you!!!!

[@Spiele-maschineDe]

Great Video, Junkie! Anybody else here ever had the feeling that Gradius 1, 2 & 3 sounds a lot like the old Marillion Synthie-Stuff? I could swear they were in the ears of the talented composer!

[@martinevans1206]

Another great video - well done.

[@neokimchi]

this is seriously inspiring me to compose right now. I've got my switch next to me, i use korg gadget which includes synths based on the sounds from darius. thank you so much for this. i love love love that the music is an extremely important part of this genre and revered so highly by the fanbase. it's such a technical genre of gameplay but the aesthetics and art surrounding the art are both respected and critiqued so thoughtfully by you, shmups on switch, etc. it really makes me appreciate the complexities of people and their reactions to art. thanks for doing what you do. your passion itself is incredible. I'd listen to you blather on about maritime litigation if you were as enthusiastic about it.

[@galagafirstdefender3394]

This video is simply amazing. So much good music. Loved the way you put this together. Keep up the good work. Hails!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. I had fun with it, and honestly with this much good music it almost writes itself. It wasn't easy squeezing so much into a short video, and I hate to have missed so much, but it felt like a good taste of the times.

[@tsunamirider9895]

Another epic video. Also love the music in Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga. Treasure games in general have great soundtracks (Gunstar Heroes is pretty epic)

[@ShmupJunkie]

Thank you. I really missed it with not mentioning RSG. It's not necessarily a personal fav in terms of shmup soundtracks, but there's no denying it's legacy and popularity. It was a miss for not including it and if I could go back, I absolutely would. I know a lot that love the soundtrack to that game.

[@mrmonkeyman79]

Great video, I was worried for a bit when you showed thunder force IV without playing Metal Squad but then BAM, you threw it in there at the last minute! Really pleased you followed up on my suggestion in the r type history video and gave the c64 some love. Chris Huelsbeck did the R Type and Apidya soundtracks that you played and was considered a legend in the c64 and amiga scene since he did many of the best c64 and Amiga soundtracks. You actually hit the nail on the head with the way composers approached chip tunes differently. I forget where i read it but with limited sounds, audio channels and often having to limit the length of the music they concentrated on creating strong and catchy melodies. This was lost somewhat when those limitations went and is why a lot of modern game soundtracks do a great job of enhancing the mood whole playing but don't stick in the head so well but you'll likely remember the music from many 8 or 16 bit games you haven't played since you were a kid.

[@noop9k]

C64 is known for having awesome music in otherwise crappy games :P

[@Azel954]

Video game music means an incredible amount to me, absolutely love this video!

[@ShmupJunkie]

Awesome I'm glad you did. When you have this much good music to work with, the video almost makes itself and I'm along for the ride.

[@falksi3182]

Another superb vid. Music is such a HUGE part of these classic games. Great to see Thunderforce 3 feature, for me the best soundtrack of that era. No Elemental Master was a surprise though. Technosoft's sound was awesome.

[@Alianger]

16:10 WB3: Monster Lair is a good early example of that. Nice vid!