which shooter would you recommend? i plan on only buying one.
i ask you to consider value. was the game worth the cash?
please explain your choice as well.
best mini shooter?
(24 posts) (9 voices)-
WTF?! All the way!!! The replay value is off the chart. Controls are awesome, REALLY FUN GAME. Humor is awesome. You should totally buy this game.
Posted 1 year ago # -
ChaosRandom
MemberWTF!? hands down. This game is great. Its funny and fun. Lots of replay value with the challenges and infinite modes. Mediatonic did a great job. M(P)SMP was awesome to though from them. The humor is along the same lines. Cant shoot a hyper beam cannon without striking an awesome pose.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have not voted in this poll because I have only played one of the listed games, Ace Armstrong. However, I can say this much as advice: comparing the number of complaints about difficulty among those four titles, Ace is clearly the hardest one (even more so before its recent update). So, if your interest in getting a shooter is primarily for seeking a ruthless challenge, Ace is the one to get.
Also, I'm pretty sure no one will vote Apache Overkill higher than all of the others, because there's just a lot less "design" to it than the others. Sure, it has a very large number of levels, but the levels don't have maps; I think the only differences between levels are background graphic, end boss, and maybe enemy type/intensity. In this respect, I guess it's even more old-school than Ace Armstrong.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JeremyR
MemberIn their own way, they are all actually pretty good. The difference is, just what do you want?
To me, Flying Hamster and Ace Armstrong are very close in what they try to do. A shooter where you move through landscape, shooting stuff, then fighting a boss. FH wins by far for me, because it's much more accessible (and has a hard mode for those that like a challenge). It's also just really cute and ridiculous.
So I would give FH the edge here unless you really want a challenge.
Similarly, Apache Overkill and WTF are pretty similar because basically there is really no terrain involved, you just fly along blasting enemies that appear in waves and different patterns. Occasionally fighting a mini-boss and then a big boss at the end of the level.
I think WTF? wins out in most categories, it's got a story mode that is quite funny, a lot of unlockables.
On the other hand, because it's go a story mode, I'm not sure there is a big incentive to go back and play the levels again once you've beaten it. There are the extra modes but they are really quite hard. And at least for me, I've never been one interested in unlocking medals and such.
So strangely, the only one I would buy with my own money is Apache Overkill. Because it's really the only one you can't beat. As onmode-ky said, it's even more old school.
Okay, sure, I (still) can't beat Ace Armstrong, but at least in Apache Overkill you do a lot of killing before the game is over (the overkill really isn't hyperbole). Whereas in Ace, it's mostly the enemies doing the killing.
That said, if you looking something to entertain you greatly for a few hours, WTF and FH are both good choices. Both are just very well done games.
I just think Apache Overkill has more long term, fire up for 15 minutes here and there potential.
I know I rarely fired up the FH again after beating it, and only did so with WTF to watch the cutscenes again. (I love the different appearance of the heros in the flashback scene. Small but brilliant touch)
Posted 1 year ago # -
confuletlyf
Memberi'm looking at specifically scrolling shooters. have loved them since i first wasted quarters playing 1942. age of zombies is also pretty pricey.
i'm leaning towards apache overkill solely based on price.does anyone know how the weapon tiers work in any of these games? the reviews don't mention anything about upgradeable weapons... do none of these have a tiered powerup system?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ace and WTF?! have power up systems (in a way).
Posted 1 year ago # -
I am aware of picking up temporary secondary weapons and primary weapon changes in Ace Armstrong, Flying Hamster, and Apache Overkill. If you are asking if there is a power-up system like in the Darius series, where your puny base laser becomes twin beams, then triple beams, then quad beams, before switching to a new weapon, powering that one up, then switching to a third weapon and powering that one up (I think the final weapon you always end up with is the awesome "wave shot") . . . then, no, I don't think that's in any of these games.
I used to think 1942 was my favorite scrolling shooter, but then it occurred to me that its 32 levels really don't have a lot of variety. And, the only boss you ever see, and only every few levels at that, is the Ayako heavy bomber, I think.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I believe you're thinking of 1943, not 1942. 1943 has bosses at the end of every level, some of which are ships while others are aircraft. Also, 1943 has 2-player co-op, a health bar instead of lives, superweapons instead of the loop maneuver, and actual MUSIC during gameplay (instead of just snares and whistles).
Maybe one of the not-yet-released scrolling shooter Minis has tiered weapon power-ups. Aside from FuturLab's project, there are still the Minis ports of Sky Force and Alien Invaders 2 to come.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I can’t choose just one… so I didn’t vote. ;)
Posted 1 year ago # -
how do i plee to a game developer to create a tiered weapons shooter?
Can you explain a bit about what you mean by tiered weapons? Like an RPG-type leveling up system? Or something else?
Posted 1 year ago # -
confuletlyf
Membersomething much simpler.
defeating certain/random enemies or defenses spawns powerups or drops.
flying over said powerup gives you that weapon.
picking up multiple powerups of the same weapon type increases the power/shot spread of said weaponi always most enjoyed the games that had two simultaneous weapon tiers. such as main lasers and secondary machine guns or rockets. i think it was the 1940 series that had a secondary weapon of rockets or missiles that fired at regular intervals alongside your...
Posted 1 year ago # -
confuletlyf
Member(psp cut off my post)
...main weapon. these also increased spread and number fired.
the strategy these systems created was always impressive as you'd often see many powerups for the 2 weapon classes you weren't using, either forcing you to give up on your favourite weapon or tough it out with your reduced firepower.
the single greatest drawback was that if you couldn't avoid a powerup of another type you would drop down to the first tier of the new weapon regardless of which tier you had before...
Posted 1 year ago # -
confuletlyf
Member(i apologize for the triple post, psp limits)
... it would be nice to see this system with a less severe punishment for changing weapons, maybe just drop one tier instead of resetting.
oh!!! don't forget some form of screen clearing bomb.
i may be picky but this is definitely a winning formula.
Posted 1 year ago # -
thats alot of posts confuletlyf.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The power-up system confuletlyf describes (which I think appears in the Raiden series, as well as two of the recent PS1 imports in the US PS Store, GaiaSeed and Shienryu) has probably been avoided in Minis thus far because it really punishes the player for dying. Not only do you lose any special weapons you may have gained, but the main weapon resets to the lowest level of power; you end up not able to handle the game's later enemies. At least, this was the problem in the old days. DariusBurst lets you keep your current weapon level, and Gradius V lets you try to recover any option orbs that you had. So, there are ways around the punishment factor.
confuletlyf, what does your username mean, by the way?
Posted 1 year ago # -
@confuletlyf
Is it something like the weapon system in Modnation Racers?@onmaode-ky
confuletlyf means complete gibberish (at least to my eyes :)Posted 1 year ago # -
confuletlyf
Memberconfusion is the only constant in life, it flies all around us. you have to always question why.
raiden!!! that's the other one i was thinking of. it was freaking as a ps2 remake though.
i've played a couple of games that had a bunch of power ups drop when you die. i always thought you should only lose one tier and your secondary powerups instead of being nerfed completely...
i know one of the capcom collections has the 1940 series, i've just been hopeful that maybe a mini developer could the niche...
Posted 1 year ago # -
The bunch of power-ups dropped is usually not enough. :( Or they bounce all over the screen and lead you to another death.
it was freaking as a ps2 remake though.
maybe a mini developer could the niche...
. . . I don't know what your missing words are supposed to be. ^_^;
I have Raiden III (PS2). I think it's the only Raiden game I've played in any substantial degree. I managed to beat it on Easy mode with no continues remaining, hehe. Didn't think it was all that good, though. In contrast, Gradius V, which I got at around the same time, completely blew me away.
Posted 1 year ago #
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