I too am a shmup lover and addict. While I admit to playing a bunch of the "bullet hell" allstars, I think my favorite shooter ever was Zanac:



www.vc-reviews.com/games/...



As the review mentions, it does adjust difficulty based on performance, but in a really organic way so even if you're getting rocked you never feel like the game is holding your hand. It also just never actually gets easy--if you do manage to play through without dying (so the difficulty doesn't go down), it's actually one of the hardest shooters I've ever played.



Re: the question, maybe there is a middle ground?

The problem with making an "easy" shooter is that it'll get so boring so quickly. I mean, I remember the first time I played Super C on the NES... I couldn't get past stage 3, even when I was playing Co-op with my brother. I'd end up using my 2 lives, stealing on of his, dieing and then watching him game-over like 3 levels later.



Now, I can beat Super C on the NES without using the Konami code, on 1 player mode without too much hassle. And Supe C isn't even an Easy Shooter.



I guess the different between games like Contra and then killers like say Legendary Wings is the bullet count on the screen. I don't know how many people remember that game, but that was a ridiculously hard game for a 6 year old to play and beat. *shudders* But when you beat it, oh man was it rewarding.



I guess it's like what S-kill says... its about a balance... making the game hard enough that it has replay value, especially since Shooters are so short, but making it fun enough that it draws you in and makes you come back for more punishment... err... I mean fun.

I can never really get into shooters. Once I get to that unbeatable point, I just give up on the game. I don't feel the need to keep going after that.



And there's something else about them, too. Most shooters just feel kind of ... pointless to me. It could be the lack of a story, but that hardly prevents me from playing Mario games, so I'm not really sure...



I guess shooters just aren't for me, though I can't shake the feeling that I "should" like them for some reason... =/

I think 1942 is the perfect difficulty. It was challenging without being frustrating.



Best of all, the achievements are completely fair. Beat Metal Slug 3 without continuing? Impossible. You shouldn't have to be the best in the world at a game to get all of the achievements.



1942 has fun and doable achievements and I can't wait for more Capcom shooters on XBLA (Cannon Spike, PLEASE)

I'm with Seth on Zanac (one of the better NES shooters). Did anyone ever try Zanac Neo on the PSX? When I was in better form (i.e. college), I could just barely one-credit Ikaruga. That, however, took the amount of time only a college student could devote to it. :)



In general, I have to say that only up until recently were scrolling shooters really that good. Now I know that's a very dangerous word to use, "good," so I'll try to elaborate.



Like the difference between SFI and SFII, the foundation of this genere is in accurate input detection and collision. Many might remember when arcades were flush with scrolling shooters. Upon re-inspection, most of them were pretty bad mostly because they had clunky, inconsistent hitboxes and slow controls.



Similar to SF:EX 2, however, that foundation is necessary, but not sufficient for good overall experience. The really great shooters keep things fresh in the game (you can only kill the same squadron of popcorn enemies so many times before you've had enough). Ikaruga was really great because every new level gave you a new "element" to deal with (Ch2 had boxes, Ch3 had lasers everywhere, Ch4 had those big spiral patterns, Ch5 had... pain).



The new 1942 is really a lot of fun (the old 1942 suffered from SFI syndrome). The enemies are a tad recycled (as are the bosses), but the formations keep it fresh and the presentation of it all is just so slick. Traditionally, scrolling shooters, when played "seriously," were single player affairs. This is one of the few shooters were having a partner actually helps quite a bit (which is also novel). And while it might not make me feel super accomplished at the end, it was good fun. Certainly $10 of good fun.



If asked for my absolute favorite shooter, however, it would have to be Gradius V for the PS2. It might not be widely known, but it was in fact made by Treasure (the folks responsible for Ikaruga). The graphics are gorgeous, the levels are mindblowing (the level 5 boss will make your jaw drop), and unlike the previous Gradii, you are not completely owned if you die. I have to admit that the difficulty curve on it is a little mean, but once you "get" a level, it's really rewarding to go through it and look generally like a badass. :) If you want to see the whole game, my replay is here: www.super-play.co.uk/inde...



This is generally a cool site to see all kinds of super level play-throughs.