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Zeroigar! An awesome and rare AF shmup...but what are your rare shmup recs?

VGEsoterica

Member
Nothing makes me happier than giving a recommendation for a rare game people haven't heard of and then they go and play it and enjoy it and tell me what they thought. Inversely I do love a good recommendation for a game I haven't heard of before and may go on to play and really enjoy the hell out of...

So let me suggest Zeroigar to everyone lol. It's one not many people have probably ever heard of because it's a NEC PC-FX exclusive...which means it's already obscure AF. But damn if it isn't a legit fun and unique shmup that deserves to be played way more. It's the standard vertical shmup formula except it has light RPG elements and character progressions between stages / between deaths. Die? Well you can upgrade your ship and start from the beginning of the game as a higher powered character. Honestly in a lot of ways it has a very Dead Rising vibe to it with the carrying over of character stats from one playthrough to the next after death.

And of course because it was on the PC-FX it has some legit fun 32 bit graphics and gameplay. It's still wild its the ONLY shmup on the system considering the PC-Engine / Turbografx was a venerable buffet of awesome shmups. No wonder why the console failed lol. Sadly because it DID fail though barely anyone even knows it actually exists...which is exactly why I am recommending it :) and the good thing is you don't need to be like ME to play it (with original hardware) as it emulates perfectly in Mednafen. It even has an english translation patch for all the menus which makes it extremely friendly to non-Japanese speakers (also me lol)

but yeah...that's my hidden gem shmup recommendation. Now please shower me with yours so I may find a new shmup that I've never heard of to love lolol
 

VGEsoterica

Member


If you've never seen the game in action


the full translation patch. It's pretty impressive

Lol guess there’s not as much shmup love as I anticipated

ok fine, here’s another recommendation. Tatsujin Oh / Truxton II. Arcade and FM Towns Marty exclusive.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Lol guess there’s not as much shmup love as I anticipated

ok fine, here’s another recommendation. Tatsujin Oh / Truxton II. Arcade and FM Towns Marty exclusive.
Not before my coffee.

I'll check this out. If it's a rare exclusive can you get it on PC and if so, how?
 

Trogdor1123

Member
Ahh. Super fun game. I own it and included it in a video about the Sega CD core for MisTer. Def a weird shmup but I’d include it. It almost doesn’t feel like a shmup even if it obviously is
I loved it back in the day. It, sewer shark, and dune lived in my Sega CD.
 

coffinbirth

Member
Gaires on Genesis/MegaDrive is a really good and not-oft-discussed one. Came out quite early in the system's lifecycle but is among one of its best. Tough as nails, too.
Damn, that was actually going to be my rec, haha.

Ok, so not a shmup but somewhat obscure nonetheless, I would recommend Cosmic Smash for Dreamcast. It's like if Top Spin and Rez had a Dreamcast baby.

For shmups I"d say Gley lancer, Biometal, Dragon Breed, Harmful Park, Cotton, eh I could go on forever, lol.
 

Ma-Yuan

Member
Border Down Dreamcast Collectors edition and papillon gals for the famicom I guess. Which is still waiting at the apartment of my parents in law to be picked one day when this covid shit is over...
 
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VGEsoterica

Member
I had Zeroigar awhile back. I thought it was terrible compared to other shmups at the time.
Terrible!? I mean it’s not A tier but def not terrible. Fun graphics, solid gameplay, the rpg lite elements and switchable weapons....all fun stuff IMO
 

baphomet

Member
Terrible!? I mean it’s not A tier but def not terrible. Fun graphics, solid gameplay, the rpg lite elements and switchable weapons....all fun stuff IMO

Nothing felt like it had any weight to it. You, the enemies, your weapons, it all just felt really bad to me.
 

VGEsoterica

Member
Border Down Dreamcast Collectors edition and papillon gals for the famicom I guess. Which is still waiting at the apartment of my parents in law to be picked one day when this covid shit is over...
Border Down is a fun time for sure. Def one of the lesser played shmups on Dreamcast just due to the late release and the fact it costs a fortune these days
 
Damn, that was actually going to be my rec, haha.

Ok, so not a shmup but somewhat obscure nonetheless, I would recommend Cosmic Smash for Dreamcast. It's like if Top Spin and Rez had a Dreamcast baby.

For shmups I"d say Gley lancer, Biometal, Dragon Breed, Harmful Park, Cotton, eh I could go on forever, lol.

I'm surprised anyone else was even gonna rec it, so big ups for actually having good ol' Gaires in mind!

I've heard a bit about Cosmic Smash but haven't had a chance to play it yet. But, I could certainly try to do so now. Would also like to throw some maybe-not-as-well-known shmups like Rayforce, Soukyogurentai, Armed Police Batrider into the pot (only because I don't see them mentioned as often as Darius, Gradius, Thunderforce, Einhander, Radiant Silvergun etc.).

Oh, and maybe Karous. Haven't played too much of it yet but damn the music in it is sooooo good, especially if you like jungle/drum & bass.
 

VGEsoterica

Member
Damn, that was actually going to be my rec, haha.

Ok, so not a shmup but somewhat obscure nonetheless, I would recommend Cosmic Smash for Dreamcast. It's like if Top Spin and Rez had a Dreamcast baby.

For shmups I"d say Gley lancer, Biometal, Dragon Breed, Harmful Park, Cotton, eh I could go on forever, lol.
Totally off genre but I’ll allow anyone to bring up Cosmic Smash any time! Did a video on it a few months ago
 
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