Mega Drive Shoot 'em ups

bolda · Post by **bolda** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:45 am

Another "vote" for Gley Lancer... the best shoot 'em up on the Megadrive IMHO. Worth checking out on an emu if you can't get hold of a "hard" copy (jap only release as has already been stated)

C=Style · Post by **C=Style** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:52 am

I would recommend:

Tatsujin (Truxton)
Twin Cobra
GrindStormer (V-Five)
Gynoug
Thunderforce III/IV
Gaiares

TMR · Post by **TMR** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:46 pm

mikeb wrote:...and theyre all Japan import only apart from Gaires which had a US release which I picked up for a few quid a few years back.

It's amazing what you can do to a Megadrive if you take a file to the plastic around the cartridge port. =-)

mikeb wrote:Personally though I've never been a fan of the MS Thunderforces, although I liked V on Saturn . But that might just be because I suck at 'em.

That's a bit worrying matey, TF4 i could understand since it does enjoy handing even seasoned players their arse but TF3 is fairly easy even if you end up burning through accumulated lives on the later levels.

Antiriad2097 · Post by **Antiriad2097** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:51 pm

bolda wrote:Another "vote" for Gley Lancer... the best shoot 'em up on the Megadrive IMHO. Worth checking out on an emu if you can't get hold of a "hard" copy (jap only release as has already been stated)

Its also available on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe.

jdanddiet · Post by **jdanddiet** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:07 pm

TMR wrote:It's amazing what you can do to a Megadrive if you take a file to the plastic around the cartridge port. =-)

tmr: pray tell more. I've heard of this before: buy an adaptor or hack yr md to bits...?

TMR · Post by **TMR** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:28 pm

jdanddiet wrote:
TMR wrote:It's amazing what you can do to a Megadrive if you take a file to the plastic around the cartridge port. =-)
tmr: pray tell more. I've heard of this before: buy an adaptor or hack yr md to bits...?

What we used to do was file the cartridge port so that it'll take a Japanese cartridge and in nearly every case the game'll run; one or two of the later titles actually have software-based region locks and a few more fall over due to timing issues but the bulk of stuff will work from what i remember. My old Japanese MD (purchased prior to the UK release and PAL converted by the importers who supplied it) was filed for UK carts and ran everything i ever thew at it including a 32X.

Disclaimer: whilst i did this, i don't guarantee it to work for other people and any modifications are done at your own risk... right, that's my arse covered. =-)

jdanddiet · Post by **jdanddiet** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:33 pm

I've got a couple of spare md's so I'm going to give it a go. Seems to me, just from this thread, that there are a lot of top japan-only games so worth it IMO.

This forum's great!

mrbungle · Post by **mrbungle** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:40 pm

I find I keep going back to Musha Aleste (M.U.S.H.A) for a quick blast, nice wee shooter from Compile with a sweet synth rock soundtrack.

mick_aka · Post by **mick_aka** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:41 pm

Don't forget that JAP games run in 60Hz and your UK Megadrive will be 50Hz, this will cause serious slowdown in allot of titles, many of which had slowdown already.

rolan · Post by **rolan** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:15 pm

i hacked the plastic away from my megadrive and almost all jap games work on it... to avoid slowdown get a cheap ntsc system like a genesis 3 (which will work with the same tv and power wires that a megadrive 2 does) but make sure your tv can handle ntsc before buying one...

I'd recommend curse (jap only?) and whip rush which are two underated titles. I quite like raiden trad aswell and if you have infinite money panorama cotton is suppossed to be amazing...

is hellfire the game where you have to plot your course at the start and you fly a helicopter? Im getting all my shmups mixed up in my head now. Ive got loads of them but cant tell them apart in my mind now.

TMR · Post by **TMR** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:44 pm

rolan wrote:I'd recommend curse (jap only?) and whip rush which are two underated titles.

Curse? No offence but i've always thought that was one of the weakest Megadrive shooters going, even X Dazedly Ray (which is one of the earliest shooters on the platform as far as i'm aware) is more fun to my mind...

rolan wrote:is hellfire the game where you have to plot your course at the start and you fly a helicopter? Im getting all my shmups mixed up in my head now. Ive got loads of them but cant tell them apart in my mind now.

No, it's a straight out horizontal blaster from the same people as Zero Wing - is it Red Zone you're thinking of? Another one just sprung to mind, the conversion of Insector X that doesn't carry over the cutesy player sprites and goes for more "realistic" cybernetic insects.

RetroKingSimon · Post by **RetroKingSimon** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:18 am

Most people have mentioned Thunder Force 3 & 4, but what about poor old TF2?

It's a great game I believe it's pretty cheap too. Granted, TF3 is better. It's perhaps my favourite horizontal scroller ever (although it's a bit easy). I never really got into TF4.

Smurph · Post by **Smurph** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:40 am

It's the crap overhead bits that put me off TF2, tbh. 4 was my favourite, and 3 is great too.

nesmaster · Post by **nesmaster** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:15 am

Smurph wrote:It's the crap overhead bits that put me off TF2, tbh. 4 was my favourite, and 3 is great too.

I totally agree. The overhead bits are arse, and spoil the game. Do the other TF games have rubbish overhead bits in them?

mikeb · Post by **mikeb** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:09 pm

I think I actually prefer TF2 myself to the other games in the series. Wonderful little game.

Oh and (courtesy of monroeworld forums) if the following doesn't make you want to track down Gaiares nothing will

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Mega Drive Shoot 'em ups

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