Michael Molinari @ Gamasutra: "Having much more to do with the morals and decisions of warfare than those of shmup mechanics and the did-you-ever-notice spiels I usually blurt out (although this entire post is about something I'm wondering if you've ever noticed), I'm interested in just what was going through the heads of the developers at Moss when they decided to allow you to kill an innocent bystander (actually a driver, but keep reading) in Raiden III for a rather uneven compensation.
The whole scenario unfolds within only a minute of starting your first mission. You begin soaring over what looks like a desolate and war-torn city, already in the midst of destruction and chaos. The only movement on the ground comes from tanks that are quite aggressively firing at you. All of a sudden, atop one of the highways, a red compact car blindly roars by from left field, entering the crossfire. Naturally, you'd just want to blow up everything in front of you, but on this specific occasion, you're blowing up much more than an enemy; this driver was trying to save his own life."
Although it doesn't feature an extensive library of shmups, the PlayStation 2 still has a handful of fantastic titles. Here, I'll take a look at five that were released in North America so put your seatbelt on and get ready for some awesome shooting action!
Man i wish shmups would make a triumphant return. I'd love Gradius to return and rtype and a new game for einhander and giga wing, mars matrix, death smiles... so many great shmups in vert and hori to be played.
You just listed some top-notch shmups. I still have copies of Gunbird 2, Giga Wing, Giga Wing 2, and Mars Matrix for Dreamcast. Perhaps that should be our next article...
Hell, i mention same games couple months ago i got 20 disagrees . Now all of a sudden everyone want those games SHEESH.
Hardcore Gamer: And just like that, Raiden is suddenly in the news again.
Michael Molinari @ Gamasutra: "So you're playing Raiden III, and you're just beasting it. You haven't lost a life, your bombs are out the wazoo, and that upcoming boss doesn't stand a chance against your maxed-out Crest toothpaste shooter. You're on top of the world, and then BAM-- You lost a life from some side-swiping peashooter, whose mere existence was dwarfed by your perfect run and blinding onslaught of explosions, medals, and hidden fairies. Was that really the way you thought it would all go down? You know you can't possibly continue this run knowing that you just let that happen to you. Your whole mindzone was destroyed by that one blind shot that snuck up from the rear, just when you thought the world was your bonus point.
I've come across very few shmups out there that result in both me seeing the pitiful end of a beautiful run and also have me blaming myself for the problem. I suppose there are people out there who, in all scenarios, will take a deep breath and say to themselves, "I will do better next time." For the rest of us, I think we've heard the phrase "Oh come on! That's just bullsh--" etc. time and time again."
