Shoot The Core

R Type Tactics 2: Bitter Chocolate (!?)

2009-07-31T14:38:00.003-04:00

Wow, look like R-Type Tactics was successful enough to create a sequel called RTT2: Bitter Chocolate. I liked what they did with the first game and felt R-Type translated well into a turn based strategy game. What I don't get is the name.......maybe the Bydo can't digest chocolate?

Release date in Japan is October 29th, I'll bet it also gets a US release soon too....

Youtube vid of the opening here.

Again, why not just make a new R-Type on the PS3 or 360? Stop teasing the shmup fans, software companies!!

UPDATE: Homepage.

Doujin shmups on XNA? Crescendo Symphony

2009-07-26T13:59:00.004-04:00

Wow, wow, wow, look at Crescendo Symphony by nakfiv on X-Box Live Indy games. Looks to be a 100% doujin shmup! Too bad I'm at work right now, but you better believe I'm gonna try this the second I get home. Hopefully this will be the start of more Indy doujin shmup on XNA - Touhou anyone ;)

Thanks to the shmups forum......

Edit: After getting home and trying this, I'm acutally gonna pass on the full game. Levels are very long with little change in enemy patterns, enemies pahse in from nowhere...sometimes right near your character, and bosses look like big purple blobs.

Also, this is totally playable on a US console, to avoid any confusion.

Raiden 4 items show up in 360 Marketplace

2009-07-18T09:44:00.002-04:00

The Raiden 4 gamer pictures pack and themes are now available on the 360 marketplace. I found this strange since the game is so far from release date.......but for those who can't wait and have some extra points sitting around, you can grab these shmup related items - and be constantly reminded of the long wait before another shoot em up is released for the system.

Eden's Aegis upgraded to .50

2009-07-17T13:51:00.001-04:00

x.x continues with his Cave inspired masterpiece: go download version .50 here!

Coming soon from SectionS: XOver

2009-07-14T22:53:00.002-04:00

SectionS (makers of RGB: Conflict Warred) has restructured their webiste, and in the process added a page for something called XOver. There is no information other than the fact that this is another STG (duh), so I'm guessing we'll see some more news leading up to the next Comiket, where a demo is most likely to appear.

Ikaruga now 1/2 price on XBLA

2009-07-13T11:46:00.002-04:00

Ikaruga - the Treasure masterpiece chaining shooter - is now the XBLA deal of the week for gold subscritption holders. It will only cost you 400 ms points, but you only get the white section of the ship ;)

Just kidding, you get the whole black/white combo. If you haven't bought this yet, now is the time!

Genetos almost complete!

2009-06-30T11:44:00.002-04:00

The final 1.0 version of the "play through the history of shmups" game Genetos will be released soon, according to the author's page. Click the link for a preview of the final level.....

I love this game and think it's a masterpiece......the last sections seem to have been influenced by Ikaruga and Shanghai Alice......sweet!

Generic news post

2009-06-27T14:18:00.002-04:00

It's been a real long time since the last post, so just to keep things going, I'll mention things I'm looking forward to. Shmup news is very slow right now......meh.

- Duality is still making progress, it's been delayed again but only to make it better. This is one XNA game I'm really looking forward to.

- x.x has mentioned on his blog that Eden's Aegis .50 should be coming soon.......

- Alltynex Second: No news on this, just waiting anxiously......

- Raiden 4 for 360: Many, many months away.......

So as you can see, nothing exciting to talk about just yet, but plenty to come later in the year...

Shmup scene generator

2009-06-06T12:55:00.002-04:00

Here's something fun to play with on a rainy day: a shmup scene generator, created by Twyst. You can pick the components from a drop down menu, from backgrounds to bosses, and then create a finalized graphic of your scene.

From the new site Shmups.info

Valkyrie Sky update....

2009-06-03T13:54:00.002-04:00

Here's a bit of news from the VS website:

1. Yolim Communication, the developer of VS was acquired by JC Entertainment April 13, 2009.

2. JCE became the publisher for VS after its acqusition contract,
and executed its first closed beta test last weekend (5/29-5/30).
Feedbacks from Korean CBT was positive.

3. It is said that VS english service might be resumed within 3 to 6 months.

Looks like the rest of the world's players will have a long wait before taking on this MMOSTG again.....

Raiden 4 coming to the US 360!

2009-05-26T18:47:00.002-04:00

First Valcon with RFA, now UFO Interactive with Raiden IV. Start counting down to this August, which is the scheduled release date for the next chapter in the Raiden series. UFO handled the Playstation 2 port of Raiden 3, so they are quite familiar with the series. Seibu Keisatsu must be feeling pretty good about their products right now.....

Via 1up.

Two great PC Database entries.......

2009-05-26T00:11:00.002-04:00

New quality pc shmups have been few and far between lately, so I figure these latest additions could use a bump on the main news page. First up is Stella Vanity, which I can best describe as ESP Rade meets Touhou. And that's a good thing.......

Second find of the day is Naginata Destruction, in which the player has a lock-on laser that shoots out in the direction you are moving. Be sure to use it more than your normal shot, because not only does it level up, but it also racks up the combo points.

Both games are gold, so head over to the pc database and get downloading.

Another doujin translation company: Curious Factory

2009-05-23T12:16:00.006-04:00

Looks like Rockin' Android isn't the only company interested in translating Japanese doujin games to English.

Curious Factory Inc. is offering Astro Port's Vulkaiser translated into English for $9.95. And on deck appears to be Armed Seven and Meglilo.......could this be an indication of a higher demand for localized doujin shmups?

Via 2bears.

Dux for Dreamcast is a GO!

2009-05-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

According to the hucast.net blog, Dux has been debugged and is ready to go. There's still about two weeks to go for the production schedule, however pre-orderes are being filled now, and you can still order the game if you haven't done so already.

Raiden Fighters Aces is a GO!

2009-05-09T16:46:00.002-04:00

RFA has hit gamestores in the US, so go grab a copy while you can still find one......I spent a few hours with this, and really like it. Nothing over the top or unexpected, but what it does, it does very well. Three Raiden Fighters games, leaderboards, boss rush modes, all for only $20. The only thing missing is online co-op, but since that has been disappointing in recent games, I'm not too sorry to miss it.

Great job Valcon games, hope to see more shmup ports in the future.

Ketsui 360 website live!

2009-05-01T12:34:00.003-04:00

Japanese publisher 5pb has opened up the Ketsui website for 360. There's not a whole lot going on there currently, but I'm sure they will update soon enough.

Shoot the Breeze podcast!

2009-04-24T15:08:00.002-04:00

All the STC youtube video shows will now be posted in podcast (that's an mp3 basically) format also. So, if you don't feel like watching them on Youtube, just download the mp3 and listen to it on your ipod or other fancy technological device.

Podcasts will be posted in the ARTICLES section for now......

The first real show will start soon, watch for the introduction of Duality on XNA for an indicator ;)

New Square Enix shmup!!!! Wait...dont' get excited

2009-04-21T17:47:00.004-04:00

"0 Day Attack on Earth" is the horrible name for an upcoming Square Enix XBLA shooter. The game looks very much like the Dreamcast shmup Armada.....which is slightly disappointing. 0 Day will allow for multiplayer games, however no word yet on an RPG based level up system (it is a SE game though, so I'd bet on it).

And here I was hoping for a sequel to Einhander......:(

Thanks to 1up for the story.

King of Fighters: Sky Stage

2009-04-21T17:39:00.002-04:00

Looks like another shmup will be appearing on XBLA soon.....in Japan that is. The King of Fighters, a 2d vs. fighting game, will be converted to a shmup in KOF: Sky Stage. The game is early in development, and it isn't known if it will be available in the US just yet.

Via Destructoid

Mushi coming to 360 too, you won't be playing it yet...

2009-04-21T11:07:00.002-04:00

Mushihimesama Futuari will be making it's way to Japanese X-Box 360s shortly, according to Kotaku. And this time, Cave themselves will be doing the port! Extras will include updated graphics, more playing modes, downloadable content, online rankings, and online score attack.

Ok, seriously, one brave publisher should just snatch up ALL the J-360 shmups that have been appearing for the console and bring them over to the US. We really need them.......

Shoot the Breeze - Intro

2009-04-14T19:09:00.000-04:00

Technical question.......

2009-04-10T23:35:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I'm trying to set up a "shmup chat" show via X-Box Live Vision video chat. The basic premise is having a different group of shmup-moguls answering questions and participating in a round table type discussion. In the trial run of the show, I ran into a technical problem:

I'm using a Gamebridge to record the video chat on a pc, and I get the video and guest's audio just fine, however my own audio won't record. I tried changing the audio settings to go through the speakers, the headset, and both, and nothing worked. I need to force my audio through the set so it will record via the pc.

Anyone know how to tackle this problem?

Shmups twitter

2009-04-07T14:14:00.003-04:00

The folks over at the Shmups.com forum have set up a Shmup Twitter (that's a Cliff Note version of a news page basically - quick and to the point.) This makes another great resource for shmup news, so be sure to check it from time to time. I'll be making posts there too....

Rockin' Android to bring doujin games to US!

2009-03-27T11:33:00.007-04:00

Here's some interesting news: a company with an interest in exposing more US games to Japanese doujin games!

Rockin Android will bring Suguri Perfect Edition and Gundemonium Collection in June and August 2009 to the States for $19.95, with Flying Red Wine Barrel and Qualia as $9.95 digital downloads.

Thanks to Zero-Chan for the news, and more info to follow shortly.

UPDATE: According to Rockin' Android, they have support from the developers themselves, and nothing offered on their site is fan-translated or pirated. I'm looking forward to what they have to offer!

Also, voting is now open for what kind of doujin games to localize - so go there and support shmups (which are currently in the lead....)!

Valcon page finally mentions Raiden Fighters

2009-03-16T19:35:00.005-04:00

Here's the official Valcon page for Raiden Fighters Aces on the X-Box 360. Still no official release date yet, though Amazon now has it listed for April 21st. From the wording on Valcon's site though, sounds like the multiplayer is only local - i.e. no 2 player over X-Box Live. However, the way most 2-p shmups have been laggy over live, that doesn't worry me at all......