Just started playing shmups, have some questions

[cabrando]

First question is about saving/progression. All the shmups I've tried so far require you to start from the beginning after running out of continues, are there any that allow you to save and progress through the game like a platformer?

Second, I may have ruined my shmup experience by starting with Ikaruga. I've tried Galactic Attack, Darius Gaiden, and Axelay. Of those Axelay is the only one I liked (maybe b/c it has vertical levels, can't quite put my finger on it). So what are some games that are similar or as good as Ikaruga?

[Gamerforlife]

Are you playing the gamecube version? I remember a practice mode that lets you jump to any level you've already completed and play it. There's a wonderful feature in Radiant Silvergun(Ikaruga's predecessor)that allows you to build up continues and also retain your power-ups every time you try the story mode, making every time you start over from the beginning easier than your last attempt. The arcade mode of Radiant Silvergun gives you unlimited continues. I think this makes RS accessible, even though the difficulty level is very high. Personally, I'd recommend playing RS if you have so way of doing so. I find it easier to get down for a beginner than Ikaruga with its rather perplexing polarity switching gameplay. The sega Saturn is a great resource for schmups. Sexy Parodius is nice accessible horizontal shooter that is not too hard, at least not until you start working on the secondary objectives in each level

I believe that schmups in general usually force you to start over from the beginning when you run out of lives or continues, though there may be exceptions I'm unaware of. The whole point is to have you replay levels over and over until you can get through them easily. Schmups in general are much more about skill building than other genres, or in some cases, just pure memorization

[Bootaaay]

Ikaruga is definetly one of the best SHMUPS, but thats not to say there aren't games as good or better than Ikaruga out there. Personally i'd reccomend;

Dreamcast
Border Down (rock hard horizontal SHMUP from G-rev) - Video
Gigawing 2 (awesome vertical manic shooter from Capcom) Video
Last Hope (very difficult horizontal memory shooter) Video
Triggerheart Exelica (vertical shooter with unique anchor gameplay mechanic, well worth checking out - also available as a downloadable title for XBLA) Video
Under Defeat (amazing vertical helicopter shooter from G-rev) Video

PS2
DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou (ps2 sequel to Cave's manic vertical shooter series DonPachi) Video
ESPgaluda (really enjoyable manic shooter from Cave) Video
Ibara (rock hard manic vertical shooter from Cave) Video
Mushihime-sama (another crazy vertical manic shooter from Cave, this is personally my favourite of all Cave's titles) Video

Saturn
Batsugun (the originator of the manic shooter genre from Banpresto) Video
Battle Garegga (amazing manic shooter from Raizing) Video
Blast Wind (awesome vertical manic shooter from TechnoSoft) Video
Cotton Boomerang (really enjoyable horizontal cute-em-up) Video
DoDonPachi (vertical manic shooter from Cave) Video
Game Paradise (bizzarre vertical shooter set in a videogame arcade) Video
Layer Section (vertical space shooter from Taito) Video
Radiant Silvergun (One of Treasures masterpieces, if you enjoyed Ikaruga you should love RS) Video
Sengoku Ace (awesome horizontal shooter from Psikyo) Video
Skull Fang (nice vertical shooter from Data East) Video
Soukyugurentai (amazing vertical shooter from Raizing) Video
Thunderforce V (highly reccomended horizontal shooter from TechoSoft) Video

[Doctor Fugue]

^^Great list above, mainly because it is so varied you will definitely find something to love. (Except Last Hope, since I have a personal vendetta against it).

Are you emulating? Because then save states will help you practice. I'm trying to think of all the games that have practice modes and I'm coming up short. Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun, as already mentioned...Trigger Heart Excelica on XBLA has a practice mode...Battle Garegga has a score attack mode...If you have a PC there I would suggest the Touhou games (Perfect Cherry Blossom or Imperishable Night, etc.), they have practice modes, but not everybody likes the style.

But I guess what you really want is to save your game and continue it later? Well, Last Hope lets you do that but, really, honestly it is the only shooter I refuse to play ever again.

Anyway, most shooters are meant to be played through in one sitting (and with one credit once the game is mastered) since they are arcade games. Most are short, I think GigaWing 2 takes like 17 minutes to finish. Radiant Silvergun on the other hand takes over an hour.

Ah I just remembered another game that lets you continue from any level. Xyanide, on the Xbox. It's not that great, though. If you want length, it is the way to go...I've never finished it because it takes like 5 freaking hours to play through the whole thing. Even with saving that game is a chore.

[bobbynewmarkiii]

Gamerforlife - The awesome thing about Ikaruga stage select is that you have to get to the stage you want to practice on one credit in order to unlock this level in the stage select mode, which forces you to get good at each of the earlier levels and hone your skilz before trying to crack the later ones. (level 3's boss and above are proper hard!)

I have to admit that after owning (in the posessive sense, definitly not in the pwning sense) Ikaruga for 2 years, I've only last week swallowed my pride and got stuck in to easy mode in my attempts to finish the game on one credit. No other game has handed my balls to me on a platter and kept me coming back like this... apart from maybe MARS MATRIX, which cabrando should definitly get for his Dreamcast.

[cabrando]

Very nice list Bootaaay, I'll be checking out those videos. I'm sure I'll find something I like.

I'm playing the DC version (on my DC) of Ikaruga. I figured they played the way they did b/c they come from the arcades. Being new to the genre I didn't understand "the rules" by which the games played. You all have cleared some things up for me, thank you.

[Ivo]

I have to admit that after owning (in the posessive sense, definitly not in the pwning sense) Ikaruga for 2 years, I've only last week swallowed my pride and got stuck in to easy mode in my attempts to finish the game on one credit. No other game has handed my balls to me on a platter and kept me coming back like this...

1 cc'ing Ikaruga, even on Easy, it's definitively not being handed your balls on a platter...

As you say, level 3 boss (in fact, that mid-level boss in 3 is a pain as well) and onwards are really tough. It gets much harder than lev 1 and 2.

Ivo.

[neoclasic]

Try StarForce for NES my very first shump

It's a very long game.... over 22 levels! but it is fast and not require learn complex patterns like Ikaruga.

At the hard corner, I like Last Resort, Pulstar and Viewpoint in Neo-Geo.

[skate323k137]

i can pretty consistently one credit ikaruga on easy (with the extend type cranked down anyway... on my best run I died 3 times, once during level 5, and twice in the last 60 seconds of the game)

making it into level 4 without continuing on normal is becoming my new challenge.

[Droid party]

Wow! Great list of shooters. I've been looking for some new shooters for the DC and this will set me on my way. Thanks.