Top 5 SNES SHMUPs

5. Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie (1993)

I
didn’t discover this one until fairly recently as it was only released
in Japan but I was certainly glad I did find it! It’s based on an older
anime and as such you can choose between three characters, each of whom
has their own variation of the ‘Valkyrie’ fighter with unique weapons,
all of which can be upgraded. The ships have an energy meter rather than
lives and they can also switch between three different forms at will
too, each of which is more useful in certain situations than others, as
you might expect. There’s a good few other nice features here too
(including enemies with tractor beams – grrr!) and that, combined with
the superb graphics and decent soundtrack, makes this a pretty damn fine
shmup. It would be higher on the list if only it wasn’t so bloody
difficult though!

4. UN Squadron (1994)

I
heard of this growing up but only played the arcade version (SNK Neo
Geo, anybody). The arcade game didn’t stand out to me and I never seen
the SNES version in stores or at the video rental place. That means I
wouldn’t play this thing until 2011. I have to say, this is one of those
rare special games that is so awsome, I have to wonder why I never
found it till so late in life? Let us count the ways.Play control- This
plays alot like gradius or maybe choplifter in that its left to right
and sometimes right to left shooting things along the ways. Where this
kicks Gradius’s ass is, besides cusomizing what you power up, you also
get to buy and change jets. Now think Gradius meets Grand Turismo. I had
a strong preferance towards the A-10 Warthog. Sure, you’re flying a
bomber against fighter jets but its the only aircraft that shoots
diagnally downwards. You also have a wide array of ordnance that you can
buy and equip to each aircraft you have.Difficulty- fairly steep. You
will get used to starting over often if you spend any amount of time
with this. That is the price of the old school for you, though. It is a
scientific fact that engeneers have been researching and streamlining
games for years to make games impossible to loose at so the normal idiot
gamer won’t feel like less a man for continuing.

3. R-Type 3 (1994)

Despite
its name, this is actually the sixth game in the great R-Type series
and for many people the best. It would be nearly impossible for it to
have anywhere near the impact of the first title but it adds a lot to
the existing games. Not least is the ability to choose from three
different Forces, each with its own weapons, and it must also surely
rank as the finest shmup on the SNES, graphically. It features none of
the slowdown that blighted the otherwise awesome Super R-Type but adds
bigger sprites, some fantastic backgrounds, and superb bosses. The
levels, too, are pretty creative with not only the usual kinds of
enemies but also all manner of moving scenery which actually causes more
problems than the enemies do. Indeed, this is a notoriously tough game
and one that I’ve never managed to finish but I’ve sure enjoyed trying!

2. Axelay (1992)

Konami
unleashed this amazing game pretty much out of the blue and it took
SNES owners by storm, myself included! There could be many reasons for
this including the graphics which are at worst good, and at best
jaw-dropping, or the fantastic soundtrack, but it must surely be the
innovative and varied stage design that clinched it – there’s a few new
ideas here which work really well. For starters the game alternates
between vertically and horizontally-scrolling stages. The former makes
use of a pseudo-3D viewpoint combined with Mode 7 graphics to create an
amazing scrolling landscape effect and the latter is packed full of
moving scenery, barriers, and lots of crafty enemies that try to halt
your advance in any way possible! Axelay hasn’t aged at all and remains a
superb and varied shmup that still commands a strong following today.
Just one question… Why no sequel?

1. Super Aleste (1992)

Some
may disagree with me but I still think this is one of the best
vertical-scrollers of all time, and certainly the best shmup for the
SNES generally, and the reason for this is simple – there’s pretty much
nothing about it that isn’t awesome! The graphics may not be quite as
flashy as some other shmups but they’re still superb, detailed, and
varied. The second stage in particular is noteworthy, featuring a
distant enemy base that gradually gets closer and closer (using some
splendid Mode 7, of course), all the while firing missiles at you from
afar, until if finally gets close enough for you to shoot up! The sound
is also fantastic too, with some great music, speech, and some very
bassy explosions. There’s also eight varied and customisable weapons
which can all be powered-up, twelve long, well-designed stages, but best
of all it has the most perfectly-pitched difficulty curve of any shmup
I’ve played. A truly awesome shooter.

watch a slideshow