I don't understand R-Type's appeal.
I consider myself a pretty big shmup fan and I've never liked the R-Type series. I've played and beat the first two R-Types on the GBC cart R-Type DX, while this may not have been the best port, I liked shmups so I bought it way back when, I was amused, but ultimately disappointed with the gameplay. I recently decided to give R-Type III a shot. I was very hesitant to buy this game because of my disinterest in the series thus far, yet, with the advent of Super R-Type being released on the VC recently, internet talk about how great the series is began to surface once more. I thought to myself maybe the series deserves another look. So I bought R-Type III as I'm told it’s the best of the three available on the VC.
So far, it’s one of the most frustrating shmups I've ever played. I'm currently on the last level, so I'm not totally getting crushed, but its one of those games, I'm determined to beat because of its shear difficulty, but will probably never play it again because it’s so damn infuriating.
Plus all you need to do is memorize every last detail of the level before you can complete it and I question how that’s fun exactly. The purpose of shmups, in my opinion, is to have quick reflexes and score big points. R-Type, is pure memorization. I just don't understand…
Aside from the whole memorization bit, I just think it's plain boring. There are few tense and pressing moments, but ultimately when I play R-Type, these are the thoughts that go through my head "la la la, this stage looks neat, hey, what's tha... shit I'm dead" whereas a game like Super Star Soldier for example, has much more action and the battles are so intense my thought process is more like "crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap... fuck. That was cool! Let me try that again." The later thought process being far more fun in my opinion.
I don't know, maybe I'm just being too judgmental, but I'm sorry, this is one shmup series I'm gonna stay away from.
But my opinion aside, I’m curious to hear what other shmup fans think. Is R-Type a bust? or best shump ever? Also, I’m curious to know what everybody’s favorite shumps are…
Any and all comments are appreciated. Thanks.
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On that subject, I'm playing R-Type on the Turbografx VC earlier and I lost all 10 lives on that damn last level. I can't beat it no matter how much my mind stores the level pattern.
One other thing, if memorisation isn't your thing but you want to see the mechanics of R-Type working properly then try R-Type Final on the PS2. Its a bit slower paced and leans much less on the memorisation.
rtype final is great stuff, and will probably win you over.
R-Type at least gives you some strategy and most importantly, HOPE of beating a level with the power up system.
I'll pick R-Type or any of the Gradius series before I'll ever touch one of the harder shmups like Ikaruga.
The main difference between the 2 styles of shmups is the pacing and the power up system. I personally prefer the on the edge of your seat bullets everywhere style shmups to the slow tactical approach seen in R-type simply because I prefer the speed.
That being said I've really only played super R-type on the SNES where when you died you had to start from the beginning of the level....WTF!!!
But I was never really interested in R-type either until I picked up R-type Final for the PS2.
But I have to agree with you though about Star Soldier, that was so much fun and exciting. Plus I had the same reaction but in french "merde merde merde merde merde merde merde"
And everyone is right, all shmups require practice and precision and I don't know why R-Type irks me the wrong way, but it just does. I'm not saying I hate the game, I am enjoying R-Type III but I don't think it deserves the praise it gets.
@ Clyde
As I just stated, I actually loved Ikaruga, I don't think thats a memory based shmup at all. I think its all coordination. In Ikaruga you can plainly see what's coming at you at all times, while memorizing certain patterns is helpful it's not required. I found the whole color switching mechanism to be a joy to use and if used properly, you can get through the game with ease, regardless of the depth of your memory. Whereas passing R-Type is a chore thats seemingly 0% chance of getting through without prior knowledge of whats coming next. This is a poor mechanism in my opinion, but a forgivable one considering it is not an arcade game, and they give you unlimited tries. Nonetheless, I don't like that kind of gameplay.