HellSinker.

2007 | PC

my favorite. often overwhelming. canon enby character playable. it loves to throw jargon at you. i think i'm in love.

focusing on level memorization before i work on scoring

Highscore: 3,970 Spirit
1C Record: Segment 6, Boss
Character: Minogame
Difficulty: Prudently

DoDonPachi Ressurection

2008 | PC

everyone ought to like this one. noisy and arcadey and silly. currently running at it a bit more.

not very good at it but i adore the style and gameplay. what a lovely title.

Highscore: 579,114,753
1C Record: Stage 3 (Boss)
Type: Bomb
Mode: Ver 1.5
Ship: Biaxe (green)

Devil Engine

2019 | PC

wow! what a love letter to the genre. you'll spot references and outrageously good jams throughout your time with it.

hard as shit. makes a good warmup for easier titles, because it knows how to keep you on edge.

Highscore: 89,230
1C Record: Stage 2
Ship: Andraste

Ikaruga

2001 | PC Port

naturally.
it is not a good beginner shmup, but it's usually what i recommend folks look at if they're curious about the genre.

i dream of 1cc'ing it but i think it'll continue to elude me. someday.

Highscore: 2,230,630
1C Record: Stage 4
Difficulty: Normal

Radirgy

2005 | Dreamcast Port

meant to only dabble with it but it is so, so much fun. spaceship goes slash slash. kind of a gender.

realized how to build ABS after 30 or so middling runs. immediately became easier. don't forget to read your manual!

Highscore: 8,198,580
1C Record: Stage 4
Ship: White ☆☆☆, Wide Shot

Psyvariar 2

2003 | Dreamcast Port

not much to say yet. it's on my list.

Highscore: TBD
1C Record: TBD

Rival Megagun XE

2021 | Arcade Exclusive

currently using the non-XE version art as a placeholder. lovely beginner VS shmup. its scoring system is really engaging.

Arcade Highscore: 116,776 (local highscore!)
Normal Highscore: 145,808 (local highscore!)
1C Record: True Final Boss

19XX: The War Against Destiny

1995 | Arcade

really fun cabinet at the local arcade. not usually into realistically-set titles but i'm surprised at what a joy this is!

Highscore: 2,457,300
1C Record: Stage 5 (Boss)
Plane: Lightning

Dropped titles

ProtoCorgi

2023 | PC

dorky little game. i bought it after discovering your bullets spelled out B-A-R-K-! what else could you ask for? decent beginner shmup.

i'm dropping this - it's very slow, inconsistent in difficulty from moment-to-moment, and even gets boring while you're waiting for the screen to scroll. most of its levels don't need to be so long - they simply don't respect your time.

Highscore: 13,035,283
1C Record: Stage 5: Section 7
Difficulty: Puppest