Thanks and goodbye

It's been four years since I started this news outlet. It's been a lot of fun and I've gotten to know a lot of nice and friendly people.

The state of the shmup/STG world is strong. Certainly stronger than those four years ago. We are seeing a revival of the genre, particularly on the Nintendo Switch but PlayStation 4 is also a strong contender. Xbox One tries I guess and if the full heritage of the Xbox 360 at some point becomes playable on an Xbox again that will be an absolute treasure trove of shooters becoming available.

Anyway. I don't have the time/energy to keep up with all the news anymore, try as I might. I suggest you follow @shmups on twitter to get your updates on the genre.

I will  try to keep the Nintendo Switch Shmups/STG wiki up to date - but would of course welcome contributors - after all, it's what wikis are about.

Thanks to everyone who came here for news on the genre.

I will keep tabs on my twitter profile @STGPilot and you can always reach me at dlundh[at]gmail.com should you so desire.

Stay healthy, practice social distancing. wash your hands often and wear a mask in public to protect the elderly and vulnerable if you can. It seems COVID-19 is here for the long haul.

Thank you,
Daniel

Oshyaberi! Horijo! Gekihori - The Bullet Heaven review

There's also a review from Shmups on Switch from September last year.

Shmups on Switch asks nicely for more shmups to come to Switch

We are closing in on May 3rd and I guess now is as good a time as any; I will be turning off the lights here by then. I've had a 4 year run and have had close to 50.000 visitors (there's still time to reach that magic number but I'm not holding my breath) and, thanks to Twitter, have made the acquintance of a lot of very nice people.

The twitter account will remain active and I will continue to add to the Nintendo Switch shmups/stg wiki to try to keep it up to date (and everyone is very welcome to join that effort).

Battle of the ports: DoDonPachi

Battle of the Ports: Donpachi

Shmups on Switch reviews ESP Ra.De.

Panzer Dragoon, Rolling Gunner physical available for pre-order

It turns out Panzer Dragoon: Remake that launched the other day on the Switch eShop is available as a physical release on pre-order right now from Limited Run Games, pre-orders are open until April 24th and the game is available in a regular edition and a "Classic Edition" kitted with a US Sega Saturn cover. There's no real "lmit" here except the pre-order cut-off date.

 

Meanwhile, the physical edition of Rolling Gunner for Switch (a PC version is also available) is also available for pre-order from Physicality Games and pretty much not a limited item per se, it just needs to hit a certain amount of pre-orders to get made at all. There's a vanilla version and a deluxe edition to choose from. The deluxe version pictured below comes with the games awesome soundtrack.

CAVE: Dodonpachi Saidaioujou EXA Label is coming

In a surprise announcement EXA, makers of new arcade hardware, announced that they are working with CAVE to release Dodonpachi Saidaioujou EXA Label, a new entry in the Dodonpachi series after an 8 year hiatus.

A summer 2020 release is targeted and I'm just hoping HEY STHLM will get a cabinet (and that an eventual port will reach a modern console).

Red Death Trailer

Dodge and destroy! Blast through waves of arcane enemies and take down monstrous bosses as you defend the earth against an unknown calamity. As a prologue to Project Starship, vertical bullet hell shoot’em up Red Death sets a collision course against a full-scale invasion bent on eradicating humanity, presented in nostalgic 4-tone style! Features: • Survive waves of intense bullet hell action! • Enjoy an intriguing Story Mode across a number of scripted levels. • Test your limits with endless randomized challenges in Arcade Mode. • Compete for the highest score in old-school arcade style. • Upgrade weapons with numerous power pickups. • Charge and unleash vicious Overload attacks to turn the tide of battle!

Bullet Heaven reviews Rolling Gunner Overpower

This DLC is available for Windows now but should show up for Switch at a later date - but not in time for the physical release.

CAVE has opened an online store for apparel'n'stuff

CAVE has opened up an online store at BOOTH. You can use a service like this to have items shipped overseas.

Rolling Gunner physical release for Switch seems plausible

It will be the first release of Yet Another Limited Release Game Company called Physicality Games. Pre-orders open some time this month. Stay tuned.

Sisters Royale review from Bullet Heaven

Sisters Royale has been available for some time for both Nintendo's shmup-machine and Sony's good old PlayStation 4 and a new review is always fun.

The Strictly Limited Sisters Royale up for pre-order on sunday

As SLG themselves put it:

As announced earlier this month, we are excited to once again bring you a new Shoot 'em Up for your gaming system! Sisters Royale has recieved a warm welcome, especially from the dedicated shmup scene, and it's an absolute honor to immortalize this modern AlfaSystem classic on a physical game disc/cart!    
 

With its recognizable Tension Bonus System gameplay, heralding the legendary Shikigami series in more than one way, Sisters Royale features the thrill of hunting for the perfect highscore run! For the shmup master in training, the easy mode will be a perfect stepping stone to reach higher Shoot 'em Up grounds.

The use of character specific Bombs and Power Shots will make you seek out new strategies for a frantic round. This makes Sisters Royale a perfect game to pick up for short bursts of play, as well as longer sessions in the dedicated TATE mode. (TATE being available both clockwise and counterclockwise!)

Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire Edition
 

Our Strictly Limited edition will feature a stunning cover artwork and individual numbering! The Five Sisters Under Fire Edition is limited to 2500 Nintendo Switch copies and 1500 PS4 copies worldwide and both versions will be available for the price of 29.99€.

Sisters Royale: I'm being Harassed by Five Sisters and it Sucks Collector's Edition

As you might already know by now, we we've gone to great lengths to ensure that the Collector's Edition box is of the highest quality in the lim.print game market. All assets included have been passionately localized from Japanese to English and are now presented to you in the Strictly Limited Sisters Royale - I'm being Harassed by Five Sisters and it Sucks Collector's Edition, which includes the following...
 

• Hardcover CE Box /w Magnetic Latch
• Individually Numbered Game 
• Hardcover Artbook /w Lovely Culture
• Official CD Soundtrack 
•  6 Character Cards Royale
• A Fierce and Cutesy Poster
• Two Stickersheets /w Lots of Line Stamps
   

The Collector's Edition is limited to only 1500 copies (Switch) and 999 copies (PS4) worldwide and will be available for the very affordable price of 49,99€ (Switch/PS4) .
 

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SISTERS ROYALE will be available in two batches:
Round 1: Sunday, 23. February 2020 at 12 AM CEST.
Round 2: Sunday, 23. February 2020 at 6 PM CEST.

Click on the link above to check your local time. Please keep in mind that Sunday 12 AM CEST could mean Saturday in your time zone (for example EDT).

Electric Underground announces Shmup Slam II, Feb. 29th.

Electric Underground announces Shmup Slam II. Looks like a lot of fun!
12 hours of shmups on February 29th it is then!

Project Starship gets a trailer

Sisters Royale goes physical, pre-order Feb. 23rd

Strictly Limited Games just announced that they will release physical editions of Sisters Royal(e) for both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch and that pre-orders will begin February 23rd.

Or as they put it:
Released for the Japanese market back in 2018, the story driven Sisters Royal has since been localized for an English language western release and will be available through the eShop and PSN starting today!

As a spiritual successor to the legendary Castle of Shikigami series, Sisters Royal features everything you'd come to expect from a game by stellar japanese dev AlfaSystem. It's vertical side-scrolling gameplay features the following...  

• Tension Bonus System
• Super Secret Fairies
• Several Lovely Characters
• Bombs and Power Shots

The contents of the Collector's Edition will be announced at a later date, closer to when the pre-order goes live, but please expect the same high quality SLG Collector's Editions as you've grown accustomed to. :) 

Cutesy bullethell shmup The Tawashi launched yesterday on Steam

The Tawashi is a new cutesy bullethell shmup that launched yesterday on Steam.

Here's a game play video:

The Electric Underground lists the 25 greatest shmups of the 2010s

Other tidbits: M2 makes a PSA, Sisters Royale goes west etc.

M2 wish to make it clear that their new release of CAVEs ESP.Ra.De should have the moniker "Psy" as opposed to "Psi".

Sisters Royale, the Shikigami-esque game available for both Switch and PS4 in Japan is heading west on both platforms as Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire! with a January 30th release date.

Retro Cores Battle of the Ports tackles 1942:


Run'n'Gun Valfaris is getting its Japanese debut on both PlayStation 4 and Switch on January 23rd.


Bare Knuckle Development details where the inspiration for their awkwardly-named new shmup Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo came from.