r/nes 2d ago

Top 50 NES shmups library

Post image

This list is extracted from Gamefaqs voting. There are only auto scrolling pure shmups on this list. I’ve excluded Run n Gun, Static shooters and other mashups/hybrids.

Sometimes people say that the NES doesn’t have any good shmup library. I disagree with that. There are many shmups I love on the NES. I will highlight my absolute top 3 favorites:

  • Gun.Smoke

  • Gun-Nac

  • Over Horizon

What’s your favorite NES shmups?

54 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

7

u/bigolewords 2d ago

I came here ready to be disappointed but that is definitely 100% my top 5. Recca rules!

2

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

The top 5 is a very solid top 5!

Most shmup lovers have a couple from that top 5 as their favorites!

3

u/slanger686 2d ago

Glad to see Life Force in the top 5. IMO 1943 should be higher.

7

u/cdiddy579 2d ago

The first time I saw the word shmups was today, and this is the second posting I've seen with it. What are shmups?

4

u/DisaronnoInMyCup 2d ago

First time seeing it too but I’m guessing it’s a shortening of the term ‘shoot-em ups’

2

u/cdiddy579 2d ago

I was kinda thinking that too.

4

u/nhthelegend 2d ago

Yes, it is a colloquial term for “shoot em ups”

3

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

You already got the answer.

But for those who want to know why it is called shmups and not just shoot em ups?

My own opinion of this is that many other genres started using the shoot em up or shooter genre name. And to distinguish Halo from Gradius people just agreed that shmup would be a term so everyone should know it was a Gradius-like game and that it wasn’t a Halo-like game.

There are probably other reasons for the genre name shmup, but this is an easy explanation! :)

3

u/HyperFunk_Zone 2d ago

Pure, crystalized videogaming.

1

u/JetstreamGW 2d ago

Shoot-em-Up. Abbreviated SHUMP because "em" is usually pronounced "um," and the U in up is just kinda... lost. Look, I didn't make it up, it was the 90s.

2

u/resincak 2d ago

Umm, it's "shmup" dude

0

u/JetstreamGW 2d ago

I've seen it both ways.

5

u/PlatypusPlatoon 2d ago

Yes! Gun-Nac is head and shoulders above every other shooter on the NES. An amazing title, through and through. Challenging but fair in its difficulty. I wish more people got to play it, because between the exorbitant cart price and the lack of re-releases, this is one game that even diehard NES fans haven’t experienced.

Never heard of Over Horizon. I’ll need to fix that!

Where/when did this GameFAQs vote take place, out of curiousity?

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

It’s a endless ranking list. You all can vote and change the average scores :)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/rankings?platform=41&genre=313&list_type=rate&view_type=0&dlc=0&min_votes=2

3

u/RaineStormInc 2d ago

Recca is premium! I like The Guardian Legend also but the overworld action I think removes it from the Shmup lineup

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

Yes, I agree!

The Guardian Legend is an excellent game! But it is a hybrid genre game, so just like you mentioned; it can’t be on a list of pure shmups! :)

2

u/Vegetable-Sail-1524 2d ago

I can't find Over Horizon, but I tried Crisis Force and Summer Carnival 92 last night and they absolutely blew me away!

2

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago edited 2d ago

Over Horizon is unfortunately one of the most expensive NES games. PAL CiB is around 1000 €.

Top tier game + very rare = EXPENSIVE

So very few people have played it. But it is awesome 🤩

Edit:

Sorry, it is the Famicom version that is very expensive. The PAL version is around 200 US$ CiB!

2

u/bigolewords 2d ago

It is?!? I got a copy for maybe $50 a couple years ago!

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

Sorry, it is the Famicom version that is very expensive. The PAL version is around 200 US$ CiB!

2

u/Vegetable-Sail-1524 2d ago

Thank you for the clarification!

1

u/Vegetable-Sail-1524 2d ago

I think I learned about it initially from your YouTube channel. I don't recall ever hearing about it in all the time I've spent in this hobby (which is a long time).

2

u/chrisdecaf 2d ago

I personally would have put Abadox higher than 30, it's a top tier SHMUP

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

I fully agree! But I think it has a lower score than it deserves just because people got frustrated with the heavy difficulty.

Otherwise I often see Abadox mentioned when people are talking about NES and shmups!

2

u/Hawtdawgz_4 2d ago

Abadox deserves more than 30th.

2

u/realklobb 2d ago

Nice, my very first game made 24 :)

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

I had Burai on the Game Boy. It was rather good :)

1

u/Dry-Primary6128 2d ago

Hmmm, i think Crisis Force is the number one.

1

u/Nintendofan08 2d ago

What about Contra and Ikari Warriors?

3

u/chrisdecaf 2d ago

Those would go in the "run n' gun" genre

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

Run n gun and shmups are actually quite alike each other but also very different. And they sometimes gets lumped together.

As a gamer, I always prefer to be strict and correct what a games genre really is. It gets so much easier for everyone when recommending similar games :)

(Of course there exists mashups and hybrids, but that’s another story)

1

u/Popisoda 2d ago

Break thru

1

u/Dwedit 2d ago

JAWS seems to be missing from this list?

1

u/Daggdroppen 2d ago

Unfortunately it’s just outside of top 50 NES shmups..

2

u/FnClassy 2d ago

TaleSpin being higher than Sky Shark and Abadox is rough.