Super Shooters - Dodonpachi (Saturn)

I've always been an absolute sucker for a shooter. Ever since the day I first stuck a quarter (okay, more like 5000 quarters) into the R-Type arcade machine, I've been hooked ever since. Giving me a shooter is like handing crack to a junkie. I was playing through some of my Sega Saturn import shooters the other day in order to get a few reviews done for www.saturnshooter.com and it dawned on me that I never did get around to launching the Super Shooters section of the blog.

Well today kicks off the first installment of Super Shooters with many more to come. I thought I'd start with my absolute favorite Sega Saturn shooter Dodonpachi. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more action-packed shooter than this one. Not only does it feature all of the typical Cave bullet hell-style game play, it's also nonstop action from start to finish. The play control is easy to pick up yet offers up enough playability to keep things interesting. You won't blow through this title in one sitting, that's for sure. While it is possible to locate the original arcade PCB for Dodonpachi, you'll find it cheaper to just pick up the import Saturn version of the game. That way you'll not only get the original arcade version, but the additional Saturn version with an extra level and a straight trip to Hibachi. If you can appreciate a great shooter, look no further than this one. (RATING: 9.7/10)

Forgotten Favorites - Rayman 2 (Dreamcast)

As I've said before, I don't get surprised by video games much anymore. But the day I bought Rayman 2 for the Nintendo 64 system, I discovered one of the greatest 3-D platformers ever made. The funny thing is that I enjoyed the first play through on my N64 console so much, that I bought the game for my Dreamcast when it was released and played through it again. I've played all of the various version of Rayman 2 and all are worthy purchases. That being said, if you have the means, the Dreamcast version is by far and away the best version of Rayman 2: The Great Escape your dollars can purchase. Gorgeous visuals and a very well laid out world map system come together to form a brilliantly executed adventure. If you can appreciate a game that's every bit as good as Super Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie, you'll love Rayman 2. Not only is it a blast to play, but it also offers an extremely long quest to keep you busy for some time to come. Even all these years later, Rayman 2 is still one of the best 3-D adventures ever made. Try it and you'll see for yourself. Now if Ubisoft will get past the Raving Rabbids and get back to making a brand new Rayman 3-D adventure I'll be quite happy. RATING: 9.5/10)

ASCII Pad FT (Dreamcast)

The majority of the time, I'd never recommend a third-party controller over the first party offering, but in the case of the Dreamcast, I'm going to make an exception. And that's certainly not to say that the factory dreamcast controller isn't good, because it is. It's just that many shooters for the Dreamcast require the use of the D-pad and the one found on the Dreamcast controller is not terribly good. In fact, that might be an understatement, if the truth be known.

Since most of the titles I own for my Dreamcast are shooters and fighting games, it makes sense that this controller is a good fit for me. It can't be used for games that require the analog stick, mainly because it doesn't have one, but if you're looking for a solid D-Pad, you won't find a better control pad for the Dreamcast. The pad feels a lot like a Saturn controller, and it even has rumble built into it. You can also use any Dreamcast VMU unit with it as well. This is one of the best feeling pads I've ever used, and a huge step up from the sluggish D-Pad found on the standard Dreamcast controller. All of these positives are the good news. Now it's time for the bad news.

As great a controller as the ASCII Pad FT is, it's also a very rare pad and will cost you about $70 on eBay. That's [i]if[/i] you can actually find one. I've even seen a new one go for in excess of $130, so you're not going to get your hands on one of these controllers without some serious cash. Is it worth it? If you play a lot of shooters and fighting games, I'd say yes. If not, you'd be better off sticking with the standard Dreamcast controller and using the $70 on a few good games. I lucked out and found one in a lot of Dreamcast stuff last year, so I didn't have to pay as much for mine. But in all honesty, knowing how great it is and knowing how many shooters I own for the Dreamcast, I'd probably have paid the $70+ for one anyway. : )

Corbie's Top 100 Shooters

Call them shmups if you want, but they'll always be shooters to me. There isn't another genre in video gaming that I will generally go completely obsessive crazy over like the classic space shooter genre. I own more shooters than any other genre of games and nothing makes me smile more than blowing lots of shit up. (In a video game, of course) After the Top 100 RPG special was such a success, I thought it was time to honor my favorite genre of video gaming with a Top 100 of their very own. So without further ado, let's get to it. Enjoy!

1. Ikaruga (Dreamcast)
2. Gate of Thunder (PC Engine)
3. Lords of Thunder (PC Engine)
4. Dodonpachi (Saturn)
5. Axelay (SNES)
6. Soukyugurentai (Saturn)
7. Zero Gunner 2 (Dreamcast)
8. Radiant Silvergun (Saturn)
9. Einhander (Playstation)
10. R-Type (Arcade)
11. RayCrisis (Playsation)
12. Battle Garegga (Saturn)
13. Sapphire (PC Engine)
14. Star Parodier (PC Engine)
15. R-Type Delta (Playstation)
16. Giga Wing 2 (Dreamcast)
17. Darius Gaiden (Saturn)
18. Viewpoint (Neo Geo)
19. Air Zonk (PC Engine)
20. Batsugun (Saturn)
21. Blazing Star (Neo Geo)
22. Mars Matrix (Dreamcast)
23. Thunder Force IV (Genesis)
24. Raystorm (Playstation)
25. Raiden Fighters Jet (Arcade)
26. Sexy Parodius (Saturn)
27. Detana Twinbee (Saturn)
28. Blazing Lazers (PC Engine)
29. Psyvariar II (Dreamcast)
30. Hyper Duel (Saturn)
31. Sengoku Blade (Saturn)
32. Donpachi (Saturn)
33. Soldier Blade (PC Engine)
34. Metal Black (Saturn)
35. Twinkle Star Sprites (Neo Geo)
36. Strikers 1945 III (Arcade)
37. Trizeal (Dreamcast)
38. Pop'n Twin Bee (Saturn)
39. Prehistoric Isle II (Neo Geo)
40. Gunbird 2 (Dreamcast)
41. Space Megaforce (SNES)
42. Super Fantasy Zone (Genesis)
43. Layer Section (Saturn)
44. Cotton Boomerang (Saturn)
45. Super R-Type (SNES)
46. Thunder Force III (Genesis)
47. Final Soldier (PC Engine)
48. Rayxanber III (PC Engine)
49. Zero Gunner (Arcade)
50. Shienryu (Saturn)
51. R-Type Leo (Arcade)
52. Salamander 2 (Saturn)
53. Chatting Parodius (Saturn)
54. R-Type III (SNES)
55. Cotton (PC Engine)
56. Coryoon (PC Engine)
57. Trigger Heart Exelica (Dreamcast)
58. Panzer Dragoon Zwei (Saturn)
59. Giga Wing (Dreamcast)
60. Silpheed (Sega CD)
61. Thunder Force V (Saturn)
62. Space Fantasy Zone (PC Engine)
63. G-Darius (Playstation)
64. Blast Wind (Saturn)
65. Side Arms Special (PC Engine)
66. Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth (Nintendo 64)
67. Gunbird (Saturn)
68. Steam Hearts (PC Engine)
69. Pulstar (Neo Geo)
70. Nanostray (Nintendo DS)
71. Cotton 2 (Saturn)
72. Gokujo Parodius (Saturn)
73. Thunder Spirits (SNES)
74. Phelios (Genesis)
75. Cotton 100% (Super Famicom)
76. Lifeforce (NES)
77. Twin Bee Yahoo (Sony PSP)
78. Gaiares (Genesis)
79. Super Air Zonk (PC Engine)
80. Super Star Soldier (PC Engine)
81. Panzer Dragoon (Saturn)
82. In the Hunt (Saturn)
83. Rainbow Cotton (Dreamcast)
84. Thunder Force II (Genesis)
85. Magical Chase (PC Engine)
86. Nexzr (PC Engine)
87. Parodius Da! (Arcade)
88. Sylphia (PC Engine)
89. Image Fight 2 (PC Engine)
90. Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
91. Spriggan (PC Engine)
92. Ordyne (PC Engine)
93. Salamander (Arcade)
94. Gradius (Arcade)
95. Last Hope (Dreamcast)
96. Fantasy Zone (PC Engine)
97. Thunder Force (Genesis)
98. Mr. Heli (PC Engine)
99. Last Resort (Neo Geo)
100. Gradius Gaiden (Playstation)

I had to leave quite a few great games off the list, but I just couldn't bring myself to do a Top 200 right now, so for now they'll just have to be satisfied being the runner-ups. Maybe someday I'll get around to adding them all to the list. I hope everyone enjoys the list. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it and some of your own shooter favorites.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #1 Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

There are very few 3-D adventures I've loved over the years as much as the original Banjo Kazooie on the Nintendo 64. Now that we know Microsoft is bringing the original out again on the Xbox Live Arcade service, I can now focus all of my attention on the first new Banjo title in over a decade. I'm still not sure how I'm going to like the focus on vehicles in this game, but I've never played a Banjo title that I didn't thoroughly enjoy, so I guess I can rest easy knowing that at least we're getting a new Banjo title finally. Judging from the videos, the game is shaping up quite nicely, so I'll be picking this one up on day one and probably won't show my face outside of my game room for some time afterwards. I've waited a long time for this new Banjo title, and I'll be getting my money's worth out of it if it's half as good as the previous Banjo games.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #2 Wario Land: Shake It!

I've long been a huge fan of the Wario Land games (minus Wario World, or course) so this game automatically jumped up high on my list when I saw it announced. I'm a sucker for 2-D platformers anyway, but throw in a lovable character like Wario into the mix and you just can't go wrong. I'm still undecided on how the Wii waggling will function inside the game, but I think just the prospect of a new Wario Land game alone is enough to get me excited about it. I'll be picking this one up on day one as well. About the only gripe I've seen regarding the game is the fact that it's not a true 16x9 presentation. While I would have loved to have every square inch of my LCD HDTV covered in Wario Land goodness, I guess I can live with it just the way it is.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #3 Star Ocean: First Departure

There are very few RPGs that I enjoy sitting down and playing through from start to finish more than the original Star Ocean title on the Super Famicom console. I've always considered it a masterpiece and I'm thrilled that gamers outside of Japan are finally going to get a chance to experience it for themselves. While I'm still a bit miffed that Square-Enix decided to alter the combat system that was used in the Super Famicom original, at least they're bringing the game to the US. Another piece of good news is that the sequel will also be making an appearance on the US PSP system later on as well. To be honest, I can't ever get enough Star Ocean RPG goodness. I'll have a full review of this one after it's US release.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #4 Castlevania: Order of Eclessia

Anyone who reads my blog knows what a sucker I am for a Castlevania title. No matter how many years pass, I never tire of the series, and I'm finding myself particularly excited about this upcoming third DS Castlevania game. I loved Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, but just from watching the videos and staring at screenshots, I have to say this game is quickly moving up my top 10 list. I figured I had better hurry up and write this up before it climbed up another spot. If the game is half as great as the past two DS titles, this will be a good game to play during the holiday season. Just take a look at the screenshot above to see what I mean. Now I just hope Iga will see fit to develop a brand new retro Castlevania title for the WiiWare service. My fingers are already crossed! : )

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #5 Tales of Vesperia

I've been a big "Tales of..." fan for a long time so it's no real surprise that I'm extremely excited about Tales of Vesperia coming to the Xbox 360 console. I even dug Tales of the Abyss out recently and began going through it again to prepare for the impending release of Tales of Vesperia. It's actually been a good while since I've played a current generation RPG, that being Eternal Sonata, so I'm really aching for a really in-depth RPG experience. Only time will tell how the game stacks up against previous games in the Tales series, but judging from the screen shots and videos I've seen so far, it's looking pretty solid. I almost put this one higher on the list, but there were just too many other great games to move it up any higher.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #6 Wii Music

Here's a title that I really don't know what to expect. This could end up being everything from a mammoth Nintendo hit to a complete dud, although the latter might be quite unrealistic. I have to admit, after seeing this game at E3, I keep coming back to it when I begin thinking of the many games I'm most looking forward to this 4th quarter. Nintendo normally knows how to pull a long-shot off and nobody comes out of left field with a winning idea better than they do. I guess only time will tell how gamers will take to Wii Music, but given the success of Brain Training and Wii Fit, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Wii Music goes on to become another huge hit for the big N! I know I'll be there to snatch it up the day it's released here in the US.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #7 Kirby Super Star DS

I have to admit, Kirby Super Star has long been my favorite release in the entire Kirby series. It's still one of my favorite Super NES titles and one that I drag out and play more times than I'd like to admit. I was quite excited to hear that Nintendo was updating the game for the Nintendo DS system and this title quickly jumped onto my most-wanted list and has remained there ever since. The variety in the different games this package offers up is almost limitless and I can't wait to see how the game looks and sounds in its updated form. If you're a Kirby fan like me, this game should be on your must-have list. It's safe to say that I'll be picking this one up the day it's released here in the US.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #8 Animal Crossing: City Folk

I have to admit, I loved the original Animal Crossing game on the Gamecube console. In fact, I spent an insane amount of time playing that game before I finally had to seek out professional help to rid myself of the addiction once and for all. Now here Nintendo goes and creates yet another game that's even more in-depth than the last one. Great! Oh well, at least it will give me something to do during the holidays besides stuff my face and listen to all of my relatives site around and jabber about politics for hours on end. I can't wait to see how the online interaction in the game works within the Animal Crossing world, not to mention all of the other new features. It's safe to say that if this game is half as good as the original Gamecube title was, I'm going to be all over this one when it hits retail shelves.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #9 Mega Man 9

Here's another downloadable title that I can't wait to get my hands on. I'll most likely pick it up on WiiWare and this old-school Mega Man experience is one not to be missed by fans of the classic series. Not only is Capcom creating the game using 8-bit music and visuals, but they're even going to include some of the classic 8-bit flicker to round out the package just right. I've always been a huge fan of the classic NES Mega Man titles and this one looks to be a real chip off the old block. I just hope I can contain my excitement until its release in September. Maybe we'll see other developers take a trip down memory lane and recreate some of the classic-style games using old-school sound effects and visuals. You can't beat a good dose of nostalgia.

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008 - #10 Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty

I know this game is coming out in August, but I just couldn't leave it off the list. I love the Ratchet & Clank series and this game has me particularly interested since it will feature more emphasis on the platforming aspects of the game instead of just running around and shooting everything in site. (Not that I mind that, of course) I'm curious about how this downloadable adventure that will only last 2-3 hours will leave me feeling, but for the price, it seems pretty fair. I don't have the kind of time to sit down with a 20-30 hour game anymore anyway, so this should prove to be a nice change of pace. What bothers me about this list is that this is the only Playstation 3 title on my list, so it would seem that my Playstation 3 is going to be collecting a little more dust in the near future. I guess I should be happy that there will at least be games for the other systems to keep my mind off my utter Playstation 3 neglect. Now if only Playstation 3 developers will get on the stick and get me a new Playstation 3 Sly Cooper or Klonoa title then all will be well in the world again. : )

My Top 10 Games of Q4 2008!

We're rapidly approaching the 4th Quarter, otherwise known as the "Christmas Shopping Season" and I've decided to put together a list of the games that are at the top of my wish list from now until the end of the year. I always keep a list of the games I want and when they're coming out, so I basically looked that list over and chose the ten games I'm most looking forward to. I've got the list compiled and tomorrow will kick off the list with my #10 game, which is sadly the only Playstation 3 game to make the list. See if you can guess what it is between now and then. : )