Electric Underground Podcast

The History of Beat Em' Ups (Part 1 - The Pre-Final Fight Era 1980-1989). Beat Em' Ups is one of my favorite genres of gaming. However, the history of this arcade staple isn't really widely known or discussed. Today I am joined by Kriegor, a man who knows a ton about the genre's history in detail, and we go through the first era Beat Em Ups, the Pre-Final Fight Era. We have termed this era "Pre-Final Fight" becuase, as we discuss at the end of the video, this Capcom classic CHANGED EVERYTHING. Which is crazy to think about how important Capcom is for the arcade genres. Not only did they define the fighting game genre with Street Fighter 2, but they also defined the Beat Em' Up formula with Final Fight 1. The games we discuss in this episode are: Samuraï, Swashbuckler, Spartan X, Nekketsu Koha Kunio-Kun, Double Dragon, The Ninja Warriors, P.O.W.: Prisoners of War, Ninja Gaiden, Golden Axe, Dynasty Wars, River City Randsom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Crime Fighters, and FINAL FIGHT! I'm not sure how many of these are availible on modern consoles like Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, or Steam (PC), but I imagine a good many :-) I know Final Fight is in the Capcom Beat Em' Up Collection, which is pretty sweet!

Psikyo Shoot Em' Up Tier List Ranking! Ft. Super Player @Meriscan It's time to discuss which Psikyo Shoot Em' Up (shmup) games are the best with a ranking! And today I am joined by one of the best Psikyo players in the western world, @Meriscan ! For those not in the know, Psikyo is one of the most underrated shmup developers and their games are like a cross between CAVE style bullet hell (danmaku) and Raiden style high speed bullets of death. The games that we cover are: Sengoku Ace, Gunbird, Strikers 1945, Sengoku Blade(Tengai), Strikers 1945 II, Zero Gunner, Gunbird 2, Space Bomber, Strikers 1945 III (1999), Strikers 1945 Plus, Cannon Spike(Gunspike), Dragon Blaze, and Zero Gunner 2! A lot of these games are available on Steam, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Though I would highly advise staying away from the Nintendo Switch Collections, Bravo and Alpha, as they are both very laggy and bad. Be sure to sub to @Meriscan 's channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Meriscan

What is a Shoot Em' Up? Defining the Genre with Shmup Junkie. This video has literally been years in the making. As much as we all the love Shoot Em' Up (shmup, STG) genre, what's embarrassing is that, up to this point, over all these decades, there has never been a solid criteria or definition of what a shmup even is. For a genre that is so fundamental you'd think this would have been established by now, but due to the nature of online discourse, this question has never been resolved. Over the years, I have worked on what I think are the 3 criteria of what I believe consitute a shmup, and in today's video I explain these criteria and run them by fellow youtuber, Shmup Junkie, to hear his reaction and thoughts. We not only talk about shmups, but also related genres like run n' gun, rail shooter, gallery shooter, first person shooter (fps), third person shooter, single screen games, metal slug, contra, platformers, twin stick shooters, Star Fox, Doom, and many more! I think we have a fantastic discussion and I do think this is one of the most important episode of The Electric Underground :-) I am now going to list off some algorthym tags: Nintendo Switch, Steam, Bullet Hell, PS4. PS5, Xbox, PC, Indie, Hidden Gem, Sega, CAVE, Touhou, Battle Garegga, Longplay, 1cc, Podcast.

Fight N' Rage Developer Interview! The Creation of the Best Modern Beat Em' Up! I'm very excited for today's guest, Sebagames, the developer of Fight N' Rage, my favorite Beat Em' Up of all time! In today's episode we discuss the history of the game, his story and motivation to get such a massive undertaking completed as a solo developer, and of course the possibility of a sequel and what the developers thoughts are on his "creative crisis" in regards to making a follow up. We also discuss classic arcade based design, such as Fight N' Rage, Alien Versus Predator, Final Fight verus the modern simon says style design of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge, River City Girls, Scott Pilgram, and these types of games. Another aspect of the episode is talking about how insperational the story of Fight N' Rage can be for other indie developers, but how often the stories of indie devs are overlooked in favor of older studios like Square and their tale of creating Final Fantasy. Fight N' Rage at the time of this recording is on massive sale and I strongly strongly recommend picking it up on Steam, Good Old Games, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox and wherever else the game pops up.

True Last Boss - Amazing or Awful? A Shoot Em' Up (Shmup) Debate. True Last Boss, the TLB, they are a signature aspect of shoot em' up, shmup, design. Are they fair? Are they outdated and stealing your money? should they be mandatory? Should they be optional? What about TLB's appearing in other genres? Should Super Mario have a true last boss (giga Bowser). What about secret super bosses in RPGs? Today the crew gets back together and Aktane, Boghog, and myself debate this idea. It was a really fun conversation and definitely subscribe to Aktane's channel and check out Boghog's upcoming shmup, Gunvein! It's going to be great

Are Fighting Games Decaying into Drama, Twitch Highlights, And Hype Reaction Videos? A discussion with @RedLineFGC . I have been actively involved with the fighting game scene (attending locals, watching majors, etc) since 2012 and over the past ten years it feels like there has definitely been a big shift in tone where the passion for the games have cooled, despite there being more fighting games being produced than ever, and the passion for the internet sub culture, especially drama, has grown. I'm not an arcade purist or anything like that, but I do think there is a balancing point in terms of the type of content being made and the tone of the content. I would argue that since the esports shift, the tone of the content has become more generic, bland, and more geared towards filler and there also now exists a thriving subculture of pure drama. Also the rate of turnover between games has become so fast that it's essentially impossible to keep up with as a fan, as a player, and as a video maker / youtuber. On top of this, it is a bit of a shame the so many channels that I have enjoyed over the years like Avoiding the Puddle and The Main Man SWE are more on the side of stream highlights than making dedicated videos and podcasts (especially ATP), but I also do understand why this shift has occured. This all being said, keep in mind that I am much less invested in what goes on with fighting games and am perfectly willing to now retire to playing locals and less popular fighting games online :-) I am interested to see what happens with Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, King of Fighters, Guilty Gear, Dead or Alive, Virtua Fighter, and many other upcoming fighting games, but I'm not holding my breath for a healthy shift in quality and engagement around the games. You never know though! Thanks so much to @RedLineFGC for being a guest on the episode and be sure to check out his "Tekken 7 - A Five Year Critique" video and subscribe to his channel! Link to his vid: https://youtu.be/OlcFHI9RYAs Link to his recommended fighting game channels: Rubbish: https://www.youtube.com/c/HQRubbish Leon Massey: https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonMassey Gekko Squirrel: https://www.youtube.com/c/GekkoSquirrel ProxicOn: https://www.youtube.com/c/Proxic0n TheoryFighter: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheoryFighter

The discussion of how massive and omnipresent the tactic of nostalgia in today's video games and film is a common topic. Very few would deny how potent nostalgia is and how companies will not hesitate to use it. In today's video though, I want to go beyond the usual conversation of the behavior of the studios and companies (the suppliers) and instead focus my attention on the consumers of nostalgia. Why is it so compelling to us? How has it become so pervasive in all of our media? And analyze why I believe the millenial mind (I am one myself) is espcially supseptible to the powr of nostalgia and how we can bend ourselves into logic pretzles to both justify nostalgic pandering and deny it at the same time. I also go over how I think this addiction to nostalgia has altered our current artsist practices and why everything these days seems to be a copy of a copy.

Gradius Series Ranking and Tier List! Shoot Em' Up Discussion with @KyoKusagani ! There is no Shoot Em' Up (shmup) series more classic and influential than the Gradius series. Konami, in years prior, were a legendary studio and absolutely pushed the genre of shoot em' ups forward in many meaningful ways. Today, I am joined by @KyoKusagani to rank and discuss the Gradius series, as well as related spin off games like Salamander and Parodious. We will go through Gradius 1, Gradius 2, Gradius 3, Salamander/Life Force, Gradius 5, Gradius Gaiden, Gradius 5, Gradius Rebirth, and a few more :-) So you could also consider this video a review of Gradius collection as well! We discuss PCB's, level design, balance, checkpoints, boss fighter, music (ost), graphics, stage design, glitches, and history. These ports appear on tons of consoles like NES, SNES, PS1, PC-98, MSX, PS2, PSP, Wii, and probably a lot more! Fingers crossed for a really solid collection on Switch, PS5/PS5 and Xbox in the future! Be sure to subscribe to Kyo's channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcou...And for insane Gradius Gameplay, check out G3Fleako and Refkey: https://www.twitch.tv/g3fleako

Elden Ring Debate! Is Elden Ring A Masterpiece or Overrated Spam Fest? (Review, Discussion). Today I am joined by talented Shoot Em' Up Dev Boghog (Mechanical Star Astra + Gunvien) and charismatic Shmup commentator, Aktane, to discuss the open-world phenomenon that is taking over the gaming world, Elden Ring, to debate it's merits and try and work through the hype and unrelenting critical praise to decide if Elden Ring lives up to its reputation or if it is flawed and overrated. Topics we cover are the open world design, the level design, the combat, the boss fights, the visuals, the graphics and music, the critical reception, the difficulty, it's placement in the Dark Souls series, how the game relates to other action RPG, the sales, Castlevania, Joseph Anderson "Shattered Masterpiece," input buffer, pc performance, and so much more! If you are looking for a really passionate and fun discussion about the game you can't go wrong! BogHog Twitter: https://twitter.com/boghogoooHis Brilliant Bullet Hell Dev Guide: https://t.co/rr6D69O9RJAktane Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AKTANEARCADEAktane Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aktane

Bootlegs, Dictators, & Shoot Em' Ups! Gaming in Brazil | Podcast with ShmupsBR. Today on the Electric Underground Podcast/Videocast I speak with @ShmupsBR about his experience playing retro games in Brazil growing up and all the wild stories about playing bootlegs and getting around the rules of a military dictatorship (hardcore!). We discuss a ton of topics in this episode including his top 5 favorite shmups, the modding scene in south america, clone consoles, arcade bootlegs, fights in the arcade, Nintendo, Sega, Master system, NES, NEOGEO, SNES, N64, PS2, import taxes, the ups and downs of youtubing, and so much more! Sub to ShmupsBR! https://www.youtube.com/c/ShmupsBR

Are Shoot Em' Ups Worth Full Price? What Makes Video Games Valuable? Videocast Discussion w/ Aktane! With massively popular games coming out right now like Elden Ring (and other Dark Souls like games) the question of how much a video game is worth, especially for older genres like Shoot Em' Ups or other arcade games, is coming up more and more. In a mainstream audience's eyes, its hard to deny that a genre like shmup is often considered less valuable then a massive sprawling RPG like Elden Ring of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. So today, among many other topics, Aktane and I discuss what type of content could be added to modern shmup releases to increase their value and what is particularly appealing to newer players!

Schildmaid MX Developers Interview! New Indie Shmup Podcast! Today on the podcast (videocast) I sit down with the developers of the new indie shmup Schildmaid MX! In this episode we talk about the history of the game, the journey of the indie game makers, discuss the process of releasing an indie shoot em' up in the year 2022, the infamous barrel roll, releasing on itch.io, developing with Unity, publishing on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox, Steam, and even more in depth topics too. Going over my review, we also share our thoughts on gameplay mechanics like aspect ratio, bullet canceling, rank, and scoring! You can buy the game on Itch.io (which I think pairs very well with playnite): https://hitp-studio.itch.io/schildmaid-mx Background music and game ost by Ed Tremblay of Bullet Heaven: https://mudprintsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/schildmaid-mx-original-soundtrack

FRESH PERSPECTIVE! Shoot Em' Up Discussion With A New Player, RJB! In today's episode of the Electric Underground Videocast I discuss the genre with a new a player, RJB, to get a fresh perspective on shmups and to hear his feedback on what ideas and elements of the genre are currently connecting with new players. I really enjoyed the discussion a lot and learned quiet a bit about what elements of the genre we can market research and work towards finding wider appeal. It definitely sounds like the Nintendo Switch, Crimzon Clover World Explosion, CAVE, bullet hell, the PS4, and multiplayer shmups are routes worth exploring in the future. We also talk about game journalism, arcade sticks, controllers, shoot em' up reviews, game length, roguelikes, audience expectation, and the different Magic the Gathering player types and how they would apply to shmups. RJB also did seem to really connect with my idea of bringing Guilty Gear style graphics to bullet hell (come on Platinum, that's what the people want).

Shoot Em' Up Youtubers Unite! An Honest Discussion of the Ups and Downs of Shmups On Youtube. In today's episode of the show (with video!), I am joined by Shmup Junkie and Ed Tremblay of Studio Mudprints to catch up on how they have been doing and to talk about our experiences with making content around the best but extremely niche video game genre, shoot em' ups (shmups). Topics of today's show include our thoughts on mini consoles like the PC Engine mini, the ethics of being a fair reviewer without selling out, the difficulty of getting an initial audience, the catch 22 of not doing the same style of content too much, but being punished when trying something new. We also cover our personal highlight and lowlights and some really cool upcoming projects! Subscribe to Shmup Junkie: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb6Y45xtdYojo2-x9LHI8mQ Subscribe to Bullet Heaven: https://www.youtube.com/c/StudioMudprints Music From Ed's Shieldmaiden MX Ultra Arrange: https://mudprintsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/schildmaid-mx-ultra-arrange

Ketsui World Record Interview with Moglar5K, Featuring Jaimers! Earlier this year a speedrunning content creator, fireb0rn, made a video about Moglar5k being a speedrunning child prodigy and changing how Hollow Knight's speedrun is played. After Hollow Knight and speedrunning, Moglar5k then proceeded deep into the arcade genre of shoot em' ups (shump) and after years of practice, innovation, and grinding, broke the World Record for one of the best and most challenging shmups ever made, Ketsui. Moglar5k is one of the most talented gamer I have ever seen and one of the very few non-Japanese players to hold a world record in a CAVE game, especially a game like Ketsui which has an insane scoring history that has been pushed by the greatest players of all time. In today's interview, Jaimers (another very accomplished shmup player), Moglar, and myself discuss Ketsui as a scoring game and go over Moglar's amazing rise from fresh new face a few years ago, to one of the greatest shmups players active right now. Also, if you want more history on Moglar's journey, there is another episode of the podcast from a few years ago where he, Kiwi, and myself talk about talent in the genre:

Dodonpachi SaiDaiOuJou World Record Interview! Questions For a CAVE Superplayer! In today's video I speak with Kayar, a world record holder for Dodonpachi SDOJ! In the interview we talk about his recent superplay and his history as a player. Like his first 1cc, his beginnnings as a touhou

Shmups On A Speedrunning Podcast! Mark Joins the FrameSavers to Discuss the Dodonpachi Score Glitch! Back from the vaccuum of the internet, I am happy to present an episode of my favorite speedrunning podcast, The Frame Savers, where I am a guest and try my best to introduce the infamous Dodonpachi Score Glitch and the competative shmup score scene to a speedrunning audience. This episode was recorded about two years ago, but was not online that long as the host podcast, The Frame Savers, got cancelled shortly after the episode aired. Rather then letting the ep fall into the void of the web, however, I have been given permission to re-upload and present it to my audience :-) I've also done a bit of remastering on the audio side of things. ENJOY!

Part 2! Electric Underground Podcast: Inside Japanese Arcades with TwilightEX. In this episode of the podcast TwilightEX and I discuss the Japanese arcade scene and I try to learn more about what the social environment in Japan is like.

Surprise!! As a new perk for my Patrons I have decided that I will release the audio for new Electric Underground Podcast Episodes early, since there is usually a delay between when I finish the audio and have the video ready to upload :-) This video will premier at the end of shmup kumite as a surprise, so keep it on the down low ha ;-) Cheers!

Blue Revolver Developer Interview! (Part 2) The Struggle of Indie "Steam Has All the Leverage." In part 2 of this interview Danbo, the developer of Blue Revolver, discusses the perils of indie game publishing and how many aspects of steam, especially deep sales culture, punish indie developers and how much stronger of an alternative Itch.io is for shmup and other smaller indie genres. We also discuss shmup game design and Danbo's future plans for development! Buy Blue Revolver on itch (more money goes to dev): https://stellarcircle.itch.io/blue-revolver Gameplay Footage from Kiwi's Channel (Subscribe) https://youtu.be/nzoAMxYL5YI Patreon https://www.patreon.com/electricunderground (Bi-Weekly Patreon Exclusive Podcast for $2) Website: http://electricunderground.io/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/the_electric_underground STG Revision 2020 Discord: https://discord.gg/snRueeH 00:00 Steam DONT Know Shmups Like I DO! 04:51 Shmups are a Lifestyle Genre 10:50 Mainstream Games Are Boring 16:51 Steam's Massive 30% Cut 23:13 Steam Deep Sales Culture is FFffffffffffff 36:50 It s not the Size of the Jiggabyte, It s How You Use It. 43:04 Is Console Porting Worth It? 50:02 I Miss Rail Shooters 53:19 Speed Question Round! What s The New Hotness?! 01:01:45 Virtical Vs Horizontal Shmupping

The secret ending of Shmup Slam 3 was an interview with Danbo, the developer of one of my favorite shmups, Blue Revolver! In Part 1 of this interview, we talk about his history with the genre, his inspiration for game design, and how he seeks polished fundamental design, over novel gimmicks. Buy Blue Revolver on Itch.io (more money goes to dev): https://stellarcircle.itch.io/blue-revolverBuy Blue Revolver on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/439490/BLUE_REVOLVER/Buy Double Action OST: https://bluerevolver.bandcamp.com/album/blue-revolver-double-action-original-soundtrack Patreon https://www.patreon.com/electricunderground(Bi-Weekly Patreon Exclusive Podcast for $2) Website: http://electricunderground.io/Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/the_electric_undergroundSTG Revision 2020 Discord: https://discord.gg/snRueeH 00:00 Every Great Game Needs a Little Jank 3:26 Goldenbat Flamethrower Fix 6:15 A Boy's Got to GAME! 9:33 Roguelike's need better pacing 11:30 Blue Revolver's Beginnings 14:14 Indie Games Milk Themselves 19:26 Indie Success is a Black Box 24:28 Refinement GREATER THAN Gimmicks 26:22 Avoiding the Euroshmup 30:27 Why Shmups are the BEST GENRE 32:26 Shmups are the Last Bastion of Score Play 37:42 Mark gets the High Score ... in Typing Class? 41:41 Muchi Muchi Pork! 44:46 Danbo Agrees with Mark about Imperishable Night :-D 47:17 The GREAT HITBOX REVELATION! 51:44 Are 120 FPS Shmups the Future? 56:34 CRT Talk ... To Be Continued in PART 2!

Strategic Shmup Marketing and Community Building with UBO (Podcast Part 2). In this 2nd half of the Electric Underground Podcast, UBO and I discuss his further efforts to support the shmup community on Steam, Reddit, Twitter, and Twitch. Check out UBO's Twitter: https://twitter.com/STGshmups https://twitter.com/ShmupDeals STG Shmup Reddit: https://new.reddit.com/r/STGshmups/ STG Shmup Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/STG%20Shmups/ STG Shmup Steam Curator Group! https://steamcommunity.com/groups/STGshmups https://store.steampowered.com/curator/39015759-STG-Shmups/

REVIVING SHMUPS! Marketing Arcade Culture into the 21st Century with UBO. In today's episode of the Electric Underground Podcast, we talk about the financial history of the genre and discuss new ideas for marketing shmups to the current gaming audience Check out UBO's Twitter: https://twitter.com/STGshmups https://twitter.com/ShmupDealsSTG Shmup Reddit: https://new.reddit.com/r/STGshmups/STG Shmup Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/STG%20Shmups/STG Shmup Steam Curator Group! https://steamcommunity.com/groups/STGshmups https://store.steampowered.com/curator/39015759-STG-Shmups/

A RARE OCCURRENCE of the internet, two people with different viewpoints on input lag have a respectful discussion around the issue. In this episode, we talk about if and when input lag matters. I also share my thoughts on the Nintendo Life reviews I did and my personal standards for input lag. Hopefully, this episode will put the controversy to bed, or at least make it take a nap for a bit ha. Shout outs to Shmup Junkie for being on the episode, he was a great guest! Check out his channel! www.youtube.com/c/ShmupJunkie/videos Patreon www.patreon.com/electricunderground Website: electricunderground.io/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/the_electric_underground STG Revision 2020 Discord: discord.gg/snRueeH Also, if you enjoyed this video I now have a weekly exclusive Patreon podcast called 7th Day Electric for $2 :-)

August 1st is now officially Shmup Day! Today the Shmup Wiki, Hall of Records, Shmup Leaderboard, and Calice Cup are all announced! In this episode, I talk with Plasmo (Shmup Historian) and Queen Charlene (Creator of Shmup Wiki) about these new projects, their potential to grow the genre, and what the future holds for the genre! Check out the Shmups Wiki: shmups.wiki/library/Main_Page Hall of Records: shmups.wiki/library/STG_Hall_of_Records Shmup Open Leaderboard: electricunderground.io/shmup-leaderb…d-philosophy/ Calice Cup: calice.snowcrash.fun/tournaments/ Also, if you enjoyed this podcast I now have a weekly exclusive Patreon podcast called 7th Day Electric :-) Patreon www.patreon.com/electricunderground Website: electricunderground.io/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/the_electric_underground STG Revision 2020 Discord: discord.gg/snRueeH

In this episode, Pearl and I discuss the submission practices and requirements of the now controversial scorekeeping entity, Twin Galaxies. Pearl has submitted runs to the website before and I discuss with him my concerns about why I have trouble seeing Twin Galaxies as a future home for shmup and arcade game scorekeeping. All gameplay is from Pearl's channel (check it out and sub): www.youtube.com/channel/UCabY4rE2DL9UKthjSx0STsw and definitely check out his awesome mystery run at Shmup Slam 2: youtu.be/40xRX1IGUlI www.patreon.com/electricunderground Twitter: twitter.com/Mark_MSX_ Website: electricunderground.io/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/the_electric_underground STG Revision 2020 Discord: discord.gg/snRueeH

This episode was streamed live and in it I celebrate two years of the podcast and talk about the history of my content, as well as the future. I had fun ha :-) www.patreon.com/electricunderground Website: electricunderground.io/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/the_electric_underground STG Revision 2020 Discord: discord.gg/snRueeH

After his brilliant showing at AGDQ 2020, Gusto returns to the podcast to discuss his experience and upcoming participation in Shmup Slam 2 (which will take place on my stream Feb 29th, 2020). Gusto's Twitter: twitter.com/gusyphus Gusto's Twitch: www.twitch.tv/gusyphus2/ www.patreon.com/electricunderground Twitter: twitter.com/Mark_MSX_ Website: electricunderground.io/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/the_electric_underground STG Revision 2020 Discord: discord.gg/snRueeH

SUPPORT GUS And SHMUPS AND TUNE IN FOR HIS RUN JANUARY 8th: Here is the stream schedule (it will auto adjust for your timezone): gamesdonequick.com/schedule Part 2 of my interview with Gus. In this second part, we talk about the different versions of Futari, Gus at Stunfest, and the opportunity for the genre to gain more exposure after Gus's demo at AGDQ. Gus Stream: www.twitch.tv/gusyphus2 Track 1 from Kof 2003 Track 2 from Robotech Track 3 from Kof 2003 Track 4 is a remix of Shaun's theme from 3rd strike.

At AGDQ 2020, Gus, the Futari Master, will be repping the shmup scene with a demonstration of Mushihimesama Futari Ultra Mode 1.01! In Part 1 of this ep I talk with him about his history with Shmups and Futari. In the upcoming Part 2, we'll talk all about his upcoming AGDQ run as well as his previous demonstrations at Stunfest earlier in the year. You can watch Gus Stream and practice Futari here: www.twitch.tv/gusyphus2 All music in the ep is from the Futari Arrange soundtrack you can find on khinsider.

This has been a topic that has been on my mind for months now. I have been a fan of Mike's for a long time and saw that he was struggling with the same issue of trying to communicate his thoughts and opinions with his audience, as well as experiencing upload burnout. I'm very proud of how this episode turned out and definitely encourage you all to give it a listen, even if it doesn't fit exactly into the narrow specifics of shmups or JRPGs (for Mike's listeners). Whether people want to acknowledge the issues we discuss in the episode or not, these struggles do affect video game players and content makers. Maybe this episode will be a bit too real for some people, it'll be interesting to see. Massive thanks again to Mike for coming on the episode. Like I mention at the end, it's been nearly impossible for me to collab with anyone outside the shmup scene because of how clique YouTube culture works and how people must view me as some sort of biter or joke because of my low view count. Mike coming on the ep shows that he's a real homie. All the music from this episode was taken from Mike's amazing video: "How Music Moves Us." So if there is a particular track you like, watch the vid and you can see what it is ;-) youtu.be/zF4yrT6-rFU Lastly, for any potential new listeners to the podcast (since Mike is exponentially more popular than myself, ha), here are some good follow up episodes to sort of bridge between my hardcore shmup content and this episode: "Midtier are People Too" (Youtube): youtu.be/7jTENQkAE84?list=PLM…9ZNMWCiJTfzw54ZeiGuH (Souncloud): User-306325657 – Episode-xxix-midtier-are-people-too-the-shmup-skill-gap-and-grind-with-kz-the-kusoplayer "Shmups 2018 in Review" Youtube: youtu.be/GeH77DyZpTE?list=PLM…9ZNMWCiJTfzw54ZeiGuH Soundcloud: User-306325657 – Episode-xxiii-shmup-2018-in-review-softdrink-and-mark-talk-about-everything And if you want to go deep into the lore, "Shmupception" Youtube: youtu.be/PRyVW39VDf0?list=PLM…9ZNMWCiJTfzw54ZeiGuH Soundcloud: User-306325657 – Episode-xxiv-shmupception

In this second part of the episode, we talk about the topic of Japanese world record verification and the future of world records and score keeping. We also talk some trash on Twin Galaxies (which is always fun). We talk about our issues with TG's ignoring of Japanese world records, being generally shady, and their current silly record submission practices (which Pearl had a delightful experience with). Tracks: 1 = OC Remix, Temple of Life, from Life Force 2= Shrine of Farewell from Hellsinker (Mario Paint Remix) 3= Ojamajo DoReMi (Mario Paint Remix) 4=Fly me to the Moon (from Eva)

speedrunning. Tracks: Opening = Swans: Mother of the World 2nd = Bomberman 64: Second Attack Metal cover by ToxicEternity 3rd = Lower Nofair Metal Cover by Steamage (I learned to play this on guitar in highschool, ha) Closing = Super Mario RPG, Battle with Smithy metal cover byRichaadEB

A really fun episode with fellow Shmup Slam Co-Host, KZ the Kusoplayer. In this episode we talk about the struggles of being midtier players and the scene's tendency to only pay attention to top tier level play. We also talk about the grind, getting into scoring versus survival only, and other attitudes we've run up against. I'm super proud of how this episode turned out, so please check it out.

Today the podcast is graced by Frenetic, a co-founder of STG Weekly, contributing member of the overall scene, shmup evangelist, and awesome host of many shmup-meetups over the years. We talk about the start of STG Weekly, his history with the genre, the Cali arcade scene, as well as some ideas for hustling shmups to a wider audience. We also discuss my idea for a shmup meetup for next year: Shmup Invasion 2020.

[Part II] This week two up-and-coming shmup players, Kiwi and Moglar5k, join me to dig into the great Shakespearean question: "How do I get good at shmups?" Kiwi Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCbmYIZGgr1ugjcA4WUYqkOQ Moglar5k Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxGk4EHg09dlIp1QlQjS_GQ

Episode XXVII: Breaking the Wall, Getting Good at Shmups w/ Kiwi and Moglar5k [Part I] EP 27, Breaking the Wall, Getting Good with Kiwi and Moglar5k (part 1).mp3 This week two up-and-coming shmup players, Kiwi and Moglar5k, join me to dig into the great Shakespearean question: "How do I get good at shmups?" Kiwi Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCbmYIZGgr1ugjcA4WUYqkOQ Moglar5k Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxGk4EHg09dlIp1QlQjS_GQ

Today l get the chance to talk with the omega-level homie, Plasmo, about Stunfest 2019! This year was killer as always and we go over everything (at least that I could think of). Featured players this year were Maribel (playing lunatic Touhou Ten Desires), Kiwi (playing parallel Blue Revolver), and Gus (playing 1.5 and 1.01 Futari Ultra). All the runs are highly recommended viewings. Links: Original Stunfest Stream (you can view the Twitch highlights): www.twitch.tv/os_yom/videos ||Maribel|| Survival Run: youtu.be/eaJI0YaEULo Scoring Run: youtu.be/G37qKzNUMCA Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/MaribelHearn Twitch: twitch.tv/maribel_hearn ||Kiwi|| 1st Run with Danbo the developer on mic: youtu.be/nzoAMxYL5YI 2nd Run with Jaimers and Plasmo on mic: youtu.be/uPQvza8WRwk Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/Igiveyouablock Twitch: twitch.tv/kiwi33 ||Gus|| Version 1.5 Run: youtu.be/zh_-gzkI3l4 Version 1.01 Run: youtu.be/qfrEFfJbLAw Twitch: www.twitch.tv/gusyphus2/ Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHo2qLSia_ZLHHOr_RMxWQ SMC Article about 1.01 and 1.5 version differences: electricunderground.io/guest-article…ences-by-smc/

Solo Mode. Title pretty much says it all. Link to GGPO Panel Vid: www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9JTIn1SVQ4

A crazy huge episode. Topics Covered: -EUP Discord Closed -Greatest Shmups of All Time List -Why community matters with guests Dingo and Shoryusatsu Much love for all the members of my discord, the whole thing was so much fun! Also, my infinite apologies to Dingo and Shoryusatsu for their episode getting caught in development hell.

In 1876 Leo Tolstoy published War and Peace. In January of 2019 Softdrink and Mark MSX recorded a 2018 Shmup year in review episode and talked about Everything. Seriously though, I think this is a killer episode and huge thanks to Softdrink for being such an awesome guest. twitter.com/Softdrink_117

It started as a joke on my discord, but the idea was too funny to resist :-) Jaimers dropping some serious bars here. Also, both Jaimers and I are FANS of touhou games, the title is just a play on words.

It's the shmup release I have been waiting all year for! It's finally here! Ketsui DeathTiny! In this episode I get the opportunity to talk with Iconoclast, an accomplished shmup player who has been absolutely destroying DeathTiny, among other achievements I don't want to spoil, about the new release and titular arrange mode. I've had a great time playing this game and talking about it, and I know you are all in for an enjoyable listen :-D Yes, it's a pain importing the game or downloading off the Japanese PSN, but it is definitely worth the effort for any shmup fan. Huge thanks to Iconoclast for coming on the episode!

On today's episode, I get the opportunity to interview Adam Ferrando, the developer of Demon's Tilt, a pinball game with serious shmup elements. I have had a great time talking to Adam about his journey as an indie developer, the in-depth mechanics of Demon's Tilt, as well trying out the beta. I strongly encourage my fellow shmup players to check the game out when it releases! Steam Link: store.steampowered.com/app/422510/DEMONS_TILT/ Description from Publisher: Demon's Tilt is a new retro-styled video pinball game that mixes video pinball with shmup (or bullet hell) elements to create something totally new! Some time ago, Demon's Tilt creator Adam Ferrando showed an early prototype of the game to frequent collaborator Ralph Barbagallo. Ralph liked the demo so much he decided to help ship and publish the game through his own development and publishing company, FLARB. Game OST created by ec2151

On today's episode, I am extremely excited to be able to talk with the Zero Ranger Developers Ebbo and Eebrozgi. After following this game's development on the forums and then playing the release this year, I was immediately hooked and eager to get these guys on the podcast. I truly feel this game is of the highest quality and give it my sincerest personal recommendation. In the interview, we cover the games 10 year development history, it's evolving design and inspirations, as well as its potential to bring more players into the shmup community. I am personally a huge fan of this game and am certain this episode is an awesome listen for shmup fans. Please recommend this game to all your friends, even the non-shmup players. Link to game: store.steampowered.com/app/809020/ZeroRanger/ P.S. The cover art for this episode is based off art by Baconpal and used with his permission. Here are links to his Tumbler and Twitter: baconpal.tumblr.com/ twitter.com/BaconPal

On today's episode, Prometheus stops by the podcast to drop some serious knowledge. We talk about the history behind Full Extent of the Jam, his process of learning Dodonpachi, his philosophy of learning efficiently, input methods, DDP vs. DOJ, Starcraft Brood War, the state of Dodonpachi, and a bunch more. I think I did a reasonably good job keeping my inner fanboy contained, huge thanks to Prometheus for coming on the podcast.

Mr. McCormo is back for part 2 of his interview! In this follow up we go deep into some pretty technical and possibly divisive topics. We talk about welcoming new players into the scene, emulation versus ports, the merits of arcade sticks, digital versus analog display, the meaning of pixel response time, 240p vs 480i, and the biology behind how we look at shmups when we play. McCormo has written an article on the subject of seeing shmups: dunpachi.com/2018/10/11/ Check out his other articles too :-)

On this week's episode I get the opportunity to talk with an awesome guest, Jay Shy! He is a professional comic book artist and we sit down and have a discussion about overall shmup visual design, anime, as well as specific art styles like cyber punk and moe. I also get to learn more about Jay's experience entering the shmup community and hear his thoughts on how we can make the scene more welcoming. Check out Jay Shy's youtube! www.youtube.com/user/shinmegamitalks/videos

On today's episode I get to talk with Gekko of the awesome Shmup em' All podcast. We talk the French shmup scene, arcades, stunfest, the documentary, and the upcoming Ketsui port. Huge thanks to Gekko for breaking the language barrier and coming on the show. The skies above know that my pet cat has a better chance of clearing Garegga than I do speaking French for an hour.

On this week's episode I am joined by long time listener, first time caller Mr. McCormo. This interview ended up being split into 2 parts, this is the first of the pair. We discuss the possibility of shmups fitting into an eSports format, competitiveness in the shmup scene, and I go on about my idea for revising how we currently record scores. Also, a new nest of birds was built over where I record, and they weigh in on the conversation. If you want to check out a more detailed explanation on my score keeping idea and the community's reaction to it, check out this thread: shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63002 Music: 1st song = Kame house, from Dragonball Wave 2nd song=Spaceflight by Efence 3rd song=Kid Goku, from Dragonball Wave 4th Song= 40's by Axian 5th Song= Snake Way, from Dragonball Wave

On today's episode I am joined by Ser Flash of Studio Mudprints. Ser Flash is the creator of the famous Bullet Heaven shmup review series on YouTube. It is the longest running shmup review series on Youtube and is still going strong. On today's episode, we talk about the history behind Bullet Heaven, the challenges it has faced, the current state of shmup reviews, personal highlights, and the future of the channel. A huge thanks to Ser Flash for being super cool and coming on the podcast!