[PS2] Good Shoot 'Em Ups/2D Games for PS2

I recently modded my PS2 and I am looking for good Shoot 'Em Ups (or just good 2D games).

I am having incredible fun with Metal Slug X, and I just finished Gradius V. I am also enjoying Puyo Fever.

I guess I want to know what 2D games I should get for PS2. I heard R-Type Final is good.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I didn't enjoy Gradius V at all and quickly Ebay'd it. However, I am really enjoying R-type Final for PS2. I find that the graphics in R-type Final are lush and vibrant, the environments unique, and the action has just the right difficulty. I would suggest trying this title out.

Also, I would not pass up Einhander, even though it is a PS1 title. It's like Blade Runner, if Blade runner had giant robots and a hot techno soundtrack.

How ya doing, buddy?

If you like manic shooters, you could try importing the ports of ESPGaluda/Mushihime-sama/Pink Sweets. I like both R-Type: Final and Gradius V, but for different reasons. I know you just finished Gradius V, but I'm gonna go off on a tangent anyway.

R-Type: Final really relies on reeling the player into the last hurrah of the R-Type universe. The amount of detail put into the game is astounding, as it ties nearly every Irem arcade shooter into the R-Type mythos. X-Multiply, Mr. Heli Daibouken, Gallop: Mobile Police Force, Image Flight... hell, it even has a small nod to the beat 'em up "Undercover Cops." The game ties everything together and you'd have a much greater appreciation of it by playing some of the previous games or knowing about the type of connections that are made to them gameplay wise. It relies heavily on level memorization, as I'm sure you well know.

Then again, all that aside, 100 fucking customizable ships is also a big draw. I do want to say that as far as what you might find more fun, Gradius V is much harder hitting and has a better feel of "action" as the game goes along. Yes, it is hard and that difficulty is a turn off. At that, if you've played other games in the Gradius series, you'll know that this game's 2 player modes and weapon edit features leave a lot to be desired. But the core game is still decidedly solid, though a bit unforgiving. If you don't like not being entertained in the first 5 minutes, I could definitely see an argument here.

Still, as you play it and get better there's usually a real sense of reward about getting as far as you can without exploding into a space time anomaly of "I just lost all my shit again." I can get through stages 1-6 on the first loop without dying, I'm working on a no dying run that I will hopefully have recorded one day. That's a long way off.

While both are fairly difficult, they each have their own merits. R-Type: Final and R-Type Delta made me a huge fan of the R-Type universe, I'd recommend Final solely on that note.

More recommendations, shorter on the bullshit:

Taito Arcade Classics 2 - You can play Raystorm, G-Darius, and Darius Gaiden. All solid shoot em ups. X-Box version only released in Europe got Raycrisis. FUCK YOU GUYS.

Raiden III is a solid purchase for the PS2... if you enjoyed the previous 2 games, that is. It's really a graphically updated version of the same game, so if you didn't have a problem with Raiden, there's no reason not to get it.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

If you like manic shooters, you could try importing the ports of ESPGaluda/Mushihime-sama/Pink Sweets.

I agree! Also, if you like 2D fighters, I suggest you pick up KOF XI and Neo Geo Battle Colosseum.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Gradius 5 is an epic refresh to a legendary series, probably the 2nd best game that Treasure ever made. Try fiddling with the Weapon Edit once you completed it, its so damn fun 1-shot killing bosses with the charge lazor.

Other then that, um, I dunno? There are the MEtal Slug games for 2d run and gun action, Guilty Gear and a ton of SNK games for 2d fighters (not just KOF but Samurai Spirits and a rerelease of Garou as well).

I was speaking idiomatically.

From the danmaku/shooter side of things, there's also Ibara. The PS2 port features some nasty loading times, but otherwise it's a solid title. It includes both the original arcade mode and Arrange mode which is a Cave-ified version of the game with an addictive score system.
Other Cave games for the system include Mushihime, Espgaluda and Dodonpachi DOJ.

From SNK, I personally recommend Samurai Spirits Tenka, Metal Slug 3 and KOF XI. There's also Metal Slug 6, which is pretty solid, yet I still think 3 is better.

If you enjoyed Puyo Fever, there's Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary Edition. The DS version features wifi play against people around the world, but the PS2 version has voice acting. The game features many new and old modes of play and classical Puyo characters.
There's also the Sega Ages version of Puyo Tsuu.

From Capcom, there's Street Fighter III:Third Strike and the Darkstalkers collection. SFIII's port's graphics took a hit due to the resolution, so things look kinda blurry compared to the arcade version. Great game, though.

Guilty Gear is yet another very good fighter. My personal favorites are Slash and XX, as I'm having a hard time getting into Accent Core for some reason. Isuka should be tried out for kicks and laughters, but I can't say I find it very playable nor that fun.

There's a lot of great 2D RPGs as well.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?