If my PFP didn't give it away, I definitely enjoy the Battlemania/Trouble Shooter series so I'll probably be a bit biased.
This first installment is about as campy as it gets. The art style (clearly anime inspired) isn't exactly as polished as other Sega Genesis classics and it is full of fourth wall breaking, which is something I've always enjoyed in any sort of media. I was expecting some sort of crude or sexual humor because this is a game from the 90's with a female lead (and distinctly Japanese to boot), but fortunately, the dialogue during the cutscenes manages to keep it classy.
The gameplay itself borrows heavily from Capcom's Forgotten Worlds, but drops the multi-directional aiming in favor of a support character (named Crystal) who can fire in front of or behind you with the tap of a button. I like this idea quite a bit, but the level design sparingly compliments it. You can take advantage of the fact that this character does not take any damage whatsoever and really lay the smack down on the second and fourth bosses by positioning Crystal correctly, but that's about it. Oh well, at least the core shm'up gameplay is fun enough if nothing groundbreaking.
I'd also like to point out that this is a very beginner friendly shm'up, and one of the first I played when having a fling with the genre while my dominant hand was in a cast and I was somewhat limited in the kinds of games I could play. You do not die in one hit as the game works off a hit point system. The scoring system is pretty generous with handing out extra hit points and although you can be insta-killed by being sandwiched by the screen (sort of like sonic), there's really only one part in the game where this might screw you over on a first playthrough.
Trouble Shooter Vintage (the sequel) is miles better, but this is still well worth playing if you want something breezy and cheesy to kill a few hours with.
This first installment is about as campy as it gets. The art style (clearly anime inspired) isn't exactly as polished as other Sega Genesis classics and it is full of fourth wall breaking, which is something I've always enjoyed in any sort of media. I was expecting some sort of crude or sexual humor because this is a game from the 90's with a female lead (and distinctly Japanese to boot), but fortunately, the dialogue during the cutscenes manages to keep it classy.
The gameplay itself borrows heavily from Capcom's Forgotten Worlds, but drops the multi-directional aiming in favor of a support character (named Crystal) who can fire in front of or behind you with the tap of a button. I like this idea quite a bit, but the level design sparingly compliments it. You can take advantage of the fact that this character does not take any damage whatsoever and really lay the smack down on the second and fourth bosses by positioning Crystal correctly, but that's about it. Oh well, at least the core shm'up gameplay is fun enough if nothing groundbreaking.
I'd also like to point out that this is a very beginner friendly shm'up, and one of the first I played when having a fling with the genre while my dominant hand was in a cast and I was somewhat limited in the kinds of games I could play. You do not die in one hit as the game works off a hit point system. The scoring system is pretty generous with handing out extra hit points and although you can be insta-killed by being sandwiched by the screen (sort of like sonic), there's really only one part in the game where this might screw you over on a first playthrough.
Trouble Shooter Vintage (the sequel) is miles better, but this is still well worth playing if you want something breezy and cheesy to kill a few hours with.