I'm not an afficionado of shmups but there's something about Strikers II clicked with me right away and made me want to play it endlessly. Glad to see I'm not alone with that.

The wolf barking when Meriscan talks was a riot. It had me laughing multiple times.

Ah psikyo, my favourite 90s shmup dev.An incredible run of great, fun games.Awesome to see an hour of expert discussion and gameplay of their games.

Zero Gunner 2 is awesome, glad that Meriscan gets it! The control scheme takes some getting used to but thats part of the appeal, twin sticks lack that fun learning curve & tacticle feeling IMO. ZG2s a shmup where you feel cool just rotating your ship well to match the enemy waves, adds a fun extra dimension to learning the game besides just learning all the bosses & levels. Also loop 2 is very unique, dense revenge bullets coming at you from every direction. List was pretty spot on from what I played overall, shame Sol Divide and Cannon Spike didnt make it, they are hard to compare to other Psikyo shmups but they sure are fun to talk about

Love the pixelart and style of the Psikyogames, but the fast bullets are too hard to handle for me.

The Striker series will always be my favorites. I remember playing them on PS1 with my Grandpa back in the day, so they bring back a lot of memories.

Very cool stuff. I'd like to add that before Sengoku Ace you could say the Psikyo blueprint was already laid out by Sonic Wings / Aero Fighters. That came out under Video System, but it had the same main programmer / planner behind it: Shin Nakamura. Meriscan sounds like he's from my country, the Netherlands, by the way! EDIT: props for the Video System mention!

Tengai is a slam sunk s-tier for me. The art, music & vibe are fantastic. Yeah it's tough but it's also the type of game that's aged like fine wine, so it's kept me coming back for a few years. It's just so easy to pick up and play; it's taken a while but I can 1cc up until the last boss' final form. Dragon Blaze has the best mechanics of any Psikyo game, but that soundtrack is kinda dire. I'd still keep Gunbird 2 at the top, it's just perfect at everything it sets out to do. I always vacillate between Strikers I & II; I hate that they took out the Spitfire in the second game. But yeah, in the end I can't argue with rating II higher. BTW, they explain the plot in English on the Japanese Saturn cover of Strikers I - right after WWII ends, a terrorist organization appears with all sorts of crazy weaponry trying to take over the world. The Strikers are ace pilots from various WWII powers, who are now all on the same side and sent against them. And of course, as you discover in the last part of the game, the terrorists are actually aliens.

We needed this. Absolutely love these games, they have so much character. Thank you!

This is great, I just started playing psykio in the last couple weeks and having a blast 🔥 I’m a very beginner shmupper but I just love the amount of character in the graphics, level designs, all the details etc

This was a good watch/listen while in the gym. Psikyo is one of the companies that has eluded me over the years (apart from Strikers 1945), so I’m feeling inspired to try more ✌🏻

I prefer verticals to horizontals, but Sol Divide is one of my favorite Psikyo STGs! It’s up there with Gunbird 1, 2, and Tengai for me.

"Te Quiero Mucho!~" Never gets old hearing his name in the good old patreons list, lol.

For anyone curious about the background music (like I was), it's all from the console versions (Sega Saturn/PlayStation) of Gunbird 1 and Gunbird 2. The first track that plays in the video is Backstar's Fortress from Gunbird 1. Also, if you're curious about the busty shrine maiden in the thumbnail, she's Koyori Togashi from Tengai. Hope this comment helps someone.

Psikyo is my fave SHMUP developer. Your tier list is spot on(though I'd put all the Strikers games on S myself). Funny that you thought Strikers 3 is easier than 2. I was able to no miss both loops of Strikers 2 using the Hayate. The best I can do in Strikers 3 is 2 loop it with 1 ship remaining. Strikers 1 is the hardest of the 3(I could only get to 2-7) but the first loop endings once you have gold on all parameters are sexy! I've also 1cc'ed(1 loop) Gunbird, Gunbird 2, Tengai, and Sengoku Ace 1. I've only ever played them on the arcades so I haven't played both Gunbird 1 and Dragon Blaze much. I did play Dragon Blaze on the PS2 but I didn't like it that much.

Awesome video; I'm a huge Psikyo fan even if a lot of their games are 2hard4me. Definitely second the opinion that you should give Zero Gunner 2 another try. The """ports""" on Switch/Steam as I understand it are not even really ports since they rebuilt the whole game (the reason being lost access to the original source code iirc), which resulted in a lot of really bad changes. My 20+ year old DC is still kickin' so I played a burned copy of ZG2 on it and really enjoyed it. The first loop is fun and isn't too crazy, but the second loop is pretty nuts.

Dragon Blaze was the very first shmup I bought and it changed my life

I love the artwork in the borders ... the portraits, they're amazing ... I got dragon blaze and gunbird 2 recently ... incredible ... tough though ...

I agree with Strikers 1945 II, that game just feels good to play; the first one as well. Dragon Blaze I still have yet to try, I remember seeing it in my MAME collection but I always passed by it. Definitely gonna give it a try now!

I personally find Psikyo games to be way too brutal after the first two stages, the difficulty really feels exploitative in a way that even the hardest Cave shmups don't. It's what makes the difference between Cave feeling like they love their players and Psikyo feeling like they just love their players' money.

Nice, I was waiting for this video. Glad that my top 3 are your top 3, and that Zero Gunner 2 got some love. My one problem with this vid is that it reminds me how much of a crime the Switch ports are.

Great content as always and good call bringing Meriscan for the video. (Nice seeing the good ol CaliceCup being mentioned!)

Zero gunner was my first psikyo game and my intro to bullet hell games as a kid so many memories playing it at the local Pizza Hut

Great ranking/review discussion of the Psikyo games! One thing I want to mention about Sol Divide that you should check out if you happen to do a video about it in the future is that the game's HUD is very interesting because Cave's horizontal shmups Deathsmiles 1 & 2 and Akai Katana use almost the same exact HUD as Sol Divide's, especially the boss health bar. I haven't been able to match a name of a dev member who worked on both Sol Divide and the aforementioned Cave titles but I'm certain that whoever created the HUD for Sol Divide ended up working on those horizontal Cave shmups

Strikers 1945 - 2 will always be my favorite :D And Gunbird 2 in my opinion has the best soundtrack of all Psikyo games

I actually preferred gunbird 1 compared to gunbird 2. I like the simplicity of it. So gunbird 1 is s tier for me aha.

This was great! I’ve actually been dabbling in some psikyo lately so it was well timed. Cannon spike Would definitely be high tier if you included it. It actually has shmup patterns to dodge but I get why you chose not to include it.

great video mate

This will help me dive a bit more into Psikyo games. Usually what happens is I fire up one of the games, chill for a bit, then hit a wall where the bullets are so fast it feels like I need to remember exactly where to be. I then try another Psikyo game and promptly erase any memory. Maybe the problem is all of the games, though rich in graphic appeal, kind of seem like they could be reskins of the same underlying gameplay. So I don't have a compelling reason to reach for one particular game and stick with it long enough to really understand it. Graphics aren't super important in terms of gameplay, but I find it can be that little warm/fuzzy switch in the brain that can make you really stick with a game. It just helps you get absorbed into the world and keep you there. Kind of hard to explain, but essentially the presentation is fantastic but somehow not distinct enough when going between games. At any rate I'll use your tier list/comments to try to isolate one of the games and really stick with it for a 1CC or something.

Really sad that practically all of them are on switch.....and they're all the worst possible versions of these classics, dammit city connection.

Ahhh... Psikyo, my favourite shmup developer.

I really like Strikers 1945 plus.

Haha it's funny, I really don't dig twin stick shooters and I dig that ZG2 doesn't use that control scheme. I got used to it pretty quickly. Overall great list, and I'll hang out over here in my Sol Divide appreciators corner...

I'm gonna throw the Japanese Dreamcast version of Gunbird 2 into the mix here - I find it to be much better than the arcade core. The Dreamcast version has an arcade / tate game mode and noticeably improved voice sfx (the fbneo core has lots of weird sfx glitches), control configuration with an autofire option (like the Shot Triggers ports) AND the cut scenes are infinitely more enjoyable in Japanese as they are fully voice acted - not that i understand what they are saying but, it adds a tonne of charm to the characters :) PS big fan of your channel - currently enjoying shmups on my Sega Blast City arcade machine - tate mode with a huge CRT is so much fun. PPS love this format for a tier list! was great having a guest on.

Gunbird 2 is definitely in the S tier !!! Anything less is blasphemy !!

I'm in Idaho this week and immediately thought of your show upon landing. I am also on a Psikyo kick lately.

S-tier vid & discussion. Average Psikyo Enjoyers rise up.

Heh, Strikers 1945 Plus was the my first intro to the world of shmups. Blew loads of quarters on that game at the arcade as a kid, so it holds a special place in my heart. Though I can kinda see where you guys are coming from after playing the other Strikers games, some of the enemies in Plus were way too tanky. Personally I would have rated it higher, but perhaps that is just my nostalgia speaking. And omg Gunbird 1's power down mechanic - I was so confused by this I initially thought it was a weird game bug since it was the first time I ever experienced something like that in an arcade shmups. And there was no indicator this was intended - you just powered down. But otherwise I loved Gunbird 1, especially its music. I think its the best of all the Psikyo games I have played so far. The OST for the sea level is my favourite, so I am glad it was used as one of the BGMs in this video.

Awesome vid! At the very very beginning when I was getting into shmups one of the few games I had was a dreamcast bootleg with Gunbird II and Border Down and I'd play Gunbird II all the time but man, it was MISERABLE, eventually I got a PS1 bootleg of Sonic Wings Special and it was exactly like you said with going to Sengoku Ace after proper Psikyo beats you up, it was like aaaaaaahhh much better! Really good vid guys!

Here's hoping Dragon Blaze would take the top spot

A Zero Ranger mod for both games to use dual sticks sounds like a worthwhile thing for a modder to do.

49:30 This is exactly the reason why I prefer Strikers II over Gunbird 2 and Dragon Blaze. The latter require a more rigid, aggressive playstyle that only comes with memo. All of them fantastic though!

Dragon Blaze Zero Gunner 2 Sengoku Blade My 3 favorites from Psikyo. All VERY different, all with unique characters their own. Great contrast between the two of you on this one!

Pretty spot on list...i d only rate ZG2 and Sengoku Ace a bit higher though

Great video! Totally agree with your S-tier and most of the rest. And I for one enjoyed Zero Gunner 2 quite a lot on Dreamcast.

Seibu/MOSS tier list when?

Mark you need to give ZG2 another try, it's awesome! but not the new ZG2- ports, that's quite bland as you said (they reduced the number of bullets, changed patterns, removed the extra medals that spawn over time if you leave enemies alive longer, cut out the 2nd loop, etc). Great video, it was interesting listening two different POVs. One from first loops and one from the end game.

Great discussion, love Psikyo equally to Toaplan/Cave, wish there were some arcade versions on MiSTer, buI there's lots on consoles. I often wonder what Zero Gunner 2 would be like if it had Twinstick controls, it's not like Twinstick was new in 2001, I mean it was in Robotron in 1982, then Smash TV etc. I think it's a combination of twinstick shooters being more of a western developer thing for some reason (although bizarely Data East did make twinstick fighter Karate Champ in 1984), plus it's just a design decision that first came from Zero Gunner 1. I really like the game though, the controls give it a uniqueness that would be gone if it was Twinstick, it's quick and never boring, plus it's accessible and not too hard, as long as you can get comfortable with the controls, I haven't played the Switch version but everybody should play the Dreamcast version (just burn a cdi) as I personally can't feel noticeable lag on that one.

Dragon Blaze Sonia is my jam. I've played a few Psikyo games (as well as the Sonic Wings titles) and nothing they've made can touch Dragon Blaze imo. It's a travesty that their best game is marred by such a terrible commercial release, which means you pretty much have to emulate. Even if I didn't care about the lag, Dragon Blaze on switch has no practice features whatsoever. So there's no way to memo.

Kick Ass Video Man love these schmups ❤️💯

I think Dragon Blaze is crazy underrated! Super fun game!

Strikers Plus is awesome

I agree with you about gunbird 2 on mobile. It's oddly fun to play on the phone - not the same as the real thing but worth the free download. Their other mobile games are alright as well: 1945s, dragon blaze, tengai, zero gunner etc.

The Pyskio Boys sounds like a gang from an 80s dystopian movie lol. Do they wear matching leather jackets and have red bandanas?

I wonder if my wife will appreciate it if I refer to her as a "thumb nail".

I like Psikyo shooters, and I’ve played the Strikers Series more so than any other series from them…but… I kinda have this odd mentality where while they are all solid, good games they tend to feel rather same-y overall. With obvious exceptions like Tengai, Dragon Blaze, and Zero Gunner 1 & 2 of course. Maybe that’s just me, but I still do love and appreciate their series and different settings. Still, Psikyo really had a missed opportunity to make something like Batrider, with a massive crossover shooter containing all their most popular characters. Which is something I think we can all agree on. On that note, fans of Psikyo who want more should really play the Aero Fighters/Sonic Wings games. You have a Dolphin piloting a jet, nuff said.

I can't believe Cho Aniki: Seinaru Protein Densetsu wasn't on this list. Also Pilot Kids is a really good arcade shmup but also there's like zero videos or information about that game anywhere, with no real proper way to play it so I can understand it's hard to judge.

Thanks for the effort. I wanted to dive into Psikyo library, mostly because of the artstyle and the thumbnail lady, this video is a nice guide for me now. I have a question - would you recommend Psikyo collection on Steam?

Would Sol Divide be considered a Psikyo Shmup?

No Cannon Spike? I think that was made with the Zero Gunner 2 engine.

I play mostly on mobile. Mobirix company versions are free and very good. I recommend

Sweating in anticipation

Hey TEU, have you seen the game called Bot Gaiden? I see reviews that thinks that it is a megaman clone but I think you would appreciate it more than most people.

My fave is strikers 2. that games is perfect, is not so rigid , has flow, good difficulty curve. There is a difference bettween what i like and what the others like. I tend to prefer games less danmaku and with simpler mechanics. In that sense the ones i most like are the strikers I and II and tengai. Dragon blaze is amazing, but because of the dragon mechanic i can´t enjoy so much as the others as it lacks the same simplicity. Sorry Gunbird 2 is a game that i can´t understand why is so loved. Too rigid, too mechanic, and heavily dependent on memorization. I think the difficulty is brutal. you really have to micro dodge. Tengai may be harder, but at least when i die i have a easier time blaming myself for lack of skill. I wasn´t expecting to hear such a good opinion on space bomber from a harcores shumps lovers like you but i am glad for it. I think that the game deserves more recognition, altough is not a masterpiece . Is quite unique on his gameplay. The enemy mechanics are so well defined and easy to understand. But i am impressed that you did not talk about his biggest strength . The silliness and the more casual and relaxed tone of the game makes is great for 2 player game. Super fun on that mode. About strikers plus. i do agree with the rating (speccially comparing with the others from the series) but i must admit that was the main game that got me on the shootemups. Coming from a small european country with below average economy where most of the shumps options on arcade were neo geo games (the only exception were raiden and stagger, that even then were rare). i absolutely loved that game and waisted lots of quarters. A few years later whith the advance of emulation and internet i tryed to find it and then i slowly discover other shumps.

A lot of they's were released on PS2 by 505 though not cheap now

Really appreciate Meriscan’s thoughtful and insightful commentary/analysis. Very refreshing

Thanks for the awesome video, Mark. Off topic - if you've played the arcade-only beat em up Guardians (aka Denjin makai II) would you please share your thoughts? Many have stated it is one of their favorites games in the genre, and I'm wondering how you would compare it to fight n rage. Thanks!

I found Dragon Blaze lacking a real easy mode for beginner. Its ps2 easy mode is harder than "normal" for other titles.

Psikyo boss designs are as cool as anything from capcom or square or fromsoft.

I know the input lag is awful, but the Psikyo collections on the switch are my favorite. (Side question, are the individual versions in the store the same version, and thus the same input lag?) Dragon Blaze and Tengai are my favorite, Katana is the man. Oddly never played the Strikers 1945 games, even though they're on the collection.

Do we know if the Psikyo ports on Switch/PS4 have been updated to reduce the input lag?

I have to say I disagree about zero gunner 2 wanting /needing to be twin stick. There’s something satisfying about the almost asteroids esque control scheme that benefits the game . Plus it’s balanced around that, aside from that I’m mostly in agreement. Got me booting up dragon blaze right now! edit: Just realized someone else made the case for the control scheme much better below.

I'm labbing 99, I wonder how it went

missed gunbarich please redo it

There is a shmup called 1945iii and it is with modern planes, it looks a lot like Aero Fighters, you choose from German, American, Japanese, Korean and Chinise. The planes are F15, f16, f22, Su-35 for the Chinese. Is it a Psyckio game or not ... do anyone knows.

Have all the games individually on Switch, but I've rebought Strikers 1945 2 and Dragon Blaze on PS5 and there is a noticeable difference. Nothing major, but they're definitely a lot less "ice-skatey" than the Switch when docked. The PS5 versions play like the Switch versions on portable mode. So that's likely 1 frame less.

Just... how do you get better at these games? Do I try to manage rank for my 1-all? These games feel so different from everything else and are so brutal compared to what I'm used to.

You got Zero Gunner 2 very wrong. It's a great game.

are your Psikyo tiers isolated among only Psikyo games (i.e. Psikyo C is still an A among all video games) or is a Psikyo C as bad as the games you'd put in C from all video games?

Sol Divide is S tier

I love zero gunner 2

Canon Spike is awesome!!!

For me Gunbird 2 isn't quite up there with Strikers 2 and Dragon Blaze. But yeah I totally agree with the order: (1) Dragon Blaze, (2) Strikers 1945 2, (3) Gunbird 2. Are you saying Gunbarich isn't a shmup?! (just kidding)

Where can I find the art (or concept art) seen in the thumbnail of this video?

May Electric Underground need to do video review on mobile content.

I love cannon spike!

Ya'll called it right 👍

48:11 😆😅🤣😂

Sol Divide? :D

What is tatae in Strikers? What is that?

I’m gonna disagree on 1945+. Should be higher. The screen is much wider which presents a more desirable view for when you can’t flip your screen. Taking points away for that didn’t make too much sense to me as what were you gonna do, flip over NeoGeo arcade cabinet over? The bullet colours are improved over 1945 2, they stand out over the back ground. I also think the super shot system is improved over 1945 2. I think the music isn’t as good, and the pacing isn’t as good as 1945 2 which makes it less intense of an experience but I do think the experience is good but different. The shorter but wider view forces a slower pace as you can’t see what’s coming changing the dynamic of gameplay relying on super shot strategy. The different ships super shot types make this game fun. I’m super casual and don’t care about scoring. I care for overall experience through music, gameplay and graphics. Dragonblaze has the best graphics and options, dismount, magic dismounted or mounted etc. I think it’s the more impressive game but 1945 2 is the one that draws me in and keeps me playing. I love the music, the pacing, the simplicity and the freedom to approach levels anyway you like. It’s a reactionary shooter. My favourite kind.

Anyone know if there is any performance or preferred difference for physical switch-PS4 psikyo games? I read somewhere that US version was worse than Japanese version somehow but I also remember that those ports have lots of input lag…basically want to know which version I should sell & which I should keep. Help is appreciated

No two sticks because that would’ve limited the cabinets the game could be played on. There were probably not many twin sticks cabs. Plus twin sticks are boring.

anyone know what the shoot em up is called where you control a girl with a syringe ? it looks like it might be by the same company gunbird is made... i played it ages ago. it was a free game on the discs of these old game magazines.

Do the PS4 ports happen to have less input lag than the Switch versions?

would you even play these on switch or would you prefer pc or saturn?

Why no Sol Divide? It's just that bad?

Raiden Fighters is probably the hardest Shmup 😅

Also: I think Dragon Blaze is harder than Sengoku Blade! Maybe I'm just better at horizontal shooters? Hmm

Do you guys play Sengoku blade on normal difficulty or max? Just getting into it, game's so sick.