Does it seem like there's been a million R-Type releases in recent years?

Over the last several years, we have had the following R-Type releases:


*R-Type Final for PS2, a few years ago
*R-Type III: The Third Lightning for GBA, a few years ago
*R-Type Tactics (R-Type Command) for PSP in 2007, 2008
*TG-16 R-Type re-release for Wii VC
*SNES Super R-Type re-release for Wii VC
*SNES R-Type III: The 3rd Lightning rerelease for Wii VC
*PS1 R-Types re-release for PSN on PSP & PS3
*R-Type Dimensions - this year for XBLA
*and coming later this year in Japan for PSP: R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate (I kid you NOT)



I probably missed one or two....


What I really want is an all-new R-Type IV side-scrolling shmup made for 360/PS3, as a DVD/Bluray at retail. No more re-releases of the classic versions, no more remakes of the classics, no more strategy spin-offs.

Or I suppose I could play AICOM's Pulstar on NEO-GEO, partly designed by former IREM staff, which is as close to R-Type IV as there's ever gonna be.

The only R-Type I ever truly cared about was the original. R-Type 2 looked pretty cool, but it just wasn't as creative as the original (granted, even the original wasn't creative during the second half of the game). Super R-Type was cool, but way too slooooow (even for an R-Type game). Still, they are good games. I have yet to play R-Type 3, but I hear that is the best thing ever to happen in all history!! However, from what I've seen the game plays at a fairly brisk pace. That doesn't sound like R-Type. Then there were a few other R-Types here and there and they weren't even worth mentioning. R-Type Final on the PS2 was dreadfully boring and uninteresting. And very ugly.

The best R-Type you can possibly get is R-Type 1 on the PC Engine. It contains only the first 4 levels so you won't be bothered with the boring second half of the game. This is better than the arcade with the exception of the missing parallax and some flicker. The music and sound is certainly MUCH better than the arcade.

I've been playing a lot of Super R-Type recently as I got hold of it for £1 the other day, so far I much prefer R-Type 2 on the Amiga as it has mid level check points, the slow down isn't as bad and I'm not much of a fan of some of the new Super R-Type levels (they seem a bit generic and thrown together)

I find it quite strange that many SNES owners tout it as being a classic, maybe I need to get further in.

R-Type III on the other hand, now that seems more promising.

The best thing about R-Type Final on PS2 is the prerendered CG intro, it's so fawking amazingly cool, it's the best thing ever done in the history of Computer Graphics. The R-Type Final intro is better than Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, The Lawnmower Man, Toy Story, Final Fantasy The Spirits Within, Finding Nemo and Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith, all combined.


Super R-Type was like 1/2 the levels of R-Type II combined with new SNES-exclusive levels, and a ton of slow down. R-Type III is pretty good, much better than Super R-Type, but somewhat overhyped, and nowhere near as amazing as Pulstar.

Another game I wish would get resurrected is the never released / canceled Atari Jaguar game called Native, which was clearly R-Type inspiried, like Pulstar, but could've been even greater:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkbSa4jNOM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzKR7pFPb8c
The demo of it was actually released, it's playable on Jaguar and/or Jaguar emulator(s), though I've never tried it.

I always found R-Type III to be exceptionally difficult...