Best platform for quality SHMUPs?

[Square Profile]

I'm developing a vertically scrolling SHMUP in Unity3d at early stages of development and want to research and play a wider range of them.

Just looking a few games on Youtube lists and I seem to have missed quite a number of really great games. I'm talking the real bullet-action or inventive type shoot-em-ups. Any cool platforms for running SHMUPs? I sense that the Japanese have the best angle on it, taking the genre and breaking a few rules along the way.

I thought of getting my Dreamcast set up again, though I only know of one good source for ISOs and I've played a few 3d SHMUPs quite a few times. (I do however dislike using the clunky Dreamcast controller! )

So can anyone give me a quick rundown on the best platform/system(s)?

THANKS.

[Square Profile]

Well I've mentioned Dreamcast SHMUPs so far, has always been a very good platform for this genre indeed.

I've recently set up nullDC on my PC so I can use my USB controller and load the roms straight in, (lack of a TV at the moment means I can't set up my Dreamcast). nullDC is definitely "the emulator of choice" for Dreamcast at the time of writing this. The other two successful emulators are Demul and Chankast, the latter being from what I can tell a dead project.

Anyhow I've found an article with a definitive list, screenshots and reviews of Dreamcast shooters:

http://www.bordersdown.net/content/468-Definitive-List-of-Dreamcast-Shmups-Games-Shooters

These are the Dreamcast games it describes as the "best" or in the top list (in alphabetical order):

Border Down
Chaos Field
Drill
DUX
Fast Striker 1.5
GigaWing
GigaWing 2
Gunbird 2
Ikaruga
Karous
Last Hope
Last Hope Pink Bullets
Mars Matrix
Psyvariar 2
Radirgy (a.k.a. Radily)
Shikigami no Shiro 2
Sturmwind
Triggerheart Exelica
Trizeal
Under Defeat
Zero Gunner 2

[monoRAIL]

I've found the Xbox 360 a great platform for modern shmups, particularly on Xbox Live Arcade. It's a real shame the XBLA games won't run on the new Xbox One - I'm really put off buying it because I'll have to keep my old 360 to play my XBLA shmups on.

[Yano1975 Profile]

PSX have some of my favorites shmup ever, is there Tons of compilation too, a lot of great old school shmup like Psikyo's,Taito's and many more.
The same thing is true for the PS2 but is there no many great 'new' shmups on this machine...
R type final run slow, Gradius V is good but not my kind. Thunder force VI is ....too easy...
The good point with the PS2 is that you have a lot of Cave,MOSS and most of other 'still developing' company.

I'm Dreamcast 'fan' too, Under defeat, zero gunner 2 and Border Down are in my top 10 of best shmup ever.