Here is a few experimental shump games. Bullet Philharmonic Orchestra is interesting because it actually allows you to generate levels based your own music. It's really unique. The other games are an experimental shump called Shump 1 and an arena shooter called Rainbow Wars.
Bullet Philharmonic Orchestra
Here's something that guarantees at least three minutes (give or take, depending on your taste in music) of fun: Bullet Philharmonic Orchestra. It's an ultra-simple, free, downloadable (PC only), barebones shoot-'em-up-inspired game with a simple concept: dodge the bullets. The game itself was designed with two things in mind: mindless entertainment, and improving one's dodging skill in those crazy bullet-spraying shmups (both of which it achieves).After installation, put a couple of your favorite music files into the 'music' folder where you installed the game, then start it up. The game will play random files from that folder and, in tune with the music, will generate semi-random patterns of bullet spray from the top of the screen. You, the red dot at the bottom of the screen, must avoid getting hit by this onslaught as long as possible. In a way it's kind of like Rez, except you get to choose the music, and it also has been stripped away of any features that one might call beautiful.
Once the game is started, press [Z] to begin and use the arrow keys to control your dot. Anytime a bullet strays within the green ring surrounding your dot, white sparks will fly out, meaning you were 'buzzed'. When a bullet hits that red dot, sparks fly out. In other words, you would be dead in a real shooter. That's all there is to it. Get hit less, earn more points. For more challenging gameplay, use songs with high tempos, or anything one might listen to before playing a sports game.
Reference: http://jayisgames.com/archives/2007/02/bullet_philharmonic.php
Hints:
- I've read that the game cannot reconize music with ID3 tags. They have to be removed to get it to play correctly. Music from other computer games seems to work well.
- Setting Special Effects to 9 disables the effects and may make it easier to see what's happening.
Download (1.08 MB):
http://www.acid-play.com/download/bullet-philharmonic-orchestra/
Shump 1
An experimental shoot-em-up. An experimental shooter with minimal art assets. Use your different weapons to destroy the waves of ships. The longer you last, the harder it gets. 20 stages in total, each 1 minute long. If you die you lose your score and retreat one stage. Enemy ship configurations are partially random.
Controls:
Note: you aim automatically at the closest enemy
Arrows - Move
Z - Fire Gun
X - Fire Missle
Download (1.8 MB):
http://download.cnet.com/Shmup/3000-7440_4-10536205.html
Rainbow Wars
Rainbow Wars is a fast-paced, retro-styled shooter with separate movement and firing controls. It features 2-player support, 6 distinct enemies, and unlimited waves. A dual analog gamepad is recommended, though mouse and keyboard will work as well.
Controls (Mouse + Keyboard):
WASD - Move
Mouse - Aim (Fire Automatically)
Left Mouse Button - Charge Attack
Right Mouse Button - Warp
Pause - Pause Game
Windows Vista/7 requires converting with this program:
http://wiki.yoyogames.com/index.php/Making_games_work_under_Windows_Vista
Download or Play Online (2.2 MB):
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/177-rainbow-wars
Alternate Downloads:
http://www.acid-play.com/download/rainbow-wars/
http://download.cnet.com/Rainbow-Wars/3000-2099_4-10529418.html
