(I actually sold my 360 port of SDOJ recently and am sure to regret it very soon)
i have a digital copy that i basically never play because i find the game/port so frustrating. i've been told there's a lot of input lag, but regardless of the reason it just really feels impossible not to die to everything constantly, and while the scoring is fun to watch i really don't care for the process of trying to figure out my own routes, since it inevitably comes down to just pressing the button at arbitrary times until one of them is useful
I've always liked shmups as a concept, but inevitably whenever I try one I'm absolutely awful at it and never get anywhere. Are there any good games I could try to help ease me into the genre?
playing shmups is a lot about developing a skillset and knowledge base over the long term (like fighting games, speedrunning, roguelikes, etc.), and to be honest an "easy" game is only going to mitigate that feeling like you're dying all the time so much. if anything, i think part of the initial appeal of bullet hell is that once you actually start playing it you realize that it's easier than it looks; you go "wow, that's impossible!" seeing it but then...well, it isn't. i think a lot of the games that people have mentioned in this thread are really good, but ultimately it comes down to finding a game that inspires you and makes you want to play it. like,
especially in terms of aesthetics and presentation
although i'm sure that sounds like a copout so i'm just gonna shill
ginga force again, it's supposed to come out
on steam this year and it...well, has a lot of the things i've heard people who aren't already deeply invested in the genre say they want from it. (i phrase it that way because many people i know who love shmups love it, but since it's historically been so expensive i haven't actually talked to anyone outside of that demographic who's played it...) it's stage-based, and has progression over time and customization mechanics (you get more lives for each stage the more times you try it, and get money each time to buy and equip different weapons on your ship, playing around with setups to find ones you like or help counter certain obstacles on a stage) so even if it takes much longer for some people than others it's very possible to play through to the end.
i'm still really looking forward to the sequel, which released at the end of last year after being announced around the time the xbox one was revealed; i haven't watched any of it because i'm waiting for the chance to play it myself, but it hasn't come out on something i own yet. but supposedly will. as far as i know it's a horizontal game rather than a widescreen vert though, which i know is a lot more appealing to most people