I haven't played any good side scrolling shooters in a long while. I've decided to opt for Air Zonk to fulfill my shmup intake requirement. It's a pretty good game with really charming gameplay and graphics. Apparently it's on the Wii Virtual Console for a few bucks, too.
(That screenshot is very boring, but whatever.)
What I like about the game is that the music is very good. It's wacky, cartoony, catchy and fits in very well. The parallax scrolling in adds to the graphics so much, which makes it a joy to look at. There's also the choice to utilize a whole cast of characters to aid you (in the form of physique altering powerups). My favorite is Moo Moo.
Moo Moo is so cute. In the game, its legs wiggle a little bit. That animation makes me smile each time I see it.
Here's some of the little helper friends who make themselves mildly useful during the game. The roster rotates, but only two or three are switched out (as far as I've seen), and isn't worth a screenshot.
Also, this game has a very seizure inducing game over screen. It flashes black and red, and then the characters on the screen start dancing. My eyes burn every time I have to look at it.
So yeah. Air Zonk. One of the many good shooters out there.
