3rd option here. There are lots of other genres that I prefer, but I'll never forget all the gorgeous shooters I've seen in Arcades and sports arenas growing up. I remember trying R-Type 1 and 3 and finding them just too damn hard to enjoy, but I was younger then.
Funny thing is, there has been one shooter I liked enough to buy and play through to the end multiple times- Axelay for the SNES, probably because it has a much more forgiving power up system than most. You choose three special weapons from an inventory at the start of each stage (an inventory that expands as you complete levels), and you can switch between them at will. When you're hit by something other than a wall or a boss' body, your ship won't explode immediately but instead lose access to whatever weapon you had selected at the time. If all three are disabled, you ship will explode, but this effectively means you're allowed four hits per life (3 lives default). This encourages you to practise with all of the special weapons and removes the need for acquiring powerups in stages that will all be lost if your ship is so much as clipped by a stray bullet.
Aside from that, just really gorgeous visuals, interesting bosses and good music that drew me in. I still can't beat Very Hard mode though... the visible gap between it and Easy mode is striking. I think maybe shooters like that (and games in general) could benefit from having such a wide arrange of difficulty selections, with a Master setting designed to frustrate even the veterans who cut their teeth on R-Type, Raiden and Gradius/Lifeforce.
