Which touhou game should I start with if I want to get into the series?
osu!mania
Toehoe 6
Masturbate to the doujins.
>>139528
highly responsive to prayers
>>139528
Any of 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, or 14. Forget about the PC-98 games.
Also, read the print works if you're at all interested in the characters or world.
>>139554
What this guy said.
Embodiment of Scarlet Devil is the first Touhou that was released for normal computers and is also conveniently very easy to get into. Don't worry though, the actual difficulty is still up there, especially for beginners.
Have fun, anon. And try to get the No Continue in each game.
And here's a great site to download all the games:
http://moriyashrine.weebly.com/
>>139528
None, they're not worth your time. Take it from someone who actually did play a good chunk of the series on hard mode or higher: there are much better games the genre has to offer. Please consider them.
>>139589
Could you give me a few examples?
>>139602
Sure thing! I personally recommend starting simple: you're likely to play 2hu on easy/normal anyway, so why bother with bullet hell games in the first place? My personal shmup starter pack goes something like this:
Aero Fighters trilogy
Batsugun Special
Darius Gaiden
Gley Lancer
Gradius V
Metal Black
R-Type Δ
RayForce
Raiden IV: Overkill (Or even V if you have an Xbone)
Probably some others I am forgetting, but those should keep you busy for a while nonetheless! Hope you enjoy~
>>139589
>>139623
The appeal of Touhou isn't that it's a super-difficult shmup, but that it's fun and cozy and part of a larger experience that has a lot to offer. People enjoy Touhou for all sorts of reasons: music, cute girls, interesting and developed world, pretty danmaku, the huge fanbase, an endless supply of fan works in every medium. And this all came to be because people liked the games themselves. There are plenty of people who don't want insanely hard games, who prefer to enjoy a more leisurely game or a more moderate challenge, who can appreciate Touhou for how well-crafted and enjoyable it is to play even though there are harder games out there.
To try to drive someone away from Touhou just because it's too easy for you is ridiculous, not only because no other game can take the place of everything Touhou is, but because projecting your expectations for a game on everyone else simply doesn't work. And anyway, this guy asked how to get into Touhou, not how to become a hardcore elitist shmup-wanker like you.
>>139623
Dodonpachi
Ikaruga
Deathsmiles
Cho-ren-sha 68k
Also belong on that list.
RE: touhou pc98:
Only touhou 5 is any good.
Also I found Subterranean Animism to be the best overall.
Embodiment of Scarlet Devil will get you into the series without much trouble. Bombs. Lives. Dodging. In later titles "grazing" becomes more important.