Shoot Em Up
Here we have all the games in the Shoot Em Up Section.
PC Engine HU Card
Shoot Em Up
As the first in the series on the Engine, this hasn’t aged quite as well as Final Soldier and Soldier Blade, but its nippy gameplay has withstood the test of time. Eight intense levels as you fly over a giant spaceship not knowing where the next attack will be launched from. One hit takes out your upgradable weapon, the next – destruction. Has two and five minute score challenge modes for those who wished to brush up their skills for the gaming equivalent of Woodstock – the Caravan contest. Updated to the PSP, but that brain boss keeps haunting us.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Granada, Psychic Storm, Gaiares and Avenger make for a roster well-worth revisiting and not just for vintage gamers. Gaiares will delight many yet to sample its charms, yet all stand tall in this fine back roster from cult cracker Telenet.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Granada, Psychic Storm, Gaiares and Avenger make for a roster well-worth revisiting and not just for vintage gamers. Gaiares will delight many yet to sample its charms, yet all stand tall in this fine back roster from cult cracker Telenet.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Kiaidan 00 was a rare PC Engine title even back in the day, so its happy days many can discover its power laser rays. Final Zone II is a gritty run and gun overhead scroller – you can almost taste the metal of the grenade pin in your mouth as you pile in all guns blazing. Browning is also of the PC Engine stable along side Legion, which shows Telenet’s fair hand at shoot em ups.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Kiaidan 00 was a rare PC Engine title even back in the day, so its happy days many can discover its power laser rays. Final Zone II is a gritty run and gun overhead scroller – you can almost taste the metal of the grenade pin in your mouth as you pile in all guns blazing. Browning is also of the PC Engine stable along side Legion, which shows Telenet’s fair hand at shoot em ups.
Famicom Cart
Shoot Em Up
A vintage vertical scroller that pulls up its bar stool and satisfactorily sups its tipple, safe in the knowledge that what it does, it does very well. Don’t expect any favours, but it does make a great adventure.
Super Famicom
Shoot Em Up
Actually a port of ThunderForce III the seminal Saturn and more Mega Drive title of this era. Richly detailed mode 7 backgrounds compete for your attention amongst the swarms of enemy vessels. Not quite up to the mighty source material of ThunderForce III, but not much is.
🥇Game of the Week
Game of the Week Switch
Shoot Em Up
Flying Shark, Fire Shark, Tiger Heli, Ultimate Tiger, Out Zone, Fixeight, Batsugun and Dogyuun make up the dream team for the first instalment of crystallised, sheer shoot em up fun with Out Zone and its sequel Fixeight being run and gun to give blasting variety. A real pleasure to get introduced to the others with Dogyuun being an arcade exclusive we had yet to encounter. Not that Genki would have been brave enough to drop in a few hundred Yen coins to be subjected to public scrutiny of ones shooting tactics.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
The line-up reads like the tattooed sleeve of an arcade veteran: Zero Wing, Hellfire, Slap Fight, VV, Tatsujin, Tatsujin Oh/Truxton II, Vimana and Daisenpu. Serious shooting action from the days of no consumer compromise and it makes no apologies for it. A true pleasure to sample those not previously released outside the arcades. Just grateful its not 100 Yen a pop with Genki’s success rate.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
A mouth watering compilation of Flying Shark, Sky Shark, Fire Shark and Wardner no Mori in various Famicom, Mega Drive and Arcade incarnations to savour. Fire Shark shows Toaplan in fine fettle with the player taking the controls of a fighter plane with some stupendously powerful weapons to pick up and power up including the gratifying flamethrower in this WWII airborne shooter. Brash, big sprites and nice attention to detail at ground level with soldiers running around and vehicles getting stuck and no hint of slowdown. Just watch the reverse, gunner. Wardner no Mori is no stranger to Mega Drive fans and adds nice variation in this solid platform game set in a spooky forest where the lead man shoots fire from his fingers to scythe through to a cinder the evil ghouls and demons lying in wait. Strangely compelling in spite of the coin op based, money grabbing difficulty requiring pixel perfect jumps.
PS4
Shoot Em Up
A mouth watering compilation of Flying Shark, Sky Shark, Fire Shark and Wardner no Mori in various Famicom, Mega Drive and Arcade incarnations to savour. Fire Shark shows Toaplan in fine fettle with the player taking the controls of a fighter plane with some stupendously powerful weapons to pick up and power up including the gratifying flamethrower in this WWII airborne shooter. Brash, big sprites and nice attention to detail at ground level with soldiers running around and vehicles getting stuck and no hint of slowdown. Just watch the reverse, gunner. Wardner no Mori is no stranger to Mega Drive fans and adds nice variation in this solid platform game set in a spooky forest where the lead man shoots fire from his fingers to scythe through to a cinder the evil ghouls and demons lying in wait. Strangely compelling in spite of the coin op based, money grabbing difficulty requiring pixel perfect jumps.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Ensuring future generations understand why ‘All Your Base Are Belong To Us’ with Zero Wing leading the assault, backed up more than admirably by Hellfire: the arcade machine from the vintage year of 1989. Also released on the Mega Drive and PC Engine, the anime cinematics and ripe old gameplay with selectable shot direction and the possibility to have two players simultaneously a feature to write home about of its era. One unique feature of Zero Wing the tractor beam that allows you to suck up enemy vessels into your ship to fire them out again or use them as a shield. Then the bonus Horror Story is a real treat for fans of the era: a delightful B movie horror feel to this platform shooter complete with ghosts that look like rejects from Mr Vampire and priestess on floating clouds from Chinese Ghost Story on the oriental themed level one with spooky musical score. The main character looks like the lead from Slime World and can be joined by a friend for two player co-operative play. Further delights include the ghost ship level. A rare non-shooter release from Toaplan, but this conversion has preserved the characteristic difficulty.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Switch version and eagerly awaited shmup port of the Naomi board based Dreamcast blast that also found a home on the 360 and PS2. The crux of this shooters story is the ability to capture enemy ships and either use them as a shield or send them spinning off out of control with a deft joypad flick. The home version includes the original arcade mode, along with a story, arrange and training modes plus the chance to tweak with the controls and screen dimensions. Story mode adds speech to the levels along with various endings depending on which character the player selected. Arrange is a mish mash of the arcade and story modes that must be completed on a measly single credit.
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Standard version of the eagerly awaited shmup port of the Naomi board. The crux of this shooters story is the ability to capture enemy ships and either use them as a shield or send them spinning off out of control with a deft joypad flick. The Switch Enhanced version includes plenty of extras over the Dreamcast original, like the PS2 port. Story mode adds speech to the levels along with various endings depending on which character the player selected. Arrange is a mish mash of the arcade and story modes that must be completed on a measly single credit.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Insane amount of projectiles on screen as the wee witches avoid the harmful ones whilst swooping on their brooms to grab the power ups needed to keep reciprocating the bullet barrage. Lovely graphical style to suit the witches theme.
PS4
Shoot Em Up
Insane amount of projectiles on screen as the wee witches avoid the harmful ones whilst swooping on their brooms to grab the power ups needed to keep reciprocating the bullet barrage. Lovely graphical style to suit the witches theme.
Famicom Cart
Shoot Em Up
Lushly pastel shaded vertically scrolling shoot ’em up from the reliable Konami stable. Off – shoot of the Gradius and Parodius series. Shooter heads may find its frivolous gameplay a little easy, but everyone will enjoy the ride.
Sega Saturn
Shoot Em Up
Lushly pastel shaded vertically scrolling shoot ’em up from the reliable Konami stable celebrating ten years of Twinbee. Off – shoot of the Gradius and Parodius series. Shooter heads may find its frivolous gameplay a little easy, but everyone will enjoy the ride.
Playstation
Shoot Em Up
Lushly pastel shaded vertically scrolling shoot ’em up from the reliable Konami stable celebrating ten years of Twinbee. Off – shoot of the Gradius and Parodius series. Shooter heads may find its frivolous gameplay a little easy, but everyone will enjoy the ride.
Super Famicom
Shoot Em Up
Play as an octopus, bunny girl or tropical fish amongst the bizarre characters in Konami’s charming Parodius series. Areas include on a Japanese motorway, inside a cake and a UFO catcher game. Very refreshing in an era of too many games that take themselves far too seriously. Hats off to Konami for its self depreciating humour. Known in Japan as Gokujou Parodius.
Sega Saturn
Shoot Em Up
An interesting look into the psyche of the Japanese game developer with some bizarre and often culturally confused imagery ensuring the action remains fresh and invigorating. This is actually a compilation of the two Super Famicom versions Parodius and Ultimate Parodius souped up for the Saturn. Also known as Gokujyo Parodius.
PC Engine HU Card
Shoot Em Up
Vertically scrolling helicopter based blaster. Think 1941 with copters for planes. Taito once again showing its expertise in crafting very competent shooters. Also known as Kyukyoku Tiger.
Famicom Cart
Shoot Em Up
Vertically scrolling helicopter based blaster. Think 1941 with copters for planes. Taito once again showing its expertise in crafting very competent shooters. Also known as Kyukyoku Tiger.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Dream compilation for the new and old generation with the Famicom and Arcade versions of Tiger Heli: Toaplan show their flair for explosive onslaughts as players pilot the helicopter through 1942 style warfare based levels. Gameplay is well thought out and most importantly fair. A very solid Famicom shooter that lead to the Ultimate Tiger sequel, also conveniently included in Arcade, Twin Cobra, PC Engine, Famicom and mega Drive incarnations:
Vertically scrolling helicopter based blaster. Think 1941 with copters for planes. Taito once again showing its expertise in crafting very competent shooters. Also known as Kyukyoku Tiger.
Finally includes a bit of side scrolling fight action in Get Star for some light relief from the bullet barrage.
PS4
Shoot Em Up
Dream compilation for the new and old generation with the Famicom and Arcade versions of Tiger Heli: Toaplan show their flair for explosive onslaughts as players pilot the helicopter through 1942 style warfare based levels. Gameplay is well thought out and most importantly fair. A very solid Famicom shooter that lead to the Ultimate Tiger sequel, also conveniently included in Arcade, Twin Cobra, PC Engine, Famicom and mega Drive incarnations:
Vertically scrolling helicopter based blaster. Think 1941 with copters for planes. Taito once again showing its expertise in crafting very competent shooters. Also known as Kyukyoku Tiger.
Finally includes a bit of side scrolling fight action in Get Star for some light relief from the bullet barrage.
PS5
Shoot Em Up
Conversion and handing over the torch from the Dreamcast to keep the world of shooters illuminated. Jaw dropping, smoothly animated visuals and attention to detail in smoke plumages and tumbling shrapnel, not forgetting the immense explosions. Arming your copter with a second weapon option as well as targeting adds a tactical aspect to the military themed, vertically scrolling shmup action.
🥇Game of the Week
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Conversion and handing over the torch from the Dreamcast to keep the world of shooters illuminated. Jaw dropping, smoothly animated visuals and attention to detail in smoke plumages and tumbling shrapnel, not forgetting the immense explosions. Arming your copter with a second weapon option as well as targeting adds a tactical aspect to the military themed, vertically scrolling shmup action.
Virtual Boy
Shoot Em Up
Assume control of the Rangnarok ship in the battle to regain control of a rogue space colony. 2D vertically scrolling blast fest given a 3D element by the ability to shift between different planes. Relatively short, but the usual shields, weapon and pod power ups and detailed backgrounds make this a blast worthy of the Hudson Soft brand.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Mech robots scrapping it out in this conversion of the rare Saturn shooter Wolf Fang. Seemingly inspired by Cybernator on the Super Famicom with the of the era obligatory FMV to establish its 32bit pedigree. The Assault Suits Valken influence can be seen in the tiny humans on screen such as when you have to hit the ejector seat from the mech but still battle bravely on. The mech attributes can be set which makes a big difference to your in-game powers. Skull Fang is an old school vertical scrolling shoot ’em up with arcade roots in its Data East heritage. All very nicely presented as you’d expect from a Japanese title. Tough, but not too unforgiving for grizzled shooter heads.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Mech robots scrapping it out in this conversion of the rare Saturn shooter Wolf Fang. Seemingly inspired by Cybernator on the Super Famicom with the of the era obligatory FMV to establish its 32bit pedigree. The Assault Suits Valken influence can be seen in the tiny humans on screen such as when you have to hit the ejector seat from the mech but still battle bravely on. The mech attributes can be set which makes a big difference to your in-game powers. Skull Fang is an old school vertical scrolling shoot ’em up with arcade roots in its Data East heritage. All very nicely presented as you’d expect from a Japanese title. Tough, but not too unforgiving for grizzled shooter heads.