Tag Archives: shmup

Video game history is intrinsically entwined with the shoot-‘em-up game. While Pong and its paddle-based derivatives might have beaten the beloved shooter to arcades, titles like Space Invaders, Defender, and Xevious enlisted players in a ...

Although recent efforts are becoming increasingly infrequent, thanks to a thirty-five year old history, the shoot-em-up has natured a remarkable legacy. From modest beginnings across a myriad of space-themed titles to modern ‘bullet hell’ games ...

Not long ago, the shmup (alternatively referred to as STG) was a thriving genre, with publishers like Capcom, Konami, and Treasure releasing quintessential titles such as 1943, Gradius, and Radiant Silvergun.  But over time, the ...

During the Xbox 360’s reign, Microsoft was only able to shift about 1.6 million consoles in Japan, a small fraction of the unit’s nearly eighty million worldwide sales. But despite the middling numbers, Japanese developers ...

It’s generally agreed up the Golden Age of Shoot’em Ups came and went. Many still fondly remember the 16-bit days when gamers were treated with new entries within this genre every other week. Still, some ...

With an existence spanning nearly forty years, the shoot ‘em up game (or shmup) has a well-deserved place in the pantheon of gaming. But its status was earned by more than just tenacious longevity. Shooters ...

In the grand pantheon of arcade shooters, few are more prestigious than 1981’s Defender. While the William Electronics-developed coin-op wasn’t an immediate success (creator Eugene Jarvis has blamed the groundbreaking five-button control method), the game ...

For the last decade or so space games have been on a steady decline. Whether you crave an on-rails experience similar to Starfox or a more complex space simulator provided by the X series, one ...

The old cliché “variety is the spice of life” has been the driving concept behind in a number of noteworthy games. Early coin-ops such as Tron or Gorf were conceived around the notion that an ...

What is the concept? Savvy shmup enthusiasts might be familiar with Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta! (direct translation Mamoru-kun Has Been Cursed!). Originally a NAOMI-based arcade coin-op, the game was ported onto Japanese consoles with an ...