Shoot ’em Up

Introduction Seibu Kaihatsu released Raiden Fighters in arcades in 1996, a spin-off from its Raiden shooting series. Instead of piloting a single ship, players choose from a selection of fighter jets, each with a different speed and its own main weapon and missile type, and more aircraft can be unlocked with hidden inputs. The game…

Introduction Seibu Kaihatsu released Raiden II in arcades in 1993 as the sequel to its hugely successful vertical shooter. The alien invaders from the first game return to Earth, and once again the player pilots the Raiden fighter against waves of tanks, battleships, gun emplacements and enormous bosses. The main weapons are the familiar red…

Introduction Raiden reached arcades in September 1990 and became the breakout success of its developer, Seibu Kaihatsu, after years of lower-profile releases. Distribution was split by territory: Tecmo handled Japan while Fabtek brought the game to North American operators. Players pilot the Fighting Thunder fighter craft against an alien invasion, working through eight densely populated…

Introduction Dragon Blaze was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 2000 as a vertically scrolling shoot ’em up set in a fantasy world where players pilot dragon-mounted warriors rather than conventional aircraft. Each of the game’s selectable characters rides a different type of dragon with its own weapon pattern and special charge…

Introduction Gunbird 2 was developed by Psikyo and published by Capcom, released in Japanese arcades in 1998 as the sequel to 1994’s Gunbird. The game expanded on the original’s whimsical, character-driven premise with an even larger roster of unusual playable pilots, each again flying their own distinctly themed vehicle and wielding a unique weapon and…

Introduction Gunbird was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 1994 as one of the studio’s earliest shoot ’em up releases, distinguishing itself from typical military-themed shooters of the era with a colorful, fantasy-adventure setting. Players choose from a roster of unusual protagonists, including a witch, a ninja, and a genie, each piloting…

Introduction DoDonPachi was developed by Cave and published by Atlus, released in Japanese arcades in February 1997 as the second game developed by the newly formed Cave studio and the sequel to 1995’s DonPachi. Running on Cave’s custom 68000-based arcade board, the game refined DonPachi’s already demanding bullet-pattern shooting into what many consider one of…

Introduction Strikers 1945 Plus was developed by Psikyo and published by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, released in 1999 as a Neo Geo-exclusive spin-off within the Strikers 1945 series. Rather than a full numbered sequel, the game functions largely as an expanded remix of the original 1995 Strikers 1945, built specifically to…

Introduction Strikers 1945 III, released in Japan as Strikers 1999, was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 1999 as the third mainline entry in the Strikers 1945 series. The game moved its setting forward from the World War II theme of the first two games to a more contemporary, near-future military conflict,…

Introduction Strikers 1945 II was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 1997 as the direct sequel to the original 1995 Strikers 1945. The game expanded the roster of playable World War II-themed fighter planes with new aircraft and refined each one’s weapon patterns and special bomb attacks, while introducing a wider variety…

Introduction 1941: Counter Attack was developed and published by Capcom, released in Japanese arcades in February 1990 and reaching North America that May as the third entry in the studio’s 19XX vertical shoot ’em up series, following 1942 and 1943: The Battle of Midway. Set in a fictionalized continuation of the earlier games’ World War…