Category: Shooter

Caravan Shooting Collection is a collection of the first three shooters that were used as part of the "Hudson All-Japan Caravan Festival" video game tournament. Originally developed separately for the Famicom, this compilation releases them together for the Super Famicom. While the sound has been improved in many cases, the graphics were largely left alone with only minor cosmetic improvements.

SD Gundam: V Sakusen Shidou is an Action game, developed by TOSE and published by Angel (Bandai), which was released in Japan in 1992.

SD Kidou Senshi Gundam 2

Daioh (Great King) is an arcade game developed by Athena Co. Ltd., and released in the US by Sammy in 1993. It is a conventional vertical-scrolling shooter, but with uniquely immense enemies and bosses.Rereleased on snes as Dezaemon – Kaite Tsukutte Asoberu.

The Great Battle V is an Action game, developed by Sun L and published by Banpresto, which was released in Japan in 1995.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (超時空要塞マクロス Chō Jikū Yōsai Macross^?) was released for the Japanese Family Computer console in 1985 by video game company Namco and is based on the popular anime TV series of the same name.^[1] The game is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up in which the player controls a transformable VF-1 Valkyrie variable fighter in an unending battle against an invading race of giant humanoid aliens known as the Zentradi.

Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius (実況おしゃべりパロディウス Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodiusu^?, "Chatting Parodius Live"), known on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation as Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~ (実況おしゃべりパロディウス 〜フォーエバー・ウィズ・ミー〜 Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodiusu ~fōebā uizu mī~^?, lit. "Chatting Parodius Live ~forever with me~"), is the fourth game in a series of parody shooters produced by Konami. The gameplay is stylistically very similar to the Gradius series, but the graphics and music are intentionally absurd. The game, as its name would suggest, contains a large amount of Japanese voice samples shouted out in a style similar to that of a game show host. Unlike the previous two titles, Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius was not created as an arcade game. It was first released on the Super Famicom in 1995 and then ported and updated for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996.

Pop'n Twinbee (Pop'nツインビー^?) is a top-view shoot-'em-up game originally released in 1993 by Konami for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan and Europe. It is the sixth game in the TwinBee and a direct follow-up to the arcade game Detana!! TwinBee (Bells & Whistles). The European version was published by Konami's Palcom Software division and was the first of three TwinBee games localized for the European market, followed by a Game Boy version of Pop'n TwinBee (which was actually an earlier game titled TwinBee Da!! in Japan) and the side-scrolling platform game Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures.

Parodius! From Myth to Laughter (パロディウスだ! －神話からお笑いへ－ Parodiusu Da! Shinwa kara Owarai e^?, lit. "It's Parodius! From Myth to Laughter"), released outside of Japan as Parodius, is a shoot'em up arcade game and is the second title in the Parodius series produced by Konami. The European SNES version is also known as Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy. The gameplay is stylistically very similar to the Gradius series, but the graphics and music are intentionally absurd.

This game is often mistaken as the original game of the series. The lesser known original game, Parodius: The Octopus Saves the Earth, was released for the MSX computer in Japan.

Fantastic Parodius - Pursue the Glory of the Past (極上パロディウス ～過去の栄光を求めて～ Gokujō Parodiusu - Kako no Eikō o Motomete^?), known outside of Japan as Fantastic Journey, is a scrolling shooter arcade game and the third title in the Parodius series produced by Konami. Like the rest of the series, it is a parody of the Gradius series and other Konami games.

R-Type III – The Third Lightning

Worms is an artillery strategy video game developed by Team17 and released in 1995. It is the first game in the Worms series of video games and was initially only available for the Amiga. Later it was ported to other platforms.

Worms is a turn based game where a player controls a team of worms against other teams of worms that are controlled by a computer or human opponent. The aim is to use various weapons to kill the worms on the other teams and have the last surviving worm(s).

Wild Guns (ワイルドガンズ?) is a fixed-view western shooting gallery game developed by Natsume for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994 in Japan and in 1995 in North America. The PAL version was released in 1996 and published by Titus Software. It is also available on the Wii Virtual Console in North America on May 31, 2010 and in the PAL region on August 13, 2010.

Thunder Force III is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the third chapter in the Thunder Force series. It was released in 1990 in Japan, Europe and the United States for the Mega Drive/Genesis game console. During the same year, it was retooled into an arcade game named Thunder Force AC. In 1991, Thunder Force AC was ported to the Super NES/Super Famicom, renamed Thunder Spirits.

T2: The Arcade Game is an Action game, developed by Probe Entertainment Limited and published by LJN Ltd., which was released in Europe in 1993.

Super R-Type (スーパー・アール・タイプ, Sūpā Āru Taipu?) is a shooter game for the Super Famicom and SNES, developed and published by Irem in 1991. It is a remake of R-Type II in a manner similar to the Super Famicom/SNES version of Gradius III. The game has been re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan, North America, and PAL regions in 2008.

Super Nova

Super Earth Defence Force

Super Buster Brothers

Sunset Riders (サンセットライダーズ Sansetto Raidāzu?) is a side-scrolling run-and-gun style shoot-'em-up released by Konami as a coin-operated video game in 1991. The game is set during the American Old West, where the player takes control of a bounty hunter who is seeking the rewards offered for various criminals. The coin-op version was released in two variants: a 2-player version and a 4-player version. Home versions of Sunset Riders were released for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) in 1992 and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993.

Strike Gunner S.T.G (エス・ティー・ジー^?) is a vertical scrolling shoot 'em up video game originally released on the arcades in 1991 by Tecmo, and then later ported for the Super Nintendo. The Super NES version is known in Europe as Super Strike Gunner and was published by Activision.

The player takes control of a high-tech jet, the "Strike Gunner" of the title, and faces wave after wave of enemies, ranging from helicopters, jets, tanks and airships, among others.

Space Megaforce

Space Invaders (スペースインベーダー, Supēsu Inbēdā?) is an arcade video game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible. In designing the game, Nishikado drew inspiration from popular media: Breakout, The War of the Worlds, and Star Wars. To complete it, he had to design custom hardware and development tools. It was one of the forerunners of modern video gaming and helped expand the video game industry from a novelty to a global industry (see golden age of video arcade games). When first released, Space Invaders was very successful. The game has been the inspiration for other video games, re-released on numerous platforms, and led to several sequels. The 1980 Atari 2600 version quadrupled the system's sales and became the first "killer app" for video game consoles. Space Invaders has been referenced and parodied in multiple television shows, and been a part of several video game and cultural exhibitions. The pixelated enemy alien has become a pop culture icon, often used as a synecdoche representing video games as a whole.

Smash TV, known as Super Smash TV on some other versions, is a 1990 arcade game created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell for Williams. It is a run and gun game in the same vein as its predecessor, Robotron: 2084 (also produced by Jarvis). As in the previous game, players battle waves of enemies by using guns; the arcade version even uses the two-joystick control system of Robotron. The plot of Smash TV revolves around a futuristic game show in which players compete for various prizes, as well as their lives. Home versions were developed for various platforms, most of which were published by Acclaim Entertainment.

Revolution X is an arcade rail shooter game developed and published by Midway in 1994, featuring the rock band Aerosmith. It features gameplay similar to Midway's earlier Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In the game, players battle the oppressive New Order Nation regime and their leader Helga, who have abducted Aerosmith. Players use a mounted gun to control onscreen crosshairs and shoot enemies using compact discs. The members of Aerosmith are hidden throughout the game's international locales and must be found in order to receive the game's true ending. The game was ported to various consoles as well as DOS computers. These ports were negatively received and reportedly dissuaded Midway from making a sequel.

Raiden Trad

Phalanx is a 1991 space shooter video game developed by ZOOM Inc. and Kemco for the Sharp X68000, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy Advance. The game was released for the X68000 in Japan in 1991, for the SNES in Japan on August 7, 1992 and in North America in October 1992, and for the GBA in Japan on October 26, 2001, in Europe on November 23, 2001 and in North America on December 27, 2001.

Phalanx is infamous ^{[according to whom?]} for the incongruous box art in its American release: it displays a bearded, elderly man dressed in overalls, wearing a fedora and playing a banjo while a futuristic spaceship flies in the background. The popular media site IGN named it their fifth "Most Awesome Cover" in a top 25 countdown on their website.^[1] The box art designers later admitted that they had deliberately chosen this theme in order to attract the customer with something original, considering there were many space shooters in the market that looked alike.^{[citation needed]} The Game Boy Advance release redesigned the cover in favor of a prominent spaceship image.

Mechwarrior 3050 is a 1994 mech-based video game developed by Malibu. The first Battletech based game to be released for the Sega Genesis, it was originally titled simply Battletech, but was later ported to the Super NES by Activision as Mechwarrior 3050. The Sega Genesis and Super NES versions are nearly identical, except for their titles.

The story takes place during the events of the Clan Invasion in the 3050 era. Players are assigned the role of a Clan Wolf Mechwarrior, who is sent to eliminate several Inner Sphere assets which threaten to destroy the Clan's dominance on the battlefield.

This video game is viewed in an isometric view as opposed to the first person view of the previous game. The game also features a two-player mode where one player controls the bottom half of the mech to navigate it around the map while the second player controls the upper torso, which moves independently.

X-Zone (エックス・ゾーン^?) is a game released in 1992 by Kemco for the Super NES. It was one of the few games to support the Super Scope light gun.

Vortex (formerly known as Citadel) is a 3D shooter game developed by Argonaut Software and released by Electro Brain for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in September 1994. It is one of a few titles designed to use the enhanced graphics of the Super FX powered GSU-1.

Urban Strike is a video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It was initially released for the Mega Drive in 1994, with ports to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Gear in 1995 and to the Game Boy in 1996. It is the third game in the Strike series, after Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf and Jungle Strike

U.N. Squadron is a 1989 side scrolling shooting game released for the CPS arcade hardware by Capcom. The game was released in Japan as Area 88 (Japanese: エリア88, Hepburn: Eria Hachi-Jū-Hachi?) and is based on the manga series of the same name, featuring the same main characters. Here, their mission is to stop a terrorist group known as Project 4. It was followed by the sequel Carrier Air Wing.

Operation Thunderbolt is a one- or two-player shooter arcade game by Taito made in 1988. It is the sequel to Operation Wolf. Like its predecessor, the game uses mounted positional guns as controllers. It also adds two-player simultaneous play. Versions of the game were released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and various home computers. An arcade exclusive sequel to Operation Thunderbolt was released in 1994, Operation Wolf 3.

Lock-On is a 1986 first-person shooter and combat flight simulator video game with a futuristic theme. It is developed by Tatsumi and licensed to Data East for US distribution. Features scaling sprites and a full-screen rotation effect.

Lethal Enforcers (リーサルエンフォーサーズ Rīsaru Enfōsāzu) is a 1992 shooting game released for the arcades by Konami. The in-game graphics consist entirely of digitized photographs. This caused controversy as it allowed players to shoot photorealistic representations of enemies. Home versions were released for the Super Famicom/Super NES, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Mega-CD/Sega CD during the following year and include a revolver-shaped light gun known as the Konami Justifier. Lethal Enforcers was followed by Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters. Years later, Konami released the Police 911 series as a Japan-themed sequel to the original plot. This was also followed by the arcade game Seigi No Hero, which localized and renamed as Lethal Enforcers 3 for Western audiences.

Jungle Strike is a video game developed (in association with Mike Posehn) and published by Electronic Arts in 1993. It was originally released for the Mega Drive, before being ported to several other systems including an upgraded version for the Amiga. The Amiga and other home computer conversions were the responsibility of Ocean Software while the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version was that of Gremlin Interactive. The game is a helicopter based shoot 'em up, mixing action and strategy. It is the sequel to Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf (a best-seller released in 1992) and is the second game in the Strike series. Jungle Strike retained its predecessor's core mechanics and expanded on the model with additional vehicles and settings. The plot concerns two villains intent on destroying Washington, D.C.. The player must use the helicopter and occasionally other vehicles to thwart their plans. The game was critically acclaimed, with some reviewers awarding scores upwards of 90%. Publications praised its gameplay, strategy, design, controls and graphics, although there were some complaints regarding the interface, difficulty and perceived jingoistic politics. The President of the United States in the game is not named, but is apparently modeled after Bill Clinton, who in a cut scene praises the player for protecting him and apologizes for cutting the defense budget.

Imperium (Armored Maneuverer Dion [機動装甲 ダイオン] in Japan) is a vertical scrolling Shooter developed by Vic Tokai in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System system.

The Hunt for Red October is a video game based on the movie The Hunt for Red October. It was first released in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Versions for the Game Boy and Super NES were subsequently released.

Gradius III (グラディウスIII -伝説から神話ヘ- Gradiusu Surī: Densetsu kara Shinwa he?, Gradius III: From Legend to Myth) is a side-scrolling shooting game originally released for the arcades in Japan and other parts of Asia in 1989. It is the third sequel to the original Gradius for the arcades following Gradius II: Gofer's Ambition, and was followed by Gradius IV: Resurrection. Gradius III was rereleased for the Super Famicom in Japan in 1990, and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1991 as a video game launch title. It was released as simply Gradius III (グラディウスIII Gradiusu Surī?). The arcade version was included with Gradius IV in a two-in-one compilation (Gradius III & IV) for the PlayStation 2 and in the Gradius Collection for the PlayStation Portable.

Fuzzy Shooting

Super SWIV (Firepower 2000 in the US) is a top-down shoot 'em up released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. It was released as Mega SWIV on the Mega Drive in 1994. It is the third game in the series, following 1988's Silkworm and 1991's SWIV for home computers. It was followed by SWIV 3D in 1996.

programmed by Robert Champagne, was released the following year, supporting two players in split-screen mode. The SNES version featured completely different graphics and levels from the earlier Game Boy version. A variety of in-game music for this version was composed by George "The Fat Man" Sanger.

D-Force, known in Japan as Dimension Force (ディメンションフォース?), is a 1991 vertical scrolling shooter video game developed and published in Japan by Asmik for the Super Famicom and later localized and published in North America by Asmik Corporation of America for the Super NES. It involves an Apache helicopter set on defeating an evil Middle Eastern dictator. There are seven levels which feature six countries. Some of the levels involve switching altitudes in order to attack enemies from a different height, which uses Mode 7, one of the main features of the Super NES.

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf, commonly known as Desert Strike, is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in February 1992 for Sega's Mega Drive.[1] The game was later released on several other formats such as the SNES, including a much upgraded version for the Amiga home computer. The game was inspired by the Gulf War and depicts a conflict between an insane Middle Eastern dictator, General Kilbaba, and the United States. The player controls a lone Apache helicopter and attempts to destroy enemy weapons and installations, rescue hostages and capture enemy personnel, while managing supplies of fuel and ammunition.

The lead designer, Mike Posehn, had no video game experience prior to developing Desert Strike. Inspired by Choplifter, he aimed to create a nonlinear game with smoothly animated vehicles. Posehn, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, developed a camera system with momentum to mimic realistic helicopter movements. Three-dimensional (3D) modeling was used to generate the vehicle sprites, which were later touched up on the pixel level with color.

Desert Strike was a strong commercial success: it was a chart-topping best seller and at the time Electronics Arts' highest ever selling game. The game also received a favourable critical response, with several magazines awarding scores of over 90%. Reviewers praised the game's enjoyability, mix of action and strategy, graphics and sound. There was some controversy regarding the game's subject matter, with commentators criticising it as in poor taste due the proximity of its release to the recently ended Gulf War.

Darius Twin (ダリウスツイン, Dariusu Tsuin?) is a horizontal scrolling shooter for the Super Famicom/SNES, released in 1991 and is part of the Darius series. It was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on April 13, 2010 and in North America on December 13, 2010.

Choplifter III: Rescue Survive (チョップリフターⅢ?) is a shoot 'em up video game for the Super NES, which was released in North America, Europe and Japan in 1994.

Carrier Aces (キャリアエース?, "Carrier Aces") is a flight simulation game that was released in 1995 for the North American, European, and Japanese markets.

BlaZeon: The Bio-Cyborg Challenge (ブレイゾン?) is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by Atlus in 1992 and was ported to the Super NES in the same year. The game's most distinguishable feature is that players come equipped with a device that allows them to freeze and control certain robots.

BioMetal is a single-player horizontal scrolling shooter game released on June 1, 1993 for the Super NES (SNES).

The game features six different weapons to combat the BioMetals, an extraterrestrial race determined to destroy the human race. The gameplay is very similar to that of the R-Type series, with the final boss even greatly resembling and behaving similarly to that series' iconic boss enemy Dobkeratops. BioMetal is unique in that its soundtrack for the European and North American versions was entirely created by techno group, 2 Unlimited (the selections used for BioMetal were remixes of songs from their 1991 album, Get Ready!). The Japanese version of the game featured an entirely different soundtrack.

A sequel called BioMetal Gust was released for the Sega Saturn in 1997, included with the Dezaemon 2 pack.

Bazooka Blitzkrieg (Destructive in Japan) is a video game software released for the Super NES which makes use of the Super Scope light gun. It was developed by Tose and released in 1992 by Bandai. Bazooka Blitzkrieg is rail-shooter - the screen slowly moved from left to right, player only fires his weapon at the different robots to destroy them.