Playstation Shmups
Large numbers of enemy characters programmed to behave in an easily predictable manner are typically featured. These enemies may behave in a certain way dependent on their type, or attack in formations that the player can learn to predict. The basic gameplay tends to be straightforward with many varieties of weapons. Characters can instantly change direction with no inertia, and projectiles move in a straight line at constant speeds. The player's character can collect "power-ups" which may afford the character greater protection, an "extra life", health, shield, or upgraded weaponry.
The next technological innovation came with the introduction of using many on-screen sprites. This was an important hallmark of Zero Hour as during the start of the first level the player encountered asteroids that he or she could blast into smaller pieces in the same way as Asteroids . The creation of a new genre of shooter also prompted existing game franchises to adapt to the new style of game play that Defender and HeliFire had created. One such game franchise was Universal’s Cosmic Guerrilla otherwise known as the ‘Cosmic Series’ entailing four sequels, Cosmic Alien , Devil Zone , Zero Hour and Cosmic Avenger . The player was given the task of breaking though the enemy’s “scramble system” .
For those of us in the retro gaming world, shooter fans or basically anyone who listens to Drunken Gamers Radioit also means Shmuppreciation month. It is all for the love of the shoot ’em up, these days called “shmups” for short. What’s distinct about the shmup is that aside from most other genres, it has been around as long as video games themselves – yes, the first video game was a shmup – and has remained relatively unchanged for more than 30 years. As an avid fan with probably more than $1,000 in shmups alone among almost every system – did I mention the shmup has some of the most expensive games in existence? 1985 saw the release of Konami's Gradius, which gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing Mobile game another element of strategy.
Many developers based their designs on the successful model of Space Invaders and then began to experiment with game play ideas. The period between 1978 and 1983 established the ground rules and principles for the Shmup genre. While Phoenix II’s gameplay may be old-school, its visuals definitely are not.
Following the success of Space Invaders, space shooters were the dominant subgenre during the late 1970s to early 1980s. These games can overlap with other subgenres as well as space combat games. Originally, I was going to include SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone in this list. It’s a terrific game, and if you’re looking for an eleventh shoot-em-up to grab, it’s a good one. But I really dig Black Bird, the modern spin on Defender/Fantasy Zone created by the folks at Onion Games.
It set the template for the shoot 'em up genre, and has influenced most shooting games released since then. A "shoot 'em up", also known as a "shmup" or "STG" (the common Japanese abbreviation for "shooting games"), is a game in which the protagonist combats a large number of enemies by shooting at them while dodging their fire. The controlling player must rely primarily on reaction times to succeed. Beyond this, critics differ on exactly which design elements constitute a shoot 'em up.
The game is notable for using a traditional fantasy setting in contrast to most shoot 'em up games filled with science fiction motifs. R-Type, an acclaimed side-scrolling shoot 'em up, was released in 1987 by Irem, employing slower paced scrolling than usual, with difficult, claustrophobic levels calling for methodical strategies. 1990's Raiden was the beginning of another acclaimed and enduring series to emerge from this period.