All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Shmup' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us Echoes is sort of a blend between Asteroids and Geometry Wars. Like in the classic Asteroids you control a space ship floating around somewhere in space, trying to stay alive while asteroids are flung around. But unlike Asteroids, Echoes has some extras.

Instead of just small and large asteroids, there are four asteroid sizes (ranging from mini to enourmous) comets, meteor storms, asteroid belts, planets (with moons), black holes and the sun. There are also both energy and weapon power-ups.


Echoes is created by Binary Zoo, creators of mono, Duo and DUOtris.

]]> 05 Mar 2007 06:00:05 www.hyperbol.com
TS: Hyperbol is a game viewed Top-Down over a flat playing-field as you take control of a Ship that you customize in order to destroy your opponents. Game Types include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Spawn Capture, Attack/Defend Objectives, and more to be added later with a Map editor.
Your ship functions more like a Battleship, as it is stationary most of the time, a Turret that you can move occasionally across the map into strategically key positions, or simply to dodge incoming fire. The farther you move, the long you have to wait to move again. Or, you can customize your ship to recharge it's fuel rapidly if you wish to use a more active flighty Ship.
There are 6 Weapon modules that will produce the weapons you use. Your factory can hold up to 6 Mods total, so if you want more of 1 type, you have to forgo access to another. Having more then 1 will make production of that type faster, and allow you to hold more in your max stock. Each Mod will produce several different projectiles, for example the basic 'Ballistics' mod will give you access to Energy Bolts, Missiles, and Shrapnel Bombs. Also, once you have build a total of 6 Mods, you have the option to Upgrade 1 of them into a lv. 2 Super version. All the weapons made by this super Mod are either upgraded, or totally new versions of the weapon. As the above example, the Bolts do extra damage, the Missiles become MIRV Packs, and the Shrapnel Bombs become Shrapnel Wedges, which fires all it's shards in a cone instead of in all directions.

]]> 08 Jun 2007 09:11:09 Warning Forever is a special shoot 'em up. Instead of flying around, dealing with hoards of enemies, and the occasional boss, it's just you, and the boss. And every time you beat the boss, it comes back, meaner than the time before.

]]> 04 Dec 2006 11:33:56 Torus Trooper lets you control a speeding ship sailing through barrage.

]]> 12 Dec 2006 05:11:36 This is a DEMO/Prototype!
It is very much unfinished. There is only one level and after you beat the boss it will go back to the title screen.

Axion is a 4 colour (greyscale) shoot'em up made for the Retro Remakes 4-colour TI calculator style competition.

Story

Thousands of years ago the Atlantians built a huge inter-dimensional portal with the intent of trapping a huge foe inside. The portal worked perfectly, but at the last minute the huge beast was able to pull their entire city in with it. Knowing the they were unable to save the city and that the beast would eventually be able to break free without anyone able to watch over it, they sent out their last hope, Axion.

Axion was a specially designed craft known as a "Dimension diver" which made it the only man-made creation that was able to seemlesly escape the pull of the triangular portal.

Thousands of years later after absorbing much of its surroundings including people, ships and planes, the beast was able to take control of its own prision, although it was still not quite powerful enough to escape entirely. Using all the energy it had absorbed over the many years, the beast took control of the portal and projected it into outer space using mankind's own orbiting satillites. The portal was now 50 times its original size, big enough to engulf the entire planet...and this was the plan. If the beast could absorb the entire planet, then it would have enough energy to break free from its Atlantian prision.

After detecting the huge power surge, Axion emerged out of the ocean and blasted off into outer space to stop the beast before it was too late.

]]> 13 Feb 2007 08:16:24 Take a trip to the Zone with Llamasoft, in the twitch gaming shoot 'em up classic Gridrunner++.

Face wave after wave of increasingly ferocious and insane opponents in glorious, retina scorching, psychedelic themed parallax scrolling levels.

Think you've got what it takes?

]]> 08 Feb 2007 11:28:36 Beast Invaders 3 is the follow up to ...wait for it... Beast Invaders 2.

Beast Invaders 3 is a vertical scrolling shooter that see's you taking on the mighty sheepy hordes and their wealth of heavy artillery. No sheep are harmed in the making of or during this game.

Contains bullet hell style mayhem and curry.

Sadly, the entire development of this game was plagued by more trouble than is humanly believable, but being a determined muppet that I am, despite 1 computer biting the dust and a serious illness inbetween I've managed to cobble something together out of the sprawling mess. Mainly in 48 hours.

So, its not quite the game I wanted it to be, so keep an eye out for v2 soon.

]]> 15 Apr 2007 02:03:13 Need we describe the best of all shmups?

]]> 09 Dec 2006 09:25:39 The 8th game in ZUN's line of danmaku shmup games. Like other games in the series, players have characters with small hitboxes but are faced with screens filled with beatiful bullet patterns.

The game takes place in the mystic oriental land of Gensokyo. Someone has replaced the real moon with a fake moon that can never become full. Playing as one of 4 human/youkai teams, you must battle your way through 6 difficult stages in search of the full moon and face the one responsible for its disappearance.

]]> 08 Feb 2007 10:05:51 Deadeye is Redpoints tribute to the arcade shooters of yore.

Risky action reaps rewards. Use your shield to absorb bullets and raise the multiplier. Get high scores.

So authentic you can almost smell the smoke and Tango of the local arcade.

]]> 08 Feb 2007 10:49:13 The 9.5th game in ZUN's line of danmaku shmup games. Like other games in the series, players have characters with small hitboxes but are faced with screens filled with beautiful bullet patterns.

In this game, you play as Aya, a tengu armed with only a camera. This camera serves as both offense and defense by absorbing any on-screen bullets it captures. After each use the camera needs to be recharged (absorbing more bullets will help the speed it recharges, and actively recharging it reduces your speed by a lot).

The objective of the game is to take a certain number of pictures on each stage of the boss without getting hit. As you successfully take pictures, their attacks also become powerful. Riskier shots are worth more points and the highest scoring picture and highest stage score are both recorded for each stage.

]]> 08 Feb 2007 10:19:45 rRootage is an abstract scrolling shooter game, centered around fighting a continually reappearing boss.

]]> 11 Dec 2006 06:03:40 R-Tronic is Trevor "Smila" Storey's homage to the Eugene Jarvis classic "Robotron".

R-Tronic, originally designed for the Retro Remakes 2003 Competition takes the basic premise of Robotron and expands it into an up to date, gorgeous looking all action shooter.

]]> 04 Feb 2007 10:57:12 Gunroar is an 360-degree gunboat shooter.

]]> 11 Dec 2006 06:12:14 Panzer Dragoon Saga (titled Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in Japan) is a role-playing game released in 1998 exclusively for the Sega Saturn. It is the third game in the Panzer Dragoon and the only one which is not a rail shooter. The game centers around the plight of Edge, a young boy thrown into an ancient conspiracy.

Category: Turn-based role-playing game

Release date: April 30, 1998 (US)

Developer: Team Andromeda

]]> 26 Mar 2007 11:27:38 Herzog Zwei(Technosoft, 1989) is a hybrid shoot-em-up/real time strategy game which is widely credited as the first RTS. The sequel to Herzog(MSX), Herzog Zwei has the player flying around in a command plane using free-movement controls a la Thunderforce 2(also by Technosoft). This plane can attack the enemy command plane, or it can switch into a ground form for attacking ground units.

The RTS elements are the true purpose of the command plane, or c-ship. The c-ship can pick up units and give them programs such as "Attack Nearest Base", "Defend Nearest Base", and so on. It can then drop the unit near its objective, pick up another one, program it, and so on. This is probably a function of the Genesis's limited input mechanisms for unit selection and menu actions, but it results in a very nice approach that balances highly complex instructions against a large amount of time required to command each unit.

Herzog Zwei is a two-player game, with various bases scattered throughout the map and a Main Base in either corner. More bases allow the player to build units more quickly, and once one player takes the other's Main Base, the game is over. If one player destroys the other's c-ship, it respawns at the victim's Main Base in a few seconds.

Herzog Zwei has a small, albeit rabid, fan base.

]]> 22 Dec 2006 08:28:06 The Earth is under attack from evil aliens from Titan! Only you can save us all using a hired space ship.

Upgrade your ship with bounty money and drive back the Titans across the Solar System, and defeat them on their homeworld. That'll show 'em!

100 levels of frantic shooter action

5 giant boss motherships

Upgrade your ship with extra cannon, rockets and lasers

Challenge stages with prizes

Online hiscore table

]]> 27 Nov 2006 06:59:28 Riders on the Storm is an experimental shmup for the Autofire 2007 Shooter Competition at Shmup-Dev.

It started off as a title, named after the classic song by The Doors. Inspirations also include Plasma Pong, and Real-Time Fluid Dynamics for Games.

]]> 26 Feb 2007 02:19:59 The Gamma Brothers spend their days working in a huge space station near Jupiter. No one works harder than Buzz and Zap. What could they possibly be working on? Something very important, no doubt.

The Gamma Brothers also understand the importance of not working. Every day at quitting time they hop into their commuter vehices for the long, difficult journey back to earth. Every day on their way home, they are attacked by ships and creatures of unknown origin. Every day, to and from work, they must survive many vicious and clever alien attacks!

It is up to YOU to guide the Gamma Brothers home. Prepare yourself for the ultimate space commute battle! After all, it is dinner time on earth, and the Gamma Brothers' families will not be pleased if you don't get Buzz and Zap home safely.

]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:41:00 Sometimes 3d isn't always the best.

G-Force takes the frenetic action of Dave Theurers classic vector shooter Tempest and transposes it into two dimensions.

Described by PC Zone as "...a brilliant remake of the classic blaster", "sickeningly difficult" and containing "Jeff Minter-esque crude humour", G-Force is a game to melt the eyeballs, keep the trigger finger twitching and to keep you coming back for more.

]]> 01 Feb 2007 02:27:14 RaidenX follows the same formula of virtually every other shmup: Powerful weapons, lots of enemies, plenty of powerups. Collecting powerups of the same colour in a row will make your weapons more powerful!

]]> 02 Feb 2007 04:00:19 Empyreal Nocturne is a 3D aerial action game in which you combat enormous flying monsters by commanding a legion of birds.

Each flying monster, called Hydra, is a series of nodes connected together. You must defeat each weak point node to destroy the entire monster.

The design of the game is influenced by "Shadow of the Colossus". You battle enormous creatures that initially appear to be insurmountable. It is also partially inspired by "Rez" in the sense that they are both non-traditional, abstract shooter games.

]]> 11 May 2007 03:13:53 Trip on the Funny Boat is side scrolling arcade shooter game on a steamboat equipped with a cannon and the ability to jump. The player will need to take advantage of waves to defeat the enemies and dodge hazards.

]]> 23 Jan 2007 06:56:55 Trouble In CloudLand is a 2D game that features star-shooting mayhem and powerup collecting goodness. Conquer three unique worlds populated by troops of loveable but devious foes. Simple controls put you right in the action, while allowing for multiple play styles. Evolving gameplay will challenge even the most experienced of players. Trouble In CloudLand was developed over four months by Joshua and Jony. It was programmed using Python and Pygame in Eclipse.

]]> 29 Jan 2007 02:15:01

]]> 28 Jul 2007 10:42:28 Here's the shooter I've been working on for the last couple of weeks, my first attempt at a game following the so-called rules of rapid prototyping. I think it worked out fairly well.

Arrow keys to move, 'Z' to shoot, but if you *do nothing*, your missile lockons start to add up. Wait as long as you can before moving or shooting, at which point your missiles fire.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 10:33:04 TUMIKI Fighters is a sticky 2D shooter. Stick more defeated enemies to your plane and become much stronger!

]]> 12 Dec 2006 05:29:42 PARSEC47 is a retromodern hi-speed shoot 'em up where you get to defeat retro enemies modenly.

]]> 11 Dec 2006 06:32:37 The game is a shoot em up, only with a difference. That difference being you are the defender.

]]> 11 Mar 2007 11:45:52 In Ray-Hound you control a space ship in a circular arena where you have to survive for as long as possible and eliminate all turrets that keep shooting on you. Unfortunately you don't have a gun yourself, so instead you capture the shots the turrets fire at you and use their own shots againts the turrets

Ray-Hound is created by Hikoza Ohkubo, creator of Warning Forever.

]]> 08 Feb 2007 01:37:01 The Physics Centipede Invasion, where you fight to keep yourself from being pushed off the small arena and into the botomless void below it.

]]> 12 Dec 2006 05:45:53 A DirectX clone of Turrican with original graphics and the original music of Chris Hulsbeck, complete with new levels. Turrican is a side-scrolling, exploration platform shooter - everything that gets in your way has to be destroyed.

]]> 06 Apr 2007 11:55:24 Noiz2sa is an abstract shoot 'em up game.

You encounter waves of enemies and periodically a boss fight. You score by collecting the green squares left behind by defeated enemies.

]]> 11 Dec 2006 06:45:42 Titanion is a scrolling shoot 'em up, along the lines of classics such as Galaga.

]]> 12 Dec 2006 05:58:52 Beast Invaders 2 is a remake of Jeff Minters Atari ROM hack of Space Invaders. Try saying that when you're drunk.

Written for Retrovision 2006, a UK gathering of Llamasofties and Llamasoft itself as a freebie game given to all the folks that rolled up to celebrate umpteen years of eye monging visuals.

]]> 02 Feb 2007 09:01:02 The sequel to R-Tronic:Robotron ,R-Tronic 2:Armageddon.

Taking the Robotron-esque stylings out of the confines of the original arena shooter into a room based shoot-em-up with lots of new tricks and Trevor "Smila" Storeys usual high standard of graphics.

]]> 04 Feb 2007 12:00:05 Defend Terra and defeat the Hsiffan attack force using brute force and big lasers in Smila's tribute to the Thalamus C64 classic, Delta.

An action packed nostalgia fest for all Commodore64 lovers out there.

Music by the uber talented Chris Abbott

]]> 07 Feb 2007 04:17:47 Armada offers a version of the classic top-down space shooter (think Asteroids), updated with elements familiar from role playing games: 6 unique races; experience and leveling-up; equippable ship upgrades; and an overarching (though admittedly slender) storyline.

The long and short of it is, you must save the human race from the relentless alien armada. Combining the sheer joy of blowing things up with the obsessive just-one-more-level of an RPG, this game is ready to spring upon and devour large portions of your life. And your friends' -- Armada supports single-screen co-op for up to four players.

]]> 20 Mar 2007 09:46:34 L.A.2 is Kenta Cho's first flash game, an action game based around the theme of Conway's Game of Life.

Like all of Cho's recent games, it's an abstract shooter. You control your ship with the arrow keys, and have to avoid any blue and green squares coming at you. To defend yourself you can release so called gliders by pressing and holding the Z key. Any green squares that are touched by the brown glider will become brown as well (and any they touch will become brown and so on). When you release the Z key, all brown squares explode. The more brown squares there are, the more points you get.

To understand the behaviour of the groups squares, and how they move, a passing knowledge of Conway's Game of Life, and its rules might be helpful.

]]> 29 Apr 2007 06:12:05 smila takes us back to where the Gradius series began with his homage to the Konami / Stern classic sidescroller Scramble.

Shoot your way through the enemy defences to eliminate the enemy base in this challenging looker of a remake.

Collect power ups en route to increase your firepower and make sure you keep a stock of fuel. Whatever you do, don't crash!

]]> 07 Feb 2007 11:06:17

]]> 10 Aug 2007 10:01:47 In Invalid Tangram you control a small ship shooting down alien crafts. When you shoot down an alien it will turn into a coloured block and fall down. Getting the blocks grouped and then absorbing them will give you a temporary boost of some sort, depending on the colour of the blocks.

]]> 26 Dec 2006 06:27:59 A collaborative effort between two doujin creators, Tasofro (Tasogare Frontier) and ZUN, this game puts the characters from ZUN's Touhou danmaku shmup in a fighting game. As such, to carry the shmup feeling, most of the game's characters make heavy use of projectile attacks but can also graze enemy projectiles by dashing. Also taken from the shmup games are spellcards. Every round, each character can activate their spell card once which restores a large portion of their life (indicated in red on the life bars) as well as lets them use the spellcard specials. In Story Mode, the computer players will also make use of infinite repeating spellcards that aren't available to the players, often using projectile patterns that look similar to what you might find in the shmup games. The game also introduces a new character to the series, Suika Ibuki.

The game later included the character Hong Meiling against ZUN's wishes, and other fans added multiplayer functionality to the game as well.

]]> 09 Feb 2007 04:43:33 Admittedly a little dated now, but here's a feature list:

Features of Orbus include:

Hordes of enemies

Three distinct weapons, each with multiple power levels

Full-screen, non-stop eye candy

Up to four wingman to aid your ship

Customizable sound track system

]]> 22 Mar 2007 09:33:25 INVADER. My second done game(a long time ago, had fun making it, and learned a lot from it). Developed with DarkBASIC.
Gameplay.
You fly a space ship(actually its a model off a paper plane x) and are supposed to shoot the blue space ships flying towards you, watch out for atroids and enemy fire!
Futures:
3 weapons (2 are in powerup), shield(a power up), extra life pick up, hi-score table(NOT Online).

Controls:
Arrow keys
Move Ship
space key and control key:
Fire
Numpad 0:
Change weapon
escape key:
Quit the game

Known Bug:
Hiscore table only works after playing one game

]]> 29 Jan 2007 12:47:43 The Terror is a top down vertical scrolling arcade shooter. Worlds have been destroyed and panic is growing. Hired by the UDA you play as Frex Maine, a mercenary, who pits his wits against a terrorist organization that will stop at nothing to get what they want. The game features 9 scrolling levels, 5 large bosses and the story is shown through in game cut scenes.

]]> 09 Mar 2007 08:18:10 It is the year 2055. While government rivalries no longer threaten the earth with war and turmoil, there is a new danger. The Evil Dr. Tide is plotting to melt the polar caps and flood the world. If he succeeds in carrying out his plan, millions will die and the world will be thrown into chaos. It is up to you to stop this madman!
Battle Dr. Tide's evil sealife-inspired robotic minions as you scour the ocean for his secret lair through nine challenging levels and three visually diverse settings. From the sallow reefs, through a mysterious sunken city and on through a deep ocean cave, face a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses in your quest to rid the oceans of the menace of Dr. Tide.

]]> 14 Mar 2007 03:29:39 Features:

12 temporary weapons

10 stages + a continuous stage

3 difficulty levels

Stage editor

Unique gameplay elements:
Collect and combine weapons from your fallen enemies, then use them to blast your opponents to pieces.

]]> 08 Jun 2007 01:47:40 A7Xpg is an old school chase action game. Control your ship in a small space, collecting gold and avoiding enemies.

]]> 11 Dec 2006 05:44:07

]]> 05 Dec 2007 07:04:19