- Joined
- Oct 9, 2005
- Posts
- 5,094
It's a July afternoon and it's very hot. Seeking refuge from the oppressive humidity, you stumble into a hole in the wall game center that looks like it somehow managed to get stuck in time in the late 90s. The AC is working, miraculously, so you take a look around. The first floor is all classic games that put arcade games on the map. You climb the stairs to the second level and it's all shooting games. You see some of the classics from the 90s, the ones that every shooting fan knows and loves - Donpachi and Dodonpachi, the Bat trilogy, R Type Leo, Raiden, Batsugun, stuff like that. Back in an unlit section of the floor, you spot another row of games, ones that were kinda pushed out of the space by the shooting powerhouses of the era, but that still seem dope in their own right, among them:
Gun Frontier - Taito 1990
Arcade, Saturn, PS2, Arcade Archives (PS4, Switch)
A game that seems to have influenced Battle Garegga in a profound way. Rank is tricky in this one.
Final Star Force - Tecmo 1992
Arcade Only
Another influential one here. The cool rotating rocket level from GG Aleste 3? Lifed basically straight out of this game. The music changes depending on your weapon, something I haven't really seen in any other shooting game.
Rapid Hero - NMK 1994
Arcade Only
NMK is often overlooked in the shooting game conversation, and that's a damn shame. This is a tough one, but it makes the list for the artwork alone.
Hotdog Storm - Marble 1996
Arcade Only
I wish this game didn't have such a dumb name. Maybe if it had a proper name it would have fared a little better, I dunno. In any case, it's a great game.
Cyvern - Kaneko 1998
Arcade Only
Highly regarded, but relatively overlooked game from the late 90s. The difficulty of this one is pretty legendary.
Gun Frontier - Taito 1990
Arcade, Saturn, PS2, Arcade Archives (PS4, Switch)
A game that seems to have influenced Battle Garegga in a profound way. Rank is tricky in this one.
Final Star Force - Tecmo 1992
Arcade Only
Another influential one here. The cool rotating rocket level from GG Aleste 3? Lifed basically straight out of this game. The music changes depending on your weapon, something I haven't really seen in any other shooting game.
Rapid Hero - NMK 1994
Arcade Only
NMK is often overlooked in the shooting game conversation, and that's a damn shame. This is a tough one, but it makes the list for the artwork alone.
Hotdog Storm - Marble 1996
Arcade Only
I wish this game didn't have such a dumb name. Maybe if it had a proper name it would have fared a little better, I dunno. In any case, it's a great game.
Cyvern - Kaneko 1998
Arcade Only
Highly regarded, but relatively overlooked game from the late 90s. The difficulty of this one is pretty legendary.
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