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Mr Heli/Battle Chopper |
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1 player |
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Stand out 8-bit versions - Amstrad |
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Really nice "cute-em-up" originally made by Irem, shoot the blocks and money falls out then use the money to buy ship upgrades. |
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Over Horizon |
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1 player |
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Stand out 8-bit version - NES |
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One of the more notable games without a US release that appeared in Europe, Over Horizon is one of the true stand out NES shooters, it contains some fiendishly clever level designs, great power-up system and a really impressive amount of options (it even allows you to choose the positions of your options in an edit screen before the game begins) A true unknown gem. |
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Parodius |
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1 Player |
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Stand Out 8-bit versions - MSX |
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The start of a great series of wacky re-workings of the Gradius theme (hence the parody-Gradius mixture title) only ever made for the MSX and very good it is too, the scrolling isn't too bad either compared to the usual MSX game. |
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Parodius/Parodius Da! |
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1 player |
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Stand out 8-bit versions - NES |
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Fantastic sequel to the MSX only game (many people wrongly think that this was the first in the series) this is where Parodius was really starting to build it's own personality and fan base. |
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Phobia |
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2 player Simultaneous |
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Play it on - C64 |
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Very difficult (but rarely unfair) shooter, with each level themed after a different fear, such the fear of spiders, or...er..the fear of butterflies and birds (shown to the right). I really like this game, I only wish I was good enough to play it! definitely one for the hardcore shooter fan. |
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Power Strike 2 |
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1 Player |
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Stand out 8-bit versions - Master System |
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Don't bother with the original Master System game (which had completely unbalanced game play) get the sequel instead, it's a much better looking and better playing game (the music however can be shockingly bad at times) |
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R-Type |
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1 Player |
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Stand out versions - Master System, Spectrum |
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R-Type was genius when it came out at the arcades, never since Gradius had so many new ideas been perfectly implemented, few shooters of the time could boast it's level of ingenuity and depth, and amazingly, it ended up being pretty well translated to some of the 8-bits. |
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Recca (Summer Carnival 92') |
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1 Player |
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Stand out 8-bit versions - NES |
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Ridiculously fast shmup used for Naxat's Summer carnival competition in 92'. The game is quite difficult and pushes the NES hardware to the max with tons of sprites and intense action (though it does suffer from quite a bit of flicker) |
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Sagaia/Darius II |
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1 Player |
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Stand out version - Master System |
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One of the best looking 8-bit shooters of them all, the Master System really shows it's power with this game, with high quality throughout, it does suffer from flicker (like many MS shooters) but fortunately it doesn't lessen the experience, rock hard game play too. |
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Saint Dragon |
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1 Player |
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Stand out version - C64 |
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One of the more unappreciated of C64 shooters, Saint Dragon also stands as one of the more accessible for the system. You control a dragon flying through levels with some of the best graphics and music realized on the C64, the bosses are big, well drawn and very impressive and the game play feature of allowing you to block bullets with your tail helps to add some nice individuality to the proceedings. |
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Salamander/Lifeforce |
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2 Player simultaneous (N.E.S only) |
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Stand out versions - C64, N.E.S |
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In my opinion Konami really perfected their shmup game play with Salamander, they totally went to town with their fantastic level designs which had you dodging moving spikes through a strange biological level one second, and flying over a sun whilst it threw up flames the next. The 2 player option and upwards scrolling levels were also a fantastic addition for the series. |
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S.C.A.T |
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2 Player simultaneous |
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Stand out version - N.E.S |
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A real gem of a game from Natsume which is similar to Capcom's Forgotten Worlds. SCAT has some really excellent style and game play, and control wise manages to feel much better suited to home consoles than the Forgotten Worlds ports. Another criminally under-rated NES game that all genre fans should check out |
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