A shoot 'em up (or shmup for short[1]) is a computer and video game genre of shooter game in which the player controls a vehicle or character and fights large numbers of enemies with shooting attacks. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction Shooter games are a subgenre of Action game. Because "shooters make up the majority of action games" Shooting gallery Often interchangeable with During the peak of their popularity they were commonly called simple shooters. But with the emergence of first-person shooters, shoot 'em up has become an inclusive term to describe various kinds of non-3D shooters. A first-person shooter ( FPS) is an action Video game from the Shooter game The initial development of Maze War In Japan, where the genre remains most alive, they are known simply as "shooting games" (シューティングゲーム).
The games are very similar and involve many rigid conventions such as waves of enemies and power-ups. The style of the game may range from cute to serious, from fantasy and science fiction to historic settings. Shoot 'em ups may be classified by viewpoint or control scheme. There are many diverse schools of design, ranging from "manic" shoot 'em ups that test player's reflexes, to "methodical" shooters that challenge players on memorization and strategic approach.
Shoot 'em ups originated in the arcades with Space Invaders usually being credited with the genre's birth. An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment is an arcade Video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978 They peaked in popularity during the late 80s and early 90s, primarily as arcade and console titles. As the use of 3D graphics became more common in video games, the simplicity and arcade sensibilities of the genre slowly relegated their popularity to that of a niche. 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer Today the genre still retains a small but loyal following, particularly among Japanese arcade goers, and there are still a number of companies devoted to their development.
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Common elements
Enemies
In most shoot 'em ups, enemies appear in waves. Passing a level on the earliest shoot 'em ups usually required defeat or evasion of all enemies in that level. In later shoot 'em ups, levels began including bosses and minibosses as key milestones for the player to overcome. A boss is a computer-controlled opponent which is found in Video games Their purpose is to test the skills that the player has accumulated over the course of a game
More recently, the greater processing power associated with newer consoles have allowed levels with dozens of enemies and attacks at once. These kinds of shoot 'em ups are sometimes called manic shooters or bullet hell.
Power-ups
Power-ups are an integral feature of most shoot 'em ups. In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character They are enhancements for the player's character that can be gained during the course of the game, usually as a reward for destroying enemies. Power-ups can improve the player's speed, armor, firepower, or weapon direction and range. These power-ups may have a limited supply or duration. Power-ups vary from game to game.
Death
Many shoot 'em ups have elected to have one hit by an enemy result in instant death. As an additional penalty, the player may have to restart from an earlier level, or lose any special abilities they have gained. Other games use a hit point system that allows a player to take multiple hits before death. Health is a Game mechanic used in computer and Video games to give value to characters, enemies NPCs, and related objects
Multiplayer
On occasion, shoot 'em ups feature simultaneous multiplayer gameplay, with both players playing on the same screen. A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time
Types
Although the shoot 'em up genre is more rigidly defined than most, there are a number of distinct sub-genres.
Fixed shooters
Fixed shooters consist of levels that can each fit within a single screen. The player's movement is usually fixed to a single axis of motion, and their ability to aim is usually fixed in one direction. The earliest example of this game is Space Invaders. is an arcade Video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978 These are sometimes called gallery shooters. These games have declined in popularity since the advent of scrolling, although later examples exist.
Scrolling shooters
Scrolling shooters involve larger levels than fixed shooters. As the player explores each level, the screen scrolls to reveal more of the playing field. Not only will scrolling reveal more enemies, but it may also reveal walls and other obstacles that the player must dodge and avoid.
A scrolling shooter may scroll the screen horizontally, vertically, isometrically, or any combination of directions. Isometric projection is a form of Graphical projection —more specifically an Axonometric projection. Horizontal and vertical scrolling are the most common in shoot 'em ups. A horizontal scrolling shooter shows the player from a sideview, while a vertical scrolling shooter offers a top-down perspective. Typically, the player's aim will be fixed towards the direction of scrolling: up in a vertically scrolling shooter, right in a horizontally scrolling shooter.
Scrolling is automatic and the player is not allowed to backtrack or turn around. This can make it challenging to deal with enemies that attack from behind.
Examples of scrolling shoot 'em ups include:
- Vertical: 1942, Xevious, Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun, Raiden, Star Soldier series, Raptor: Call of the Shadows, Aero Fighters and Tyrian. 1942 is a vertically scrolling Shoot 'em up made by Capcom that was released for the arcade in. is a vertical Scrolling shooter Arcade game by Namco, released in 1982. is a scrolling-shooter Video game developed by Treasure Co Ltd. is a vertically Scrolling shooter Video game, developed by Treasure Co is a 1990 Scrolling shooter Arcade game that was developed by Seibu Kaihatsu. Star Soldier is a series of Shoot 'em up Video games mainly developed by Hudson Soft. Raptor Call of the Shadows (often Raptor for short is a 2D Raster graphics vertical scrolling Shoot 'em up Single player Aero Fighters (known as Sonic Wings in Japan) is a vertical-scrolling Shoot 'em up ("shmup" Arcade game Tyrian is a Computer game developed by Eclipse Productions (later named World Tree Games) and published in 1995 by
- Horizontal: Darius, Gradius, Jets'n'Guns, R-Type, Scramble and Thunderforce. (pronounced) is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up Arcade game released by Taito in 1986. is a horizontally-scrolling Shoot 'em up released by Konami in 1985 for Video arcades It was originally released in Europe as Jets'n'Guns (also shortened to JnG) is a 2D, side-scrolling Shoot-em-up Computer game released in late 2004 R-Type is a side scrolling shoot-em-up Arcade game produced by Irem in 1987 Scramble is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up, Arcade game. Thunder Force is a Scrolling shooter Computer game released by Technosoft in 1983.
- Isometric: Zaxxon, Viewpoint and Blazer. Zaxxon is a 1982 Arcade game developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and released by Sega. Viewpoint is an arcade isometric shooter, released in 1992 by SNK for the Neo-Geo arcade platform Blazer (ブレイザー is an Isometric perspective Scrolling shooter Arcade game that was released by Namco in 1987 only in
- Multiple directions: Abadox, Salamander, Axelay, Vanguard, and Silver Surfer. is a Video game for the NES, subtitled The Deadly Inner War In it the player (as "Second Lieutenant Nazal" battles an alien organism named Parasitis retitled Life Force in North America and in the Japanese arcade re-release (see version differences) is a Scrolling shooter Axelay is a 2D Shoot 'em up Video game developed by Konami of Japan for the Super NES (SNES is a 1981 Arcade game by SNK. The game is known as one of the first Scrolling shooters ever made and is additionally notable by being the first shoot 'em Silver Surfer is a Video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Software Creations and released by Arcadia
Tube and rail shooters
Tube shooters emerged as a derivative of fixed shooters. These games give players a single axis of movement around the edge of an on-screen "tunnel", creating the illusion that the player is moving forward into the screen. This style originated with Atari's Tempest and was further popularized by Gyruss. Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. Tempest is an Arcade game by Atari Inc, originally designed and programmed by David Theurer. is a Shoot 'em up video Arcade game developed by Konami, and released in 1983.
Rail shooters largely supplanted tube shooters with the rise of three dimensional gameplay. The player's viewpoint automatically turns and moves through the level as if player were attached to a railroad, hence the name of the subgenre. As the player is propelled forward, the player may have limited freedom of motion to dodge incoming attacks. A few notable rail shooters include Panzer Dragoon, Rez, and Star Fox. Panzer Dragoon is a Rail shooter released on the Sega Saturn in 1995, and later released on PC, and as an extra in Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a Rail shooter video released as Starwing in Europe due to the existence of an Atari 2600 game with the same name is the first game in the ''Star Fox'' series
These shooters create the illusion of forward motion. They are similar to scrolling shooters in that the player is automatically moved through a large level, but they are similar to fixed shooters in that the player's freedom of movement is constrained.
Multidirectional shooter
Multidirectional shooters, also called arena shooters, allow freedom of movement and orientation in a two-dimensional environment. This may take place within a single-screen level such as Robotron: 2084, or allow players to navigate a larger playing field as the screen scrolls. Robotron 2084 (often called simply Robotron) is an Arcade game created in 1982 by the company Vid Kidz ( Eugene Jarvis
The player is usually displayed from a top-down perspective. Top-down perspective, also sometimes referred to as bird's-eye view, overhead view or helicopter view, However, there are side-scrolling games such as Contra that allow players to aim and shoot in multiple directions. A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a Video game in which the Gameplay action is viewed from a side-view These are sometimes called run and gun games.
Control systems for these games vary. Some games involve a thrust-based system where the player may turn, accelerate, and apply brakes as in a vehicle simulation game. Vehicle simulation games are a genre of Video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles This is typically for games set in outer space such as Asteroids or Star Control. Asteroids is a video Arcade game released in 1979 by Atari Inc Star Control Famous Battles of the Ur-Quan Conflict Volume IV is a Science fiction Computer game that was developed by Toys for Bob and published by Other multi-directional shooters allow players to move instantaneously in any direction. Some games allow players to aim and move in two different directions simultaneously through the use of two joysticks.
Examples of multidirectional shooters include Robotron: 2084, Time Pilot, Bosconian, Smash TV, Bangai-O, Geometry Wars, Sinistar, Desert Strike, Crimsonland, Zone 66, plobb! and Super Stardust HD. Robotron 2084 (often called simply Robotron) is an Arcade game created in 1982 by the company Vid Kidz ( Eugene Jarvis Time Pilot is a 1982 Arcade game by Konami and distributed in the US by Centuri, designed by Yoshiki Okamoto Bosconian is a multi-directional shooter Arcade game that was made by Namco in 1981 Smash TV is a 1990 Arcade game created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell for Williams. Bangai-O in its Dreamcast Western release or in the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast Japanese versions is a multi-directional shooter video game developed by Treasure Geometry Wars is a Minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible Sinistar is an Arcade game released by Williams in 1982 It belongs to a class of Video games from the 1980s called " Twitch games Strike is the common name of a series of Video games created by Mike Posehn John Patrick Manley and Tony Barnes released between 1991 and 1997 by Electronic Arts for Crimsonland is a Shoot 'em up style Computer game, released in April 22, 2003. Zone 66 is a top down shooting Video game released in 1993 for the PC, that initially was released as Shareware. plobb! is a single-player 2D freeware game based on BlitzMax. Super Stardust HD is a downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 video game console developed by the Finnish company Housemarque.
History
Early years
The first shooter was called Spacewar!, one of the very earliest computer games. Spacewar! is one of the earliest known digital Computer games Steve "Slug" Russell, Martin "Shag" Graetz and Wayne Wiitanen There were a number of early discrete logic games that featured various space and flight-themed shooting. A logic gate performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output Combat for the Atari 2600 could be considered one of the first home video gamer shooters, as it featured two-player, one-on-one air battles with freely maneuverable aircraft. Combat is an early Video game by Atari for the Atari 2600. It was released as one of the nine Launch titles for the system in October
Despite those early advances, it wasn't until 1978's seminal Space Invaders that the genre took off. is an arcade Video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978 Space Invaders is notable for pitting the player against many on-screen enemies that came from the top of the screen. This convention still exists today, with nearly every vertically oriented scrolling shooter having the player facing the top of the screen, with enemies coming from above. It also introduced the basic "dodge and shoot" mechanic that remains the foundation of the genre today.
Space Invaders was also a massive commercial success, even causing a coin shortage in Japan. is an arcade Video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978 It was quickly imitated by nearly every major arcade manufacturer at the time. Some of these imitations, like Space Stranger and Super Invader Attack, were clones which added little, if anything, to the Space Invaders formula. Others, like Namco's Galaxian took the genre further with more complex enemy patterns, and richer graphics. Galaxian is a 1979 Fixed shooter Arcade game by Namco and released by Midway Mfg
1980's Defender introduced a scrolling playfield to the shoot 'em up formula. In Computer graphics, Movies, Television, and other kinetic displays scrolling is sliding text images or video across a monitor or display It offered horizontally extended levels. Unlike most later games in the genre, this scrolling could go in either direction, and followed the player. This would be imitated by some later shoot 'em ups, notably Choplifter and Fantasy Zone. Choplifter is a 1982 Apple II game developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Brøderbund. is a surreal Arcade game created by Sega in 1985 It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles including the Sega Master System. The following year, Konami introduced Scramble, a side scrolling shooter with forced scrolling. () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines Scramble is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up, Arcade game. It was the first scrolling 'shooter to offer multiple, distinct levels, and laid the groundwork for Gradius. is a horizontally-scrolling Shoot 'em up released by Konami in 1985 for Video arcades It was originally released in Europe as Konami has since retconned Scramble into the Gradius series to acknowledge this influence. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction
Vertical scrolling shooters developed around the same time. While early titles like Galaxian offered scrolling star fields, they were merely superficial. Sega's Borderline(1981) was a vertical shooter with primitive scrolling. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer In March of the next year, Data East released Mission-X and Zoar, the latter of which was licensed from Tago Electronics. also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game company Their main headquarters were located in Tokyo, while their American subsidiary Data East USA was Both games were very similar, with Zoar being the more developed of the two, with separate attacks for airborne and surface-based enemies. This same year Orca released Funky Bee, which offered a more straightforward approach. These games would be overshadowed at the end of the year, when Namco released Xevious, a title often credited with being the first vertically scrolling shooter. is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for Video games development is a vertical Scrolling shooter Arcade game by Namco, released in 1982.
1985 was a big year for shoot 'em ups, thanks to two major games. Tiger Heli was the first shooter from the developer Toaplan, who would become an important name in the genre over the decade to follow. Tiger Heli ( J: タイガーヘリ) was one of the first games developed by Toaplan (a now defunct Japanese Arcade game was a Video game developer from Japan. They were responsible for the creation of a wide array of relatively famous Scrolling shooters and Arcade games yet Tiger Heli is perhaps most notable for introducing the "megabomb," a powerful limited use weapon, and one of the genre's most popular conventions. This same year saw the release of Konami's Gradius, another major innovator. () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines is a horizontally-scrolling Shoot 'em up released by Konami in 1985 for Video arcades It was originally released in Europe as Gradius introduced selectable weapons, as well as "options," small offensive pods that follow and aid the player. These conventions, would be frequently imitated in later shooters.
The following year, Compile would release their first shoot 'em up, Zanac, on the MSX computer and Famicom Disk System console. Compile was a Japanese video game company founded in 1983, originally named Programmers-3 Zanac is an arcade –style Shoot 'em up Video game designed by Compile and published in Japan by Pony Canyon and in North MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. In the years to follow Compile would become one of the biggest developers of shoot 'em ups on consoles and computers. Sega also released Fantasy Zone, this same year, on their new 16-bit arcade hardware. is a surreal Arcade game created by Sega in 1985 It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles including the Sega Master System. The title would become very popular in Japan, and it introduced Sega's mascot Opa-opa. is a surreal Arcade game created by Sega in 1985 It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles including the Sega Master System. Taito also released Darius, the first in their flagship shooter series. (pronounced) is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up Arcade game released by Taito in 1986.
R-Type was introduced in 1987. R-Type is a side scrolling shoot-em-up Arcade game produced by Irem in 1987 The brain child of Irem, it became one of the major archetypes for side-scrolling shooters to follow, with vividly realized levels, and refined, methodical gameplay. is a Japanese Video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of Arcade games as well Toaplan followed up Tiger Heli with Twin Cobra. Tiger Heli ( J: タイガーヘリ) was one of the first games developed by Toaplan (a now defunct Japanese Arcade game is a two-player helicopter scrolling shooting game published by Taito Corporation, distributed in North America by Romstar, and one of the more popular Arcade games This title introduced a system with a wandering power-up that changed colors to represent different weapons. This convention would become a staple of their games, as well as those of others.
Golden Age
By this time the major conventions of the genre had been firmly established, and shoot 'em ups became the most popular action genre for arcade games. This period lasted into the early and mid 90s and saw the release of many popular shooters, including Raiden, a Toaplan-inspired game from Seibu Kaihatsu, Gun Frontier, Taito's attempt at a killer app, and many sequels to Gradius, R-Type, and other popular series of the day. is a Japanese manufacturer of Arcade games. They are best known for the Raiden series of games Gun Frontier (known outside Japan as Gun & Frontier is a side-scrolling shooter developed by Taito for the arcade and released in 1990 A killer application (commonly shortened to killer app) in the jargon of computer programmers and video gamers has been used to refer to any Computer program is a horizontally-scrolling Shoot 'em up released by Konami in 1985 for Video arcades It was originally released in Europe as R-Type is a side scrolling shoot-em-up Arcade game produced by Irem in 1987
Console and computer shooters became more common and were increasingly able to offer comparable experiences to their arcade counterparts. The PC Engine saw a whole slew of shooter titles released for it (in fact, PC Engine has by far the highest shooter/game ratio of any console in the postcrash gaming world) and the Thunder Force series brought arcade-style shooting to Japanese home computers and later the Sega Genesis. The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October Thunder Force is a Scrolling shooter Computer game released by Technosoft in 1983. The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 Games like Axelay and Bio-hazard Battle produced visuals and sounds worthy of their arcade contemporaries. Axelay is a 2D Shoot 'em up Video game developed by Konami of Japan for the Super NES (SNES Bio-hazard Battle, titled Crying in Japan is a 1992 2D side-scrolling Shoot 'em up released for the Mega Drive/Genesis and for the
During this period, shoot 'em ups did not evolve a great deal. The genre remained vital while reusing variations on the same gameplay ideas that had proven themselves. In the early 90s new genres began to emerge, and the market diversified. Fighting games reached new-found popularity in the arcades with the release of Street Fighter II. A fighting game (also referred as a versus fighting game, competitive fighting game, tournament fighting game or head-to-head fighting game) is a 1991 competitive fighting game by Capcom. It is widely credited with launching the fighting game genre into the mainstream and extending the life of the worldwide arcade Meanwhile, many console gamers were turning toward games that could provide longer playtime and in-depth narratives, and shoot 'em ups began to decline in popularity. In 1993, Compile shifted its focus away from shooters. In 1994, Toaplan closed its doors, and the genre lost one of its most devout supporters. For many this would serve as a signal that the Golden Age of shooters had ended.
Evolution and renaissance
The death of Toaplan would ultimately open more doors than it would close. Four companies would form from the ashes of Toaplan, and all remained even more devoted to the shooter genre than Toaplan. The first such company was Raizing. 8ing/Raizing (also called Eighting/Raizing, Raizing, Eighting or Raizing went as far as to continue to use Toaplan arcade hardware for their titles into the late 90s. Their first game was Mahou Daisakusen, the first title in their flagship trilogy.
The following year another company formed from ex-Toaplan staff. Cave premiered with Donpachi, a game which expanded on the design of Toaplan's final game Batsugun. Cave is a Japanese Video game company known primarily for its manic shoot-'em-ups. is a vertically scrolling Manic shooter Arcade game, the first game developed by Cave, and released by Atlus in 1995. Batsugun is a vertically scrolling Shoot 'em up hailing from the now defunct Japanese game developer Toaplan. Batsugun is considered by many to be the starting point for a new breed of shoot 'em up. These games would come to be called "danmaku" (lit. A shoot-'em-up (also known as shmup) is a Video game genre of Shooter game in which the player controls a vehicle or character and fights large "bullet curtain") in Japan, and "manic" shooters in the West. These games are distinguished by high bullet counts, and a small collision zone (or "hit box") for the player.
Cave and Raizing would have a bit of a sibling rivalry. In 1996, Raizing released Battle Garegga, an homage to Taito's classic Gun Frontier. Battle Garegga is a vertically scrolling Shoot 'em up Arcade game released by 8ing/Raizing in 1996. is a 1972 Manga by Leiji Matsumoto. It introduces Tochiro Oyama best friend to Matsumoto's classic hero Captain Harlock, who is turn depicted as a gunslinger It pushed the manic style a level further, which, in turn, inspired Cave to put aside their reservations and produce the most manic shoot 'em up yet, Dodonpachi. is a Manic shooter Arcade game developed by Cave and published by Atlus, in 1997. Cave continued to carry the Toaplan torch, embedding the message "Toaplan Forever" in the high score tables. Their next game, Dangun Feveron, would be a pastiche to Toaplan as well, made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Truxton. is a vertical Scrolling shooter game developed by Cave in 1998 The word pastiche describes a literary or other artistic Genre.
While their popularity was in decline, this was a creatively fertile time for the genre. In 1998 Treasure released their first arcade shoot 'em up, Radiant Silvergun. Treasure is a Japanese Video game developer, founded by former employees of Konami on June 19 1992. is a vertically Scrolling shooter Video game, developed by Treasure Co
Possible rebirth of shmups
With the release of the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360's Live Arcade, and the Playstation 3's PSN network, the shmup genre may have another rebirth. Many TurboGrafx 16 titles are being re-released on the Nintendo Wii. The Xbox 360 brought the mega-popular Geometry Wars to the platform. Geometry Wars is a Minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved has become the top selling game on the service, with over 185,000 purchases and downloads as of July 21, 2006. Geometry Wars is a Minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [2] Several Eugene Jarvis-created shooters are also available on the service, including enhanced versions of Smash TV and Robotron: 2084. Smash TV is a 1990 Arcade game created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell for Williams. Robotron 2084 (often called simply Robotron) is an Arcade game created in 1982 by the company Vid Kidz ( Eugene Jarvis Also available is Ikaruga. is a scrolling-shooter Video game developed by Treasure Co Ltd.
References
- ^ Buchanan, Levi, Top 10 Classic Shoot 'Em Ups, IGN, April 8, 2008, May 26, 2008
- ^ Xboxic » Fun and completely useless XBLA facts
Dictionary
shoot 'em up
-noun
- (idiomatic, film, television, literature, video games, genre) A short story, novel, television show, film, computer game, or other narrative which depicts considerable gunplay.
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