Sapharica

Sapharica is a vertical shooter that I fond over on DoujinStyle and I was quite surprised at just how harder game this was to play infact it’s one of the hardest I’ve come across in a long time. You get to choose form three characters when you start each with a different firing style so choose carefully once you decide the battle begins right from the word go because this a bullet hell game that never seems to start throwing bullets at you so it’s one for the hardened shmup fan to play to help you out you get plenty of power ups and you will need them all so be sure not to miss any and also a very handy special weapon again use it carefully because the bosses at the end of levels are very difficult indeed not forgetting the amount of bullets they fire at you. Graphics are nice and detailed and there is cool dance music thumping away in the background to keep your pulse pumping hard. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key is your fire button and X Keys is your special weapon. Bullet hell fans will love this one.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Armored Ashura

I bring you a cool little horizontal browser game today that will give even the hardened shmup fan a run for their money. Armored Ashura is you standard type of shooter with plenty of power ups for you to collect along the way and you tend to find that collecting them when you see them means that you need them to get through the next load of enemies who are trying to destroy you with everything they have you don’t need to collect them sometimes it just makes things a little more easy. I also found that the end of level boss on all levels are quite hard to finish off so you will need dodging skills to avoid the onslaught of bullets they fire at you. You only get one weapon but if you don’t fire for a short time you get a short powerful blast when you press fire again. Graphics are nice a detailed with a great rock background music to keep the excitement up. controls are Mouse only which is a shame but you can’t have everything well worth a go this one.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

No New Posts This Week

Hi all sorry but there will be no new posts this week due to various reasons beyond my control. I’ll be back next week with some more top shmups for you.

Mikey

Adventum

Adventum is a horizontal shooter from Astro Port that has a slight difference in that you control a tank instead of a craft and all the fighter is done on the ground so im not sure if your would call it a shmup but its a cracking little demo and needs to be mentioned. Instead of special weapons you get to choose three characters that you swap between each having their own weapon so i guess you could call the special weapons all of which you can power up to give you more fire power to deal with the ever increasing onslaught from tanks, armoured lorries and hot air balloons and gun turrets to name a few along with mid level and end level bosses so power up as soon as you can. Graphics are really nice and detailed and look just great as do the other Astro Port games so for that alone it’s worth a download. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Keys is your main weapon, X Key is for jumping and C Keys is for swapping between characters or use is game pad if you have one. A shmup it may not be but its a dame fine shooter im looking forward to this being finished.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Hellsinker

This has to be one of the most complicated vertical shooters I’ve ever come across but having said that it’s a good one. It’s been around for a while but I never got round to posting about it and thought it was about time. It’s has all the normal kind of shmup things like power ups special weapons and lots and lots of bullets ane enemies some of which you can kill and some that you can’t. Visuals are very nice and detailed and make the game really nice to look at and play. I really don’t know what else to say other than download it and give it a go maybe you will understand it better than me. For controls I’d use a game pad and forget about the keyboard this ia a game pad game.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Astronomical Few Minutes

Another strange named game this one and it also says the original was by Shanghai Alice so I’m not quite sure what this is supposed to be remake or an abandoned game that has now been completed I’ll leave it for you to decide. What you have got is a pretty good vertical shooter that even on easy setting has more bullets being fired at you than I have ever seen as well as having some tough bosses to contend with some of the bullet patterns are very difficult to work you way through. Visuals and sound are good to both being fitting with the game. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key is your primary weapon and X Key is you special weapon or you can use a game pad. As I said a game thats trying to be something but I’m not sure what download nad have a look for yourself.

Works With Vista

Download  From Here

Broom Craft

I came across this whilst looking for another game and liked the look of the screen shots so I downloaded and found quite a good little horizontal cute em up that for some reason reminds me of Super Mario Brothers Not sure why could be the music or the very nice cute graphics Ill leave it up to you to decide. What you get though is a tough shooter that is quite hard so don’t let the looks make you think it will be easy you may well be shooting birds and balloons but they are all intent on destroying you so make sure you keep your eyes open. You get two weapons each of which you have to power up before they work so make sure you collect everything left by the enemies as this is what makes you more powerful and you do need it in later levels. Controls are Cursor keys to move, X Key is your primary weapon and Z Key is your special weapon once it’s powered up or you can use a game pad. This really is a nice game and well worth a download.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

RefRain Prism Memories

I’ve been watching this game for a long time and finally managed to get my hands on a trial version from a friend over on Doujin Style and I’m pleased to say that so far it’s been worth the wait. It’s a pretty straight forward vertical shmup that just has something that makes it feel right in a strange kind of way it’s got loads of bullets and some real tough enemies they are all intent on destroying you. You get to choose from two ships when you start each with weapons that are different so it’s a case of choose your favorite how ever I didn’t manage to find any power ups for your ships two weapons but I don’t think you need them because this is about skill aswell as destruction. Graphics are nice and detailed and play very smooth it also has some nice back grounds for yo to fly over. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Keys is your primary weapon and X Key is you special weapon which is a powerful laser blast very nice indeed. Most of you should like this so its worth a download.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

RetroVaders

I was in two minds what to post today then I thought I’ve posted a lot of manic shooters so for a change I came across a remake of the age old classic Space Invaders which is what RetroVaders is. There is no point in me going on too much as the game is pretty much the same as it has always been but with a few touches to change it a little most of which are visual and are just a nice change from the normal mono style visuals of Space Invaders.  Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Sapce Bar to fire.  If you fancy a nice relaxing change give this one a go it’s well worth it.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Magical Cannon Girl 2

Magical Cannon Girl 2 is a very nice looking vertical shooter from KitStation. However don’t let the pretty looks fool you into thinking it’s going to be an easy ride because this is a serious shooter with nice graphics and sound that will take the most hardened player a while to beat. From the start you have a mass of enemies and bullets flying towards you from all angles so a sharp eye is needed to spot where the next wave is coming from. You get to build your fire power up by collecting objects left behind after you shoot a bad guy which is sometimes a slow progress but this keeps you on your toes then if you get through that you get to meet some pretty hard bosses who just don’t know when to die. For controls i’d recommend a game pad but you  can use your normal Cursor keys and Z,X,C keys to do the same job. If you like them hard try this one for size.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Battle Blade 2

If Retro graphics are you thing then you should check out this little side scrolling shooter. The graphics are true 8bit stlye graphics which is why I like this game so much. It also has simple controls Cursor keys to move, shift to fire holding you finger down is your auto fire option and ctrl Key is your special weapon use it wisely though as you only have the one and you don’t get another until you die or the game sees fit that you have earned one. Enemy Bullets are quite heavy but easy to work out the pattern once played a few times even the bosses are easy to dispose of even easier if you have a special weapon left as this normally is enough to kill him off. A short little game only 5 levels but good fun all the same.

It also works on Vista so that is a plus aswell.

Download From Here

Genetos

This is the latest version of this well thought out game. The game itself is a journey through the years of Shoot Em Ups. Starting out with 8Bit Space Invader games through the Nes and Snes then onto colourful 3d backgrounds and I would imagine that by the time this game is finished it will be right upto date. The graphics are excellent through out as is the sound. You have quite a few levels of difficulty to try from from Easy through to down right near impossible. As you shoot the enemys the give of what look like bubbles these are what you have to collect to move onto the next generation of shoot em up that is after you defeat the final boss in each generation. Joypad is a must to play this as there are quite a few buttons needed to play this game. Being a japanese game the author has give an english manuel for you to read before you start to play so you won’t be in the dark like when you play some of the excellent Japanese games out there.

Works with Vista too.

Download from Here

Knightly The Dark Forest

A nice little one level demo this of a horizontal scrolling shooter from Pixel Licker Games. One thing that stands out in this game is the Very nice pixel graphics some of the best I have seen and with nice sounds effects to match make this a great start to what looks like could be a very good game when finished. You control Knightly with either the Keyboard or a Joypad its up to you to choose in the options menu. You have two weapons with which to destroy your enemy and also a sheild you can activate which also increases you score as it turn enemy bullets into points. The boss in this level is quite easy to destroy and I didn’t think giant cauldrons could be dangerous but in this game they are. Ill be keeping an eye on this one for future developments

It also works on Vista so Vista owners can join the fun.

Download from Here

Alien Assault

A strange little shooter this one with brilliant 8 Bit pixel graphics. It reminds me alot of the likes of Galaga and that type of shooter. The graphics are nice and chunky and colourful with decent sound effects and music to match. The controls are Cursor Keys with either space bar, shift or ctrl as you fire button. You can aslo use a gamepad or choose your own controls by pressing F5 before you start to play. You only get two power ups from what I can work out one being a more powerful shot and the other a shield. Bosses come after each level is finished but are pretty easy to dispose of so you should soon get to the end of this nice little game.

It also works on Vista.

Download from Here

Ds6 Preview

On a different note this little game has caught my eye. It in the early stage as its an entry into the Shmup-Dev Rapid Prototype session over on Shmup-Dev . Its being developed by Bill from The2Bears Site and you can check the progress of this Retro Shooter here

Protozoa

Im not normally a fan of arena shooters but this one caught my eye in the Intel Game Demo Contest 2008. The game itself plays a bit like Geometry Wars with various different power ups given for a short period of time before reverting back to your normal shot pattern. The graphics however are nice and 3d ish I guess you could say as opposed vector graphics and really to the game justice. Sound and music are also very good through out. On the control front there are various options available you just have to choose which style you prefer in the options menu. I found using my Xbox360 controller the best method with one stick for moving around and the other for firing in different directions. Its quite a difficult game however with practice you soon find yourself zipping from one level to the next.

Its also Vista friendly.

Download it from Here

Hector 39

I found this little gem of a Japanese shooter over on Shoot To The Core forum. Its nice little game that will keep you busy for a while. There are four difficulty levels starting from Basic which you can pretty much complete with your eyes closed up to Hard which is a real bullet fest. Graphics and sound on this are excellent as is the game itself. Controls are Cursor Keys to move Z is your main shot X is you super weapon which clears the screen of everything and not quite sure what C keys does yet I’ve not worked it out it does something but not sure what maybe someone could tell me. Its well worth a download is this one.

It works fine on Vista

Download from Here

Ds6 Complete

I’ve finally got to play this now the session is complete and Im really impressed. Its got that real retro feel about from way back in the 8Bit computer days. If you like retro you will like this. Go over to Shmup Dev now and download this there is also detailed instructions there aswell.

Vista friendly aswell.

Download from Here

Titanion

I’ve had this game sitting on my hard drive for while. The best way to describe it is to say that its in the style of Galaga but whith ultra modern colourful 3D graphics. The game starts easy enough but as you progress through the stages they soon become a bit of a bullet fest. Controls are Cursor keys to move Z to Fire holding Z down is you auto fire option and the X key is your capture shot to capture you enemys. You should be kept quite busy with this one. There is a more indepth explantion of the games over on ABA Games website.

Works With Vista Too.

Download From Here

Dogfight 2

Im not normally a fan of browser based games but when I saw the screen shot of this on the Blitz forum I felt the urge to try this one out. The main aim is as the title suggests DogFighting which means you have to avoid being shot while doing twists and turns in the air at the same time trying to shot the enemy down. Simple as it may seem things soon begin to hot up as you  progress through the levels. Graphics are nice with attention to detail as is the sound when you drop your bombs. Controls are Cursor keys to move Space to fire and CTRL to drop your bombs. This won’t appeal to hardened shmup fans but if you like a nice steady game to while away 10 minutes give this one a go.

Try It Here

Grid Wars 2

This game has been doing the rounds on the internet for a while so much so that Microsoft made the author of the game remove it from his website. For those who have never seen this game it is a version of the popular Geometry Wars collection hence Microsoft asking for it to be removed. I’ve play both versions and have to say I prefer this one to the original one. The graphics are lovely Vector graphics and music that adds to the atmosphere of the game and the controls are whatever you want them to be as there is loads of different options to choose from in this game. The game starts nice and easy to break you in but things soon hot up in this game and it becomes very frantic indeed. If you have never played it but want to try your friend and mine google and you never know you may find it available for download on the internet somewhere.

Works great with Vista

Shooting Star

Shooting Star a browser based Arena Shooter. This another one of those games that if you have a few minutes to kill through out then head on over and give it go. Graphics are nice Vector Graphics which seem to be the in thing at the moment as there are lots of Vector Graphics games out there. Controls are simple you just use your mouse and the whole thing is auto fire. Its starts nice and easy but as with most games like this they gat more difficult very soon. As I said its not a game for sitting at for hours but good fun for the odd ten minutes and there.

Try it out Here

Demolition Gunner

Demolition Gunner has been around for a while now and I still find it a good bullet fest today. It a Vertical scrolling shooter from the Dark Angel Company who have quite a few games out for you to play. In this one there are four Difficulty levels to try and trust me you will be playing on the easy setting for a while because on the harder level setting the screen is full of bullets. Power ups are there but they just increase the ammount of bullets that you fire and you can also protect yourself with shields with is a nice plus as you will need them. Graphics and sound are both very good in this with nice big explosions. Another twist is when you get to the boss at the end of a level you only have a short amount of time to finish him off. Controls are Z Keys is your main weapon X is a more powerful weapon which you will need to take out the bigger enemys on the screen and Cursor Keys to move. It also supports Gamepad control aswell. Its not the longest game to finish but good fun al the same.

Works On Vista

Download From Here

The Trapezohedran Of The Darkness

Now this is a game with strange now if ever i’ve seen one. Its another vertical scrolling shooter with a very strange view point. The graphics are 3D models and you play in a 3d ish area. don’t get me wrong the visuals are nice but after a while the constant turning of the back grounds do tend to strain your eyes. However it is a good game that most will find pretty easy to finish. The bosses tend to be on the tough side but you should beable to glide through the rest ok. Controls are definable so you should be able to find some that suit you. There not much more I want to say other than give it go Im sure you will like it.

Works On Vista

Download From Here

Rozen Diadem

Rozen Diadem is bought to you by the same people who made the game Hector 39. The difference this time is that this is a Cute Em Up and you can change between 2 characters instead of having a weapon that clears the screen of everything. However a Cute Em Up it maybe but it still has bullets a plenty being fired at you so it is no push over. Graphic are once again very colourful with sound effects to match the atmosphere of the game. Controls are Cursor Keys to move Z is your main weapon X swaps between characters and C slows you down as you move around the screen. This is only a one level demo at the minute but there is due to be an updated version released around 11 Oct 2008 so this is just to give you a taster of what is to become another great shooter.

Vista Friendly

Download From Here

AuthenticKaizen’s Blog

AuthenticKaizens blog has every type of game on there you can think of so go over and check it out now.

AuthenticKaizens Blog

Generic Arena Shmup

With my new found liking of Arena Shmups I’ve been looking to find a good one and this is the best that I have played to date. This game plays better than Geo Wars and all the others that you would pay good money for. Visuals in the game are superb as is the thumping background music. The aim is to stay alive as long as you can whilst shooting the many many many enemy’s and bullets and asteroids and laser that keep throwing themselves at you until you lose all you three shields. The difficulty level is set just right in that you get a nice slow build up of opposition until your screen is a mass of them. Weapons are down to two with a primary laser and then your special weapon which sucks everything into the screen with great effect. You also get to choose from three ships each with a different speed and fire depending on your taste. Controls are to many to mention on here but I found it best to use an Xbox360 controller to make things easier for me. You really need to download this and try it is all that is left to say.

Vista Friendly too

Download From Here

Golden Pearl

Golden Pearl is a very cute Cute Em Up that has recently been finished. Its your normal Horizontal Shooter but with the cutest of graphics with lots of weird and wonderful sea creatures to shoot at. It was made using Game Maker and I’m pleased to say that it plays quite well indeed although it does take a while to load up but thats down to the music and graphics all being contained in the .exe file. If you are feeling a little tired of Bullet Hell games than this is just the ticket to chill out to. There is no need to have lighting reflexes you just let yourself tootle along with it really. Its had to discribe it really so just download and try it for yourself. Contrls are Cursor Keys to move and CTRL key is your one and only weapon because thats all you will need.

Vista Friendly too

Download From Here

Attack Of The Meeplings

Im a real sucker for retro style graphics in a game and this one is a colourful retro style browser based vertical scrolling shooter from Tiny Frog Software. The game itself is an infinite looping game which means every 3 waves you get through the next ones become more difficult. Its a very easy game to pick up with simple controls just as you would expect from a retro style game. Controls for this are Cursor keys to move Z to fire and Space is you missile you can also activate auto fire by pressing the A key but its not really needed as holding your finger on the Z key does the same thing. The graphics as I said are very colourful and retro looking which is one of the things I really like about it as is the background music which fits in well with the style of the game. You really should try this one out.

Try It Here

Galaxian 2007

A long time ago when the arcade craze had just began in the uk this was one of my favorite games and now thanks to the guys at Acoders its had a bit of a face lift. Galaxian was the next take on the classic space invaders except this had colour a lot more noise and needed sharper reflexes. This remake adds to that in that the graphics have been polished up the same sounds are there but this time you get to have power ups which you didn’t get in the original so makes for an easier game to play. Controls are Cursor keys to move Left and Right and the Shift keys to fire or you can redefine them to suit your taste. If your a fan of the classics give this one a try now.

Works On Vista

Download From Here

Voidlights

I found this little horizontal shooter over on The 2 Bears site and it reminded me of the ZX Spectrum days with its monochrome looking graphics. Its quite a simple little game you just fly through a cavern and shoot things and avoid anything shot back at you and collect the power ups along the way to improve your fire power. The graphics are what I really like it gives you that retro feeling from the 8 Bit computer days. Controls are Cursor keys to move, X is your fire button, C changes your options around and Z clears the screen of anything being fired at you. If you like Retro stuff give this one a go.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Forum and Links

The Forum is now open please click Here to proceed to the forum.

Dog Fight

If you read a few posts back I posted about Dog Fight 2. Well just thought id put the first version of this game up as it plays a little bit different and is a little bit harder to complete.

Try It Here

Rapid ProtoType Session 5

The Rapid ProtoType Session 5 has began over on Shmup Dev . If the last session is anything to go by there will be some interesting games for you to try.

The theme for this session is Air and Land so it looks like we could get some nice Vertical and Horizontal shooters to try.

Go check it out now.

Action Slip 2

I’ve really got the bug when it comes to retro styled shoot em ups so when I came across this little gem over on the Daily Click I just had to give it a go. Its a five level vertical scrolling that reminds me of some of the early Sega Master Sytem games they a very 8 bit looking but are colourful with it. The other thing I like is the loud explosions when you shoot something which really adds to the atmosphere of the game as does the thumping sound track that plays in the back ground as you blast away. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Shift Key to fire you main weapon holdin gyou finger down acts as auto fire and the CTRL Keys is you bomb. You also collect power ups along the as you will need them when it comes to finishing the bosses off as the take quite some time to destroy. You also have the option to use a Joypad that you can select on the main menu. It may well not be this best game ever played but well wurth a try if you like retro looking titles.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Galactic Firestorm

Galatic Firestorm is a vertical scrolling shooter in the same sort of style as Raiden and the likes and this is made with Game Maker. Game play is simple shoot or be shot. There are 4 difficulty settings all which start you off nice and steady but after a while the bullets soon start to fly. The power up systems is different from the normal collect a pod kind of game with each level finished you get to choose which weapons you want to choose each having their own use so choose wisely. Graphics are quite good too so its quite nice to look at and there are loads of different enemies as well. On the sound side the tunes playing are ripped from various arcade games and fit in well with the game as do the spot effects. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is for your bombs, C is for firing its best to hold your finger on this one as it acts as auto fire and X is supposed to change your weapon but I couldn’t get it to do this maybe it was just me. You can also map the keys to who you want so thats a nice little touch. Well Worth a download.

Works on Vista

Download From Here

Rozen Diadem

Rozen Diadem has now made it to Version v0.31 its not a massive upgrade and you might not even notice it that much. Still idf your keeping an eye on this one check the latest installment out here

Phoenix

Phoenix is an old arcade game that has been revamped by Minionsoft. It was quite a difficult game when it was first released in the arcades and I’m pleased to say that the remakes remains the same. You only have one weapon which is your Laser and a shield just in case you get into trouble. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Space to fire and Left CTRL key is your shield you can also re-configure the keys from the main menu. Visuals are very nice and up to to date with one of the best looking explosions I’ve seen in a game. The down side is that if you have vista you need to download d3drm.dll and put it in the same folder as the .exe file to make the game work XP works fine though without downloading the dll file. If you fancy a blast from the past with nice shiny new graphics give it a go.

Download From Here

Post’s In Forum

If you have any Shmups that are not posted on here please feel free to post them in the Forum and I will post them on here as and when I can.

Thanks

Forum

Guardian

I found this little vertical shooter over on IndieGames a thought it was worth a mention on here. Its a straight forward vertical shmup with what it best described as retro looking graphics with a NES colour pallets used. There is only five levels with a boss fight at the end of each level but even with the difficulty level set to easy its still quite a nasty little game to play however you do get a power up every now and again to help you on your way. Controls are Coursor keys to move, C to fire holdin gyour finger on the key works as auto fire, X is for your special weapon and Cis for you shield. The one downside is the music it just doesn’t go with the game a more NES type of tune would of been better however if you like your games looking NES coloured then give it a try.

Works On Vista

Download Here

Marsh

I’ve a cool little vertical shooter for you today it has all the classic game elements that I like. It’s kind of 1942 meets Patriot Dark doesn’t take much thinking about but is fun to play. You get three ships to choose from each with their own ability so choose wisely which you pick or you could find yourself in a whole lot of trouble there are also plenty of power ups along the way to help you out. Enemies come in all shapes and size and are kine to destroy you in a hale of bullets which there are a lot or and they look very nice indeed. Graphics are nice and detailed and colourful and play very smooth indeed. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key is your primary weapon, X Key is your special weapon, C Keys is your bombs and the Enter Key toggles between full screen and windowed mode. If you like classic shooters this is for you.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

The Hordes

This little retro shooter is from Pug Fugly Games and what a great hecktick little shooter it is. Its very simple shoot anything that moves and try to get you fire power upto 10 shsot on screen at once. It plays very fast  but is just so much fun and you have to keep giving it one more try every time you get killed. Visuals are nice and chunky and colourful with an upbeat tune is playing along as you play. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Space Bar, Shift, Ctrl Keys all act as you fire button and holding your finger down gives you auto fire. I don’t know what else to say other than download it and have fun.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Gamma Bros

I love Pixel games and this is one of my favorite browser games from Pixeljam Games which has been around for a while and thought it deserved being mentioned again. Is a very nice little co-op shooter with your partner being a computer controled. Thr graphics are very nice Pixel ones like the Commodore 64 used to have with lots of nice little touchs like just before you die you lose the craft you are in and continue to fight with a jetpack on your back. Its not a game that will keep you at it for hours at a time but it makes a nice fresh challenge every now and again.

Play It Here

Glowy

Glowy is a Side Scrolling Shooter that was developed for one of the Shmup-Dev sessions a while ago. Its only a one level game with no front end and no sound because it never got finished. I’ve added it on here because I love they way it was turning out with its nice Glowing Vector style graphics and smooth game play and it could have turned into a fine game. Controls are Cursor Keys to Move, Z Key is you fire power with three options to it. If you tap it once it fires white bullets, Tap it repeatedly and its fires a blue spread shot bullet and if you hold it down it fires a rapid green bullet. Its a real bullet fest from the start with lots of enemies on the screen trying to get you. A fine game that never got finished now that’s a shame.

It runs fine on Vista

Download From Here

Knight Of Cancer

The full title to this is Knight Of Cancer – I Feed On The Likes Of You wins the prize for the longest title and also is one very hard Horizontal Shooter. From the word go this is a total bullet hell game with Vectorish style graphics. It only boast to having five levels which isn’t a lot but they are five hard levels. Pressing F1 on start up gives you the low down on what keys to use. You can also use a Joy Pad which I would suggest. Your weapons are your primary weapon holding your finger down turns this into a solid laser which seems less effective than your primary weapon. You also get a bomb which clears the screen of everything i found myself using this a lot. If you want to run this on Vista you have to convert the .EXE. You can download the Conversion tool from Here . So if you like your shooters hard to beat download it now.

Download From Here

Rainbow Wars

This is a gem of a little Arena Shooter in the same kind of style as Geo Wars and the like. Visuals are nice Vector graphics that look very nice indeed. You start on easy level which has 10 rounds and you must complete this before moving onto the next difficulty level which does crank up the amount of enemies straight away. Controls are WASD to move with mouse control for aiming and shooting or you can use a Dual Analogue joy pad which I found to be the easiest to use. There are powers ups aplenty to help you along the way just look for them popping up. This really is a nice little fun game to play. If you want it to run on Vista though you need to convert the .EXE file. You can download the conversion tool fron Here . It is worth the hassle of converting the file.

Down Load From Here

Shmup-Dev Session 5

The latest Rapid Prototype Sessions has finished over on Shump-dev and there are quite a few interesting games for you to try out over there.

Click Here to see whats on offer

Bugs Attack

This is a cute little Vertical shooter that is a little strange as in that you play the part of a Lady Bird and have to shoot an array of other insects. It won’t suit the hardened Shmup fans but it might just be the kind of thing that will get your kids involved in Shumps with its cute and colourful graphics and simple game play. Its mouse controlled with your left mouse button as your Fire button and Space Bar is for your bombs which are in fact lasers which makes it more kid friendly being mouse controlled. As I said its not a hard game but you might like to try it anyways you will need to have a version of Flash installed as the games comes as a flash file.

Works With Vista

Download Here

Ifrit

Ifrit is quite an old side scrolling shooter in the same style gradius but with a difference. The difference being that in this game you only get one weapon to use. However this is more than enough because its a nice easy Shooter for fans who are not that good when it comes to bullet hell games. Graphics and sound are both good and it is quite a short but enjoyable game. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Z Key to shoot simple. If you want to run this on Vista you need to download d3drm.dll file and place it in the same folder as the .EXE file. If you fancy a go at an old game download it now.

Download d3drm.dll from Here

Download From Here

Bug Bomb

Im going back to another cute little game I found over on The 2 Bears site. Its a Side Scrolling shooter that has been made in Java. Its not a game that will suit everyone but its ok when you fancy something different but is still challenging at the same time. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Ctrl key is to drop your bombs. Graphics are good with a nice twist in that your ship has eyes on it as do the the things you have to kill I can only describe them as birds. It looks kind of like the arcade classic Scramble with more shocking colours for the back ground. If you like Java stuff give this one ago.

Works With Vista

Try It Here

Blue Shift

Blue Shift is a nice retro looking browser based side scrolling shooter. Its quite an easy game once you choose which character to play as you get a choice of three all with different Shield and Power and at times it does turn into a bit of a bullet hell game and depending what weapon you have at the time is the deciding factor in how well you do at this point. There are power ups a plenty to help you on your way however some weapons benefit you and some don’t you have to learn which is best as you play the game. Visuals are nice and retro as I said with nice sound effects that match the atmosphere of the game. Controls are Cursor keys to move S is to fire and A is your shield. If you like your games browser based give this one a go.

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Prompt Critical

Prompt Critical isn’t exactly a Shmup as you know it. Its more of a first person shooter in a way but its also a Shmup which is why I added it. The graphics are nice 3D graphics with great music and sounds to and once the game gets going you may with end up going dizzy with the action on the screen. Its very simple to play all you do is shoot the wave after wave of enemies that come towards with either your main gun or the limited amount of bombs that you get. Controls are Mouse control with Left click for fire and Right click swaps in between guns and bombs. I’ve only been playing it for a short while so can’t judge the game completely but what I have played I like a lot.

Works On Vista

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Sewer Shark

This is a remake of the Sega CD game Sewer Shark that is being made for the Retro Remakes compo we like it retro. Its being remade in 8Bit style with the graphics of the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Zx Spectrum. You get to choose which version you want to play from the start menu my fav is the Amstrad CPC because its the most colourful. Its a simple game guide you ship through the sewer killing a set amount of rats on each level and avoiding other hazards before your time runs out. Its very simple but if you want to be taken back to your younger days when 8Bit ruled the gaming world give it a go. Check the forum thread for the game out here . Controls are Q for Up, A for Down, O for Left, P for Right and space for firing you can also use a joypad if you so wish.

Works With Vista

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Millenipede

Millenipede is a remake of that big old time classic that has been released on just about every gaming platform there has been through out history and that game is Centipede. This version though has been bought bang up to date with improved graphics sound and game play and you now get power ups to help you along you way. I don’t want to bore you with the ins and out because just about everyone has played a version of this at sometime so go download it now. Controls are Keyboard, Mouse and Joy pad just choose you selection on the main menu.

Works With Vista

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Syu-So-Gyohu

Syu-So-Gyohu is a vertical scrolling shooter that I came across the other day on Freeware Remakes and it reminded me of my Snes gaming days. Its a nice little game with 16Bit style graphics which I still rate as my favorite type of graphics. Graphics and sound are nice a colourful all round and it has simple game play  but on the harder settings it becomes quite the bullet hell of a game. I think there is a story to go with the game but as I can’t speak Japanese I’m not quite sure what its all about. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z is your primary fire weapon and X is your special weapon or if your not that good on the keyboard like me you can always use your Joy pad. If you like your Cute Em Ups give this one a go.

Works With Vista

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Spitfire Attack

With Remembrance day around again I came across this little shooter over on the Blitz Forum and thought it deserved a look at. You pilot a Spitfire with only your machine gun to shoot the bad guys down. It’s a little like Dog Fight that I posted a while back but still deserves a mention if you fancy being a pilot once again. The visuals are nice and shiny with a few nice effects here and there but nothing to blow you away. As you progress through each level you have to kill more and more enemy planes to progress to the next it gets a bit samey so short plays might be all you give it. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Space bar to fire. So if you want to fight for the skies give it a go.
Works On Vista

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Rozen Diadem

The latest update to Rozen Diadem is now available for you to try. There is now two levels to the game and I’m pleased to say it is coming along nicely. Go check it out now if you are keeping an eye on this one.

Download From Here

Isovaders

I guess this one doesn’t take much working out its Space Invaders with an Isometric view. Space Invaders was were it all began for my love of shooters and when I found this with it’s nice little twist I had to add it. Visuals are nice in this version and it has the same sound effects that the original game had to. It takes some getting used to though when playing because sometimes when you think you are lined up for a shoot you miss and have to try again. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key its to fire and F4 toggles between full screen and windowed mode. I can’t really say anymore than if your a fan try it I did and liked it.

Works On Vista

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Demonstration

Demonstration is vertical scrolling shooter I spot over on The 2 Bears site the other. Its only what the name says at the minute in fact the last time I checked it has now changed name to Sole Sinner. It got nice 16Bit style graphics and plays like an old school shooter to me which is how I like my shmups brings back memories of a misspent youth. There isn’t much more to say at the minute as its in its early stages. Its one to keep an eye on though so why not check it out.

It kind of works on Vista but plays in the top left corner of your screen.

Download From Here

Sonic Sisters

Sonic Sisters a great Vertical Scrolling shmup that reminds me of the time of game that you would get in the early arcade machines from long ago. Its got great colourful 16bit ish graphics along with a nice tune to match playing along in the background. The game play starts nice and easy but soon turns into a bullet hell type of game. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z is your main weapon and X is your special weapon. If you want to re live your arcade days from long ago give this one a try.

Works With Vista

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Xed

I found this little gem whilst looking for new shmups the other day. Its a another vertical scroller as seems to be the case with most shmups old and new but I love em. The graphics are in the 16bit style so it looks nice and retro but that’s where the ends because this is a fast furious bullets hell game from the out set. Its not over challenging but you will find yourself starting over and over again. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Shift key is your spread shot, Z Key is for concentrated firepower and you special weapon is charged by shooting the enemy and pressing the X key to activate it. Once you’ve completed a few levels you can select a stage to reply again if you so wish. Another Classic Retro Shooter.

Works With Vista

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Kobo Deluxe

AuthenticKaizen sent me the link for this great Arena Shooter. It reminds me a lot of a game called Hunters Moon that was a classic 8 Bit game that has just been remade. Having said that though they are both very different games when you come to play them. Visuals and sound are excellent with the learning curve set just right and the whole things moves along nice and smooth. There is several difficulty levels to choose from starting at classic style then working its way upto down right difficult is they only word I can call it. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, and Ctrl key is you fire button holding this key down acts as auto fire, You can also choose you own style from the main menu in the game. If you like this kind of game give it a go.

Works With Vista

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Self Destruct

Self Destruct is a very fast but addictive Vertical Scroller that I found over on Shmuptacular the other day. In this game you have 250 waves to go through before something happens not sure what because I haven’t got that far yet I’m still at 90 waves. Its action from the very first wave with line after line of enemies to defeat. Every time you shoot a baddies a power up of some kind drops from them and believe me you need them some are extra fire power some are Shields which you going to need a lot of and some are bombs. It has great pixel graphics and the whole thing moves along at a hell of a pace. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z is your main fire holding this key down acts as auto fire, X is your shield which you will use a lot of and C is your nuke which clears the screen of everything. If you like a challenge I’d give this one a go.

Works With Vista

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X-Bomber

X Bomber is quite a complex vertical shmup. I say that because there are so many keys you need to use to play this that it sometimes distracts you from the actual game whilst thinking what key you need to use to perform a particular shoot or action. However when you get the hang of them this is quite a nice little game to play and in some cases complete because you have other things that appear in the game to help you along without being told they are there to help you out. I was trying to shoot a lot of these helpers when I first played and wondered what the hell was going on. On the visual side they are nice pixel type graphics that remind me of 16 bit computer days with detail where needed. If you want to try this then you need to grab it soon because Big Brother has said the guy who wrote it has stolen ideas that are still being used so grab it soon it may not be there for long. So if you like complex shooters that you need more fingers than you have go for it. And see the read me file for the controls to many to mention here.

Works On Vista

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Authors WebSite Here

Shooter 2008

A strange name for a game you might think but that is what this game is a horizontal Shooter so the name is perfect. When it comes to playing this game that’s when things get difficult. You control you ship which is on auto fire all the time with the Mouse through an ever increasing amount of enemy ships sounds simple. Things start off light depending on which kind of game you are playing there are a few to choose from but as you progress things get really busy on screen to the point where it is totally full and certain death isn’t far away. There are loads of power ups to collect to help you on your way but they only last for a short time and you find yourself needing every power up you can grab to be successful. This really is a hell of a game to get an high score. Visuals are quite good and there is a nice soothing track playing in the back ground to keep you cool when things get heavy. There aren’t many Horizontal Shooters out there so give this one a go.

Works On Vista

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Hito Gata Happa

I’m guessing that the name of this game means something in Japanese but not sure what. I found It through AuthenticKaizen’s blog which then led me over to Inverted Castle Blog which is where I found it. Its a demo of a vertical scrolling shmup that has since been released as a full game now but living in the UK its hard to get your hands on this type of game. However the demo is a very nice place to start as this is quite the bullet hell game once things get going. Visuals are very nice indeed being colourful and detailed. There is quite a few vocal scenes also but they are sadly in Japanese its a shame they are not in English as I think it would add to the whole game experience. Controls as for as I can make out are Cursor Keys to move, Z is your primary weapon and I’m sure that the X key does something too but not quite sure you can also use a game pad if you wish. Its a really nice 2 level demo and worth a download.

Wroks With Vista

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Rozen Diadem

Rozen Diadem has had another updated release. With this release there are three levels for you to try out. Other updates include quite a few new visual effects and enemy patterns. A nice little touch on the third stage boss is that depending what difficulty setting you are on you now have to dodge knifes being thrown at you as well as the normal mass of bullets. Anyway give it a try and see what you think this is turning into quite a top notch shooter.

Check It Out Here

Sun Sun Dar

Sun Sun Dar is a nice vertical shooter made using Game Maker. There are a lot of people who avoid games being made with Game Maker because they think they will be no good or very basic which is why I add then to here to show that there are good ones out there. This one is in the style of a Japanese shmup in that you are a per rather than a machine. The visuals on this game are very nice indeed with a little bit of haunting feel as is the music playing in the background although as you progress through the levels they do seem to be the same kind of enemy which I can only describe as evil Bumble Bees. Thing do get quite busy on the screen very quick so good reflex’s are a must here and the end of level Boss is a right pain to beat. Controls are Simple Cursor Keys to Move, Z key is your primary weapon, X key draws power ups towards you and C key activates your special weapon when you have collected enough power ups. This is well worth a look.

Works With Vista

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Gosu

The 6th Rapid Prototype Session over on Shmup-Dev has finished and this is where i found this little gem by Hima. The session this time is based on Boss fights alone. Gosu offers nice visuals with bullet hell game play and is more then challenging enough to keep you at it for a while. All you have to do is defeat the boss and dodge the ever increase and stunning bullet patterns that are thrown at you. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z is to Shoot, X is your Bomb, A is to increase you bet which I guess bumps the number of bullets and your score the bigger the bet you put on and Shift is for pricise movement. Its not the longest game and Im sure most will complete it all in one sitting but it wasn’t intended to be a massive game just something to show what can be done in a short time.

Works With Vista

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Lunaria

Lunaria is a nice little side scrolling shooter that I found the other day whilst looking through Freeware.remakes site. It is slightly different to other shooters in that not only do you have to shoot enemies that come flying at you you also shoot jewels, walls and anything else that is attached to the back ground of the game to increase your score and to find weapon upgrades and bonuses that are hidden throughout. Visuals are nice and colourful and detailed throughout the whole game. The other thing is that this I guess a tech demo because you only get one level to play in either 5 minute mode or 2 minute mode set at whatever difficulty level you wish and at the harder setting things do turn hard quite quick but despite that it is still fun trying to beat your previous score by trying to make sure you clear the screen of every last thing on there. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key to fire, X key is to change the speed at which you fly and C Keys pauses the game. If your a hardcore shmup fan this may not suit you but I thought it deserved a shout out.

Works With Vista

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CloudPhobia

Cloudphobia is a two level trial Mech Side Scrolling Shooter that I found on Shoot The Core. I’m not normally into Mech shooters but this one has something about it that i liked. It has some great graphics that are nice and detailed level 2 is my favorite of the 2 levels because the visuals in this level are stunning. On starting the game you get to choose from two different characters each with there own special ability and you can complete this with both of them but would imagine as more content is added it will make more of a difference as to which you choose to play.There are also two modes which you can choose to play and they are a timed level which is when you need to complete it in a certain amount of time or untimed. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key to fire, X Keys is for Missiles and C Key gives your character a speed boost. This is one of the best shooters I’ve come across lately so its worth a download.

Works With Vista

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Santa Ice Demons

As Christmas is just around the corner I thought I would enter the festive fun and find a Christmas based shooter. Santa Ice Demons is just that game. Its a horizontal side scrolling boss shooter in which you play Santa who has to defeat boss after boss in what I can only describe as boss bullet hell. Visuals are quite nice with lots of snow flake effects in the background and even the bullets being shot at you look like little snow flakes to make it feel like Christmas. It not a bad little game but is rather easy to beat and after each level your fire power increases too. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key is your primary weapon, X Keys slows you down so you can make more precise movements and C Key is your special weapon or in this case your Candy Cane which clears the screen of every thing. As I said not a brilliant game but just a nice bit of fun this time of the year.

Works With Vista

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Cosmic Invaders

Cosmic Invaders is a game I found over on Indie Games Blog and is in the style of Space Invaders but with a slight twist to how you actually shoot the invaders. Instead of just blasting away you have to use strategy as well because you have to choose from various weapon’s that you position at the bottom of the play away which then just use auto fire and its then up to you to upgrade them and repair them as you gain money for each invader you shoot down and you also get the odd Boss level thrown at you just for good measure and it may seem easy to start with but things soon begin to hot up as you progress through the levels. Visuals are colourful with that pixel effect to them which is making a come back at the minute which I’m in favour of. Controls are simple they are Mouse Controlled so it keeps things nice and simple.  If you fancy a different kind of  Space Invader I’d give this one a try if I was you.

Works With Vista

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Hyper Wars

Hyper Wars is a vertical scrolling shooter made with Game Maker. This game brings back fond memories of the first Nintendo Game Boy in that the graphics are two tone monochrome just like the Game Boy was and they are also very detailed but to get the Game Boy effect you need to play this in windowed mode which for me is when this game comes to life. The sound effects and music  also mix very well with the game and just for that added touch between each level you get view some cut scenes which are quite good to. As you play things start off nice and easy but as you progress through the levels things soon get very difficult which is where the many power ups come into force that you collect along the way. The author is also working on adding mini games to the finished product and I’ve played one of them and once the game becomes complete I think it will be one of the best shooters made for a while so I will keep you posted on any updates that come along. Controls are either Keyboard or JoyPad and I found it best to reconfigure you in games keys from the main menu to what suits you best. A nice little shooter to see this year out on and to luck forward  to next year.

Works With Vista is you convert the .exe file with the conversion tool download it from Here

Download The Game From Here

Pop Pirates

This is a fun little browser game I came across which is a little different from others shooters you may have played. In this game all of your tunes have been stolen by a virus and its upto you to get as many of them back as you can by killing of the different virus’s that keep trying to attack you after you shoot a virus you have a short time to collect your missing file because as soon as it is set free it starts to count down in Kb’s remaining. Visuals and sound are quite retro and at times it seems like yiour playing it on an Amiga or some other 16bit machine from the past and it also has some very strange looking Bosses for you to defeat. The whole thing is Mouse controlled with you Left button for fire and your Right button for your special weapon as there are plenty of power ups along the way. If you have a few minutes in your lunch hour this one is a must to pass the time away.

Works With Vista

TryIt Here

Visionary Wings

This is a three level demo of a game that has been sitting on my hard drive for a while and the game itself as also been around for a while and I thought it deserved another outing. Its a vertical scrolling shooter that has some very nice visuals and soothing music to ease you into a game that if set on the higher difficulty level is quite the bullet hell with some really good looking bullet patterns. To help you along the way you have two special weapons one being a sword which clears the path in front of you as long as you keep you sword level topped up by collecting orbs and the other is your standard bomb which clears the screen of the hail of bullets being fired at you and just for good measure you have some pretty tough bosses to get past before you go onto the next level. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key is you main spread shot hold this key down concentrates what you are firing, X Key is your sword and C Key is your special weapon you can also use a joypad if you wish. This game is worth a look just for the visuals alone and I’m just the full version is awesome but I haven’t managed to find it as of yet.

Works With Vista

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Armageddon 2

This is a nice little save the earth from aliens and meteors that are heading towards the planet to destroy it kind of game. Otherwise known as a side scrolling shooter. As you start the game you are treated to a little intro as to the state of the planet that you are trying to save to give you an idea of what to expect. Before you start to play you get a choice of three different crafts in which to save the planet each there their good points and bad points and would imagine after a while you get to know which ship suits your kind of game play. You have a laser as your main weapons but there are the normal upgrades and special weapons that you need to collect to help you on your way and save the planet. There is also a co-op mode with this game where you can get a friend to fight along side you a nice little touch to the game I thought. Visuals and sound are both very good and compliment each other and the atmosphere of the game. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Space Bar is for a burst of fire, CTRL Key is for your laser and ALT Key is your special weapon. This game won’t suit everyone but it makes a change from the normal bullet hell kind of shmup.

Works With Vista

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Raving Ones

Raven Ones is a vertical scrolling shooter that I found over on YoYo games. The game itself isn’t a bad little shooter my only gripe is that the enemy is sometimes difficult to see because the background for this game look as though they are hand painted and do look really nice as do the enemy graphics in the game and you also get the normal kind of power ups along the way to collect. Don’t let that put you off though because on the higher difficulty settings this is quite a hard little game to crack so its worth a download just for that reason. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z is for your Straight shot, X is for spread shot, C is for your special weapon and Space Bar is to slow you down for more accuracy. You can also re configure the keys and a joypad if you want to from the main menu.

Works On Vista

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A Diary Of Little Aviator

This is a brilliant vertical shooter a friend of mine sent me a week or so ago and thought I must put it on here. Its a Japanese shooter who always seem to make the best games of this kind its hard to describe because its so much fun to play and is so difficult at times as well that you just have to keep coming back for more as you try to get that little bit further each time and on the higher difficulty levels the screen is just full of glorious bullet patterns. You have two weapons as your disposal one being you primary weapon and the other is a missile kind of thing that does a lot of damage so you have the tools to do the job. Visuals are all hand drawn with good detail and are nice and colourful and even the music just fits in with the whole game and the bosses are massive and everything just feels right about this game. Controls are Cursor Keys to move Z Key is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon you can also use a joy pad if you so wish. If your going to play one game plat this.

Works With Vista

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Happy Christmas

Well it’s that time of year and I wanted to wish everyone who visit’s this blog a Merry Christmas. I may not post anything over the festive season but will be back again in the New Year with hopefully a hell of alot of top notch shooters for you to try. So unitl then keep safe and see you all soon.

Mikey

Happy New Year Everyone

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and all the best for 2009

I’ll be back with some new delights for you soon.

Mikey

Raiden III

Now for me this has to be the best of all the Vertical Shoot Em series there is and what makes it more special is that this time you can play it on your PC. Raiden goes along way back and was always thought of  being one of the best in this style when first released in the arcades and when Raiden III was released a couple of years ago they didn’t let us down with a great shooter. As with all the series there are plenty of power ups to help you along the way to destroy the vast amount of enemies and and big bosses that you get to meet along the way. The visuals and sound for this game are brilliant with massive explosions and nice backgrouds and I can only think of Soldner X which has better but for a shooter that is around three years old this one holds its own against the rest of them controls are keyboard or Joypad which is the one I would Suggest. If your a Shmup fan you must really try this one out. You can still buy it if you like from Play Asia but after a quick google I found the link below. I haven’t tried the download from the link as I was given this game as a gift for Christmas and very welcome it was too so if you’ve not tried it yet give it a go its a real must have game.

Works With Vista

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Kunashirinosen

If this two level demo is anything to go by this is going to be cool shooter when finished. I got this little gem from the Shmup-Dev Forum the other day and it is a very nice looking vertical shoot em up that is very simple to play but you must have quick reflexes as the screen gets very busy indeed with loads of enemies being thrown at you some which shoot back and some that don’t. To help you have a few power ups which increase the amount of bullets you fire each time you collect one and you also have a special weapon which fills the screen with bullets and pretty much clears everything on there. Visuals and sound are both very good and the bosses are very nice to look at but are hard to defeat and the whole game plays nice and smooth to. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, X Key is your main weapon and Z Keys is your special weapon and you can also use a JoyPad or Mouse to control the game its totally up to you. I recommend you keep an eye on this because I thinks its going to be a cool shooter when finished. The download for this is in two parts but all you need to do is download both to the same folder and just make sure you use the first download first then it will find the second part itself.

Works With Vista

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Retro Blaster

A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this little retro style vertical shooter which is a cross between Space Invaders and Galaga is the nearest thing I can describe it as. The game starts af quite easy with just a few bad guys on the screen but as you progress through the waves each one becomes hard with more bad guys that do their best to destroy you some of them even have guided bullets to try and take you out but never fear because there are plenty of different power ups for you to collect along the way to help you out. The visuals are very retro 8 Bit style aliens and sound is also good with a cool retro tune playing away in the back ground. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Ctrl is your primary weapon, Z Key is your special weapon and Alt Key is for using the power ups that you collect. Its a strange layout of  keys but you soon get used to it with practice.

Work With Vista

Download From Here

Cosmic Pirates

Cosmic Pirates is a cool horizontal shooter that I came across the other day on YoYo Games site. It’s slightly different from other shumps of its kind because you have to destroy the enemies which range from Asteroids to Space ships and each time you destroy one a crystal is left behind which when you collect you are given a money value for and if you don’t collect they join with others crystals which become bigger and are worth more. The reason for this is that you have to collect a certain amount of money each time before you get a chance to power up with one of quite a few different weapons to choose from. The visuals for this game are excellent and give alot of the other games out there a run for their money with detailed space ships and massive explosions for you to look at and the sound effects fit in perfect as they are very loud which shows that the job has been done. Controls are Mouse only which makes things quite easy to get used to. The one thing that is missing is there are no Bosses to defeat however this is still worth a download.

Works With Vista

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Luor

Luor is a three level demo of vertical shmup that’s beginning to look very promising. The thing  that makes this stick out to me is the style in which the visuals have been done with bright coloured back grounds an enemy sprites that are coloured black whilst your ship is bright white some how these colours just seem to work and the whole thing moves along nice and smooth. The game itself has a nice learning curve that breaks you in nice and steady but even in level three things soon become quite the bullet fest that this game is going to be. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Ctrl Key is your primary weapon and Shift Key is your special weapon. At this minute there aren’t that many new shooters out there but from what I’ve seen of this and others that are in the pipe line we have a lot to look forward to.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Attack Of The Alien Space Beetles

This is a demo of a forth coming shooter from Raccoonrocket and am very pleased to say that it looks very nice indeed. Its still in its early stages as there is no front end or game over to this game yet but it is still really fun to play it reminds me a lot of Galaga style game play with things flying at you from all angles. The enemies are all very cute indeed and are to many to list but I think they look cool and colourful and detailed and they each have their own actions when it comes to attacking you and they also release something for you to collect when they are killed. This ranges from pieces of fruit to bags of cash to weapon upgrades. The sound effects are also fun which is what this game is and the explosion noise when you are killed is one of the loudest I’ve ever heard in a game. This game when finished will be in my top ten so give it a try now.

Works With Vista

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Chaos Space 2

Chaos Space 2 is an Arena Shooter that I found on the Blitz forum and being a fan of the type of game I downloaded straight away. The game itself is very much like many of the GeoWars clones that have been released over the years and doesn’t really offer anything new to the genre but it is an arena shooter and these seem to be few and far between so it deserved a go. As you play the game you get your normal kind of  power ups to help you along the all of which only last for a short amount of time before they leave you with your primary weapon to finish them off. Visuals are nice and vectorish and do the job well whilst sound is mainly music playing away in the back ground however this does fit in nice with the game play. Controls are Mouse Control only so are easy to get used to. My main bad point is that everything is in german so you have to click on a few things to see what does what and once thats done your away. Not one for every Shmup fan but if you like arena shooters you will like this too.

Works With Vista

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Last Out

Last Out is a remake of  Z out that was a classic side scrolling shooter game released for the Commodore Amiga in 1990. The game at the minute is only a one level demo but gives you a good idea of how the game will feel when it is finished and having played  the original this one is shaping up quite nicely indeed. The Graphics for this game have been enhanced from the original which really adds to the game and yet it still feels like a 16 bit game when you play however the music and sound effects remain the same as the Amiga version. Like many early shooters there are a few power ups but nothing that will blow you away but they crop up now and then some of them good and some of them not so good. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Space Bar to fire. If you owned an Amiga this one is worth keeping an eye on and checking out.

Works With Vista

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Riesling

AuthenticKaizen sent me this side scrolling shooter a few weeks back and thought it deserved a showing. The best way to describe this game is remake of that old classic Defender with a few new touches. One of those new touches is that when you destroy something it explodes and scatters fruit  over the screen for you to collect for extra points not sure what fruits have to do with space but its different and you also get power ups along the way to collect too. The other new touch is the nice new colourful graphics and background that have scan lines on them to make the whole thing look retro and I have to say it does look nice. Sadley there is no hyper space button for you to hit when things get busy which in the latter levels would of been quite nice but its still worth a download if your a fan of the original.

Works With Vista

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Sparx 2

This must be my week for Arena Shooters because Sparx 2 is the second Arena Shooter to cross my path when I was over on Retro Remakes site the other day. This game follows in the Geometry Wars style like most of this type of game and it runs in your browser so you will need Java for this to work. It doesn’t bring anything new to the genre but I thought it has some very nice visuals indeed, my favorite being the explosions when you shoot something the rest of which are Vector style graphics. Controls are a little strange for me so took some getting used to  they are W A S D keys to move and your Mouse operates which direction you are shooting in and to help you along there are a few power ups to collect along the way. For me there can never be enough of this kind of game so I think you should give it a try.

Works With Vista

Try It Here

Qualifier

Qualifier is a Horizontal Shooter that in some ways reminds me of Shooter 2008. Its not a bad little game but becomes frustrating very quick so if you have a short temper you should maybe give this one a miss. It’s not how high you score in this game it’s how long you manage to stay alive because each time you let an enemy go past you your heath meter goes down a little and you only get one meter and at the pace and numbers they come at you it’s hard to get them all. There are no power ups as such the only thing you would call a power up is that as you progress the number of bullets you fire increases and you need everyone of those bullets to count or your in for a very short game. Visuals are OK nothing special but they do the job intended and tho whole thing plays really smooth. Not one for the faint hearted this one but worth a try all the same.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Black Armada

Black Armada is a Vertical Shooter that reminds me of so many of the shooters that got me hooked so many years ago. This game has three levels for you to play through and if you read the site I got it from it looks like it may well have more in the future so keep an I open for updates. For a Vertical shmup this game ticks all the right boxes it has power ups special weapons and lots of bullets and bad guys for you too evade before you reach you end of level boss some are easy to finish off others take a few more shots to see them off. Visuals are nice and detailed if a little dark in some places it can be hard to see your own ship but you soon get used to this and the game plays nice and smooth. You can choose which controls you want to use from the main menu just redefine to you favourite keys before you start the game and you also need to have Java installed on your PC to run this as it is written in Java.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Space Pirates

Space Pirates is an early one level demo vertical shoot em up which is looking like it may turn into a nice little game along the lines of Ether Vapour. In the game you get your normal array of enemies that seem to move in and out of the screen giving you that look that they are moving further into to distance whilst firing a hell of a lot of bullets back at you. To destroy these you get your normal gun if that’s not good enough you can fire a pod which is a lot more powerful so destroys the bad guys sooner you also get your power ups which in the demo are few and far between I’m guessing there will be more in the finished game. Visuals are quite stunning with everything  being colourful and detailed so its looks really nice  and your getting all this from something being made with Game Maker. Controls at the moment are Game Pad only but in the finished game Keys will be a choice of controls. If you want to keep an eye on this go over to Shmup-Dev and follow its progress.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Xeno Fighters Ex

This is a remake of a game by the same guy who made the game in the first place the difference being that the first game was made with MMF and this is being made with Game Maker which is more powerful than MMF. Having never played the original I can’t compare the two but what I’ve seen of this game so far this is going to be one top shmup. The graphics for the game have all been borrowed from other shmups like Raiden, 1943 and other game of the same nature but that fit in nice and make the whole thing a very retro shmup which I like alot. The game plays nice and smooth even when things get really busy on screen which is pretty much from the start of the game there are loads of power ups to help you along the way too. If you tried the first version you must give this one a go. Controls are Cursor Keys to Move,  Z Keys is your main weapon and X Keys is your special weapon which are different depending on which of the three craft you choose to use to play in the game with.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

White Butterfly

This is a nice little vertical shoot em up from the same guy who bought you Garden Of Coloured Lights a while ago and I’m pleased to say that this is just as good if not better. You have three levels at the minute to fight your way through each with their own boss at the end of the level you also get to choose one of five different craft each with there own strenghts’ and weaknesses to help you defeat them so you can choose which you prefer the best. Visuals are what I would call flat 2D however they are detailed and fit the game perfect and the whole things plays very smooth. This isn’t a bullet hell game but it does give you a decent battle so if you liked Garden Of Coloured Lights you will like this one. Controls are re-definable  from the main menu and you can also use a joy pad if you prefer.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Planet Smash

Planet Smash is a very nice looking vertical scrolling browser based shmup I stumbled across. The thing that draws me to this game is that is has some of the best pixel graphics I’ve seen for a while which gives it that 16bit retro look and feel and they are also very detailed. The game it self plays like most vertical shmups with wave after wave of enemies coming towards you trying to take you out and then after a while comes your boss battle but you get all this with wonderful pixel graphics. You only get one weapon though to defeat these but you do get power ups to help you along the way. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Space Bar controls your fire power. Not everyone will like this but its well worth a go.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Zap 24

Zap 24 is best described as an Asteroids remake with a couple of extras. I’m not the biggest fan of this kind of game but found myself drawn to this because its nice and fresh looking with some nice new visuals and sound to pretty things up a little. Also if you have a friend then he can join in the fun because this is a co-op game so you can both blast the asteroids to pieces together. The other difference is you now get two weapons one is your normal laser and the other is a missile which does quite a bit of damage. There are lots of this type of game out there and this is one of the good ones. Controls are Cursor Keys to Move, Ctrl is your primary weapon and Shift is your special weapon and you can also change the keys from the main menu.

For it to work with Vista you need to convert the file with this

Download Zap24 From Here

Meglilo The Witchborg

I found this over on The 2 Bears site a few weeks back and have only just got round to putting it on here. It’s a 2 level demo vertical cute em up. I’m not always into this type of game but this looks and plays so nice I’m thinking of buying the finished version when it is released. It’s your normal kind of shmup but with lots of power ups to help you along as well as a special move that lets you freeze everything on screen so you can transport yourself out of harms way. Visuals are really nice and colourful and detailed and have a kind of cartoon look about them also some very big bosses for you to defeat. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z is you primary weapon and X is your special weapon which freezes everything so you can get out of the way. Well worth a look at is this one.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Tiny Cannon

This is one for all you true retro game fans who remember when shoot em ups were on a hand held LCD screen. I came across this on the 2 bears site and it reminded me of my moss spent child hood blasting away. There s not alot more to say about this other than is been very well done to make everything look as LCDish as they have and its one heck of a game as its plays at a fast rate and its bullet hell heaven. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Ctrl is to fire and you also need Java installed for this to work. Give it ago now.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Monsters And Mushrooms

This is another centipede remake and I don’t think you can never get enough of this style of game which is why I’m bringing it to you. Visuals are nice and simple and do more than justice to the game and in this version there are a lot more monsters for you to take care of. I won’t go on about it just go download it now. Controls are Cursor keys to move and Space Bar to fire.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Rozen Diadem

Just a quickie today to say that Rozen Diadem is now at a six level demo and is looking pretty good indeed. Go try it now.

Download From Here

Crush Storm

Crush Storm is a good old vertical bullet hell shmup that should please most of the shmup fans out there. It has everything you need in a shooter lots of bullets lots of power ups and more than enough bosses that will give the best of you a run for your money. Visuals are nice and colourful and big so you get no eye strain on this one and the bullet patterns are none stop on this one . Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Keys is your main weapon, X Keys is your first special weapon and C Key is your second special weapon and you can use a Joy Pad to if you wish too. An old style shooter with lots going for it.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Raiden 2

Another classic here for you a few weeks back I bought you Raiden 3 which got lots of hits on here so I thought I would bring you the earlier Raiden 2. Its a tough little game like them all and if your a fan of the series this one is well worth a look. I won’t go on about the difference so go download it now!! Controls are Cursor Keys to Move, Z is your primary weapon and X key is you special weapon you can also use a Joy Pad if you so wish.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Linear Assault

This is a nice little Browser based vertical shmup for when you have those long lunch breaks at your desk with nothing better to do. Its a very simple game with some nice retro style graphics that are nice and detailed and colour full to look at. There are quite a few levels to work through each with their own boss at the end which take quite some time to dispose of . The only thing missing really is that there are no power ups but you don’t really need them as I said this game is for when you have ten minutes here and there and not for sitting at for hours at a time. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Space Bar to Fire.

Works WIth Vista

Try It Here

Pixel Gunner

Pixel Gunner is an old style graphics shooter with very simple game play but soon becomes very hectic as you progress through the levels. Your armed with only one weapon which you have to shoot different shapes that scroll across the screen but as you progress you get more and more of these which all fire at you and can sometimes be hard to see as there is a square back ground the same colour as the bullets being fired at you. If you like fast shoots give this one a go.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Vulkaiser

Vulkaiser is a 2 level demo of a nice horizontal shooter from AstroPort it was released in 2007 but there is still a demo for you to try your hands at if you so wish. Depending which difficulty level you have it set at it can be quite easy are down right hard if you dare try the harder level setting and it even becomes a bullet hell game at times but there are plenty of power ups to help you out along the way. Visuals are nice and colourful as always with AstroPort games with a high level of detail too as are the in game sounds and music. Its only two levels but its a nice little game and if you like it a lot you could always buy it. Controls are Cursor Keys to Move, Z Key is your main weapon and X is your special weapon you can also use a Joy Pad if you so wish.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Flying Steel

Flying Steel is a vertical scrolling shooter that is in the same vain as the 1942 series of arcade games which was what got me hooked on shooters in the first place. You have both ground and air enemies to destroy and although they start out easy the difficulty level soon gets hard as you progress through the levels so it is no push over. Visuels are all nice and retro and it has some of the loudest explosions I’ve ever heard so if you like things old retro give this a go.

Works With Vista

Try It Here

Broken Links

If you find any links that no longer work please leave a comment and I will fix the link as soon as I can.

Thanks Mikey

Tidal

Tidal is a strange little browser based vertical shmup which sees you shooting at different waves of shapes instead of the normal space ships and aliens and the like. It’s one of those games that you would play when you have the odd spare lunch break to keep you entertained but that’s not to say this game is a push over because things soon get busy with shapes coming at you from both the top and bottom of the screen. Visuals are good enough with a kind of vector look to them and they more than do the game justice so next time you have a lunch break give it a go. Controls are Mouse only.

Works WIth Vista

Play It Here

Frantic

Frantic is another browser based vertical shooter that I happened to come across a few nights ago. I normally class browser based games as something to do when you have five minutes to spare but with this I’ve been proved wrong because I can’t leave this alone I keep going back for more. Its a game of big high scores and bullet hell madness and the simple game play combined with the in game options that keep bringing me back. You get the choice of three ships and you collect money to add to your craft to make it a killing machine aswell as free power ups for you to collect and it has nice visuals with a touch of 8 bit style graphics which keeps it retro. The controls are various so just choose which suit you on the main menu. You have to give this a go.

Works With Vista

Try It Here

Links To Downloads

I noticed over the last few days that some of the links to downloads no longer work. If you come across one please leave a comment so I am able to fix the broken link. 

Thanks

Admin

2nd Age

I came across this nice Japanese vertical shooter the other day on Shoot The Core and was impressed as its my kind of game however at the minute this is just a demo so hopefully it should be finished soon. Like most Japanese shooters it has all the normal kind of stuff you would expect from wave after wave of enemies to some rather nice bullet patterns that take some skill to dodge but you have all the tools you need to dispose of anything that comes in your direction from your primary weapon which shoots in all directions to your special weapon which charges itself as you play so the more its charged the better the result. Visuals are what you would expect colourful and detailed with some pretty impressive bosses for you  to battle with . Controls are Cursor Keys To Move, Shift Key is you primary weapon and Ctrl is your Special weapon so if you like your Japanese Shmups I suggest giving this one a go.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Site Updates

You may well have noticed over the past few weeks a slow down in posting of new games this is due to that important thing called life which is good at tripping you up now and then and for those reasons I can only post on a Friday and Sunday and if I get the chance on Saturdays too. Im hoping to return to normal as soon as I can so please keep checking back as I’m not about to give up on here as I have loads of stuff to bring you over the next few weeks and months.

Thanks to everyone for visiting my blog.

Mikey

Diadra Empty

Diadra Empty is in the style of that age old classic Defender in that in the play area you can either go left or go right depending on where the enemy is on your radar screen at the bottom of the screen and this is just about as close as it gets because it has some the very bright and colourful visuals and some really cool looking bosses and special weapons which I can’t get my head round just yet and a whole load of other stuff that just makes the game a good one. Controls are on the main menu but if I was you I would use a joypad. If you liked Defender you will love this.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Grid Runner

I’m mentioning Grid Runner from Llamasoft because not only is it a classic among classics there is soon to be another improved addition to this great but strange colourful shooter. Jeff Minter was one of the great 8 Bit gaming masters from many years ago who designed some very strange but colourful games across most platforms with Grid Runner being a classic shoot em up and am pleased that this has passed over to his PC games. This game has every thing colourful visuals masses of strange and weird baddies to defeat and just down right fun to play so give this classic a go now you won’t regret it. Controls are Mouse Control.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

A Typical Wednesday Afternoon

Today I bring you another great browser based vertical shmup with a very strange name where they got it from who knows but they have made a cool little shooter. When you start the game starts nice and easy and as you progress things soon turn into a bullet fest of a game that has so much going on that quick reflex’s are a must with this one but to help you along your primary weapon upgrades the more you kill and just to give you that little bit of an edge there is a special weapon the destroys everything that is coming in your direction. Visuals are very colourful and after a while your eyes start to bleed with the mass of colour that you get on the screen so don’t play this one drunk. Controls are Cursor Keys to Move, Z is your primary weapon and X is your special weapon. This is a must for all shnup fans so give it a go today.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Galaxian Remake

Galaxian doesn’t need any introduction really because anyone who is into shooters will have come across this one at some point. This remake is pretty close to the original with a few new graphic touches that make it nice to look at and improved it a little. There isn’t really much I can say other than if you liked it in the arcades this is about as good as it gets on your own PC. Controls are Cursor keys to move and Space Bar to fire.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Undefined Fantastic Object

This is a demo of the latest Touhou game from Zun and I’m pleased to say that its looking very nice indeed. It has everything in it that should be in this kind of game it has lots of enemies for you to shoot at it has power ups and some of the most beautiful bullet patterns I’ve seen in game of this type and not to mention the bosses that take some destroying the rest of the visuals are just as nice and colourful and detailed. This is one of the hardest games of played for a while even when playing in easy mode I’ve never seen so many bullets being fired at you. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z keys is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon. If your a Shmup fan you must try this it’s insane.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Death V Monster

A nice little arena shooter for you to try that I got via Shoot The Core . there really isn’t enough of this kind of game out there and although this is a browser based game it’s quite challenging. It’s all mouse controlled which makes it a game to pick up and put down but it does become difficult on the later levels but never fear because after each level you get to buy power ups to help you out depending how much gold you collected in the previous level so its a collect em shoot em up in a way. Visuals are nice and cartoon looking with lots of varied baddies to shoot at which makes it nice and enjoyable to play. Give it go now you know you want to.

Works With Vista

Try It Here

Wing Candy

This is a cool little browser based horizontal cute em up I came across on The 2 Bears site. I’m not normally a fan of cute em ups but this one I like it could be the cute and colourful visuals or the game play or the fact that I’ve played worse stand alone games than this browser shmup. This has every thing need to make it great its has lots of bullets it has power ups it has big bosses but more than that its a good hard shooter that takes some beating. Controls are Cursor keys to move Z key is your primary weapon and X key is you special weapon. This is really worth a try if your into cute em ups.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Aurorablast

Aurorablast is a cool little vertical shooter that only maybe a one level demo at the minute but its looking very nice indeed. It has nice pixel graphics and some very nice looking explosions and the whole thing plays along at a heck of a pace. There aren’t any power ups as such just three different weapons that you can change at will depending on whats happening on the screen to suit you best. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon, X key is for your bomb and C key is to change which primary you wish to use. A nice colourful shmup that deserves a look.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Password For Download – NMT

RetroShoot

Retro Shoot as the name suggests is a retro style shooter with very nice looking retro visuals which I’m very fond of indeed. It looks like a normal vertical shmup to start but as you get into the game you soon find that you rotate so that you are either horizontal or indeed upside down playing just to keep you guessing. Enemies are a plenty and come in various forms and you also have lots of power ups to help you along as some of the levels soon become very crowed so full power is what you need. Everything is mouse controlled and it is also auto fire so you just need to look where you are going. I’ve played this for hours at a time and still keep coming back for more.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Paralyzer

Paralyzer is another good browser based vertical shooter that is more than good enough to give stand alone shooters of its type a run for its money. It is a Japanese style shooter where you get to choose from three characters each with their own strong points and each with their not so good points and to help you out there are the normal kind of power ups and special weapons for you to collect. Visuals are detailed pixel graphics so look very nice indeed and add to the game a lot. Being a browser game you would expect it to be a push over to play but its quite the bullet hell in places and the bosses are rock hard so should keep you at it for a while. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon. It won’t be what everyone will like but its worth a show.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Cage Stg

If you remember the NES days you will love this demo that I came across over on Indiegames. It’s a vertical shoot em up that has that nice 8 bit style NES graphics that got me hooked on home consoles and if you close your eyes it even sounds like a NES game. Enemies come at you thick and fast but are easy dealt with by collecting the blue orbs that are left behind after you shoot a baddie by collecting these your fire power increases to make you a fighting machine there are also a few  bosses that you need to deal with too. If you understand Japanese you will understand the game more than I do but I like it because it brings back memories from long ago. Controls are Cursor keys to move and Z key is your fire button.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Alien Space

I seem to be finding quite a few retro looking games at the minute and Alien Space is also in the same style that is becoming the norm at the minute. Its a classic vertical shooter that sees you dodging a whole load of bullets and aliens who are try so hard to destroy you and not forgetting the bosses at the end of the levels as well. To help you along you have a primary weapon which you can power up by collecting the power ups and you also have a special weapon which destroys everything on screen so you might find yourself using this a lot. Visuals and nice and colourful and as I said they pixel retro looking so the whole thing looks great. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Shift is your primary weapon and Ctrl is your special weapon and F4 switches between windowed and full screen.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Attack Of The Mutant Killer Bingo Wings

Strange name for a vertical shooter this one you might think but its not a bad little shmup at all. You have a task to complete in that you have collect numbers that add up to the numbers on each of the bingo cards on the right of the screen to move onto the next level its probably best if you read the instructions on the game itself to fully understand whats going on. Visuals are very Commodore 64 style which look really good and its just nice to have a shmup with a difference so it must worth a few minutes of your time. Controls are cursor keys to move and space bar to fire or you can use your mouse of you like. If you like it retro give it a go.

Works With Vista

Play It Here

Sky Star Spark

A nice little Japanese arena shooter here for all you arena fans. From what I can work out as I don’t speak Japanese the aim is to collect a key and find the correct exit to the next level and so on until you complete them all. Sounds easy however you have many bullets to dodge and also the odd enemy here and there to get in your way and stop you reaching your goal and every time you get hit you lose point of your score. Visuals are very nice indeed colourful and detailed with matching music in the back ground which makes it a nice little game to play. Controls are cursor keys to move and Z is your only weapon. If your into Arena Shmups give this a go.

Works WIth Vista

Download From Here

Solid State Survivor

This is a good old fashioned vertical shooter that reminds me of games like Raiden and others from when I first got into Shmups. Right from the start you get wave after wave of enemies that are intent on seeing you off some of the you can dispose of easy others not and not forgetting the boss at the end of each level which seems to take along time to kill. To help you you have three weapons at your disposal you have a primary weapon then your primary plus which has a little more power then you have your bomb which clears every thing in your path and I forgot to say you get to choose from one of two craft in which you fight. Visuals are nice and detailed and are straight out of the arcade style of the past as are the sound effects and music which go along with it. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon, X key is your primary plus and C key is your bomb. This is an old school shooter that deserves a chance to be played.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Twilight Refrain

Another Japanese vertical shooter for you to cast your eyes over it may only be a three level demo but its worth a look and also if you know the right places to try the full version is also out there. This game is one of the best games visually that I have come across even though most of the enemy are boxes or barrels the detail is out standing as are the bullet patterns they are just so nice to look at. That aside this is one hard shooter and good reflexes are a must if you are going to dodge everything that is on screen and the boss levels are also hard to beat. You have three weapons to help you out a primary weapon a primary weapon that is more powerful and your special weapon you find yourself swapping between primary weapons a lot in this game but its well worth it. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon, X key is your special weapon and C is your primary plus weapon. As I said only a demo but a hard one to beat.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Magic Broom Shooting

I’ve heard a lot of strange names for shooters this one included however its not a bad little bullet hell game. It’s only a demo at this stage and I’m not sure how many levels because it’s so damn hard I can only just get onto the second level before I feel like smashing my keyboard in anger. You get your normal power ups in this game and trust me you need them and to increase your fire power you having to collect the crystals left behind when you shoot an enemy to increase the level bar at the bottom of the screen. You get a choice of styles of girls on a broom stick to start with each with a different fire method so you’ll have to practice a lot. The visuals are nice and bright and detailed and it has some pretty nice looking bullet patterns to so you will need sharp reflex’s. As I said this is a game for the true hardcore shmup fansand I forgot to say the bosses are hard as nails so be prepared.

Works WIth Vista

Download From Here

Giga Star Fighter

This Japanese Vertical Shooter will confuse the hell out of you so why add it on here I here you ask because its one of the hardest yet strangest games I’ve ever come across. It has you normal kind of stuff like power ups, special weapons, different ships for you to choose to defeat the bad guys and loads of enemies and tough boss fights but its just hard to beat but has you coming back for more. Visuals are best described as retro 8 bit but are nice and colourful and detail and there is lots of different things for you to look at and the sound is also very strange. This really is a strange but will have you coming back for more. Controls are Cursor keys to move , Z key  is you primary weapon and X key is your special weapon. Try it you know you want to.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Star Beast

This is a very nice looking demo of a horizontal shmup I found over on The Daily Click. It only has one level for you to try but gives you a good idea of what the final game will feel like and I pleased to say I’m liking the look very much. You have five weapons which you can change as you play to suit whatever is being thrown at you as well as a bomb which clears the screen but you also have to watch the temperature of your weapons as they over heat if you just keep firing like a mad man so use them with care. Visuals are nice and detailed pixel style and the whole thing plays along very smooth indeed. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Ctrl is to shoot, Shift is your bomb, Space is coolant for your weapons and keys 1 to 5 change your weapon. It’s only one level but worth keeping an eye on.

Works With Vista

Download From Here.

Die Feen

This is a kind of relaxing kind of horizontal shmup in a way I can’t quite put my finger on it weather it’s because of the relaxing music or the cute looking visuals but you just seem relaxed when playing this. However its no push over because as soon as you start you have more bullets flying at you than you can cope with as well as enemies coming at you from front and back. To help you have your normal primary and bomb weapons and you can also choose different firing patterns that each are use full at different times so be prepared to change them a lot and you also get to choose from characters to use each with different good and bad points. This is only a two level demo  but it’s well worth a try so you can have a nice relax.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Pocket Invaders

Pocket Invaders is a take on that age old classic Space Invaders. It’s not an exact remake because the invaders are different and with each new wave that you get to face they layout of the invaders are different but they do move from left to right and slowly down the screen. The game also plays faster or it could be a Vista thing because I get about 2000 fps when playing but its still playable. Visuals and sound have been given some polish and colour and it does look nice it just looks different and if your a die hard fan of the original you may not like it but it is quite fun to play. Controls are Cursor keys to move and Space is to fire.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Biker Banditz

Since coming across this game I’ve pretty much been playing it none stop. It’s a horizontal shooter that has some of the nicest cartoon style I’ve seen in a game however just because of that it doesn’t mean it’s a push over it has enemies coming at you in all directions at lighting speeds so reflexes are a must for this it also has some of the biggest bosses ever. To help you you get to choose from three characters to do your fighting for you and then you get your primary weapon and a special weapon which has to be charged to get the best effect from it. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon and you can use a joypad if you wish. Al shmup fans will love this game so give it a try.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

StellaVanity

If you like bullet hell games you will love this demo I discovered. Its you normal vertical kind of shmup but there is so many bullets being fired at you you need to have lightening reflexes to avoid them and on top of that the screen is full of enemies just waiting to take you out. You only get you primary weapon and your special weapon to help you out so this is for die hard shmup fans only. Visuals are very nice and colourful and there is a lot of them so you have plenty to see. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z keys is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon or you can use a joy pad if you wish. You have to try this its quite a challenge.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

The One Case

This is a nice little Japanese vertical shmup that I have come across and I can best describe it as a Raiden style shooter. The game plays very much like Raiden in that you get both land and air enemies for you to destroy and also some of the sounds have been taken from Raiden as well however you don’t get the choice of weapons in this game but it is still a challenging little game. Visuals are very nice detailed pixel graphics and I love the purple colour used on the sprite as it makes it look different. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon. This really is a good solid shooter with some killer music playing away too so give it a try you know you want to.

Works With Vista

Download From Here

Metal Slasher Again

I’m guessing this one has been around for a while and that this is the latest update and what an update it is. It’s not your normal vertical shmup but it does have some good stuff offer. It plays quite easy to start but as you progress things soon start to get a little bit harder and as you go from level to level each level gets harder to. You get your normal laser which you increase its power by shoot cheese burgers and collect the icon it leaves behind and you also get a shield to help aswell and you do build up quite a powerful weapon by the time your finished. The end of level bosses are kind of strange and are no push over but I’m sure you will defeat them all in the end. Visuals are a mix of retro looking graphics along with a mixture of up to date graphics too. Controls are Space Bar to fire and Shift Key to switch between laser and bombs.

Works With Vista

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Quantizer

A nice little vertical shmup I came across on Shmup-Dev that’s a little different from recent games I’ve put on here. Having said that the only difference is that this is in English and not Japanese and is best described as a bullet hell game. You have two weapons to help your primary weapon and your bombs which clear everything on the screen and trust me the screen gets very busy indeed so use your bombs with care. Visuals are nice and simple and more than do there job which is a nice touch the only down side is I’d like bigger explosions but thats just what I like to see. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z key is your primary weapon and X is for your bombs. So then a nice little shooter thats worth a download.

Works With Vista

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Trouble Witches

Anyone who is into Japanese shmups must have heard of this game it’s been around for a while but it’s as fresh today as when it was first released so I’m giving another airing. Its a horizontal cute em up as the call them and it has some of the most colourful and detail visuals and the size of some of them are huge and everything just looks really nice. Despite that what you really have is a rock hard shooter that will keep you busy for a while and will keep you coming back for more. You have a massive array of fire power at your hands you just have to work out which is best to use and when because your going to need them. I could go on and on but the best thing to do is try it for yourself, Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z keys is your primary weapon, X key is your special weapon and C Key is a coin collecting shield. I’ve not tried the download link below because I bought the CD version but searching on forums it seems to be a good download link however it is a big download so slow connections could take a while.

Works With Vista

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Zeldarius

It’s classic week over on TIGsource and I came across this little vertical shooter. As the name suggests it’s kind of a mix of games namely Zelda and Darius. There are a few character’s from Zelda but I’m not sure where the Darius bit comes in other than its a shooter but its a nice little game to spend a few hours playing if only to listen to the great music that has been ripped from various games and used very well indeed. If you like your classic stuff give it ago. Controls are Cursor keys to move, C key is your primary weapon and B is for your bombs.

Works With Vista

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Pixelator 2

Pixelator 2 is a very simple but addictive vertical shooter that is in the style Galaxians and the like. Game play is simple just shoot everything that comes at you and collect the power ups when they appear as you will need them to get very far in this game as it soon becomes quite the bullet hell type of game once you start to play and you have some pretty tough bosses to defeat as well. Visuals are as the name suggest nice pixel ZX Spectrum style which I think are cool as I love the retro feel it gives the game. Controls are Cursor keys to move, Z keys is your primary weapon and X key is you bomb. It may be a Game Maker game but its as hard as hell.

Works With Vista

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Strike Witches

This is a curious little vertical shmup I stumbled across on my travels. It another Japanese game so unless you understand Japanese then a lot of guess work is needed to understand 100% but the good thing is you don’t have too because it’s a cool shooter. You get loads of baddies to shoot who in return shoot loads of bullets and lasers at you and there seems to be a fair few boss ships that need to be sorted on the way which means this isn’t a push over to complete. Visuals are rather nice with a strange scrolling back ground that looks like a water fall which can be off putting a little that said its looks very nice. Controls are Cursor Keys to move, Z Key is your primary weapon and X key is your special weapon which includes a sheild so you can hide from bullets for a short time.

Works With Vista.

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Operation G.R.A.D.U.A.T.E.S

This a a nice little browser based shmup for you all to try that I stumbled across with my goo friend Goo. Its not a very long game but should keep you all interested for a few hours as its quite addictive once you start. Its a Jap shmup so you get a choose of ships to use and then once you’ve chosen its time to do battle with the many bad guys trying to destroy you but fear not because there are lots of power ups for you to collect to increase your fire power to destroy the on coming enemy and at times the screen is full so reflex’s are a must. Visuals are very nice and cartoon looking which is another of my favorite style. Controls are Cursor Keys to move and Space Bar to Fire. It won’t keep hard core fans happy but for the casual gamer its worth a try.

Works With Vista

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