Gradius is a side-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami. The first game in the Gradius series, it was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1985. The player maneuvers a spacecraft known as the Vic Viper that must defend itself from the various alien enemies. The game uses a power-up system called the "power meter", based upon collecting capsules to purchase additional weapons.
Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series originally developed and published by Technōs Japan. It began with the release of the arcade game Double Dragon in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge is a side-scrolling beat 'em up produced by Technōs Japan originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988. It is the first sequel to Double Dragon, released during the previous year. The sequel involves Billy and Jimmy Lee in a mission to avenge Billy's girlfriend Marian after she is shot to death by the Black Warriors leader Willy, who is retaliating against the Lee brothers after his defeat at the end of the previous game. Double Dragon II was initially developed as an upgrade kit for the original Double Dragon, but evolved into a stand-alone game due to an increase in memory size, resulting in the developers reusing assets for both games.
Shock Troopers is a run and gun arcade game developed by Saurus and published by SNK in 1997 for the Neo-Geo arcade MVS platform. Gameplay involves taking command of one or three soldiers in an eight-way shooter. A second game in the series, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad, followed up in 1998.
Gunbird 2 is a 2D scrolling shooter developed by Psikyo and published by Capcom as a sequel to the original Gunbird. It was originally released in Japanese arcades in 1998, and was later ported to the Dreamcast in 2000 and released worldwide. An Android version was released in Korea in 2014, before it came out worldwide on both Android and iOS in 2016. The arcade game was also included in Gunbird Special Edition for the PlayStation 2. A version was released on Nintendo Switch in June 2018, Microsoft Windows in June 2020, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in August 2022.
R-Type II is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed and published by Irem. It was released in arcades in 1989. It is the sequel to R-Type, and the second game in the R-Type series.
Dragon Spirit is a 1987 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was distributed by Atari Games. Controlling the dragon Amur, the player must complete each of the game's nine areas to rescue the princess Alicia from the demon Zawell. Similar to Namco's own Xevious, Amur has a projectile weapon for destroying air-based enemies and a bomb for destroying ground enemies. It ran on the Namco System 1 arcade board.
Dragon Saber: After Story of Dragon Spirit is a 1990 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. It is a sequel to Dragon Spirit, released in 1987.
Radirgy is a shoot 'em up video game developed by MileStone Inc. and released for the Sega NAOMI arcade platform in 2005. The story follows schoolgirl Shizuru Kamigusa in an age filled with radio waves which she is allergic to. She must save her father, who is developing a remedy for her sickness, from terrorists who have taken control of his company. The game features bullet hell gameplay elements and a distinct cel shaded graphical style.
Gunbird (ガンバード) is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Psikyo and released as an arcade video game in 1994. In the US, it was published by Jaleco. It has been re-released multiple times, including on the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. When originally localized outside Japan by XS Games, Gunbird was retitled Mobile Light Force. The game was followed by Gunbird 2 in 1998 and was included in Gunbird Special Edition for PlayStation 2.
Strikers 1945 (ストライカーズ1945), also known as Striker 1945, is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game developed and published by Psikyo in 1995. In Japan, it was ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn by Atlus in 1996; later was also released as part of Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 1: Strikers 1945 I & II by Taito for the PlayStation 2. The game was followed by Strikers 1945 II in 1997, and Strikers 1945 III in 1999, as well as the second title remake called Strikers 1945 Plus.
Strikers 1945 II (ストライカーズ1945II) is a vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up game developed and originally published by Psikyo in 1997 for the arcades as a follow-up to Strikers 1945. This game was also ported by Kuusou Kagaku to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn for Psikyo and re-released by Success in 2000. Agetec released Strikers 1945 II for the PlayStation in North America under the title Strikers 1945 in 2001, and Midas Games released it in Europe as a budget title in 2003. The game was also included in Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 1: Strikers 1945 I&II by Taito for PlayStation 2, later was released as a downloadable title for PlayStation Network by GungHo Online Entertainment, and finally for Android and iOS by Mobirix. Also, after S&C Entertainment developed another version, they released it on Google Play, with the plane fire button removed, making it autofire and only tap the bomb and charge icons.
Zero Gunner 2 is a 3D multidirectional shooter developed by Psikyo as a sequel to Zero Gunner, the original arcade game. It was released for the Dreamcast in Japan in 2001.
Strikers 1945 Plus is a 1999 vertically scrolling shooter arcade game originally developed by Psikyo and published by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is a remake of Strikers 1945 II, which was released earlier in 1997 on multiple platforms. In the game, players choose one of the six fighter planes to fight against the F.G.R. organization, who leaked information of weapons by the now-disbanded C.A.N.Y. forces. Though first released in arcades, the title was later ported and re-released through download services to other platforms, each one featuring various changes compared to the original version.
Sengoku Blade, also known as Tengai outside Japan, is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game released for arcade machines in 1996 by Psikyo as a sequel to their 1993 shooter Sengoku Ace. A home console version was also released for the Sega Saturn. The game was ported years later to the PlayStation 2, and again for iOS and Android devices and the Nintendo Switch, Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is set in a historical fantasy version of the Sengoku period of Japanese history, featuring demons, magic and steam-powered robotics.
Sacred Blaze (セイクリッドブレイズ) is a tactical role-playing game by Flight-Plan for the Sony PlayStation 2 system. It is the second self-published game by Flight-Plan after 2007's Dragon Shadow Spell. In Sacred Blaze, the player assumes the role of God and has the ability to bestow various player characters with abilities to use in combat.
Video games are a major industry in Japan, and the country is considered one of the most influential in video gaming. Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games and the country is home to many notable video game companies such as Nintendo, Sega, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Taito, Konami, Square Enix, Capcom, NEC, SNK, and formerly Sony Computer Entertainment. Japan is currently the third largest video game market in the world after China and the United States.
Game Tengoku: The Game Paradise! is a 1995 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Jaleco. The game is a parody of arcade shooters in a vein similar to the Parodius series. It was followed up with a sequel, Gun Bare! Game Tengoku 2.
Sol Divide is a scrolling shooter released as an arcade video game in 1997. It was developed by Japanese studio Psikyo. Ports were published for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and later PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden, known as Dragon Ball Z in Europe, is a 1993 fighting video game developed by Tose and published by Bandai for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is based upon Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise, and was its first fighting game.
