Fixed shooters appreciation thread

[Vetus]

One of the oldest kinds of shmups that they barely make any of them today is fixed shooters, shmups that each level fit into a single screen and the player's movement is usually fixed to a single axis of motion. Famous examples are classics like Space Invaders and Galaxian/Galagan. In my opinion, fixed shooters is the purest form of shmup which can be enjoyed by both casual and hardcore gamers. The thing is that apart from Space Invaders and Galaga series, the only fixed shooters I know which are really good are Gyruss from Konami (I expecially love the NES version which many people prefer over the original arcade version) and They came from Verminest, a great free fixed shooter from the talented indie company locomalito which is a great tribute to Galaga.
http://www.locomalito.com/verminest.php

Due to their simpistic controls, fixed shooters are ideal for smartphones. Unforunately the only thing we see are poor Space Invaders and Galaga rip-offs. And in Android they never released any classic Space Invaders and Galaga game which is a huge shame.

[trap15]

Gaplus is insanely good.

[1up]

I love Galaga. For some reason I can never burn out on that game. It's really strange to me because if I play any game for a great length of time I usually burn out and don't touch it for years. I cleared the first loop on Strikers 1945 back in 2008 and haven't touched it since... but with Galaga this doesn't happen?

It's pick up and play and is fun for both newcomers and veterans.

I tried Gorf recently and that game is pretty interesting. It's like each stage is a new game. Stage 1 is like Space Invaders, stage 2 is like Galaxian, Stage 3 is like Gyruss etc.

Is there a version of Galaga for ios?

[Pteriforever]

Warblade is really good. It's pretty different from most of the stuff out there, but it's still really good ^.^

[BulletMagnet]

Have you tried Psikyo's Space Bomber? It allows for vertical movement, but it's got a silly B-movie atmosphere that I've always liked.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

+1 for Gorf. Very fun game.

[Ruldra]

Satan's Hollow is pretty good. I like the bridge building mini-game that allows you to power up your ship. Also enemies turn completely invisible when you reach midnight.

[Stevens]

My brother has a soft spot for Stratavox.

I'll fire up Galaga from time to time.

[GSK]

Space Invaders Extreme 2 kept me occupied for a little while... Zuntata always helps.

I never did get around to trying Galaga Legions, how'd that one turn out?

[KidQuaalude]

I'm a big fan of fixed shooter games, especially those such as Galaxian which have 1 shot at a time. A few I enjoy on my cab listed below (in no order):

Galaxian
Galaga
Gaplus
Galaga '88
Cosmo Gang : The Video
Galaxian Part X
Moon Alien Part 2
GORF
Astro Invader/Kamikaze
Astro Blaster
Phoenix
Pleiades
Satans Hollow
Return of the Invaders
King and Balloon
Carnival
UniWar S
Spiders
Saturn
Moon Cresta
Space Firebird
Donkey Kong 3
Radar Scope
Space Bomber

and probably a few others I can't remember at the mo.

[Knockworstface]

Phoenix

Pleiades

King and Balloons

Galaga

Galpius aka Galaga 3

Gyruss

All awesome games that in my opinion still stand the test of time.

[Strikers1945guy]

Moon Cresta fan reporting in

[Pretas]

No mention of Konami's Battlantis?

[spadgy]

Moon Cresta fan reporting in

Are we meant to be meeting on the bridge? I'm running late for the meeting of the Mighty Moon Cresta Fan Squad.

Anyway - I do love a fixed shmup, and think they are some of the better ones for introducing people to the genre. Galaga 88/90 especially.

[JBC]

The Gaplus cabinet is the single most beatifully designed classic arcade I've ever seen. It's just really pleasing to look at & I'd love to own one customed one day. I think the only change I would make would be to intensify the hue of the colors to give it more of a Tron-like appearance. Same colors, just deepened.

My favorite is still Galaga 88. I feel like it fully expounds upon everything the series had on offer up to that point & perfected it, adding in some nice heartwarming visuals in the process. I thought that dimension ripping bomb was just the coolest when I was a kid.

I've tried everything related to the series on iOS & came away sorely disappointed. There is this one anniversary collection but I think they screwed the graphics or something. It wasn't a pure experience to say the least. Maybe one day.

Can't say much for Galaga Legions as I've only played the demo & opted for Pac-Man Champ DX instead, but I've heard good things.

I wanted to mention Cosmo Gang The Video & Galaga Arrangement, which has 88ish style graphics in Namco Museum (?). Good games. Also, Verminest is tops - I love Locomalito's stuff. Gaurodan is so awesome as a Choplifter-like. Everything that guy does is gold.

[cicada88]

OG Taito Space Invaders upright cabinet is pure butter.

And yeah Galaga is just very fun. I haven't had a chance to play much of the sequels, but the OG is great.

[antron]

And you can find Galaga everywhere too; bars, pizza joints. Many are the 20 year reunion editions with Ms Pacman. With this one you can switch to fast shoot with a code you enter before pressing start:
Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Up, Up, Fire

[TransatlanticFoe]

Super Space Invaders '91. For a good couple of years that was in practically every arcade so I played the hell out of it on family holidays and seaside trips.

I was so excited when it got ported to the SMS, then they didn't include a mode where you played all the stages AND get the cow bonus stages too The usual home port changes didn't bother me but there's a mode for all the levels and another where you choose a few - only the latter has the cows dammit.

[Vetus]

From the retro Space Invader games my favourite is Space Invaders '95. It's also the most underrated in my opinion, expecially since it never got a home console until Taito Legends 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hII6m_lwio

Have you tried Psikyo's Space Bomber? It allows for vertical movement, but it's got a silly B-movie atmosphere that I've always liked.

How did I forgot this gem? I played it again today after reading your post. One of the best and funniest cute 'em ups I've ever played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q47E0iZxzs

By the way this is the laziest Wikipedia entry I've ever seen in my life:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Bomber
Somebody must do the justice by making a more detailed entry.

No mention of Konami's Battlantis?

Althought I always knew about this game, I never gave it a try until now. I like its mix of Space Invaders gameplay with medieval setting. The only thing I hate is the limited continues that other arcade Konami games also have like Contra and Castlevania.

[To Far Away Times]

Space Invaders Extreme is fun.

[IseeThings]

I always enjoy a bit of Zunzunkyou No Yabou, consider it a guilty pleasure

technically it scrolls a bit (the arena is a bit bigger than the screen) so might not count, but the gameplay is more like that of a fixed shooter, set number of enemies to clear per stage, similar patterns etc.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Have you tried Psikyo's Space Bomber? It allows for vertical movement, but it's got a silly B-movie atmosphere that I've always liked.

Space Bomber and Gunbarich are two Psikyo games that, when played emulated with the sprite buffer hack ("shmupmame"), don't produce the jumpy background scroll effect (because there is no background scroll).

I can't think of "fixed shooters" as a sub-genre seriously, though, since the background scroll in the likes of Warning Forever, Recca and Cho Ren Sha 68K seemed strictly cosmetical to me. Well, I guess in Recca it might help to memorise things.

[professor ganson]

I'm a big fan of this sort of shooter, but haven't settled on favorites. Space Invaders 95 and King & Balloon come to mind immediately.

[Knockworstface]

Let us not forget about Centipede and Millipede.

[Jeneki]

I can definitely appreciate how many fixed shooters have bonuses that reward fine aiming. Getting a single, tricky shot off. Or formation kills where you really can't miss any shots in that sequence.

Do tube shooters fall under this category as well? Gyruss has some great escalating bonuses when you pull off multiple formation kills in the same levels. Definitely gives a reason to play dangerously, haha.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Shatter (PS3, PC) is a Breakout-like with some shmup-like qualities. PC version plays with a mouse which probably makes for more accurate controls. Gamepad remains supported and so does 2 player.
One my humble computer there is bullet hell-ish slowdown that I'd like to know whether it's by design or not (doesn't seem to depend on resolution on my rig).

[Rob]

Shatter (PS3, PC)

Felt like this game was a waste of funny money. Sterile, unchallenging Gunbarich.

Love some single screeners. The End (about as simple as it gets, but tough - requires bold), King & Balloon, Satan's Hollow, Cosmic Guerilla, etc.

[Pretas]

The End (about as simple as it gets, but tough - requires bold)

Stern's licensed US romhack is better than Konami's original JP version, because it moves the shields/letter pieces behind you.

[Rob]

I'll have to try that someday, but sounds less dastardly and what's The End if not that.

[Mortificator]

It's too bad Taito always seems to port the original version of Space Invaders and ignore Part II. That latter's tweaks are minor, but make things a little more engaging without diluting that Invader purity.

The Space Invaders Part IV, AKA Super Space Invaders '91, AKA Majestic Twelve - my favorite of the coin-op sequels. Outside of arcades, Space Invaders Extreme 2 is a lot of fun.

Demon Attack is a nice early home game in this genre. I'd rather play it over Phoenix even today.

I regularly included Millipede it my annual top 25, before deciding to restrict my list to scrolling games.

Space Bomber can go to star.

Galaxian and Galaga are classics. I'm more likely to be found playing the older game recently; it kills me faster.

Galaga '88 and Arrangement are both interesting, from what I've tried, though I'm not sure which one I want to sink time into.