Vertically Scrolling Yoko Games

[Yoshi]

I suspect this question has been asked before, but I couldn't find a thread. I'm looking for a list of horizontally oriented but vertically scrolling shooters, e.g. Mars Matrix. I'm particularly interested in arcade games, but console and other examples are welcome as well.

[Giest118]

I believe the term for this is "vertizontal." Jamestown (available on Steam) is an example of one.

[Stevens]

Under Defeat HD has a vertizontal mode.

[NRS]

Some of the more well-known ones: Raystorm, Raycrisis, Radiant Silvergun, Soukyugurentai, Giga Wing 1 & 2.

[Doctor Butler]

I think some of the earlier console ports of Raiden would qualify.

[pegboy]

Everything on Neo Geo?

Some off the top of my head:
Aerofighters 2 & 3
Alpha Misison II
Ghost Pilots
Strikers 1945 Plus

[LordHypnos]

Mars Matrix, Giga Wing, Giga Wing 2, Fast Striker, Radiant Silvergun, I think Raystorm (?). Raystorm HD is judging by the x360 demo I played (Widescreen at that). Metal Torrent, Ginga Force
One of the strikers games is vertizontal, too, right? I can't recall which one.

Zero Gunner 2 is sort of like a vertizontal because it's designed like a vertical game (IMO), and uses an overhead view and 4:3, but it's an arena shooter, so it probably doesn't count. enemies come from all sides, it scrolls in different directions at different times, and you can shoot in any direction

A lot of console shooters and ports are from the 8 and 16 bit era are (though sometimes they'll put a HUD on part of the screen to constrict it to closer to 3:4 (Probably seldom all the way, though). On genesis / mega drive, I think Musha, and Undeadline are full vertizontal, wheras Elemental Master is narrowly vertizontal (or maybe a square), because the HUD takes up part of the right side of the screen. Recca on NES / Virtual Console is a vertizontal. I'm sure there are others (In fact, I'm pretty sure a big chunk of the PCEngine library is vertizontals)

Many PC doujins are borderline. IIRC, Cho Ren Sha runs in pillarboxed 512x480 on a 640x480 screen. RefleX (Siter Skain) is another example. Though many devs opt to just pillarbox a vertical screen into a horizontal screen with wallpaper and HUD on the sides.

I wish vertizontals were more common, really. They seem to make you move around the whole screen a little more, and give you more space to dodge horizontally (the most common way to dodge vertical patterns). I often feel pretty constrained trying to dodge patterns in Under Defeat compared to Mars Matrix, though it's probably because you're cut off from a lot of the screen in UD. Also New Order actually feels more constrained.

[ciox]

Caladrius and Chaos Field are vertizontals with both arcade and console versions, they're also pretty cool.

[amdiggywhut]

Zanac x Zanac is probably my favorite.

[Kiken]

Radirgy Noa is vertizontal, although it uses portions of the left and right sides of the screen for the player 1 and 2 status screens.

Loads of vertically scrolling PC-Engine shmups are vertizontal: Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier, Soldier Blade, Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire, Gunhed/Blazing Lasers, Summer Carnival 92 Alzadick, Summer Carnival 93 Nexzr

On PS2, the sequel to Shienryuu (Shineryuu Explosion) is vertizontal.

[leadwing85]

double shienryu for ps2 is the only one I can think of that hasn't already been mentioned

[NTSC-J]

1944: The Loop Master is another.

[Ed Oscuro]

I believe the term for this is "vertizontal."

Called such by retards only, as the master said

Thinking it over, I realize what the beef is with that term. It's ambiguous. Is it vertical in horizontal, or horizontal in vertical? You can't tell from looking at it. Even "faketate" is a better term.

Another for the list is Nichibutsu's Terra Force. At 1987, it's one of the earliest ones mentioned in this thread - I can't think of an earlier one at the moment, although I'm sure there's some obscure PC games and the like.

[trap15]

Zanac is 1986, and is a vertical scrolling yoko game. Knightmare, also 1986, is also one. I imagine whatever game came up with the concept was probably an MSX game (like the 2 mentioned).

[HydrogLox]

Called such by retards only, as the master said

Exactly my stance on newbie - there is no need for that word other than an inadequate vocabulary. Side effect of the internet age I guess.

It's ambiguous. Is it vertical in horizontal, or horizontal in vertical?

Typically the used form is "verizontal shooter" and it is used in the same manner as the terms "vertical shooter" and "horizontal shooter" - in that context it isn't that ambiguous:

• vertical shooter (vertically scrolling play area - portrait aspect ratio viewing area)
• horizontal shooter (horizontally scrolling play area - landscape aspect ratio viewing area)
• verizontal shooter (vertically scrolling play area - landscape aspect ratio viewing area)

It works as far as explanations after the fact go - in any other context "verizontal" can mean something totally different.

[antares]

Strania, one of the best shmups on XBLA.
Also Space Invaders Infinity Gene, Galaga Legions, 1942 Joint Strike and the home port of Mamoru-kun come to mind.

[gray117]

Exactly my stance on newbie - there is no need for that word other than an inadequate vocabulary. Side effect of the internet age I guess.

Context is king, and neophyte is an impractical suggestion in terms of colloquial use or diction... both newbie and noob are potentially far more innocuous than many phrases coined without the help of the internet.

Vertizontal is probably more easily parsed by your average westerner than yoko... so live and let live, otherwise someone's going to start objecting to 'shmups' next

... Back on topic I have been having something of an resurgence interest for radiant silvergun in particular (easily obtainable of xbla).

[Mr Halibut]

So what's the word for games like Scramble? Hortical?

[trap15]

Considering there's a total of maybe 3 games like that, does "Scramble-like" work?

[undamned]

I believe the term for this is "vertizontal."

Called such by retards only, as the master said

Thinking it over, I realize what the beef is with that term. It's ambiguous. Is it vertical in horizontal, or horizontal in vertical? You can't tell from looking at it. Even "faketate" is a better term.

"Faketate" implies that a game should be rotated. Vertical scrolling and vertically oriented are not necessarily linked (see PacMan, Donkey Kong, etc.). I would only call a game "faketate" if it was actually designed for vertical orientation, but has been buggered up to run on a horizontal screen (whether by cropping or adding giant bars on the sides). Mars Matrix and the like were designed for horizontal screens, so there is nothing "fake" about them.
-ud

[Ed Oscuro]

Faketate being bad doesn't erase that vertizontal is worse.

BTW, the "retard" bit is a callback to a PRO REVIEW, speaking of newbies, y'all were supposed to know that.

[undamned]

Faketate being bad doesn't erase that vertizontal is worse.

I can't believe I'm arguing about this, but as atrocious a word as "vertizontal" is (up there with "metroidvania"), there's nothing inaccurate about it. It applies adequately to both game types I described. "Faketate" can be inaccurate for the reason I already put forth.
-ud

[Ed Oscuro]

Me neither! Using the term "vertizontal" assumes the reader/listener has the secret knowledge already - as I said, it's totally ambiguous (not "inaccurate," AMBIGUOUS) as to whether the "vert" or the "-zontal" refers to the actual screen orientation, or the scrolling orientation. It is hilarious that you (wisely) point out ambiguity in "faketate" but imply that the problem in "vertizontal" is not exactly the same kind of problem. Faketate at least implies that the screen isn't in tate, and isn't catastrophically bad - for an alternative I cooked up in a second or two. I'm not seriously suggesting we "faketate" it up, but "vertizontal" is pretty bad still.

I'm not sure how enough information can be coded in a catchy smashup of two words to imply all the necessary bits. WideVert?

- "One horse laugh is worth ten thousand syllogisms."

[trap15]

Yoko-vert.

[undamned]

Tatevania.
-ud

[Mero]

Common use is king

[Skykid]

Slap Fight MD

[Bananamatic]

aero chimera is kinda vertizontal

[HydrogLox]

Using the term "vertizontal" assumes the reader/listener has the secret knowledge already.

... which is why words like "vertizontal" are considered jargon - i.e. language that is well understood within a community but is potentially confusing or meaningless to outsiders. That is why it is captured in the Board FAQ & Glossary of terms topic - and "vertizontal" is in there. The "Glossary of terms" attempts to capture some of the jargon that is associated with the genre that is not easily understood by newcomers or outsiders. To most people "Popcorn" is a snack that is consumed while enjoying a movie - to them "Cannon Fodder" would be the more intuitive term but that is rarely used around here. Jargon is rarely self-explanatory or intuitive, and the circumstances of it's adoption are rarely predictable. "The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."

[LordHypnos]

As stupid sounding as "vertizontal" is, I don't think it's necessarily imprecise, I mean are there even horizontally scrolling vertical games other than scramble? You can pretty much assume that people who say vertizontal are referring to vertically scrolling + horizontally oriented.
Also, vertizontal is no more stupid sounding than "shmup," and that's not going anywhere anytime soon.

So what's the word for games like Scramble? Hortical?

Not to be confused with whoracle