THe thought crossed my mind yesterday. My first one was Dinoriki for NES.
fuck was that game a bitch.
Probably Space Invaders if you count those old hand held games.
I guess it depends on what your definition of shooter is. I played Space Invaders (arcade) in 1979 or so (when many arcade games were still b/w) but the first real shooter I played with scrolling and an actual ending was Vanguard (arcade) which would have been around...1983? 1984? Something like that.
Is Defender a shooter? It obviously looks like one, but doesn't really play like one.
Quote from: SignOfZeta on 10/24/2010, 04:42 PMI guess it depends on what your definition of shooter is. I played Space Invaders (arcade) in 1979 or so (when many arcade games were still b/w) but the first real shooter I played with scrolling and an actual ending was Vanguard (arcade) which would have been around...1983? 1984? Something like that.
Is Defender a shooter? It obviously looks like one, but doesn't really play like one.
Atari 2600 - Galaxian or Asteroids, can't remember
I can remember far back as:
space invaders
galaga
phoenix
time pilot
xevious
All when I used to frequent arcades as a kid... all those games are in my memory as far back as I can remember, so I can't say which one I played first. There may even be some that aren't as memorable that I still played around with at the same time.
I guess I should have been a bit more specific, hah.
I meant scrolling ones. The ones that we define as hori/vert shmups nowadays.
The precursor stuff (Defender, Galaxian, Gorf, etc) is an entirely different genre to me.
hmm, i don't think i played a single one until i got my DC.
and I know the first one i played was Zero Gunner 2.
effing awesome game.
then i'm gonnna have to change mine to more NES era games...
it's probably either a shitty game by FCI called Mag Max (i was a kid and the box art had this killer robot on it....)
or
1942 which was one of my earlier vertical shmups....
Centipede in the arcade. Forever ago.
There are a flood of games I played in a relatively small period of time, so I would be lying if I named one. BUT, Defender scrolls, so I count that. Then Defender it is.
Quote from: Colossus1574 on 10/24/2010, 05:53 PMthen i'm gonnna have to change mine to more NES era games...
it's probably either a shitty game by FCI called Mag Max (i was a kid and the box art had this killer robot on it....)
or
1942 which was one of my earlier vertical shmups....
dude, we do not dis the Mag Max.
hory shet that games sweet.
Astroids, combat, defender. is missle command a shooter?
Centipede in the arcade. Forever ago +1.
Don't remember what my first horizontal shooter was. Maybe Transbot. They don't make 'em that awesome anymore. No game can compare.
I'd have to see a list of shooters listed by date to really answer as I played most of them day and date since I am fucking old.
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 10/24/2010, 06:12 PMQuote from: Colossus1574 on 10/24/2010, 05:53 PMthen i'm gonnna have to change mine to more NES era games...
it's probably either a shitty game by FCI called Mag Max (i was a kid and the box art had this killer robot on it....)
or
1942 which was one of my earlier vertical shmups....
dude, we do not dis the Mag Max.
hory shet that games sweet.
My lil' brother picked that one when our parents let us each choose a game....u couldn't blame him, the box was hella cool...the game not so much #-o
(https://web.archive.org/web/20101112010452im_/http://www.texturemonkey.com/HCG/blog/magmax_%2811%29.jpg)
I remember playing Sky Shark on our DOS computer, I think that was the earliest. Some time around that same time I first played Zaxxon and Blue Max on our Atari 800. I guess Galaxian was on there too.
Quote from: Colossus1574 on 10/24/2010, 08:42 PMMy lil' brother picked that one when our parents let us each choose a game....u couldn't blame him, the box was hella cool...the game not so much #-o
the game is as sweet as the cover. youre crazy
I think it was phoenix on a VC-20 or so at my godfathers friends home (was kinda computer crack) . Remember very vague. Next I remember was teh XEVIOUS arcade :)
Mine will have to be Transbot on SMS, I love the music on that game along with Alex Kidd in a Miracle World will forever be burned into my memory.
Arcade: Phoenix
Tandy: Don Pan
DOS: Zaxxon
Famicom: Hector '87
I'm not sure which was first, but something on the 2600. River Raid, Chopper Command, or Defender, I suppose.
For me the first shooter I remember would have to be Zaxxon for the C64. I remember that game being really hard. But I haven't played it in 20+ years. I guess I need to go find a copy.
This is really the only 3/4 view shooter I remember. Kind of cool, does anyone know of any others?
(https://web.archive.org/web/20131206132237im_/http://udhailiyah.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/zaxxon1.gif)
I'm pretty sure it was playing Zaxxon as well in a Radio Shack on a Tandy CoCo 2! :)
It was so long ago so it might not be my first virgin shooter experience, but I remember playing Bosconian by Namco.
It was doubtless some obscure shoot 'em up on the ZX Spectrum that I wouldn't even remember. The first 'typical' shoot 'em up that I actually REALLY enjoyed (after years of disinterest in the genre) was Super Star Soldier.
My first shooter ever was Sidearms in the arcade. My local Straw Hat pizza had it way back when. In fact, I still have in my possession a little story I wrote about sidearms as an elementary school student. The story book we wrote in was a cut-out of an astronaut that totally reminded me of the spaceman in the upper left of the arcade marquee!!
Sidearms was one of the main reasons I wanted a Duo and one of the first games I got.
Quote from: rag-time4 on 10/25/2010, 05:25 PMIn fact, I still have in my possession a little story I wrote about sidearms as an elementary school student. The story book we wrote in was a cut-out of an astronaut that totally reminded me of the spaceman in the upper left of the arcade marquee!!
Sounds cute. Scan and share? [-o<
Quote from: GobanToba on 10/25/2010, 01:17 PMFor me the first shooter I remember would have to be Zaxxon for the C64. I remember that game being really hard. But I haven't played it in 20+ years. I guess I need to go find a copy.
This is really the only 3/4 view shooter I remember. Kind of cool, does anyone know of any others?
Viewpoint for the Neo Geo is another.
Quote from: NecroPhile on 10/25/2010, 05:28 PMQuote from: rag-time4 on 10/25/2010, 05:25 PMIn fact, I still have in my possession a little story I wrote about sidearms as an elementary school student. The story book we wrote in was a cut-out of an astronaut that totally reminded me of the spaceman in the upper left of the arcade marquee!!
Sounds cute. Scan and share? [-o<
HAHA If I can clear it I'll post scans of the Sidearms storybook! Sidearms is definitely one of my first true loves in terms of video games. I could barely reach the buttons back then.
Quote from: rag-time4 on 10/25/2010, 05:25 PMMy first shooter ever was Sidearms in the arcade.
Sure? may I ask for your age, rag? :)
My first shooter was Space Invaders (known as "Aliens" to prevent copyright infringement) on the Kaypro 4.
Quote from: NecroPhile on 10/25/2010, 05:28 PMSounds cute. Scan and share? [-o<
I second that emotion!!!
SideArms was/still is WICKED, i remember it was the closest thing to Robotech in the arcade, and being 2 players was even more kickass!
It's so awesome that it goes from horizontal to a vertical scroller, music on the CD version was incredible too. =D>
Quote from: Tatsujin on 10/25/2010, 08:30 PMQuote from: rag-time4 on 10/25/2010, 05:25 PMMy first shooter ever was Sidearms in the arcade.
Sure? may I ask for your age, rag? :)
Born in the summer of 1980 (30 years old as of this posting)
I played 1942 when I was 11 or 12 at an arcade in Spain of all places but I didn't care all that much - it was just the only cab they had on the hotel. The first shmup I got a hold of with score-intentions was Strikers 1945 II.
Had to be Blazing Lazers for me.
Turbo to the bone
Quote from: Gogan on 10/26/2010, 08:09 AMHad to be Blazing Lazers for me.
Turbo to the bone
Blazing Lazers gives me a turboner
probably space invaders in the arcade... others like GORF and moon buggy and scramble
for home console I think it was berzerk on atari 2600.. but would you class it as a shmup ?
I think his idea of shooter is "scrolls by itself, either vert/hor/diag, you shoot everything that comes at you, there is probably an ending". If we include every game from the 70s and 80s where you shoot something...that would be about %95 of the games from that period. Centipede, Bezerk, Space Invaders, etc are not shooters. Defender and Chop Lifter are *almost* shooters. Fantasy Zone pretty much is a shooter. Even though the user controls the scrolling, there is nothing to do but shoot. In other words, when you buy a "shooter" today, from Cave or whoever, the types of shooters that the PCE, Saturn, and DC (and now, 360) are famous for, that kind of game. They first really came to form in mid-late 80s.
I'm pretty sure Vanguard was the first shooter if this type. It scrolled by itself and even had an ending (which was just a vertical bar that said "END" in big letters. When you touched it the game was over.
Not shooters:
Battle Zone
Hogans Alley
Doom
Ikari Warriors
Space Harrier
Hyperball
Asteroids
Shooters for sure:
Aero Blasters
Zaxxon
Side Arms
Xevious (even though it suuuuucks)
Gate of Thunder
Ikaruga
Twin Cobra
Grey area:
Choplifter
Fantasy Zone
First one ever was Defender in the arcade. I remember being severely disappointed by the Atari 2600 version. My first TG shmup was Fantasy Zone, but before that, I had written a few of my own on the Commodore 64... including one that I might someday port to our beloved PCE.
No way Fantasy Zone is in the gray zone! :o
Quote from: Starfighter on 10/26/2010, 05:49 PMNo way Fantasy Zone is in the gray zone! :o
I imagine its in the FANTASY ZONE.
fuuuuuck yeah
Spaceinvader,Galaga,Galaxian i think.
For the Compaq 286 I had Galaxian. 4-color graphics mode was the only one that worked.
Quote from: Psycho ArkhanI imagine its in the FANTASY ZONE.
=D>
Space Invaders or Galaga
I think my first shmup was Demon Attack, but that may just be the first memorable one. It could also have been Vanguard; Vanguard was definitely my first Scrolling shmup.
Fantasy Zone is pwnage. It somehow manages to pull off cute and hardcore at the same time, and it does it without bullet-hell.
Demon Attack is a pretty sweet game
http://youtu.be/qZQY6fujWxE
so was demons to diamonds.
http://youtu.be/jQWgO3GkhAM
Astro Warrior for SMS. Either that or R-Type for the same system. I don't remember exactly.
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 10/31/2010, 03:22 PMDemon Attack is a pretty sweet game
http://youtu.be/qZQY6fujWxE
so was demons to diamonds.
http://youtu.be/jQWgO3GkhAM
One game that impressed me from back then, and I still find a lot of fun, is Megamania. A friend of mine started a DS remix for that and never finished it. It ran, and I made some music for it and everything. It just fizzled. Bummer.
Any 2600 game that is still playable post-NES is a rare thing indeed. Most of them are about as fun as walking to summer school on a 97ยบ day in orthopedic shoes.
Every activision game was great on the 2600.
I loved Star Master. Shit was that game awesome.
and Seaquest
For me it was LifeForce on NES aka Salamander.
Fell in love with shooters ever since. Today I enjoy games like Ikaruga, R-Type, Soldier Series, and too many more to list.
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 11/05/2010, 02:32 PMEvery activision game was great on the 2600.
I didn't play much 2600, but pretty much every Activision game I played on my Atari 800 was gold!
I think my most favorite was Great American Cross Country Road race... pure gold that game was!
1942, when I was in 2nd grade or something.
Is Fantasy Zone worth checking out?
Quote from: The Old Rover on 10/29/2010, 10:15 PMFantasy Zone is pwnage. It somehow manages to pull off cute and hardcore at the same time, and it does it without bullet-hell.
Quote from: Duo_R on 01/03/2011, 02:51 AMIs Fantasy Zone worth checking out?
Quote from: The Old Rover on 10/29/2010, 10:15 PMFantasy Zone is pwnage. It somehow manages to pull off cute and hardcore at the same time, and it does it without bullet-hell.
Yes! Its what happens if you mix Defender, Candyland, and Gradius.
It rules.
Also, I was playing some atari 2600 last night, man, Solaris is badass.
What's a good price on it?
Quote from: Duo_R on 01/03/2011, 05:10 AMWhat's a good price on it?
I got a jewel+manual+sleevey thing copy for 7.95 locally, so....
Alpha Mission for the NES I think
Life Force on the NES. I really didn't get to play many video games until I got my NES X-mas 1987. I remember my cousin returning a Gradius rental on the NES before I got my system, but I never got to see it or play it. Anyways, first time playing Life Force was when my mom rented it for my friend Terry and I. He had a sub to Nintendo Power and knew about the Konami code working and we went right through it 2 player.
The first Shootemup I owned was Abadox. It was OK actually. I don't have my copy due to the Thomas Floyd Randall incident of 96.
Me: "Hey Floyd, where are my NES games I let you borrow???"
Floyd: "Man, I, I, I lost em man."
Me: What in the hell do you mean you lost them? Those were like 15 games dude!".
I forgave him as he was the Nintendo King of our town. This guy could beat any game you throw at him.
I think the first shooter that I recall playing was either Defender on the 2600, or Vanguard in the arcade.
non scrolling.. would be Omega Race on Vic-20
Scrolling.. ? Thexder on PC(aka 286/386)
Quote from: SNKNostalgia on 01/08/2011, 11:53 AMLife Force on the NES. I really didn't get to play many video games until I got my NES X-mas 1987. I remember my cousin returning a Gradius rental on the NES before I got my system, but I never got to see it or play it. Anyways, first time playing Life Force was when my mom rented it for my friend Terry and I. He had a sub to Nintendo Power and knew about the Konami code working and we went right through it 2 player.
The first Shootemup I owned was Abadox. It was OK actually. I don't have my copy due to the Thomas Floyd Randall incident of 96.
Me: "Hey Floyd, where are my NES games I let you borrow???"
Floyd: "Man, I, I, I lost em man."
Me: What in the hell do you mean you lost them? Those were like 15 games dude!".
I forgave him as he was the Nintendo King of our town. This guy could beat any game you throw at him.
You forgave someone for losing all your games because he was good at games? Hey, send me some stuff to borrow. :)
Quote from: rodek on 01/12/2011, 09:15 PMnon scrolling.. would be Omega Race on Vic-20
Scrolling.. ? Thexder on PC(aka 286/386)
Man, Thexder doesn't get enough love. I picked that up for the FC about a year ago and was like man this is pretty awesome! I like the style. There aren't too many games like it. Its like a shooter/adventure hybrid.
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 01/12/2011, 10:23 PMQuoteMan, Thexder doesn't get enough love. I picked that up for the FC about a year ago and was like man this is pretty awesome! I like the style. There aren't too many games like it. Its like a shooter/adventure hybrid.
They remade it for the ps3 it will be released soon
Take a look
http://dlgames.square-enix.com/jp/ps3_dl/2010/thexderneo/
hooooohhh damn that looks sweet. I need to get that.
Altho BL was the first tg shootr I played, I VERY first I can remember, I believe, was called Star Strike on Intellivision.
Between rounds of Burgertime, we would pop it in and intentionally lose so we could watch the earth get blown to pieces!!
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 01/12/2011, 10:23 PMYou forgave someone for losing all your games because he was good at games? Hey, send me some stuff to borrow. :)
Well not really the reason. The guy was ghetto poor and he most likely pawned my games. My friend's cousin who also hanged out with Floyd did the same thing except with my SNES games around that time like Super Metroid, Dracula X, Actraiser and UN Squadron. I knew for sure my friend's cousin did it cause he did it to him as well.
The thing that pisses me off the most is that I let them borrow these games expecting them back. They didn't get shit for pawning them compared to what I paid or would have to pay to replace them. With Floyd it wasn't a huge deal since they were really cheap and common NES games, but the SNES games with the other guy were worth 8x more.
What is it about ghetto poor kids pawning their so called friends stuff? That is even worse than straight stealing them in some ways. I don't worry about it now, but at the time I was really pissed. I kinda forgave Floyd since I really think he is mildly autistic. Look how I quoted his words. Oh well, all in the past.
Vanguard for 5200.
First I can remember that actually scrolled as the OP mentioned, was probably River Raid on the 2600. After that, on the NES, Tiger-Heli. And then they get muddled....
I'm not sure which one would have been first exactly but it definitely was on a NEO-GEO arcade cabinet.
One of the first shooters I played was Space Invaders in the arcade. An early one that made a big impression on me was Sinistar.
Quote from: CrackTiger on 03/15/2011, 03:34 PMOne of the first shooters I played was Space Invaders in the arcade. An early one that made a big impression on me was Sinistar.
the cockpit cabinet sinistar was awesome
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/15/2011, 06:46 PMQuote from: CrackTiger on 03/15/2011, 03:34 PMOne of the first shooters I played was Space Invaders in the arcade. An early one that made a big impression on me was Sinistar.
the cockpit cabinet sinistar was awesome
Hell yeah I remember Sinistron! He scared the shite out of me when I was little!
I can't remember the 1st one, but Life Force on the NES made the biggest impression on me. The 1st stage's Brain Boss would probably go on a personal top 10 list of memorable 8-Bit boss fights.
I played Space Invaders in 1985 on some Texas Instruments console my friend had.
Then Zaxxon on some IBM.
Then Life Force on the NES, the first time I thought "whoa, shooters are cool."
If you're counting old old school, then space invaders for me, other than that it was Ikaruga on Gamecube.
Quote from: tsuran on 03/16/2011, 12:17 AMIf you're counting old old school, then space invaders for me, other than that it was Ikaruga on Gamecube.
That's one hell of a time gap! :)
Quote from: Mathius on 03/16/2011, 12:22 AMQuote from: tsuran on 03/16/2011, 12:17 AMIf you're counting old old school, then space invaders for me, other than that it was Ikaruga on Gamecube.
That's one hell of a time gap! :)
Seriously. Well, I can't recall the very first shoot-em-up (it would be a tie between a bunch of games), but I can tell you that I obsessed over Asteroids, Space Invaders and
MEGA ZONE in the arcade and Combat (2600).
There was a handheld LCD CALCULATER around 80-81 I obsessed over that had a shoot-em-up on it (diamonds and arrows for all the graphics, it actually was quite well done!)
Quote from: esteban on 03/16/2011, 04:04 PMThere was a handheld LCD CALCULATER around 80-81 I obsessed over that had a shoot-em-up on it (diamonds and arrows for all the graphics, it actually was quite well done!)
Was that a calculator that had a plastic slider thingy that covered most of the LCD screen in calculator mode but then slid to cover the calculator keys to reveal a screen with a little control stick/button? I had the "adventure" version of that one, the adventure game was pretty good! Of course, it might suck if I see it again.
It might have been like the "space-n-counter" found on this page: http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/calculator/index7.html
Oh, I think I found the one I had: http://www.handhelden.com/misc/ChaseNCounter.html
Quote from: Mathius on 03/16/2011, 12:22 AMQuote from: tsuran on 03/16/2011, 12:17 AMIf you're counting old old school, then space invaders for me, other than that it was Ikaruga on Gamecube.
That's one hell of a time gap! :)
Yeah, lol it was one of the genre's I had never gotten into before i got older, I was always into platformers when I was young
Does Centipede or Galaga count? I can remember a few in the 'cades that I might have played... Defender perhaps?
For consoles, I'm pretty sure that the first shmup I owned was for the Coleco Vision. I cannot remember it's name, but it was by SEGA, and in the game you controlled a triangle of like 5 space ships. When you got hit one of your ships would explode and you'd have to continue onward till you beat the level or till you were all out of ships. It was actually a pretty awesome concept.
Quote from: JoshTurboTrollX-16 on 03/17/2011, 05:19 PMDoes Centipede or Galaga count? I can remember a few in the 'cades that I might have played... Defender perhaps?
For consoles, I'm pretty sure that the first shmup I owned was for the Coleco Vision. I cannot remember it's name, but it was by SEGA, and in the game you controlled a triangle of like 5 space ships. When you got hit one of your ships would explode and you'd have to continue onward till you beat the level or till you were all out of ships. It was actually a pretty awesome concept.
I would say yes those count. I also think you're right and that is a very awesome concept for a game.
What game?
i cant think of any sega games that are like that game.
Were all these ships on screen at a time? Its not space fury is it?
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/17/2011, 06:39 PMWhat game?
i cant think of any sega games that are like that game.
Were all these ships on screen at a time? Its not space fury is it?
Zaxxon?
Quote from: guest on 10/24/2010, 03:44 PMProbably Space Invaders if you count those old hand held games.
This was my first shooter too!! I remember playing this late at night under my blanket.
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/17/2011, 06:39 PMWere all these ships on screen at a time? Its not space fury is it?
Yes all the ships were on the screen at the same time. Lemme see if I can quick make a MS pain mock up of what it looks like in my memory-
(http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z70/TurboSage/gametime.jpg)
Its not space fury, and it's not Zaxxon.... I can't remember the name....
Was it Tac/Scan: http://youtu.be/hB5bwhNSFnU ?
Your drawing looks like the Atari 2600 version: http://youtu.be/qTGkTQ3eMUQ :P
Quote from: td741 on 03/18/2011, 04:32 PMWas it Tac/Scan: http://youtu.be/hB5bwhNSFnU ?
Your drawing looks like the Atari 2600 version: http://youtu.be/qTGkTQ3eMUQ :P
HOLY CRAP 741!! That's it! Huhh- Tac-Scan.... well- at least I remembered it was by Sega...lol
I'm thinking Space Invaders on the 2600... Could have been Defender or Asteroids, though. Think my parents had all of those at the time.
Later.
Quote from: td741 on 03/16/2011, 04:42 PMQuote from: esteban on 03/16/2011, 04:04 PMThere was a handheld LCD CALCULATER around 80-81 I obsessed over that had a shoot-em-up on it (diamonds and arrows for all the graphics, it actually was quite well done!)
Was that a calculator that had a plastic slider thingy that covered most of the LCD screen in calculator mode but then slid to cover the calculator keys to reveal a screen with a little control stick/button? I had the "adventure" version of that one, the adventure game was pretty good! Of course, it might suck if I see it again.
It might have been like the "space-n-counter" found on this page: http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/calculator/index7.html
Oh, I think I found the one I had: http://www.handhelden.com/misc/ChaseNCounter.html
Yes, it most certainly was Space-n-Counter and I played the heck out of that thing. I remember when the batteries were weak, the LCD display would be so faint and flickery, but I would keep playing, just to see how long I could last. I basically was playing with only an occasional glimpse of the screen. SOMEONE SHOULD MAKE A GAME TODAY BASED ON THIS CONCEPT: Brief glimpses and auditory clues. An audio game with an optional mode that provides brief visual cues would be neat, IMHO.
Anyway, I want to play the Adventure game (Chase-N-Counter) you had!
Quote from: JoshTurboTrollX-16 on 03/18/2011, 06:59 PMQuote from: td741 on 03/18/2011, 04:32 PMWas it Tac/Scan: http://youtu.be/hB5bwhNSFnU ?
Your drawing looks like the Atari 2600 version: http://youtu.be/qTGkTQ3eMUQ :P
HOLY CRAP 741!! That's it! Huhh- Tac-Scan.... well- at least I remembered it was by Sega...lol
I thought you said it was on the Colecovision lol
Not counting all the pre-NES scrollers i played, the first shmup for me would be Xevious for NES. I put many many hours into that game as a kid. Game ruled back then. Forget all you xevious haters! Wish it had an actual ending though. Now I have to get my hands on a PCE copy if I can locate one. PCE Sale/Trade thread, here i come!
Quote from: Mishran on 04/02/2011, 01:42 AMNot counting all the pre-NES scrollers i played, the first shmup for me would be Xevious for NES. I put many many hours into that game as a kid. Game ruled back then. Forget all you xevious haters! Wish it had an actual ending though. Now I have to get my hands on a PCE copy if I can locate one. PCE Sale/Trade thread, here i come!
Not all of us dismiss Xevious :). There are a handful of old fogies here who still enjoy it. I think you'll like the PCE version.
Quote from: esteban on 04/02/2011, 10:05 AMNot all of us dismiss Xevious :). There are a handful of old fogies here who still enjoy it. I think you'll like the PCE version.
I know not everyone does. I wasn't being serious about it. :P