Neo Geo shmup Pulstar blasts onto Xbox One

R-9? Never heard of it, mate…

Recommended Videos

Almost nothing recalls the halcyon days of the arcade quite like a shmup. The twitchy, reactive and often infuriating genre swamped game rooms the world over, ensnaring a community of masochistic fans who are still dedicated to the genre today.

SNK’s Pulstar, released in 1995, was just one more game in an overcrowded market. Whilst it has impressive visuals, thanks to its pre-rendered graphics (a first for Neo Geo hardware) Pulstar was a shameless clone of Irem’s masterful hit R-Type, liberally ripping off its main sprite, enemy movement patterns, control system, weapon power-ups and even stage designs, without quite nailing the 1987 hit’s crisp gameplay.

Regardless, Pulstar is re-releasing today on the Xbox One, priced at $7.99. Hopefully this addition to the ACA Neo Geo library paves the way for the far superior sequel, Blazing Star, given it’s previous success on the Nintendo Switch.

Pulstar now available on Xbox One [The Xbox Hub]


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Read Article Stardew Valley patch 1.6.3 gives Krobus his own portrait
Portrait of Krobus in Stardew Valley
Related Content
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Read Article Stardew Valley patch 1.6.3 gives Krobus his own portrait
Portrait of Krobus in Stardew Valley
Author
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor - Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s and writing about them since the 1880s. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse