A new console generation, a new Sega compilation. That seems to be the mantra Sega has adopted with its back catalog. Unlike Nintendo’s drip-feed approach to Virtual Console (RIP) or Sony’s refusal to even allow for backward com...

A lot of shoot 'em ups (shmups) come across my desk: like a lot. And I could be happier. There are a lot of genres out there that have been "dead" or "dying" for years, even decades. Folks don't see shmups in arcades anymore (hell they don'...

I'm going to be honest with you guys: I can barely keep track of games occurring on one screen, these days. Any time I have to pay attention to what's going on at two different places, I'm pretty much destined for failure. Multiply that for...

Retro game fans Hamster has once again pulled out an SNK blast from the past for re-release on modern platforms. This week saw the release of Ninja Commando, now available on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.Released in the Global Hypercol...

Developer Tozai Games has announced that their remastered editions or Irem's classic shmups, R-Type and R-Type II, are headed to PC and Nintendo Switch this Winter, in the form of R-Type Dimensions.Originally launching on PS3 and Xbox 360 i...

This week, Hamster fly back into the mid-'80s to bring you an early entry in the vertically-scrolling shmup genre, Jaleco's Argus, available now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.Launching in arcades in 1986, just as arcade gaming began to revive ...

Switch physical releases are all the rage, within the Switch community at least. Publishers aren't huge on them as indicated by many instances where they skipped over them entirely, or lamented on the "Switch tax," or the extra cost associa...

The rise of the digital era has had a tremendous impact on physical media. As more and more people buy games online some retailers are shrinking their shelf space, leading to many pundit's predicting that physical media will continue to dry...

The splendid run-and-gun game Cuphead continues to sell well and every time we hear about a new sales milestone, I feel reassured. It's wonderful to know that this type of game can be embraced at this level. The latest word: Cuphead has sur...

Thanks to the retro-gaming fans over at Hamster, Arcade fans have a chance to revisit one of the oddest shmups of the late '90s, as SNK's Prehistoric Isle 2 is now available to download on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.Released in 1999,...

I'm happy to see 2008's Prince of Persia make it to Xbox One via backward compatibility. At the time, it was a departure for the series and that understandably led to divisiveness among Prince of Persia fans, but gosh dang if it isn't a ple...

Two legendary SNES shmups, R-Type III and Super R-Type, are getting a limited edition reproduction cart courtesy of Retro-Bit Publishing. Putting both games on a single cart, the $59.99 package comes with an embossed box, a full-color instr...

One of the reasons shmups were such a prevalent genre in the '80s arcade scene was the simplicity of creating an in-game universe. Just grab yourself a black screen to represent space, dot in some pixel stars, overlay your sprites and you'r...

We know Yoko Taro can be an eccentric dude, but he also has great taste. Speaking to Famitsu in regards to the recent re-release of Ikaruga (and NieR: Automata on Xbox One for that matter), Taro mused on how the classic shoot 'em up (shmup)...

Taito's intergalactic space shooter Darius, first launched in 1986, set a benchmark for the shmup genre with its amazing, fast-paced action. Next year, fans will have a chance to relieve the arcade classic and its many sequels with a new co...

With more and more Nintendo Switch games supporting vertical display functionality, it's high time someone came out with a Switch accessory built specifically with tate mode in mind. Jeremy Parish, Mike Choi, and the folks at Fangamer have ...

City Connection have released a new trailer for the upcoming Psyvariar Delta, showing off the customisation modes and features that will be available in the bullet hell blaster.Among the features coming to the-release of the classic arcade ...

Treasure has released further details on the PS4 port of their Magnum Opus, the 2001 bullet-hell masterpiece that is Ikaruga.The colour-defined shmup will be made available on PS4 on June 29. Not only that, but PS4 Pro owners will be able t...

Treasure has announced that, following its recent Nintendo Switch port, its classic arcade shmup Ikaruga is on its way to PS4.Rumblings of a PS4 port first happened earlier this year, when a rating for the 2001 game showed up on Germany's r...

Some of you may remember Galak-Z -- the fun but flawed anime love-letter shoot 'em up from 2015. Some of you probably don't. And that's okay! Because with an impending Switch release, you're probably going to be hearing about it soon enough...

I've been talking to a few friends quite a bit about the recent Switch release of Ikargua. It was kind of a turning point for the genre when it was released worldwide in 2003 on the GameCube, as it brought Treasure to the forefront in the w...

Ikaruga is one of the purest gaming experiences out there. It's a brutally difficult shoot-'em-up, the kind of short-but-sweet game that takes a clever mechanic, explores it to its full extent, and doesn't pack on any unwanted fat. You coul...

Serious Sam might not be a household name, but that hasn’t stopped the guy from appearing in a crazy amount of games. Developer Croteam and publisher Devolver Digital have always had a fondness for the character and that has extended ...

Hamster have added a new title to their Nintendo Switch Arcade Classics Archive range: Nichibutsu's Terra Cresta, which is available to download from the eShop right now.Releasing back in 1985, the vertically scrolling shmup was the success...

I Hate Running Backwards was a surprise hit from PAX for me, so I'm happy to report that the game is coming out damn soon! For gamers on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, you'll be able to join Sam Stone and his motley crew of Devolver Digital stars on...