Written by Carol Shaw for Activision and published initially for the Atari 2600 in 1982, River Raid is an early vertically-scrolling shoot ’em up with simple graphics, challenging gameplay, and its own unique set of rules.
Tag Archives: vertical scroller
Xevious: Fardraut Saga, PC Engine
A conversion of an MSX2 remake of the classic arcade game, Xevious, published on the PC Engine by Namcot in 1990. And – like a lot of PC Engine shooters – it is a good experience.
Xevious: Fardraut Saga, MSX
Xevious: Fardraut Saga is an enhanced remake of the arcade classic Xevious, developed by Compile and initially published for the MSX2 by Namcot in 1988.
Fernandez Must Die, Commodore 64
Tony Crowther‘s 1988 tribute to Commando and Ikari Warriors, Fernandez Must Die is a scrolling shooter with military overtones.
Bump ‘n’ Jump, Arcade
Data East‘s 1982 arcade release, Bump ‘n’ Jump (aka Burnin’ Rubber in its native Japan), is a jolly, vertically-scrolling driving game with a car that can jump up into the air for a few seconds to avoid gaps in the road.
Xenon 2 Megablast, Amiga
This 1989 shooter was designed by The Bitmap Brothers but programmed by The Assembly Line – a collaboration that resulted in one of the best-remembered Bitmap Brothers‘ games.
Salamander, Arcade
Konami‘s Salamander is a classic scrolling shooter first released into arcades in 1986. It is part of the Gradius/Nemesis series and features both side-scrolling and vertically-scrolling gameplay set over six different levels.
Galaga ’88, Arcade
Namco‘s classic arcade sequel was initially released in 1987 in Japan – 1988 everywhere else – and proved a big hit with shoot ’em up fans with its fast graphics and colourful, firework-like explosions.
Crazy Climber, Arcade
Crazy Climber is an early colour video game, released into arcades in 1980 by Nichibutsu. The basic premise is to climb up the face of a large building to reach the helicopter at the top.
Terra Cresta, ZX Spectrum
A conversion of the superb Nichibutsu arcade game, programmed by the late Jonathan Smith and published by Imagine Software in 1986.
