105-636: Contra III: The Alien Wars is a 1992 run and gun video game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third home console entry in the Contra series after Contra (1988) and Super C (1990) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). In PAL regions , it was retitled Super Probotector: Alien Rebels and the player characters were replaced with robots. The player
210-408: A side-scrolling format. Later notable side-scrolling run and gun shooters include Namco's Rolling Thunder (1986), which added cover mechanics to the formula, and Data East's RoboCop (1988). In 1987, Konami created Contra , a side-scrolling coin-op arcade game, and later a NES game, that was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two-player cooperative gameplay. By
315-431: A sub-genre of action games . There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character movement, while others allow a broader definition including characters on foot and a variety of perspectives. The genre's roots can be traced back to earlier shooting games , including target shooting electro-mechanical games of
420-471: A "shmup" or "STG" (the common Japanese abbreviation for "shooting games"), is a game in which the protagonist combats a large number of enemies by shooting at them while dodging their fire. The controlling player must rely primarily on reaction times to succeed. Beyond this, critics differ on exactly which design elements constitute a shoot 'em up. Some restrict the genre to games featuring some kind of craft, using fixed or scrolling movement. Others widen
525-401: A black background. It had a more interactive style of play than earlier target shooting games, with multiple enemies who responded to the player-controlled cannon's movement and fired back at the player. The game ended when the player was killed by the enemies. While earlier shooting games allowed the player to shoot at targets, Space Invaders was the first where multiple enemies fired back at
630-584: A challenge against Apple's iPod line, which by that time did not have a portable video player. Creative Technology planned to be the first to introduce a player based on PMC. Digital video recorders (DVC) were highly prolific during the show of 2004, as well as the HDMI interface. The Blu-ray Group held at the PRIL April 2004 CES the first US press conference to promote the Blu-ray Disc format. The 2005 CES
735-822: A free update. In Japan, the compilation initially came with the Japanese and European versions of the game without the North American Contra III . Factor 5 developed a port for the Game Boy ; it was released on September 23, 1994 in Japan, and in November in North America. The game was released in Europe in October as Probotector 2 with the player characters redrawn as robots. The game
840-445: A life. The Japanese version of the game is easier than the other ones thanks to having unlimited continues and the final boss appearing when it is played on normal difficulty. Contra III was developed by Konami with a team led by Nobuya Nakazato. Although this was Nakazato's third year at Konami, Contra III is the first Contra game he worked on, having only previously done informal playtesting for Super C (1990). He believed
945-410: A mid-stage boss. The player will lose a life by touching enemies or their bullets, or falling down a pit. The player is equipped with two machine guns that can be swapped at will and upgraded with power-ups . These power-ups are typically dropped from flying pods and include alternate shot types: homing missiles, torpedoes, a flamethrower, a laser, and a spread shot. Picking up a power-up will replace
1050-555: A more successful attempt to incorporate a 3D perspective into shooter games; Tempest went on to influence several later rail shooters. Sega's Zaxxon (1981) introduced isometric video game graphics to the genre. The term "shmup" is believed to have been coined in 1985 by the British Commodore 64 magazine Zzap!64 . In the July 1985 issue, the term was used by the editor Chris Anderson and reviewer Julian Rignall . 1985 saw
1155-693: A preview version of Windows XP Media Center Edition at CES 2002. The Memory Stick PRO was introduced as a joint effort between Sony and SanDisk . Adobe announced Adobe Photoshop Album to import, organize and edit digital photos, and allows quick and easy searching and sharing of entire photo collections. Pentax announced the OptioS digital camera. Sony launched its first DVD Handycam Camcorders . Olympus announced weather proof metal body Olympus mju U10D, S300D, u300D and 400 Digital cameras. The first handheld video players based on Microsoft's Portable Media Player (PMC) were introduced. The media saw this as
SECTION 10
#17328921168401260-417: A rail shooter released in 1985, broke new ground graphically and its wide variety of settings across multiple levels gave players more to aim for than high scores. In 1986, Arsys Software released WiBArm , a shooter that switched between a 2D side-scrolling view in outdoor areas to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses were fought in an arena-style 2D battle, with
1365-473: A shoot 'em up, as opposed to an action-adventure game . The success of Commando and Ikari Warriors led to run and gun games becoming the dominant style of shoot 'em up during the late 1980s to early 1990s, with the term "shoot 'em up" itself becoming synonymous with "run and gun" during this period. Konami 's Green Beret (1985), known as Rush'n Attack in North America, adapted the Commando formula to
1470-495: A slightly slower framerate. The Super NES release of Contra III received considerable praise for its visuals and sound design. Its use of Mode 7 , sprite scaling, and sprite rotation was commended for being well-integrated with the gameplay and not a gimmick. Electronic Gaming Monthly ( EGM ) wrote that these special effects pushed the limits of the Super NES hardware. Along with Computer and Video Games ( CVG ), they admired
1575-526: A straight line at constant speeds. The player's character can collect " power-ups " which may afford the character's greater protection, an " extra life ", health, shield, or upgraded weaponry. Different weapons are often suited to different enemies, but these games seldom keep track of ammunition. As such, players tend to fire indiscriminately, and their weapons only damage legitimate targets. Shoot 'em ups are categorized by their design elements, particularly viewpoint and movement: Fixed shooters restrict
1680-516: A third-person view, and featured the use of force feedback , where the joystick vibrates. Over the course of the 1990s, a new subgenre of shooters evolved, known as " danmaku ( 弾幕 , "barrage") in Japan, and often referred to as "bullet hell" or "manic shooters" in English-speaking regions. These games are characterized by high numbers of enemy projectiles, often in complex "curtain fire" patterns, as well as collision boxes that are smaller than
1785-487: A vehicle or spacecraft under constant attack. Thus, the player's goal is to shoot as quickly as possible at anything that moves or threatens them to reach the end of the level, usually with a boss battle . In some games, the player's character can withstand some damage or a single hit will result in their destruction. The main skills required in shoot 'em ups are fast reactions and memorising enemy attack patterns. Some games feature overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles and
1890-555: A wrap-around game world, unlike most later games in the genre. The scrolling helped remove design limitations associated with the screen, and it also featured a minimap radar. Scramble , released by Konami in early 1981, had continuous scrolling in a single direction and was the first side-scrolling shooter with multiple distinct levels . In the early 1980s, Japanese arcade developers began moving away from space shooters towards character action games , whereas American arcade developers continued to focus on space shooters during
1995-482: Is a subgenre of shooters in which the screen becomes crowded with complex "curtain fire" enemy patterns. It is also characterized by collision boxes that are smaller than the sprites themselves, to accommodate maneuvering through these crowded firing patterns. This style of game, also known as "manic shooters" or "maniac shooters", originated in the mid-1990s as an offshoot of scrolling shooters. The DonPachi and Touhou Project series are early titles establishing
2100-769: Is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada , United States, the event typically hosts presentations of new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry. CES 2024 was held from Jan 9–12. Press days started two days prior. The first CES was held in June 1967 in New York City . It
2205-590: Is director Nobuya Nakazato's first project in the Contra series, later acting as producer and director. Programmers Hideyuki Suganami and Mitsuru Yaida left Konami shortly after Contra III to work at the then-newly-founded Treasure , where they helped develop Gunstar Heroes (1993) and Alien Soldier (1995), which both expanded on the run and gun game formula defined in Contra III . Run and gun video game Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are
SECTION 20
#17328921168402310-517: Is good for quick-starting stress relief. Contra III was released in Japan on February 28, 1992, and North America on March 26. In Europe, the game was retitled Super Probotector: Alien Rebels and released on September 12, 1992. In Super Probotector , the gameplay and story remained mostly the same, but the designs of the player characters were changed to resemble robots. Due to technical differences in PAL Super NES systems, Super Probotector has
2415-440: Is mostly identical to the Super NES version but features some differences: some levels are missing, there is no ability to swap weapons, and there is no spinning attack. The game also features color graphics and improved sound when played through a Super Game Boy . Critics thought it was an excellent conversion of the Super NES version, with GamesMaster calling it "one hell of an achievement". Critics also extended their praise to
2520-477: Is notable for using a traditional fantasy setting in contrast to most shoot 'em up games filled with science fiction motifs. R-Type , an acclaimed side-scrolling shoot 'em up, was released in 1987 by Irem , employing slower paced scrolling than usual, with difficult, claustrophobic levels calling for methodical strategies. 1990's Raiden was the beginning of another acclaimed and enduring series to emerge from this period. Run and gun games became popular in
2625-859: Is still a single axis of motion, making these a subset of fixed shooters. Rail shooters limit the player to moving around the screen while following a specific route; these games often feature an "into the screen" viewpoint, with which the action is seen from behind the player character , and moves "into the screen", while the player retains control over dodging. Examples include Space Harrier (1985), Captain Skyhawk (1990), Starblade (1991), Star Fox (1993), Star Wars: Rebel Assault (1993), Panzer Dragoon (1995), and Sin and Punishment (2000). Rail shooters that use light guns are called light gun shooters , such as Operation Wolf (1987), Lethal Enforcers (1992), Virtua Cop (1994), Point Blank (1994), Time Crisis (1995), The House of
2730-600: Is tasked with fighting off an alien invasion of Earth across six stages. Four stages feature side-scrolling action traditional to the series while two are presented from an overhead perspective. It is the first Contra title to have been directed by Nobuya Nakazato who later directed other games in the series. He designed Contra III to feature more comical elements, a more cinematic soundtrack, and tighter stage design than its predecessors. Contra III received positive reviews, with critics praising its arcade quality derived from its sound and visual design. It has been called one of
2835-503: The Geometry Wars series, Space Invaders Extreme , Super Stardust HD , and Resogun . The concept of shooting games existed before video games , dating back to shooting gallery carnival games in the late 19th century and target sports such as archery , bowling and darts . Mechanical target shooting games first appeared in England 's amusement arcades around the turn of
2940-569: The Front Line tank shooter format with unique rotary joystick controls, which they later combined with Commando -inspired run and gun gameplay to develop Ikari Warriors (1986), which further popularized run and gun shooters. Ikari Warriors also drew inspiration from the action film Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), which it was originally intended to be an adaptation of. Contemporary critics considered military themes and protagonists similar to Rambo or Schwarzenegger prerequisites for
3045-527: The Philips Compact Cassette analog audio tape system: MiniDisc created by Sony and Digital Compact Cassette (DCC), created by Philips and Matsushita . In a one-time experiment, the 1993 Summer CES was open to the general public. Major announcements during this edition were: AT&T displayed prototype AT&T 3DO units at the Winter CES. The 1998 CES was dominated by players for
3150-661: The Summer Consumer Electronics Show (SCES). The winter show was held in Las Vegas in 1995 as planned. However, since the summer Chicago shows were beginning to lose popularity, the organizers decided to experiment by having the show travel around to different cities starting in 1995 with a planned show in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center . However, the inaugural E3 gaming show
3255-462: The Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 and Wii online services, while in Japan arcade shoot 'em ups retain a deep-rooted niche popularity. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2005 and in particular stood out from the various re-releases and casual games available on the service. The PC has also seen its share of dōjin shoot 'em ups like Crimzon Clover , Jamestown: Legend of
Contra III: The Alien Wars - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-430: The vertical scrolling format later popularized by Capcom 's Commando (1985), which established the standard formula used by later run and gun games. Sega's Ninja Princess (1985), which released slightly before Commando , was a run and gun game that was distinctive for its feudal Japan setting and female ninja protagonist who throws shuriken and knives. SNK 's TNK III , released later in 1985, combined
3465-762: The "Best of Innovators" award for Personal Electronics. It is the only British company to have won this award. The 2006 exhibition took place on January 5–8, 2006, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Convention Center , the Alexis Park hotel and the Las Vegas Hilton hotel. HDTV was a central theme in the Bill Gates keynote as well as many of the other manufacturer's speeches. The standards competition between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc
3570-813: The 1970 CES, Philips unveiled the first-ever home VCR , the N1500 videocassette recorder. Until that point, VCRs cost upward of $ 50,000 and were used mainly by TV stations, but the Philips model with a built-in tuner was just $ 900. The 1976 Winter CES was held January 7–9 in Chicago at the Conrad Hilton Hotel. Per the show guide, it included video (with television receivers and video systems panels), audio (including CB radio, radio, audio compacts, audio components, and tape equipment panels), and calculator and watch areas (considered separate component conferences). Speakers included
3675-498: The 1980s to early 1990s, diversifying into a variety of subgenres such as scrolling shooters, run and gun games and rail shooters. In the mid-1990s, shoot 'em ups became a niche genre based on design conventions established in the 1980s, and increasingly catered to specialist enthusiasts, particularly in Japan. " Bullet hell " games are a subgenre of shooters that features overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles , often in visually impressive formations. A "shoot 'em up", also known as
3780-614: The 1981 CES, Philips and Sony introduced the CD player , which they had developed together. The 1982 Summer CES in Chicago at McCormick Place saw the first appearance of the Commodore 64 and General Consumer Electronics' Vectrex . In 1983, Summer CES retired to McCormick Place in Chicago and featured the introduction of the Coleco Adam and the Atari 600XL . The Amiga was first shown publicly at
3885-567: The 1984 Summer CES. In addition, Japanese jazz fusion artist Ryo Kawasaki performed with the Commodore 64 as a demo for the Kawasaki Synthesizer . At the 1985 Summer CES, Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the American version of its Famicom, with a new case redesigned by Lance Barr and featuring a " zero insertion force " cartridge slot. The video game Tetris
3990-522: The 20th century, before appearing in America by the 1920s. Shooting gallery games eventually evolved into more sophisticated target shooting electro-mechanical games (EM games) such as Sega 's influential Periscope (1965). Shooting video games have roots in EM shooting games. Video game journalist Brian Ashcraft argues the early mainframe game Spacewar! (1962) was the first shoot 'em up video game. It
4095-495: The 21st best Super Nintendo game. They praised its intensity and wrote: "If not for [ Contra: Hard Corps ], this would be the best Contra in the entire series, by far." IGN ranked the game 24th in their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time." Contra III has been rereleased on Nintendo's online distribution services. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console in January 2007 in Japan and North America, and Super Probotector
4200-663: The CES portion of the show was cancelled. In 1998, the show changed to a once-a-year format, with Las Vegas as the location. In Las Vegas, the show is one of the largest (the other being CONEXPO-CON/AGG ), taking up to 18 days to set up, run and break down. The first CES was held in New York City from June 24 to 28, 1967. The 200 exhibitors attracted 17,500 attendees to the Hilton and Americana hotels over those four days. Also displayed were pocket radios and TVs with integrated circuits . At
4305-507: The Dead (1996) and Elemental Gearbolt (1997). Light-gun games that are "on rails" are usually not considered to be in the shoot-em-up category, but rather their own first-person light-gun shooter category. Cute 'em ups feature brightly colored graphics depicting surreal settings and enemies. Cute 'em ups tend to have unusual, oftentimes completely bizarre opponents for the player to fight, with Twinbee and Fantasy Zone first pioneering
Contra III: The Alien Wars - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-520: The FTC's Joan Bernstein on "The Warranty Law – Its Status and Impact", and the FCC's Richard M. Smith on "Regulating Citizens' Band Radios". The 1976 Summer CES was also held June 13–16 in Chicago at McCormick Place. The Atari VCS was shown publicly for the first time at the 1977 CES. The 1979 Winter CES was held in January in Las Vegas. Atari 400 and 800 computers were introduced. Bill Gates appeared at CES for
4515-528: The Las Vegas Hilton, with contributions from Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo , CEO of Nokia and John Chambers , CEO of Cisco . In the gaming section for Windows Vista and DirectX 10, there were two games shown: Age of Conan and Crysis . The 2008 exhibition was from January 7 to 10, 2008, in Las Vegas with 141,150 attendees. Bill Gates gave the keynote speech, in which he formally announced his retirement from his day-to-day duties at Microsoft. Along with
4620-467: The Lost Colony , Xenoslaive Overdrive , and the eXceed series . However, despite the genre's continued appeal to an enthusiastic niche of players, shoot 'em up developers are increasingly embattled financially by the power of home consoles and their attendant genres. Consumer Electronics Show CES ( / ˌ s i . i . ˈ ɛ s / ; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show )
4725-479: The Month" and said it matched the quality of arcade games. Zero agreed, writing that "everything about this game speaks coin-op quality." In retrospective reviews, IGN called it "arguably the best installment in the Contra series" and "one classic that deserves its place in the video game hall of fame". GameSpot also called it one of the best in the series. Both noted its satisfying level of difficulty but said
4830-530: The Sunday evening. The opening keynote was presented by Gary Shapiro (President/CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association , which hosts the event), with Ed Zander , Chairman/CEO of Motorola . Other keynote speakers scheduled included Robert Iger from The Walt Disney Company , Michael Dell , founder of Dell Inc., and Leslie Moonves of CBS . Finally, Industry Insider presentations moved to
4935-549: The Super Game Boy enhancements, though Electronic Gaming Monthly criticized the control scheme using the Super NES controller. At E3 2002, Konami announced the development of a remake of Contra III for the Game Boy Advance . The port was titled Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX and released in November 2002 in Japan and North America, and February 2003 in Europe. The secondary weapon slot and bombs were omitted from
5040-404: The Super NES version the 8th best console game of all time, remarking that "This game has everything: huge bosses, Mode 7 stages, ultradeep gameplay - all wrapped up in a beautifully atmospheric post-apocalyptic package." In 1995, Total! rated the game 15th on their "Top 100 SNES Games." Nintendo Power ranked it as the third best Super NES game of 1992. In 2018, Complex listed Contra III as
5145-401: The Super NES's Mode 7 rendering mode. In the side-scrolling stages, the player progresses by running, jumping, and shooting at enemies. In the overhead stages, the player navigates across the stage to find and destroy predetermined targets. The stages each feature unique controls, giving the player the ability to rotate the screen to navigate. All stages have a boss at the end and occasionally
5250-424: The announcement, he presented a lengthy comedy skit on what his last day with Microsoft would be like, complete with cameos from celebrities including Jay-Z , Steven Spielberg , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton and many others. Panasonic attracted much attention by releasing a 150" Plasma TV as well as a 50" TV as thin as 0.46 inches (11.6 mm). The 2009 exhibition, held January 7–10, 2009, returned to
5355-427: The best Contra games in retrospective reviews and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time . It was ported to the Game Boy as Contra: The Alien Wars (1994) by Factor 5 where it received positive reviews for its Super Game Boy enhancements. Konami also released a Game Boy Advance port titled Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX (2002) which received more critical reviews for removing features in
SECTION 50
#17328921168405460-586: The burgeoning DVD format, with a variety of features and price points. The DIVX format was also showcased, but received relatively little attention, and no companies had DIVX players on display. Microsoft and chair Bill Gates officially unveiled the final design of its Xbox console and controller. The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) announced expansion of Charge Up to Recycle! program to include all consumer rechargeable batteries, adding Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), and Small VRLA (SSLA/Pb). Microsoft demonstrated
5565-467: The change may upset series fans, but believed it would be more entertaining. One scene added to accomplish this is a sequence where the player hangs from flying missiles. This strains the Super NES's sprite capabilities, so the team used background tiles to draw the helicopter and missiles in the scene. Making the graphics appear to move like sprites in the foreground required clever programming tricks. The Super NES allowed for "raster scrolling", which allowed
5670-629: The closure of Toaplan, the following year, a number of studios formed from former Toaplan staff that would continue to develop this style, including Cave (formed by Batsugun's main creator Tsuneki Ikeda) who released 1995's seminal DonPachi , and Takumi, who would develop the GigaWing series. Bullet hell games marked another point where the shooter genre began to cater to more dedicated players. Games such as Gradius had been more difficult than Space Invaders or Xevious , but bullet hell games were yet more inward-looking and aimed at dedicated fans of
5775-629: The early 1980s, up until the end of the arcade golden age. According to Eugene Jarvis , American developers were greatly influenced by Japanese space shooters but took the genre in a different direction from the "more deterministic, scripted, pattern-type" gameplay of Japanese games, towards a more "programmer-centric design culture, emphasizing algorithmic generation of backgrounds and enemy dispatch" and "an emphasis on random-event generation, particle-effect explosions and physics" as seen in arcade games such as his own Defender and Robotron: 2084 (1982) as well as Atari's Asteroids (1979). Robotron: 2084
5880-400: The early 1990s and the popularity of 16-bit consoles , the scrolling shooter genre was overcrowded, with developers struggling to make their games stand out, with exceptions such as the inventive Gunstar Heroes (1993) by Treasure . Sega's pseudo-3D rail shooter Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom demonstrated the potential of 3D shoot 'em up gameplay in 1982. Sega's Space Harrier ,
5985-503: The emergence of one of Sega's forefront series with its game Fantasy Zone . The game received acclaim for its surreal graphics and setting and the protagonist, Opa-Opa, was for a time considered Sega's mascot . The game borrowed Defender's device of allowing the player to control the direction of flight and along with the earlier TwinBee (1985), is an early archetype of the "cute 'em up" subgenre. In 1986, Taito released KiKi KaiKai , an overhead multi-directional shooter. The game
6090-494: The first games to popularize twin-stick controls was Robotron: 2084 (1982). Space shooters are a thematic variant of involving spacecraft in outer space . Following the success of Space Invaders , space shooters were the dominant subgenre during the late 1970s to early 1980s. These games can overlap with other subgenres as well as space combat games . Tube shooters feature craft flying through an abstract tube, such as Tempest (1981) and Gyruss (1983). There
6195-529: The first time, introducing the first BASIC compiler for the Apple II . Texas Instruments showed off the TI-99/4. The 1979 Summer CES was held June 3–6 in Chicago at McCormick Place . Features (per the show guide) included personal communications, retail advertising, promotion and store layout, exports, video, audio, auto sound/telephone sales, and a large series of retail sales and sales management breakouts. At
6300-452: The game featuring a variety of weapons and equipment. In 1987, Square's 3-D WorldRunner was an early stereoscopic 3-D shooter played from a third-person perspective, followed later that year by its sequel JJ , and the following year by Space Harrier 3-D which used the SegaScope 3-D shutter glasses . That same year, Sega's Thunder Blade switched between both a top-down view and
6405-426: The game was somewhat short compared to modern games. USgamer wrote that it was a good challenge and "practically synonymous with SNES ownership". Eurogamer called Contra III "exemplary" and debatably one of the best games in its genre. In 2009, Official Nintendo Magazine ranked the game 51st in a list of the greatest Nintendo games, calling it "Hectic, relentless and very challenging". In 1997 EGM ranked
SECTION 60
#17328921168406510-431: The genre looking for greater challenges. While shooter games featuring protagonists on foot largely moved to 3D-based genres, popular, long-running series such as Contra and Metal Slug continued to receive new sequels. Rail shooters have rarely been released in the new millennium, with only Rez and Panzer Dragoon Orta achieving cult recognition. In the early 2000s, the genre achieved recognition through
6615-399: The long haul" every play session. To combat this, he established a key concept for something interesting to happen every three screen scrolls. This made the game content feel more dense and gave it a " boss rush " type feel. Nakazato believed Contra III ' s fast-paced action was going against the trend of home console games shifting to slow-paced strategy and role-playing games , and
6720-420: The mid-1980s. These games feature characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, and often have military themes. The origins of this type of shooter go back to Sheriff by Nintendo , released in 1979. SNK 's Sasuke vs. Commander (1980), which had relatively detailed background graphics for its time, pit a samurai against a horde of ninjas , along with boss fights . Taito's Front Line (1982) introduced
6825-411: The mid-20th-century, but did not receive a video game release until Spacewar! (1962). The shoot 'em up genre was established by the hit arcade game Space Invaders , which popularised and set the general template for the genre in 1978, and has spawned many clones. The genre was then further developed by arcade hits such as Asteroids and Galaxian in 1979. Shoot 'em ups were popular throughout
6930-432: The mobile game Space Impact , which is considered one of the important games in the history of mobile games . Treasure's shoot 'em up, Radiant Silvergun (1998), introduced an element of narrative to the genre. It was critically acclaimed for its refined design, though it was not released outside Japan and remains a much sought-after collector's item. Its successor Ikaruga (2001) featured improved graphics and
7035-413: The music. Critics found the gameplay enjoyable and a good challenge. CVG called it a cross between Strider (1989) and Midnight Resistance (1989), and enjoyed the athletic climbing ability of the characters. Along with EGM , they believed the top-down stages added good variety. Mean Machines called the game "ultra-addictive, arcade quality blasting action." EGM dubbed Contra III its "Game of
7140-401: The name change to Contra III in its coverage of Winter CES in 1992. Nakazato believed Contra had a low-budget movie theme. To emphasize this, he asked the sound team to change the music as the stages progressed to give a cinematic style. He also believed the action in earlier Contra games is too realistic, so for Contra III he wanted to include more comical elements. He was concerned
7245-576: The original arcade version of Contra (1987) was difficult to play because of its vertical screen, but he did enjoy the Famicom port. Nakazato's team worked in Konami's new offices in Tokyo, seated next to the arcade team that had developed Contra . Nakazato shared progress on Contra III with the arcade team and received positive feedback. In early coverage, the game was known as Contra IV . Nintendo Power reported
7350-491: The original. The Super NES version was rereleased several times on Nintendo 's online distribution services. Contra III is a side-scrolling run and gun game akin to the series' predecessors. Players take on the role of commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean fighting off an alien invasion on Earth. It can be played in single-player or a two-player cooperative mode. There are six stages in total; four are side-scrolling while two are presented in an overhead perspective using
7455-452: The player against multiple enemies descending from the top of the screen at a constantly increasing speed. Nishikado conceived the game by combining elements of Breakout (1976) with those of earlier target shooting games, and simple alien creatures inspired by H. G. Wells ' The War of the Worlds . The hardware was unable to render the movement of aircraft, so the game was set in space, with
7560-401: The player and enemies to a single screen, and the player primarily moves along a single axis, such as back and forth along the bottom of the screen. Examples include Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Phoenix (1980), and Galaga (1981). In Pooyan (1982), the fixed axis of movement is vertical, along the right side of the screen. In Centipede (1980) and Gorf (1981),
7665-574: The player has to memorise their patterns to survive. These games belong to one of the fastest-paced video game genres . Large numbers of enemy characters programmed to behave in an easily predictable manner are typically featured. These enemies may behave in a certain way dependent on their type, or attack in formations that the player can learn to predict. The basic gameplay tends to be straightforward with many varieties of weapons. Shoot 'em ups rarely have realistic physics. Characters can instantly change direction with no inertia , and projectiles move in
7770-491: The player in a trance-like state. In trance shooters, enemy patterns usually have randomized elements, forcing the player to rely on reflexes rather than pattern memorization. Games of this type usually feature colorful, abstract visuals, and electronic music (often techno music ). Jeff Minter is commonly credited with originating the style with Tempest 2000 (1994) and subsequent games including Space Giraffe , Gridrunner++ , and Polybius (2017). Other examples include
7875-480: The player primarily moves left and right along the bottom, but several inches of vertical motion are also allowed within an invisible box. Multidirectional shooters allow 360-degree movement where the protagonist may rotate and move in any direction such as Asteroids (1979) and Mad Planets (1983). Multidirectional shooters with one joystick for movement and one joystick for firing in any direction independent of movement are called twin-stick shooters . One of
7980-415: The player's flying vehicle moving forward, at a fixed rate, through an environment. Examples are Scramble (1981), Xevious (1982), Gradius (1986), Darius (1987), R-Type (1987), Einhänder (1997). In contrast, Defender (1981) allows the player to move left or right at will. Run and gun games have protagonists that move through the world on foot and shoot attackers. Examples include
8085-549: The player. It also introduced the idea of giving the player multiple lives and popularized the concept of achieving a high score . With these elements, Space Invaders set the general template for the shoot 'em up genre. It became one of the most widely cloned shooting games, spawning more than 100 imitators with only the most minor differences (if any) from the original. Most shooting games released since then have followed its "multiple life, progressively difficult level " paradigm, according to Eugene Jarvis . Following
8190-462: The port, and the Mode 7 stages were replaced with side-scrolling stages from Contra: Hard Corps . Additionally, the game uses a password save system, and supports two-player cooperative gameplay by linking two systems with two carts. Contra Advance received "mixed or average" reviews per ratings aggregator Metacritic ; IGN criticized the removal of the Mode 7 stages for eliminating variety and GameSpot
8295-548: The principle of bullet hells. A bullet heaven or reverse bullet hell is a subgenre characterized by the player character collecting or unlocking abilities and attacks whose visuals overlap and clutter the game screen as the game progresses. They also share a feature of many enemy characters, commonly called "hordes", walking toward the player from off-screen. This genre is generally attributed to Vampire Survivors , released in 2022. A small subgenre of shooter games that emphasizes chaotic, reflex-based gameplay designed to put
8400-449: The programmers to change the graphics for each scanline . The programmers shifted the vertical sync and cut off the sprites at the scanline. The restriction is that graphics can only move horizontally along the scanline to achieve the illusion that they are actually sprites in the foreground. Nakazato was concerned the traditional pattern of weak enemies followed by a boss fight was becoming mundane and did not want players to feel "in for
8505-416: The release of Konami's Gradius , which gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy. The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success. Gradius , with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling shoot 'em up and spawned a series spanning several sequels. The following year saw
8610-612: The same as previous years: the Las Vegas Convention Center was the center of events, with the adjacent Las Vegas Hilton, and the Sands Expo and Convention Center hosting satellite exhibitions. The location for the main keynotes was the other major change for 2007. Previously held at the Las Vegas Hilton's Main Theater, they staged for the first time at The Palazzo Ballroom in The Venetian. Bill Gates gave his ninth pre-show keynote address on
8715-476: The same technology. Games for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 , Sega Genesis , and SNK's Neo-Geo took center stage. Winter CES was held in Las Vegas. A major video game of the show was Street Fighter II on the SNES. In the summer CES held in Chicago and dominated by video game products, Apple Inc. unveiled its Newton MessagePad . First recorders introduced for the two rival digital systems targeted as replacements for
8820-423: The scope to include games featuring such protagonists as robots or humans on foot, as well as including games featuring "on-rails" (or "into the screen") and "run and gun" movement. Mark Wolf restricts the definition to games featuring multiple antagonists ("'em" being short for "them"), calling games featuring one-on-one shooting "combat games". Formerly, critics described any game where the primary design element
8925-437: The shot type of the gun equipped, and losing a life will result in losing the power-up from the gun equipped. Bombs and a temporary barrier shield may also be dropped. The player has limited bombs, and using them will damage all enemies on the screen. The player can also perform a spinning jump, firing both guns in an aerial somersault. However, during this move, both of the player's weapons will be at risk of being lost upon losing
9030-421: The sprites themselves, allowing the player to fit between the narrow gaps in enemy fire. Bullet hell games were first popularized in Japanese arcades during a time when 3D games and fighting games were eclipsing other games. The flashy firing patterns were intended to grab players attention. Toaplan 's Batsugun (1993) is often considered a pivotal point in the development of this subgenre. After
9135-612: The subgenre, along with Parodius , Cotton , and Harmful Park being additional key games. Some cute 'em ups may employ overtly sexual characters and innuendo. Vertically scrolling shooters present the action from above and scroll up (or occasionally down) the screen. Horizontally scrolling shooters usually present a side-on view and scroll left to right (or less often, right to left). Isometrically scrolling shooters or isometric shooters , such as Sega 's Zaxxon (1982), use an isometric point of view . A popular implementation style of scrolling shooters has
9240-550: The success of Space Invaders , shoot 'em ups became the dominant genre for much of the golden age of arcade video games , from the late 1970s up until the early 1980s, particularly the "space shooter" subgenre. In 1979, Namco 's Galaxian —"the granddaddy of all top-down shooters", according to IGN—was released. Its use of colour graphics and individualised antagonists were considered "strong evolutionary concepts" among space ship games. In 1981 Gorf brought joystick control and (limited) vertical as well as horizontal movement to
9345-446: The use of Mode 7 on the top-down stages, with EGM extending their praise to the boss design on those stages. Both magazines also praised the soundtrack, with CVG calling it a combination of orchestral and rock music. Mean Machines wrote that the score rivaled that of ActRaiser (1990). Critics also praised the gun and explosion sound effects for enhancing the atmosphere, though Mean Machines believed they sometimes drowned out
9450-472: The vertically scrolling, overhead view games Front Line (1982), Commando (1985), and Ikari Warriors (1986). Side-scrolling run and gun games often combine elements from platform games , such as the ability to jump: Contra (1987), Metal Slug (1996) and Cuphead (2017). Run and gun games may also use isometric viewpoints and may have multidirectional movement. Bullet hell ( 弾幕 , danmaku , literally "barrage" or "bullet curtain")
9555-545: The vertically-oriented fixed-shooter genre, while Space Invaders and Galaxian have only horizontal movement controlled by a pair of buttons. Atari 's Asteroids (1979) was a hit multi-directional shooter, taking from Spacewar! the ability for the player's ship to roam the entire screen and to rotate, move and shoot in any direction. The Space Invaders format evolved into the vertical scrolling shooter sub-genre. SNK 's debut shoot 'em up Ozma Wars (1979) featured vertical scrolling backgrounds and enemies, and it
9660-583: Was a spinoff of the Chicago Music Show which, until then, had served as the main event for exhibiting consumer electronics. The event had 17,500 attenders and over 100 exhibitors; the kickoff speaker was Motorola chairman Bob Galvin . From 1978 to 1994, CES was held twice each year: once in January in Las Vegas as the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (WCES) and once in June in Chicago as
9765-465: Was again acclaimed as one of the best games in the genre. Both Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga were later released on Xbox Live Arcade . The Touhou Project series spans 26 years and 30 games as of 2022 and was listed in the Guinness World Records in October 2010 for being the "most prolific fan-made shooter series". The genre has undergone something of a resurgence with the release of
9870-421: Was an influential game in the multi-directional shooter subgenre. Some games experimented with pseudo-3D perspectives at the time. Nintendo 's attempt at the genre, Radar Scope (1980), borrowed heavily from Space Invaders and Galaxian , but added a three-dimensional third-person perspective; the game was a commercial failure, however. Atari's Tempest (1981) was one of the earliest tube shooters and
9975-401: Was conspicuous, with some of the first HD movie releases and first HD players being announced at the show. Philips showed a rollable display prototype whose screen can retain an image for several months. Hillcrest Labs won the "Best Of Innovations" award in the video accessories category for software and hardware that allows a television to be controlled with natural gestures. Attendance
10080-496: Was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961, for the developers' amusement, and presents a space battle between two craft. It was remade four times as an arcade video game in the 1970s. Space Invaders (1978) is most frequently cited as the "first" or "original" in the genre. A seminal game created by Tomohiro Nishikado of Japan's Taito , it led to proliferation of shooter games. It pitted
10185-565: Was first shown publicly in the U.S. at the 1988 Summer CES. The game John Madden Football was unveiled at the 1991 CES. Winter CES saw unveiling of Game Gear . In Summer CES, Sony revealed a Super Famicom with a built-in CD-ROM drive, that incorporated Green Book technology or CD-i , called "Play Station" (also known as SNES-CD ). However, a day after the announcement at CES, Nintendo announced that it would be breaking its partnership with Sony, opting to go with Philips instead while using
10290-437: Was from January 6 to 9, 2005, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Las Vegas Convention Center . The event started off with a twist when the main keynote address by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates went wrong, as his demonstration of the Xbox 360 resulted in an out of memory error , much to the amusement of the onlookers. Samsung showed off a 102-inch (2.6 m) plasma television . Zimiti Ltd (renamed Boardbug Ltd in 2007) won
10395-580: Was included in the 2017 Super NES Classic dedicated console. Both Contra III and Super Probotector were included in Contra: Anniversary Collection , a compilation of classic Contra games. It was released in June 2019 for the Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , and Windows . In addition to the Western releases, an option to play the Japanese version was added after launch in
10500-573: Was over 150,000 individuals in 1.67 million net square feet of space, making it the largest electronics event in the United States. In a break from recent tradition, the 2007 CES exhibition did not begin on a Thursday, nor span a weekend. It ran from Monday to Thursday on January 8–11, 2007. The venues also changed slightly, with the high-performance audio and home theater expo moving from the Alexis Park venue to The Venetian . The remaining venues were
10605-664: Was released on the European Virtual Console the same month. Contra III was released again for the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan and North America in November 2013, and Europe received the unmodified Contra III on the Wii U in January 2014. In May 2016, Contra III was added to the Nintendo 3DS eShop for North America and Europe for exclusive use with the New Nintendo 3DS . Contra III
10710-766: Was scheduled to be held on the West Coast in May and proved a source of increasing competition, causing the Philadelphia Summer CES show to be cancelled. The 1996 Winter show was again held in Las Vegas in January, followed by a Summer show this time in Orlando, Florida ; however, only a fraction of the traditional exhibitors participated. The next "Summer" show was scheduled to be held in conjunction with Spring COMDEX in Atlanta ; however, when only two dozen-or-so exhibitors signed on,
10815-404: Was shooting as a "shoot 'em up", but later shoot 'em ups became a specific, inward-looking genre based on design conventions established in those shooting games of the 1980s. Shoot 'em ups are a subgenre of action game . These games are usually viewed from a top-down or side-view perspective , and players must use ranged weapons to take action at a distance. The player's avatar is typically
10920-546: Was the first action game to feature a supply of energy, similar to hit points . Namco's Xevious , released in 1982, was one of the first and most influential vertical scrolling shooters. Xevious is also the first to convincingly portray dithered/shaded organic landscapes as opposed to blocks-in-space or wireframe obstacles. Side-scrolling shoot 'em ups emerged in the early 1980s. Defender , introduced by Williams Electronics in late 1980 and entering production in early 1981, allowed side-scrolling in both directions in
11025-433: Was troubled by the weaponry changes. GameSpot wrote that players familiar with Contra III on the Super NES would be disappointed, but series newcomers may enjoy it. Edge explained that the "rote learning" of enemy attack patterns did not age well, and the game's action speed did not bode well on a handheld system. In November 2015, the game was added to the Wii U Virtual console in North America and Europe. Contra III
#839160