Tag Archives: Shmups

Battle of the Ports – Gunbird (ガンバード) – Arcade / Saturn / PS1 / PS2 / Android

Gunbird is like stepping into an arcade fever dream where the only rule is “fly fast, shoot faster, and try not to question why a witch on a broom is battling robots.” This classic vertical-scrolling shooter drops you into a world where ancient treasure hunters don’t bother with shovels; they prefer high-powered airships and endless waves of absurdly hostile enemies. You’ve got a roster of eccentric characters, from Marion, the aforementioned witch with zero chill, to Ash, a grumpy adventurer whose solution to everything is “more bullets.” The plot? Something about gathering magic mirrors to summon a wish-granting bird. But let’s be honest, you’ll be too busy dodging neon death rays to care.

The gameplay is pure chaos—screen-filling explosions, relentless bosses, and enough flying projectiles to make you wonder if dodging should be an Olympic sport. Power-ups drop like candy, giving you temporary godlike firepower before the game humbles you with a well-placed laser to the face. And the humor? Top-notch. The bosses shout ridiculous one-liners, and your characters respond with quips that make you question their life priorities. It’s the kind of game where you’ll laugh, cry, and probably scream when you lose your last life to a pixel-sized enemy you swore you dodged. Gunbird doesn’t just test your reflexes—it tests your ability to survive pure, unadulterated mayhem with a grin.

The PS4 is a SHOOT ‘EM UP fan’s DREAM MACHINE! 😍

There are so many great arcade-style shoot em ups (shmups) on the PlayStation 4. And many got a physical release! 

GAMES SHOWN:

Shikhondo – Soul Eater

Battle Garegga

Raiden V

Pawarumi

Ketsui Deathtiny

R-Type Dimensions EX

Psyvariar Delta

ESP Ra.De. Psi 

Dangun Feveron

Sisters Royale

Sine Mora EX

Dimension Drive

Caladrius Blaze

Jamestown+

Razion EX REVIEW (Switch) – Bullet Heaven

Razion EX is launching on the eShop on September 16th! (Script is designed for post-release viewership)

It took a bit of effort on the shmup community’s part, but Razion EX is finally being made available on the Nintendo eShop. It has a ton of mystique, thanks to its very limited and sought-after release, but now anyone at all can download and play it for themselves! Our review. Bullet Heaven

Best Shoot Em Ups for Beginners

Shmup Junkie – What are the Best Shoot Em Ups for Beginners? Are they just easy? Do they teach important skills for improving at Shoot em Ups? Or are they just fun and it’s doesn’t matter. By popular demand, instead of a hardest shmups video, this Shooter 101 focuses on the best shmups for beginners. From the 90s shooters on the PC Engine and Mega Drive, to the bullet hell games of Cave and Touhou, which shmups have the best easy and novice modes to learn and improve. Also featuring games on Steam and PS4 for those playing on modern systems or on a computer. Of course, this is just a small sampling of many great games for beginners, so check out the list in this description for even more great, beginner shoot em ups to try.

10 Shmup Gems you should check out

Radical Reggie – DJ and I put another list of games you all should check out. Shooter/Shmups/Shoot em ups are what I like to call a totally games I can always go back and play. Thought the demand is not as high as it was in the 90’s for them, I’m Glad companies and fans show their die hard love for these type of games to this day.

Games shown:

Super Raiden (PC engine)

AirGrave (ps1)

Two-Tenkaku (ps1)

Ibara (ps2)

L Dis (Pc engine)

Twinkle Star Sprites: La Petite Princesse (ps2)

bokandesuyo (ps1)

GiaSeed (ps1)

Pop’n Twin bee (snes)

Pop’n Twin Bee yahoo (ps1)