Enemy waves, tight patterns and score chasing: the shoot'em up (shmup) is the school of precision and cool nerves. RomWize re-ranks the best games in the genre by its re-evaluated scores, each with its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Treasure's most mythical vertical shooter, with a brilliant polarity mechanic. Patterns become puzzles, scoring soars to peaks and the aesthetics stay sublime. An absolute masterpiece."
"The absolute peak of the Gradius franchise developed by Treasure. Precision bullet patterns, level variety and the depth of the Options system make this shoot'em up an unchallenged benchmark. A genre masterpiece, graphically impressive and technically perfect on PS2."
"A peak of vertical shooting by Compile, with exceptional smoothness and design. MUSHA remains one of the prettiest and most playable shmups on the console."
"A vertical shooter with brutal scoring and gorgeous moody visuals. Mastering the controls takes work but every death teaches something. A gem for fans of old school challenge."
"Treasure's absolute masterpiece, considered by many as the greatest shmup ever made. Seven combinable weapon types, incredibly deep scoring system, epic bosses. Saturn exclusive of extraordinary richness. A work to own at any cost."
"One of the most iconic shooters in the Master System catalogue. Difficult, precise and ingeniously designed. The Force device and fantastic level design have lost none of their appeal across the decades."
"Technosoft masterpiece, peak of the Thunder Force series. Breathtaking hybrid 3D/2D graphics for Saturn, legendary metal soundtrack, exemplary fluid gameplay. One of the best horizontal shmups across all consoles."
"Ketsui Kizuna Jigoku-tachi Extra is a Cave bullet hell on PS3 with an additional arrange mode. Intense danmaku with dense bullet patterns, ultra-hardcore difficulty. The genre reference for shmup purists."
"The G.I. Joe franchise game on NES: solid action-platformer with multiple characters of distinct abilities. Hasbro and Taxan deliver a licensed game well above average."
"An unexpected Treasure gem. A bonkers omnidirectional shooter that crams the screen with missiles without losing readability, with wild bosses, an absurdist plot and ferocious difficulty. A compact experience of rare intensity, deservedly cult."
"Strikers 1945 sequel, more ambitious with futuristic planes mixed with wartime aircraft. Refined gameplay, more memorable bosses. Generally considered superior to the first. The definitive Psikyo WWII experience on Saturn."
"A Warashi vertical shooter mixing danmaku with a grappling hook and kawaii aesthetics. The enemy grabbing system is brilliant, scoring deep and the mood bubbly. A shmup win."
"A Namco vertical shoot'em up with a mythological dragon. The extra-head power-ups are a delight. Polished visuals, well-measured challenge. An excellent overlooked shooter in the NES catalogue."
"Colony Wars Vengeance is the direct sequel with a new protagonist and a passionate revenge story. Space combat gameplay is refined and mission freedom increased. Probably the finest entry in the trilogy, technically impressive on PS1."
