4 Great Retro Shoot-Em-Ups You Probably Missed

The golden age of the scrolling shooter is long gone, but a devoted few remain, playing classics from Cave and Treasure, and even importing more recent titles that just have no marketing pull in the United States. Despite their scarcity now, they used to be the ones running the show during the 8 and 16 bit eras, and here are some you probably missed.

Gley Lancer

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This originally Japan-only shoot-em-up for the Mega Drive (Sega Genesis for us American folks) was developed by Masaya and released in 1992. It's got a great recipe for scrolling shooting, combining successful elements from other games by having 7 different weapon pickups which are upgradeable, and 7 different formations for your "Movers" (Like "Options" from Gradius.) The story, while generic, is actually pretty solid for a scrolling shooter, and fans of the genre will be sure to enjoy this one. You can pick up a Sega Genesis reproduction for about $60.

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War

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This 1990 Natsume shooter has you controlling not a ship, but a man in a suit, armed with a laser weapon. Like most shmups, there are upgrades and rotating "Options." The gameplay is visceral, as you fight your way through the planet Abadox, which has been consumed by the giant alien Parasitis. Blast your way through various organs, as well as a partially digested dog, and jam out to some great 8 bit tunes. You can pick this up for your NES for about $5-$8.

RayForce/Layer Section/Galactic Attack/GunLock

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Depending on where you live and whether you played the arcade or Sega Saturn version, this game could have one of four names - Layer Section for the Japanese home version, GunLock for the Arcade version, RayForce for the European home version, and Galactic Attack for the US home version. The game utilizes a brilliant "Lock On" mechanic where you can target enemies on the ground or below you and take them out before they get up to your level to start firing. With brilliant graphics, a pumping soundtrack, and TATE mode, you can't go wrong for a $25-$35 game COMPLETE. It's also the prequel to...

RayStorm

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Working Designs sure did bring us a lot of great games. One of those games was RayStorm, and oft overlooked gem, much like its predecessor on the ill-fated Sega Saturn, RayStorm offered a great shoot-em-up experience for the console it was on, and this PS1 shooter should be a classic to any shmup fan. With a similarly awesome (if not better) soundtrack than RayForce, and awesome new 3d visuals and worlds (making the lock on mechanic that much sweeter), this game is well worth the $20-$30 complete it's fetching for nowadays.