Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: The Guide to Shoot-Em-Ups Volume 1

ABOUT

The first volume of Hardcore Gaming 101's Guide to Shoot-Em-Ups, written by Kurt Kalata with eight contributors and self-published print-on-demand in December 2016, in colour paperback and PDF editions. It grew out of the retro gaming site's long-running coverage of the genre.

The book surveys more than fifty games of the 1980s and 1990s organised by developer: Compile with Zanac, the Aleste and Power Strike line, MUSHA, Space Megaforce and The Guardian Legend; Hudson with Star Soldier, Gate of Thunder and Sapphire; Technosoft with the Thunder Force series and Hyper Duel; Irem with R-Type, X-Multiply and Dragon Breed; plus the Cotton and Rayxanber series and standalone pieces on Recca, Magical Chase, Coryoon and Gleylancer. The cover art is inspired by Naoyuki Kato, who painted the Japanese artwork for The Guardian Legend.

English-language books on the genre are rare, and this series is the closest thing to a critical reference written from the player's side.

CONTENTS

• Compile: Zanac, Aleste and Power Strike, MUSHA, Space Megaforce, The Guardian Legend
• Hudson: Star Soldier, Gate of Thunder, Sapphire
• Technosoft: Thunder Force series, Hyper Duel
• Irem: R-Type, X-Multiply, Dragon Breed
• Cotton series
• Rayxanber series
• Recca, Magical Chase, Coryoon, Gleylancer and other standalone titles

DESCRIPTION

Blast off and check out the first in HG101's line of books on shoot-em-ups! Volume 1 covers over fifty titles from the glory days of the 80s and 90s, by such legendary developers as Compile (Zanac, Aleste / Power Strike, MUSHA, Space Megaforce, The Guardian Legend), Hudson (Star Soldier, Gate of Thunder, Sapphire), Technosoft (Thunder Force, Hyper Duel), Irem (R-Type, X-Multiply, Dragon Breed), Cotton, Rayxanber, and several other individual titles like Recca, Magical Chase, Coryoon, and Gleylancer. Featuring a cover inspired by the works of Naoyuki Kato, who illustrated the Japanese artwork for The Guardian Legend.

Blast off and check out the first in HG101's line of books on shoot-em-ups! Volume 1 covers over fifty titles from the glory days of the 80s and 90s, by such legendary developers as Compile (Zanac, Aleste / Power Strike, MUSHA, Space Megaforce, The Guardian Legend), Hudson (Star Soldier, Gate of Thunder, Sapphire), Technosoft (Thunder Force, Hyper Duel), Irem (R-Type, X-Multiply, Dragon Breed), Cotton, Rayxanber, and several other individual titles like Recca, Magical Chase, Coryoon, and Gleylancer. Featuring a cover inspired by the works of Naoyuki Kato, who illustrated the Japanese artwork for The Guardian Legend.

GAMES IN THIS BOOK

Aleste 2 1989 Compile Aleste Gaiden 1989 Compile Blast Wind 1997 Technosoft Blazing Lazers 1989 Compile Blazing Star 1998 Yumekobo Cosmic Cop 1991 Irem Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams 1997 Success Cotton Boomerang 1998 Success Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams 1991 Success Corporation Dragon Breed 1989 Irem Elemental Master 1991 Technosoft Final Soldier 1991 Hudson Soft GG Aleste 1991 Compile Gate of Thunder 1992 Red Entertainment Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire 1995 CAProductions Guardic 1986 Compile Gulkave 1986 Compile Gun Nac 1990 Compile Hyper Duel 1993 Technosoft Image Fight 1988 Irem Insector X 1988 HOT-B Last Resort 1992 SNK Lords of Thunder 1993 Red Entertainment Mystic Riders 1992 Irem Over Horizon 1991 HOT-B Panorama Cotton 2021 Success Power Strike II 1993 Compile Pulstar 1995 Aicom R-Type 1987 Irem R-Type Delta 1998 Irem R-Type II 1989 Irem R-Type III: The Third Lightning 1993 Raylight Studios R-Type Leo 1992 Irem Rainbow Cotton 2000 Success Rayxanber 1990 Data West Rayxanber II 1991 Data West Rayxanber III 1992 Data West Rude Breaker 1996 Compile Soldier Blade 1992 Hudson Soft Space Megaforce 1992 Compile Spriggan Powered 1996 Micronics Star Force 1985 Tehkan Star Parodier 1992 Kaneko Star Soldier 1986 Konami Star Soldier R 2008 Hudson Soft Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth 1998 Hudson Soft Summer Carnival '92 Alzadick 1992 Naxat Soft Summer Carnival '92: Recca 1992 KID Corp. Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly-Paradise 1993 Dual Corporation Super Star Soldier 1990 Inter State Co. Syd Mead's Terraforming 1992 Sylphia 1993 Compile X Multiply 1989 Irem Zanac 1986 Compile Zanac X Zanac 2001 Compile Aleste 1988 Compile M.U.S.H.A. 1990 Compile The Guardian Legend 1988 Compile Thunder Force 1983 Tecno Soft Magical Chase 1991 Quest Coryoon 1991 Naxat Soft Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer 1992 NCS Corporation

DETAILS

WHERE TO GET IT

Searched by ISBN, so a shop that has this exact edition will show it and one that does not will come back empty. Most of these were printed in Japan and never distributed elsewhere.

ALSO IN THIS SERIES

Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: The Guide to Shoot-Em-Ups Volume 2