Arcade Archives: Gaplus

Gaplus is a fixed shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It was the only other game to run on Namco Phozon hardware, and in the US, a modification kit was later released to change the name to Galaga 3, possibly to increase recognition among fans of the games even though there was no "Galaga 2". Since Gaplus is a sequel to Galaga, it has similar gameplay. The player controls a spaceship, that can now move vertically (limited to halfway up the screen, much like Atari's Centipede) as well as horizontally, and shoots at swarms of incoming insect-like aliens which fly in formation above it and swoop down to attack it in akamikaze-like dive. In this sequel, the level starts over if the player gets killed before all the enemies have come in. When all enemies are killed, the player moves on to the next level. By obtaining certain powerups, it is possible to shoot sixty bullets per screen, the most any Galaxian-related game has.

"Galaxian" is a shooting game released by Namco in 1979. You control a Galaxip and shoot aliens that approach you in eerie curves. Aliens during the assault double your score, and the flagship (Galboss) can be shot at in turn, starting with the escort (red alien), for a higher score. Deftly dodge enemy aliens and destroy the large formation.

Strike back with powerful Blaster Head weapons!

Pac-Man 12-in-1 Legacy Series is an arcade machine bundle by Arcade1Up that features various arcade games from Namco.

Akka Arrh is a previously unreleased prototype game created 1982 for the arcade. It saw it's first release in 2022 as part of the the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.

A small, fast-paced game inspired by SEGA’s "Fantasy Zone" series. Play through four worlds in frenetic arcade action as you help the hero, Opbot, evade aliens, enemies, and things from another dimension on their way to freedom!

Warblade is a shareware computer game for Microsoft Windows and OS X, written by Norwegian developer Edgar M. Vigdal. The Windows version runs well on Linux under Wine. It is also available for retail in the App Store for iOS devices (in iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad versions). The game is a 2D space shooter in the vein of the perennial classic Galaga. It is a rewrite and modernization of a popular Amiga shareware game, Deluxe Galaga, which was written by the same author back in the mid-1990s. Where technically possible, the graphics and sounds are respectful to their Amiga origins.

Moon Patrol is a side-scrolling shooter that puts players at the controls of a six-wheeled moon rover that can jump and shoot. The goal is to move through the entire course as quickly as possible while shooting enemies for additional points. Cannons are mounted on the front and top of the vehicle, and both fire simultaneously when the fire button is pressed. Rocks, mines, and pits in the course prevent you from just holding to the right for maximum speed. Rocks and mines can be shot, but pits must be jumped. Some enemies fire shots that create new pits in the course, forcing players to react quickly.

Blazing Star is a scrolling shooter video game for the Neo Geo home game system. It is the sequel to the acclaimed Neo Geo shooter Pulstar, which was itself a close cousin to the R-Type franchise. A typically hefty Neo Geo ROM at 346 Mb, the game makes extensive use of pseudo-3D prerendered sprites, brief anime and CGI cutscenes (mostly during the intro sequence), and frequent Engrish voice samples and captions. While Blazing Star was superior in many respects to previous shooter games, some fans compare it unfavorably with Pulstar on the basis that Blazing Star was overly easy and there are those that prefer the simpler 2D sprite look over the prerendered sprites that came to dominate many of the more recent shoot-em-ups.

Salamander is a scrolling shooter arcade game released by Konami as a spin-off to Gradius. It introduced a simplified power-up system, two-player cooperative gameplay and both horizontally and vertically scrolling stages. Some of these would later become the norm for future Gradius games.

Join Section 9 in a first person shooter experience. Become a member of an elite force of cybernetically enhanced combat operatives dedicated to the defense of society, and use your advanced firepower, Tachikoma Tanks and unique cyber skills to bring down cyber terrorists in a connected world.

Use creative combat tactics and skill shots to earn high scores as you teleport through city streets and rooftops in an awe-inspiring ballet of bullets. Tear apart your robot foes and use them to fend off the enemy onslaught. Unlock, customize and test weapons before taking on challenges that put your newfound skills to the test!

Space Pirate Trainer is the official trainer for wannabe space pirates on the HTC Vive. Pick up your blasters, put on your sneakers, and dance your way into the Space Pirate Trainer hall of fame.

The game of Astro Fighter consists of 4 waves and a refueling stage, which are then repeated with increasingly higher difficulty. The player's task is to eliminate the four successive waves of different types of attacking craft, while avoiding being hit by missiles and bombs, and then refuel by shooting the 'GS' ship before repeating the process. The player starts with 3 lives and receives a bonus life on reaching a score of 5000. 300 bonus points are received for shooting each 6 falling bombs and for 950 for hitting the GS ship accurately on the first shot. A very large bonus of 10,000 is given for getting through 4 waves and refueling by using exactly 2 shots more than the minimum needed. As the higher levels of Astro Fighter are difficult to survive consistently, even for the best players, the highest scores have been achieved by the achieving the 10,000 bonus deliberately.