Amazing Shoot Em Ups of the 80s and 90s

Nostalgia for the Amazing SHOOT EM UPS of the 80s and 90s is the reason I started my channel. First, to showcase all the shooters upon the release of the PC Engine Mini. Then later, to show love to all shmups of various eras, from the 8bit NES early days, to 16bit Mega Drive and Super Nintendo years, and the Bullet Hell of the Sega Saturn and Xbox 360. What made the late 80s and early 90s such a special time for shooters? Why are they now called shmups? What led to the downfall of shoot em ups in Arcades and a metamorphosis into a mostly elite, niche genre?

Join me on a journey through the late 80s and early 90s, and the peak of the shoot em up craze. What can we do to not only keep shmups alive, but help usher in a second renaissance for the genre? Without question, the 80s and early 90s was an amazing time for shoot em ups.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00​ – Shmups are Shooters
• 02:29​ – Console Wars
• 03:29​ – Arcades
• 04:19​ – Why Shooters are Amazing
• 05:29​ – Two Classics (R-Type & Gradius)
• 06:08​ – NES / FAMICOM 8bit
• 06:57​ – Sega Strikes Back – Mega Drive (Genesis)
• 07:57​ – Super Nintendo – Quality over Quantity
• 09:43​ – Rise of the PC Engine – King of Shooters
• 12:15​ – Just getting started – Shooters on CD
• 13:24​ – Peak Shooter – The Best of Days
• 14:35​ – What happened? The Decline begins
• 14:59​ – Enter the Street Fighter
• 15:55​ – The Arcade comes home – Sega Saturn and Playstation
• 16:54​ – What did you call it? First Person Shooters and the birth of Shmup
• 18:23​ – What do we do now?
• 21:22​ – The Future of Shmups

Games Shown in Amazing Shoot Em Ups of the 80s and 90s

• Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx 16)
• Life Force (NES)
• Layer Section (Arcade and Sega Saturn)
• R-Type (Arcade and TurboGrafx 16)
• Gradius (Arcade, SNES, PC Engine)
• Soldier Blade (PC Engine)
• Dodonpachi (Arcade)
• Pulstar (Neo Geo)
• Blazing Star (Neo Geo)
• UN Squadron (Super Nintendo)
• Truxton / Tatsujin (PC Engine)
• Thunder Force (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis)
• Super Mario Bros (NES)
• Zelda (NES)
• Metroid (NES)
• Ninja Gaiden (NES)
• Castlevania (NES)
• Ys Book I & II (Turbografx CD)
• Aero Blasters (Turbografx16 and Mega Drive)
• Last Resort (Neo Geo)
• Eliminate Down (Mega Drive)
• Hellfire (Mega Drive)
• Battle Garegga (Arcade, Sega Saturn)
• Nexzr (PC Engine SuperCD)
• Silpheed (Sega CD)
• Gaiares (Mega Drive / Genesis)
• Soukyugurentai (Sega Saturn)
• Parodius
• and more!

Nostalgia Clips used in this video:

• WWF Wrestlemania
• Alf
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Transformers The Movie
• Aliens
• Robotech
• Stranger Things
• War Games
• Urban Commando
• Terminator 2: Judgement Day
• Hudson Caravan Footage
• Lords of Thunder Promotional VHS by Tony Hawk
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Karate Kid
• The Last Starfighter
• Ghostbusters
• Thundercats
• Spawn
• X-Men
• Dungeons & Dragons
• and more

Want more great Nostalgia videos? Take a trip through early Arcades with my Capcom Arcade Stadium Review