I always enjoyed Shoot 'em Up games ( or 'SHMUPs' as originally coined by Zzap!64 magazine eons ago ). Some of my earliest memories of arcade and home computer gaming are of Zaxxon, Galaga, Transbot et al. and the onslaught of twitch-blasters and Raiden clones that ensued. However, I never actually declared the SHMUP to be among my favourite genres. Wonderboy III, Street Fighter II, Super Famicom Squaresoft RPGs and eventually Mario 64 ensured that my interest in shoot 'em ups was all but forgotten.

Until Ikaruga.

Since experiencing Treasure's seminal SHMUP opus, I have since rediscovered my childhood love of skillful, no-bullshit, 'gameplay is king' two dimensional shooters. It is in this genre I now find refuge from the barrage of current video game experiences chasing more polygons and more realism dumbed down for the new 'revolution' of casual users. It is this genre which has now been forced into niche / retro status and claimed extinct among most major circles. While platformers, beat-em-ups and every other facet of video gaming felt the pressure to conform to a new 3D polygonal reality, the Shoot 'Em Up remained defiant - becoming one of the last strongholds from a golden age when gameplay and raw skill really were king - where the experience was ( and is ) immediately engaging and where risk / reward factors were, at times, balanced to perfection. While the world waits for the next big First Person Shooter or Hollywood knock-off, certan groups of developers ( mostly in Japan ) continue to evolve and refine the SHMUP genre for small pockets of eager fans. Above all, this website is a tribute to their diligent work and craftsmanship, and to our ongoing ( or rekindled ) love for their games. Cheers !

Jae Lurman / 2004