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==History== In 1975, [[Taito]] released ''[[Western Gun]]'' (''[[Gun Fight]]''), designed by ''[[Space Invaders]]'' creator [[Tomohiro Nishikado]].<ref name="Kohler">{{Citation|author=[[Chris Kohler]]|year=2005|title=[[Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life]]|page=18|publisher=[[BradyGames]]|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=auMTAQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-03-27}}, ISBN 0-7440-0424-1</ref> It was an early [[Multiplayer|two-player]], [[Run and Gun|on-foot]], multidirectional shooter, which was also the first video game to depict a gun on screen,<ref name="Kotaku">{{Cite web|author=Stephen Totilo|title=In Search Of The First Video Game Gun|publisher=Kotaku|date=August 31, 2010|url=http://kotaku.com/5626466/in-search-of-the-first-video-game-gun|accessdate=2011-03-27}}</ref> introduced [[Dual analog control|dual-stick]] controls with one eight-way [[joystick]] for movement and the other for changing the shooting direction,<ref name="Kotaku"/><ref>{{KLOV|10420|Western Gun}}</ref> and was the first known video game to feature [[Player character|game characters]] and fragments of story through its visual presentation.<ref name="Kohler"/> [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[Sheriff]]'' (designed by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]), released in 1979, was a [[Run & Gun video games|run & gun]] [[Multi-directional shooter video games|multi-directional shooter]] that featured [[Dual analog control|dual-stick]] controls, with one [[joystick]] for movement and the other for aiming, and a large number of enemies shooting many bullets, paving the way for dual-stick shooters such as ''[[Robotron: 2084]]'' and later ''[[Geometry Wars]]''.<ref name="1up.com">[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3181467 Where Were They Then: The First Games of Nintendo, Konami, and More (Nintendo)], [[1UP.com|1UP]]</ref> The first [[Side-scrolling shooter video games|side-scrolling]] run & gun shooter was ''[[Jump Bug]]'', released in 1981. In 1982, several early vertical-scrolling run & gun shooters were released, including Taito's ''[[Front Line]]'', an early military-themed multi-directional shooter to have players control foot soldiers rather than vehicles,<ref>{{KLOV|7859|Front Line}}</ref> Taito's ''[[Wild Western]]'', where the player character on a horse must defend a moving train from robbers,<ref>{{KLOV|10436|Wild Western}}</ref> and [[Jaleco]]'s ''[[Naughty Boy]]'', about a boy who throws rocks at monsters to destroy them, with the longer the fire button held down, the farther the character can throw rocks, while featuring boss encounters and bonus rounds.<ref>{{KLOV|8832|Naughty Boy}}</ref> 1983 saw the release of [[Enix]]'s ''[[Kagirinaki Tatakai]]'', an early run & gun shooter for the [[Sharp X1]] computer that featured fully [[destructible environment]]s, a convincing [[physics engine]], and a choice of several different weapons.<ref name=Retro>{{Cite web|author=John Szczepaniak|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers4.htm|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|page=4|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|accessdate=2011-03-16}} Reprinted from {{Citation|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009}}</ref> That same year also saw the release of another early run & gun shooter for the Sharp X1, ''[[Bangai-O#Series|Hover Attack]]'',<ref name=Retro/> which freely scrolled in all directions, allowed the player to shoot diagonally as well as straight ahead,<ref name=IGN-Retro>{{Cite web|author=Travis Fahs |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/861/861550p2.html |title=The Leif Ericson Awards - Retro Feature at IGN |publisher=Retro.ign.com |date= |accessdate=2011-09-06}}</ref> and let the player fire in any direction independent of the direction the character is moving. ''Hover Attack'' (1983) is known for inspiring the later more famous ''[[Bangai-O]]''.<ref name=Retro/> In 1985, [[Game Arts]] released ''[[Thexder]]'', a breakthrough title for run & gun shooters on home systems.<ref name=IGN-Retro/> In 1985, Konami released ''[[Rush'n Attack]]'', also known as ''Green Beret'', one of the first [[side-scroller|side-scrolling]], [[Run and Gun|run & gun]] shooters, paving the way for franchises such as ''[[Contra]]'', ''[[Bionic Commando]]'', ''[[Metal Slug (series)|Metal Slug]]''. Another 1985 run & gun shooter was ''[[Baraduke]]'', which inspired ''[[Metroid]]'' (1986). SEGA's ''[[Space Harrier]]'', a rail shooter released in 1985, broke new ground graphically and its wide variety of settings across multiple levels gave players more to aim for than high scores.<ref>Buchanan, Levi, [http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/906/906935p1.html Space Harrier Retrospective], ''IGN'', September 5, 2008, Accessed February 17, 2009</ref><ref name="1upharrier">Maragos, Nich, [http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3111360 Space Harrier (PS2)], ''1UP,'' January 1, 2000, Accessed February 17, 2009</ref> It was one of the first arcade games to use [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit graphics]] and SEGA's "Super Scaler" technology that allowed pseudo-3D [[2.5D|sprite-scaling]] at high [[frame rate]]s,<ref>[http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p3.html IGN Presents the History of SEGA: World War], [[IGN]]</ref> with the ability to scale as many as 32,000 [[sprites]] and fill a moving landscape with them.<ref>Bernard Perron & Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), ''Video game theory reader two'', p. 157, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-415-96282-X</ref> It was also an early example of a [[third-person shooter]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=Relayer71 2/20/11 6:02 PM |url=http://www.gamezone.com/editorials/item/sega_franchises_that_deserve_the_platinum_games_treatment/ |title=Top 10 SEGA Franchises That Deserve Platinum Treatment |publisher=GameZone.com |date= |accessdate=2011-09-06}}</ref> Shoot 'em ups such as [[SNK Playmore|SNK]]'s ''[[Ikari Warriors]]'' (1986) featuring characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, became popular in the mid-1980s in the wake of action movies such as ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985).<ref name=GameSpot>[http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6089278/p-2.html The History of SNK], ''GameSpot,'' Accessed February 16, 2009</ref> The most influential game of this type was ''[[Commando]],'' released in 1985.<ref name="ysguide2"/> ''Commando'' also drew comparisons to [[Rambo]]<ref>Segre, Nicole, "Commando," ''Sinclair User,'' February 1986 (issue 47)</ref> and indeed contemporary critics considered military themes and protagonists similar to Rambo or Schwarzenegger prerequisites for a shoot 'em up, as opposed to an [[action-adventure]] game.<ref name="ysguide2"/> In 1986, [[Arsys Software]] released ''[[Wibarm|WiBArm]]'', a shooter that switched between a [[2D]] [[side-scrolling]] view in outdoor areas to a fully [[3D]] polygonal [[third-person]] perspective inside buildings, while bosses were fought in an arena-style 2D battle, with the game featuring a variety of weapons and equipment.<ref name=Retro/> In 1987, Square's ''[[3-D WorldRunner]]'' was an early stereoscopic 3-D shooter played from a third-person perspective,<ref>{{Allgame|1136|3-D WorldRunner}}</ref> followed later that year by its sequel ''[[JJ]]'',<ref>{{Allgame|14936|JJ: Tobidase Daisakusen Part II}}</ref> and the following year by ''[[Space Harrier 3-D]]'' which used the [[SEGAScope]] [[Liquid crystal shutter glasses|3-D shutter glasses]].<ref>{{Allgame|11730|Space Harrier 3-D}}</ref> Also in 1987, Konami created ''[[Contra]]'' as an coin-op arcade game that was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two player cooperative gameplay. However, by the early 1990s and the [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|popularity of 16-bit consoles]], the scrolling shooter genre was overcrowded, with developers struggling to make their games stand out (one exception being the inventive ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'', by [[Treasure (company)|Treasure]]).<ref>[http://uk.top100.ign.com/2005/081-090.html IGN's Top 100 Games], ''IGN,'' July 25, 2005, Accessed February 19, 2009</ref> In the 1990s, while shooter games featuring protagonists on foot largely moved to 3D-based genres (such as [[first-person shooter]] and [[third-person shooter video games]]), popular, long-running series such as ''[[Contra series|Contra]]'' and ''[[Metal Slug (series)|Metal Slug]]'' continued to receive new sequels.<ref name="contraDS">Magrino, Tom, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6172812.html?tag=result;title;0 Contra conquering DS], ''GameSpot,'' June 20, 2007, Accessed February 17, 2009</ref><ref>Staff, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/2882026.html?tag=result;title;9 Contra Q&A], ''GameSpot,'' October 1, 2002, Accessed February 17, 2009</ref><ref>Bozon, Mark, [http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/752/752045p1.html Metal Slug Anthology Review], ''IGN,'' December 20, 2006, Accessed February 17, 2009</ref>
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