Shooters have been a fixture in arcades as long as there have been arcades. The first shooters weren’t even video games, but rather mechanical devices that actually fired pellets at physical objects within the cabinet.
There are many great shooters that didn’t make this list, like Crossbow from Exidy, and Revolution X from Midway. Crossbow, in particular, was notable for its early use of digitized sound effects that could be heard the instant someone entered the arcade. Most shooters had a light gun that the players would use, but this wasn’t a necessary aspect for a game to be shooter. Here are the 10 best shooter games of all time.
10 Cabal
Cabal, published by Taito, was released in arcades in 1988. It is unique among games on this list in that the player doesn’t use a gun replica for aiming their shots – Cabal used a trackball for moving the character and aiming reticle around the screen (the character could only be moved left and right).
Cabal was ahead of its time; it featured destructible environments and was one of the first shooters to implement defensive elements into the gameplay. The action could get intense as enemies filled the screen, and their bullets were spraying everywhere. Plus, upon completion of each level the player-character would happily run (almost dance) to the horizon.
9 Operation Wolf
Operation Wolf, by Taito, was an innovative game when it was released in the arcades in 1987. It actually had a story-line; not much of one to be honest, but there was a narrative that was advanced as the player progressed through the stages. The arcade cabinet for Operation Wolf featured an Uzi replica that was mounted to the cabinet.
This replica could be swiveled side-to-side and could be also aim up and down. The coolest feature was that the light gun had a rumble-pack to simulate recoil. In the later stages the difficulty of this game rumps-up to an almost unfair level.
8 Lucky And Wild
This is a hidden gem among arcade games – if there is such a thing. Lucky and Wild was not just a shooter. It was also not just a shooter that incorporated driving: seat, steering wheel, and pedals included.
This game also allowed two people to play simultaneously. One player drove the car and also had a pistol (a wired light gun), while the other player sat in the passenger seat and was also armed with a pistol. Lucky and Wild was released in the arcades in 1992 by Namco. The only complaint most players have about this game is the 2D sprites the developers used for the enemies’ and their cars. Had this game been made a few years later, 3D polygon models would probably have been used instead.
7 Area 51
Area 51, published by Atari, was released in the arcades 1995. This shooter takes place at the famous Area 51 military base, and it is up to the player(s) to defend the base against aliens (called the Kronn) and their mutated human minions.
The action is fast-paced in Area 51, but the difficulty never feels overly cheap, which is far too common in arcade shooters. The game is played with the light gun pistols wired to the arcade cabinet and features many power-ups such as shotguns and machine guns. Area 51 was ported to the PS1 and Sega Saturn, but neither is as good as the arcade original.
6 T2: Terminator 2: Judgement Day
This shooter is of course based on the blockbuster movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The game is played with light guns in the shape of a submachine gun that are mounted to a swiveling base. The game’s story starts in the future and puts the player(s) in the role of a reprogrammed T-800 cyborg in the middle of the war between humans and machines.
After the first four stages, the game’s setting changes to the 1990s and the objective becomes to keep the young John Connor alive. Terminator 2: Judgement Day won several awards the year it was released and is usually found in lists of great arcade games.
5 Virtua Cop Series
The first Virtua Cop, by Sega, was one of the first shooters that used 3D polygons for the levels and enemies instead of 2D sprites and static backgrounds. The result was a very fluid game with more realistic physics – enemies reacted differently depending on where they were shot.
There are three games in the Virtua Cop series, with the third being the best. Virtua Cop 3 introduced the ability to slow down time by pressing a foot pedal and also allowed the player to switch between two different gun types on the fly. Unfortunately, there was never a port of Virtua Cop 3 to home consoles.
4 The Ocean Hunter
This shooter was released in the arcades in 1998 by Sega. This rail-shooter is a bit different than the others in this list in that most of the action takes place underwater against giant sea monsters. The players use a turret with dual grips mounted to the arcade cabinet.
Not only is The Ocean Hunter a very fun game, but it also has a lot of levels for a shooter with seven levels and an end boss fight (fought in three stages). Each of the seven levels also has a sub-boss and main boss as well. This arcade cabinet was difficult to find, and unfortunately, it was never ported to home consoles.
3 House Of The Dead Series
The House of the Dead games are iconic – when people are discussing arcade shooters, these are almost always some of the first games mentioned. There are several House of the Dead games, but the best of the arcade releases are probably House of the Dead 2 and 3.
Like the Virtua Cop games, Sega used 3D polygons to construct the enemies and environment in the House of the Dead series. These games are also notoriously difficult and filled with violent imagery – even for an arcade shooter. Nearly all of the games in this franchise have been ported to home consoles.
2 Time Crisis Series
Namco shows up on this list again with their highly acclaimed arcade shooter series called Time Crisis. These games added a cover system to the shooter genre; the player could duck behind cover using a foot pedal and remain in cover until ready. Hiding behind cover would also reload the player’s ammunition.
Like Virtua Cop this series was made with 3D polygon enemies and environments instead of 2D sprites. The cover system added a “fairness” that most arcade shooters were lacking; most arcade shooters are excessively difficult games. There were several Time Crisis games, but the best are probably Time Crisis II and Time Crisis 4.
1 Star Wars Battle Pod
Battle Pod was released in the arcades in 2014 by Bandai Namco, so its graphics are much better than the other games. There were two versions of the Star Wars Battle Pod arcade cabinet – a two-player model with a flat-screen and a one-player model with a curved screen.
The version with the curved screen is the version that earned this game the top spot on this list. The screen fills the player’s entire field of view and gives the game a 3D aspect. The game’s 3D effect is good enough to give an occasional adrenaline rush – especially when swooping down on the Death Star.