Single Screen Kill-em-ups |
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| In the absence of an agreed upon name for these style of games I've decided that for the purpose of this article to refer to them as "Single screen Kill-em-ups" for reasons which should be pretty obvious. These games are identified for the most part by their gameplay being based around a central goal of eliminating all enemies on screen to allow you to move on, they virtually never have a straight forward way of defeating enemies but instead focus on different ways of incapacitating them first before you can defeat them. The most famous and popular example of this genre has to be Bubble Bobble, though many others of them have quite rightfully received some level of cult status among gaming fans. |
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Bubble Bobble |
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2 Player |
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Stand out versions - Variety of Systems |
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Here's the game that really popularised the whole genre, and also one of the only that managed to become a mainstream success. Bubble Bobble's premise is simple, kill all the enemies on screen by first trapping them in bubbles and then burst the bubbles. The gameplay whilst simple was instantly fun and addictive and the 2 player mode also helped to improve the whole package. |
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Bubble Bobble Part 2 |
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1 Player |
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Stand out version - NES |
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This was mainly just a case of more of the same for this sequel to Bubble Bobble although it did have the notable exception of proper backgrounds this time around and some new interesting enemy types which helped to add more variety over the original game. This did however do little to combat the unfortunate fact that the great 2-player mode was now missing. |
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Bubble Symphony |
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2 Player |
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Stand out version - Saturn |
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It was a long time coming but in 1994 Taito finally created the Bubble Bobble sequel people had been waiting for, very impressive levels of presentation, fantastic music, really nice graphics, cameos from other Taito games, not to forget a new charge shot ability to differentiate the characters, and it was very nearly worth the long wait! I feel few would dissagree this games place as the greatest ever Bubble Bobble game. |
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Don Doku Don |
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2 Players |
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Stand out versions - TG-16 |
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Hit enemies with your hammer to incapacitate them and then pick them up to throw them (preferably at other enemies). Good cheerful music, great pacing and some nice elements such as the environmental hazards and different enemy types all stand to Don Doku Don's credit. |
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Fairyland Story |
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1 Player |
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Stand out versions - MSX |
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Fairyland Story is Taito's little know precursor to Bubble Bobble, It had you turning your enemies into rocks and then pushing them off of platforms to break them, hopefully on another enemies head to get a two for one. |
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Mario Bros |
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2 Player |
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Stand out versions - NES |
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Bubble Bobble may have helped to popularise the genre but the original Mario Bros pretty much created the whole concept. Unlike the later Mario games in this instance you are completely limited to attacking your enemies by headbutting the platform underneath them to knock them upside down making them vulnerable, allowing you to simply run into them to kill them. |
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Parasol Stars |
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2 Players |
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Stand out versions - TG-16, Amiga |
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Parasol Stars marked a welcome return to the original single screen format of Bubble Bobble as whilst excellent in it's own right Rainbow Islands never truly felt like a proper sequel, this game however bridges the two games perfectly acting like a mixture both. Basically you catch the enemies (or water droplets) on your Umbrella and then throw them at other enemies. The game plays great and the boss battles are always fun. |
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Rodland |
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2 Player |
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Stand Out Version - Amiga |
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The aim here is to grab people with your fishing rod and then swing them back and forth into the ground (and into any other nearby enemies too), on top of the fantastic gameplay and excellent cutesy graphics are some very impressive boss battles. One of my personal favourites. |
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Snow Bros |
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2 Player |
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Stand out Version - Mega Drive |
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Snow Bros has you covering your enemies with snow and then rolling them down the stage killing everything in their path, the game is great fun and has a very quick pace with strategic overtones. Its quite rare but well worth picking up as it definately has to stand as one of the greatest examples of it's genre. |
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Super Methane Bros |
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2 Players |
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Stand out version - Amiga |
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Turn your enemies into gas, suck them in with your gun and fire them into walls to kill them in this fun Amiga exclusive. For the most part it kind of plays like a cross between Bubble Bobble and Don Doku Don. |
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Wani Wani World |
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2 Players |
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Stand out version - Mega Drive |
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Plays a bit like Bubble Bobble mixed with Load Runner, the aim is to remove sections of the ground which the enemies will fall through and then quickly smack them on the head with a trowel before they get back up! the enemies also explode when you kill them which lends a strategic element to the proceedings too. The game looks great and has a very endearing art style to it throughout with loads of nice touches. |
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