PixelVixen707

Last night was Shmup Night.

Why was it Shmup Night? Because that’s how I felt. Work’s been bad, the weather’s a killer. I sent a message around to some friends: “Tonight is Shmup Night. My place. Bring beer.”

For those not in the know, the shmup - or shoot-em-up - is among the most elemental of game styles. 1960’s Spacewar, the very first video game, is a paleolithic shmup. Still largely lo-res and 2D, they have evolved into fast, frenetic, psychedelic, silly, subversive, and fantastical variations that mostly hinge on steering a little ship through swarms of nemeses. The shmup is a deep niche, and I don’t pretend to be an expert. I know shmups about as well as I know scotch: basically, I know what I like. But when I get an itch for a shmup, nothing else will scratch my trigger figure.