Star Force

Star Force is a vertical shooter with no gimmick, and that is exactly what makes it worth playing. There is no shield, no bomb, no screen-clearing panic button - just a ship, a scrolling starfield, and formations of enemies that arrive in patterns you have to learn.

Its defining decision is that your weapon does not come from a menu. Firepower increases by staying alive and being aggressive, so the game rewards forward play rather than cautious peeking, and losing a life genuinely sets you back rather than costing you a life from a stock. The stages build through rock formations that can be shot apart for points and enemies that arrive in small scripted waves, and after a fixed run the sequence loops with everything faster. It was a 1984 arcade game from Tecmo, and the Famicom conversion two years later is close enough to the original that it became one of the standard shooters of the system's early life. Alternate two-player play is included, which was still the norm for this kind of game.

• ▸No power-up inventory - firepower rises with survival and aggression
• ▸Rock formations that can be shot apart for score
• ▸Scripted enemy waves that loop with the stage set, faster each time
• ▸Two-player alternating play