Space Gun

In 1990 Taito released the arcade shooter Space Gun, in which a pair of players with attached light guns defend a space base against an invasion of alien creatures resembling the xenomorphs from the Alien film series. The game belonged to the so-called rail shooter category – the player doesn't move through the scene themselves; the camera automatically advances between the base's rooms, and their only task is to aim and shoot at whatever appears on screen.

In addition to ordinary close-range attackers, players also had to face creatures that tried to grab the character and demanded fast, precisely aimed hits, or else injury or loss of a life was the result, which set the game apart from calmer gallery shooter titles. Cooperative play for two players standing side by side made Space Gun a popular choice for pairs of friends in arcades, where light guns were only just gaining popularity and the machines equipped with them ranked among the most visually striking pieces of equipment.

Space Gun fits into the wave of horror-tinged light-gun shooters from the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, and thanks to its striking visual styling, including dark corridors and claustrophobic rooms, it remains recognizable among genre fans to this day. Within Taito's history it stands as one of the more notable attempts to combine the atmosphere of alien-style horror with straightforward arcade action accessible even to less experienced players, who, gun in hand, mainly appreciated the directness and fast pace of play.

Why play it: For cooperative horror action with light guns, inspired by the atmosphere of the Alien films.