Way back in the innocent days of the Xbox 360, a collection called Raiden Fighters Aces allowed gamers to experience the tight gameplay and peppy soundtracks of the Raiden Fighters series. That collection is sadly not backwards compatible, but Raiden Fighters has finally become playable on some modern platforms. The Raiden Fighters Remix Collection from MOSS and H2 Interactive Co. is out now on PlayStation and Switch, and each game on the collection features 2-player local co-op.

Toaplan is a Japanese developer known for creating lots of beloved shoot 'em up classics like Truxton, Out Zone, and Zero Wing. Most of these games are available in Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.1 and Vol. 2 on PlayStation and Switch, or sold individually on Steam. Maybe Plain Jane collections aren't good enough for you, though. You want something special! Well, Kyukyoku TigerHeli - Toaplan Arcade Garage has just launched worldwide on PlayStation and Switch (after first appearing in only specific regions). This new collection was developed by M2, and it offers enhanced ports of Tiger Heli and its co-op sequel, Twin Cobra, plus a whole lot more.

Bikkuri Software is a Japanese indie developer that specializes in shoot 'em ups. Those shmups have historically been single-player affairs, but the developer's latest game (published by Henteko Doujin) is called Revolgear Zero, and it supports 2-player local co-op. It even offers the ability to simulate co-op when playing solo in some modes! Fans of 16-bit and 32-bit shoot 'em ups will want to give this one a look.

In the innocent 1990s, a Japanese developer called Video System released four shoot 'em ups in the Sonic Wings series. The first three Sonic Wings games were retitled as Aero Fighters in North America for some reason. After the release of Sonic Wings Special in 1996, no new sequels have been produced... Until now! Sonic Wings Reunion is a brand new entry for everything but poor Xbox, and it's due out on October 7.

In the time before bullet hells, shoot 'em ups featured sharp level design and more deliberate gameplay. Konami's Gradius is undoubtedly one of the finest shoot 'em up series of the 1980s and 90s. Players will finally be able to enjoy many of those games on modern hardware thanks to GRADIUS ORIGINS. The upcoming compilation collects 7 arcade Gradius titles, most with multiple versions to choose from. What's more, four of them will support 2-player local co-op!

Back in 1990, Rainbow Arts released a well-liked shoot 'em up for Commodore 64, Amiga, and other computers called X-Out (pronounced "Crossout"). The game had an underwater theme, an R-Type-like visual style, and a robust in-game shop - but no co-op. That omission will finally be fixed in the upcoming remake, X-Out Resurfaced, from ININ Games, Ziggurat Interactive (which bought Rainbow Arts), and Kritzelkratz 3000. The new game will have 2-player local co-op, and it's coming to all platforms this winter.

Shoot 'em ups come in many shapes and sizes. One of those is Crystal Comet, an upcoming Steam-exclusive shooter from a new developer called Rewdan Sprites. This one will feature 4-player local co-op, AI teammates, a story mode with full voice acting, and a very indie art style. The freshly released demo shows off all these features and more.

In the early 1980s, it was not uncommon to find console games that were heavily inspired by arcade games of the time. One such game was Astrosmash for the Intellivision console. It combined gameplay elements from Space Invaders and Asteroids, and was apparently well-liked by Intellivision players. This year, BBG Entertainment, makers of Dynablaster...

The first Taito Milestones collection bundled 10 classic Taito arcade games in a low-frills package. One year later, Taito and ININ Games have returned with Taito Milestones 2. This installment once again bundles 10 Taito classics into one compilation, but the games lineup is slightly more modern and exciting this time around. We’re talking a...

Taito’s “Ray” series of vertically-scrolling shoot ‘em ups hasn’t seen nearly as many entries as their Darius series, but it retains a devoted following among fans of the genre. Comprised of RayForce, RayStorm, and RayCrisis, the Ray games are known for their lock-on mechanics that allow players to fire upon enemies in...

While Darius is Taito's number one shoot 'em up series, the "Ray'z" series is a close second. Made up of three vertically-scrolling arcade shmups released from 1994-1998, the Ray'z games still command a loyal following. Now PlayStation and Switch gamers can own the entire series (or just the two newest games) via two freshly-released collections: RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection and Ray'z Arcade Chronology. Both collections are similar, so we'll outline what each one contains.

Darius might be Taito's best-known series of shoot 'em ups, but the "Ray'z" series is popular too. Beginning with 1994's 2D RayForce (also known as Layer Section and Galactic Attack), the series went on to spawn two polygonal entries: RayStorm in 1996 and RayCrisis in 1998. Various iterations of these games will be included in a pair of upcoming collections for PlayStation and Switch from ININ Games: RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection and Ray'z Arcade Chronology. Both titles are due out on June 30.