Shooter games cover a fairly broad spectrum of sub-genres that have the commonality of controlling a character who is usually armed with a firearm that can be freely aimed.

Characteristics of shooters

There are many criteria to determine the type of shooter; listed below are some of the major divisions. Using the following, it is possible to categorize almost all shooters developed.

Perspective

The player usually views the events from behind the eyes of the character (a first-person shooter) or from a camera that follows the character, usually a few feet behind (a third-person shooter). It is also possible, though infrequently used in this genre, for a game to have a fixed camera. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Realism

Games that attempt to emulate life-like ballistics and character damage are called tactical shooters. Those that use a more lenient model of physics are generally referred to as arcade shooters. There is no clear distinction between these two game types, and shooters tend to exist on a spectrum between them. Ballistics (gr. ... Tactical shooters include games of the first-person shooter (FPS) and third-person shooter genre of video games that generally simulate non-fictional, squad-based combat. ... Physics (from the Greek, (phúsis), nature and (phusiké), knowledge of nature) is the science concerned with the discovery and understanding of the fundamental laws which govern matter, energy, space, and time. ... The term Arcade shooter refers to a shooter game which has unrealistic elements that are in place to enhance a players enjoyment. ...

Number of characters

While most shooters are played as Solo ventures, several offer the players the opportunity to control a Squad of characters, usually directly controlling one, and giving orders to computer-controlled allies. Games which feature Non-player characters fighting alongside the player, but which are not directly controllable (either by switching player control, or issuing orders to the character) are not considered Squad-based games. A non-player character is a fictional character in a role-playing game whose role is generally created and performed by the gamemaster. ...

Multiplayer

If a shooter game is available online, there are several other sharp divisions it can take. Team games are where players are assigned to one of two (sometimes more, but very infrequently) factions which are competing for some goal. Co-Op games have several players on the same faction playing through either the single player or custom missions. Individual has all players competing with each other. Many times a game will offer differing modes which allow players to choose from among these various types.

Focus

This is often an optional way to categorize a shooter, but in some cases it's needed to help distinguish it. A game may quite often heavily rely on stealth as opposed to direct action. Others might have large horror elements to them. Solid Snake hides behind a tank in Metal Gear Solid, a popular stealth video game. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Silent Hill: Origins, a forthcoming survival horror title by Konami. ...

Sub-genres

Shoot 'em up

Gradius, a pioneering shoot 'em up.
- ©1985 Konami

Shoot 'em ups are a very specific sub-genre of shooters, wherein the player has limited control over their movement; if done with 2D gameplay, an example being Ikaruga, this means that a moving background continually pushes the player forward, though they may move up and down and left and right around the screen, typically firing straight forward. Types include fixed shooters, scrolling shooters, tube shooters, and multidirectional shooters.
Image File history File links Gradius_04. ... Image File history File links Gradius_04. ... The Gradius series, first introduced in 1985, is a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms, and has since its inception become synonymous with the phrase Shoot the core! []. In many games in the series the player controls a... Galaga, a famous shoot-em-up from 1981. ... Konami Corporation (コナミ) TYO: 9766 (NYSE: KNM) (SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling computer and video games. ... Galaga, a famous shoot-em-up from 1981. ... 2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Scrolling shooters, or scrolling shoot em ups, are a type of video game. ...

Rail shooter

Rez, a rail shooter. ©2001 Sega/UGA

The term rail shooter traditionally describes games where the player cannot control their own movement, as if their path travels along a fixed 'rail'. The gameplay is limited to aiming from a third or first-person perspective. Many light gun games fall into the rail shooter genre, where a player is taken along a set path as targets appear. On occasion, a game mode similar to a rail shooter may appear in a game of a different genre. Image File history File links Rez_ingame. ... Image File history File links Rez_ingame. ... The boxart used for Rezs Japanese and European PlayStation 2 releases. ... Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In some 3D shooters, such as Space Harrier, the player travels forward within a square "tube", and may move throughout the 2D plane perpendicular to the player's movement. Although often called rail shooters, these games have more in common with scrolling shooters. Players face given less enemies than in their 2D counterparts, as the added dimension complicates aiming and dodging. The rewrite of this article is being devised at Talk:3D computer graphics/Temp. ... Space Harrier is a forward scrolling shooter game, released by Sega in 1985. ...

Run-and-gun shooter

Gunstar Heroes, a famous run and gun, ©1993 Sega

A run-and-gun shooter is a combination platform game and scrolling shooter, this type of game involves a character running along a plane while shooting enemies in multiple directions, as in games like Contra and Metal Slug. Gunstar Heroes level 1 screenshot by wS, using Kega Fusion This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... Gunstar Heroes level 1 screenshot by wS, using Kega Fusion This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... Gunstar Heroes ) is a run and gun video game released in 1993 by Treasure Co. ... A run and gun (also known as run n gun or for some variants, overhead shooter) is a sub-genre of video games that incorporates elements from shoot em up games and platform games. ... Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ... Contra ) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. ... Metal Slug ) is a run and gun video game for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform created by SNK. It was released in 1996 for the MVS arcade platform. ...

Shooting gallery

NAM-1975, a famous shooting gallery, ©1990 SNK

Often interchangeable with light gun games, although many could also be played using a regular joypad and an on-screen cursor to signify where the bullets are being aimed. When these debuted, they were typically played from a first-person perspective, with enemy fire that occurred anywhere on the screen damaging or killing the player. As they evolved away from the use of light guns, the player came to be represented by an on-screen avatar, usually someone on the bottom of the screen, who could move and avoid enemy attacks while returning fire. These sorts of shooters almost always utilize horizontal scrolling to the right to indicate level progression, with enemies appearing in waves from predestined locations in the background or from the sides. Image File history File links Nam-1975. ... Image File history File links Nam-1975. ... NAM-1975 is an arcade game, released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo, and a nickname for Nami Liljefors. ... SNK Playmore (formerly SNK) is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Categories: Computer and video game stubs | Input devices | Computer and video game terminology ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Narrator. ...

As light gun games became more prevalent and started to make use of fully 3D backgrounds (such as the Time Crisis or House of the Dead series), these sorts of games fell out of popular production, but many (like NAM-1975) still have their fanbase today. Time Crisis is a video game initially available in arcades and later released for the PlayStation and cell phones. ... Note: For the Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, please see The House of the Dead House of the Dead is a first-person shooter arcade game released in 1998 by Sega, where the player assumes the role of a government agent who must shoot his way through an army... NAM-1975 is an arcade game, released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo, and a nickname for Nami Liljefors. ...

Example shooting galleries — Blood Bros., Cabal, Laser Invasion, NAM-1975, Operation Wolf Blood Bros. ... Cabal is a 1988 arcade game by TAD Corporation (licensed to Fabtek for US production). ... The game Laser Invasion places the player in the role of homeowner Trevor McAllister, who is awoken in the middle of the night to discover that his 8-bit home has been invaded by lasers. ... NAM-1975 is an arcade game, released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo, and a nickname for Nami Liljefors. ... Operation Wolf is a one-player shooter arcade game by Taito made in 1987. ...

Light-gun games

Screenshot of Duck Hunt, an NES light gun game.

Light gun games use a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games. The first light guns appeared in the 1980s, following the development of light-sensing vacuum tubes. It wasn't long before the technology began appearing in arcade shooting games, beginning with the Seeburg Ray-O-Lite in 1986. These early light gun games used small targets (usually moving) onto which a light-sensing tube was mounted; the player used a gun (usually a rifle) that emitted a beam of light when the trigger was pulled. If the beam struck the target, a "hit" was scored. Modern screen-based light guns work on the opposite principle -- the sensor is built into the gun itself, and the on-screen target(s) emit light rather than the gun. The first light gun of this type was used on the MIT Whirlwind computer. Like rail shooters, movement is typically limited in light-gun games. Duck Hunt (NES) gameplay screenshot This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... Duck Hunt (NES) gameplay screenshot This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An Apple pro mouse A pointing device is any computer hardware component (specifically human interface device) that allows a user to input spatial (ie, continuous and multi-dimensional) data to a computer. ... A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ... It has been suggested that Gamepad be merged into this article or section. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... video game consoles A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer. ... In electronics, a vacuum tube or (outside North America) thermionic valve or just valve, is a device generally used to amplify, switch or otherwise modify, a signal by controlling the movement of electrons in an evacuated space. ... A video arcade (known as an amusement arcade in the United Kingdom) is a place where people play arcade video games. ... The Seeburg Ray-O-Lite was the first light gun game. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Whirlwind computer was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ...

Notable games of this category include the Virtua Cop, the Time Crisis series and House of the Dead series, along with Duck Hunt for the NES.
Virtua Cop is a shooter arcade game created by Sega-AM2, and headed by Yu Suzuki. ... Time Crisis is a video game initially available in arcades and later released for the PlayStation and cell phones. ... It has been suggested that Thomas Rogan be merged into this article or section. ... Duck Hunt is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. ... NES redirects here. ...

First-person shooters

Doom, one of the games that defined the first-person shooter genre.

First-person shooter is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the in-game character's point of view. Notable examples of the genre include Doom, Quake, Half-Life, GoldenEye 007, F.E.A.R., Gunmetal and Halo. Image File history File links Doom_ingame_2. ... Image File history File links Doom_ingame_2. ... Doom (or DOOM)[1] is a 1993 computer game by id Software that is among the landmark titles in the first-person shooter genre. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Doom (or DOOM)[1] is a 1993 computer game by id Software that is among the landmark titles in the first-person shooter genre. ... Zombies attacking the player. ... Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ... For the film, see GoldenEye. ... F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) is a horror-themed first-person shooter computer and video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi. ... The box for Gunmetal. ... Master Chief emerges from smoke and rubble that litters an African plain in Halo 3. ...

Hybrid shooters

Additionally, shooters can quite easily be combined with other major game genres, most often role-playing or strategy. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Chess, one of the most well-known and played strategy games ever. ...

External links

• Shooting Games