28. Commando (Arcade)

Vertically scrolling shooters were pretty much all airborne affairs until Commando dragged the player down to terra firma; dumping you in the shoes of a gung-ho G.I. Plenty of tear-hair-out moments, but, once you learn to lay off the coffee and stop spraying around bullets randomly, it has a massive one-more-go factor.

PAULEMOZ

27. Xevious (Arcade)

Assorted air and ground industrial Bas Relief saucers converge on the player making this a solid, but mantlepiece-friendly challenge. The relentless twinkling background ditty and neverending attacks draw you ominously towards that final showdown with the mofo mothership. Dead hard, with zero learning curve. If Independence Day had been out 20 years ago, this could have been the official license.

MAMEMEISTER

26. Jet Pac (ZX Spectrum)

A generation of gamers grew up with crippled fingers because of this game. It was worth it.

AHCHAY

25. Afterburner (Arcade)

That rumbling Street Hawk bassline drew you to the largest sit-down cab you'd ever clapped eyes on. Take the canyon at full speed, barrel roll out and try not to throw up the 2 litres of cider you necked on the way to the arcade.

KORRUPTOR

24. Scramble (Arcade)

Because it’s more important than smoking.

AHCHAY

23. Geometry Wars (Xbox)

A 21st century game with a soul transplated directly from a 1980’s arcade.

AHCHAY

22. Metal Slug (Neo-Geo)

While the whole world was becoming obsessed with the move to the third dimension, it was left to SNK to become obsessed with squeezing every last drop of detail out of the second one. Metal Slug is the fruit of their labours. Easy enough for the inept to struggle through with a couple of quid’s worth of change, but challenging enough for the most gifted to master.

AHCHAY

21. Uridium (C64)

Completely changed the perception of what could be done with home computer shmups. Fast, flashy, simplistic but challenging… It was the first home game that genuinely felt like an arcade game on your TV in your own house and everything.

PAULEMOZ

20. Llamatron (Atari ST)

The soul of Eugene Jarvis, the twisted brain-wrong of Terry Gilliam.

SICKBOY

19. Moon Cresta (Arcade)

“Is Moon Cresta really number 19? In fact, is it really a Top 50 Shooter? I ask because, well, it’s shit”.

PAULEMOZ

18. Galaga (Arcade)

It’s all about the double-ship – the first and arguably most satisfying power-up to grace a shoot-em-up. The coin-op arms race saw Namco update Galaxian from a game of twitchy precision to a balls-out button masher. From the elegant swirls of the advancing bugs to the innovation of the Challenging Stages, Galaga was the pinnacle of the classic left-right-fire aesthetic. It outlived all its peers in the world’s arcades, and deservedly so.

FUSEBALL

And in reverse order...

50 to 40 - Oooh the suspense.
39 to 29 - Wow, if only we had Paul Ross to present.
28 to 18 - Time for a cup of tea in the break?
17 to 6 - Nearly there, so you get just a bit more meat.
5 - Into the legends...
4 - Is this the Bobby Moore to no.1's Paul Gascoigne?
3 - 3-2-1 quipped Ted Rogers. He wasn't wrong.
2 - We argued and agonised for months over this list - we really did.
1 - But of the number one slot, there was never any doubt.

Disagree with our selections? - Be wrong in the Forum!