Cast out of his tower by a magical reaction, a wizard must battle his way back to the top and collect funky beats along the way to unlock new abilities. Simple and challenging, yet oh so addictive, Savant: Ascent is what more arcade games should be, with a stunning design and soundtrack alike.

Though still in beta, this zombie-filled first-person action adventure's first installment has atmosphere and action in spades. A routine run for supplies into an abandoned warehouse leads you on a chase to an old hospital with a secret when you discover the clues to a conspiracy.

Peace! Houh! What is it good for? Well, something apparently, as the various factions of Berzerk Studio's new defense shooter, The Peacekeeper, want it, and are willing to slaughter everything in their path to get it. A visceral burst of just-mindless-enough entertainment, The Peacekeeper is a bloody and hilarious good time, if a little repetitive in the endgame

How could anyone possibly hate candy? Well, if you're the snarky alien hero sent to a candy planet to rescue scientists from cuddly, cheerful toys who want nothing better than to pelt you with the stuff, it's probably pretty easy. A beautiful, silly platforming shooter with a ton of levels.

Ever been attacked by a giant doily from outer space? At the very least, that's how we're choosing to interpret Connor Ullmann's bullet hell shooter Obsolescence. You'll face ten waves of kaleidoscopic bosses with lots of guns and shields to destroy as you blast your way to their cores. Your laser is always firing, so you can focus on moving around and staying alive... if you can.

Tired of shooters where the experienced players get all the cool weapon upgrades and you get stuck with a lousy squirt gun? In DeGrade, that formula gets flipped on its head because the further you get in each world, the more weapons you lose! This arena shooter tests an interesting game theory-ish idea where progress forces you to play more skillfully later on, although there's a flaw that allows the game to be accidentally far easier.

Shoot first, ask questions later. Actually, skip the questions and just shoot some more. Created by Puppy Games, Ultratron is a giant neon dose of bullet-filled arcade action, taking a simple Robotron-esque shooter and dressing it up to the nines with slick, stylized graphics, plenty of upgrades and a blasting techno soundtrack.

The Strike Force Heroes thought they had seen the last of the GlobeX corporation. But they're back in Strike Force Heroes 2, the action arena shooter sequel that's everything the fans of the original could have hoped for. Though confined by typical concerns of its genre, it build on its predecessors strengths, delivering furious action and beautiful set pieces.

The colours, THE COLOURS! FunByJohn delivers a bouncy, riotous arena shooter about blasting other tanks with blobs of deadly colour across a variety of fun-house landscapes. Chaotic and charming, though not without its sticking points, its a vibrant way to blow up a coffee break.

Moonloop's gleefully goofy retro shooter signs you up to become part of a counter-terror squad off to stop a mad scientist. Rescue hostages and blast baddies the only fashioned way by simply charging in guns blazing, or go the strategic route and make use of cover, flashbangs, ropes, and more to get the drop on your enemies and save the day as smoothly as possible.

Vertical shooter meets RPG? It's not as far-fetched as you'd think! Framed for a crime he didn't commit (not that he wasn't planning to) Josh the thief finds himself swept up in a battle for a magical gem and forced to gather a group of unlikely allies in this unique hybrid from IriySoft.

Nitrome's latest itty-bitty game puts you in charge of a bird with frost-spewing abilities who can freeze its enemies solid. But with one-hit KOs threatening you and a limited amount of icy power at your disposal, you'll have to think carefully and fly fast in order to make it through challenging gauntlets of foes, switches, doors, and more in this simple but clever little action game.

Harness the power of your particle gun in Tesla Defense. Place electricity zapping towers to rid yourself of the enemy army that is quickly approaching. Use your gun if enemies breach your defenses. Earn cash to upgrade your weapons and towers until you are tough enough to take down the boss!

It's just you, your hair, your sunglasses, and legions of monsters looking to take a bite out of you in Firebeast's quirky, action-packed arcade shooter. Blast your way through waves of baddies in each area to take down the boss, earning coins and experience for upgrades on the go. A vibrant design and simple gameplay makes this the perfect choice for some light, casual, locking and loading.

Notebook Wars 3: Unleashed, the latest in Francisco Ferreres' series of sketchy shooters, features twenty brand new levels of arcade action, and kicks the speed and challenge up considerably. More an expansion pack than a new work, but one that should keep players quite happy.

Engage is a first-person action horror rail-shooter from FlyAnvil, where it's certain things are going to get more than a bit buggy as you fight off waves of insects on what was supposed to be a deserted island. The entomophobic should stay away, but Engage is a polished experience that will keep adrenaline-junkies engaged to the end

Made in just 48 hours, Berzerk Studio's latest arena shooter pits you and up to three friends (or AI controlled squadmates) against a giant angry mutant crab for televised ratings. Packed with bullets and power-ups, it's a simple game that feels almost more like a demo, but has all the action you need to kickstart your day.

The adorable warmongery of The Podge's City Siege series of strategy action-shooters has taken a turn for the extraterrestrial in City Siege 4: Alien Siege. It's time once more to blast some martians, rescue hostages from the terror of brain-sucking plants, and to buy the heck out of some wicked cool upgrades. With the feel of its predecessors, but with a streamlined sci-fi bent, City Siege 4 has awesomeness to spare.

You've had this dream before. The endless hallways. The zombies, demons, and who knows what else. But tonight is different. Tonight you know you aren't going to wake up... unless you can make it to the red door. Dark Soul is a first-person horror rail-shooter by Vempire Tales, where the path to freedom is a trip literally through hell. A spooky and gory, albeit somewhat repetitive, good time.

Anselm, an apprentice demon hunter has been sent by the Divine Order to cleanse the evil that has descended on the city. With naught but a crossbow, a lantern, and a snarky anthropomorphic sidekick, he'll have his work cut out for him. But who else is left to try? Salem is a horror action-platformer by Mar-ble Team, whose ghoulishly gothic atmosphere and twisty plot makes for an early Halloween treat.

Strap into your ship and prepare to Escape From The Very Bad Planet in Fried Pixel Games' new action avoidance side-scroller. It looks like a shoot-em-up, but approaching it with the goal of flying as far as you can in mind, rather than blasting everything in sight, players will find quite the fast-paced and challenging bit of arcade fun.

Teletrooper is a mission-based arcade shooting game from Adam Butcher and Ben Claxton. Crafted over the course of seven years, Teletrooper draws inspiration from the likes of Star Fox 64, creating an experience that is a far cry from a mindless test of reflexes. Instead, you'll be treated to a storyline, accept and complete a variety of missions, deal with smart enemies and tough defenses, and maybe even grab a few power-ups along the way. It's a challenging and rewarding game you'll thank yourself for downloading, even if you spend the first half hour figuring out how to not die!

The monsters, sorry, MONSTARS are at it again, and it's up to Death and his trusty array of lasers, bullets, and special abilities to put things right... one explosion at a time. This sequel to 2009's arcade arena shooter smash hit packs a visual upgrade in addition to more gameplay, bigger challenges, and all the monstars you can handle.

Though not particularly deep, this top-down arcade action game is definitely polished. Unleash devastating magical spells and blast your way up through a tower filled with tons of monsters and massive bosses, snatching coins to purchase upgrades and new abilities with along the way.

I don't know, but I've been told! But Snake Squad, an action-packed arena shooter by Yzi Games, has just gone gold! There's not much of a story or depth to the gameplay, but it does have a bunch of viciously adorable looking soldiers snaking their way around blasting enemies and collecting cash, and it makes for a fast-paced good time.

What... the heck is going on here? At first glance, you probably think Super Amazing Wagon Adventure is some sort of Oregon Trail-related simulation game. But then you see words like "arcade game" and "side-scrolling shooter" and you suddenly think "Maybe I'm going insane? Maybe I've forgotten what words mean and I've just started seeing random flan horse topple red maneuver?". You can relax, however, as we're here to promise you that Super Amazing Wagon Adventure is everything the title suggests, and it manages to be fast-paced, crazy, and entertaining all within the first five seconds.

Your friend deserved a better end than this. Not at the end of the bottle of the tainted poison that the syndicate is trying to pass off as hooch. You may be just one man, but one man with a gun in his hand is often all you need to find some answers. Rot Gut is a action platform shooter by test84, set in a pixelated depiction of 1920's big city gangland. Gameplay is a little generic as shooters go, but it's solidly enjoyable and, more importantly, has atmosphere to spare.

A topdown arena shooter by Daniel Twomey, Commit.5 is a game that's going to make it hard to stay in one place. As the little blue thingy in a world of other-colored thingies, you must survive as long as you can. By giving players an incentive to stand their ground for bonus points, Commit.5 has an arcadey-defense feel to it, which setting it apart from others of the genre.

Kill the Baddies sniper style in another entry to the City Siege series. The civilians on the island need saving! You get to take the enemy out from afar using weapons ranging from a sniper rifle to a rocket launcer. Keep the civilians safe to earn stars to unlock more areas on your map. Earn cash to upgrade your weapons to cause even more destruction.

It's time to clean up a new place in this sequel to FlyAnvil's original zombie shooter. Move through the city establishing secure locations and going on missions to bring each area under control, earning cash to spend on your substantial arsenal and upgrade tree. Adding just enough new elements to the original to spice things up, Decision 2 is still a bit repetitive, but keeps the tried-and-tested zombie shooter formula from feeling too brainless, and looks good doing it.

Do you know who you were? Nobody. Except on the day after, you were still alive. And in Ppllaayy's shooter defense game Nuclear Plant, you have the chance to be somebody, entrusted as you are with growing one last seed into a tree capable of restarting life on the planet.

Who says mayhem has to be deep and complex? It's mayhem, people! In this frantic, vibrant arena shooter, blast through hordes of varied enemy tanks and earn cash to buy new upgrades to enhance your destructive power. Less a true sequel to the original and more an enhanced version of the original, it's the perfect ka-blooey break for your day.

Your frontier lass is being kidnapped! Get your revolver and head out the door! Gunman Clive is a sidescrolling action/shooting game by Bertil Hörberg, starring you versus a bunch of bad guys. Utilizing some fantastic 3D visuals in a two dimensional world, you will have the pleasure of shooting your way through the strangest old west town you've ever seen, complete with moving platforms and loads of enemies. Oh, and watch out for ducks, those things can be deadly!

You are a pariah of the Gentlemen's Council, who became jealous of the length of your gun, which doubles as a sort of jetpack, immediately after giving you said weapon. Make your way through their headquarters, past lava, spikes, and enemies with much smaller guns in this physics based platform shooter game.

The jetpack-wearing weapon-wielding dinosaur star of jmtb02 and Jimp's new jump and run and gun action platformer knows that when an apocalypse happens in the world of casual gaming, it's usually a good idea to Run Right. Frenetic fun with a lot of puny humans to squish, Run Right is a charmingly unique spin on the Canabalt-styled concept.

Strike Force Heroes, by Sky9 Games, is a frenetic action arena shooter that proves that the best way to unravel a shadowy conspiracy is blasting everything in sight. Shares a developer with Raze 2, and many similarities with that game. Still, Strike Force Heroes offers a lot of variety and customization, and even if online multiplayer is a sad omission, pwning CPU newbs has never been so satisfying.

Grab your Photonic Laser Blaster, and get ready to bring a little light to the creatures of the dark in Photon Baby, a genre-busting platformer by Jeremias Babini. Drawing inspiration from all manner of genres, Photon Baby is a unique little creation, with influences as far ranging as Laser Physics puzzles and the 16-bit classic "Zombies Ate My Neighbors". Some of the later levels get a little busy with competing inspirations, but overall Photon Baby is perfect for arcade gamers who wish Halloween lasted all year.

The number of "just one more round" games on mobile devices has increased dramatically since Jetpack Joyride gained its popularity (see the browser release Chuck the Sheep for another fine example). Each one features short stages, upgradeable abilities, in-game currency that can either be collected while you play or boosted with in-app purchases, and simple gameplay that grabs you within seconds of starting. Dragon Flight is one such game, though instead of going the route of sidescrolling arcade game, developer NextFloor plops you on a dragon for a vertical shooter that even casual fans can enjoy and (eventually) master!

On a planet that seems straight out of a Disney digital world, there is a war going on that can only be won with some mech fighting expertise. Sortie in ten missions of varying objectives from simple reconnaissance to an all-out fire fight for survival.The war seems to be a losing struggle, but you can turn it around with a little cash and a lot upgraded parts. Can you handle the strain of an entire war on the metal shoulders of your robot piloting skills?

What rotten luck to have your ship crash land on a zombie-ridden planet that you now need to fight across to escape. With a more vocal protagonist than you had before, shoot and calculate your way through this Metroidvania style physics shooter where zombies are just as plentiful as your headshot count. With sixteen levels to survive through and plenty of side missions to keep you occupied, your time with the undead hordes will be engrossing and quite challenging. Polish off the old boomstick and get ready to bust some heads if you hope to survive.

Robots? Check. Bad guy? Check. Orbital laser and other ridiculously overpowered special attacks? Check check check! Awkward comedic translation?... uhhh... Berzerk Studios serves up an over-the-top arcade shooter complete with a heavy sense of parody, flashy attacks, and just enough frenetic bullet action to spice up your lunch break.

In Sergio Alonso's shiny new bullet hell shooter, Boss Slayer, Ten alien starships have entered the solar system and you have 12 days to destroy these bad boys before they make their final approach to Earth. The game features an array of upgrades, of which each has a clear, immediate effect and it can be a lot of fun to watch your weak little ship transform so quickly into a beefy alien antagonizer. Boss Slayer isn't an innovative game by any means, but it understands the genre perfectly and serves up a smooth, streamlined gameplay experience.

Is your trigger-finger ready for a challenge? Then load up the beautiful but deadly Ludum Dare competition entry Kumiho. Pilot a ship with the ability to teleport against hordes of semi-organic monstrosities transformed by a vengeful Goddess. With striking visuals and simple but high-difficulty gameplay, it's a lovely little diversion if your reflexes are up to the task.

Become a mare of action in this crazy but colourful homage to the classic bullet-hell shooter series. Playing as Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash, blast your way through fields of bizarre enemies, mini-bosses, and more with frantic action you'll need to be at least 20% cooler than most to pull off. This free download might be simple, but it's an excellent source of shooter gameplay to make you feel like a boss and get your heart pounding.

The classic first-person shooter credited with jump-starting the genre on PC gets a re-release in HTML5! As Captain B.J., blast your way through three different missions and all the original levels of over-the-top retro action. It's cheesy, it's violent, and back in its day it was more than a little controversial, but Id Software's iconic title is responsible for siring many of the games you play today and is still as fun as ever.

A good story is great, but sometimes you just want to blow stuff up. In DN8: Pulse, a new shooter game from Squize, you are the commander of a puny little fighter who has to fight off swarms of enemy vessels if you want to survive. If you make it past the initial waves, you'll have the chance to upgrade your ship with extra shields, weapons, and even support pods and there are two upgrade paths, defensive and offensive. The clear selling point of DN8: Pulse are the graphics, done in Stage3D, which are unlike most anything you've seen in a flash game. The visuals are in a word, stunning. And it's a lot of fun to play a shoot-em-up that leaves the conventional retro pixelated setting and dares to take it to the farthest reaches of the universe for a truly immersive experience.

An interesting combination of Cyclomaniacs gameplay with Nerdook's trademark intense combat, Nuclear Outrun is a fun physics-driving-shooting hybrid about outrunning a nuclear missile. While lacking in depth, Nuclear Outrun still manages to be a lot of fun, especially once you get the gun that shoots sharks. What more do you need?

Yo ho! Yo ho! A Pirateers life for me! A top down action adventure by Labu, Pirateers tasks all you rascals, scoundrel, villains and knaves out there with proving the rest of the world that you're the alpha and omega of swashbuckling. Reminiscent of Sid Meier's Pirates, Pirateers delivers fun, if grindy, high seas action.

In Super Villainy, the mightiest villains have grown bored after destroying the earth, and decide to have one final battle royale, arena shooter style, to determine who is the baddest. A solid release by Rob Almighty, with a little more freedom than what is usually seen in the genre.

In Louissi's latest action simulation game, it's a farmer's life for you. But, when the sun goes down, the nasties come out and you'll need to trade your shovel for a shotgun or other heavy weapon to stay alive, picking up coins from your fallen enemies as you go.

Eggstinction, an action run-and-gun shooter by Michael Chen, stars a proto-dinosaur fighting back against the laser-happy aliens who wish to poach him. Quality visuals, hardcore survival gameplay and aggressively silliness make for a game quite reminiscent of the Heli Attack series. Except, you know. With dinosaurs fighting aliens.

Sometimes a game doesn't need to reinvent a genre to be just as fun, addictive, and riddled with bullets as we want it to be. In this classic-styled top-down sci-fi shooter, pilot a tiny spaceship against increasingly impossible odds, bigger bosses, and catch coins to purchase upgrades to help your chances. It's familiar, but well polished, and just the right size for some explosive coffee-break arcade carnage.

Jonas Kyratzes has brought us many enjoyable, thoughtful games in bizarre, surreal settings. Well, now he's developed a top-down space shooter, Traitor. Don't get scared, he's still able to cast his powers of storytelling, it's just in a different yummy, gooey, science fiction package. Take on missions to earn credits for upgrades as well as the trust of the rebels. Your ultimate goal: to take down the Augustan Hegemony. Viva la People's Council!

This be the tale of Captain James T. Stinkbeard, and as a pirate, plundering of booty is what he does. Pirates of the Stupid Seas is a simple projectile physics game, but it's enhanced by some gorgeous visual and a decidedly surreal sense of humor. Put some shiver-repellant on yer timbers and check it out.

Decision is a polished zombie action-defense hybrid from Fly Anvil, and it's a bloody good time. A cool, if slightly repetitive, mixture of serious horror, logistical strategy, frenetic action, and low-key parody, Decision shows that the undead can still pack serious punch.

Ever wanted to run rampant through hordes of squishy spider bots, monsters, and malevolent steampunk beasties? This simple but chaotic top-down shooter provides some truly frantic action that, while repetitive, delivers a nice dose of KAPOW KAPOW KAPOW to your day.

In Tiny Airships, you'll use your airship to defend your home against the vile Tyrian Empire and hopefully you'll manage it without plummeting to the earth. The various combinations of upgrades add a nice level of depth, since you can customize your craft to suit your play style.

Blast aliens on Planet Blirp, an sidescrolling action shooter from Helmet Games. A very familiar kind of game, though its variety of mission objectives and humorous storyline separate it from the pack. An emphasis on grinding and a steep learning curve mar the experience, but overall it is a solid time-waster.

There's a zombie apocalypse happening, and only one man can stop it!... maybe... hopefully! Rupert picks up his trusty gun and bowler hat, determined to stop a bitter necromancer and make the streets of London safe once again in this repetitive but quirky and entertaining action shooter with a wonderfully morbid cartoon style.

Captain Commander: Defender of the Galaxy! Crash landed on an alien planet, it's up to him and the trusty blaster at his side, to run, jump, shoot, drive and fly across the landscape, decimating the population and rescuing his comrades from their probe-happy captors. A fine retro run-and-gun action game from PixelJAM and Adult Swim, there's be much havoc to wreak, and many green things to insult before the mission is over.

Have you ever had a legion of avaricious specters try to mess with you as you hang out around your money tree, forcing you to break out the ectoplasmic shotguns to fend them off? If so, please let us know what it's like, since it's probably a situation most of us won't encounter in our lives. Still, we can get an incredibly simulation of it in Greed Ghouls, new from Christopher Gregorio. An action game with elements of the shooter and defense genre, it's kind of a miss-mash of competing ideas, but overall, a very entertaining one.

The character of Rinse Games' arena shooter, Mr Gunface, probably heard lots of name calling when it was younger, but now that it's all grown up, it's set to fight! You control the gunface drone to save the planet against the Zenoba invasion by shooting the many guns on its face (surprise). With endless upgrades to your arsenal and 30 levels to battle through, it's up to you whether or not this ends in glorious victory. Either way, prepare yourself for a trip to the principal's office cause drones fight dirty!

Rarely are there arcade shooters as epic, gorgeous, playable, and steeped in story as Jamestown. A release from Final Form, Jamestown combines stunning pixel art with a vertically-scrolling top-down shooter (shmup), all set in a 17th century colony on Mars where Spanish Conquistadors have teamed up with native Martians to keep the new settlers away. What you end up with is a superb arcade game that's easy for beginners to get into but still a challenge to master.

You know what are always enjoyable? RC Tanks, especially ones that you can use to fire things at your least-favorite sibling. It took Emitter Critter to realize how this universal archetype of fun might translate well to flash form, and the result is the new top-down shooter, Awesome Tanks. It's nothing too complicated: Shoot stuff. Get coins. Buy upgrades. But when so many arena games are drenched with gore or zombie blood (not that there's anything wrong with that!), it's always cool to see polished genre works that are "kid-friendly" without feeling too "kiddy". Awesome Tanks' fifteen levels have the combination of frenetic action and colorful explosions that all ages should enjoy.

Hey, Super Crate Box, the awesome arcade and shooting game released by Vlambeer way back in 2010. What are you doing on the iTunes App Store? What's that? Being as awesome as the PC/Mac downloadable version? Sounds great! With handfuls of unlockables, perfectly-tweaked touch controls, and a constant worldwide tally of crates collected, you'll be short on excuses not to play this lovely, crazy little game.

Ever wanted to be the king (or queen!) or everything? How about as a reason to blow everything up? This adorable, frantic arena shooter packs tons of action, upgrades, enemies, bosses, and even power-ups into one simple but explosively fun experience to keep you on your toes.

BUGS. Who needs 'em? Especially face-eating, acid-spitting, lurking-in-dimly-lit-corridor-ing bugs! Those are the worst! Blast you way through hordes of enemies in this atmospheric horror shooter that contains a lot of familiar elements, but also one very well done presentation. Upgrade weapons, complete challenges, and maybe even find out the secret of the cryptic "Owl Men"... they're so very hungry...

The Podge serves up another installment of this popular bloodless shooter series, this time dropping the tiny commandos into a jungle environment full of Baddies to blast, buildings to blow up, and civilians to save. Run, jump, and shoot your way through missions, earning stars to upgrade your units and cash to hire more powerful mercenaries to your cause.

In Nitrome's 100th game, a fast-paced multiplayer shooter, two players have had enough with the developer's frustrating games and decide to take it out by launching a two man siege on the massive tower the company resides on. You'll need to nab power ups, weapons, and blast your way through floors of enemies and more to make it to the top. But don't think you can just tackle the tower on your own! Nitrome Must Die is a two-player game, meaning you can team up with a friend to reach the top... or perhaps fight against your ally.

Minute Hardcore is an arcade shooter with shades of the classic bullet-hell Ikaruga. The sparseness of instructions is the game's biggest flaw, but generally, you direct your ship with the mouse, automatically shooting at the spacey invaders. Your bullets come in red, green and blue varieties, and you switch between them by clicking. However, since your bullets do not affect enemies of the same color, it soon becomes a game of constant chromatic changes as you try to keep one step ahead of the clock. If you can spare 60 seconds, it'll be well worth your time.

As an engineer in Jazza Studios' new tower defense shooter, our hero can construct turrets, structures and bombs using scrap from defeated enemies and scrap piles found throughout each level. Your goal in the main story mode is typically to hack several consoles in each level, a task complicated by the armies of angry robots out for blood.

MMORPGs a little dull? Then fire up this fast, frantic, and fun multiplayer co-op RPG shooter that pits you and other players against endless enemies in the search for fame, treasure, and the chance to ultimately tackle a god. Best enjoyed in short bursts and with a bunch of like-minded buddies, it's a chaotic, exciting experience that's also completely free.

Discount Mayonnaise, an action run and gun platformer by Etienne Bergeron Paquet and Samuel St-Germain, is one of those games that blurs the line between genre tribute and satire. The art style is a strange mix of Jhonen Vasquez and Salad Fingers, and is so exquisitely ghoulish that it almost makes up for the stickiness of the controls. Strange as it is to say, this is exactly what you'd think a game called Discount Mayonnaise would be.

The bunnies are back, and so are the thumbs! In this sequel to 2010's popular defense shooter hybrid, it's your goal to help these harsh hares defend their flags and territory against incoming disembodied thumbs who are covered in snot and drive jeeps and throw hadokens... as thumbs often do, naturally. Place defenses, spend upgrade points, and earn higher rankings across a variety of stages in this wildly silly but creative game.

If you weren't satisfied with your previous victory over You Have to Burn the Rope's Grinning Colossus, then try Gama11's shmup, Grinning Cobossus. You'll be taken through several stages toward defeating the titular bad guy, and along the way will earn skill points to upgrade your ship. So hop to it and get to work. There's bound to be a tune you can find to hum along the way...

Zombies Ate My Phone, a Phones4U advergame developed by Koko Games, isn't the first top-down zombie action shooter we've ever featured on JIG. It's probably not even the first top-down zombie action shooter we've featured that's set in a mall. However, it is, in all probability, the first top-down zombie action shooter wherein you can chuck vintage LPs at a mummy. And you know what? Sometimes that's enough.

Out of this World, developed by SeethingSwarm, is a short action game centered around shifting play mechanics. The game starts as two lovers leave a fancy restaurant. They aren't named in-game, but since they look British, let's call them Ron and Hermione. Anyways, Ron and Hermione decide to go for a ride on their rocket ship, but, son of a gun, wouldn't you know it, aliens decide to kidnap the fair maiden. So its up to you Ron, with your shock of red hair, your badass longcoat, your awesome umbrella, and your shooty-blasty space gun to rescue her from the extra-terrestrial's clutches.

Raze 2 by AddisonR and Juice-Tin is the latest in a long line of action shooters with spacey-marines and/or one-word non-indicative titles. Let's count them off: Doom, Quake, Halo, Descent, Unreal, and, uh... Haze. It's surprising there are any alien-demon-zombie menaces left to battle considering how quickly we're able to deploy a near-endless supply of Master Chiefs. It's a good thing then that Raze 2 has the quality gameplay and presentation to distinguish itself from the competition.

You're in a cave full of monsters, which is bad. But you have a sentient gun to help you, which is good! But you seem to have run afoul of a mad scientist, which is bad. But Arkeus' newest action platform shooter is a ton of fun, which is good! Gather diamonds to upgrade yourself and your weapons, unlock new play modes, drink in the fantastic retro aesthetic, and discover the truth in this impressive reboot of a Ludum Dare entry!

Pedro and the Pearls of Peril is the kind of game that's likely to have appeal to multiple demographics. First of all, there will be those in the mood for a good action-shooter, with some shades of Metroidvania and a masochistic edge of difficulty. Then there will be those who'll be convinced once they see the name of Robot Wants retro-maven Hamumu on the title screen. There will be those Cub Scouts who just happened to stumble over the game on the Boys Life website, and are intrigued by what wacky new adventures Pedro the Mail Burro has gotten himself into this time. And last, but not least, there is the not insignificant group of gamers who have a thing for alliteration. Never count them out.

Lock, load and get ready to take out an unending horde of zombies in this action-packed game of survival from Ironzilla. Thank goodness for all those weapons that keep dropping from the sky. With a nifty upgrade system and achievements, just how long can you hold out?

As Dr. Wesley MacGregor, you've developed a poison that will kill an alien menace which you must deliver in Dustin Auxier's side-scrolling shooter, Parasite Strike. Your defeated enemies burst into different colored orbs which go toward the purchase of a staggering amount of options in the choice of your plane, weapons and gadgets. At a length of just six missions, Parasite Strike may feel short, but six additional secret missions, four ranks to achieve in each mission and four difficulty settings keep this game interesting enough to kill all the aliens again and again.

Ahoy ye barnacle-blistered land-lubbers, and welcome about the JayIsGames galleon! Today we be featurin' Frantic Frigates, a top-down action shooter from Berzerk Studio. Thar be rumors of sharks, pirates, and alien ghosts swarming the seas, and they've been leaving folk mighty groggy. Only ye and yer motley crew of constantly firin' cannon firers even stand hope to make the waters still. Those looking for a treasure chest of frenzied fun will find it here, I swear by my tattoo.

It's a zombie railshooter cheese-stravaganza in Xplored's fast-paced first-person shooter starring Joe, the guy with a machine gun for a hand, and scores of squishy zombies just waiting to be burst. Save the world on rails, gain powerups, and blast bosses in this fast, frantic homage to classic arcade action.

You know, somewhere deep in the blackness of infinite space, there have to be all sorts of life forms bouncing around the void. Space clowns, for example, could exist here, living off of stray particles or digesting dark matter itself. With these life forms comes the inevitable life forms that feed off of them. In the case of Space Parasite, an arcade/action game by Kale Kramlack and Andy Wolff, you are that life form, infecting every piece of space life that floats your way!

Helios Minor is under attack, and you're the only one close enough to respond to the distress signal! Fortunately, it's nothing you can't handle... just hundred and hundreds of vicious, fast, resilient enemy fighters and thousands and thousands of space bullets! Upgrade your ship and go up against the tide of foes in this vertical scrolling shooter!

Most shooters not physics-sy enough for you? Then fire up Ant Karlov's creative spin on the genre! Start with sprawling levels, mix in some highly destructible scenery, and sprinkle liberally with zombies, machines, skeletons, and explosive barrels, and you've got a recipe for success. (... success... tastes funny... )

Maybe I'm expecting crime syndicates to have a unreasonable level of precognition, but I gotta say... I really can't see a situation in which killing the family of a guy named Mr. Vengeance is going to end positively. I mean, you have to think that with that name might get a little ticked off and have access to revenge-friendly weaponry. But hey, you have to kick off a rail shooter somehow, and you can't argue with what works. It's Mr. Vengeance: Act One by Russian developer TxGames. He'll roar. He'll rampage. He'll get bloody satisfaction.

Simple does not mean that there's any less action, it just means there's more bullets and less to think about. No grenades, one weapon at a time, simple weapon shop and upgrades, it all means nothing but twitchy shooting action, one hundred percent of the time. Some might call it shallow, but I'd call it pure.

Can you beat the evil black space rectangle in the bullet hell vertical shooter? In Boss Battle, you will guide your ship through endless bullets and obstacles as you pump thousands of bullets and missiles into a boss that gets stronger each round. The game employs simple graphics and gameplay, but is ultimately a fun, short break game.

Visual novel meets shooter meets RPG meets space opera meets awesome in this unusual hybrid from Anonymous D Studios. After decades of skirmishes and violent protests, the battles between the pirates and the Federation appears to be heating up, and one young pilot finds himself in the middle of it. Strike out on an hours long adventure that combines drama, romance, and fast-paced arcade action in this impressive game.

Nitrome has done it again! We've guided the little blue piece of protoplasm test subject through two incredibly enjoyable series of experiments. Now, however, it (and you) faces its greatest opponent yet: a person sitting next to you at the keyboard! Yes, it's Green vs. Blue in Test Subject Arena

The goblins are angry... again! They're rolling out the big runs to crush the humans beneath their very literal wheels. Big Block Games serves up an impressive new rendition of their original action physics shooter with this massive overhaul that brings awesome new weapons, minigames, new enemies, new areas, and much, much more, all wrapped up in one beautiful, snarky package.

It's not just apocalypse, it's the pocalypse, and zombies aren't the only thing you have to worry about in this beautiful, quirky little defense shooter from newcomers Green Pixel. Defend the city of New Hammerston against zombies, mutants, plant monsters, robots, and even vampires with an array of powerful weapons and abilities, and spend the cash you earn to upgrade your butt-kicking prowess.

I appreciate the specificity of Space Arcade: The Game's subtitle. I was seriously worried for a couple minutes that I was going to have to deal with Space Arcade: The Hit Broadway Musical. However, as much as I crave toe-tappin' hits and elaborate choreography, I enjoy Galaga-inspired pixel shooter action even more. This appears to be music-meister Matt McFarland's debut game release, and it's so much fun that maybe he should consider quitting his day job.

A couple of months ago, we featured Insectonator by Denis Kukushkin and family. I thought i thought it was a fine shooter, and going by the site ratings, it seems that many of you agreed. However, I did have a small problem with it: as fun as it was to blast various anthropods into lymphatic chunks, the whole thing did seem just a shade sadistic. I mean, most of those beetles were just minding their own business. If only the developers came out with a version that featured enemies for which the average gamer had no compunctions eviscerating... something like, oh, I don't know, the stalking legions of the undead. Well, guess what, Insectonator: Zombie Mode is here, and with it comes new weapons, new arenas and new achievements. And zombies. Tiny, tiny zombies.

If there's one thing I loathe, it's those darn dirty zombies. Not just for their intentions re: my brains, but also how it seems that, as of late, some developers have used their antagonistic qualities to prop up uninspired game design. Every so often though, a game comes out that features the undead in a way that feels fresh and interesting... and since I already dodged one apocalypse this week, I was just about ready to go for two. That game is Jim P's new run and gun shooter, zOMGies 2.

With its cute, cartoony visuals, throbbing music track, fast-paced action, and Super Mario-like platforming City Siege 2: Resort Siege is a wild ride through the world of special ops and hostage rescue. So you can't be a member of Seal Team 6 (which doesn't actually exist, anyway), try City Siege 2: Resort Siege and live out your wildest commando team fantasies of saving the day, killing the bad guys, and reducing some random unnamed resort to complete rubble.

Don't Panic is a well designed defense shooter game on all fronts. Ralph Damiano has made an incredibly fun and exciting game that doesn't let you rest on your laurels, but also takes measures to make sure you're still enjoying it. Each level can get you as excited as the one before. You play a king, or, at the very least, someone who is a crown enthusiast, and you must defend your fortress against a mad scientist and his robot minions.

Front Runner's protagonist would rather sit unaccosted on his asteroid outpost, playing his space-recorder, but all the quirky locals just won't leave him be. And as arcade games have taught us for years, such aggravation can only be answered by taking the wheel of an absurdly overarmed runabout and showing all comers what-for. It takes the vastness of space and turns it into a strange, colorful neighborhood of oddly shaped planets and goofy, irksome monsters. Empty space is rarely this lively, or this silly.