Classic SNK SHMUPS Released in Playstation Store Today

SNK Playmore USA is proud to announce the North & South American release of two more nostalgic SNK Arcade Classics “CHOPPER I” and “THE NEXT SPACE” as PlayStation® Minis titles on PSP® (also compatible with PS3™). These two games are now available on the PlayStation®Store for $2.99 each.

Good SHMUPS never go outta style and so we give thanks to companies like SNK who continue to resurrect these old arcade relics for play on today’s handheld systems and consoles.

Chopper 1 was originally released into arcades in 1988 and was a top-down shooter where either one or two players play simultaneously and infiltrate enemy territory destroying everything in your path.  You control a chopper targeting other enemy choppers, tanks and boats.  What sets this shooter apart from many others is how ground features such as mountains have to be avoided or you will run into them and block your way.  This adds a whole new  element into navigating around enemies and enemy fire.  Couple that with the nets that are shot out from other enemy choppers that if not avoided will consume your chopper.   You must then fire like a mad-man to free yourself before you can start firing on enemies again.  Chopper 1 is a challenging, great old school SHMUP that is now available to play on your portable Playstations as well as the PS3.

The Next Space

The Next Space was a bit more obscure and reminds me of older titles like Galaga and Gradius although it came out later in 1989.  You control a spaceship and have to take out legions of formation fighters similar to the bonus stages on Galaga.  Powerups appear frequently and can be hit multiple times to change the power given.  Try your best against the end stage bosses but don’t expect to win easy.  This game IS hard as Hell and might best be played simultaneously with a buddy.   The Next Space will give even the most seasoned SHMUP players a run for their money.  Thank goodness for the continue option!  This had to be a quarter eater on the Arcade floor!

If you like your shooters old school with finger throbbing difficulty levels and you have $6 to burn I recommend picking both these up in the Playstation Store today!