A twin-stick shooter is a

subgenre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s. It is a

multidirectional shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

in which the player character is controlled using two joysticks: one for movement on a flat plane, and one to aim and fire shots at enemies, Usually shots are fired as soon as the second joystick is moved, but in some games there is an additional button which must be held. Keyboard and mouse or touch input can supplant one or both of the joysticks when an arcade machine or controller is not used. Virtual joysticks can be used when a game is played on a touch screen. This control scheme was used in arcade games starting with ''

Gun Fight ''Gun Fight'', known as in Japan and Europe, is a 1975 multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released by Taito in Japan and Europe and by Midway in North America. Based around two Old West cowboys armed ...

'' in 1975, but came into prominence with the high-action '' Robotron: 2084'' in 1982. The ubiquity of

gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Gamepads generally feature a set o ...

s with two thumb-controlled sticks overcame the difficulty of playing twin-stick shooters at home and eventually led to a resurgence of the genre following the release of '' Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved'' in 2005.

History

The 1975 arcade video game ''

'' (released as ''Western Gun'' in Japan) uses one joystick for movement and a second for firing. Unlike most later twin-stick games, the right stick moves the player's avatar. The 1977 sequel, ''

Boot Hill Boot Hill, or Boothill, is the given name of many cemeteries, chiefly in the Western United States. During the 19th and early 20th century it was a common name for the burial grounds of gunfighters, or those who " died with their boots on" (i.e ...

'', uses the same control scheme. In both games, the two joysticks are of different design. ''

Space Dungeon ''Space Dungeon'' is a multidirectional shooter released in arcades by Taito in 1981. Designed and programmed by Rex Battenberg, it was available both as a conversion kit and full arcade cabinet. An Atari 5200 port was released in 1983. Like '' ...

'' (1981) uses two identical joysticks with the now-standard convention of the left for movement and the right for shootingy. ''Mars'', a scrolling shooter released in 1981, is also controlled via two 8-way joysticks. The 1981 SNK coin-op ''

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

'' uses a joystick for movement, but four separate buttons, arranged in a diamond, for firing. The seminal 1982 arcade game '' Robotron: 2084'' introduced twin-stick controls to a wide audience. As gamepads with dual thumbsticks did not exist on 8-bit or 16-bit home computers and consoles, home ports of ''Robotron: 2084'' were often awkward to play. The twin-joystick arcade games ''

Rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation. Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ...

'' and '' Black Widow'' were released the same year. Twin-stick controls remained uncommon for arcade games, but were later used in '' Smash T.V.'' (1990) and ''

Total Carnage ''Total Carnage'' is a multidirectional shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Midway in North America in January 1992. Set in the fictional country of Kookistan during 1999, players assume the role of Captain Carnage a ...

'' (1992). '' Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved'', an early hit for the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

, caused a resurgence in 2005. By 2008 the popularity of the genre waned, following a glut of twin-stick shooters with abstract graphics from

indie developers An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

who found the simplicity of the genre appealling. Twin-stick shooter

spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

of existing video game franchises have since been made, including '' Halo: Spartan Assault''.

References

{{Video game genre Video game genres