Ok, now NES Shooters (top down/side scrollers)

[Fuel Injected]

I have lifeforce and another whose name escapes me now for NES. Were there many shooters for this sytem? Thanks again.

[sisko]

Gradius and the 194* series come to mind.

[Neil Koch]

There were quite a few, a lot of them were variants/ripoffs of Contra, Ikari Warriors, Gradius or 1942.

[Sotenga]

I'll name lots of NES shmups here. Sit down, 'cause this is a sizeable list:

^: Not side-scrolling nor top-down. They're 3-D.
#: Have to import it. It's strictly Famicom.
@: Quasi-shmups. It's part action-platformer/top-down action, part shmup.

Gradius
Gradius 2 #
Life Force/Salamander
Crisis Force #
Parodius Da! #
Commando
Gun.Smoke
Section Z
Choujikuu Yousai Macross #
Gyruss ^
Top Gun ^
Jackal
1942
1943
Guerrilla War
Zanac
Gun*Nac
The Guardian Legend @
Star Soldier
Summer Carnival '92: Recca #
Sky Shark
Image Fight
Yume Penguin Monogatari # @
Konami World # @
Stinger
3-D Worldrunner ^

I'm probably missing some, but this is as many as I can list here. Sorry for any inaccuracies that I may have committed here, but I'm pretty sure this list is correct.

[esquire]

Add these to the ones already listed:

Abadox
Alpha Mission
Bionic Commando (Side Scrolling Shooter/Platformer)
Blaster Master
Cobra Command
Defender II
Galaga
Ghost 'N Goblins (Side Scrolling Shooter/Platformer)
Heavy Barrel (Like Ikari Warriors)
Iron Tank (Top Down Tank Shooter)
Millipede
Rolling Thunder (Side Scrolling Shooter/Platformer)
Rush'n Attack (Side Scroller)
Silkworm (Side Scroller)
Terra Cresta
Tiger-Heli
Twin Cobra
Twin Eagle
Vindicators (Top Down Tank Shooter)
Wurm: Journey to the Center of the Earth (like Moon Patrol?)
Xevious

and my favorite - Legendary Wings

Other mentioned that are great - Sky Shark, Jackal, Gradius, Life Force, Image Fight, Section Z, 1942, 1943

[ubersaurus]

Sky Kid was a real fun side scroller. A bit cutesy and repetitive, but alot of fun.

And Zanac I swear to god is the best shmup available on the american NES. It's just so damn good. It also has a pimpin soundtrack

[Fuel Injected]

Thats awesome, Im bidding on a copy of legendary wings now and Ill look for Zanac.

Anything else highly recommended?

[Dire 51]

If you can snag either Gradius II or Crisis Force and a converter to play them on your NES, DO IT. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, just grab them.

[Fuel Injected]

Will a top loader play the Japanese games without modification?

[Ed Oscuro]

And Zanac I swear to god is the best shmup available on the american NES. It's just so damn good. It also has a pimpin soundtrack ;)

Must be impressive...it started out as a FDS title (as things usually happen). I know of it 'cuz I had an old comic book with a full page ad for the game :D

Probably the first shooter I heard of. Same way I first found out about Joust, for example, hehe.

[KlarthAilerion]

nope. Famicom systems and games are 60-pins, NES systems and games are 72-pins. So, to play a Famicom game on an NES system, you'll need a 60->72-pin converter, and vice versa.

Of course, you could always just get a Famicom instead of a converter.