Help me remember this web-based shooter game

July 17, 2012 12:31 AM

I’m trying to remember a recent browser-based Flash game. It was a vertical scroller, overhead space-themed shooter, something I saw online within the past 6-12 months. You had a ship and you’d pick up weapons. Your bullets were meagre at first, and then numerous as you upgraded your weapons. The screen would fill up with bad guys, bullets everywhere, general mayhem that you could only survive with a constant inflow of invincibility powerups. What was this game?
posted by migurski to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Best answer: I seem to remember something like it, like there were synthesized voices that shouted enthuiastically as you shot things up. I think it was posted to the blue in fact, but I haven't found it after a few searches.
posted by JHarris at 1:08 AM on July 17, 2012

Best answer: Took a spin through my recent Mefi favorites -- sounds a lot like Pixelhate, from this February post.
posted by Rhaomi at 1:44 AM on July 17, 2012 [2 favorites]

Was it Upgrade Complete?
posted by ninazer0 at 2:48 AM on July 17, 2012

Upgrade Complete has a sequel.
posted by Apoch at 3:27 AM on July 17, 2012

Rhaomi's link is the one I was thinking of. I went back and played it a bit -- it seems much easier now.
posted by JHarris at 5:32 AM on July 17, 2012

Cosmic Commander?

(I'm trying to think of another one I found on JayIsGames but the tagging over there is sub-par, you can't seem to combine tags to search.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:24 AM on July 17, 2012

What you've described is a "bullet hell" game, a subgenre of shoot-em-up (or shmup for short). try adding "bullet hell" to your search terms.
posted by blue t-shirt at 6:25 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

A bullet hell game based on chaining together invincibility pickups would be something fairly distinctive - most are about precision dodging.

(Also try "Danmaku", the Japanese name for the genre.)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:40 AM on July 17, 2012

Response by poster: Pixelhate! That's totally the one. When I'm off my idevice I'll try out some of these other suggestions too.
posted by migurski at 8:36 AM on July 17, 2012