March 6, 2007 - Welcome to IGN's weekly countdown of the exceptional, fascinating, and absurd: something we like to call Top 10 Tuesday. Every week we'll feature the top ten games, characters, fashion statements or whatever else we can think of that in some way relates to gaming and its history. And just because it's called Top 10 Tuesday doesn't mean it's always going to be a list of the best -- we like to razz on stuff as much as we like to praise it. From counting down the best consoles ever to revealing the worst use of fish heads in a videogame, this is where it's at.

This week's topic: 2D space shooters. We're talking scrolling blasters, both vertical and horizontal, that send countless bullets, enormous bosses, and screen-filling power-ups your way. Often called "schmups" (short for shoot-em-ups), the genre has been around since Space Invaders and is seeing a bit of a resurgence today on the Wii Virtual Console and Xbox Live. Today we'll focus on flight-based shooters, so ground-based games like Metal Slug and Alien Hominid will have to wait for their own top ten list. These games really separate the men from the boys (and the women from the girls) with hyper tests of reflexes and hand-eye coordination. Depending on how long you've been gaming, you might not have played (or heard of) some of these titles, but we urge you to seek them out. The "schmup" is an important part of gaming history, and there are few things as satisfying as dodging a hail storm of bullets and coming out unscathed on the other side.

10) Gunbird 2
Gunbird 2 features all of the crazy off-the-wall humor of the first game along with an ample increase in the cleavage quotient. The game's art style was heavily influenced by the Metal Slug titles, and made for a beautiful-looking playthrough. Gunbird 2's adjustable difficulty made it more accessible than most other space shooters, while still offering up enough challenge to keep hardcore players satiated. The game also had a large cast of selectable characters, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and story sequences. We're drooling all over ourselves just thinking about it.

9) Mars Matrix
Capcom released Mars Matrix in arcades in 2000, and ported the title to the Dreamcast the following year. The game is unique among modern shooters for only using one button. Three different attacks are available, and the timing in which the one button is pressed determines which attack is used. The game mixes polygons with 2D sprites and comes up with mixed results, but the gameplay and challenge are top notch. Mars Matrix is still pretty easy to find in Japanese arcades, and there are still mint copies of the Dreamcast version floating around the internets.

8) G Darius
Among PlayStation shooters, G Darius is among the best. Featuring polygonal graphics, the boss battles are some of the most epic of all shooters. The Darius series is known for pitting players against giant, mechanical fish, and this is probably the most exciting example of the series. The game also let players choose their path as levels branched off from one another, making for multiple endings and lots of replay value. G Darius has one of the most satisfying power-up systems, where once you maximize your firepower your laser fills up almost the entire screen.

7) R-type III: the Third Lightning
R-Type III is the quintessential R-Type title. It expanded on the force system of previous games in the series by adding two new Force alignments, each with their own weapon progression. R-Type IIII featured all of the side-scrolling brilliance of its predecessors with new graphical tricks enabled by the SNES. The game has recently been released on the Wii's Virtual Console, leaving fans of the genre no choice, but to download the game. If you own a Wii, and haven't already purchased R-Type III, then why are you still reading this? Get out there and download the game. You will quickly learn why it has gone down in history as one of the greatest space shooters of all time.

6) Life Force
Gradius fans out there might decry us for our omission of any games in that hallowed franchise, but we figure that Life Force's presence on the list more than absolves us. Life Force for the NES took Gradius's power-up system and placed it in a far more terrifying organic environment. The game sported plenty of excellent top-scrolling levels in addition to some side-scrolling Gradius throwbacks. Life Force's bosses were some of the best seen on the NES, featuring top-notch art design, and fearsome difficulty. Besides, who can deny the sheer joy of blasting the hell out of a giant, disembodied brain?