Videos

R-Type Arcade - Full Longplay (1987)

Complete run of the original arcade version on Irem M72 hardware. All eight stages, all bosses including Dobkeratops, through the Bydo Core and final confrontation.

R-Type II Arcade - Full Longplay (1989)

R-Type II on Irem M84 hardware. The R-9C spacecraft with five weapon types, anti-ground bomb, and the harder "second loop" for the true ending.

R-Type III: The Third Lightning - SNES Longplay

Complete SNES run with the Round Force (original Force type). Developed by Tamtex; EGM Best Shooter 1994. Composer Ikuko Mimori's soundtrack.

R-Type Dimensions - Xbox 360 (2009)

The HD remaster bundling R-Type and R-Type II with a 3D mode toggle and co-op support. Demonstrates how the original arcade design holds up.

Kung-Fu Master - Arcade Longplay (1984)

Complete run of the original beat ‘em up. Thomas fights through five floors of enemies to rescue Sylvia. All five bosses - the first boss fight genre in gaming.

In the Hunt - Arcade Longplay (1993)

Kazuma Kujo's submarine shooter on Irem M92 hardware. The Granvia submarine against the D.A.S. organization - creative precursor to Metal Slug.

Hammerin’ Harry - Arcade Longplay (1990)

Gen-san (Harry) defends his hometown from corrupt construction companies. Charming platformer; 93% in C64/CV review. Complete arcade run.

Moon Patrol - Arcade Longplay (1982)

The original parallax scrolling game. Three-layer depth on Z80 hardware - an engineering achievement in 1982. Complete city A to city Z run.

Image Fight - Arcade Longplay (1988)

Japan's most successful table arcade unit, December 1988. Pod weapon system, four speed levels, vertical shooting at its M72 peak.

R-Type Leo - Arcade Longplay (1992)

Two-player co-op R-Type spinoff on M92 hardware. Arcade-only release; precursor Force units and a brighter, brighter art direction than the mainline series.

R-Type - Irem's Legendary Arcade Shooter (1987)

Retrospective covering R-Type's 1987 release, Irem's M72 hardware, the Force device innovation, and the game's lasting influence on shoot ‘em ups.

R Type - Arcade (1987) Overview

A look back at R-Type as an arcade artefact - Irem's leap from Moon Patrol and Kung-Fu Master to the most influential horizontal shooter of the 1980s.

R-Type Arcade Cabinet - Nintendo / Irem 1987

Collector unboxing and powering up an original R-Type dedicated cabinet - the Nintendo-distributed North American version with the Irem M72 PCB inside.

R-Type (1987) - Arcade MAME Longplay

Full-game MAME run of R-Type emulating the Irem M72 board - period-correct visuals and sound for those without access to the original cabinet.

Irem M72 Multi PCB - Hardware Demo

Walkthrough of an Irem M72 Multi PCB running on a Sony PVM CRT. The M72 was Irem's first 16-bit arcade system board - the platform that R-Type debuted on.

R-Type Dimensions - Review & Arcade Comparison

2009 HD compilation review comparing R-Type Dimensions to the original arcade PCB. How faithful is the emulation, and does the design hold up?