933:
36:
369:: the first for movement on a flat plane and the second to shoot in the direction the joystick is pushed. 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.
426:
in Japan) uses one joystick for movement and a second for firing. Each joystick is of different design. Unlike most later twin-stick games, the right stick moves the player's avatar. The 1977 sequel,
402:
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
553:
460:
became the seminal example of the control scheme. As gamepads with dual thumbsticks did not exist on 8-bit or 16-bit home computers and consoles, home ports of
1100:
516:, caused a resurgence in 2005. By 2008 the popularity of the genre waned, following a glut of twin-stick shooters with abstract graphics from
330:
718:
383:, don't have a second joystick for shooting, but provide four buttons arranged in a diamond to fire in the cardinal directions.
1179:
438:(1981) has a pair of identical joysticks with the now-standard convention of the left for movement and the right for shooting.
277:
595:
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674:
1605:
457:
323:
1737:
1335:
1260:
980:
262:
711:
1533:
1255:
1030:
282:
272:
476:
were released the same year. Twin-stick controls remained uncommon for arcade games, but were later used in
1798:
1265:
1250:
1115:
1023:
508:
404:
302:
636:
442:, a scrolling shooter released in 1981, is also controlled via two 8-way joysticks. The 1981 SNK coin-op
316:
252:
217:
1803:
1557:
1357:
1197:
1122:
1727:
1633:
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1617:
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913:
472:
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358:
297:
103:
1552:
1242:
1070:
292:
257:
189:
1600:
1595:
1511:
1389:
1164:
975:
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932:
903:
428:
287:
267:
1547:
1516:
1506:
1282:
1132:
1010:
941:
618:
526:
444:
379:
52:
448:
uses a joystick for movement, but four separate buttons, arranged in a diamond, for firing.
1610:
1501:
1345:
1141:
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655:
245:
138:
123:
8:
1367:
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167:
133:
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143:
86:
45:
1732:
1422:
1277:
898:
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1083:
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113:
79:
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184:
118:
93:
69:
1758:
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212:
179:
128:
108:
57:
585:
1669:
1643:
1466:
1439:
1417:
1220:
1169:
813:
748:
501:
374:
172:
155:
98:
27:
1715:
1691:
1638:
1526:
1230:
1149:
757:
517:
478:
354:
1489:
1407:
1110:
1088:
418:
388:
386:
The twin-stick control scheme was used in arcade games starting with
222:
696:
520:
who found the simplicity of the genre appealing. Twin-stick shooter
1753:
1705:
1651:
1577:
1567:
1446:
1159:
679:
513:
366:
347:
524:
of existing video game franchises have since been made, including
1053:
399:
675:"What it's like to launch a twin-stick shooter on Steam in 2017"
377:
may supplant one or both joysticks. A few games, such as 1981's
1698:
1539:
656:"Geometry Wars 3 and the Evolution of the Twin Stick Shooter"
464:
were often awkward to play. The twin-joystick arcade games
554:"Twin-Sticking To Your Guns â From Robotron To Lara Croft"
35:
1325:
587:
Swipe This!: The Guide to Great
Touchscreen Game Design
392:
in 1975, but came into prominence with the high-action
1790:
712:
324:
719:
705:
331:
317:
590:. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley. p. 196.
672:
1791:
653:
583:
278:List of freeware first-person shooters
726:
700:
551:
547:
545:
543:
13:
14:
1815:
540:
931:
458:golden age of arcade video games
432:, uses the same control scheme.
34:
263:List of fighting game companies
673:Roberts, Samuel (2017-11-08).
666:
647:
629:
612:
577:
456:, released in 1982 during the
1:
533:
283:List of third-person shooters
273:List of first-person shooters
509:Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
405:Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
7:
416:The 1975 arcade video game
253:List of battle royale games
218:First-person shooter engine
10:
1820:
929:
654:Bailey, Kat (2014-10-31).
411:
1746:
1662:
1626:
1588:
1482:
1475:
1400:
1316:
1291:
1241:
1206:
1178:
1140:
1131:
1069:
1039:
1009:
966:
940:
867:
844:
779:
756:
747:
739:List of video game genres
734:
625:Killer List of Videogames
552:Cork, Jeff (2014-12-08).
398:in 1982. The ubiquity of
1031:Digital collectible card
365:is controlled using two
359:multidirectional shooter
298:List of maze video games
1116:Roguelike deck-building
1024:Roguelike deck-building
512:, an early hit for the
496:previously co-designed
293:List of light gun games
584:Rogers, Scott (2012).
518:independent developers
303:List of platform games
288:List of survival games
268:List of fighting games
1358:Tactical role-playing
1123:Tactical role-playing
527:Halo: Spartan Assault
1738:Vertically scrolling
258:List of beat 'em ups
1799:Twin-stick shooters
1368:Turn-based strategy
1273:Submarine simulator
1079:Action role-playing
986:Interactive fiction
566:on December 9, 2014
22:Part of a series on
1769:Video game modding
1711:Nonlinear gameplay
1373:Turn-based tactics
1341:Real-time strategy
371:Keyboard and mouse
344:Twin-stick shooter
1804:Video game genres
1786:
1785:
1782:
1781:
1774:Video game remake
1682:Emergent gameplay
1353:Real-time tactics
1312:
1311:
1251:Flight simulation
981:Graphic adventure
927:
926:
728:Video game genres
597:978-1-119-94052-4
341:
340:
1811:
1764:Video game clone
1480:
1479:
1476:Related concepts
1283:Vehicular combat
1138:
1137:
1011:Digital tabletop
991:Interactive film
951:Grand Theft Auto
942:Action-adventure
935:
892:Platform fighter
771:Platform fighter
754:
753:
721:
714:
707:
698:
697:
691:
690:
688:
687:
670:
664:
663:
651:
645:
644:
633:
627:
616:
610:
609:
581:
575:
574:
572:
571:
562:. Archived from
549:
363:player character
333:
326:
319:
228:Quick time event
208:Capture the flag
87:Platform fighter
53:Action-adventure
38:
19:
18:
16:Video game genre
1819:
1818:
1814:
1813:
1812:
1810:
1809:
1808:
1789:
1788:
1787:
1778:
1742:
1733:Twitch gameplay
1658:
1622:
1584:
1471:
1423:Survival horror
1396:
1346:Time management
1308:
1287:
1278:Train simulator
1237:
1202:
1174:
1127:
1065:
1035:
1005:
962:
936:
923:
863:
859:Survival horror
840:
775:
743:
730:
725:
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694:
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337:
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48:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1817:
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1784:
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1766:
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1750:
1748:
1744:
1743:
1741:
1740:
1735:
1730:
1728:Side-scrolling
1725:
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1718:
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1696:
1689:
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1679:
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1613:
1608:
1603:
1592:
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1583:
1582:
1581:
1580:
1575:
1573:Climate change
1570:
1560:
1555:
1550:
1545:
1544:
1543:
1531:
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1519:
1514:
1509:
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1397:
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1392:
1390:Grand strategy
1382:
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1146:
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1135:
1129:
1128:
1126:
1125:
1120:
1119:
1118:
1108:
1106:Monster-taming
1103:
1098:
1093:
1092:
1091:
1086:
1084:Looter shooter
1075:
1073:
1067:
1066:
1064:
1063:
1058:
1051:
1045:
1043:
1037:
1036:
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909:
896:
895:
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884:
883:
882:
880:Hack and slash
871:
869:
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766:Endless runner
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741:
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665:
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641:Arcade History
628:
611:
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462:Robotron: 2084
453:Robotron: 2084
413:
410:
395:Robotron: 2084
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80:Hack and slash
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1625:
1619:
1618:Single-player
1616:
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1371:
1369:
1366:
1364:
1363:Tower defense
1361:
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1337:
1334:
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1319:
1315:
1305:
1304:Immersive sim
1302:
1300:
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1290:
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1222:
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1214:
1213:
1211:
1209:
1205:
1199:
1196:
1194:
1193:City-building
1191:
1189:
1186:
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1163:
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1121:
1117:
1114:
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1112:
1109:
1107:
1104:
1102:
1099:
1097:
1096:Dungeon crawl
1094:
1090:
1087:
1085:
1082:
1081:
1080:
1077:
1076:
1074:
1072:
1068:
1062:
1061:Tile-matching
1059:
1057:
1056:
1052:
1050:
1049:Hidden object
1047:
1046:
1044:
1042:
1038:
1032:
1029:
1025:
1022:
1021:
1020:
1019:Deck-building
1017:
1016:
1014:
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1002:
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984:
982:
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866:
860:
857:
855:
854:Battle royale
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829:
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565:
561:
560:
559:Game Informer
555:
548:
546:
544:
539:
531:
529:
528:
523:
519:
515:
511:
510:
505:
503:
499:
495:
494:Eugene Jarvis
491:
487:
486:
485:Total Carnage
481:
480:
475:
474:
469:
468:
463:
459:
455:
454:
449:
447:
446:
441:
437:
436:
435:Space Dungeon
431:
430:
425:
422:(released as
421:
420:
409:
407:
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401:
397:
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376:
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368:
364:
361:in which the
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78:
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68:
66:
65:Battle royale
63:
59:
56:
55:
54:
51:
50:
47:
42:
41:
37:
33:
32:
29:
26:
25:
21:
20:
1759:Toys-to-life
1699:
1692:
1644:
1589:Player modes
1553:Personalized
1538:
1527:
1495:
1401:Other genres
1331:Auto battler
1299:Falling-sand
1261:Lunar Lander
1071:Role-playing
1054:
996:Visual novel
958:Metroidvania
950:
904:
836:Third-person
823:
809:Shoot 'em up
794:First-person
684:. Retrieved
678:
668:
659:
649:
640:
631:
619:
614:
586:
579:
568:. Retrieved
564:the original
557:
525:
507:
506:
497:
489:
483:
477:
471:
465:
461:
451:
450:
443:
439:
433:
427:
423:
417:
415:
403:
393:
387:
385:
378:
352:shoot 'em up
343:
342:
213:Cover system
160:
151:Shoot 'em up
139:Third-person
124:First-person
58:Metroidvania
28:Action games
1675:Hypercasual
1596:Multiplayer
1512:Educational
1462:Programming
1457:Photography
1430:Incremental
1226:Kart racing
1170:Virtual pet
1001:Walking sim
976:Escape room
875:Beat 'em up
814:Bullet hell
502:Larry DeMar
482:(1990) and
473:Black Widow
424:Western Gun
375:touch input
355:video games
190:Vehicle sim
156:Bullet hell
75:Beat 'em up
1793:Categories
1716:Open world
1627:Production
1548:Nonviolent
1231:Sim racing
1198:Government
1133:Simulation
824:Twin-stick
758:Platformer
686:2022-10-12
637:"Vanguard"
570:2022-10-12
534:References
490:Smash T.V.
479:Smash T.V.
357:. It is a
161:Twin-stick
104:Action RPG
1502:Christian
1490:Advergame
1378:Artillery
1111:Roguelike
1089:Soulslike
968:Adventure
804:Light gun
606:797837609
522:spin-offs
492:designer
429:Boot Hill
419:Gun Fight
408:in 2005.
389:Gun Fight
367:joysticks
233:WASD keys
223:Free look
134:Light gun
114:Artillery
46:Subgenres
1754:Minigame
1706:Masocore
1652:Fan game
1522:Licensed
1447:Non-game
1318:Strategy
1188:Business
887:Fighting
846:Survival
831:Tactical
680:PC Gamer
514:Xbox 360
498:Robotron
488:(1992).
445:Vanguard
400:gamepads
380:Vanguard
348:subgenre
185:Survival
144:Tactical
94:Platform
70:Fighting
1721:Sandbox
1563:Serious
1496:BishÅjo
1413:Fitness
1385:Wargame
1243:Vehicle
1216:Fishing
1155:Farming
1055:Sokoban
919:Stealth
905:Pac-Man
781:Shooter
660:USGamer
623:at the
412:History
180:Stealth
109:Shooter
1670:Casual
1663:Design
1645:Doujin
1558:Sci-fi
1534:Sexual
1507:Comedy
1483:Themes
1467:Typing
1440:Rhythm
1418:Horror
1256:Combat
1221:Racing
1208:Sports
1165:Social
1150:Dating
1101:MMORPG
1041:Puzzle
749:Action
604:
594:
467:Rescue
202:Topics
173:Racing
168:Sports
99:Rhythm
1747:Other
1700:Kaizo
1693:Gacha
1639:Indie
1601:Co-op
1540:Eroge
1528:Otome
1517:Girls
1452:Party
1435:Music
1292:Other
1266:Space
953:clone
914:Snake
907:clone
868:Other
789:Arena
500:with
346:is a
246:Lists
119:Arena
1647:soft
1578:News
1408:Cozy
1336:MOBA
1142:Life
899:Maze
819:Rail
799:Hero
620:Mars
602:OCLC
592:ISBN
470:and
440:Mars
129:Hero
1687:FMV
1634:AAA
1611:PVP
1606:MMO
1568:Art
1180:CMS
1160:God
373:or
350:of
1795::
1326:4X
677:.
658:.
639:.
600:.
556:.
542:^
530:.
504:.
720:e
713:t
706:v
689:.
662:.
643:.
608:.
573:.
332:e
325:t
318:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
