R-Type

Quite possibly the most frequently ported game in existence. Versions of it exist on:

Nintendo Entertainment System(NES)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System(SNES)
Nintendo Game Boy
Sega Master System
Sega Game Gear
Sega Genesis
NEC TurboGrafx 16(TG16)

The only contemporary system I am aware of that it is not on is the Atari 7800. Poor schmucks.

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Year: 1987
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Space Shooter
Type: Video Arcade
Monitor:

• Orientation: Horizontal
• Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
• CRT: Color

Conversion Class: unique
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Alternating
Control Panel Layout: Single Player
Controls:

• Joystick: 8-way
• Buttons: 2 - Fire, Pod Control

Sound: Amplified Mono (one channel)

Abstract

Side-scrolling shooter in which you assume the role of a pilot who must use his superior skills to conquer hordes of aliens. Collect powerups and modifications to assist in this task.

Gameplay

The controls consist of a joystick, a fire button and a pod control button. The fire button can be held down for extended periods to increase the power of one's shot.

Conversion Info:

Although this games PCB says it is a JAMMA board, it cannot be used for other JAMMA games. It lacks certain required hardware characteristics.

Legacy:
R-type
R-type II
R-type Leo

WWW: http://www.rtype.com/

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tech specs from klov.com

A horizontally-scrolling space shoot-'em-up, developed as an arcade game by Irem (NOT Nintendo!) in 1987 and ported to nearly every home computer, console and handheld available, from the ZX Spectrum to the Sony Playstation. R-Type introduced a number of ideas that have often been copied since, such as a level involving flying around the outside of a much larger spaceship, and a weapon that is charged up by holding down the fire button.

The enemies (the evil alien Bydo Empire) are in Irem's biomechanical style, with a mixture of traditional spaceships and massive alien creatures (such as the iconic first end-of-level boss). Knowing they were onto a winner, Irem put out a number of sequels/remakes (R-Type Leo, R-Type II, Super R-Type) as well as several games with a similar style (such as X Multiply). Tecnosoft's later Thunder Force games are probably the closest thing to an immediate successor to R-Type, and contain numerous 'homages' to parts of the original game.