Highlights
- From Space Harrier to Panzer Dragoon, rail shooters offer diverse, challenging gameplay in unique worlds.
- Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and Sin And Punishment showcase fast-paced, visually striking rail shooter experiences.
- Rez and Star Successor prove that music-based rail shooters can still be fantastic and innovative today.
Among the numerous genres that populate the video game landscape, which features everything from slow-paced life simulations all the way to interactive blockbuster movies, the rail shooter is one that tends to get forgotten about. The concept is simple: it thrusts players through stages with an aiming reticle and a fire button, then throws enemies at them. This simplicity is deceptive, however, as it's a genre full of challenging games.
7 Best GameCube First-Person Shooter Games
The GameCube is home to some excellent FPS games that fans can still enjoy today. These are some of the best on Nintendo's console.
Placing the player on a moving track and giving them a reticle and something to shoot at sounds simple enough, but the boundless amount of unique settings and fascinating worlds it has created is impossible to overlook. Running the gamut from intriguing fantasy worlds and gritty, more realistic settings, the rail shooter has seen quite a diverse blend of worlds to exist in. Tracing its origins to arcade games like Space Harrier, the rail shooter has quietly been the home of both original concepts to adapting some pretty popular IPs, as this fabulous genre of video games is still going strong to this day.
8 Space Harrier
Early Rail Shooter Set The Tone For The Future Of The Genre
- Release Date: October 2, 1985
- Developer: Sega
- Platforms: Arcade, Genesis, Switch
Often described as the origin of the rail shooter, Space Harrier was directed by the legendary Yu Suzuki, who would go on to create Shenmue and become one of the most prominent figures in the industry. In Space Harrier, the player is thrown into a fast-paced shooting adventure outfitted with a jetpack and an energy weapon to defeat enemies.
Space Harrier has remarkable speed and momentum for a game of its era, still feeling quite fast and frantic even today. But considering that Sega was one of the most well-versed racing game developers of the time period, it isn't entirely surprising. The fast-paced shooting action of Space Harrier is outstanding, as this iconic game gave birth to one of the industry's best genres.
7 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Outstanding Re-Telling Of Two Famous Resident Evil Games
Resident Evil is certainly no stranger to spin-off titles, as the iconic survival horror series has dipped its toe into light-gun and even online co-op games previously. But some of the best spin-offs have been rail shooters, including the absolutely spectacular Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, which launched for the Nintendo Wii in 2009, then the PS3 in 2012.
Every Resident Evil Game In Order Of Release
The Resident Evil franchise has been around for many years and has tons of titles under its belt. Here's every game in release order.
Following the equally wonderful Umbrella Chronicles from 2007, The Darkside Chronicles details events from Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica in a high-energy thrill ride through some historical moments and locations from the series. Moving through these locations and firing off the explosive weapons that Resident Evil has become known for is fantastic, as it shuttles the player through at a brisk pace and features some outstanding boss fights. It's still one of the best RE spin-off titles and is due for a remaster.
6 Panzer Dragoon
Cult Classic Franchise Begins With Sega Saturn Rail Shooter
Developed by a team inside Sega that came from the arcade department, Panzer Dragoon was conceived as a way to bolster the Saturn's launch line-up. And it worked out quite well, as this epic 3D rail shooter utilized Sega's impressive hardware to create a huge, sprawling fantasy world and dropped players into the fight.
Riding the backs of dragons through enormous 3D environments, this expertly crafted rail shooter features precise controls mixed with a sense of wonder that is still phenomenal today. It would go on to spawn multiple sequels, as this unique world was a perfect setting for an expanding story and upgraded systems. Panzer Dragoon was also remastered for modern platforms in 2020, making this classic shooter easier than ever to play today.
5 Sin And Punishment
N64 Exclusive Rail Shooter Showcases Apocalyptic Future
- Release Date: November 21, 2000
- Developer: Treasure
- Platforms: N64, Wii, Wii U, Switch
After being released as a Japan exclusive for the N64 in the year 2000, Sin and Punishment was later brought to the West in 2015 on the Wii eShop and later the Switch via NSO. Set in an apocalyptic future where a famine is crippling the world, Sin and Punishment is a highly energetic and fast-paced shooter with two playable characters and a surprisingly dark story for being a Nintendo 64 game.
7 Forgotten First-Person Shooters On The Nintendo 64
Where GoldenEye, Turok, and Perfect Dark are considered timeless classics, there are a number of FPSs on the N64 that have been completely forgotten.
The stages feature some great variety and the shooting feels immersive and tight, mostly thanks to the driving music that ranks up with some of the best soundtracks of all time. This outstanding shooter is still one of the most visually unique and intriguing in the genre, and is readily available today.
4 Star Fox 64
First 3D Star Fox Game Brings Fox McCloud To New Heights
After pioneering 3D graphics in 1993 with the original Star Fox, which was powered by the impressive SuperFX chip, Nintendo opted to bring Fox McCloud and the crew back into action on the N64. Star Fox 64 was developed by re-arranging elements from the original game as well as the infamously canceled sequel, introducing many key elements like Star Wolf and the Landmaster that would become standard for the series.
The stages are absolutely amazing, putting players in control of either an Arwing or the Landmaster. As the player is guided through the huge 3D stages, which still feel impressive for a game from 1996, shooting from these iconic vehicles at the nefarious forces of Star Wolf and Andross is fabulous fun. It is readily available on the Nintendo Switch via NSO, so it's easy to pick up and play today.
3 Panzer Dragoon Orta
Fourth Panzer Dragoon Game Flies Onto Xbox As Exclusive
- Release Date: December 19, 2002
- Developer: Smilebit
- Platform: Xbox
Although the Panzer Dragoon series achieved some success on the Sega Saturn with the first three games, the Japanese giant found itself exiting the hardware market in 2001. But with new hardware like the Xbox proving to be quite capable, Sega decided to dust off the franchise and develop Panzer Dragoon Orta as an exclusive for Microsoft's console.
Best Sega Saturn Games, Ranked
The Sega Saturn wasn't the company's most successful console, but these titles hold memories in the hearts of many 90s gamers.
Panzer Dragoon Orta used the power of the then next-generation Xbox to its advantage in some pretty fantastic ways, as the stages are bigger and full of more spectacle than the series had seen to that point. The levels are full of amazing action and some huge boss battles, as this fourth and final entry in the Panzer Dragoon saga isn't just the best in the franchise, but is one of the genre's best achievements.
2 Rez
Innovative Music-Based Rail Shooter Is Still Fantastic
Produced by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who would later work on the phenomenal Tetris Effect, Rez was a music-based rail shooter that casts the player as a hacker entering cyberspace in order to fix a corrupt AI system. This inventive and visually stunning game features the player traversing through gorgeous, surreal environments and blasting away to the thumping beat of a killer soundtrack.
Rez combines slick, over the top visuals with some outstanding shooting gameplay, in a highly entertaining package that is still one of the genre's best. The art direction is absolutely stellar, as the world that the player traverses is a delight to look at. Rez was remastered for modern hardware in 2015 and is still a blast to play.
1 Sin And Punishment: Star Successor
Wii Exclusive Is Still The Best Rail Shooter Ever Made
- Release Date: October 29, 2009
- Developer: Treasure
- Platform: Wii
During the spectacular height of the Wii, Nintendo was making some pretty amazing titles that are pretty remarkable when viewed through a contemporary lense. One game that could use a second look is Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, which launched on the console in 2009 and is still a terrific rail shooter that is in dire need of a remaster.
7 Hardest Nintendo Wii Games, Ranked
From Sonic And The Secret Rings to Monster Hunter Tri, we've ranked some of the hardest games ever to hit the Nintendo Wii.
Star Successor takes place several years after the first Sin and Punishment, featuring the return of the characters from the previous game and introducing even more new ones. The shooting feels even tighter, the stages are bigger and more complex, and the story gets pretty hectic, involving multiple Earths and dimensions. It's a truly fantastic game that was lost in the shuffle of great Wii games in 2009 and is still impressive even today.
7 Best Wii Exclusive Games, Ranked
These Nintendo Wii-exclusive games exist not only as some of the best on the innovative console but also as some of the best of all time.