Time to save the universe on your Nintendo DS, with our guide to the best DS shoot em up games!



Shoot em up games (also known as shmup games) have been around for decades. While there are plenty of different kinds, the basic premise is almost always the same. You control your character, spaceship or aircraft whilst wave after wave of enemies fly at you. These you must destroy with your high powered weaponry. In many of these games, as you progress, the enemies get tougher until you meet a "Boss" who is the toughest enemy of them all.

Shoot em up games are one of my favourite types of game but unfortunately the DS does not feature too many of this type of game. However, there are one or two excellent titles on the system to satisfy shooting fans. So while the 'touch generation' can look after their puppies, train their brains or design themselves a new outfit, the hardcore gamers can still blast aliens just like in the good old days. We've found a number of shoot em up titles to tell you about and our favourite DS shooters include:-

Nanostray – Just like the old days, it's you against the aliens, with no back-story or other such complications. Nanostray is an old school shooting game through and through. You can see what we thought to this DS game by checking out our Nanostray Review.

Nanostray 2 – shmup fans rejoice! Nanostray is back to give you more traditional shooting action and this time it's better than ever. You can find out what we thought of this game by reading our Nanostray 2 review.

Space Invaders Extreme – Space Invaders is the granddaddy of the modern shooting game and has recently been brought up to date in this new DS game. Can the bleeping and blooping green space monsters still keep players hooked today? You'll can find out by reading our Space Invaders Extreme review.

Isn't it great that you can blast aliens and look after sick animals, all on the same console? Only the DS has such a diverse range of games! Keep reading lets-play-ds.com and we'll keep you informed of all the best DS shooters.

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