R-Types is a 1998 shoot'em up video game compilation developed and published by Irem for the PlayStation. R-Types contains two games from Irem's R-Type franchise - the original R-Type (1987) and its direct sequel R-Type II (1989) - alongside bonus material such as promotional artwork and a gallery spanning the series' history.

The Story Behind R-Types

Kujo agreed, and got to work on what later became R-Types. R-Types was digitally re-released for the PlayStation Network service on December 21, 2006 in Japan, later released on April 24, 2008 in Europe and North America; due to Sony's license with Irem expiring, this version of the game was removed from the storefront. R-Types allowed Irem programmers to familiarize themselves with the internals of the PlayStation console, which became useful for later projects.

On October 21, 2001, Irem re-released R-Types in Japan as a budget title, published under the "R's Best" brand alongside R-Type Delta. After the company emerged as Irem Software Engineering in 1997, R-Type series chief producer Kazumi Kujo proposed a new R-Type game to executives.

How R-Types Plays

One is the "Force", an orange-colored pod that acts as a shield for the R-9 and provides additional firepower. In both games, the player controls a starship named the R-9 that must eradicate the Bydo, a powerful extraterrestrial race bent on the destruction of mankind. The "R Museum" is an extensive gallery featuring models and information ships, characters, enemies and locations spanning the history of the R-Type series up to that point, as well as a history of the series and promotional artwork.

R-Type II adds a number of additional features and mechanics, including new weapon types and a new type of charge shot that creates a barrage of shots that home in on enemies. Destroying small "POW Armor" enemies causes them to leave behind a power-up item, which grants the player one of several unique abilities when collected. R-Types includes conversions of the arcade games R-Type (1987) and R-Type II (1989).

Why Players Still Load It Up

GameSpot said that Irem should have included additional games to make the price point justified, such as Super R-Type and R-Type Leo, which Famitsu agreed with. IGN, GameSpot and PSX Magazine all stated that the games were fun to play and had an addictive quality to them - GameSpot in particular wrote that they offered plenty of gameplay time. R-Types is one of these." In 2007, IGN re-reviewed R-Types for its "Retro Roundup" segment of articles, describing it as "a perfectly cool pairing of some very classic shooters".

Official US PlayStation Magazine said their quality was the standout among the collection, saying that ports as well-done as these made it one of the best classic game collections released for the system. Official US PlayStation Magazine thought the game had a nice selection of bonus features, as did PSX Magazine. Original copies have greatly risen in price over the years, and is seen as a collector's piece among R-Type fans.

Every console has a life of its own — a launch, a fight for shelf space, a few years when its best work appears, and a long afterlife in the hands of people who never stopped playing it. This one is no exception.

R-Types — Frequently Asked Questions