Help me remember game name.

[fflash]

I am trying to know what this game is.

It is an arcade game that resembles Gradius, a spaceship shooter, shooting from left to right. Like Gradius, there are two pods that help shoot. The pods in this game have 3 modes: attatched to the ship, rotating around it, and following it like in Gradius. The weapon type is chosen at the start of the game. One is "Vulcan," a spread shot. The second is a laser, which fires a thick laser beam that keeps going one second after the firing button is released. Another is a missile, and I don't know what the fourth is. Getting hit won't kill the fighter instantly, as it has 4 bars of life. It is playable by 2 players, with the second craft coming out pink colored. I remember a bar for the score, when it fills, the level progresses.

Does anyone know the game I am trying to describe?

Not knowing what the fourth weapon is has made me wonder for the past decade.

[Lyger]

Its not Raiden is it

[Kazuya]

It is an arcade game that resembles Gradius, a spaceship shooter, shooting from left to right.

Left to right, Lyger. Not up and down. I have no idea what this game is either. I know a couple Nes and Snes and Genesis games like that, but I'm not too familiar with arcade.

[Kei_Hoshiakari]

The closest thing I know of is Galaga. =/

[Cosmic]

Sounds like either Strike Gunner or Super Aleste, although I don't think the latter was released in the arcades. That Vulcan weapon you mentioned sounds familiar and I'm sure it was from one of those two...

[solka]

Maybe Salamander...

[pkt-zer0]

A few horizontal shooters. If you sort it by date, you might be able to find the game from the screenshots/descriptions.
http://www.the-underdogs.org/genre.p...ntal%20shooter

[Mr. Kenney]

Pretty sure you're describing R-Type, Super R-Type, Or R-Type 3... Maybe even R-Type Leo. Except, there isn't 3 bars or whatever in the R-Type series. But, there is all the weapons you described... they work like you described too.

[ToastPop]

Life Force for NES?

[RoseDragon83L]

salamander = lifeforce in the usa, but it's not that game as you can't choose weapons at the beginning and no powerbars.
early r-types you couldn't choose weapons and later r-types you can only choose what type of.. orb thingy you get, plus no powerbars.

I've been playing lots and lots and lots of shooters lately, trying to find one myself actually. Havn't come across a game like the one you described yet.

[error404]

parodius, philosoma, earth defense force, r-types...

[fflash]

parodius, philosoma, earth defense force, r-types...

Thanks a lot guys! It was Earth Defence Force that I was looking for.

It was an arcade game made in 1991, also on snes.

I've Dreamed about this!

[Great Mizuti]

The description got me thinking Zero Wing :

[Roux!]

Did I hear someone say "All your base..."?

[Miro-kun]

lets hear it for the obscure space shooters. Speeking of which, i got my own request. I'm looking for this game that had ninjas.
It had a blue guy and a red girl, and when they would get hit, their robot parts would show.
I used to play it at an arcade in San Francisco airport, and I never beat the first stage, since it never let you continue

The animations were stiff, and it probably wasn't a good game, but for nostalgia's sake, I would like to find it. I think it was Ninja Warriors or something like that.