1983's Xevious was one of the first (and really successful) vertical scrolling shooters. Born as an evolution of Namco's previous hit Galaga, in this shmup you actually traversed a diverse, on-rails path, by piloting your Salvalou ship upwards. But the truly mind-blowing feature of "the arcade game you can't play at home" was almost three-dimensional: you could drop bombs on ground targets! Its influence in Japan was so strong (you can see it as a clear inspiration for other hits such as Konami's TwinBee), it transcended video games, with its sci-fi story inspiring novels, tribute music and even its own anime.
