69: SWIV

Number 69
(87.6 points)
SWIV
1991: 27 (7.4)
1992: 38 (12.6)
1993: 64 (14.8)
1994: 63 (22.8)
1995: 91 (8.0)
1996: 79 (22.0)

This is it: our lowest-ranked game that managed to feature in every single Top 100 list. It may have struggled to hang on in later years, but hang on it did. SWIV joins the elite club of six-time appearances, so there must be something about this arcade-style vertical shmup that kept the Amiga Power guys coming back for more.

The Sales Curve had previously converted Silkworm from the arcade to home computers, and while this is not an official sequel, the inspiration is obvious. Just like in that game, one player controls a helicopter, the other a jeep. You fly/drive vertically onwards through a seemingly endless stream of enemies in a continuous cycle, rather than completing individual levels. There are still mini-bosses to contend with along the way, and there is a selection of power-ups to improve your weaponry. There are quite a few vertical shoot 'em ups on the Amiga, but this is often considered to be one of the best.

It's interesting to read the six entries on the Top 100 list for this game, going from when it was new and fresh, to when the vertical shmup genre itself was seen as a little dated, but it kept getting picked as the best example of that specific genre on the Amiga. Personally, I'm not particularly enamoured by it, but then I've never been that big on shoot 'em ups anyway. I think one aspect that pushed this on with the Amiga Power team is the two-player helicopter-jeep combo that ensures it'll always be fun to join your friend in some old-fashioned shooting action, so I'm probably missing out in that sense.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
SWIV v1.0 (1991-02-28)(Storm)[cr CPY][t +6 CPY]