Side Arms
PC Engine
Side Arms (Hyper Dyne Side Arms) is a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up developed by Capcom and released in arcades in 1986. You pilot a flying mecha suit battling the alien Bozon empire. Two buttons fire left and right; a third cycles through weapons. Power-ups include speed upgrade, orbital bit (satellites), shotgun (fan spread), three-way shooter, and mega bazooka (laser beam). Each upgrades three times. Two "Auto" power-ups enable continuous or multidirectional fire. Two-player co-op is supported.
PC Engine
Released in Japan on July 14, 1989 by NEC Avenue, and in North America the same year. Developed by Capcom but published by NEC Avenue. Supports one player only—two-player co-op is absent. Weapons can be changed via a sub-menu while paused. Music was newly composed by Takashi Tateishi. Graphics are somewhat washed out, but action is fast-paced and challenging. The alpha drone (orbital bit) provides eight-way spread shots but doubles your hitbox. A solid if slightly compromised port.