It's that time of year again, a time when Defunct Games celebrates the holidays by posting a daily theme article that should inform and delight gamers all over the world. This year we're counting down the days until Christmas by looking at 30 different video game genres. From the most popular games to the tiniest niche titles, everything fits into a genre and we're going to be there to shed absolutely no new information about that genre in this month-long feature. Join us as we celebrate this joyous season with the 30 Genres of Christmas!


How Do You Know You Are a Dual-Stick Shooter? A Dual-Stick Shooter is an overhead action game that requires you to move your character around with one analog stick, while running with the other. You can tell that this is a Dual-Stick Shooter when you see the thousands of characters on screen and the teeny tiny character you play. Also, if you find yourself really stressed out you may be playing a Dual-Stick Shooter ... either that or you're planning a wedding. Either way, both activities are extremely violent.

Patron Saint: One-stick shooters that rotated around in 360 degrees (see: Forgotten Worlds, Ikari Warriors and Midnight Resistance).

Typical Story: HOLY CRAP!!! That's a lot of enemies you have to deal with. Thankfully you are the type of soldier that can shoot in any direction, no matter which way you're running. Unfortunately your talents are being wasted on a stupid TV game show and not someplace more important. But with all of these prizes being thrown at you, who cares if you're not off fighting some war. Big money, big prizes ... I LOVE IT!!

What Sal the One-Armed Logger Would Think: "Y'know, when I lost my arm on that terrible fishing boat accident, I figured I would get by. And for the last ten years I have. I've learned to write, fix dinner, make love and bathe myself all with the use of only one hand. It sucks, but I've made the best of it. And now there's a game where I need two hands to play? What's that ... ? Oh, you mean that there are a lot of games that require two hands? Then never mind, I guess it doesn't matter. Has anybody seen the chainsaw I left on? It's around here somewhere."

Not a Dual-Stick Shooter: Geometry Wars may be a Dual-Stick Shooter, but that doesn't mean that every game in the series is. Just look at Geometry Wars Galaxies on the Nintendo DS and Wii. While they both feature similar gameplay to the Xbox original, the fact that neither system offers a second stick makes them something other than a Dual-Stick Shooter. As anybody who has played Galaxies knows, a Dual-Stick Shooter just isn't as much fun without the dual-stick.

Then vs. Now? For years I begged and pleaded with Midway for a Smash TV sequel. I explained how this franchise would be perfect in this generation, what with most of the current generation controls having two analog sticks. But they didn't listen. Instead they made an update to NARC and gave us Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. As far as I'm concerned the lack of a Smash TV sequel is the single reason why Midway closed their doors. Okay, maybe not the single reason, but I still say that it has something to do with it. These days we have more Dual-Stick Shooters than we know what to do with, so much so that even die-hard Smash TV fans are saying "ENOUGH!" Still, just when you think you've had your fill a game like Everyday Shooter comes around and shows you something new. I may not have my Smash TV sequel, but there's no question that the Dual-Stick Shooters of today are better than they were twenty years ago.