FINAL JUSTICE
◼ Arriving in 1985, Compile’s Final Justice was one of the team’s first console releases, and an early MSX shooting game. It certainly feels primitive compared to the development team’s later works, but there’s a fun game in there that hints at the energy future Compile shmups would offer.
ZANAC
◼ Coming out two years before Power Strike, Zanac offers such a similar proposition it can be considered something of a prototype, or even as Power Strike 0. Fast, intense, and stylish, it’s an essential shmup, and available in many revisions on the PS1 Zanac X Zanac compilation.
BLAZING LAZERS
◼ Known as Gunhed in Japan, Blazing Lazers stands out as one of Compile’s most popular PC Engine games. Released in 1989, just a year after Power Strike,…