XNeo

XNeo is a shmup, pure and simple, of the Galaga style. Slide back and forth, fire continuously, kill them enemy ships, and deal with the level boss. Okay, there's some sort of backstory about how you're actually a hacker and this is the in-cyber interface for hacking, but who cares? Might as well be space. Except maybe that explains why there aren't sound effects for weapons and explosions. That, and the fact that the music is pretty cool Euro-techno, and perhaps they didn't want to mar the music with whoomps and blooies.

It plays fast, it's pretty, and it has adaptive difficulty, meaning you can still play the game effectively even if you suck (but score increases if you play at higher levels of difficulty, so a non-sucky player will definitely outscore you).

Note: You might also want to look at Parallax's more recent shmup, XenoBlast.

The Developer Says:

Like shoot'em ups?

This new Parallax Factory creation take place in a kind of cyberpunk matrix. Adaptive difficulty will keep the challenge at your level every time you play. Play it alone or with a friend. The fast paced action is the beginning of a series of shoot'em up (shmups) for the fans, and thanks to our player profiling, for a casual audience.

Feature 10 unique environments, more than 30 enemies, and hours of fun...