is a 1998 shoot'em up video game compilation developed and published by Irem for the PlayStation. It was published by ASCII Corporation in North America, and by Virgin Interactive in Europe. R-Types contains two games from Irem's R-Type franchise - the original R-Type (1987) and its direct sequel R-Type II (1989) - alongside bonus material such as promotional artwork and a gallery spanning the series' history.
Kazumi Kujo, the chief producer for the series, suggested R-Types to Irem executives whilst in talks of a potential new R-Type game. Having fallen into heavy financial difficulties and being weary of the current console game market, Irem proposed that Kujo and staff create a collection of early R-Type games as a way to test the market if a sequel was suitable. Both games were reprogrammed from scratch via reverse-engineering the original hardware, as opposed to using software emulation. R-Types allowed Irem to familiarize themselves with the hardware of the PlayStation console.
R-Types sold well, and gave Irem hope in a new R-Type game returning a profit. The game was praised by critics for its quality and extra content, although some argued that it could have benefited from additional games and that the difficulty of the two games could turn off potential players. It was re-released as a budget title in 2003, and as a digital download for the PlayStation Network in 2006.
Gameplay
thumb|left|R-Types hosts several pieces of extra content, such as an "R Museum" containing information on the series' history.
R-Types includes conversions of the arcade games R-Type (1987) and R-Type II (1989). In both games, the player controls a starship named the R-9 that must eradicate the Bydo, a powerful extraterrestrial race bent on the destruction of mankind. Gameplay involves shooting down enemies and avoiding collision with enemies, projectiles and obstacles. The R-9 can perform a charge shot by holding down the fire button, which when released disperses a blast that cuts through enemies. The Force can be attached to either the front or back of the R-9, and can also be launched forwards or backwards to fly freely. were having financial difficulties, attributed to a severe lack of major money-making hits compared to their golden years. Shortly after the release of R-Type III: The Third Lightning for the SNES, Irem closed all of its video game production lines in 1994 to focus on restructuring itself and becoming more stable. As a way to create bonds with international publishers, and to rake in additional much-needed profit, Irem worked with European publisher Virgin Interactive and the American branch of the Japanese ASCII Corporation to bring R-Types overseas.
On October 21, 2001, Irem re-released R-Types in Japan as a budget title, published under the "R's Best" brand alongside R-Type Delta. R-Types was digitally re-released for the PlayStation Network service on December 21, 2006 in Japan, due to Sony's license with Irem expiring, this version of the game was removed from the storefront.
| Fam = 27/40
| IGN = 6/10
| rev1 = Official US PlayStation Magazine
| rev1Score =
| rev2 = PSX Magazine
| rev2Score = 8/10
| GR = 72.56% (12 reviews)
According to Kujo, R-Types sold well and gave Irem hope in a new R-Type sequel performing well financially in the market.
The game received mostly positive reviews. Computer + Video Games said "Although we've had some great shooting games recently, R-Types still stands out as one of the very best on the PlayStation." The quality of the collection itself has been mixed, with some saying it could have benefited from additional titles. GameSpot said that Irem should have included additional games to make the price point justified, such as Super R-Type and R-Type Leo,