Compile

Compile was a Japanese computer software and game developer. They are best remembered for numerous fast-paced Shoot Em Ups featuring varied arsenals and multi-turreted bosses, and for creating the Puyo Puyo series of competitive Falling Blocks games.

From 1988 to 2000 Compile published the magazine Disc Station, whose issues came with disks of games and game demos for the MSX2, PC 98 or Microsoft Windows 95/98.

Compile was not primarily a video game publisher, at least before Puyo Puyo made it big. Many of its games were never distributed outside of Japan, and its official website was Japanese-only. Even within Japan, many of Compile's games were distributed by such companies as Sega, Hudson Soft, Naxat Soft, Pony Canyon, Tokyo Shoseki and Toho; sometimes they gave no credit to Compile.

Compile's ports of games created by other developers often came with extra content: R-Type for the Sega Master System added an original Secret Level; Taiyou no Shinden Asteka II and Dragon Slayer Jr.: Romancia for the NES significantly expanded on Nihon Falcom's originals; and the original Xevious was attached to newly developed sequels for the MSX2 and TurboGrafx-16.

Around 2000 Compile faced dire financial troubles, and was forced to sell its cash cow Puyo Puyo to Sega. Compile was dissolved in early 2003. A new company called Aiky took over much of what had been Compile's, including founder Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani and the rights to many of Compile's games. Aiky has dedicated itself to Casual Video Games, which had made up a significant portion of Compile's output.

Shoot 'em ups

 * Aleste series
 * Blaster Burn
 * Blazing Lazers
 * E.I.
 * Final Justice
 * Guardic
 * The Guardian Legend
 * Gulkave
 * Gun Nac
 * Jagur
 * Rude Breaker
 * Spriggan series
 * Sylphia
 * Xevious: Fardraut Saga & Fardraut Densetsu
 * Zanac series

Other notable titles

 * Crush Pinball series
 * Alien Crush
 * Devil's Crush
 * Jaki Crush
 * Ghostbusters (the Sega Master System version, which was a port of the Activision game, and the Sega Genesis version, which was something quite different)
 * Golvellius
 * Lunar Ball
 * Madou Monogatari series
 * Puyo Puyo series
 * Rune Master series