Xevious 3D/G

Xevious 3D/G is a 1996 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. The eighth entry in the Xevious series, it combines 2D-based gameplay with 3D gouraud-shaded polygon graphics. Players control the Solvalou starship in its mission to destroy a rogue supercomputer named GAMP and the Xevian Forces, using two basic weapon types: an air zapper to destroy air targets, and a blaster bomb to destroy ground targets. The game also features destructive power-ups, new bosses, and two player simultaneous play.

When shoot 'em ups saw a revival in the mid-1990s, Namco sought to capitalize on its success with a modernized 3D update to Xevious. One of the first games for its System 11 hardware, it has a techno-infused soundtrack, most of which was composed jointly by Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe. The hardware allows the game to have a world much closer to the one established in previous games, with settings such as large, Aztec-inspired structures and deserts being pulled from pieces of conceptual artwork for the original.

Xevious 3D/G was criticized by fans for drastic departures that interrupted the core mechanics, and straying too far from what they felt made the game so popular in its heyday. A PlayStation conversion, titled Xevious 3D/G+, was released a year later and compiled 3D/G with the original Xevious, Super Xevious, and Xevious Arrangement onto one disc. This version received criticism from reviewers for its short length and low difficulty, but praise for its gameplay, techno soundtrack, graphics, and for building on mechanics established in previous games.