R-type was released in 1987 in arcades around the world. It is very difficult to beat. The story is that in the 26th century, mankind creates an artificial race called the Bydo. It has the power to consume entire planets. When the Bydo escape the facility they are held in, the only option of disposing of them is to send them into a time warp that sends them away. However, where they are sent in the 22nd century, when the R space program is in development. When the Bydo attack, an experimental fighter ship, the ''R9-a Arrowhead'' is deployed to eliminate the Bydo threat. It probably isn't an excellent story, but it's still a good one. It's very addictive, with that one point that you keep trying and trying to beat, pumping in quarter after quarter. The bosses are very unique, where one level you're fighting an enormous creature, and in the next you're battling a Bydo warship before it reaches Earth. It's one of those games where no matter what, you're going to get a Game Over at some point during a play session. The enemy placement is also very well done, where in one level enemies drop from the sky and in the next they're coming up behind you. Level design is also done in a good way. Some levels change as you play them, while others are solid and straightforward. The music is matched well with the levels, and the continue screen gains tension until you continue, or get a SECOND game over. So it's possible to get game over, then not continue and get game over again. Power-ups are somewhat uncommon, whereas the small circular robots only appear at certain points during game play. After killing the aforementioned robots, you are rewarded with the ''Force'', a small orange orb that can attach and detach itself to and from your ship. Once you have the Force, you can use three upgrades for it. A roving flame power-up, a triple-laser power-up, and a powerful red and blue power-up. The Force will go through three stages.1) An orange ball with two prongs protruding from it,2) the same as before, only with two guns mounted on it, and 3) an orange ball with four oval-shaped prongs partially covering it. There are two other power-ups, one is a small shield-like object similar to the Force, and the other is a speed power-up, increasing the ship's speed. There can be up to four speed power-ups and two shield power-ups in use at one time. The game is probably impossible to beat without the Force, as it absorbs most non-boss attacks inflicted on it. Another thing about the Force is that if attached to the back of the ship, it will fire backwards. If not attached at all, it will fire the standard laser in five directions, up, down, up-diagonal, down-diagonal, and straight. Similar to Contra, one hit will destroy the ship and Force, and the last checkpoint will be loaded. This  is and always will be one of my favorite games.

Haha, I was waiting to see if anyone was planning on writing a review on this game since the competition just ended. I was thinking about doing it, but i didn't have the motivation to write another shoot 'me up, haha!

It's a pretty decent review. You might want to consider putting more analysis on other aspects of the game, like graphics and sound. You described a lot of the story but it would be a good idea to talk more about your opinion and why you believe it to be a good game.

Keep writing!