Pulstar is a shoot 'em up developed by now defunct Aicom Co. Ltd and published by SNK for the Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD and arcade. It is the prequel of Blazing Star, and spiritual sequel of R-Type. Pulstar, as well as its sequel, are often regarded as among the best-looking shoot 'em up games for the Neo Geo. In the year 2248, the first recorded sign of alien life was discovered coming from Mars, and was released to arcades on August 28, 1995. It was developed by Aicom, a Japanese dev founded by SNK.