Introduction Chrono Trigger was developed and published by Square, released on the SNES in Japan in March 1995, created by a self-described “Dream Team” bringing together Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and character designer Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame. The game follows a group of adventurers who discover time…
Introduction Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time was developed and published by Konami, released on the SNES in August 1992 as a home conversion of the studio’s own 1991 arcade game of the same name. Up to two players simultaneously control Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, or Raphael, fighting through waves of Foot Clan soldiers…
Introduction Super Mario Kart was developed and published by Nintendo, released on the SNES in Japan in August 1992 as the first entry in what would become the long-running Mario Kart series and one of the earliest kart-racing games to combine arcade-style driving with items and power-ups. Players race as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser,…
Introduction Mega Man X was developed and published by Capcom, released on the SNES in December 1993 as a reboot of the long-running Mega Man series set in a new timeline generations after the original NES games. Directed by series creator Keiji Inafune, the game introduces X, a more advanced Reploid robot capable of acquiring…
Introduction Donkey Kong Country was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, released on the SNES in November 1994 as a platformer built around Rare’s then-groundbreaking use of pre-rendered 3D CGI models compressed down into detailed 2D sprites, giving the game a visual polish that stood out sharply from most of its contemporaries. Players control…
Introduction Dragon Blaze was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 2000 as a vertically scrolling shoot ’em up set in a fantasy world where players pilot dragon-mounted warriors rather than conventional aircraft. Each of the game’s selectable characters rides a different type of dragon with its own weapon pattern and special charge…
Introduction Gunbird 2 was developed by Psikyo and published by Capcom, released in Japanese arcades in 1998 as the sequel to 1994’s Gunbird. The game expanded on the original’s whimsical, character-driven premise with an even larger roster of unusual playable pilots, each again flying their own distinctly themed vehicle and wielding a unique weapon and…
Introduction Gunbird was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 1994 as one of the studio’s earliest shoot ’em up releases, distinguishing itself from typical military-themed shooters of the era with a colorful, fantasy-adventure setting. Players choose from a roster of unusual protagonists, including a witch, a ninja, and a genie, each piloting…
Introduction DoDonPachi II: Bee Storm was developed by International Games System and published by Capcom, released in arcades in 2001 as a sequel to Cave’s original DoDonPachi, notably the only entry in the DonPachi series not developed by Cave itself. The game kept the series’ core vertically scrolling bullet-hell shooting intact, tasking players with weaving…
Introduction DoDonPachi was developed by Cave and published by Atlus, released in Japanese arcades in February 1997 as the second game developed by the newly formed Cave studio and the sequel to 1995’s DonPachi. Running on Cave’s custom 68000-based arcade board, the game refined DonPachi’s already demanding bullet-pattern shooting into what many consider one of…
Introduction Strikers 1945 Plus was developed by Psikyo and published by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, released in 1999 as a Neo Geo-exclusive spin-off within the Strikers 1945 series. Rather than a full numbered sequel, the game functions largely as an expanded remix of the original 1995 Strikers 1945, built specifically to…
Introduction Strikers 1945 III, released in Japan as Strikers 1999, was developed and published by Psikyo, released in arcades in 1999 as the third mainline entry in the Strikers 1945 series. The game moved its setting forward from the World War II theme of the first two games to a more contemporary, near-future military conflict,…