Introduction Hudson’s Adventure Island was developed and published by Hudson Soft, released on the NES in 1988 as a loose adaptation of Sega’s 1986 arcade game Wonder Boy, reworked with an original cast and story after Hudson lost the rights to use Sega’s characters directly. Players control Master Higgins, a shirtless island adventurer racing left…
Introduction 1943: The Battle of Midway was developed and published by Capcom, released in arcades in 1987 as the direct sequel to 1984’s 1942. Set once again during World War II, the game puts players back in the cockpit of a fighter plane, this time a Lockheed P-38 Lightning battling through a campaign loosely themed…
Introduction Elevator Action Returns was developed and published by Taito, released in Japanese arcades in 1994 as the sequel to the studio’s 1983 original, Elevator Action. Players once again control a spy infiltrating tall, multi-floor buildings, riding elevators and escalators between levels while shooting enemy agents, collecting secret documents from marked red doors, and avoiding…
Introduction The Simpsons was developed and published by Konami, released in arcades in 1991 as a four-player side-scrolling beat ’em up based on the already hugely popular animated sitcom. Up to four players simultaneously control Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa Simpson as they fight through the streets of Springfield to rescue baby Maggie from a…
Introduction Double Dragon II: The Revenge was developed and published by Technos Japan, released in arcades in 1988 as the direct sequel to the genre-defining original Double Dragon. The game opens with the previous game’s villain gang gunning down Marian, the love interest whose kidnapping drove the first game’s plot, sending martial artist brothers Billy…
Introduction Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone was developed and published by Technos Japan, released in arcades in 1990 as the third entry in the Double Dragon series. The story follows Billy and Jimmy Lee once again, this time chasing down a mysterious criminal organization across a series of real-world locations, including China, Egypt, and…
Introduction Marvel Super Heroes was developed and published by Capcom on CPS-2 arcade hardware, released in November 1995 as the studio’s second Marvel-licensed fighting game, following 1994’s The Punisher, and its first entry built around a proper Marvel Comics superhero roster rather than a single licensed property. Loosely adapting Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet comic book storyline,…
Introduction Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge, known in Japan as Vampire Hunter, was developed and published by Capcom on CPS-2 arcade hardware, released in 1995 as the direct sequel to the previous year’s Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. The game expanded the original’s horror-themed roster with new characters, including the zombie boxer Lord Raptor and the golem-like…
Introduction Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams was developed and published by Capcom, released in arcades in 1995 as the first entry in the Street Fighter Alpha sub-series, set as a prequel taking place between the original Street Fighter and Street Fighter II. The game introduced a noticeably different visual style from its predecessors, using a…
Introduction Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors was developed and published by Capcom on CPS-2 arcade hardware, released in Japan in July 1994 as the first entry in the Darkstalkers fighting game series. Set apart from Capcom’s already-established Street Fighter series by its horror movie monster theme, the game’s roster includes the succubus Morrigan Aensland, the Frankenstein’s…
Introduction Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter was developed and published by Capcom on CPS-2 arcade hardware, released in 1997 as the second entry in Capcom’s Vs. series, following 1996’s X-Men vs. Street Fighter. The game replaced the previous entry’s X-Men roster with characters from across the wider Marvel Comics universe, including Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain…
Introduction Saturday Night Slam Masters was developed and published by Capcom, released in arcades in 1993 with character designs contributed by manga artist Tetsuo Hara, best known for Fist of the North Star. The game reimagines professional wrestling as a fast-paced arcade fighter, letting up to two players grapple, throw, and slam their way around…