Introduction Pang was developed by Mitchell Corporation and published by Capcom in 1989, appearing as Pomping World in Japan and as Buster Bros. on North American cabinets. The premise is simple enough to grasp in one glance and surprisingly hard to master: bouncing balloons drift around the screen, and the player fires a harpoon straight…
Introduction Raiden reached arcades in September 1990 and became the breakout success of its developer, Seibu Kaihatsu, after years of lower-profile releases. Distribution was split by territory: Tecmo handled Japan while Fabtek brought the game to North American operators. Players pilot the Fighting Thunder fighter craft against an alien invasion, working through eight densely populated…
Introduction Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior was developed and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1996 as the third and final entry in the original Art of Fighting trilogy, serving as a prequel exploring Ryo Sakazaki’s father Takuma and the martial arts school’s earlier history. It overhauled the series’ presentation…
Introduction The King of Fighters 2003 was developed and published by SNK Playmore, released for arcades in 2003 as a significant structural overhaul of the series, replacing the traditional fixed three-character teams with a rotating tag system where any of three selected fighters could be swapped in in real time during a match. This tag…
Introduction Crossed Swords was developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1991 as a first-person perspective sword-fighting game, an unusual viewpoint choice that put players directly in a knight’s boots rather than viewing combat from the side as most fighting games of the era did. Players guide a young prince…
Introduction Baseball Stars 2 was developed and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1992 as a sequel to the original Baseball Stars, refining the series’ arcade-style take on baseball with team customization and more detailed player statistics than most sports games of its era attempted. Players can build and manage a custom team, adjusting…
Introduction Metal Slug 6 occupies an unusual place in the Metal Slug series’ history: rather than an official SNK release, it is a bootleg arcade board built by unlicensed manufacturers using Metal Slug 3’s engine and assets, remixing stages, enemy placement, and weapon balance into what plays as an unofficial remix rather than a genuine…
Introduction The King of Fighters ’96 was developed and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1996 as the third entry in the annual King of Fighters series, continuing its three-on-three team tournament format pulling characters from across SNK’s other fighting franchises. It introduced a reworked dodge system and a faster, more aggressive movement style…
Introduction Sengoku 3 was developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK, released for arcades in 2001 as a return to the Sengoku series after a lengthy gap since Sengoku 2, blending side-scrolling beat ’em up combat with time-travel transformations tied to feudal Japanese mythology. Players fight through waves of enemies with combos and special…
Introduction The Last Blade 2 was developed and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1998 as a refined sequel to The Last Blade, continuing the series’ Bakumatsu-era sword-fighting setting with an expanded roster and smoother animation. Players choose between two fighting styles for each character, Speed for faster, more mobile combat or Power for…
Introduction Samurai Shodown II was developed and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1994 as the sequel to the original Samurai Shodown, refining the series’ weapon-based fighting system with faster movement and a deeper cast of feudal-Japan-inspired warriors. Building on the first game’s emphasis on longer-range weapon strikes and a Rage gauge that unlocks…
Introduction Shock Troopers was developed by Saurus and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1997 as a top-down run-and-gun in the vein of classic overhead shooters, letting up to three players choose from eight mercenary characters with different stats and weapon behavior. Missions branch across multiple possible paths through each stage, meaning a full…