Introduction Art of Fighting was developed and published by SNK, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 1992 as the studio’s second major fighting game franchise, set as a prequel within the same shared universe as SNK’s earlier Fatal Fury series. The game follows martial artist Ryo Sakazaki and his sister Yuri as…
Introduction Sengoku 2 was developed and published by SNK, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 1993 as the direct sequel to 1991’s Sengoku. The game preserved the original’s core premise of fighting through supernatural, folklore-inspired enemies across a Japan menaced by dark magic, while refining the combat with a more varied moveset…
Introduction World Heroes Perfect was developed by ADK in conjunction with SNK, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system on May 25, 1995, as the fourth and final entry in the World Heroes fighting game series. The game compiled the largest roster in series history by combining nearly every playable character introduced across the…
Introduction Sengoku was developed and published by SNK, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system on February 12, 1991, as a side-scrolling beat ’em up set in a fantastical version of Japan’s Sengoku period. Players fight through waves of undead samurai, ninja, and other supernatural enemies raised by an evil sorcerer, using standard punches…
Introduction Metal Slug 5 was developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK Playmore, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 2003 as the fifth mainline entry in the run-and-gun series. Following the mixed reception to the outsourced Metal Slug 4, SNK Playmore brought development back closer to the series’ original creative team’s…
Introduction Metal Slug 4 was developed by Mega Enterprise and Noise Factory and published by SNK Playmore, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 2002 as the fourth mainline entry in the run-and-gun series. Unlike the previous three games, which were developed primarily in-house at SNK, Metal Slug 4 was outsourced to the…
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…