Introduction Sega released Golden Axe III for the Mega Drive in Japan in 1993, while players in North America received it through the Sega Channel service. The Prince of Darkness, Damud Hellstrike, has stolen the Golden Axe and placed a curse on the land’s heroes, and a new group of warriors sets out to stop…
Introduction Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game was released by Konami for the NES in 1990, bringing the hit 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade machine to the console. The Shredder and the Foot Clan have kidnapped April O’Neil and Splinter, and Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael must fight through burning buildings, city…
Introduction Capcom released Final Fight 3 for the Super Nintendo in 1995, the last game in the main series and the most technically ambitious. After the Mad Gear gang’s defeat, a new criminal group called the Skull Cross takes over Metro City, and Guy returns alongside Mike Haggar to stop them. They are joined by…
Introduction Konami released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project for the NES in 1991, an original adventure created for the console rather than an arcade conversion. While the turtles are on vacation in Florida, the Shredder raises the entire island of Manhattan into the sky, and Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael must fight…
Introduction Capcom released Final Fight 2 in 1993 as a Super Nintendo exclusive rather than an arcade port. The Mad Gear gang has regrouped and kidnapped Rena, the fiancée of Guy, along with her father, the martial arts master Genryusai. With Guy away training, Mike Haggar teams up with two new fighters: Maki Genryusai, Rena’s…
Introduction Battletoads & Double Dragon was developed by Rare and published by Tradewest in 1993, a crossover that brought together two of the best-known beat ’em up names on the NES. The Dark Queen has teamed up with the Shadow Boss, leader of the Shadow Warriors, and their giant spaceship, the Colossus, is threatening Earth….
Introduction Irem released Ninja Baseball Bat Man in arcades in 1993, and it remains one of the most gleefully strange beat ’em ups of the era. A set of priceless baseball artifacts has been stolen, and the league commissioner sends a team of four robotic ninja ballplayers – Jose, Ryno, Roger and Straw – to…
Introduction Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist was developed by Konami and released for the Mega Drive and Genesis in 1992, known in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and in Japan as Return of the Shredder. The Shredder has stolen the Hyperstone, a gem powerful enough to shrink the whole of Manhattan, and…
Introduction Super Double Dragon was developed by Technos Japan and released for the Super Nintendo in 1992, published by Tradewest in North America, as the first entry in the series built for 16-bit hardware. Billy and Jimmy Lee once again take to the streets against the Shadow Warriors gang, fighting through city blocks, casinos, airports…
Introduction Taito developed and published The Ninja Warriors in 1987, with cabinets reaching operators in February 1988. Its defining feature was hardware rather than software: the cabinet housed three contiguous monitors, the outer two reflected into place by mirrors, producing an extraordinarily wide playfield that no home console of the era could reproduce faithfully. The…
Introduction Batman Returns was developed and published by Konami, released for the SNES in 1993 as a side-scrolling beat ’em up adapting Tim Burton’s 1992 film of the same name, distinct from Konami’s separate arcade cabinet and Sega Genesis games built under the same movie license. Players fight through Gotham City streets and set pieces…
Introduction Battletoads in Battlemaniacs was developed by Rare and published by Tradewest, released for the SNES in 1993 as a reworked version of the original NES Battletoads, redesigned with new stages and a toned-down difficulty curve compared to its infamously punishing predecessor. Players once again control Rash and Zitz, mutant toad heroes, fighting and platforming…