Castle Crashers is a beat ’em up game released by The Behemoth in 2008. Originally released on the Xbox Live Arcade (Xbox 360), it would eventually find its way to all major gaming consoles and PC. Castle Crashers was considered a commercial hit. The unique art style and incredible cooperative gameplay resonated with players, giving the game serious staying power in the market.
Street Fighter II is a fighting game developed by Capcom in 1991. Initially released as an arcade game, Street Fighter II would soon find its way to all major home consoles (including the SNES and Genesis). Praised for its competitive gameplay and simple control scheme, Street Fighter II is regarded by many as the greatest fighting game of all-time.
Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software in 1992. The game was originally released for MS-DOS. In 1993 id Software would go on to develop and release DOOM, one of greatest first-person shooter games ever made. While DOOM often receives the accolades (and deservingly so) for propelling the first-person shooter genre forward, the impact of Wolfenstein 3D on gaming a year earlier cannot be denied.
Devil May Cry is a 3D action-adventure game released on the Playstation 2 by Capcom in 2001. The main character is Dante, a half-devil human who hunts demons using swords and guns. Throughout the game the player will encounter a variety of enemies, bosses and puzzles. Devil May Cry is highly regarded for its stylized blend of melee and ranged combat, which resulted in a number of sequels being released for the game franchise over the years.
Metal Slug is a run and gun arcade shooter game released in 1996 by Nazca Corporation/SNK. It was also available on the Neo Geo and soon found its way to a bunch of other home gaming consoles. Metal Slug has been widely praised for its unique blend of running and vehicle based gameplay, which lead to a number of sequel titles and game spin-offs. But hands down the most iconic aspect of Metal Slug is the fantastic art.
Rolling Thunder was an arcade game released by Namco in 1986. It was considered a commercial success, frequently found in arcades across North America. The cover/shoot and split-level gameplay heavily influenced the design of the original Shinobi, developed by SEGA in 1987. Rolling Thunder would go on to be released on multiple home gaming systems, including the NES in 1989.
Spelunky 2 is a 2D platformer game developed by Mossmouth and BlitWorks. It is the sequel to Spelunky, one of the highest praised rougelikes of all-time. Spelunky 2 was released in 2020 for Playstation 4 and Windows. It was just released on the Nintendo Switch (the version we played for the purposes of this article).
Earthworm Jim is a 2D run-and-gun platformer developed by Shiny Entertainment. The game was released on the Super Nintendo and SEGA Genesis in 1994. Earthworm Jim has become something of a cult classic, still loved by many gamers to this day.
Super Crate Box is a 2D arcade game created by Vlambeer and initially released on Windows (PC) in 2010. In 2019 it would make its way to the Nintendo Switch. Super Crate Box was met with positive reception by players and many members of the gaming press.
Guacamelee! is a 2D Metroidvania game initially released by DrinkBox Studios in 2013. The game was met with incredible reception, earning high review scores. In 2014 DrinkBox released an enhanced version of the game, Guacamelee!: Super Turbo Championship Edition (which we played for the purposes of this article).