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The charm of a classic arcade game is seldom matched in the modern gaming landscape. From the instantly recognisable pixel artwork of the early Super Marios, to the hilariously (or frustratingly?) clunky controls of the first Street Fighters, arcade gaming has given countless generations an abundance of fond memories to be treasured. Unfortunately, as the neon lights of arcade cabinets shifted into the sleek widescreens of home consoles, popular gaming features such as co-op gameplay have been widely abandoned or – in many cases – demoted to cheap gimmicks only available in the form of select undercooked game modes. In celebration of our love for co-op games done properly, we’ve put together our list for the top 5 most iconic co-op arcade games below.
An iconic entry from the series that created the brawler genre as we know it, Streets of Rage 2 is widely known as the best iteration in the original trilogy and was even popular enough to be ported over to the 3DS as recently as 2015. The plot of SOF2 includes a trio of characters taking to the streets to combat the criminals that were now looting their city in an attempt to rescue the main hero’s kidnapped brother from the creatively named evil organisation ‘The Syndicate’. While the story wasn’t exactly a classic, the fluid combat and timeless pixel visuals earned Streets of Rage 2 worldwide acclaim and a place amongst some of gaming’s most influential titles.
The latest Streets of Rage (4) was released in 2020 and has been cited as a perfect addition into the long-running franchise redefining the classic formula whilst honouring the beloved characteristics of the originals.
Unlike many of the other games on this list, Joust has seen far less long-term popularity since its release, being more-or-less unknown to younger gamers. The premise of the game was super simple: you play as a weaponised ostrich jumping from one floating platform to another in an attempt to collect as many eggs as possible whilst defeating waves of oncoming enemies. No story, no character development, just pure ostrich warfare.
One of the first games ever to boast a co-operative mode, a second player could join your Joust game controlling their very own battle ostrich. While all the marketing indicated it as a co-op mode, the game does feature separate point tallies for each player.
A massive step forward for on-rail shooter games, Time Crisis 2 was released in 1995 solidifying the foundations of a franchise that would go on to spawn more than ten main-line and spin-off titles. Namco (this was before the Bandai merger in 2005/6) set Time Crisis apart from the competition by implementing a co-op feature where two players could come together to defeat mercenaries and gangsters in a spy-thriller style story with world-ending implications. The arcade cabinet also came with a foot pedal that allowed the protagonists to take cover from oncoming fire or obstacles giving the game a fun spin that helped it stand out in a somewhat saturated genre.
Time Crisis 2 went on to be the sixth Japanese highest-grossing arcade game for the years 1999 and 2001. A PS2 port integrating updated graphics and additional cutscenes was released in 2001 to widespread acclaim; the IP is still alive and kicking with Bandai Namco filing a new trademark application leading many fans to speculate that a new iteration in the franchise would happen in 2024/25.
Based on the classic animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 4-player beat-‘em-up released by Konami in 1989. Given an option to play as one of the four turtles, the players will fight their way through hordes of Shredder’s foot soldiers in an attempt to rescue kidnapped friend April and mentor Splinter. The TMNT arcade cabinet boasts an 8-way joystick for greater control over the character sprites than in many games available at that time; the addition of special attacks and a varied move set between each of the turtles made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles an instant favourite at arcades all over the globe whether playing alone or with friends.
On the back of its arcade-driven popularity, the TMNT game was ported over to the NES in the subsequent year having been renamed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game to avoid confusion with the previous Super Nintendo game in the franchise.
Featuring a story filled with many of the cheesy horror tropes that made the late 90s so significant culturally, The House of The Dead was a rail shooter where up to two players would work their way through a mansion filled with zombies and other supernatural monstrosities. The plot features a scientist gone rogue in an attempt to delve into the secrets of life and death with two special agents serving as the protagonists on a mission to investigate the ongoings within the estate. In an ambitious twist, players would see one of three different endings depending on how highly they scored across the course of the game.
The House of The Dead is credited alongside Resident Evil as one of the franchises that generated a new wave of Asian zombie movies and even saw enough traction in the west to inspire modern classics such 28 Days Later and Dawn of The Dead. The game was remastered for home consoles in 2022 and currently has ports available on the Sega Saturn, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5, Mobile Phones, as well as PC.
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