Irem‘s Kung-Fu Master is a brilliant side-scrolling beat ’em up from the video game arcades of 1984. And it has lost little of its appeal over the years, because Kung-Fu Master is precise, violent and fun. Not to mention a huge challenge.
Tag Archives: side scrolling
Super Mario World, Super Nintendo
Mario games may be looked down upon by some gamers as “for kids”, but this game proves otherwise.
Super Mario World (1990) may look and sound like a kid’s game on the surface, but – underneath the hood – the gameplay is for pros…
Flicky, Megadrive/Genesis
Ports of Sega‘s own classic arcade games were often fab on the Megadrive/Genesis, and Flicky is one of the best.
Metal Slug, Neo Geo
Nazca Corporation‘s infamous run-and-gun blaster – Metal Slug – was first released in arcades in 1996, before following as a cartridge on SNK‘s cutting edge home console the Neo Geo AES.
Demon’s Crest, Super Nintendo
What is interesting about Demon’s Crest – a 1994 Super Nintendo release from Capcom – is that it is a spin-off from the Ghosts ‘N Goblins series.
Eagle-eyed gamers will recognise the red-skinned, demonic lead character – called Firebrand – as an enemy from the original Ghosts ‘N Goblins arcade game. In fact: Demon’s Crest is actually the third game featuring Firebrand, after Gargoyle’s Quest (Game Boy), and Gargoyle’s Quest II (NES).
Strider, Arcade
Another arcade classic from Capcom, first released in 1989.
Axelay, Super Nintendo
Konami‘s Axelay is considered a cult classic among shoot ’em up fans.
First released on the Super Nintendo in 1992, Axelay cleverly mixes side-scrolling and vertically-scrolling blasting action, and also makes excellent use of the Super Nintendo‘s infamous ‘Mode 7’ scaling technique, to create a weird ‘cylindrical’ rolling effect on some of the levels.
Atomic Runner Chelnov, Arcade
People have their own different ways of naming this game. Some call it Chelnov, others call it Atomic Runner Chelnov. Its full name is actually “Atomic Runner Chelnov – Nuclear Man, the Fighter” but that’s all a bit of a mouthful in my opinion, so I’ll just stick to Chelnov for now.
The Outfoxies, Arcade
Namco‘s brilliant arcade fighting game, The Outfoxies, is a precursor to the Super Smash Bros. series and mixes a kind of Charlie’s Angels type presentation style, with a spy-themed storyline.
Defender, Arcade
Williams Electronics‘ iconic Defender is one of the highest-grossing arcade games of all time.