Capcom‘s Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is a side-scrolling beat ’em up, based on a series of comics (and an animated TV series), and first released into arcades in 1993.
The game bears all the hallmarks of classic Capcom arcade games of the time: vivid, colourful graphics, relentless action, and violent, cartoon humour.
There isn’t a great deal of information around about Uridium Plus. Like: whether this version has any technical enhancements (like Heavy Metal Paradroid does), or not. I have vague recollections that this version was somehow technically better, although I could be wrong. It’d be nice to know…
Here are a set of grabs from the original Uridium, by Andrew Braybrook. It was first published by Hewson Consultants in 1986, for the Commodore 64.
Archer MacLean‘s seminal Commodore 64 shooter, Dropzone is like a cross between Defender and, erm, Defender, but with more realistic graphics. And slightly different gameplay. But the principles are pretty much the same: super-fast, super-smooth, side-scrolling shooting. Avoid touching anything – or it’s instant death.
Drill Dozer is a fun, side-scrolling “drill ’em up” where you take control of a small tank with a drill on the front, which allows you to dig your way through the landscape and bump off your enemies. You can upgrade the drill as you play, which then requires the learning of new control techniques – using a kind of gear type system. It’s all quite clever and original.
The Great Giana Sisters is infamous for being the game that Nintendo went after*, because it copied the formula of their Mario games a little too closely for their liking.
Dave Reidy‘s sequel to Skool Daze is a brilliant comedy sandbox ‘school simulator’ where you play a kid trying to make his way through a ‘typical’ 1980s school day, by squirting water pistols (sometimes filled with sherry, which can intoxicate teachers, if fired at them accurately), sabotaging school shields (found on some walls), avoiding lines, writing on blackboards, and trying to sneak into the neighbouring girl’s school.
Rayman was developed for the Atari Jaguar as the game’s original target system, and it is seen as something of a ‘killer app’ on the console. It certainly is one of the best – maybe even the best – platform games on the Jaguar.
Released exclusively in Japan by Sky Think Systems in February 1997, Harmful Park is an amazing side-scrolling shooter with a bizarre Japanese flavour.
The Last Blade is arguably THE BEST beat ’em up on the Neo Geo, which is saying something as that particular platform is awash with beat ’em ups.
The King of Grabs 