The fifth generation era refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. For home consoles, the best-selling console was the Sony PlayStation, followed by the Nintendo 64, and then the Sega Saturn. The PlayStation also had a redesigned version, the PSone, which was launched on July 7, 2000.
Neversoft Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Woodland Hills, California. The studio was founded by Joel Jewett, Mick West and Chris Ward in July 1994 and was acquired by Activision in October 1999. Initially, the studio worked with Playmates Toys, where they worked on the game Skeleton Warriors, which was based on a animated television series of the same name. Throughout 1996, the studio grew, and worked on projects with Crystal Dynamics and Sony Computer Entertainment, but due to internal conflicts, they were cancelled.
Rayman is a 1995 platform game developed by Ubi Pictures and published by Ubi Soft for MS-DOS, Windows, Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, and Sony PlayStation. The player controls Rayman, a hero who must restore balance to his colourful world from the evil Mr. Dark.
Destruction Derby is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Psygnosis. Based on the sport of demolition derby, the game tasks the player with racing and destroying cars to score points. The developers implemented simulated physics to make the results of collisions easier to predict, and they kept the game's tracks small to increase the number of wrecks. Versions of Destruction Derby were released for MS-DOS, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Critics found Destruction Derby enjoyable and they praised its graphics and car damage system, but the Sega Saturn releases received mixed reviews. The game started the Destruction Derby franchise, beginning with its 1996 sequel, Destruction Derby 2.
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara is an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. The game is set in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Mystara.
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, published in 1994, is the first of two arcade games created by Capcom based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game and set in the Mystara campaign setting. It is a side scrolling beat 'em up with some role-playing video game elements for one to four players. The game was also released on the Sega Saturn, packaged with its sequel, Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, under the title Dungeons & Dragons Collection, although the Saturn version limited the gameplay to only two players. In 2013, both games were re-released for modern platforms as Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara.
Guardian Heroes is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up video game in the vein of Final Fight or Golden Axe, but with RPG elements. The development team called it a "fighting RPG". Guardian Heroes was developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console. A sequel was released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance entitled Advance Guardian Heroes.
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game is a beat 'em up video game based on the movie Batman Forever. The subtitle is used to differentiate it from Batman Forever, another beat 'em up published by Acclaim at around the same time. One or two players, playing as Batman and Robin, fight Two-Face, the Riddler, and numerous henchmen.
Puzzle Bobble 2 is a tile-matching video game by Taito. The first sequel to Puzzle Bobble, it is also known in Europe and North America as Bust-A-Move Again for arcades and Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition for home consoles. Released into the arcades in 1995, home conversions followed for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and Windows platforms. The game was included in Taito Legends 2, but the US arcade version was included on the US PS2 version instead. Further ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One were released by City Connection alongside Puzzle Bobble 3 in February 2023.
Wild 9 is a 2.5D platform video game for the PlayStation. The game was designed by David Perry, developed by Shiny Entertainment, and published by Interplay Productions; all of which were parties involved in Earthworm Jim series of video games. The game was released in North America and Europe in September 1998.
Dead or Alive is a 1996 fighting game by Tecmo and the first entry in Team Ninja's long-running Dead or Alive series. It was released first in Arcades, followed by home ports for the Sega Saturn in Japan, and later for the PlayStation in all regions. An enhanced version was included in Dead or Alive Ultimate for the Xbox.
A beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, while a number of modern games feature more open three-dimensional (3D) environments with yet larger numbers of enemies. The gameplay tends to follow arcade genre conventions, such as being simple to learn but difficult to master, and the combat system tends to be more highly developed than other side-scrolling action games. Two-player cooperative gameplay and multiple player characters are also hallmarks of the genre. Most of these games take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical, science fiction or fantasy themes.
Fantastic Four is a PlayStation video game developed by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim Entertainment. The game was released in 1997, and is based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name. A beat 'em up game released at a time when the genre was virtually dead, it received negative reviews which characterized it as repetitive and boringly easy.
Iron Man / X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal is a video game published by Acclaim Entertainment and developed by Realtime Associates for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy, Game Gear, and MS-DOS in 1996. It is a one or two-player side-scrolling action game in which the player battles villains from Marvel Comics' Iron Man and Valiant Comics' X-O Manowar comic book series. It was met with negative reviews which criticized it for dull gameplay and outdated graphics.
A side-scrolling video game is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphics during the golden age of arcade games was a pivotal leap in game design, comparable to the move to 3D graphics during the fifth generation.
The Punisher is a 1993 beat 'em up arcade game developed and released by Capcom. It stars the Marvel Comics' antihero the Punisher and co-stars S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury as the second player's character as they embark on a mission to kill the crime lord the Kingpin and bring down his organization. While following the same general formula as Capcom's previous beat 'em ups, the game has a range of usable weapons and a comics-style presentation.
The Crow: City of Angels is a 1997 action video game for Sega Saturn, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is loosely based on the movie of the same title. The player assumes the role of the hero of the film, Ashe Corven. The game was developed by Gray Matter, whose previous game was Perfect Weapon, which The Crow: City of Angels closely resembles in its basic mechanics. It was met with negative reviews.
Creature Shock is a 1994 sci-fi game released for MS-DOS and 3DO. It was developed by Argonaut Software and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment. The game was later ported to the CD-i, Sega Saturn and PlayStation video game systems.
Ninja: Shadow of Darkness is an action beat 'em up platform video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation. The story follows a warrior named Kurosawa, who is tasked of ridding Feudal Japan of an unspeakable evil.
Three Dirty Dwarves is a 1996 beat 'em up video game developed by Appaloosa Interactive and published by Sega for their Sega Saturn console. It was later ported to PC.
