Sonic the Hedgehog is a 1991 platform video game developed by Ancient and published by Sega for the Master System and Game Gear. It is a companion to the 16-bit Sega Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog for the 8-bit Sega Master System and Game Gear consoles. Ancient—a studio founded by composer Yuzo Koshiro—was contracted to develop the game. The 8-bit Sonic is a side-scrolling game similar in style to the 16-bit game, but reduced in complexity to fit the 8-bit systems.
ActRaiser is a 1990 video game developed by Quintet and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, It combines traditional side-scrolling platforming and sections with city building and god game elements. A sequel, ActRaiser 2, was released for the Super NES in 1993. In 2007, ActRaiser became available on the Wii's Virtual Console download service in Europe, North America, and Japan. A version of the game was also released for European mobile phones in 2004. A remake, Actraiser Renaissance, was released for several platforms in 2021.
Streets of Rage is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1991. Players control one of three former police officers turned vigilantes who battle a crime syndicate. Streets of Rage establishes many conventions of the Streets of Rage series, such as two-player cooperative play and an acclaimed techno soundtrack from composer Yuzo Koshiro. It was ported for the Game Gear, Sega CD and Master System and has been rereleased as part of various compilations and on download services.
Yuzo Koshiro is a Japanese composer and sound programmer. He is often regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune and video game music, producing music in a number of genres including rock, jazz, symphonic, and various electronic genres such as house, electro, techno, trance, and hip hop.
Quintet Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game developer founded in April 1989. The company name is derived from musical terminology, representing the five elements of game design: planning, graphics, sound, programming, and production. Quintet was most active during the 1990s, maintaining a strong relationship with Enix. It was also a member of the GD-NET group of Sega Saturn developers. Quintet has not been active since the 2000s and is presumed to be defunct.
Streets of Rage 3 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega in 1994 for the Genesis. It is the third installment of the Streets of Rage series and the last game in the original trilogy. The game includes several changes over Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 2, such as a more complex plot, inclusion of character dialogue, longer levels, more in-depth scenarios and faster gameplay. Weapons can be integrated with unique moves with certain characters, hidden characters were added, and a few cutscenes were included to give the story greater depth.
Streets of Rage 2, known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan, is a 1992 beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. A sequel to Streets of Rage (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding return while the game also introduces two new characters: Max Thunder, and Eddie "Skate" Hunter, the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the first game.
Shinobi is a series of hack-and-slash games created by Sega. The ninja (shinobi) Joe Musashi is the protagonist of the original series of games. The first Shinobi was released in 1987 as an arcade video game. Along with Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog, Joe Musashi has long been one of Sega's flagship characters, acting as a mascot for a short time in the late 1980s when ninjas were popular in mainstream media. The series' games are a showcase of Sega's technical accomplishment, noted for their high quality of graphics, gameplay and music, as well as their high level of difficulty. The Shinobi franchise sold more than 4.6 million copies.
Project H.A.M.M.E.R. was a beat 'em up video game in development by Nintendo Software Technology for the Wii. The team's other projects included Metroid Prime Hunters, 1080° Avalanche, and Wave Race: Blue Storm. Project H.A.M.M.E.R. was originally announced at E3 2006. No information regarding the game has been released to the public or media since the game's original announcement. Rumors began circulating in mid-June 2007 that the game was not going to be released, and that the development team had gone to work on other games. Nintendo confirmed at E3 2007 that development was on hold. Beth Llewelyn, senior director of public relations at Nintendo of America, made a point to note that despite the game not being a focus of Nintendo’s, Project H.A.M.M.E.R. "may come back" in the future. A report revealed that the game was cancelled in 2009 due to creative internal conflicts at Nintendo Software Technology.
Streets of Rage is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up video games. It centers on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to rid the fictional American metropolis of Wood Oak City of a crime syndicate that has corrupted its local government. The first three games in the franchise were developed and released by Sega for the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s and have since been ported and re-released on various platforms. A fourth entry was also released in 2020.
The music of the Streets of Rage series of beat 'em up games, released in the early 1990s, was primarily produced by Yuzo Koshiro.
Rival Turf!, released in Japan as Rushing Beat, is a 1992 beat'em up video game developed and published by Jaleco for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was later rereleased on the Wii and Wii U's Virtual Console and the Nintendo Switch Online service. The game is the first installment in the Rushing Beat trilogy, which also includes Brawl Brothers and The Peace Keepers, although the games were localized as unrelated titles in North America.
Ancient Corp. is a Japanese video game developer founded by composer Yuzo Koshiro and his mother and sister on April 1, 1990. The company has worked on games such as the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Beyond Oasis, Shenmue, and Gotta Protectors, among others.
Burning Fight is a beat 'em up arcade game released by SNK in 1991 for the Neo Geo MVS system. Introduced to capture a share in the then-popular beat 'em ups market, it was meant to compete with Technōs' Double Dragon, the leader of the genre at the time. Three years after its release in the arcades and on the Neo Geo AES, it was released on Neo Geo CD as the only other home version.
Tiny Metal is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Area 35 and published by Unties. It was released for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows in December 2017.
Streets of Rage 4 is a 2020 beat 'em up video game developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games and published by Dotemu. The game is a continuation of Sega's Streets of Rage trilogy, originally released for the Sega Genesis during the 1990s. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Linux, and macOS, in 2020, for Stadia in 2021, and Android and iOS in 2022. Streets of Rage 4 received generally positive reviews and sold over 2.5 million copies by April 2021. An expansion, Mr. X Nightmare, was released in July 2021.
Demon's Tilt is a pinball video game by American developer Adam Ferrando under his handle WIZNWAR, released on Steam Early Access in January 2019, with eventual publication on Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in December 2019. The game features occult inspiration pulled from H.P. Lovecraft, tarot and other horror themes. The game has been called a spiritual successor to the Crush Pinball series of pinball video games, namely Devil's Crush. A sequel, Xenotilt, is currently in development.
Sol Cresta is a vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by PlatinumGames. It is the fifth and final entry in the Cresta series, following the Japan-exclusive 1997 game Terra Cresta 3D for the Sega Saturn and the first game in the series to not be developed by Japan-based studio Nichibutsu. The title was released as the first under PlatinumGames' label of "Neo-Classic Arcade" range, a label that refers to the modernization of classic arcade games. It was released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows in February 2022.
Mina the Hollower is an upcoming action-adventure game by Yacht Club Games. It is planned for release on Windows, macOS and Linux. The game revolves around Mina, a skilled inventor and "Hollower" who travels to Tenebrous Isle to discover why the Spark Generators she invented to power the island have gone out.
'90s Super GP is an upcoming indie racing video game by Greek developer Pelikan13 and published by Nicalis. The game's graphics and gameplay are styled after 1990s arcade racing games, such as Daytona USA and Indy 500. Under the title The '90s Arcade Racer, it was funded on Kickstarter in early 2013 for £16,000. It was renamed '90s Super GP in 2016, set to release for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows. However, it entered development hell at that point. It is still listed on Nicalis's site with release date unknown.
