History of

The Streets Call for Heroes The year was 1987, and the arcade was still the epicenter of gaming culture. Kids poured their quarters into brightly lit cabinets, chasing high scores and showing off their skills to crowds of strangers who quickly became friends or rivals. The genre that captured much of that energy was the beat ’em up, a style of game where combat unfolded in scrolling stages filled with …

A Forgotten Genesis Oddity There are some Genesis games you remember the instant you hear their names. Sonic spins into view, Streets of Rage echoes with its iconic soundtrack, and Golden Axe still makes you feel like you are clutching an arcade joystick in a smoky pizza parlor. Then there are the other cartridges, the ones that did not get their own TV commercials or full-page spreads in Electronic Gaming …

Introduction: Lunar’s Place in JRPG History In the early 1990s, role playing games were at a turning point. On one side of the Pacific, Japan had embraced the genre with giants like Final Fantasy IV on the Super Famicom and Dragon Quest V continuing its cultural dominance. In the West, RPGs were still considered a niche market, often dismissed as too slow or too text heavy compared to action driven …

1987–1989: Birth of a Horror Icon If you grew up in the late 80s, you know that arcades were already loud, neon-drenched temples of temptation. Yet every once in a while, a cabinet would appear that felt different– darker, more dangerous, the sort of thing you’d whisper about with your friends at school. For many of us, that game was Splatterhouse. Developed by Namco on its System One board, Splatterhouse …