A staple of the US bar circuit, the ubiquity of Golden Tee lead to nationwide, prize-money tournaments. Forget Horizon Zero Dawn. A platformer that saw you trapping baddies in bubbles before jumping on them to send them off into oblivion, it paved the way for multiplayer titles like Towerfall Ascension.
And it had a cracking theme tune too — give it a whirl on YouTube, and we challenge you to not be stuck humming it for days. When the 9-to-5 world is getting you down, the suit collar chafes and the office tower blocks are blocking out that beautiful blue sky, sometimes you just want to tear it all down, Kong-style.
Rampage let you do just that. A comical take on classic monster movies, it let you scale and smash down skyscrapers, take on the army and nab tasty onlookers as a quick snack in the guise of a giant snarling beast. The follow-up to the less well remembered Renegade, Double Dragon is perhaps the most famous side-scrolling brawler of all time.
Playing as two martial art master brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, you stalk the mean streets laying the smackdown on nefarious gang members. It was one of the first games to let you knock a weapon from an opponent's hand and use it against them, too, adding an extra layer of strategy to encounters as well as letting you get a cheap shot in on your co-operative partner. A racing game with attitude, it had you racing pick up and monster trucks around hilly, jump-filled dirt tracks.
It had amazing visuals Micro Machines took a thing or two from this , while its unique stand-up cabinet let three players face off on one screen — and still have a wheel each to drive with. One of the most iconic arcade games of all time, Space Invaders was also one of the most stressful. With its clever sound effects increasing in speed as the waves of alien foes moved purposefully towards your spaceships fortifications, it was a race against time to blast your foes into oblivion.
Revamped and released many, many times, its memorable alien baddies are as famous as gaming itself. This is one of the all-time greats. Asteroids gave you unprecedented control over your craft. Star Wars games are a-penny these days, but back in the early days of the arcade, they were an absolute rarity. Using vector graphics, the speed of the X-Wing fighter was recreated amazingly, and the use of digitised voiceover work from the film helped bring the whole thing to life.
The finest 2D fighting game ever? It has to be up there. The Incredible Hulk vs Chun-Li? Fight time. But in an age where the space invader dominated, its WWII theme set it apart. Taking down waves of enemy fighter planes, and being rewarded with ever-more powerful weaponry for decimating squadrons, it was a great example of risk-reward gaming at its best. This was a really impressive cabinet. Countering the bumps of the waves and weighty machine made for a very physical racer - and a very fun one while you waited for your actual summer holidays to begin.
We close things off where it all began: Computer Space, the first arcade machine ever. Year zero for gaming across the globe. Gerald is the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves his gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7. Sadly, Pierce doesn't share the dream. North America. Gerald Lynch.
Audio player loading…. See more Gaming news. AWS went down hard, yet again - here's what happened. It might be time to consider running Ubuntu on your smartphone. Honor's new foldable phone is bigger and more powerful than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Not quite. You only have a short amount of time to make your meals, and the kitchens themselves are dynamically designed to produce mayhem. Anyone can jump into Overcooked's fast-paced cooking action thanks to a simplistic control scheme, but gathering ingredients and preparing dishes requires teamwork and solid communication skills.
The All You Can Eat bundle is chock-full of hilarious fun whether you're playing online or on the same couch with friends. See our Overcooked review and Overcooked 2 review. Rayman Legends is one of the best side-scrolling platformers on Xbox. Featuring more than unique levels, a catchy soundtrack, and a gorgeous visual design, Rayman Legends offers a robust platforming experience that can be played alongside three friends. In addition to strong platforming sequences, Rayman Legends has a bevy of great puzzles and loads of secrets to uncover.
See our Rayman Legends review. Sea of Thieves lets you and your friends live out your pirate dreams. Sailing the high seas in search of treasure is an experience tailor-made for co-op. The shared universe of Sea of Thieves means that you and your friends are adventuring in murky waters; you never know when another group will attack and try to steal your loot. While Sea of Thieves has cartoonish visuals and a relatively humorous tone, it's a deeply engrossing experience filled with a plethora of activities.
Rare has made great strides with Sea of Thieves since it originally launched in , and now it's absolutely crammed with exciting missions and activities to complete. See our Sea of Thieves review. Spelunky actually originally released on Xbox , but backwards compatibility has kept this modern roguelike classic alive ever since. In Spelunky, you play as an adventurer navigating through hazardous tunnels in search of treasure.
While this doesn't sound like a ton of content, Spelunky is brutally challenging. Each time you die, you have to start from the beginning. To keep things fresh, all of the levels are procedurally generated, so the layout of the tunnels as well as their perilous obstacles and enemies changes with each run. Spelunky is one of those games you really have to play to truly appreciate it. The platforming mechanics have a unique feel to them that takes some time to master. Spelunky's loop is devilishly fun; before long, you'll be scouring Spelunky's mysterious levels to uncover its bounty of secrets.
When you play cooperatively, you can bring your teammates back from the dead, which is quite handy in a game where you have to start over when everyone meets their bloody end. See our Spelunky review. Stardew Valley's recent 1. If you have played Stardew Valley before, the multiplayer mode is almost identical. You and your friends can tend to your farm, build relationships with NPCs, explore the mines, and simply enjoy each other's company.
Though Stardew Valley started out as a Harvest Moon clone, it wound up becoming one of the best simulation games ever made. Oozing with charm and essentially endless replay value, Stardew Valley is an ideal co-op game for those looking for a more tranquil experience. See our Stardew Valley review.
Streets of Rage 4, the first entry in the classic beat-'em-up franchise in more than 25 years, feels both refreshing and nostalgic all at once. It plays almost exactly like its old-school predecessors, giving it an authentic feel that takes you back to the glory days of the genre.
But games like Streets of Rage 4 aren't all too common nowadays, so it's a joy to return to such a fun, straightforward style of action game. Streets of Rage 4 does have modern visuals and more elaborate animations, which helps give it a decidedly new vibe.
It doesn't overstay its welcome either. With just 12 main levels and four secret retro levels, Streets of Rage 4 is the perfect game to play over the course of a weekend. Like other games in the series, it's better played with friends on the couch. Streets of Rage 4 supports four-player local co-op and two-player online co-op, and Game Pass subscribers can check it out for free.
See our Streets of Rage 4 review. Much like Destiny 2, The Division 2 is an always-online shooter designed to be played alongside friends. A third-person cover shooter at heart, The Division 2 places you in the role of an agent attempting to quell civil unrest in Washington, DC. While the post-pandemic world is a tad disconcerting given recent events, The Division 2 has a really strong loop that focuses on loot and improving your agent's build.
The lengthy mainline story is filled with engaging missions and a ton of side content. When the credits roll, you still have plenty to do thanks to a serious amount of challenging endgame content. The Division 2 features online co-op for up to four players for main missions, while some raids support up to eight players. See our The Division 2 review. Unravel 2 is a charming platformer starring two yarn creatures who are tied together.
The premise itself signals that Unravel 2's platforming challenges require teamwork, and thankfully this mechanic works incredibly well as you try to cross dangerous gaps or solve puzzles.
Unravel 2's serene world is gorgeous to behold, and the pleasant nature and tone of your journey makes this a relaxing platforming experience.
Unravel 2's co-op is limited to local play, which makes this a great game to play with your partner or kids. See our Unravel 2 review.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news gamespot. A Way Out. Supports : 2-player local and online multiplayer Hazelight Studios is the rare developer that wholly embraces co-op when it comes to game design. See at GameStop. See on Xbox Store. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.
Supports : 4-player local and online multiplayer Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is one of the best picks for first-person shooter fans who want to play with friends or family. See at Walmart. Castle Crashers Remastered. Supports : 4-player local and online multiplayer Castle Crashers is an Xbox Live Arcade classic and one of the first indie games that really took off on the service for Xbox Supports : 2-player local multiplayer StudioMDHR's Cuphead is essentially a playable s cartoon filled with authentic animations, colorful characters, and a jazzy soundtrack that sizzles and pops to transport you back in time.
Destiny 2. Supports : 6-player online multiplayer As a live service game with a vibrant community, it's no surprise that Destiny 2 has found its way onto this list. Diablo 3: Eternal Collection. Supports : 4-player local and online multiplayer One of the best modern action-RPGs, Diablo 3 has withstood the test of time.
See at Amazon. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition. Supports : 2-player local and 4-player online multiplayer Divinity: Original Sin 2's Definitive Edition has made its way onto practically every games best list we've published.
Don't Starve Together. Supports : 2-player local and 6-player online multiplayer Don't Starve Together takes the well-designed action-survival foundation of the original game and adds the ability to play it cooperatively either online or split-screen. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Grand Theft Auto Online.
Not all shooters are reserved for first-person, run-and-gun gameplay and chaotic online multiplayer. The game has a very Galaga -esque feel to it, ushering players to destroy never-ending, incoming swarms of enemy shapes using their claw-shaped geometric vessel and right joystick. Although there are five new modes catering to different gaming styles, the primary goal is to survive and rack up as many points as possible, whether flying through the vivid and bright single-player mode or battling the relentless hordes of shapes alongside your buddy.
It must be difficult to imprint a memorable mark in a field so heavily saturated with as many classically-inspired, horizontal shooters as our own. The challenging game is centered around a group of humanoid animals akin to Star Fox and Co. Players must navigate through a beautifully-rendered, diesel-punk airspace of Seol — laden with enemies, power-ups and intimidating boss battles — but survival relies more on a time component than your stereotypical health bar.
Case in point: destroying enemies will buy you more time while receiving blows will adversely shorten your lifespan. Super Meat Boy is virtual proof old-school game mechanics and shimmer die hard. Not in the Bruce Willis-John McClane sense of the phase, but in terms of the staggering number of 2D levels available in which you purely run, jump and squander your way to the top. Though the controls are simple and straightforward, the variety of levels and numerous obstacles make for wide-ranging gameplay that is both utterly time-consuming and altogether infuriating given its sheer level of difficulty.
Still, homages to the classic platform titles of yore run amok amid the salt factories and hospitals, subsequently reminding you of why the genre endures. The cut scenes are crudely hilarious, the animation pixeltastic and the chiptunes top-notch. Who says a good platformer needs a complex, thought-provoking storyline or robust gameplay features? Few trials are as somber, cerebral, and eerily beautiful as the one the young boy faces while in Limbo.
Still, it will always leave you wanting more. Additionally, Tim possesses the ability to reverse time, allowing players to wash away their literal pitfalls and poor precision decisions moments after they occur. If there ever were any doubts regarding how talented rising indie developers are becoming, Braid will provide the answer. A new perspective can make a world of difference, especially when that perspective comes in the form of a third dimension attainable through a magic hat.
With Fez , players don the role of a sprite named Gomez, tackling a series of puzzles and obstacles built within a crumbling 2D environment that can quickly be flipped on a vertical axis at any given moment. Check out our Fez review for more. The online mode is just as challenging as you might expect, not to mention surprising lag-free, and offers a convenient way to play against other players should you reach the skill level that immediately deters all your friends from playing against you.
Marvel vs. When Marvel vs. Capcom 2 burst on the arcade scene more than 12 years ago, it utilized the same tried-and-true formula of its predecessors, focusing on engaging fighting dynamics and host of familiar characters from the two respective universes. The single-player mode boasts the mainstay Arcade, Training, and Score Attack modes, while multiplier options include both local head-to-head matches and a ranked, online play.
The game has yet to receive the HD treatment, but the 56 characters still look visually crisp and polished, with a framerate capable of holding up under the most rigorous of combos. The six-person, tag-team matches remain one of the best aspects of the game, and though not absolute, helps answer the age-old question: who would win in a fight, Spider-Man or the Hulk? Scott Pilgrim vs. For whatever reason, the game lacks online and drop-in co-op play, but there are still enough rollicking chiptunes and wavering nostalgic touches to keep you glued to the screen from beginning to end.
Band rivalry has probably existed for as long as, well, as long as bands likely have. Rock on. With Skullgirls , it feels as if art designer Alex Ahad took everything my mother hated about Japenese fighting games and compounded into one, unassuming title. The hand-drawn, HD renderings are vivid and lush, teeming with color and fluid animations, but many will find the hypersexualization of the cast to be rather insulting and misogynistic.
Capcom 2. Now just look beyond the short skirts and busty bosoms. Oh, and monsters come out at night.
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