Konami’s 1989 and 1991 TMNT arcade games stand as two of the most successful co-op arcade games of all time. In 2017, Raw Thrills (makers of the Fast & Furious arcade games) gave the license a shot as well, releasing a third arcade game that was simply titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That arcade game has finally been ported to home c...

Arcades might have dwindled in the United States, but they still exist. Companies like Raw Thrills even make new arcade games such as 2017's TMNT arcade game. Seven years later, Game Mill is releasing that game onto consoles and PC as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants. It will support 4-player local co-op, and it's due in late April.

G.I. Joe is a franchise that seems very well-suited to video games, but the games have been few and far between over the years. The upcoming G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra from Maple Powered Games and Freedom Games looks to rectify that scarcity. Wrath of Cobra will be the Joes' first beat 'em up. It's due out this year on Steam and Switch. To ease the wait, be sure to watch the new trailer.

WayForward's River City Girls series of beat 'em ups is a favorite around here thanks to its lovable characters, amazing artwork, humorous writing, and abundant fanservice. Now there is a must-have book for fans of the series: The Art of River City Girls. The book was initially offered via preorders through Limited Run and is now available ...

The "Dimension Shellshock" DLC for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge recently arrived on console and PC, adding new playable characters, an addictive co-op survival mode, and more. To learn more about the decision-making and co-op balance behind both the main game and "Dimension Shellshock," we spoke with...

Way back in 1987, the arcade version of Double Dragon was the first beat ‘em up to feature co-op. All these years later, it’s still a big deal when the series gets a new entry, despite the uneven quality of games like Double Dragon IV. Thankfully, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons stands among the best games in the series.....

Given that the arcade version of Double Dragon was the first cooperative beat ‘em up, the series has always been hugely influential. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons from Secret Base and Modus Games is the next game in the series. To learn more about Double Dragon Gaiden’s origins, references, and more, we interviewed Raymond T...

Things have been great for cooperative beat ‘em ups lately, with games like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, River City Girls 2, Final Vendetta, and Kung Fury: Street Rage – Ultimate Edition all entertaining audiences with their unique approaches to the genre. Jitsu Squad from Tanuki Creative Studio and ININ Games has its own distinct st...

With the 16-bit classic, River City Girls Zero, having finally received a worldwide release this year and the freshly launched River City Girls 2 currently knocking gamers’ socks off, it’s time to take a fresh look at the original River City Girls from WayForward and Arc System Works. RCG1, as we’ll call it, combines elements of t...

Jitsu Squad, one of the fastest and flashiest beat ‘em ups in recent memory, is headed to consoles in December. Among Jitsu Squad’s standout features are gorgeous 2D artwork, a catchy soundtrack, and 4-player local co-op. To learn more about the original PC game and upcoming console versions, we interviewed Dave Baljon and Sebastien Rom...

The River City/Kunio series has seen numerous installments over the years, but precious few of them received English releases until a few years ago. Once Arc System Works took over the license from the defunct Technos, more games starring Kunio and his buddy Riki started making their way out of Japan. WayForward’s release of River City Girls ...

Hot on the heels of a certain turtles-themed beat ‘em up, UK-based developer Bitmap Bureau launched their own highly anticipated brawler in June: Final Vendetta. In our co-op review, we praised the game’s Neo Geo-style graphics and core gameplay but called out some balance issues that hampered our experience. Still, Final Vendetta is su...