Back in the early 1990s, Data East released a dinosaur-filled arcade game called Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja that went on to spawn numerous ports and a sequel or two. Data East closed down in 2003, and the series remained dormant for many years thereafter. French publisher Microids and developer Mr. Nutz Studio (of Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them ...
Welcome back to Co-op Classics, the column in which we look at unique cooperative games from yesteryear....
Nearly 100 years ago (or something like that), Atari released a single-player shoot 'em up of sorts called Caverns of Mars on home computers. Caverns is relatively unknown due to not having been ported to the consoles of its era, but it was recently included in the robust Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection for modern platforms....
Released to arcades way back in 1991 before migrating to consoles, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is a classic 2D platformer starring two heroic cavemen who must rescue kidnapped damsels from evil cavemen and gigantic dinosaurs. 30 years later, Microids and Mr. Nutz Studio are unleashing an HD remake called New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja on all platforms. The PlayStation and Switch versions will launch digitally on November 24, followed by retail releases and digital Xbox and PC versions in December. Like the original, the remake will feature 2-player local co-op!
As the release of New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja fast approaches, things are looking good in the music department. The game itself is a gorgeous HD remake of the classic co-op action-platformer in which a pair of heroic cavemen battle evil cavemen and dinosaurs. Microids, New Joe & Mac's publisher, has recently launched its own record label, Microids Records, with the New Joe & Mac soundtrack among the label's first albums. Other freshly-released soundtracks include Syberia 2, Syberia 3, Arkanoid Eternal Battle, Horse Tales, and a Flashback tribute album.
One of my favorite indie games of all-time is Studio Pixel's Cave Story. The title has made its way onto a variety of platforms since its initial PC release in 2004, with various tweaks and improvements, but the forthcoming Cave Story+ (Plus) on the Nintendo Switch will get the greatest feature of all: local co-op.
According to the official JanduSoft website, their Kickstarter campaign for Cavemen Warriors was successful, meaning the game will move forward towards its planned Spring 2017 release date.
You can enjoy defending towers, solve underground puzzles, and even go on a grand platforming adventure with some buddies next month. January's Games With Gold will include Deathtrap for the Xbox One, and The Cave and Rayman Origins for the Xbox 360.
The drip feed approach to releasing backward compatible games on the Xbox One is like a new form of water torture, but at least it offers a nice surprise as a game you forgot you own pops up on the console. For co-op fans, four out of the five games released this week are just for you; namely The Cave, Double Dragon Neon, Altered Beast and Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime.
There's just something special about trying to exploit a game. Ever since Destiny, I knew that finding "loot caves" was going to be the next big thing within games. Well, this time it's the developers of Dying Light who are getting in on the action and are purposefully adding in special caves as a nod to the now infamous Destiny l...
