We first ran across Japanese merchandise label Kumagumi when they released a cool line of Double Dragon clothing a few years ago. Well, now they're back with a similarly attractive array of physical goods dedicated to SNK's Metal Slug. Metal Slug, of course, is a series of run-and-gun shooters that began its life on the NeoGeo arcade hardware. The series is known for its attractive pixel art and memorable character designs, to say nothing of the challenging gameplay.

It's always sad when a game developer dies, but especially so when that person is the founder of an actual genre. Yoshihisa Kishimoto is just such a person. He created the Kunio-kun/River City and Double Dragon franchises, and as such, is considered the father of the beat 'em up genre. Double Dragon was instrumental in popularizing cooperative multiplayer, so his influence even extends beyond the genre that he created. Lamentably, Kishimito died on April 2, as reported by his son.

Toaplan is a Japanese developer known for creating lots of beloved shoot 'em up classics like Truxton, Out Zone, and Zero Wing. Most of these games are available in Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.1 and Vol. 2 on PlayStation and Switch, or sold individually on Steam. Maybe Plain Jane collections aren't good enough for you, though. You want something special! Well, Kyukyoku TigerHeli - Toaplan Arcade Garage has just launched worldwide on PlayStation and Switch (after first appearing in only specific regions). This new collection was developed by M2, and it offers enhanced ports of Tiger Heli and its co-op sequel, Twin Cobra, plus a whole lot more.

Spring is an excellent time for retro games, and Arc System Works knows it. That's surely why they've recently released Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics, a collection of 12 classic Super NES and arcade games. Technos games always held a cult appeal, and retro gamers will love the chance to revisit games like Super Dodgeball, The Combatribes, and River City Renegade. Five of the included games feature local and online co-op too.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics debuted on most platforms last year, followed by an Xbox release this year. Right out of the gate, it was a really impressive collection, hence the high rating in our Co-op Review. Still, it seems that the collection had some room for improvement. This week's update adds local versus modes to each fighting game, graphical enhancements for Marvel vs. Capcom 2, new artwork and music, and more.

Following the success of the Capcom Fighting Collection and Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle, Capcom has finally bundled all of their Marvel fighters onto modern platforms as Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. And what’s more, the 1994 co-op beat ‘em up The Punisher is included as well. ...

Today's Nintendo direct was home to all sorts of cool announcements. For me, the coolest of them all was Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, an upcoming collection of 7 of Capcom's classic Marvel arcade games. Six of those are fighting games, but the seventh is the co-op The Punisher beat 'em up! The collection is coming to PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. Xbox, for some strange reason, was left out of today's announcement.

The home arcade market has seen numerous ups and downs in recent years. iiRcade went out of business, but Arcade1Up is still limping along. Now Evercade, maker of cartridge-based home and portable consoles, is throwing its hat into the ring. The Evercade Alpha will launch with two models, one focused on Street Fighter games and one filled with Capcom arcade classics (including several co-op titles). They both play regular Evercade cartridges too, making for an exciting home arcade experience.

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...