Thunderforce IV aka Lightening Force (1992): Technosoft’s shooting masterpiece

Spaceship shooting games, also known as shoot ’em ups or shooters, have been gaming staples since the days of “Pong.” Games like “Asteroids” and “Space Invaders” captivated audiences in the 70s, and games like “Gradius” and “1942” refined and pushed the genre past its single screen gameplay origins. And building on that foundation, the shooter […]

Street Fighter 2 and Fatal Fury: The Birth of Tournament Fighters

Street Fighter 2 essentially re-invented a video game genre and pulled it out of the realms of obscurity. Obviously, Street Fighter 2 wasn’t the first one-on-one fighting game. Hell, it wasn’t even the first Street Fighter game, but this game clearly had something no other fighting game had before it – a sense of freedom. […]

1991: Sonic redefines ‘90s cool

From Grunge to the Super Nintendo, 1991 arguably birthed the decade’s most iconic media trends and products. And the flow of creative output didn’t stop there; that year introduced one of video gaming’s most iconic franchises. Starting in 1989, Sega had started to gain traction with their shiny, new 16-Bit Genesis, but looming ominously in […]

1991: The Fall of Hair Metal and the Evolution of Hip-Hop

Last time we took a look at the Super Nintendo’s launch, now it’s time to take a look at the year that sparked the grunge craze, saw the debut of, arguably, the greatest rapper of all time and brought us some of the most unforgettable albums, period. Dust off your Walkman; it’s time to take […]

1991: “Here Comes a New Challenger, Enter the Super Nintendo”

Here comes a new challenger! The video game console that helped solidify video games as legitimate works of art has made its way from Japan to start a console war. Enter the Super Nintendo. In the late eighties, Nintendo essentially had a monopoly over the video game market with the NES. Vicious competitor, Sega, gained […]

1990: “It’s Officially the Nineties!”

Trade in your fingerless gloves, jumpsuits and leg warmers for some ripped jeans and flannels; the time to put your Atari 2600 cartridges and Duran Duran tapes in the attic is fast approaching, it’s officially the nineties. Times were quickly changing, the start of the decade carried over many influences from the eighties and expanded […]