5 Must Play Retro Co-op Games

After reading Nash’s article on Next-Gen Co-op games, I was inspired to write my own. I’ve been gaming since my kiddy days and I’m a bit of an old fart when it comes to gaming (find it hard to keep up with next-gen stuff at times); so I’ve decided to make a list of the best 5 retro Co-op games I’ve played over the years (22 to be precise). So read on, and give them a shot; there’s a download link below each game that’ll allow you to play them (courtesy of Games4Win), since they’re pretty much freeware now…

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist

The Hyperstone Heist was released for the Sega Mega Drive way back in 1992. I remember playing hours and hours of this game with my friends, trying to finish it using the few amounts of Lives and Continues it provided – the game was really, really tough. Even though it was tough, the robust, fast paced combat system or the fact that the game was based on the Turtles (I mean who didn’t love them back then, right?) that kept us hooked and craving for that pizza-munching, butt-kicking action.

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The 2 Player mode allowed both players to pick a ninja from Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, each of which had their own weapon and unique moves. The game’s difficulty scaled when you played it in co-op (which wasn’t the case with most co-op games back then), which made sure that you’d be on your green toes all the time, and be pleasantly challenged by crap-loads of goons thrown at you. Out of all the Turtles, I loved playing Donatello the most since the Bo he used had a longer reach that the others, making him a sorta mid-ranged combatant. Try the game out for yourself and decide which one of the four you like.

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The Adventures of Batman and Robin

This is the best Batman game made to date, bar none; the game was released way back in 1994 when it enthralled thousands of Batman fans with its amazingly action packed, fast paced gameplay (that featured both ranged and melee moves) and the fact that it was based on one of the best animated series in the Batman franchise from the early 90s. The game stayed true to the series by keeping its storyline as well as the artwork, in tune with the animated series.

The best thing was that it encouraged you to play the whole game in co-op as Batman and Robin, since the game was too difficult to finish alone. Playing as the duo helped you take on the hordes of bad guys thrown at you through the game, that would be too hard for a single player to take on (in most cases). To top it all off the boss fights were truly epic and would be a challenge for even two players, making the game rather tough but very playable and a lot of fun.
__PAGEBREAK__Contra

I’m sure that almost every one of you out there has at least heard of, if not played Contra. I played the game way back on my Media Little Master for the first time and fell in love with it instantly. Contra puts you in the shoes of two special agents who’re supposed to take out an alien infestation with an unlimited supply of ammunition, but a very limited amount of extra lives.

The game was hard… real hard, and like most things in life, you couldn’t get by without a friend. Being the first co-op game I’ve ever played, Contra introduced me to a whole new world of co-op gaming and will always have a special place in my heart. The games that released in the series later on grew in difficulty but lost their charm, so the series kind of fizzled out. I couldn’t get you a link to the original Contra that I played, but here’s a link to one of the sequels that didn’t suck ass.

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Battletoads & Double Dragon

Both the Battletoads and the Double Dragon franchises were famous for their awesome beat ‘em up side scrollers. Whether this alliance was made on the streets or in the sewers, I’m not quite sure of; but what I do know is that the game completely rocked the NES and Sega’s consoles way back in the early 90s, with the kind of action that would force you to grip your control tight with excitement.

The game saw the Battletoads ally with the Double Dragons to take on an alliance of baddies, giving you a vast selection of characters including Billy and Jimmy from the Double Dragons, and Rash, Zitz and Pimple from the Battletoads to pick from. Almost all the levels in the game were based in space, allowing you to kick your enemies off the ship (which was a lot of fun). I’d love to see a next-gen Battletoads game made someday, but till then this will have to suffice.

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Streets of Rage

Sega’s side-scroller hit the gaming scene in 1991 to rival other beat ‘em ups and help them boost their sales; and beat the other side-scrollers is exactly what the game did. The game allowed you to pick from three young police officers - Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding and Adam Hunter who’d taken it onto themselves to fight crime without the help of their corrupt police force backing them.

As painfully clich