Continuing the legacy of the 1942 series, which began at approximately the time World War II ended (er, *checks notes*, 1984 to be precise), 1944: The Loop Master brings some new mechanics to the well-worn WWII fighter series. The fighters have only a single starting weapon type, but have access to a charge-up system that unleashes a concentrated burst of fire and makes them temporarily invulnerable to attack, in addition to the standard bombs and power-ups. The planes also have a health bar that depletes progressively when hit, allowing for more hits but with fewer opportunities to recharge your health. The game's use of Capcom's CPS-2 platform adds a new level of sophistication to the visuals, putting it on par with many of the shoot-em-ups of the late 90s/early 2000s.

Bringing the comic series into game form, Alien vs. Predator lets players choose from a pair of cybernetically-enhanced Earth soldiers and two types of Predators as they take on wave after wave of alien invaders. Alien vs. Predator is more complex than many of the beat-em-ups that preceded it, with each character fielding unique weapons and fighting moves that reflect the Street Fighter era. This overlay features two versions – a standard version with a comics-inspired screen bezel and a version (shown here) that emulates the look of the Capcom Big Blue cabinet this game was sometimes found in.

Armored Warriors brought a new angle to the somewhat saturated beat-em-up genre, with giant human-powered robots of varying abilities, interchangeable weapons and up to three players who can team up for even more powerful attacks. The story follows a military team from the United Earth Government, sent to investigate strange activity on the planet Raia, with which Earth has signed a ceasefire treaty after a long war. The mech-powered heroes must defeat an unknown enemy who has taken over the Raian capital, though *spoiler alert* there may be more to Earth's plans than they realize. The game adds some new layers to the beat-em-up formula, including challenging bosses, and who doesn't love jetting around in a giant robot and smashing things?

Buster Bros, also known as Pang and Pomping World in various countries because every game has to be called something, challenges two harpoon-wielding heroes to pop a large succession of bouncing bubbles that apparently threaten the world. Amidst backdrops of world landmarks, the two fire harpoons straight upward, which will pop the bubbles if either the tip or rope come into contact with them, causing larger bubbles to break into smaller ones, Asteroids-style. A variety of power-ups as well as platforms and marauding wildlife further complicate your mission, which becomes increasingly frenetic as your globe-trotting continues.

Based on the comic Xenozoic Tales and a tie-in to an animated series of the same name, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs takes place in a pulpy dystopian future where humanity has been driven underground and dinosaurs have returned to rule the Earth. The game sends mechanic Jack Tenrec, scientist Hannah Dundee and others in pursuit of the mysterious Black Marketeers, within a beat-em-up world that resembles Final Fight if it had machine guns, cars and, of course, dinosaurs. The story takes several twists and turns, but the fighting action stays fairly consistent throughout, sending waves of baddies and a shapeshifting villain for you to punch into oblivion.

Unrelated to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie released the same year and with a not-entirely-dissimilar plot, Commando follows the incursion of soldier Super Joe (just don't call him G.I.) into battle against an entire enemy army. Developed by Capcom but released in some markets by Data East, Commando essentially defined the vertically-scrolling run-and-gun concept and inspired the entire genre. The game is synonymous with the standard "shoot in the direction you're facing" run-and-gun control scheme used in numerous other games, as differentiated from the rotating joystick aiming of Ikari Warriors and its descendants. It was followed by sequel Mercs in 1989.

Cyberbots takes the rumblin' robots of Armored Warriors and builds a full fighting game around them, with a variety of character storylines centering around the Earth Force and the pilots of the VAs (Valiant or Variant Armors) the players control. Players choose both a human pilot (which determines the storyline) and a VA type (which determines your abilities and moves), which allows for a fair amount of options despite a limited number of pilot/VA combinations. Players have access to VA-specific special moves in addition to special attacks and ranged weapons, giving it greater depth as a fighter than it might seem at first glance. The cabinet appeared in both standard and Big Blue formats, both of which we have reproduced here.

Darkstalkers represents one of Capcom's earliest forays into character-driven fighting games, featuring expressive character designs and animations as well as storylines and the beginnings of a larger universe. Based on the Street Fighter II engine, the game features a menagerie of gothic horror-themed characters lined up to defend Earth from invading demon Pyron. The fighting system is similar to that of Street Fighter II but adds features such as Air Blocking, Crouch Walking and Chain Combos as well as a Special meter players can charge up for powerful attacks. The game would spawn an enduring franchise including numerous arcade and console sequels, comics, animated TV series and more.

This sequel to 1994's Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom upgrades the experience in every way, with 6 playable characters and more sophisticated graphics, spells, environments and enemies. Like many games of the mid-90s, its controls are complicated enough to require instructions, reproduced here albeit in somewhat tiny form. One of the last real arcade beat-em-ups, Shadow Over Mystara is complex enough to reward repeat runthroughs. The standard overlay shown here takes some liberties with the original cabinet design, as it was primarily a conversion kit with little art, and it also includes a Capcom Big Blue version that reflects the look of that cabinet.

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom was Capcom's first D&D arcade game, and while it borrowed from existing hack-and-slash games such as Golden Axe, it added a fair bit of complexity to the formula, with distinct character classes, a range of magic spells, more complex combat, inventory management and branching story paths. Tower of Doom features a fully TSR-approved D&D storyline, including taking place in D&D setting Mystara and featuring iconic D&D races and enemies. The game's success led to a sequel, Shadow Over Mystara, which further refined the graphics and gameplay.