Zanac wasn't Compile's first game by any means, and not even its first shoot 'em up, but it's where their real legacy and mark on the industry began.
Compile left its mark across multiple genres, developing loads of games that are still a blast decades later, and their successor studios have helped keep the spirit of the original alive.
In November of 2003, Compile was forced to close its doors. The developers lives on through its high-quality games and successor studios, though.
Video Game of the Year: A Year-By-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 is available now, and I spoke with the author about how it came to be.
A Saturn launch title — well, it was supposed to be — that's been seemingly forgotten by Sega.
Hydlide might have been derided when it arrived on the NES, but it's a vital game in the history of action RPGs.
Take a break from making art to splat bugs with a fly swatter.
Or, as it's known in Japan, Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon — the first entry in the long-running Mystery Dungeon series.
The sequel to The Tower of Druaga went in a very different direction, and is even lesser known outside of Japan.
The first entry in Quintet's unofficial "Gaia trilogy" isn't as refined in some ways as its successors, but there's a damn fine game here that deserves attention in the present.
No, no, not Mega Man 2. A different (and nowhere near as enjoyable) Mega Man the second.
A first-party racing game for the Turbografx-16 that tried to differentiate itself
