After a bit of a hiatus, we are back with another video edition of Co-Op Classics. We'll wade through a mushroom forest infested with bugs, defend Earth's cities from incoming nukes, and take on an alien empire bent on enslaving all of mankind. Arcade Classics and Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters: which one of these two games never made it to your local arcade?
The Co-Op Classic That Never Was - Arcade Classics
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Arcade Classics was a prototype game, developed for Atari's 20th anniversary back in 1992. Perhaps the hopeless generic name would have been changed had the game actually been released, but this was sadly not the case. A dual trackball control scheme allowed two buddies to team up in co-op sequels to two beloved Golden Age classics, Centipede 2 and Missile Command 2! Through the wonder of emulation, we can take a look into what might have been.
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters
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The name sounds like a 50s B-movie, and that's pretty much what the game plays like, as well. Two players take on the role of square jawed space heroes who fight wave after wave of evil robots in their attempt to free humans enslaved by the evil Reptilons. Schlocky and a bit exploitative, the game was a good time, though the absolutely brutal difficulty level meant you needed to use a whole pocketful of quarters to see the ending. All told, it's a memorable, unusual and very interesting Co-Op Classic.