I grew up in the golden age of arcades, and for me, one name stood above all others: Capcom. In the late 1980s, while they were already having huge success with titles like Ghosts ‘n Goblins and 1942, the launch of their Capcom Play System (CPS-1) arcade board in 1988 was a game-changer. This new hardware allowed them to create a string of visually stunning and incredibly fun games that would define the era and dominate arcades for years to come.
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The CPS-1 was a brilliant piece of engineering. It was designed to run multiple games on a single platform, which reduced production costs and made it easier for arcade operators to swap in new titles. But for players like me, it simply meant a golden age of amazing games. From the gritty streets of Final Fight to the global tournament of Street Fighter II, the CPS-1 was a hit machine.
In this guide, I want to take a trip back to the arcade and celebrate some of the best and most influential titles released for this legendary system. These are the games that ate my pocket money and created a lifetime of memories.
🚀 The Early Hits: Pushing the Hardware
The very first game for the CPS-1, Forgotten Worlds (1988), was an immediate showcase of the new hardware’s power. I remember being blown away by this side-scrolling shooter. The screen was filled with an impressive number of enemies, the bosses were gigantic, and the backdrops were breathtaking. The gameplay was unique too, with two muscular, flying protagonists who could rotate their massive laser cannons 360 degrees.
Soon after came Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (1988), a sequel that improved upon its legendary predecessor in every way. The sprites were beautifully animated, the levels had an almost cartoonish charm, and the bosses were huge and memorable. It was still brutally difficult, but Sir Arthur could now fire up and down, a small change that made a big difference.
But the game that truly defined the early era of the CPS-1 for me was Strider (1989). This action platformer was a visual spectacle. The level design was unforgettable, taking me from the snowy plains of Siberia to the dinosaur-filled jungles of the Amazon. The protagonist, Strider Hiryu, was the epitome of cool, an athletic warrior who could climb any surface and slice through entire armies with his plasma sword. Its fluid animation and fast-paced action were unlike anything else in the arcade. The creative boss design reminds me of another classic I’ve covered, Splatterhouse.
👊 The Beat ‘Em Up Kings
While the early hits were impressive, it was the beat ’em up genre where Capcom and the CPS-1 truly became legends. It all started with Final Fight (1989). Interestingly, this game began life as a sequel to the original Street Fighter, but it soon evolved into one of the most iconic side-scrolling brawlers of all time.
I have such fond memories of playing this game with my friends. We could choose between three distinct characters: the slow but powerful mayor Mike Haggar, the balanced Cody, and the fast-moving Guy. The ability to pick up weapons like steel pipes and katanas added a satisfying crunch to the already fantastic combat. It set the standard for the entire genre.
Capcom followed this up with a string of other excellent brawlers. Knights of the Round (1991) took the action to Arthurian legend, with a clever leveling system that saw the characters’ armor and weapons visually upgrade as they progressed. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (1993), based on a comic book, was a graphically spectacular game that let you, well, fight dinosaurs. And The Punisher (1993) was a brutally violent and surprisingly deep brawler based on the Marvel comic. The quality and variety were incredible. This era of arcade dominance reminds me of the Sinclair’s home computer revolution, which I detailed in my ZX81 retrospective.
🔥 The Birth of a Legend: Street Fighter II
Of course, no discussion of the CPS-1 would be complete without talking about the game that changed everything: Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991). It’s hard to overstate the impact this game had. It single-handedly revitalized the arcade industry and created the modern fighting game genre as we know it.
The game introduced an iconic cast of characters, from Ryu and Ken to Chun-Li and Blanka. But its real innovation was the combo system. This was actually discovered by accident during development, but it added a level of depth and skill that was completely new. The game was so popular that Capcom released several updated versions on the CPS-1, including Champion Edition and Hyper Fighting, to counter the wave of unofficial bootleg versions that were appearing in arcades.
The legacy of the CPS-1 is immense. It was the platform that solidified Capcom’s reputation as the king of the arcade. It gave us some of the most beloved and influential games of all time, titles that are still celebrated and played today. It was a true revolution, a period of creative and technical excellence that I will never forget. It’s a history as rich as that of any console.
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