Double Dragon

Before co-op brawlers were everywhere, there was Double Dragon (1988 on DOS). Two brothers, one kidnapped girlfriend, and enough street thugs to populate a small city—that’s the setup. The game is all about walking right and punching everything in sight. The graphics are blocky, the sound is tinny, and the controls are stiff, but none of that mattered when you and a friend were pummeling bad guys side by side. It’s cheesy, it’s repetitive, and it’s glorious. For many, it was their first taste of “couch co-op mayhem,” and that’s a legacy worth a thousand black eyes.