On-rails shooters were once the king of the arcades. They eventually made their way to consoles and allowed people to play either with a controller or with a light-gun peripheral. As fun as many of these games are on their own, they are always better with a friend. The games below all offer incredible cooperative experiences for friends to play together.
The genre also works well because players usually do not have to sacrifice screen space to get another friend on board. Unless a part of the game separates the two players, they generally use the same screen and shoot at the same enemies.
7 Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch is based on the 1970s TV show of the same name. It mostly received a lukewarm reception, but it gets a place on this list because of the unique structure of its cooperative gameplay. When playing alone, the player drives and shoots at the same time. If another player jumps into the fray, they split up responsibilities.
This essentially turns it into a true on-rails shooter. The television show was known for its iconic titular duo and the signature car. Taking place in San Fransisco, many episodes would end with a car chase, making the game's format perfectly sensible.
6 T2: The Arcade Game
Given that Terminator 2 is one of the most popular movies of the 1990s and its target audience were teenagers, people can bet that plenty of games based on the movie came out. One of the best of the bunch was the on-rails shooter T2: The Arcade Game. It first came out in arcades as Terminator 2: Judgment Day before it was ported to home consoles with the new title.
Whether gamers play it in a public space or in the comfort of their living room, they can be sure that they'll have a good time. It is a lot simpler than other games on the list but is a joy to go through because of how faithfully it recreates some scenes from the iconic film.
5 Virtua Cop
Sega pushed the genre forward in both the arcades and the living room. Virtua Cop brought 3D graphics to the on-rails shooter, which traditionally used digitized graphics beforehand. The game looks less realistic than even older games by using polygons, but it lends weight to the action, thus becoming more immersive, whereas older games feel like players are shooting at a movie screen.
While they are primitive by today's standards, the visuals possess a certain charm that make the game worth playing today. The blocky graphics are a signature of Sega games of the era.
4 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
The older Resident Evil games from the PS1 era are timeless classics. However, even some older gamers could never vibe with the tank controls and fixed camera angles. What can they do if they want to experience the older titles in the franchise, though?
A good alternative is Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for the Nintendo Wii. The on-rails shooter takes players through several games in the franchise and also adds context to their plots. The title eventually came to the PS3, where the Move controllers can be used as a light-gun peripheral. The sequel, The Darkside Chronicles, continues the same trend.
3 House Of The Dead: Overkill
The older House of the Dead games are arcade classics. To switch things up, House of the Dead: Overkill takes the on-rails zombie shooter and soaks a 1970s grindhouse aesthetic over it.
The game even comes with artificial film scratches and burns. Most on-rails shooters of this kind are ports of arcade games, but House of the Dead: Overkill was an honest and successful attempt at bringing an arcade franchise to the home consoles. Because it was built for consoles, players can purchase upgrades and different guns for more variety.
2 Dead Space Extraction
A lot of the spin-offs of horror franchises on this list ratchet up the action when they take on this genre. Dead Space: Extraction manages to remain slow-paced and methodical, much like the first two entries of this franchise.
Like The Umbrella Chronicles, Dead Space Extraction came out on the Nintendo Wii before coming to the PS3. Despite being an on-rails shooter, players sometimes get to choose a path throughout the level, though the action remains on-rails. Players also get to play with some signature tools from the franchise, like Stasis.
1 Time Crisis 2
When it comes to the arcades, few games had the same impact as Time Crisis. There is something so visceral about slamming one's foot down on the pedal to jump out of cover and start mowing down enemies. The second game is considered the best of the franchise, even if Time Crisis 3 added more weapons.
Each level is a spectacle filled with numerous set pieces and vehicular segments. Only one thing could make this game better; playing it in co-op. Using two different screens and pedals in the arcades, players approach the same combat situation from different perspectives.