1983 Chank'n'pop (1 player only, not really a traditional platform game)
1985 Fairyland Story (1 player only)
1986 Bubble Bobble
1989 Don Doku Don
1991 Parasol Stars (consoles/computers only, no arcade version)
1994 Bubble Symphony
1995 Bubble Memories
I'm very interested in the single-screen 'Bubble Bobble' genre, so I thought I would try to chronicle the progress of the genre.
The appeal of this genre, in my opinion, is that it is amongst the most perfect co-op genre. Players can play together and make the game easier for themselves, and weaker players never 'fall behind' because they are brought along with every new stage. I think there is still potential in this genre, and that it hasn't been 'bettered' since the release of Bubble Bobble. Not even the Bubble Bobble sequels come close, because they introduce more 'fuss' into the controls and design of the game.
Can anyone else thing of notable examples of the genre that don't use scrolling areas and still have 2 players? These are all the Taito games that I can think of which meet this criteria, but there are also titles such as RodLand that fit the mould. I've ignored New Zealand Story, Rainbow Islands and Liquid Kids because they are single player and using scrolling areas.