In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen by the player. Although often collected directly through touch, power-ups can sometimes only be gained by collecting several related items, such as the floating letters of the word 'EXTEND' in Bubble Bobble. Well known examples of power-ups that have entered popular culture include the power pellets from Pac-Man and the Super Mushroom from Super Mario Bros., which ranked first in UGO Networks' Top 11 Video Game Powerups.
Lode Runner is a 2D puzzle-platform game, developed by Doug Smith and published by Broderbund in 1983. Its gameplay mechanics are similar to Space Panic from 1980. The player controls a character who must collect all the gold pieces in a level and get to the end while being chased by a number of enemies. It is one of the first games to include a level editor.
N is a freeware video game developed by Metanet Software. It was inspired in part by Lode Runner, Soldat, and other side-scrolling games. It was the first of the N series, followed by N+ and N++. N won the audience choice award in the downloadables category of the 2005 Independent Games Festival.
Lode Runner: The Legend Returns is a 1994 remake of 1982's Lode Runner video game. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Sega Saturn, and Sony PlayStation.
Mighty Bomb Jack is a platform video game developed and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was later ported to the Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64. Mighty Bomb Jack is a sequel to the 1984 arcade game Bomb Jack.
Solomon's Key is a puzzle game developed by Tecmo in 1986 for an arcade release on custom hardware based on the Z80 chipset. It was ported to multiple systems including the Nintendo Entertainment System and Commodore 64. The PC Engine version was known as Zipang and the Game Boy version as Solomon's Club. A prequel, Solomon's Key 2, was released in 1992 for the NES. The game was also ported to Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in 2006 and later to Nintendo Switch Online in 2018.
Solomon's Key 2 is a puzzle game released by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the prequel to Solomon's Key, and is known as Fire 'n Ice in North America. The game was released in Japan in January 1992, and America and Europe in March 1993. The game was rereleased as part of Nintendo Switch Online in February 2021.
Bomberman is a maze video game developed and published by Hudson Soft. The original home computer game Bomber Man was released in July 1983 for the NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-6001 mkII, Fujitsu FM-7, Sharp MZ-700, Sharp MZ-2000, Sharp X1 and MSX in Japan, and a graphically modified version for the MSX and ZX Spectrum in Europe as Eric and the Floaters. A sequel, 3-D Bomberman, was produced. In 1985, Bomberman was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It spawned the Bomberman series with many installments building on its basic gameplay.
Lode Runner 2 is a puzzle-platform game released in 1998 for Mac OS and Microsoft Windows. It is a sequel to Lode Runner and its remakes. Like the earlier Lode Runner's Rescue, Lode Runner 2 has isometric-perspective 2D graphics. It was developed by Presage Software and distributed by GT Interactive for Microsoft Windows and MacSoft for the Macintosh.
Toki Tori is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Two Tribes and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Color. The game follows a young chick, Toki Tori, and his quest to rescue his younger siblings, still in their eggs. To progress through the game, the player must pick up each egg on a level using a set number of tools, with new tools being introduced as the player progresses through the four worlds. This usually involves careful planning and creative thinking.
P. P. Hammer and his Pneumatic Weapon is a 1991 puzzle-platform game for the Amiga and Commodore 64 developed by Traveling Bits. It was influenced by Lode Runner (1983). The player controls a character called P. P. Hammer, who is on a quest to discover and acquire all treasures from a series of more than 60 levels.
Lode Runner 3-D is a Nintendo 64 game in the Lode Runner franchise. The game was developed by Big Bang and was released in 1999 in North America and Europe by Infogrames and in Japan by Banpresto. It is the first 3D game in the Lode Runner series.
Rocket Mania! is a puzzle video game by Belgian studio Nuclide Games, published by PopCap Games.
Metal Gear Online, and also known as Metal Gear Online 2, was a stealth third-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3. It was an online multiplayer spin-off of the Metal Gear video game series. The starter pack of Online was available worldwide bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, with a standalone release for Japan. The name Metal Gear Online is common with earlier online components for Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Metal Gear Online's North American and European servers were shut down on June 12, 2012.
Super Bomberman 4 is a 1 or 2 player action-party video game, developed by Produce and published by Hudson Soft for the Super Famicom, released on April 26, 1996, in Japan. Part of the Bomberman franchise, it is the fourth installment of the Super Bomberman series.
Tinker, also known as Microsoft Tinker, is a puzzle video game developed by Fuel Industries in which the player controls a robot through various mazes and obstacle courses. It was originally released on September 23, 2008 as part of Windows Ultimate Extras, and contained 60 levels including a 20-level tutorial. A free map editor was also released, however it is not compatible with the Games for Windows – Live version of Tinker. It is only compatible with the Windows Ultimate Extras version.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! is a 2009 puzzle-platform game developed by Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo DSi. The third game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, it is a follow-up to Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. It is the first DSiWare game to feature a level editor in which players can create custom-made levels and send them to players on other devices via a wireless Internet connection.
Championship Lode Runner is a sequel to the 1983 puzzle-platform game Lode Runner. It was released in 1984 for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and IBM PC, then ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, Famicom, SG-1000, and MSX. Mostly the same as Lode Runner, Championship Lode Runner has levels that are much more difficult. Unlike the original, it does not include a level editor.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is a 2010 puzzle-platform game developed by Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America on November 14, 2010 and is the fourth entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
Let's! TV Play Classic is a series of Japan-only plug & play devices developed and distributed by Bandai programmed on XaviX software created by SSD Company Limited in 2006 that contain arcade games from either Namco or Taito, with Namco's being called "Namco Nostalgia" while Taito's are called "Taito Nostalgia". Each device in the series contains 4 games, with 2 being classic arcade games while the other 2 are new games using the original game's sprites developed by Bandai.
