Bubble Bobble is a 1986 platform arcade game developed and published by Taito. It was distributed in the United States by Romstar, and in Europe by Electrocoin. Players control Bub and Bob, two dragons that set out to save their girlfriends from a world known as the Cave of Monsters. In each level, Bub and Bob must defeat each enemy present by trapping them in bubbles and popping, who turn into bonus items when they hit the ground. There are 100 levels total, each becoming progressively more difficult.
Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (レインボーアイランド) is a 1987 arcade game developed and published by Taito. The arcade version was licensed to Romstar for North American manufacturing and distribution. The game is subtitled "The Story of Bubble Bobble 2" and is the sequel to Taito's hit game Bubble Bobble from the previous year. It is the second of four arcade games in the Bubble Bobble series. The game was ported for numerous home computers and game consoles.
Contra is a run and gun video game developed and published by Konami, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987. A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, along with ports for various computer formats, including the MSX2. The home versions were localized in the PAL region as Gryzor on the various computer formats and as Probotector on the NES, released later. Several Contra sequels were produced following the original game.
Galaga is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was released by Midway Games. It is the sequel to Galaxian (1979), Namco's first major hit in arcades. Controlling a starship, the player is tasked with destroying the Galaga forces in each stage while avoiding enemies and projectiles. Some enemies can capture a player's ship via a tractor beam, which can be rescued to transform the player into a “dual fighter” with additional firepower.
1943: The Battle of Midway is a 1987 shoot 'em up arcade game developed and published by Capcom. It was the first followup to Capcom's earlier 1942. The game's name is a reference to the Battle of Midway, which in actuality happened in June of 1942.
Operation Wolf is a one-player shooter video game made by Taito in 1987. It spawned three sequels: Operation Thunderbolt (1988), Operation Wolf 3 (1994) and Operation Tiger (1998).
Commando, released in Japan as Senjō no Ōkami, is a run and gun, vertically scrolling arcade game released in 1985, unrelated to the 1985 film of the same name. Its influence can be seen in various later games in the shooter game genre. Versions were released for various home computers and consoles. The game also appears on Capcom Classics Collection, Activision Anthology, and on the Wii Virtual Console Arcade, as well as Capcom Arcade Cabinet for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Rush'n Attack, originally released in Japan and Europe as Green Beret, is a run and gun arcade game released by Konami in 1985. Rush'n Attack is remembered for its Cold War setting and its reliance on the player using a knife to dispatch enemies.
Tennis is a sports game developed and released by Nintendo for the NES. In North America and Europe, Tennis was one of 17 launch games for the NES. The game was also later released for the Game Boy as a launch title in North America.
Heavy Barrel is a 1987 overhead run and gun arcade game by Data East.
U.N. Squadron is a 1989 side-scrolling shooting game released by Capcom for the CPS arcade hardware and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in Japan as Area 88, and is based on the manga series of the same name, featuring the same main characters. Here, their mission is to stop a terrorist group known as Project 4. It was followed by a spiritual successor Carrier Air Wing.
Airwolf is a series of shooter video games based on the TV series of the same name. The first game based on the series was released for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum by Elite Systems in 1984. The game also was released on the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit family. A sequel, Airwolf II, was released in 1986.
Contra is a video game series produced by Konami composed primarily of run and gun-style shooting games. The series debuted in 1987 as a coin-operated arcade game titled Contra, which was followed by the release of Super Contra in 1988 and several sequels produced for various home platforms.
Field Combat is a 1985 arcade video game in which the player fights as a single commanding officer in a generic futuristic battlefield. The Family Computer version of Field Combat was later released for the Wii's Virtual Console service exclusively in Japan on June 12, 2007. A sequel game, Field Combat DX, was released for Japanese mobile phones in 2004.
Black Tiger, known in Japan as Black Dragon, is a 1987 platform game released for arcade by Capcom.
Chinese Hero, also known in Japan as Super Chinese, is an arcade action game developed by Nihon Game and published by Taiyo System in October 1984. Chinese Hero is the first game in the Super Chinese series by Culture Brain. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System as Kung Fu Heroes in Japan by the company Nihon Game in 1986 and was released in North America in 1989. The title saw a release on the Nintendo Switch Online service on August 21, 2019, most notably being the first time the North American version has been re-released in a few decades.
Bionic Commando, released in Japan as Top Secret, is a 1987 platform game released by Capcom for the arcades. The music was composed by Harumi Fujita for the YM2151 sound chip.
City Bomber is a vehicular combat arcade game developed and distributed by Konami and first released in 1987.
Super Contra, known as Super Contra: The Alien Strikes Back in Japan, is a run and gun video game by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988.
Metal Gear is an overhead military action-adventure stealth video game originally released in 1987 by Konami for the MSX2 computer in Japan and parts of Europe. Considered to be the progenitor of the stealth game genre, it was the first video game to be fully developed by Hideo Kojima, who would go on to direct most of its sequels. A reworked port of the game was released for the Famicom a few months later, which later saw release in international markets for the NES over the following two years; this version was developed without Kojima's involvement and features drastically altered level designs, among other changes. A more faithful port of the MSX2 version was later included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for the PlayStation 2, as well as in the HD Edition of the same game released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita, with these newer ports featuring a revised translation and additional gameplay features.
