Critics Club IV: Greatest Game of 1986 - 1987

[Neon Ignition]

The third round of the 80's era of gaming and we reach the peak output of the 8-Bit generation now as the number of new titles continues to grow each year as the gaming market found its footing once again and began to grow.


The Greatest Game of All Time - 1986 to 1987





Grouped together thanks to small output the 80's endured as gaming found itself birthed into consumer minds.

Which titles are your fondest remembered, which are the milestones and which is the very best?

[QualityChimp]

All arcades for me as I never has a NES.

Spy Kid Deluxe - Loved this game and played it loads. Got frustrated with myself if I missed dropping the bomb.
Ikari Warriors - The latter games were better, but the twisty joystick was novel at the time.
Wonder Boy - OK, so this is my sister's fave game ever and could make 10p last hours. Loved the design.
Bubble Bobble - Cutesy platform action puzzler. Amazing.
Breakout - Good, but not as good as...
Akanoid - Those power-ups made all the difference.
Out Run - Hydraulic cab FTW! Still playable today and the feeling of driving under blue skies was beautiful.
Rolling Thunder - Bloody love this. Only because Shinobi can jump-shoot do I like it more, but this was like a James Bond experience. THAT MUSIC!
Contra - Good, but a bit tough to be enjoyable as a kid.
R-Type - Still one of the best shooters ever. Only topped by Gradius V for me, and that came out decades later. I can hear the music just thinking about it.
Double Dragon - Elbows. Me and [MENTION=7343]prinnysquad[/MENTION] on a night out on the toon.
Street Fighter - I liked the original. I liked the gritty realistic settings.
Rastan - Didn't play much, but liked it.
Operation Wolf - Looked amazing at the time. Everyone loves firing an uzi!
Pac-Mania - I remember being absolutely wowed by the shading. I still choose this skin on Pac-Mania Championship Edition Deluxe.
APB - Blimmin' tough, but loved the top-down viewpoint and the interrogation sections. Great cut-scene graphics.
Roadblasters - Oh wow, loved this even before Turbo invaded it. Like a futuristic Spy Hunter in 3D. Loved the toy cars you could get too.
Xybots - You could twist the joystick so you faced one way, but shot another. Before Doom. First strafing?

Thanks, Neon. Some nice memories there.

[Mayhem]

No Mercenary?

[Nu-Eclipse]

Where's Shinobi?

[Ouenben]

Bubble Bobble all the way

[Neon Ignition]

I'll note Mercenary and Shinobi and add them to the next poll, I think we're getting into the territory already where as the number of releases each year increases the lists become harder to track

[wheelaa]

Some stonkers there, several of my all time top 20 personal favourites!

BB gets it though, perfection.

Edit...although I do find myself whistling / humming various Outrun tracks most times I'm queueing at the supermarket, so...can we vote for more than one...edit...yes we can!

[Finsbury Girl]

80s and 90s arcade was KING. Out of the above Double Dragon & R-Type are standouts. Rastan - loved that game. I played a hell of a lot of Wonder Boy, Out Run and Bubble Bobble - I knew a dude who could get to level 100.

Out of the PC games - I loved all of the 'quest' games from Sierra but the stand out is Sid Meier's Pirates! Pirates was farking brilliant & WAAAY ahead of its time.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I'll note Mercenary and Shinobi and add them to the next poll, I think we're getting into the territory already where as the number of releases each year increases the lists become harder to track

Shinobi came out in 1987.

It should be in this thread. No point putting it in another thread of a timeline where it wasn't originally released, surely?

[Neon Ignition]

Just so it gets its fair shake at being voted for, I'll make the next thread 1987-198X for wherever it reaches up to