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Added by ape on 24 Oct 2012 03:54
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Games of 1986 - ranked by preference

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People who added this item 7 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 8.8 IMDB Rating 0
Bubble Bobble - Arcade
Release Date: 1986 (NA/JP)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Action

The NES version of Bubble Bobble was the first game that I ever played, and I still love it to this day. The arcade version of Bubble Bobble that came out a few years before is mostly the same, but with crisper-looking graphics that really are beautiful for the time. The concept of the game, for those not in the know, is that you (and a friend, if you want) take the role of bubble-blowing dinosaurs trying to save their girlfriends. By blowing bubbles onto enemies, they get trapped in said bubbles, and it's then your job to pop their bubble before they break free. It's fun and addicting, and with 100 levels to navigate through, there's plenty of gameplay to be had.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 68 Average listal rating (47 ratings) 7.7 IMDB Rating 0
Alex Kidd in Miracle World - Sega Master System
Release Date: November 1, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Platformer

Alex Kidd was Sega's answer to Mario that never really caught on. Despite his lack of popularity, Alex Kidd still starred in some pretty solid games. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was his debut game and it was pretty dang solid. With good level design and enjoyable punch-enemies-and-blocks fun, Alex Kidd should have been a bigger hit than it was...But alas, the games with that Italian plumber starring in them were always just a little bit better. But as it stands, it's still one of the best platformers to grace the Master System.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 58 Average listal rating (44 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 0
Arkanoid - Famicom and NES
Release Date: December 26, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Action

Arkanoid takes the concept of Atari's Breakout and improves upon the formula in pretty much every aspect. With power-ups to help aid (and hinder) your progress as you destroy the colored blocks, it gave players plenty of reasons to play what could have otherwise been labeled as a Breakout rip-off. It even came packaged with a unique controller, which was nice for those nostalgic from playing Breakout in the arcades.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 152 Average listal rating (87 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
Dragon Warrior - Famicom and NES
Release Date: May 27, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Enix
Developer: ChunSoft
Genre: RPG

Dragon Warrior, while not the first RPG to exist, might be the most influential game in the history of the genre. Today, the game seems extremely basic, with no vehicles to ride and no party to join you in your quest...But when this was released, it was awesome. The second game in the franchise improved on the formula found here in pretty much every possible way, but this is still a fun game to go back and play today, whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer who wants to see what RPG's were like back in the 80's.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 3 Average listal rating (2 ratings) 7 IMDB Rating 0
Body Slam - Arcade
Release Date: 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling


Body Slam was, I believe, the first all-woman’s wrestling game ever made. The game was based off of the All-Japan Women’s promotion in Japan, but changed around for the North American audience. In fact, only Dump Matsumoto’s name remains intact, with the rest of the roster like Bull Nakano and the Crush Gals getting generic names. The gameplay is very simple, yet still fun...And I personally enjoy how the smaller girls bounce right off of the bigger girls unless they hit a move, and how sometimes after even connecting with a move, the bigger girls don’t react. It adds some challenge to the game if you feel like being an underdog. It’s also worth noting that the matches are exclusively tag team matches with three-minute time limits, which sounds limiting, but it works pretty well here as it provides a challenge. But anyway, this is simplistic wrestling fun....And it may also be the first wrestling game to include a kendo stick as a weapon to use.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 8 Average listal rating (6 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
Astro Warrior - Sega Master System
Release Date: December 14, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

I'm not gonna lie. I thought Astro Warrior would be absolutely terrible. The name is corny, and screenshots don't really make the game look all that impressive...It just looks like a clone of every other scrolling space shooter out there. Well, it kind of is, but not in a bad way. Astro Warrior clones most of the good aspects of scrolling space shooters of the time, and not a whole lot of the bad. The end result is a solid, Master System-exclusive scrolling shooter that's an easy-to-find, and cheap game to add to your collection, but one that's also very fun to play.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 9 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 4.4 IMDB Rating 0
Pro Wrestling - Sega Master System
Release Date: July 20, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

In Europe and North America, this game is simply a mildly fun wrestling game with generic male wrestlers battling it out. In Japan, Pro Wrestling is actually a joshi (female wrestling) game starring Dump Matsumoto and featuring Matsumoto, Bull Nakano, Chigusa Nagayo, and Lioness Asuka on the cover. Just a fun fact. Anyway, Pro Wrestling is a passable wrestling game that's fun for a few minutes, but it won't take very long before you've had your fill...Especially after you've beaten the Orient Express four times in a row eventhough there are other teams on the game that you should be moving onto. But, it's decent fun and the best wrestling game available on the Master System.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 10 Average listal rating (4 ratings) 7.3 IMDB Rating 0
King's Knight - Famicom and NES
Release Date: September 18, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Squaresoft
Developer: Bits Laboratory
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

King's Knight is another one of my childhood favorites. It's a vertical-scrolling shooter where you play as a knight, a wizard, a monster, and a thief, and the survivors of each level combine as one force in the final level of the game where you have to use the skills and powers of each one to make it to the end and defeat the final boss dragon. To beat the game, however, you have to know where certain items are hidden in each level and collect them for each character - otherwise even if all four survive to the final level, you'll end up with everyone dead. This need to explore is actually something that I really enjoy about this game. Sure, there are better shooters available, but King's Knight has a charm to it that may help it stand out to some, like it does with me.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 11 Average listal rating (7 ratings) 6.6 IMDB Rating 0
Fantasy Zone - Sega Master System
Release Date: June 15, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Fantasy Zone is a unique scrolling shooter in that you control what direction the screen scrolls in...And you can change the direction at any time. It's a neat idea, but it can disorientate you if you swap directions without meaning to. The bright, colorful backgrounds are also a neat, unique idea...But this also has its drawbacks, as enemies and bullets often blend in with the backgrounds, sometimes leading to cheap deaths. Even with its flaws, Fantasy Zone is still a solid game and worth a look for fans of scrolling shooters.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 11 Average listal rating (7 ratings) 6.3 IMDB Rating 0
Rambo: First Blood Part II - Sega Master System
Release Date: November 16, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Rambo is the kind of game I like to point to when kids tell me that a recently-released game is hard. Even the most difficult games released these days aren't too bad in the very beginning. In Rambo, the first time you play, you're probably going to die within a minute. The more you play and the fancier your footwork in avoiding enemy bullets, the further you'll get in the game. I'm always a fan of that kind of reward. Unfortunately, while I enjoy that aspect of the game, the top-down camera kind of makes the combat feel awkward as you try making your way through the sometimes bullet hell-like amount of bullets headed your way. It's a fun game, though. Just go into it with some patience and the willingness to die a few times and you'll eventually have some fun shooting exploding arrows are your poor enemies.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 4 Average listal rating (2 ratings) 7 IMDB Rating 0
Athletic World - Famicom and NES
Release Date: November 12, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Bandai
Developer: Human Entertainment
Genre: Sports - Track and Field

After making Stadium Events (which was quickly bought by Nintendo and turned into World Class Track Meet), Bandai took another stab at making a Power Pad game and released Athletic World, which isn't quite as good as the former game that Bandai had made, but it's still a decent game worth playing if you enjoy using the Power Pad. A particularly unique and enjoyable mode is the Animal Trail, where you run along a trail and use the Power Pad to run as well as move up and down along three pathways in an attempt to avoid any animals charging your way. It's a unique twist to the classic track and field formula, and my personal favorite part of the game.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 3 Average listal rating (3 ratings) 6 IMDB Rating 0
Ninja Kid - Famicom and NES
Release Date: April 17, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Bandai
Developer: TOSE
Genre: Action

Ninja Kid had a head-scratchingly bad art style, but the gameplay isn't that terrible. In Ninja Kid, you basically just wander around in various levels, killing enemies, and eventually you'll find yourself battling against a giant boss. I'm half-tempted to move this game to the "shooter" genre since you're "shooting" ninja stars as your attack at any hostile creatures in your way. But anyway, Ninja Kid is a passable game...But again, the art style looks extremely amateurish.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 101 Average listal rating (55 ratings) 6.4 IMDB Rating 0
Adventure Island - Famicom and NES
Release Date: September 12, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Developer: Hudson Soft
Genre: Platformer

I've always enjoyed the original Adventure Island. It's quite fun the first time you play...However, if you actually make the effort to beat the game, Adventure Island gets old very, very quickly. Levels mostly look alike, and regardless of how they look, they all play alike, too. The hammer, skateboard, fireball, and fairy power-ups help a little, but it's still a repetitive platformer in the end. It's worth playing if you enjoy the Adventure Island franchise and would like to see its beginnings, but otherwise, I'd skip ahead to Adventure Island II instead.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 11 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 4.6 IMDB Rating 0
Alpha Mission - Famicom and NES
Release Date: September 3, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: SNK
Developer: SNK
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Alpha Mission (known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object in Japan) is a so-so scrolling shooter. It can feel really slow at first, but the more you get power-ups and advance in levels, the quicker and more exciting it gets. There are better scrolling shooters out there, but Alpha Mission isn't too awful bad.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 6 Average listal rating (4 ratings) 3 IMDB Rating 0
Seicross - Famicom and NES
Release Date: May 19, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: FCI
Developer: Nihon Bussan
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

I don't really know what to say about Seicross...It's not the worst game I've ever played...But it's still pretty bad. In this game, you make your way through a side-scrolling level, picking up power-ups, health, and stranded people while trying to avoid obstacles and the enemies that continuously act as pests, attacking you and ramming you almost constantly. The level designs are bland, and the below par gameplay is equally bland, making this scrolling shooter a bit of a disappointment.
ape's rating:
People who added this item 8 Average listal rating (6 ratings) 2.8 IMDB Rating 0
Tag Team Wrestling - Famicom and NES
Release Date: April 2, 1986 (JP)
Publisher: Data East
Developer: SAS Sakata
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Tag Team Wrestling is a very clunky wrestling game. To hit a move on your opponent, you have to first strike them, during which you must then hit the B button to perform a move....The problem is that it's not easy for you to strike the computer, yet they have absolutely no problem hitting you. Also delivering moves not only reduces the health of your opponent, but of you as well...So if you're trying to make a comeback, you might actually get pinned simply because you wasted all of your own health while attacking your opponent. It's a very, very basic game with poor controls and not nearly enough variety to justify even the most hardcore wrestling fans to play it for longer than a minute or two.
ape's rating:

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kathyThe O.P.Mr. Saturn
Yes, another branch of my 'ranked by preference' lists...This time, by year.

Added to

9 votes
Timeline of Games - ranked by preference (37 lists)
list by ape
Published 10 years, 9 months ago 1 comment



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