Games of 1988 - ranked by preference

Release Date: October 23, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

Super Mario Bros. 3 took what was great about the original Super Mario Bros. and improved on every single aspect of it to create an absolute masterpiece of a game. Spanning eight worlds that are all completely different from each other, and loaded with new enemies and power-ups, Super Mario Bros. 3 was a giant, wonderful game. The only real flaw with the original NES version is the lack of a save system. With a game this big, a save system would be nice. But, with two warp whistles easily obtained within minutes of starting a game, it's not too hard to continue where you left off even without anything saving your progress. Aside from that one, single flaw, Super Mario Bros. 3 may be the closest thing to a "perfect" game on the NES.

Release Date: December 24, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Platformer

Mega Man 2 is often considered to be the best game in the Mega Man series. It's hard to argue that. The levels are all designed brilliantly, the bosses are all unique and fun to battle against, and the soundtrack may be the best in the series. It really is the total package in terms of Mega Man games. Later games in the series added new abilities and features, but even in its basic form, Mega Man 2 is still heads and shoulders above any other game in the franchise. It really is that good.

Release Date: October 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

Most of you know the story - the real Super Mario Bros. 2 never made it to North America until Super Mario All-Stars was released on the SNES. It was deemed too difficult to be released on North American shores, and thus, Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, a quality game in its own right, was modified with Mario characters inserted in and released as the Super Mario sequel out here. All that said, this is was my favorite game in the Super Mario Bros. franchise for the vast majority of my life and a game that I have to have beaten at least 40-50 times since I was a wee lad. I know every inch of this game by heart...And it's still a game that I enjoy when I play. It's the black sheep of the Super Mario franchise, but being a black sheep myself, that may be what I like most about it.

Release Date: January 31, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: West One
Genre: Adventure

What a transformation for Wonder Boy...The first game was an Adventure Island clone. The second game, dare I say, is superior to any Adventure Island game ever made. Wonder Boy in Monster Land is a game that pulls me in every time I play it. I meant to play it for a few minutes to grab screens for this list...Next thing I knew, an hour had passed and I still didn't want to put the controller down. It may not seem like anything special in comparison to most games of today, but for its time, it was absolutely amazing. And like I kind of mentioned above, I'll gladly spend hours in Monster Land now like I did twenty-five years ago.

Release Date: November 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Action

I remember walking around at a Wal-Mart as a small kid with my mom and seeing a huge display for Bubble Bobble. In reality, it was probably just a few cardboard stands, but to a six-year old kid, it was huge...I remember wanting an NES so that I could play this game. A year or two later, I got my wish and Bubble Bobble became the first game that I ever got to play. It lived up to my expectations and to this day, Bubble Bobble remains one of my favorite games to pop in and play from time to time. With more than 100 levels to play through, a harder mode called Super Bubble Bobble to discover, and multiple endings to see, this was just an absolutely amazing game to play when it came out. I highly recommend it.

Release Date: February 9, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Contra is notoriously difficult...Until you begin to notice and memorize patterns of the enemies, that is. After you catch wind of the patterns, it's not too bad. But anyway, the run-and-gun gameplay is a blast still to this day and the variety of weapons helps make each playtthrough a little different...Unless you're the guy that sticks only with the spray gun like my neighbor. If you want a great third-person shooter for the NES, Contra is one of the best you can get.

Release Date: December 9, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Tecmo
Genre: Action

Ninja Gaiden is fantastic. Some folks complain about its difficulty, which picks up drastically after a few levels, but it's a game that the more you play, the better you get. Spend a while playing this non-stop and you'll soon be on your way to do battle with the final boss. I think the second game in the Ninja Gaiden series is the best, but the original here is quite solid in its own right.

Release Date: March 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Pax Softonica
Genre: Sports - Hockey

Make a team of four players - choosing either the skinny guy, normal-sized guy, or the fat guy (my favorite being four fat guys - they hit the hardest) and have at it with friends or the computer. Regardless of who you're playing against, Ice Hockey is a blast. The little touch of you also controlling the goalie as you play adds just enough strategy to always keep things interesting. Will you focus on your skaters and try to get the puck, or will you focus on the goalie to make sure you're ready for a potential scoring attempt? Ice Hockey is proof that despite all of the neat new features in many modern sports games, keeping things simple can still be a ton of fun, like in the case of Ice Hockey where nearly 30 years after its release, it's still a blast to play.

Release Date: 1988 (NA/EU)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Puzzle

Shanghai is like solitaire, but with mahjong tiles instead of playing cards. Your goal is to match pairs of tiles to eliminate them from the pile, eventually pairing everything up so that you're left with nothing. In the Master System version of Shanghai, there's not really a lot of game modes of anything, but that never bothered me. For its time, the fun it provided was plenty. Even today, I can pop this cartridge in and lose a few hours just matching the tiles away.

Release Date: February 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Gun.Smoke is an interesting scrolling shooter in that it doesn't take place in outer-space like most of them seem to...And you're not controlling a space ship, but a regular human being with a pair of guns at his side. In Gun.Smoke, you walk around the wild west and try to take down wanted criminals and fill them and their followers full of bullet holes. The game is unique in that each level will simply loop endlessly unless you talk to a specific person in the level during the gunfights and buy the wanted poster they're selling, which will allow the boss to spawn. You also have the ability to purchase other firearms and even obtain a horse, which kind of doubles as armor, making this a scrolling shooter that doesn't just stand out due to its setting - it stands out because it's a very good game.

Release Date: October 1, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Compile
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

R-Type is one of my favorite scrolling shooters of all-time, so I naturally wanted it when I saw it was on the Master System. While it's in 8-bits and may be one of the least-impressive variations of the game in the graphics department (and it's still not that bad, honestly), the gameplay is all fully intact, bringing a fantastic, third-person shooter experience to your living room.

Release Date: 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Taito
Genre: Action

Rastan is a neat little action title that doesn't always feel like it's the smoothest-playing game in the world, but some nice level design and gameplay mechanics help make up for that. Levels often have multiple paths to the goal or hidden passages to discover, as well as power-ups in the form of new weapons, with each one playing slightly different from the other. It's not a perfect game, but Rastan is still very enjoyable regardless.

Release Date: October 15, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: RPG

Ys is the type of game I hated as a kid, but have grown to appreciate as I get older...The game what you do to fight is bump into your enemy repeatedly and hope that you're stronger than they are. I'll admit, the combat still doesn't enthrall me, but I can deal with it to experience a worthwhile game and Ys is definitely a worthwhile game. If you've got a Master System and an opportunity to experience this gem, do it. And thank me later with whatever cash you've got in your pocket - change is fine, but paper is better.

Release Date: December 26, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Dragon Spirit plays a lot like most top-down, scrolling shooters in that you collect power-ups that make you more effective as you stay alive. In Dragon Spirit, however, you control a dragon rather than a spaceship or plane, so the power-ups cause the dragon to evolve, sprouting extra heads and the like to increase range and fire power...Which you'll likely need to survive the later levels. If you enjoy scrolling shooters, this game is definitely worth a look.

Release Date: 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Telegames
Developer: VSS
Genre: Action

Universal Chaos is actually pretty fun...And that kind of surprised me. Basically, you've got a grid on the screen and you control a car that can fire bullets forward. You want to shoot the other cars on the screen while they make an effort to ram into you. The action can get frantic at times, which is really where the game seems to be at its most fun. It's a solid action game that deserves a spot in any Atari 2600 collector's collection.

Release Date: November 27, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Action - Brawler

While I've always loved the concept of Altered Beast, I've never really been a fan of the execution. Over the years, I've come to appreciate it more...but even with that appreciation, let's face it, the controls do feel a little off and the brawling gets very repetitive very quickly...But, then you transform into one of several beasts and the feeling of repetition feels a little delayed. While I've never been a huge fan of Altered Beast, there's no question that it was a system-seller for the Genesis in the beginning and that it's a game that many folks have very fond memories of.

Release Date: November 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Rare
Genre: Board

Mix rules of Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit and toss 'em in a video game setting and Anticipation is the result. The box art makes the game look corny, but it's a surprisingly good game. In fact, Anticipation is a very enjoyable experience when you've got a friend or group of friends to play with...But when you're playing it solo, it's not quite as nice.

Release Date: September 1988 (NA)
Publisher: GameTek
Developer: Rare
Genre: Trivia

Wheel of Fortune is just as you'd expect. I can't really say a whole lot else about it. It does what it need to do, but doesn't add a whole lot else to it. It's still fun, but it never goes above and beyond what you'd expect out of the game. My only gripes are that "R,S,T,L,N,E" are not pre-selected during the final round, and I think it'd be more fun if you won, you'd get a random "prize" instead of being able to select whatever prize you want prior to starting the round. Anyway, if you like the television show Wheel of Fortune, you'll like the video game Wheel of Fortune.

Release Date: 1988 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Sports - Baseball

Reggie Jackson Baseball is a solid baseball game for Master System owners, and much, much better than Great Baseball is. It's also one of the only baseball games that I've come across (with Legends of the Diamond being the only other one) where you can cause the benches to clear by beaning batters. So it gets points in my book just for that. But really, as far as 80's baseball games go, the game represented by Reggie Jackson is very well done.

Release Date: December 2, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Tengen
Developer: Sanritsu
Genre: Action

Alien Syndrome, a port of the Sega arcade game, is one of the better Tengen games, in my opinion. Basically, your goal is to save every person on the level, while killing aliens and avoiding being killed yourself along the way. Once everyone is rescued, the exit opens, allowing you to leave the level and head into a boss fight. The formula is simple, and it may be a bit too slow-paced for some, but for its time, Alien Syndrome really wasn't too bad of a game.

Release Date: September 14, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: NEC Interchannel
Developer: Compile
Genre: Pinball

Alien Crush was a decent first-effort by Compile to make a pinball game on the TurboGrafx-16. The physics were okay and the one playable board wasn't bad...But it wasn't anything special, either. Compile later created Devil's Crush, improving on pretty much every element of this game...But for what it is, this is still a fairly solid choice if you're hankering for a game of video pinball.

Release Date: December 2, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Sammy
Developer: Aicom
Genre: Action

Amagon is a decent action game that is, well, just bizarre. The majority of the game, you're some army dude with a gun and a limited number of bullets. What happens if you run out of bullets? Well, you use the gun as a melee weapon, of course. The bizarre aspect is when you collect a certain power-up and then hit the Select button. The military fellow transforms into some bodybuilder that uppercuts anything and everything in sight. It's an odd title, and a playable title, but repetition kind of hurts it in the long run. If the levels were more varied, I think it would've gone a long way towards making this a pretty good game instead of simply a passable one.

Release Date: July 22, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Developer: Vic Tokai
Genre: Platformer

Kid Kool plays a whole lot like the popular Psycho Fox game from Sega's Master System (which was also developed by Vic Tokai) but never receives the same kind of love. Anyway, the basic premise of this game is that you're Kid Kool, a guy who happens to be really fast and who is friends with a cheerleader pom-pom with eyes. Your goal is to find all of the ingredients and such that you need to help out the king - but you need to do so as fast as possible. This games takes a little bit to get used to due to some weird physics, but once you've got the hang of it, it's not so bad. Though I am confused by the lack of the evil wizard on the box art...Oh, and if you happen to make it to the end of the game, watch out for that spike strip. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Release Date: December 20, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Hal Laboratories
Developer: Hal Laboratories
Genre: Pinball

Rollerball is a so-so game of pinball. At first it comes across as being quite fun, with a table that spans across several screens...But after a while, it just gets old. There's only so many times that you can do the same thing on a pinball table before you start to get a little bored. Pinball fanatics may enjoy this game quite a bit more than I did, but for what it is, it's not terrible nor is it great...It's just passable.

Release Date: September 27, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Taxan
Developer: Thinking Rabbit
Genre: Action

8 Eyes can be a pretty difficult game, but a few years ago I sat down and made myself get good enough at it where I could beat it. After spending several hours with this game, I grew to appreciate it more than I had prior to beating it, but I still don't find it to be all that good. 8 Eyes is one of those hit-and-run games, where you can't just stand toe-to-toe with most enemies, you've got to hit, back off, and then hit again otherwise you'll find yourself dead really quickly...Which can lead to some boring gameplay. But, the ability (and necessity) to use a falcon to attack and open switches does add some fun to the experience. 8 Eyes isn't horrible, but in my opinion, it's also just an eyelash (pun intended) away from being passable.

Release Date: March 10, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Platformer

What the heck happened? Alex Kidd in Miracle World was really fun...And then The Lost Stars comes along...And what the heck happened?!?! The Lost Stars plays completely different, in a bad way, from the level design and gameplay mechanics down to just how the game feels. Miracle World felt smooth. The Lost Stars just feels horrible. Easily one of the worst sequels that I've ever played.

Release Date: August 12, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action

Looking at the screenshot, one might think that Mad City is actually The Adventures of Bayou Billy. You're kind of right. Mad City is basically the Japanese version of Bayou Billy. Why do I have it as a separate entry in this list? Because the level layout and difficulty are totally different from those found in Bayou Billy, making it feel very much like a different game. Generally, I like high difficulty in games, but Bayou Billy's difficulty made the game boring as you were reduced to constant hit-and-run tactics to stay alive. Mad City's difficulty is perfect, in my opinion, as certain enemies require the hit-and-run tactics but not all, letting you go toe-to-toe with many enemies without the risk of losing half of your health in the process. If given an option, I'd choose this over the localized Bayou Billy any day.

Release Date: December 9, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Toho
Developer: Compile
Genre: Action

A little more work and Godzilla would have been a blast to play...part strategy, part action game, part fighter, Godzilla: Monster of Monsters has you traversing through levels as both Godzilla and Mothra with really poor combat and unresponsive controls. If you can survive the mess of the side-scrolling levels, you'll eventually go into a battle against another monster, turning this into an unresponsive fighting game with poor collision detection. Between everything, you're selecting which spot on the level grid to move, bringing in some mild strategy elements. If all of the controls and other flaws had been fixed, this game would have been awesome to play...But as it is, it's just a mess.

Release Date: 1988 (EU)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Beam Software
Genre: Shooter - First-Person

I've never been a big fan of flight simulators or basically most games that have you sitting first-person in a cockpit. Airwolf is no exception to that rule. Airwolf is basically just a shooter where you're trying to shoot down enemy aircraft and their missiles (which are flashing blue dots, apparently) before they shoot you down. It's simple...And it's not the worst game I've ever played, but there's not enough worthwhile content to be found here to make playing through it feel like anything more than a chore.