Vs. Tetris is a game developed by Tengen for the Nintendo Vs. Unisystem arcade platform. The game would be the basis for Tetris (NES, Tengen) released some time later, and is noticeably less developed (e.g. the piece graphics use only solid colored or striped blocks).
Tetris is a puzzle game developed originally released for arcades. Players must stack differently shaped falling blocks to form and eliminate horizontal lines from the playing field. The game features several difficulty levels and two-player simultaneous play.
In the 80s, Taito produced a lot of popular coin-ops – mostly shoot-em-ups, puzzle and platform games. However, their beat-em-ups were not among their best. Kabuki Z is one of them. Developed by Kaneko of Gals Panic fame/infamy, it can best be described as a “hack-n-slash”. The intro sequence gives a good idea of the game’s content: a man commits seppuku, and behind him our samurai hero with his katana. The samurai chops his head off while the rice paper doors close, the resulting blood spurt splashing over them and forming the “Z” in the “Kabuki Z” title. Charming.
Superman is an arcade beat 'em up/shoot 'em up released by Taito in 1988. It is based on the character Superman by DC Comics. The player assumes the role of Superman, who must fight through five levels to make the world safe from the evil Emperor Zaas. The game can be played by up to two players simultaneously, with the second player taking control of a palette-swapped version of Superman.
Recordbreaker is a multi-event sports game for one or two players, where the player tries to achieve a world-record score in each of ten competitions. The events include: 100m sprint, 4x100m relay, Triple jump, Pole vault, Long horse, 100m swimming, Weightlifting, Horizontal bar, 100m hurdles and Shot put. The events can be played in any order, although losing an event results in the end of the game.
Released by Namco in 1988, this was the first arcade driving game to use fully 3D polygon graphics. It was the inaugural title for the Namco System 21 "Polygonizer" arcade hardware, the first dedicated 3D gaming system.
The player controls a Chinese police officer who has been assigned to infiltrate an underground base to rescue a high-ranking police officer and his daughter, who have been kidnapped by a gang.
Player needs to control a large plane and shoot at tanks and helicopters. The bomb button actually fires a bunch of missiles that lock-on and track your enemies.
Vindicators Part II is a sequel to the arcade version of Vindicators, it was released as a conversion kit for Gauntlet. There are only a few minor differences as the gameplay is nearly identical to the first, even keeping 10 of the 14 original stations of the first Vindicators. It even keeps the old graphics, music and sound. Though the in-game voice was changed to a less robotic sounding male, and several tank upgrades were added that are picked up as powerups and expire after a level is finished.
Only approximately 400 units were made.
Hot Chase is an arcade game released in 1988 by Konami.[1] In the game, players drive a white Porsche out of an enemy country to the Border crossing of a friendly one. The car has a bomb attached to it that explodes in a set time. If the bomb explodes, players must restart. There are many obstacles along the way, including railroad crossings, military checkpoints, helicopters that shoot at the car and other cars. The gameplay is said to be similar to Chase HQ.
Completing the game resulted in a scene where the hero exits the car, takes his machine gun, and fires at the car to add to the damage before the bomb explodes. Then the game played the following message: "Mission Complete. You have succeeded in stealing the enemy armored super car and have crossed the border to freedom. After a few days the enemy surrendered to our country. You will be remembered for your brave deeds. Thanks a million!"
Konami '88 (also known as '88 Games or Hyper Sports Special) is the third in the Track & Field game series by Konami, where you test your Olympic skills against other world-class athletes. As the name implies, it is loosely based on (and not licensed by) the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Bronze or silver medals are not good enough - you have to go for the gold to get to the next event. However, you must at least qualify in each event in order to compete in the next event.
The game is a typical space shooter that plays horizontally or vertically depending on the level. Three buttons per player: guns, missiles and special. Special is a super weapon which kills all but the most powerful enemies.
Capcom Bowling is a top down bowling simulation released to arcades in 1988 by Capcom. Up to 4 four players could play a single game playing alternately. The controls feature a trackball which is used to control both direction and power, and two buttons which control left and right spin or hook.
The game was released in both upright cabinet and latterly as a cocktail version. Most of the upright cabinet are conversion kits for existing cabinets although a limited number of dedicated cabinets were produced. These cabinets featured a birch plywood finish to mimic a bowling lane, a larger marbled trackball and painted side art.
An alternate version, Coors Light Bowling, was released the following year.