Action
Action is a genre of video games in which the success of completing a task depends on the player's reaction speed and ability to make quick, correct decisions. The dynamics of such games are high, although some allow for a slower pace. Most often, this genre includes fighting games, shooters, platformers, and some sub-genres of real-time strategy. Action games may include elements of exploration, racing, puzzles, and more, but the foundation is always built on visual-motor coordination.
Years
Platforms
NESCommodore 64ZX SpectrumMSXAtari 8-bitSharp X1PC-88Amstrad CPCSEGA Master SystemFM-7Sharp X68000DOSTurboGrafx-16Apple IIArcade
Statuses
Best Games in the Action genre of 1987 (Game released)
Game released: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 7800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, FM-7, Game Boy Advance, NES, Nintendo 3DS, PC-88, PC-98, SEGA Master System, Wii, Xbox 360, ZX Spectrum → 1986
Players:
7/10
Metacritic:
56/100
Xevious is a third-person action game with shooter elements from developers from Namco Limited and Namco Bandai Games. The game is published by Mindscape, Inc. and...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BREW, Commodore 64, DOS, DoJa, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, NES, PC-88, Wii, Windows Mobile, WonderSwan, ZX Spectrum → 1990
Players:
8.5/10
Ghosts 'N Goblins is a fantasy platformer about the knight Sir Arthur, who sets out to rescue Princess Prin-Prin from the Demon World. His route is blocked by...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Mac, MSX, NES, PC-88, PC-98, Thomson TO, TRS-80 CoCo, ZX Spectrum → 1987
Players:
8.5/10
This arcade block-breaking game has the player bounce a ball off a paddle and into a formation of bricks, trying to keep it from falling off the bottom of the...
Game released: Atari 2600, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 7800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, PC Booter, PlayStation 3, PSP, PC, ZX Spectrum → 1989
This run-and-gun arcade game follows soldiers Ralf and Clark as they fight their way toward the village of Ikari. Enemy soldiers, tanks and helicopters stand in...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, J2ME, MSX, NES, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, Wii, ZX Spectrum → 1988
Players:
7.5/10
Bubble Bobble is a third-person arcade game with a dash of action and platforming from Taito Corporation. The game is published by Firebird Software Ltd.. Bubble...
Simulation, Action, Strategy, In real time, First-person view, Top-down view, Futurism (Future), Combat robots
Game released: NES → 6 November 1987
Uchūsen: Cosmo Carrier is a first-person simulator with a mixture of action, strategy and robot simulator from the studio Jaleco Ltd.. The game is published...
Game released: Atari 2600, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Atari 7800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Mac, MSX, NES, Wii, ZX Spectrum → 1987
Winter Games is a fascinating side-view arcade game dedicated to the Olympic sports games. You will compete in various sporting events: ski jumping, biathlon...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, NES, SEGA Master System, Wii, ZX Spectrum, PlayStation 4 → 1989
Players:
9.2/10
Renegade is a fun action-fantasy game with a side view. The game takes place on the gangster streets of Brooklyn in New York. You have to save your beloved from the...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM-7, Game Gear, NES, PC-88, SEGA 32X, Sharp X1, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, SEGA Saturn, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, ZX Spectrum, PlayStation 4 → 1988
Players:
7.7/10
A pseudo-3D arcade shooter in which the hero fires in all directions. The game also features fixed bursts of...
Arcade, Role-playing game, Action, First-person view, Third-person view, Futurism (Future), Anime / Manga
Game released: DOS, FM-7, MSX, PC-88, PC-98 → 1989
Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War is a first-person arcade game with a mixture of role-playing, action and anime or manga games from developers from Kogado Software...
Game released: MSX, NES, Sharp X68000, SEGA Master System, SEGA Saturn, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, Nintendo Switch → 1987
Metacritic:
84/100
This arcade side-scrolling shooter puts players in control of the spaceship Opa-Opa as it battles enemies across fantastical levels. Each stage requires destroying...
Game released: Arcade, Atari 7800, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, PC, Atari ST, NES, Lynx, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 → 1982
Steam:
94/100
Metacritic:
68/100
Joust is an arcade action platformer built around aerial combat in caverns. The player rides an ostrich and attacks enemy riders with a lance, defeating them by...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Game Gear, MSX, NES, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, ZX Spectrum → 1988
Alien Syndrome (1988) is a top-down arcade game with a dash of action and shooter from the masters at SEGA Enterprises Ltd.. The main publisher of the game is SEGA...