Best Games for NES of 1988

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Third-person view

October 30, 1987

Steam: 93/100

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...

Galaga

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Top-down view, Futurism (Future)

February 15, 1985

Players: 7.5/10

Steam: 91/100

Metacritic: 66/100

This arcade space shooter and sequel to GALAXIAN pits a fighter craft against waves of invading aliens. The player moves the ship left and right, shoots down...

Super Mario Bros.

Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Mario Game

September 13, 1985

Players: 8.1/10

Metacritic: 84/100

Super Mario Bros. — The goal of the game is to destroy all enemies appearing on the level. Mario and Luigi can move left and right and can also jump. The main...

Metroid

Action, Shooter, Platformer, Third-person view, Futurism (Future), Metroidvania

August 6, 1986

Players: 9.5/10

Metacritic: 58/100

Metroid is the heroine, Samus Aran is a galactic bounty hunter. She wears an exceptionally powerful and adaptable exoskeleton created by the ancient Chozo race...

Rush'n Attack

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Third-person view

May 23, 2007

Players: 7/10

Metacritic: 58/100

This arcade action-platformer follows a fighter infiltrating an enemy base to free prisoners of war and escape to safety. Armed with a knife and weapons found along...

Bubble Bobble

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Third-person view

October 30, 1987

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...

Renegade

Action, Fighting, Beat them all, Side view, Sports game

April 17, 1987

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...

Ys: The Vanished Omens

Role-playing game, Action, Top-down view, Anime / Manga, Fantasy / Medieval

August 26, 1988

Ys: The Vanished Omens is a classic top-down RPG set in the Ys fantasy universe. In the game, you will try on the role of Adol, a red-haired adventurer and...

Xevious

Action, Shooter, Third-person view, Top-down view, Futurism (Future)

November 8, 1984

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...

Mario Bros.

Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Puzzle, Mario Game

September 9, 1983

Players: 8/10

Mario Bros. is a third-person action game with a mixture of platforming and puzzles from the developers of Nintendo Co., Ltd.. The main publisher of the game is...

Double Dragon (1988)

Action, Fighting, Third-person view, Side view, Post-apocalyptic

April 8, 1988

Players: 9/10

Steam: 75/100

Metacritic: 65/100

A side-scrolling action game about martial arts experts Billy and Jimmy Lee, who take on the Black Warriors street gang to rescue Marian. Players fight through four...

Mega Man 2

Action, Shooter, Platformer, Third-person view, Collection, Futurism (Future), Anime / Manga

December 24, 1988

Players: 10/10

Mega Man 2 is a third-person action game with elements of a shooter, platformer and game in the anime or manga genre from developers from the studio Capcom Co...

Nobunaga's Ambition

Strategy, Top-down view, Historical, Turn-based

March 18, 1988

Steam: 90/100

Nobunaga's Ambition is a top-down turn-based historical strategy game. The game takes place in Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. You have to...

Super Mario Bros. 3

Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Mario Game

October 23, 1988

Players: 8.6/10

Metacritic: 94/100

Super Mario Bros. 3 — Mario and Luigi save the seven kingdoms of the seven worlds that border the Mushroom Kingdom. One of the Koopalings stole a magic wand...

Blaster Master

Action, Shooter, Platformer, Third-person view, Top-down view, Tanks

June 17, 1988

Players: 7.5/10

Blaster Master is a third-person action game with elements of a shooter, platformer and tank simulator from developers from SunSoft and Tokai Engineering studios...

Athletic World

In real time, Sports game

November 12, 1986

Athletic World is a sports game from developers from the TRY Co., Ltd. studio. The game is published by Bandai Co., Ltd.. In some circles, Athletic World is also...

Dragon Warrior 3

Role-playing game, Third-person view, Top-down view, Fantasy / Medieval, Turn-based

February 10, 1988

Dragon Warrior 3 is a third-person role-playing game with fantasy game elements from Chunsoft Co., Ltd.. The game is published by Enix Corporation. Dragon Quest...

Final Fantasy II

Role-playing game, Top-down view, Anime / Manga, Fantasy / Medieval, Turn-based, Japanese role-playing game

December 17, 1988

Players: 8/10

Metacritic: 68/100

A turn-based role-playing game set in a fantasy world where an emperor summons monsters from a demonic realm to seize control. After the attacks leave them...

Metal Gear

Action, Stealth, Top-down view

July 7, 1987

Players: 7.8/10

Metal Gear is a stealth action game. The main character of the game is a special forces soldier nicknamed Solid Snake, who is tasked with infiltrating the fortress...

Akira (1988)

Adventure, First-person view, Futurism (Future), Anime / Manga, Post-apocalyptic

December 24, 1988

Akira (1988) is a first-person adventure with anime/manga elements from the masters at Taito Corporation. The game is published by Taito Corporation. In some...

Alien Syndrome (1988)

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Top-down view, Futurism (Future)

October 18, 1987

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...

Guardian Legend

Action, Shooter, Top-down view, Futurism (Future)

February 5, 1988

Players: 8.8/10

Guardian Legend is a top-down action game with a dash of shooter from the developers at Compile studio. The game is published by Irem Corp.. Sometimes the game is...

MagMax

Action, Shooter, Third-person view, Futurism (Future), Combat robots

March 19, 1986

MagMax is a third-person action game with a mixture of shooter and robot simulator from the studio Nihon Bussan Co., Ltd.. The main publisher of the game is Imagine...

Side Pocket

Simulation, Top-down view, Sports game, Casino

October 30, 1987

Players: 1.1/10

Side Pocket is a top-down simulator with elements of a sports game and a casino game from Data East Corporation. The game's primary publisher is Data East USA...

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981)

Role-playing game, First-person view, Fantasy / Medieval, Turn-based

November 15, 1985

Players: 10/10

This fantasy role-playing game features turn-based combat and a first-person view as an adventuring party explores the dungeon beneath Trebor’s castle in search of...

Ballblazer

Action, First-person view, Futurism (Future), Sports game

March 4, 1988

Ballblazer is a first-person action game with elements of a sports game from developers from Lucasfilm Games LLC. The game is published by Activision. Ballblaster...

Ikari Warriors 2: Victory Road

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Top-down view

April 16, 1988

A top-down run-and-gun arcade shooter and sequel to Ikari Warriors, Victory Road follows fighters Paul and Vince as they are transported far into the future, where...

R.C. Pro-Am

Action, Racing, Third-person view, Isometric

February 1988

R.C. Pro-Am is a third-person action game with racing elements from the developers of the Rare, Ltd. studio. The main publisher of the game is Nintendo of America...

Star Force (1985)

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Third-person view, Top-down view, Futurism (Future)

June 25, 1985

In this vertically scrolling shooter, the player pilots the Final Star, shooting enemies and destroying enemy structures to score points. Its weapon has two power...

Jaws (1987)

Action, Shooter, Horror, Fighting, Third-person view, Top-down view

1987

Players: 3.5/10

Jaws (1987) is a third-person action game with shooter, horror and fighting elements from the Westone Co., Ltd. studio. The game is published by LJN Toys, Ltd.. PC...

Money Game

Simulation, Business / Management, First-person view

August 10, 1988

Players: 10/10

Money Game is a first-person simulator with elements of a business simulator from developers from the SOFEL Co., Ltd. studio. The game is published by SOFEL Co...

Yōkai Dōchūki

Action, Third-person view

February 5, 1988

Steam: 62/100

Yōkai Dōchūki is a third-person action game from Namco Limited. The main publisher of the game is Namco Limited. Yōkai Dōchūki...

Adventure Island

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Third-person view

September 12, 1986

Players: 6.6/10

Adventure Island is a third-person arcade game with action and platform elements from the masters of the studio Hudson Soft Company, Ltd.. The main publisher of the...

Ghostbusters (1985)

Action, Third-person view, Top-down view

September 22, 1986

Players: 3/10

Ghostbusters (1985) is a third-person action game from developers at Activision. The game is published by Activision. Ghostbusters (1985) also known as S.O.S...

Life Force

Action, Shooter, Third-person view, Futurism (Future)

September 25, 1987

Players: 6/10

Life Force is a third-person action game with shooter elements from developers from the Konami Industry Co. studio. Ltd.. The game is published by Konami Industry...

Mega Man (2006)

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Futurism (Future), Anime / Manga

December 17, 1987

Players: 10/10

Mega Man (2006) is an arcade game with action, platformer and anime or manga elements from the developers of Capcom Co., Ltd.. The game is published by Capcom...

Bomberman (2004)

Arcade, Action, Top-down view

December 20, 1985

Players: 9/10

Metacritic: 55/100

A top-down action game in which the player explores eight worlds and sets out to retrieve the stolen golden Bomberman statue. Progress centers on travelling through...

Cobra Command (1988)

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Helicopters

October 21, 1988

Players: 8.8/10

Cobra Command (1988) is an arcade game with action, shooter and helicopter simulator elements from the Data East Corporation studio. The game is published by Data...

Guerrilla War

Arcade, Action, Third-person view

December 26, 1988

Players: 7.5/10

Guerrilla War is a third-person arcade game with action elements from the studio SNK Corporation. The game is published by Data East USA, Inc.. In some circles...

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Strategy, Top-down view, Historical, Turn-based, Grand strategy

October 30, 1988

Steam: 71/100

This turn-based historical strategy game is set during the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. The player takes the role of a warlord and seeks to unite the...