Pinball

Year: 1985
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Pinball

Games that pretended to be something else used to be a really cool thing. “Check it out!” the game would say, “I’m a slot machine!” “I’m a pachinko machine!” “I’m a video poker game!” “I’m a monopoly simulator!”

“I’m a pinball machine,” seemed to be one of the more popular choices.

This is what all pinball machines look like when you fire them up.
This is what all pinball machines look like when you fire them up.

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Mach Rider

Year: 1985
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Racing – Chase

There are things that a racing game can do to make itself stand out in an otherwise vanilla genre. Some incorporate powerups, items or weapons. Some allow you to improve on your vehicle. Some employ novel control schemes. Some just show the game from a different perspective. Mach Rider takes a novel approach to the problem of keeping you interested in what otherwise amounts to bland gameplay: it arbitrarily kicks your ass.

I blame Mel Gibson.

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Kung Fu

Publisher: Nintendo
Year: 1985
Genre: Brawler – Side-Scroll

There was something of a martial arts craze in the 80’s brought on by the likes of the Karate Kid, The Last Dragon and Gymkata. Ok, maybe not so much Gymkata. Point being that it is generally agreed that in the 80’s, everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.

Those cats were fast as lightning.

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Ice Climber

Year: 1985
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platform – Top-Scroll

Few games capture the true essence of the Esquimaux peoples of the arctic circle, expressing the spirit and character of the proud native heritage they all bear within them. This game isn’t one of them. This is a game about hitting polar bears with a hammer.

As culturally sensitive as the culture of the 80’s required.

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Hogan’s Alley

Year: 1985
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Shooting – Zapper


Growing up I wanted to be a great many things. I wanted to be an engineer, I wanted to own a pet shop, I wanted to be an investment banker (no, really) – a great many things. I never once, though, wanted to be an officer of the law. You know why? Because people shoot them!

We can’t all be fearless civil servants after all.

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