These Were the Best Video Games of 1987
The year is 1987. Ronald Reagan told Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Black Monday crashed the stock market. Starbucks opened its first location outside of Seattle. Lethal Weapon perfected the buddy cop formula, and Arnold Schwarzenegger implored audiences to "get to the choppa!" Meanwhile, the gaming industry continued to grow into a worldwide juggernaut, so let’s look at the top games of 1987.
Honorable Mentions: Metal Gear, Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel
Metal Gear made hiding in a cardboard box cool, perhaps leading to the current homelessness epidemic. Meanwhile, Police Quest allowed gamers to experience life as a peace officer, sadly without taking bribes, doing narcotics undercover, or excessive use of ar nightstick.
5) Mega Man
One of several landmark franchises that started in 1987, Mega Man introduced fans to the heroic “Blue Bomber.” That set the stage for him to appear in Nintendo’s flagship cartoon, Captain N: The Game Master, where he was...green...for reasons. Also, they flew around on a giant Game Boy voiced by Megatron. God bless the '80s!
4) Final Fantasy
In the same vein as The NeverEnding Story or Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Final Fantasy did not live up to its name. In fact, the series has seen dozens of sequels and spin-offs over the past 30-plus years. Final indeed.
3) Double Dragon
Not to be confused with Double Impact—the seminal 1991 action film that starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as twin brothers—Double Dragon had brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee wade through throngs of chuds to rescue Billy’s girlfriend, Marian. In the end, though, the brothers turn on each other and fight to the death, with the winner making out with Marian over the fallen corpse of his twin (no, really, that’s how it ends).
2) Contra
Up. Up. Down. Down. Left. Right. Left. Right. B. A. Select/Start.
1) Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
As a scrappy, sinewy Caucasian male myself, I was inspired by Little Mac and used his approach to fighting in my everyday life, only to discover my much larger opponents rarely raised their eyebrows before striking and didn’t crumble with a single punch to the gut when they charged at me. Thanks, Nintendo.