1987 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as '' Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', ''

Dragon Quest II ''Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line'', titled ''Dragon Warrior II'' when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System ...

'', '' Final Lap'', and ''

Zelda 2 ''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'' is an action role-playing video game with platforming elements developed and published by Nintendo. It is the second installment in the '' Legend of Zelda'' series, and was released in Japan for the Famicom D ...

'', along with new titles such as '' After Burner'', '' Contra'', ''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals. The original ...

'', ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The ...

'', ''

Metal Gear is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear (video game), Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX, MSX home computers. The player often takes control ...

'', '' Operation Wolf'', ''

Phantasy Star is a series of console role-playing video games and other supplementary media created by Sega. The series debuted in 1987 on the Master System with ''Phantasy Star'', and continues into the present with ''Phantasy Star Online 2'' and other ext ...

'', ''

Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21– ...

'', ''

Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...

'' and ''

The Last Ninja ''The Last Ninja'' is an action-adventure game originally developed and published by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64. It was converted to the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, BBC Micro, and Acorn Electron in 1988, the Apple II in 1989, the Amiga, and ...

''. ''

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releas ...

'' was also introduced outside of Japan. The year's highest-grossing arcade game worldwide was Sega's ''

Out Run (also stylized as ''OutRun'') is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and ...

''. The year's bestselling home system was the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

(Famicom) for the fourth year in a row. The best-selling 1987 home video game release in Japan was '' Dragon Quest II: Akuryō no Kamigami'', while the year's best-selling home video games in Western markets were ''The Legend of Zelda'' in the United States and ''Out Run'' in the United Kingdom.

Financial performance

Highest-grossing arcade games

The year's highest-grossing arcade game worldwide was Sega's ''

''.

Japan

The following titles were the highest-grossing

arcade games An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade ...

of 1987 in Japan, according to the annual ''

Gamest was a Japanese video game magazine that specialized in covering arcade games. Published by Shinseisha, it first began in May 1986 and originally published bi-monthly, later changed to be a monthly-issued magazine in the late 1980s. The magazine al ...

'' and '' Game Machine'' charts.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, ''

'' was the most successful arcade game of the year. The following titles were the top-grossing games on the monthly arcade charts in 1987.

United States

In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an ar ...

s of 1987. The following titles were the top-grossing games on the monthly ''RePlay'' arcade charts in 1987.

Best-selling home systems

Best-selling home video games

Japan

In Japan, according to ''

Famicom Tsūshin formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the ...

'' (''Famitsu'') magazine, the following titles were the top ten best-selling 1987 releases, including later sales up until mid-1989. The following titles were the best-selling home video games on the Japan game charts published by ''

'' (''Famitsu'') and '' Family Computer Magazine'' (''Famimaga'') in 1987.

United Kingdom and United States

In the United States, ''

'' was the best-selling home video game of 1987, becoming the first third-generation video game (non-bundled) to cross a million US sales that year, followed by ''

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! originally titled is a 1987 boxing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Part of the ''Punch-Out!!'' series, it is an adaptation of the arcade video games ''Punch-Out!!'' (1984) and '' Supe ...

'' In the United Kingdom, ''

'' was the best-selling home video game of 1987, with its 8-bit home computer ports becoming the fastest-selling games in the UK up until then. The following titles were the top-selling home video games on the monthly charts in the United Kingdom and United States during 1987.

Top-rated games

Major awards

''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame

The following 1987 video game releases entered ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the ...

'' magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving

Famitsu scores The Japanese video game magazine ''Famitsu'' reviews video games by having four critics each assign the game a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest score. The scores of are then added together for a maximum possible score of 40. , twenty- ...

of at least 35 out of 40.

Business

* New companies: Acclaim,

Apogee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any el ...

The Bitmap Brothers The Bitmap Brothers are a British video game developer founded in 1987. The company entered the video game industry in 1988 with the scrolling shooter '' Xenon''. They quickly followed with '' Speedball''. Prior to becoming the publisher of ...

, Empire Interactive,

GameTek GameTek was an American video game publisher based in North Miami Beach, Florida known for publishing video game adaptations of game shows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing r ...

Maxis Maxis is an American video game developer and a division of Electronic Arts (EA). The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by EA in 1997. Maxis is best known for its simulation games, including '' The S ...

* Defunct: Electric Transit, English Software,

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...

acquires Batteries Included. *

Atari Games Atari Games Corporation, known as Midway Games West Inc. after 1999, was an American producer of arcade games. It was formed in 1985 when the coin-operated arcade game division of Atari, Inc. was transfered by Warner Communications to a join ...

establishes the Tengen division for porting their games to home systems. * Nintendo of America, Inc. v.

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Blo ...

Entertainment lawsuit: Nintendo sues Blockbuster for photocopying complete NES manuals for its rental games. Nintendo wins the suit, and Blockbuster includes original manuals with its rentals. * SSI President

Joel Billings Joel Billings is an American video game designer and producer. He is the founder of the computer game company Strategic Simulations (SSI). He was also the company's president.Seiken, Jeff (July 05, 1990).Computer War Games Test Strategic Skills ...

acquires the license to the

Dungeons and Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participan ...

, setting the stage for the Gold Box line of D&D games.

Notable releases

Arcade

* February 20 –

Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casi ...

releases '' Contra'' * July 1 –

Irem is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The full name of the company that uses the brand is Irem Softw ...

releases scrolling shooter ''

R-Type is a scrolling shooter, horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Irem in 1987 and the first game in the List of R-Type video games, ''R-Type'' series. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in ...

''. * July –

Technōs Japan was a Japanese video game developer, best known for the ''Double Dragon'' and ''Kunio-kun'' franchises (the latter including ''Renegade'', ''Super Dodge Ball'' and ''River City Ransom'') as well as ''Karate Champ'', ''The Combatribes'' and ''Volt ...

releases ''

'' to arcades, distributed internationally by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It ...

. * August 30 –

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', '' Mega Man'', '' ...

releases ''

'', the first game of the series. *

releases '' Rastan'' and '' Operation Wolf''. *

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

releases ''

Wonder Momo is a 1987 beat 'em up arcade game that was developed and published by Namco exclusively in Japan. It was ported to the PC-Engine in 1989, with both versions of the game later ported to the Wii Virtual Console. The game was also included in '' ...

'', which is their last 8-bit game, ''

Yokai Dochuki is a 1987 platform game, platform arcade game developed and released by Namco in Japan and other parts of Asia. The player controls a young boy named Tarosuke as he must make his way through Jigoku, the Japanese concept of Hell, to reach Gautama ...

'', which is their first 16-bit game, ''

Dragon Spirit is a 1987 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was distributed by Atari Games. Controlling the dragon Amul, the player must complete each of the game's nine areas to rescue the princess A ...

'', ''

Blazer A blazer is a type of jacket resembling a suit jacket, but cut more casually. A blazer is generally distinguished from a sport coat as a more formal garment and tailored from solid colour fabrics. Blazers often have naval-style metal buttons ...

'', ''

Quester is a 1987 block breaker arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling a paddle-like craft, the player is tasked with clearing each stage by deflecting a ball towards a formation of bricks towards the top of the screen. Power- ...

'', ''

Pac-Mania is a cavalier perspective maze game that was developed and released by Namco for arcades in 1987. In the game, the player controls Pac-Man as he must eat all of the dots while avoiding the colored ghosts that chase him in the maze. Eating la ...

'', ''

Galaga '88 is a 1987 fixed shooter arcade video game by Namco. It is the third sequel for '' Galaxian'' (following '' Galaga'', and '' Gaplus''). It features significantly improved graphics over the previous games in the series, including detailed backgr ...

'' and '' Final Lap''. *

releases '' RoadBlasters'', '' Xybots'', and '' APB''.

Home

* January 14 – Nintendo releases '' Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'' for the

Famicom Disk System The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for ...

in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards. * February 12 –

Infocom Infocom was an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced a business application, a relational database called ''Cornerstone''. Infocom was founded on ...

releases '' Bureaucracy'' from author

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...

. * May 1 –

releases ''

Castlevania ''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise about Dracula (Castlevania), Dracula, created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms, from early system ...

'' in North America. * June 21 –

Nihon Falcom is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their ''Ys (series), Ys'', ''The Legend of Heroes'', and ''Trails (series), Trails'' series. The company was founded in March 1981, making them one of the oldest active video game companies. Th ...

releases Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished for the

PC-8801 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the three major Japa ...

in Japan only. The game's director is Masaya Hashimoto, and it is the first game in the long running Ys series. * June –

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Octo ...

release ''

Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure ''Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure'' is an adventure-platform game, the first video game featuring the character Dizzy, an anthropomorphic egg. The game was designed by two British brothers, the Oliver Twins. ''Dizzy'' was published by Co ...

'' * July 1 – Nintendo releases '' Kid Icarus'' in North America. * July 5 – the '' Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards'' adventure is released by

Sierra Entertainment Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher founded in 1979 by Ken Williams (game developer), Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is k ...

. * July 13 –

releases ''

'' for the

MSX2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice- ...

home computer platform in Japan and Europe. * August 15 – Nintendo releases '' Metroid'' in North America. * August 22 – Nintendo releases ''

'' in America and Europe, a year after being available in Japan. * August 28 –

releases '' Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' in Japan, the second

title released for the NES/Famicom. * October – Nintendo releases '' Mike Tyson's Punch-Out'' for NES/Famicom. * October –

LucasArts Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a large ...

releases ''

Maniac Mansion ''Maniac Mansion'' is a 1987 graphic adventure video game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It follows teenage protagonist Dave Miller as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend Sandy Pantz from a mad scientist, whose mind has been ensla ...

'', the first game to use the SCUMM engine, innovating the

point-and-click Point and click are the actions of a computer user moving a pointer to a certain location on a screen (''pointing'') and then pressing a button on a mouse, usually the left button (''click''), or other pointing device. An example of point and cl ...

interface for the

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

genre. * November 14 – Sierra On-Line releases '' Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge'', the second game in the '' Space Quest'' series. * December 17 –

releases the first ''

Mega Man ''Mega Man'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom, starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker "Mega Man (character), Mega Man". Mega Man (video game), The original game w ...

'' game in the long-standing series for the NES/Famicom. * December 18 –

Square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

Hironobu Sakaguchi is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square (later Square Enix) from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the ''Fin ...

releases ''

'' for the Famicom in Japan. Originally intended to be the company's last release, the game's success resulted in a prolific series. It was released in the US 3 years later. * December 20 – Sega releases ''

'' on the

Master System The is an 8-bit History of video game consoles (third generation), third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of ...

, featuring a female protagonist. * FTL Games releases '' Dungeon Master'' for the Atari ST. * Sierra On-Line releases '' Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel'', the first game in the '' Police Quest'' series. * '' MIDI Maze'' for the Atari ST is a first person shooter allowing up to 16 computers to be networked via the built-in MIDI ports for deathmatch-style fights. *

Incentive Software Incentive Software Ltd. was a British video game developer and publisher founded by Ian Andrew in 1983. Programmers included Sean Ellis, Stephen Northcott and Ian's brother Chris Andrew. Later games were based on the company's Freescape render ...

releases '' Driller'', a first person game using 3D filled polygons. *

Ocean Software Ocean Software Ltd was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and publishers of the 1980s and 1990s. The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods and was based in Manchester. ...

releases '' Head Over Heels'', an isometric

arcade adventure Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

, for several 8-bit home computers. *

MicroProse MicroProse is an American video game publisher and developer founded by Bill Stealey, Sid Meier, and Andy Hollis in 1982. It developed and published numerous games, including starting the ''Civilization'' and '' X-COM'' series. Most of their inte ...

releases '' Sid Meier's Pirates!'', the first game from Meier with his name in the title. *

System 3 System 3, System/3 or System III could refer to: Computing and electronics *Acorn System 3, a home computer produced by Acorn Computers from 1980 * Cromemco System Three, a home computer produced by Cromemco from 1978 *IBM System/3, a low-end busin ...

releases ''

''. * Accolade releases '' Test Drive''.

Hardware

* March 28 – Sharp releases the

X68000 The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan. The initial model has a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM, and lacks a hard drive. The final model was released in 1993 with ...

in Japan. * April – IBM launches the

PS/2 The Personal System/2 or PS/2 is IBM's second generation of personal computers. Released in 1987, it officially replaced the IBM PC, XT, AT, and PC Convertible in IBM's lineup. Many of the PS/2's innovations, such as the 16550 UART (serial po ...

line of computers which introduces VGA graphics and 3.5 inch floppy drives to PCs. * September –

released in Europe. * October 30 – NEC releases the

PC-Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though ...

console in Japan. *

Acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera '' Quercus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and bo ...

releases the

Acorn Archimedes Acorn Archimedes is a family of personal computers designed by Acorn Computers of Cambridge, England. The systems are based on Acorn's own ARM architecture processors and the proprietary operating systems Arthur and RISC OS. The first models ...

32-bit home computer, which brought the game ''

Zarch ''Zarch'' (also known under its ported name of ''Virus'') is a computer game developed by David Braben (better known as the co-author of ''Elite'') in 1987, for the release of the Acorn Archimedes computer. ''Zarch'' started off as a demo ca ...

'' (later known on other platforms as ''Virus'') to prominence. * Commodore releases the lower-cost

Amiga 500 The Amiga 500, also known as the A500, is the first low-end version of the Amiga home computer. It contains the same Motorola 68000 as the Amiga 1000, as well as the same graphics and sound coprocessors, but is in a smaller case similar to that ...

which became a significant gaming machine, particularly in Europe, and becomes the best-selling model. *

Atari Corporation Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when Warner Communica ...

releases the XE Game System, or Atari XEGS, a repackaged 65XE computer which is the last in the

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE ...

. *

is released in Japan. * AdLib sets a de facto standard for PC audio with its

Yamaha YM3812 The OPL (FM Operator Type-L) series are a family of sound chips developed by Yamaha. The OPL series are low-cost sound chips providing FM synthesis for use in computing, music and video game applications. Internal operation The internal operation ...

-based sound card. *

develops the Namco System 1 arcade system board, followed later in the year by the Namco System 2. * The

IBM PCjr The IBM PCjr (pronounced "PC junior") was a home computer produced and marketed by IBM from March 1984 to May 1985, intended as a lower-cost variant of the IBM PC with hardware capabilities better suited for video games, in order to compete mor ...

is discontinued after three years.

References

External links

Video Game, Released between 1987-01-01 and 1987-12-31
(

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:1987 In video games Video games by year

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...

Financial performance

Highest-grossing arcade games

Japan

United Kingdom

United States

Best-selling home systems

Best-selling home video games

Japan

United Kingdom and United States

Top-rated games

Major awards

''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame

Business

Notable releases

Arcade

Home

Hardware

See also

References

External links