Your top three games of each year for the 1980s

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Since Lemming42 apparently isn't going to create a thread for the 80s, having already made threads for the 90s, 00s, and 10s.

• 1980
  • Rogue
  • Zork
  • Battlezone
• 1981
  • Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
  • Galaga
  • Castle Wolfenstein
• 1982 (weak year)
  • Telengard
  • Dig Dug
  • River Raid
• 1983
  • Archon
  • Ultima III: Exodus
  • Planetfall
• 1984
  • Seven Cities of Gold
  • Elite
  • Lords of Midnight
• 1985
  • Tetris
  • Tales of the Unknown, Vol. 1: The Bard's Tale
  • Gauntlet
• 1986 (year of long-running franchise starts, with Might & Magic, Space Quest, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid)
  • The Faery Tale Adventure
  • ArcticFox
  • Starflight
• 1987
  • Dungeon Master
  • Sid Meier's Pirates!
  • NetHack
• 1988 (first Gold Box and Wasteland entries, second Might & Magic entry, third Bard's Tale entry, and fifth Wizardry and Ultima entries)
  • Pool of Radiance
  • Wayne Gretzky Hockey
  • Battle Chess
• 1989
  • SimCity
  • Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back
  • Populous

 

[Falksi]

- 1980: Missile Command, Pac-Man, Space Invaders
- 1981: Defender, Frogger, Qix
- 1982: Time Pilot, Zaxxon/Super Zaxxon, Robotron 2084
- 1983: Star Wars (Arcade), Sinistar, Granny's Garden
- 1984: Elite, Yier Kung Fu, Flicky
- 1985: Space Harrier, Citadel, Choplifter
- 1986: Imogen, Repton 3, Outrun
- 1987: Afterburner, Shinobi, Ghostbusters
- 1988: Chlenov, Double Dragon, Master System Shinobi
- 1989: Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap, Revenge of Shinobi, Ghouls N Ghosts

 

[Tehdagah]

I don't think the 80's had too many good games.

 

[octavius]

1981: Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
1982: Wizardry II - The Knight of Diamonds
1983: Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn
1984: Elite, Tir Na Nog, Lords of Midnight
1985: Ultima IV, Phantasie, Bard's Tale
1986: Might&Magic 1, Starflight, The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight
1987: Phantasie III, Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna, Dungeon Master
1988: Ultima V, Pool of Radiance, Might and Magic 2
1989: Curse of the Azure Bonds, Chaos Strikes Back, The Dark Heart of Uukrul

 

[Lemming42]

Didn't start one myself because I'd have real trouble listing anything before like 1986, but here's an attempt:

1980
Zork
Rogue
Wizardry (though I doubt I'd want to play this again today)

1981
Castle Wolfenstein (I think this is the first game on this whole list I can include with some actual confidence and that I'd want to play again)
Donkey Kong
Frogger

1982
Dig Dug (one of the only arcade games I really like)
Ms Pac-Man
I dunno. Pitfall?

1983
Genuinely can't do it, I can't think of any. I've played Ultima III but I don't think I even remember it well enough to list it.

1984
Elite
Again, can't think of any others

1985
Super Mario Bros
Ultima IV
Gauntlet

1986
Starflight
Zelda
Might & Magic 1

1987
Dungeon Master
Gnome Ranger (gnever a good reason gnot to include this)
Plundered Hearts (favourite text adventure, love the way it's clearly taking the piss)

1988
Wasteland
Battle Chess
Final Fantasy II

1989
The Colonel's Bequest
MOTHER
The Dark Heart of Uukrul

A lot of filler stuff there, I think the only ones I really enjoy and would still play today are Castle Wolfenstein, Dig Dug, Starflight, Gauntlet, Dungeon Master, Wasteland, and Dark Heart of Uukrul.

I'm always in two minds about text adventures, I love shit like Gnome Ranger for the tone and the comedy but in terms of actually knowing what the fuck to do, I don't get how you're ever meant to do it without a walkthrough.

 

[flyingjohn]

1980:
-Rogue
-Star Raiders

1981:
-Eastern Front
-Wizardry 1

1982:
-Telengard
-Submarine commander
-Artillery Duel

1983:
-Ultima 3
-Hunter Killer
-Mule

1984:
-Sundog
-Elite
-Lord of Midnight

1985:
-Bard's tale 1
-Silent Service
-Chaos

1986:
-Starflight
-Might and Magic 1
-Rebelstar

1987:
-Dungeon Master
-Ports of Call
-Sid Pirates

1988:
-Pool of Radiance
-Red Storm Rising
-Balance of power 90's edition

1989:
-Magic Candle
-SimCity
-Populous

 

[Ash]

Zero mention of Mario Bros 3. I've played quite a few 80s games (let's say maybe 35-50), not enough to contribute any meaningful list especially when it comes to the first half of the decade, but Mario 3 I can say was leaps and bounds above any other 80s game I played. The gameplay depth, the controls and perfect physics, the length, the level of detail and mostly smooth graphics rendering for 8-bit NES, the reduction in difficulty from extreme 80s standard to the much more sensible tough but fair that would become the new standard for the 90s, the soundtrack that had notable length when a lot of games back then it was not uncommon to see just one track on loop. I am not a nintentard, don't like most of their stuff after the SNES or gameboys, but when it comes to Mario 3, I am. 2D platformer perfection and raised the bar for other developers across the board to follow for how it should be done. But hey, I am open to being not quite accurate here. The 80s wasn't my time. It was your time.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

For people having trouble recalling which games were released in each year, here is a highly incomplete list of notable games by year:

1980: Rogue, Zork, Battlezone, Missile Command, Pac-Man

1981: Castle Wolfenstein, Ultima I, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, Centipede, Defender, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Galaga

1982: River Raid, Telengard, Dungeons of Daggorath, Choplifter, Ultima II, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Dig Dug, Joust, Q*bert, Zaxxon

1983: Dungeons of Moria, Ultima III: Exodus, Alley Cat, Spelunker, Archon, M.U.L.E., Enchanter, Planetfall, Dragon’s Lair, Mario Bros.

1984: Elite, Lords of Midnight, SunDog: Frozen Legacy, Boulder Dash, Seven Cities of Gold, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, King’s Quest I, Kung Fu Master, Marble Madness, Punch-Out

1985: Tetris, The Pawn, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Mercenary, Tales of the Unknown Vol. 1: The Bard’s Tale, Super Mario Bros., Commando, Gauntlet, Gradius

1986: Might & Magic, Wizard’s Crown, The Bard’s Tale II: The Destiny Knight, ArcticFox, Defender of the Crown, The Faery Tale Adventure, Alter Ego, Starflight, Space Quest I, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Bubble Bobble, Ikari Warriors, Out Run, Rampage

1987: Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Emerald Mine, Test Drive, Barbarian, Dungeon Master, The Lurking Horror, Police Quest, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, NetHack, Afterburner, Contra, Double Dragon, Tecmo Bowl

1988: Might & Magic II, Ultima V, Wasteland, Pool of Radiance, The Bard's Tale III: The Thief of Fate, Wizardry V, Battle Chess, Wayne Gretzky Hockey, Mega Man 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Altered Beast, Super Contra

1989: Curse of the Azure Bonds, SimCity, Blood Money, Bloodwych, Drakkhen, The Duel: Test Drive II, Lords of the Rising Sun, Populous, Shadow of the Beast, Chaos Strikes Back, Midwinter, The Dark Heart of Uukrul, Quest for Glory, Starflight II, Sword of Aragon, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Golden Axe , Phantasy Star II , Final Fight

 

[Ash]

I don't think the 80's had too many good games.

The thought of nu age gamers looking at 90s games the way I look at 80s games (same as you - "outdated" poor standards in a lot of cases + not many good games nor variety of styles compared to the gaming mania of the 90s) makes me sick, and also feel empathy for 80s gamers.

Somebody is wrong here, and I insist it is everyone else but 90s gamers. Because it is. The sweet spot for game design in more ways than one.

 

[AndyS]

1980: Berzerk, Zork, Missile Command
1981: Donkey Kong, Defender, Tempest
1982: Robotron: 2084, Choplifter, Gravitar
1983: Star Wars (arcade), Ultima III, Drelbs
1984: Seven Cities of Gold, Karateka, King's Quest
1985: Ultima IV, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Paperboy
1986: Metroid, Starflight, King's Quest III
1987: Rastan, Maniac Mansion, Dungeon Master
1988: Wasteland, Ultima V, Pool of Radiance
1989: Prince of Persia, Populous, Curse of the Azure Bonds

Tough to keep it to just three for each year. I could easily make a totally different but still valid listing.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

1980
Pacman
Missle Command
Rogue

1981
Gorf
Tempest
Donkey Kong

1982
Popeye
Pitfall
Donkey Kong Jr.

1983
Mario Bros.
Mappy
Donkey Kong 3

1984
Baloon Fight
Pitfall 2: Lost Caverns
Wild Gunman

1985
Super Mario Bros.
Warpman
Legend of Kage

1986
Ninja Mission
Bubble Bobble
Metroid

1987
Contra
Final Fantasy
Double Dragon

1988
Super Mario Bros. 2
NARC
Dragon Ball: Daimao Fukkatsu

1989
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Land
Golden Axe

 

[El Pollo Diablo]

Fine, I'll bite. Listing only games I actually played (those I can remember at least)

1980: ?
1981: ?
1982: The Hobbit
1983: Manic Miner, Jetpac
1984: Jet Set Willy
1985: Ghosts 'N Goblins
1986: ?
1987: Maniac Mansion, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Black Tiger
1988: ?
1989: Prince of Persia, Golden Axe

 

[Ash]

1980: Berzerk, Zork, Missile Command
1981: Donkey Kong, Defender, Tempest
1982: Robotron: 2084, Choplifter, Gravitar
1983: Star Wars (arcade), Ultima III, Drelbs
1984: Seven Cities of Gold, Karateka, King's Quest
1985: Ultima IV, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Paperboy
1986: Metroid, Starflight, King's Quest III
1987: Rastan, Maniac Mansion, Dungeon Master
1988: Wasteland, Ultima V, Pool of Radiance
1989: Prince of Persia, Populous, Curse of the Azure Bonds

Tough to keep it to just three for each year. I could easily make a totally different but still valid listing.

Please if you don't mind, your top two for the entire decade. Only two that represent the creative brilliance and accomplishment of the decade. Help us younger fucks appreciate your decade. Currently, almost zero love for it, only appreciation for the stepping stone and learning curve to the 90s it was in terms of technology and design. Most that I've played when I was younger I wouldn't even bother with now, would rather interact with retards online. That is unjust to the amazing cerebral deep cathartic, or otherwise just simply super fun games of the decade...right?

To be fair, I did play a 80s game around a month ago, but merely a replay of an old childhood arcade romp (Ghouls and Ghosts) with a friend. Barely counts when it is a replay. I am not going out of my way to find any 80s classics.

 

[AndyS]

1980: Berzerk, Zork, Missile Command
1981: Donkey Kong, Defender, Tempest
1982: Robotron: 2084, Choplifter, Gravitar
1983: Star Wars (arcade), Ultima III, Drelbs
1984: Seven Cities of Gold, Karateka, King's Quest
1985: Ultima IV, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Paperboy
1986: Metroid, Starflight, King's Quest III
1987: Rastan, Maniac Mansion, Dungeon Master
1988: Wasteland, Ultima V, Pool of Radiance
1989: Prince of Persia, Populous, Curse of the Azure Bonds

Tough to keep it to just three for each year. I could easily make a totally different but still valid listing.

Please if you don't mind, your top two for the entire decade. Only two, the best of the best. Help us younger fucks appreciate your decade. Currently, almost zero love for it, only appreciation for the stepping stone and learning curve to the 90s it was in terms of technology and design. Most that I've played when I was younger I wouldn't even bother with now, would rather interact with retards online. That is unjust to the amazing cerebral deep cathartic, or otherwise just simply super fun games of the decade...right?

To be fair, I did play a 80s game around a month ago, but merely a replay of an old childhood arcade romp (Ghouls and Ghosts). Barely counts when it is a replay. I am not going out of my way to find any 80s classics.

Just two? Oof. It really depends on my mood at any moment but how about Robotron and Ultima V...

 

[Ash]

1982 wow. Pretty sure I saw this in some ancient arcade years ago. The logo is very familiar.

There's not any music? Haha.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Please if you don't mind, your top two for the entire decade. Only two that represent the creative brilliance and accomplishment of the decade. Help us younger fucks appreciate your decade. Currently, almost zero love for it, only appreciation for the stepping stone and learning curve to the 90s it was in terms of technology and design. Most that I've played when I was younger I wouldn't even bother with now, would rather interact with retards online. That is unjust to the amazing cerebral deep cathartic, or otherwise just simply super fun games of the decade...right?

To be fair, I did play a 80s game around a month ago, but merely a replay of an old childhood arcade romp (Ghouls and Ghosts) with a friend. Barely counts when it is a replay. I am not going out of my way to find any 80s classics.

Top Four 80s suggestions:

Dungeon Master is still the best CRPG of the "real-time blobber" subgenre it founded, is the best game ever developed for the Atari ST, and can be played via an emulator with the directional stereo sound implemented for the Commodore Amiga version.

Tetris might be the ultimate arcade-style simplistic-yet-compelling game, is the best (and only notable) Soviet computer game, and a contender for best computer game of all time.

Pool of Radiance (developed for the Commodore 64) is still the best D&D/AD&D-licensed CRPG ever made, one of the best tactical CRPGs ever made, and the start of the Gold Box series.

Sid Meier's Pirates! is a classic genre-less game of high adventure on the Spanish Main, with a superior Amiga port released three years after the Commodore 64 original.

That's without mentioning SimCity (developed for the C64!) and Populous (Commodore Amiga), due to their sequels being superior, or many classic CRPGs and adventure games, among others.

 

[Ash]

Tetris might be the ultimate arcade-style simplistic-yet-compelling game, is the best (and only notable) Soviet computer game, and a contender for best computer game of all time.

Bro.

I mean, the majority probably agree with you, it was for the longest time the top selling video game of all time. Hell it might still be. But this is a statement I cannot get behind at all. What it does, it does well to perfection or close to it, yes, and there is zero fluff. But what it does is almost nothing compared to what has been achieved elsewhere, and I could never, ever put it in the number one spot under any circumstance. It would barely make my top 100, I doubt even that. I have probably like 5 hours collective lifetime game experience in Tetris. I beat it or came close to beating it then moved on, don't recall for certain but I do remember a sense of accomplishment and the fireworks animation so I am pretty sure I beat it. Even then I only did this to prove I could and see what all this hype was about, I was FAR more interested in playing all the other games around me of which I had and still have a deep love for. This was the late 90s. My love for Tetris is zero. Only respect for a pretty solid zero nonsense design. Maybe it's just me, I never got the tetris fever at all. People would play it for hours and hours, but I always considered it firmly not deep nor ambitious enough for me. I would last 10 maybe 20 minutes and get bored. Hour max one time maybe. And honestly, why wouldn't' I? It's shuffling blocks to create a fill under a time limit, like interactive gamified brick-laying but without the back pain. It has its merit but it's extremely simple and loses appeal fast.

Anyway, for how tight it was, it is for sure a notable 80s game. Catchy music, decent graphics, solid gameplay, zero notable flaws. But games can be 10x more than that.

 

[Beans00]

Leave it for an autist like Ash to sperg out and write a bunch of nonsense about tetris, lol.

I'll try my best, for Zed Duke of Banville

1980
pac man
space invaders

1981
frogger
donkey kong

1982
donkey kong jr
ms pac man

1983
mario brothers

1984
duck hunt
marble madness
tetris- it says 1984 on google for me

1985
super mario brothers 1
ghosts n goblins
gradius

1986
metroid
legend of zelda
castlevania

1987
mega man
zelda 2
dungeon master <- although I played it on snes, which adds this banger


That song always reminded me of the omega man with Charlton Heston for some reason

1988
super mario brothers 2
mega man 2
BIONIC COMMANDO

1989
super mario brothers 3
super mario land
sim city

 

[BING XI LAO]

I know nothing about any of the games mentioned in this thread. You guys are so OLD!!!

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I know nothing about any of the games mentioned in this thread. You guys are so OLD!!!

If you've never been eaten by a lurking grue, then you've never really gamed.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I have a better memory for '80s games than '90s games at the moment, but I'm still missing some biggies.

1981
Utopia

1982
Night Stalker
Robotron 2084
Wayout

1983
The Dreadnought Factor
Sinistar
Valhalla

1984
F-15 Strike Eagle
I, Robot
The Lords of Midnight

1985
The Oregon Trail
Tetris
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

1986
The Legend of Zelda
Outrun
The Sentinel

1987
Dungeon Master
Sid Meier's Pirates
Star Cruiser

1988
Altered Beast
(apparently I haven't played anything else good from this year)

1989
A-10 Tank Killer
A Personal Nightmare
Sword of the Samurai

I imagine 1980 and 1981 would look more mundane whenever I get around to playing Infocom, Wizardry and Ultima titles not named Underworld. I can imagine some change-up in the three following years, but that's more of a solid thing. F-15 Strike Eagle in particular has a really nice PC-98 version which really improves the game. After that, until '89 I think if I find something more interesting that'll change up. No idea how I missed most of the good stuff from '88. '89 I think, is pretty much set in stone, few action games could match A-10; Personal Nightmare is one of the best hard adventure games; Do I even need to explain Sword of the Samurai? Frankly, I'm surprised nobody mentioned that, and that Outrun only got one vote.

 

[octavius]

Valhalla

Now that's a game you don't see mentioned much. I remember it being quite ambitious, with impressive graphics for the day, but I didn't get very far. And if you typed in something naughty (the best thing about Adventure games) a figure would waddle across the screen swinging a stick with the text "Mary is not amused" (I remember it as being Idun, but when googling it says it was Mary (Whitehouse)).

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Mary Whitehouse was known, among many other things, for criticizing Doctor Who back in the 1970s. See also Remembering Mary Whitehouse: The Queen Of The Snowflakes

 

[octavius]

Mary Whitehouse was known, among many other things, for criticizing Doctor Who back in the 1970s. See also Remembering Mary Whitehouse: The Queen Of The Snowflakes

Her influence also led Gargoyle Games to ditch the Red Lights district in Dun Darach.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Here goes:

1983:
Forbidden Forest
Ultima III
Archon

1984:
Yie Ar Kung-fu
Archon 2
Spy vs Spy

1985:
Paradroid
Ultima IV
Theatre Europe

1986:
Space Quest I
Starflight
Infiltrator

1987:
Maniac Mansion
Pirates!
Ik+

1988:
Ultima V
Laser Squad
Wasteland

1989:
North & South
M1 Tank Platoon
Golden Axe