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| 1987 video games | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987 |
| Notable releases | The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link; Final Fantasy; Metal Gear; Contra; Street Fighter; Bubble Bobble; R-Type; Castlevania II: Simon's Quest; Mega Man; Dragon Quest II |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System; Sega Master System; Commodore 64; Amiga; Atari ST; PC-88; MSX; arcade |
| Industry events | Nintendo R&D1 releases; Konami releases Metal Gear; Square founds console RPG presence; Capcom arcade hits |
1987 video games 1987 saw a diverse array of releases across arcade, console, and home computer markets, with significant entries from Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, Square and Hudson Soft. The year featured landmark titles that blended action, role-playing, and cinematic design, influencing later franchises and spawning ports to platforms such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System, Commodore 64, and Amiga. Industry activity included technical experimentation by developers at Konami, Capcom, Nintendo R&D1 and emergent Japanese studios, while Western publishers like Electronic Arts and Ocean Software expanded distribution networks.
1987 represented a transitional period linking arcade innovation from companies like Taito and Toaplan to home console adoption driven by Nintendo of America and Sega of America. Major franchises originated or matured via projects by Hiroshi Yamauchi-era Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto-led teams, and emerging designers at Konami and Square. Developments in sprite hardware from manufacturers such as Ricoh and audio advances from firms like Yamaha impacted releases on machines including the PC-88 and MSX.
Key arcade and console titles reshaped genres: Capcom's run-and-gun and fighting presence grew with early installments tied to later Street Fighter lineage, while Konami released Metal Gear for the MSX2, establishing stealth mechanics linked to later series entries and influencing studios like Kojima Productions. Role-playing gains included Square's Final Fantasy on the Famicom and Enix's Dragon Quest II for the Famicom Disk System, fortifying ties between Yuji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Japanese RPG conventions. Platform and action hits such as Mega Man entries, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and Contra ports cemented reputations for Capcom and Konami in Western homes. Puzzle and arcade classics like Bubble Bobble from Taito and scrolling shooters from Irem and Atari Games continued to define arcade cabinets in locations frequented by patrons of Timezone and East Point Video-style arcades.
Developers experimented with cinematic storytelling and non-linear design pioneered by teams including Nintendo R&D1 and Konami C.E. Japan. Hardware advances from NEC's PC-98 and Sharp's X68000 enabled higher-resolution sprites and enhanced sound via Yamaha YM2149-class chips, encouraging ports between Amiga and Atari ST markets. Cartridge memory expansion and battery-backed save features proliferated following practices from titles produced by Nobuo Uematsu's collaborators, while arcade circuit boards by Capcom and Toaplan introduced parallax scrolling and multi-layer backgrounds adopted by home ports.
The Japanese market remained dominated by Nintendo's hardware installed base and software by Enix and Square, with distribution channels through retailers such as Super Potato and mail-order services tied to magazines like Famitsu. North American distribution saw companies like Acclaim Entertainment and Konami of America localize cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System, while European markets relied on publishers including Ocean Software and Elite Systems to port titles to the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Arcade culture in metropolitan centers like Tokyo, London, and New York City sustained developer revenue streams and influenced regional localization priorities.
Contemporary coverage in publications such as Famitsu, Nintendo Power, and Computer and Video Games evaluated titles for innovation, challenge, and presentation; standout critical praise went to early Final Fantasy entries for narrative ambition and to Metal Gear for stealth mechanics. Industry awards of the era, conferred by trade shows and magazines associated with organizations like CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and events held in Tokyo Game Show precursor gatherings, recognized technical achievements from studios including Konami and Capcom. Retrospective reassessments by historians at institutions like The Strong National Museum of Play and coverage in outlets such as Retro Gamer later elevated several 1987 releases to canonical status.
Top-selling cartridges and arcade cabinets varied by region: franchises tied to Nintendo hardware drove strong retail sales in Japan and North America, while budget ports by companies like Ocean Software captured substantial market share in Europe. Arcade revenues remained significant, with cabinets from Taito and Capcom earning coin-op returns in urban centers; concurrently, home computer markets on Commodore 64 and Amiga generat ed steady software turnover for publishers such as Electronic Arts.
Titles released in 1987 seeded long-running franchises and design paradigms influencing creators at Konami, Capcom, Square Enix, and later independent studios. Innovations in stealth gameplay, non-linear exploration, and narrative role-playing informed successors by developers like Hideo Kojima and Hironobu Sakaguchi, while hardware techniques pioneered on platforms from PC-88 to NES persisted in console design. Museums, academic studies, and preservation efforts by organizations such as International Game Developers Association and Video Game History Foundation cite 1987 as pivotal in the maturation of modern video game genres.
Category:Video gaming by year