Don’t pop my bubbles!

A very popular platform game that was also released in 1986, had you in the role of two magically turned into dinosaurs (or dragons) guys called Bub and Bob (they shouldn’t have wandered foolishly into that cave of monsters!), who will need to reach the end of the cave to get their human form back and reunite with their girlfriends. Bubble Bobble became an instant classic because of its simple but effective gameplay, a fun 2 player cooperative mode, strategic play (something unprecedented at the time, especially in the platform genre) and a handful of hidden secrets.

Okay, so you have to save your girls and transform back into humans… But what about those freaky monsters that are running around the caves? They don’t look too friendly if you ask me… Well, there’s where the bubbles will come handy! You just trap the monsters inside the bubbles, and then blow them all to hell! Oh yeah, in order to do that, you’ll need to pop the bubbles by jumping into them.

But that’s not all, because the bubbles can also be used to reach areas of a level that you didn’t think you could access. They turn into temporary platforms that you’ll need to make use of in order to reach some high places in later levels. Also, you better eat all the fruits and stuff that you see onscreen, and keep an eye open for the very helpful power-ups you’ll encounter like lighting, water and speed.

The popularity of the game made way for a long series of sequels and spinoffs, and I have no doubt that one of the things that helped in making it so well-known was the infectious and catchy music written by the Japanese team Zuntata. Take a look at a detailed analysis of the arcade version and a look back at Arcade History (you can also hear the song). Last but not least, follow the link to play Bubble Bobble (you can even play with a friend!).

Trivia

-This was one of the first games to feature multiple endings.

-In 1996, Taito announced that they lost the original source code program to Bubble Bobble following a reorganization - when it came to the recent ports and sequels, they had to work from program disassembly, playing the game and (mainly) the various home computer ports.

-The game forbids the initials 'SEX' on the high score table. If you try, it gets changed it to 'H.!'. In Japan, the letter H is occasionally used as a slang term for perverts.

-Tom Gault holds the official record for this game with a maximum possible 5 823 600 points on March 4, 1988.

-The NES Cover band "The Advantage" covers two songs from "Bubble Bobble" on their self-titled album.

The Disk Armor of Argus’ Warrior

Taking the role of an undead (zombie?) hero –once a feared barbarian warrior, now turned “Legendary Warrior”- who has risen from his grave, in Rygar you’ll have to battle your way through 27 rounds in a hostile landscape with the only help of a very powerful weapon known as the “Diskarmor”, a shield with a long chain attached to it, in order to reclaim the land of Argool from an evil Dominator called Ligar.

In this arcade side-scrolling platform and action game created by Tecmo in 1986 and originally released in Japan as Argus no Senshi ("Warrior of Argus"), you’ll need to pick up insignias and stars while facing a horde of Ligar’s various minions. Including a wide set of attack and movement capabilities, the only way to stand a chance of getting to the later levels, was mastering these skills and putting them to good use by stopping everything on sight.

It was one of the first adventures to be released for the NES, and it had the particularity of offering multiple viewpoints (for example, an overhead view that could lead to combat situations) besides the typical side-scrolling dynamic. In console versions, the player would receive clues and limited dialogue from large, sage like men that were encountered in stone green temples throughout the game.

According to Wikipedia, in the Japanese original, references to "Ligar" and "Rygar" are one and the same because the Roman syllables "Li" and "Ry" come from the same Japanese character. In this version, the hero is only referred to as "The Legendary Warrior", while both "Rygar" and "Ligar" refer to the main villain.

Clicking on the link you'll be able to feel like the "Legendary Warrior" once more, as you play a far from perfect but still enjoyable Rygar online version (and it is free after all). And since I'm recommending stuff, here is a good article from Hardcore Gaming 101 about the Rygar series.

Get the Thunder Rolling

This run and gun arcade game (also called an "horizontal scrolling shooter") took a very innovative feature from the super classic Elevator Action (namely the ability for the player to enter doors and hide from enemies) and took it to the next level, also becoming the foundation for a later classic and insanely popular ninja game that you may have heard of (Shinobi, of course man!).

Yes, I’m talking about Rolling Thunder, which also happens to be the name of the most powerful secret

police force, and you my friend, are in control of the main character, the secret agent codenamed “Albatross”. Your mission, should you decide to accept it (sorry couldn’t resist it) is to stop an underground criminal organization located in New York known as “Geldra” (say what? do you mean Hydra?) and their conspiracy to conquer the world, and let’s not forget rescuing the missing agent Leila Blitz who has been previously captured.

Armed only with a handgun (at least at first), you must find your way through heavily guarded hallways and secret passages in order to find Leila and overthrow Geldra’s leader “Maboo”. The game has two different “stories” with five stages each, which makes a total of ten stages. Whenever you get to the end of a stage, a large monitor screen will show you scenes from Leila’s capture and subsequent torture (those bastards!).

Don’t be fooled by the life meter, because after taking two hits (only one in the case of bullets or lasers) you’ll be toasted. The main enemy faces that will keep coming after you are hooded soldiers dressed in different outfits and colours that are known as “Maskers”. Other obstacles include mutated bats, lava men and disturbing shrieking yellow creatures. Feel like playing it? Well, you can play this great free online Rolling Thunder version, or as I have mentioned before, get the latest version of MAME and download the Rolling Thunder Rom to start making those masked fools feel the thunder!