Contra is a run-and-gun arcade game developed and published by Konami in 1987. It is the first game in the long-running Contra series and was renamed as Gryzor – and tweaked slightly – for European arcades.
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RoboCop 2, Arcade
The arcade version of RoboCop 2 was developed and published by Data East in 1991 and is loosely based on the 1990 Irvin Kershner-directed film sequel of the same name. In it you play as RoboCop and must stop a criminal drug baron, called Cain, from spreading a new drug called ‘Nuke’.
Cannon Fodder, Game Boy Color
Believe it or not: Sensible Software‘s classic Amiga game, Cannon Fodder, was also released for the Game Boy Color, and it’s actually not a bad game at all. It was developed by Sensible Software themselves – so is very authentic to the original – and was published by Codemasters in 2000.
Mass Effect, PC
Developed by Canadian company BioWare and released in 2007, Mass Effect is the first part in a trilogy of futuristic RPGs featuring an elite human solder called Commander Shepard.
Ikari Warriors, MSX
The 1987 MSX2 version of the classic coin-op, Ikari Warriors, is arguably the best 8-bit conversion of this scrolling shooter around. It was converted by SNK themselves, so is about as authentic as an MSX fan could hope for. In fact: the producer of this port was Koji Obada, who designed the original arcade game.
Alien Trilogy, PlayStation
Developed by Probe and published by Acclaim in 1996, Alien Trilogy is a first-person shooter that uses elements from the famous Alien series, but doesn’t stick closely to the characters or plots of the first three films.
Alien vs Predator, Atari Jaguar
Created by Rebellion Developments and published exclusively for the Atari Jaguar in 1994, Alien vs Predator is a first-person action game where you can play as either a marine, the predator, or an alien, and must fight your way through various levels on a marine training base that has been overrun by aliens. As well as the alien problem, a predator has also arrived to hunt xenomorphs, which means a three-way fight among adversaries.
Aliens, Arcade
This 1990 arcade game from Konami plays fast and loose with the storyline, locations and situations from James Cameron‘s famous film, Aliens, but is still reasonably enjoyable to play.
Exhumed, Sega Saturn
Also known as “PowerSlave” in some regions, Exhumed is an Egyptian-themed first-person shoot ’em up with survival horror overtones and it is arguably the best first-person shooter on the Sega Saturn. It was developed by Lobotomy Software and first released in 1996.
The Dark, ZX Spectrum
The Dark is a rare first-person shooter on the humble ZX Spectrum, written by Russian coder Oleg Origin. It was originally released under the title of Quake in 1997, and was then re-worked and re-released by the original author as The Dark in 2016.