Konami‘s 1982 arcade game Tutankham is a weird horizontally-scrolling shooter where you play a gun-toting archaeologist, fighting off snakes, mummies, and other meanies, inside a maze-like Egyptian tomb.
Tag Archives: Japanese
Dyna Blaster, Atari ST
This game is really a re-titled Bomberman – Hudson Soft‘s famous maze game – on the Atari ST. The game was re-named to avoid any association with the IRA bombing campaign in the UK, which was happening at the time.
Gyruss, Arcade
Xevious, Arcade
Namco‘s groundbreaking Xevious gave you a ship (the Solvalou) that could fire both a laser at flying targets and drop bombs on ground targets. Two fire buttons… Innovative in arcades in 1982.
Super Zaxxon, Arcade
Sega wasted little time making a sequel to Zaxxon, its groundbreaking isometric shooter from 1981.
Time Pilot, Arcade
Konami‘s 1982 cult hit Time Pilot is a multi-directional shoot ’em up with you piloting a plane through various time zones.
Moon Patrol, Arcade
Moon Patrol is an early colour arcade shooter, released by Irem in 1982.
It was distinctive because you drove a vehicle, at the bottom of the screen, and had to jump over craters and obstacles, as well as shoot aliens in the sky. So you are keeping an eye on the road, while at the same time shooting enemies flying above you. This was a neat innovation at the time and earned Irem some respect.
Zaxxon, Arcade
Sega‘s Zaxxon is an early arcade shooter that broke the mould. It was first released in 1982.
Galaga, Arcade
Namco‘s Galaga – the sequel to Galaxian – came out in 1981 and was an immediate hit with gamers.
Gone were the days of Space Invaders and rigid attack patterns – the baddies in Galaga danced around the screen; made circles, and flew around in distinct and fluid attack patterns. It was new and it was revolutionary!
Moon Cresta, Arcade
Moon Cresta was released by Nichibutsu in 1980 and was extremely popular in arcades.
It is another colourful, fixed-screen shooter, this time with a scrolling starfield to give the impression of movement.