Konami arcade classic, this game requires fast reactions and precision aim. A bouncy shot should be used in areas where enemies appear above or below you; to tackle more challenging levels, Twin Taser backfiring weapons should be employed instead.
The graphics are cartoon style with good detail. Unfortunately, however, the digital voice used is discordant and unclear.
It’s a platformer
88 Heroes is an eye-catching 2D platformer filled with colour and vibrancy that features an army of 88 distinct characters who all play a unique part in saving the world from Dr. H8 and each has their own distinct personality – from throwbacks like Low-Res Reggie and Retro Snake, to pop culture references such as Glass Girl breaking after every jump or Deiter Nate carrying an unexploded bomb around, these characters add depth and charm to this fun platformer!
Konami have previously explored parody platform games with Vs Castlevania and Haunted Castle, both featuring vampire hunters attempting to rid Dracula’s minions from his grasp. Kid Dracula offers something more unconventional; its side-scrolling nature sees you travelling between various locations such as Dracula’s castle, New York, and Egypt.
Antarctic Adventure is an offbeat Miscellaneous game designed for various older video game systems that features unimpressive but smooth graphics and an intriguing gameplay involving guiding your penguin home while navigating obstacles while collecting bonuses such as flags and fish as it heads homeward. Unfortunately, mastering it may prove challenging and even be frustrating to some players.
It’s a shooter
Konami 88 is an arcade games collection spanning various genres – sports, shooters and action are just some. All eight titles have been remastered in HD quality for an optimal experience – plus there is also an eBook with developer interviews and concept artwork included!
Side scrolling arcade shooter that introduced powerups and the “option” system. Considered one of the pioneering scrolling shooters, it was notoriously challenging, featuring many variations of powerups for players to utilize in different levels. Also made available on C64 and X-68000 systems.
Gradius II was developed as the direct sequel to Gradius and features customizable Power Meters and new power-ups as well as side-scrolling and vertical-scrolling stages, though its release in North America took 18 years longer than anticipated.
Konami’s Olympic-inspired sports game tests the player’s button-bashing skills as they compete in various events at the 1988 Olympic Games. Starting off in the 100m dash – where precise timing of pressing fire buttons in an alternating rhythm is essential – to jumping as far as possible on long jump – these events require precise button mashing skills from players competing.
Classic multidirectional shooter featuring a vast arsenal, good on normal difficulty settings but offering a real challenge on hard! An intriguing game, not quite as enjoyable as its original but still fun and available on Megadrive as well.
It’s a side-scrolling shooter
Genre of videogame that can trace its roots back to Eugene Jarvis’ seminal 1980 game Defender. Defender established many of the core attributes associated with side-scrolling shooters like Silkworm for both arcades and home computers; it inspired numerous copies and soon-after remakes like Defender were seen flooding onto both platforms like Commodore 64 and Amiga computers alike – becoming among my all-time most-played titles!
While Williams’ Defender cemented its place among America’s premier arcade design studios (Joust and Robotron 2084 were other examples), other developers began exploring its possibilities and titles began pouring out from Japan and beyond. Scramble was developed by Konami for Japanese arcades; subsequent releases – such as Gradius series games or Otomedius sequels – showcased their design prowess.
But the genre began to decline during the mid-90s as home consoles flooded with repetitive shooters that focused primarily on high scores, large end-of-level bosses and overly complicated weapon systems. Though small Japanese developers like Cave still maintain up-the-screen blasters such as Deathsmiles for this genre, side-scrolling shooters now represent something of a niche within an arcade machine market segment.
It’s a 2D platformer
Konami 88 was initially released for the Famicom system in 1988. The game features Konami’s iconic mascots as protagonists and includes stages inspired by other Konami titles such as Gradius. Konami 88 boasts numerous interesting graphical details; for instance, during long jump stages an athlete uses side view rather than perspective view to give an illusion of depth when jumping.
Konami’s third “Track & Field” installment 88 Games (known in Japan as Hyper Sports Special) pits players against some of the world’s finest Olympic athletes in eight events: 100m Dash, Long Jump, 400m Relay, Skeet Shooting, 110m Hurdles Archery Javelin Throw. Your goal should be to qualify for every final and win the gold medal in each event through qualifying rounds before moving on to compete in final rounds and eventually victory!
Antarctic Adventure was one of the first platform games from Konami that appeared across multiple older gaming systems, such as Colecovision, NES and MSX. One of few MSX titles featuring save slots and supporting the e-Amusement card system for players’ stats storage between games; additionally this version adds Hanako from Parodius series as a penguin character – replacing Penguin from the original game!
