Action
Action games featuring fast-paced gameplay, combat, and physical challenges.
63 games
Kung Fu
Kung-Fu Master, known as Spartan X#cite_note-18) in Japan, is a 1984 beat 'em up game developed and published by Irem for arcades. It was distributed by Data East in North America. Designed by Takashi Nishiyama, the game was based on Hong Kong martial arts films. It is a loose adaptation of the Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao film Wheels on Meals (1984), called Spartan X in Japan. The protagonist Thomas is named after Jackie Chan's character in the film. It is also heavily inspired by the Bruce Lee film Game of Death (1972), which was the basis for the game's concept. Nishiyama, who had previously designed the side-scrolling shooter_Moon Patrol_ (1982), combined fighting elements with a shoot 'em up gameplay rhythm. Irem and Data East exported the game to the West without the Spartan X license.
Mappy
Mappy is a 1983 platformvideo game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released in Japan in March 1983 and in North America by Bally Midway in April 1983. It runs on Namco's Super Pac-Man hardware modified to support horizontal scrolling. The name "Mappy" is likely derived from mappo (マッポ), a slightly pejorative Japanese slang term for policeman. The game has been re-released in several Namco arcade compilations. It spawned a handful of sequels and a 2013 animated web series developed by cartoonists Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub. Controls consist of a two-position joystick and a button. The player assumes the role of Mappy, a police mouse tasked with recovering stolen items from a mansion that serves as a hideout for a gang of thieving cats. Goro (Nyamco in Japanese), large and red, is the leader, while the smaller blue Meowky cats (Mewky in Japanese) are his underlings.
Final Fight 3
Final Fight 3, released in Japan as Final Fight Tough (Japanese: ファイナルファイト タフ, Hepburn: Fainaru Faito Tafu), is a 1995 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second sequel to Final Fight released for the Super NES, following Final Fight 2. Like its predecessor, it was produced by Capcom's consumer division with no preceding arcade version released. The game features the return of the protagonist Guy along with Haggar and also introduces new characters Lucia and Dean. The game's plot takes them through their efforts to rid Metro City of the new Skull Cross gang. Final Fight 3 introduced new moves, as well as branching paths during gameplay and multiple endings. Also available is the option to fight alongside a CPU-controlled partner. However, most critics felt these changes did too little in the way of expanding and improving upon the original Final Fight, and the game was released to little fanfare.
Dig Dug
Dig Dug is a 1982 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released by Atari, Inc. in North America. The player digs underground tunnels to attack enemies in each level, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rocks. Dig Dug was planned and designed by Masahisa Ikegami with help from Galaga creator Shigeru Yokoyama. It was programmed for the Namco Galaga arcade board by Shouichi Fukatani, who worked on many of Namco's earlier arcade games, along with Toshio Sakai. Music was composed by Yuriko Keino, including the character movement jingle at executives' request, as her first Namco game. Namco heavily marketed it as a "strategic digging game". Upon release, Dig Dug was well received by critics for its addictive gameplay and kawaii character design. During the golden age of arcade video games, it was globally successful, including as the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1982 in Japan.
Circus Charlie
Circus Charlie is a 1984 actionvideo game developed and published by Konami for arcades. It was released in North America by Centuri in March 1984 and in Japan in April 1984. The player controls a circus clown named Charlie in six different circus-themed minigames. It was released for MSX in the same year, followed by ports to the Famicom in 1986 by Soft Pro and the Commodore 64 in 1987. In the game there are six regular stages "Level (video gaming)") (plus an extra stage) of differing tasks that are to be completed by Charlie. Grabbing money bags, performing dangerous tricks, avoiding enemies, completing stages, etc., earns Charlie points "Score (gaming)"). After the sixth stage is completed, the game starts over again but with a faster pace and more difficult (but exactly the same in terms of task to be completed) levels. Charlie also races against time. Bonus points are awarded according to the time remaining, but running out of time will cost the player a life.
Ben 10: Omniverse
Ben 10: Omniverse is an action video game based on the American animated series of the same name. The game was developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by D3 Publisher in North America and Namco Bandai Games in Europe and Australia. It was released in November 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U. The game was praised for its graphics but was criticized for its lack of difficulty and of changes in gameplay. It is also available for digital download from the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U, the PlayStation Store for PS3 and Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 in North America and Europe on December 11, 2012.#cite_note-1) A sequel, titled Ben 10: Omniverse 2, was released in November 2013.
Batman Returns
Batman Returns is the name of several video games for various platforms based on the 1992 film of the same name. The Sega console versions (i.e. Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear) were published by Sega.
Haunting Starring Polterguy
Haunting Starring Polterguy is a comedy-horror video game released for the Mega Drive/Genesis by Electronic Arts in 1993. Taking control of a ghost named 'Polterguy', the player must bring various household items to life in order to frighten a family away from their home. A port for the PlayStation Portable was released in 2006 on EA Replay.
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon#cite_note-2) is a side-scrollingbeat 'em uparcadevideo game developed by Gazelle and released on March 22, 1995. It was published by Banpresto.#cite_note-CDC2-3)#cite_note-GTech9-4) It is the first game to be created by Gazelle, one of the offshoots of defunct developer Toaplan that were founded after they declared bankruptcy in 1994, and one of the few titles based upon Naoko Takeuchi's _Sailor Moon_shōjo manga and anime "Sailor Moon (TV series)") series that had an official international release, and it also has been compared with other titles in the same genre such as Capcom's Final Fight "Final Fight (video game)") and Technōs Japan's Double Dragon "Double Dragon (video game)").
Teddy Boy
Teddy Boy Blues – Yohko Ishino (テディボーイ・ブルース / 石野陽子, Tedibōi Burūzu / Ishino Yōko) is a 1985 arcade video game made by Sega. It stars a young boy who is armed with a gun. Each level is an infinitely-repeating maze with several dice. Each die is filled with monsters which hatch out and the player must shoot to shrink, then collect them. If the player does not collect each shrunken monster quickly, it turns into a time-eating bug which flies to the time limit bar and consumes a chunk of it. If you touch one monster or run out of time then you lose a life. The game ends if all lives are lost. There are 50 distinct levels, called "rounds" in the game, even though the counter goes to 99 (the 100th level does not show). The player can play through the levels loops infinitely, with no apparent end. There are also "bonus rounds" every so often; in the Master System version, the player can shoot colored dice to reveal prizes and increase their score.
Kung Fu Kid
Kung Fu Kid, known in Japan as Makai Retsuden (魔界列伝), is a 1987 beat 'em upvideo game developed and published by Sega for the Master System. It is the follow-up to Dragon Wang for the SG-1000.
Black Belt
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the title of five different video games based on the first season of the television series of the same name, one for each of the following game platforms: Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Game Gear. The Nintendo versions of the game were released by Bandai, while the Sega versions were published by Sega itself and the production of the cartridge versions was carried by Banpresto, a pseudonym of Bandai. The Green Ranger is only playable on the Genesis and Game Gear versions of the game. The Super NES version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a side-scrolling action game composed of seven stages, with two different gameplay styles. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Super NES game ratings of 7/10, 6/10, 6/10 and 7/10. Three reviewers said it was too similar to other games in the genre, with one saing it's "just another mindless Final Fight-type game.
Last Battle
Last Battle: Legend of the Final Hero is a side-scrollingmartial artsbeat 'em up released for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1989 by Sega. It was one of the six games that were available as part of the Genesis launch lineup in the U.S. The Japanese version, titled Hokuto no Ken: Shinseikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu (北斗の拳 新世紀末救世主伝説; lit."Fist of the North Star: The New Legend of the Post-Apocalyptic Messiah"), is based on the manga and anime series Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken in Japanese). Since the international version did not retain the Hokuto no Ken license, the graphics and characters' names were altered. It was the second Hokuto no Ken game released by Sega, following the Mark III original, released internationally as Black Belt "Black Belt (1986 video game)"). Versions for the Commodore 64 and Amiga based upon Last Battle were developed and released by Elite in Europe in 1991. Last Battle is a side-scrolling action game similarly to its predecessor Black Belt.
Rampage
Rampage is a 1986 actionvideo game developed and published by Bally Midway for arcades.#cite_note-13) Inspired by monster films, players control a trio of monsters: George, Lizzie, and Ralph, humans transformed into creatures due to various experimental mishaps. The goal is to destroy cities and combat military forces while staying alive. The game is set across 128 days in cities throughout North America, with each cycle repeating five times. Gameplay includes destroying buildings, eating humans, and avoiding damage. Rampage spawned ports to various home consoles and computers, as well as five sequels "Rampage (franchise)") and a 2018 film adaptation "Rampage (2018 film)").#cite_note-14)Warner Bros. owns all rights to the property via their purchase of Midway Games.
Wolverine: Adamantium Rage
GamePro panned the Genesis version, criticizing the generic design, lack of excitement, and most especially the controls, which they said are so poor that even clearing the first level is almost impossible. They concluded, "when the highlights of a game are its mediocre graphics and sounds, that should trigger an immediate red flag".Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 4.25 out of 10. Though their four reviewers were divided about the game's graphics, they unanimously commented that the controls are remarkably poor. Two of them also complained about the number of "instant hits".Next Generation "Next Generation (magazine)") reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "Wolverine is a decent platform brawler, but in the end it's just another platform brawler. And around here that's only good for two".
X-Men
In 2011, IGN named the game in its "Fifteen Really, Really, Really Hard Games" list, citing "unfairly placed enemies, ridiculously annoying jumps and near-impossible-to-beat bosses", as well as the need to lightly press the Genesis' reset button in "Mojo's Crunch".#cite_note-IGN-4) The requirement to reset effectively means the game cannot be completed on a Genesis Nomad. Power Unlimited gave X-Men a score of 82% writing: "X-Men for the Megadrive is a platform game with an original approach. It's basically a platform, tactics, fighting and strategy game all in one. The game is therefore extremely extensive and varied. A true must for superhero fans."#cite_note-5) The game was ranked number 7 on GameTrailers' "Top 10 X-Men Games" list.
Rambo III
Rambo III is a series of video games based on the film Rambo III (1988). Like in the film, their main plots center on former Vietnam-eraGreen Beret "Special Forces (United States Army)")John Rambo being recalled up to duty one last time to rescue his former commander, Colonel Sam Trautman, who was captured during a covert operation mission in Soviet-controlledAfghanistan. Taito released an arcade video game based on the film. The console versions were developed and published by Sega, the IBM PC compatible version was developed by Ocean and published by Taito, and Ocean developed and published the other home computer versions: Atari ST, Amiga, Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, released in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist and in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder, is a 1992 beat 'em up game developed and published by Konami for the Sega Genesis, based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book characters. It was Konami's debut title for the Genesis. The game was re-released as part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection in 2022. April O'Neil is reporting from Liberty Island when, in a sudden flash of light, she and her audience witness Manhattan Island suddenly starting to shrink. Shredder then hijacks the airwaves and announces to the world that this was only a demonstration of the power of the Hyperstone, the treasure of Dimension X "Dimension X (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)"). With the Hyperstone in his possession, he now has the power to take over the world. The Turtles have no choice but to go after Shredder and stop him.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, who co-wrote the script with William Wisher. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick, it is the sequel to The Terminator (1984) and is the second installment in the Terminator franchise. In the film, the malevolent artificial intelligence Skynet sends a Terminator—a highly advanced killing machine—back in time to 1995 to kill the future leader of the human resistance, John Connor, when he is a child. The resistance sends back a less advanced, reprogrammed Terminator to protect Connor and ensure the future of humanity. The Terminator was considered a significant success, enhancing Schwarzenegger's and Cameron's careers, but work on a sequel stalled because of animosity between the pair and Hemdale Film Corporation, which partially owned the film's rights.
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure is a 2004 video game released for Game Boy Advance based on the Dragon Ball franchise.
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is a 1993 action-adventure game developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was released as a tie-in with the 1993 film of the same name, and features elements from Michael Crichton's 1990 novel "Jurassic Park (novel)") on which the film is based. In 1994, after the financial success of the film and its merchandise, Sega released a sequel video game titled Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition.#cite_note-3) Both games were re-released in 2023 as part of Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection. Jurassic Park is a standard side-scrollingaction game with platform elements.#cite_note-AG-4) The end objective is to reach the end of each level, using items placed at fixed locations. However, the game features a then-uncommon variation in action games,[citation needed] giving players the option of using two characters that played independently to one another. The game is playable as either paleontologistDr.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, released as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles in Time in Europe, is a 1991 beat 'em up game developed and published by Konami for arcades. A sequel to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (arcade game)") arcade game, it is a side-scrolling game based mainly on the 1987 TMNT animated series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)"). Originally an arcade game, Turtles in Time was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992 under the title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, continuing the numbering from the earlier Turtles games released on the original NES. That same year, a game that borrowed many elements, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, was released for the Sega Genesis. In 2005, the arcade version of Turtles in Time was rereleased on newer consoles.
Burning Fight
Burning Fight is a 1991 beat 'em upvideo game developed and published by SNK for arcades on the Neo Geo MVS system. Introduced to capture a share in the then-popular beat 'em ups market, it was meant to compete with Technōs' Double Dragon "Double Dragon (video game)"), the leader of the genre at the time. Three years after its release in the arcades and on the Neo Geo AES, it was released on Neo Geo CD as the only other home version. The game was produced by SNK co-founder Eikichi Kawasaki, best known for his work on various other SNK titles, such as the Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and Samurai Shodown series. A re-release version of Burning Fight is included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, which was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii in 2008. Duke Edwards and Billy King, two renowned New York City Police detectives, are hot on the trail of a dangerous Japanese crime syndicate.
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