Space Harrier was so good that it got me to ignore my quest for vengeance, a gang at the docks, and the cute girl that works at the flower shop.
5 Likes
…is my choice.
An early game by Fukio “MTJ” Mitsuji (two more games and Bubble Bobble released the following year, 1986, which blows my mind).
The original Dead Heat was an old multi-player mechanical/light racing game more like a derby horse racing furlong game. ref
Featuring 4-players each with their own steering wheel and monitor, detailed high resolution graphics due to the extra screen space, a multi-player course creator before every race, interesting power-ups and obstacles, varied road surfaces that affect car handling in a much more convincing way than the later Super Sprint (1986), Super Off Road (1989)—which by the way were “only” 3 player games—but as a result of the increased realism Super Dead Heat is a more difficult game.
Given its rarity, I count myself lucky to have played this at an arcade (I think it was Arcade Club, Bury, UK) and though it takes a bit of getting used to it is rewarding. Obviously the game excels with multiple humans.
I’d argue that this game broke as much new ground as Super Mario Bros but in very different ways.
3 Likes
Space Harrier definitely is a contender for the best music of 1985. I played that one on the C64 (1987) as a kid, and even that version was slapping.
4 Likes
I’ve started keeping notes on other years as this is more difficult than I thought.
1 Like
You can’t go wrong with any version of the Space Harrier theme song. Both of my favorite versions happen to be on the Sega Master System.
The one in the game:
And the one in the BIOS for the Japanese Mark III console:
3 Likes
this looks incredible (and a cool iteration on the electromechanical slot car tables.) I’ve never seen one, likely because this looks like a nightmare to keep running.
2 Likes
I recently bought the Arcade Archives version of City Connection and its a blast! I had only played the NES version a few brief times.
I’ll chose it as my 1985 selection.
6 Likes
I haven’t had time to dive into any of the games I haven’t played. Xanadu looks incredible. I love the vibe of City Connection.
Space Harrier almost gets my vote, just on the song alone. The perspective and speed of that game is crazy–it really does feel like the future.
I also have to give my vote to the plumber boy. Super Mario Bros. is just such a fun game. It feels joyful to move around in it. It’s intuitive to play, even as a little kid. Kirk Hamilton did a podcast that breaks down the World 1-1 music. He makes a point I love: the way the melody and sound effects interact, due to the limitation of the hardware, is lovely. The soundscape of the game creates a world of pure fun. Cool game!
5 Likes
every time i see his name i’m like “wow, the metallica guy”
4 Likes
1985 is a year full of adventure games “I’ve been meaning to play one day” and a large proportion of my random DOS game floppy disk collection as a child.
But also it’s still Super Mario Bros.
2 Likes
Hey wait a sec! Ninja Princess got three, not two. Granted one may have been elicited through a slightly under-handed tactic.
1 Like
Yeah I did intend for that to be my official vote, for what it’s worth.
2 Likes
I wasn’t brave enough to actually vote for Bokosuka Wars (It’s a much earlier game than 1985 anyway, only the NES version is from 1985). As is suggested in the blurred spoiler.
1 Like
The recount is in underway. Stand by.
3 Likes
We’re on good pace to make a Sega game win every year, as it should be.
6 Likes
Thanks for your patience and understanding. Recount has been done.
THREE WAY TIE
- Ninja Princess
- Space Harrier
- Super Mario Bros.
Does this mean there’ll be a penalty shootout?
Or perhaps sudden death is more apt?
8 Likes
Maybe we can hold a new poll with only these three options? There is something weird with the publisher graph, by the way : there is both “Sega” and “Sega.” on the list.
1 Like
That one is on me, sorry - I updated it based on a change and didn’t properly validate it, the software I used saw “Sega” and “Sega.” as different values. Checking it all again, there was also another change in a vote so not only is that Sega issue fixed, but also the total counts are correct as well because they were off too.
3 Likes