Games Released in February 1987

84 new games released in February 1987, with MSX being the most active platform. February 1 was the busiest day, with 69 new releases.

Top Platform

MSX

New Releases

84

Busiest Day

February 1

Contra

What was the most popular game of February 1987?

Contra

Contra (also known as Gryzor in Oceania and Europe), is a 1987 run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987. The game had multiple ports, including for various computer formats. Several Contra sequels were produced following the original game.

Which days had the most releases?

February 1 saw the most activity with 69 releases.

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Game cover

69 releases

February 1

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2 releases

February 6

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2 releases

February 10

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2 releases

February 14

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Sun, Feb 1

69 releases

Mon, Feb 2

No releases

Tue, Feb 3

No releases

Wed, Feb 4

No releases

Thu, Feb 5

No releases

Fri, Feb 6

2 releases

Sat, Feb 7

No releases

Sun, Feb 8

No releases

Mon, Feb 9

No releases

Tue, Feb 10

2 releases

Wed, Feb 11

No releases

Thu, Feb 12

No releases

Fri, Feb 13

No releases

Sat, Feb 14

2 releases

Sun, Feb 15

2 releases

Mon, Feb 16

No releases

Tue, Feb 17

1 release

Wed, Feb 18

1 release

Thu, Feb 19

No releases

Fri, Feb 20

2 releases

Sat, Feb 21

1 release

Sun, Feb 22

No releases

Mon, Feb 23

No releases

Tue, Feb 24

1 release

Wed, Feb 25

No releases

Thu, Feb 26

1 release

Fri, Feb 27

No releases

Sat, Feb 28

No releases

How did each week compare?

The first week of February was the busiest with 71 releases.

Week 1 (February 1–7)

71 releases
Heavy Barrel

Most popular release in Week 1

Heavy Barrel

Heavy Barrel is a 1987 overhead run and gun arcade game by Data East. Terrorists have seized the underground control complex of a nuclear missile site, and it is up to the player to infiltrate the base and kill the enemy leader. Players begin armed with a laser gun with unlimited ammunition and a limited supply of grenades. Improved weapons and grenade powerups are made available within the game, either in plain sight or within crates that must be unlocked using keys. Additionally, crates may contain orbs or one of the six pieces of the Heavy Barrel superweapon. Like SNK's Ikari Warriors, the original arcade version featured 8-way rotary joysticks. The name of the game is from an in-game weapon. The Heavy Barrel is found in six pieces and is an energy cannon capable of destroying any enemy in the game with a single shot (except the final enemy, and possibly one other boss that may have required two shots). The weapon has a wide arc of fire and can be fired as fast as the player's trigger finger permits, but after thirty seconds its use is exhausted, at which point the bearer reverts to his previous weaponry. Best used to get past tough bosses, the weapon could be built several times in a single game (probably three or four times). In a two-player game, whoever collects the sixth piece is equipped with the Heavy Barrel.

Week 4 (February 22–28)

2 releases
Dance Aerobics

Most popular release in Week 4

Dance Aerobics

Dance Aerobics is a chance to get fit by following the movements of an aerobics instructor. Players use side B of the Power Pad accessory (a floor mat with 12 pads in a 4 by 3 grid) to follow the movements of an aerobics instructor. To succeed the player must press the pads with their feet and hands at the same time as the on screen aerobics instructor. Any missed movements are recorded on a mistake counter and 10 missed movements will fail the level. The routines (a set of repeated movements) start slow and simple with a bit of no-penalty practise time however as the player gets better the routines get more complex with less practices time. Each level has a set number of routines that increase with each level from 4 at the start to a total of 32 on the final level (level 7). At the successful completion of each level the player will get a pass stamp which they can enter later to skip that level.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

MSX received 30 new titles in February 1987. The runner up was Arcade with 13 new titles.

MSX30 releases
Arcade13 releases
Intellivision7 releases
Commodore C64/128/MAX6 releases
Amstrad CPC5 releases
Atari 26004 releases
Family Computer4 releases
ZX Spectrum3 releases
MSX23 releases
Family Computer Disk System3 releases

What genres were most popular?

Shooter was the dominant genre in February 1987 with 18 titles. Arcade followed closely with 16.

Shooter18
Arcade16
Adventure15
Sport11
Role-playing8
Platform8
Strategy8
Puzzle7
Simulator7
Racing4
1987 Review
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