Games Released in November 1987

41 new games released in November 1987, with Family Computer being the most active platform. November 1 was the busiest day, with 10 new releases.

Top Platform

Family Computer

New Releases

41

Busiest Day

November 1

Shinobi

What was the most popular game of November 1987?

Shinobi

The five missions in the game are each three or four stages long. Several hostages are being held in each stage; Joe must rescue all of them before he is allowed to finish the stage. The last stage in each mission has no hostages, but instead features a powerful boss character whom Joe must defeat. After completing each of the first four missions the player is taken to a bonus stage, where he can earn an extra life if he is able to kill all of the ninjas leaping towards him. Completing the fifth mission ends the game. Also, once the fifth mission begins, continues are no longer allowed; the player has to finish the game with however many lives he has left at that point. If the player earns a place on the high score board, the number of credits it took him to get that score is displayed along with his score. Joe's standard weapons are an unlimited supply of shuriken, along with punches and kicks when attacking at close range. One hostage per stage gives him a power-up. When powered-up, his throwing stars are replaced by a gun that fires large, explosive bullets, and his close-range attack becomes a katana slash. Joe can also perform "ninja magic," which may be used only once per stage and kills (or damages, in the case of bosses) all enemies on the screen. The game also allows the enemies to hide behind boxes or use shields to block Musashi's shurikens.[4] Joe can be killed with one hit, provided he is hit by a projectile or melee attack, but if he does not find himself in those situations, the player can touch regular enemies and just be pushed back without being damaged. Since most enemies appear in the same place on each level, it is possible to master the game by memorizing their locations and devising patterns to defeat them. At the end of each stage, the player receives score bonuses based on performance. Completing the stage without using ninja magic or without using any throwing stars or bullets earns the player a point bonus. The player has three minutes to complete each stage; remaining time at the end of the stage is also converted to bonus points and added to the player's score.

Which days had the most releases?

November 1 saw the most activity with 10 releases.

How did each week compare?

The first week of November was the busiest with 17 releases.

Week 1 (November 1–7)

17 releases
Operation Wolf

Most popular release in Week 1

Operation Wolf

In the steamy jungles of South America, heavily armed extremists are holding innocent civilians prisoner. Little do these terrorists know that real terror is about to land on their front porch! The sound of rotor blades and staccato bursts of gunfire echo through the valleys. Terrorists be warned! Operation Wolf is going to teach you what terror is all about! Operation Wolf consists of six missions, which are displayed on the Operations Map Screen. A mission is completed when all enemy forces are reduced to zero. The current level is completed when you escape from the airport with the prisoners. Your injury level increases when the enemy hits you. The game automatically ends if the injury indicator on the right side of the screen becomes completely red. You can reduce your injury level by getting power drinks.

Week 2 (November 8–14)

6 releases
Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge

Most popular release in Week 2

Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into space, He's Back! And he wants revenge! Sludge Vohaul, the demented evil scientist (whose sinister plan you unknowingly foiled in our last episode), is seething over his Sarien slip-up. Madder than a drenched Astrochicken, (and still determined to rule the galaxy) Vohaul has devised a new plan. A nasty plan. A plan so evil that only one as wickedly sadistic as he could imagine it. Yes, the worst nightmare ever is about to come knocking on your door- and it won't take No for an answer! It's The Invasion of the Insurance Salesmen! Hordes and hordes of pushy, obnoxious (genetically engineered) salesmen will soon be dumped upon your home planet- unless somebody dumps on Vohaul first. And who knows more about getting dumped on than you? Roger Wilco to the rescue! Once again, you, Roger Wilco, sanitation engineer and involuntary hero, must don your sanitary space mittens and prepare for the onslaught of evil that Vohaul has prepared. A chore not for queasy or fainthearted. And if you can stomach that…Get ready for the Granddaddy of Gross. The Emperor of Evil. The first name is Nastiness, Sludge Vohaul himself! With nothing to protect you but your wits and your wet mop, you haven't got a chance! (But that's what makes the game so much fun!) Have fun staying out of trouble! Beat the odds. Conquer insurmountable obstacles. Defy gravity. Cry for help. Misfortune awaits you at every turn… Boggle your way through the humid stenchlands of the jungle planet Labion. Blunder your way onto the asteroid fortress of the slime-sucking Vohaul. Flounder your way through more perilous escapades than you can wiggle a space worm at. Guaranteed to make you laugh! Packed with comedy, tragedy, suspense, horror, and many other nouns, Space Quest II will tickle your funny bone and relieve that heavy feeling in your wallet.

Week 3 (November 15–21)

8 releases
Shinobi

Most popular release in Week 3

Shinobi

The five missions in the game are each three or four stages long. Several hostages are being held in each stage; Joe must rescue all of them before he is allowed to finish the stage. The last stage in each mission has no hostages, but instead features a powerful boss character whom Joe must defeat. After completing each of the first four missions the player is taken to a bonus stage, where he can earn an extra life if he is able to kill all of the ninjas leaping towards him. Completing the fifth mission ends the game. Also, once the fifth mission begins, continues are no longer allowed; the player has to finish the game with however many lives he has left at that point. If the player earns a place on the high score board, the number of credits it took him to get that score is displayed along with his score. Joe's standard weapons are an unlimited supply of shuriken, along with punches and kicks when attacking at close range. One hostage per stage gives him a power-up. When powered-up, his throwing stars are replaced by a gun that fires large, explosive bullets, and his close-range attack becomes a katana slash. Joe can also perform "ninja magic," which may be used only once per stage and kills (or damages, in the case of bosses) all enemies on the screen. The game also allows the enemies to hide behind boxes or use shields to block Musashi's shurikens.[4] Joe can be killed with one hit, provided he is hit by a projectile or melee attack, but if he does not find himself in those situations, the player can touch regular enemies and just be pushed back without being damaged. Since most enemies appear in the same place on each level, it is possible to master the game by memorizing their locations and devising patterns to defeat them. At the end of each stage, the player receives score bonuses based on performance. Completing the stage without using ninja magic or without using any throwing stars or bullets earns the player a point bonus. The player has three minutes to complete each stage; remaining time at the end of the stage is also converted to bonus points and added to the player's score.

Week 4 (November 22–28)

4 releases
Top Gun

Most popular release in Week 4

Top Gun

Top Gun was released in 1987 for the PC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) (with an equivalent version for Nintendo Vs. Series arcade cabinets). The Commodore and Spectrum versions were developed by Ocean while Thunder Mountain handled the PC version of the game. Konami developed the Nintendo version. The NES version was released on November 1987 in North America, December 11, 1987 in Japan and on November 30, 1988 in Europe and Australia. According to Game Over by David Sheff, the NES version sold over 2 million copies. Many of the people who've played the NES version have complained about the difficulty, and lack of action in the game. The NES version had a sequel called Top Gun: The Second Mission.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 11 new titles in November 1987. The runner up was Family Computer Disk System with 4 new titles.

Family Computer11 releases
Family Computer Disk System4 releases
Commodore C64/128/MAX3 releases
Arcade3 releases
Sega Master System/Mark III3 releases
Nintendo Entertainment System3 releases
Apple II2 releases
PC-8800 Series2 releases
MSX2 releases
DOS2 releases

What genres were most popular?

Role-playing was the dominant genre in November 1987 with 10 titles. Arcade followed closely with 9.

Role-playing10
Arcade9
Platform8
Shooter8
Adventure7
Puzzle6
Simulator5
Sport4
Racing3
Point-and-click2