Games Released in August 1989

50 new games released in August 1989, with Family Computer being the most active platform. August 14 was the busiest day, with 7 new releases.

Which days had the most releases?

August 14 saw the most activity with 7 releases.

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Tue, Aug 1

4 releases

Wed, Aug 2

No releases

Thu, Aug 3

2 releases

Fri, Aug 4

4 releases

Sat, Aug 5

2 releases

Sun, Aug 6

No releases

Mon, Aug 7

No releases

Tue, Aug 8

4 releases

Wed, Aug 9

No releases

Thu, Aug 10

4 releases

Fri, Aug 11

1 release

Sat, Aug 12

No releases

Sun, Aug 13

No releases

Mon, Aug 14

7 releases

Tue, Aug 15

3 releases

Wed, Aug 16

No releases

Thu, Aug 17

1 release

Fri, Aug 18

2 releases

Sat, Aug 19

2 releases

Sun, Aug 20

1 release

Mon, Aug 21

2 releases

Tue, Aug 22

No releases

Wed, Aug 23

No releases

Thu, Aug 24

No releases

Fri, Aug 25

2 releases

Sat, Aug 26

1 release

Sun, Aug 27

No releases

Mon, Aug 28

No releases

Tue, Aug 29

3 releases

Wed, Aug 30

2 releases

Thu, Aug 31

3 releases

How did each week compare?

The second week of August was the busiest with 16 releases.

Week 2 (August 8–14)

16 releases
Last Battle

Most popular release in Week 2

Last Battle

Last Battle: Legend of the Final Hero is a side-scrolling action game similarly to its predecessor Black Belt. The player takes control of Aarzak (Kenshiro in the Japanese original), who fights against his enemies using his punches and kicks. Aarzak can attack while standing, jumping, and crouching, for a total of six basic attacks. In addition to his life gauge, Aarzak has a power-up meter that will gradually fill as he defeats enemies. When the meter reaches a certain point (depending on the stage), Aarzak will transform into a super-powered state, allowing him to perform rapid punches and kicks for the rest of the stage. The game's levels (with the exception of boss battles and maze stages) feature a time limit at the lower-right corner of the screen; but unlike other time limits, instead of killing the character immediately when it reaches, it will instead gradually drain the player's life gauge until the player completes the level. The game is divided into four stages or chapters, each featuring several levels. After completing a level the player will be shown a map which displays the player's current location and the paths they can take. Most of the levels are linear side-scrolling segments where the player must simply walk from one to side to the other while fighting every enemy who gets in the way. Other levels are dungeon mazes in which the player must figure out the correct path to the goal while avoiding traps. The player will encounter various allies throughout the game that will increase Aarzak's offensive or defensive strength, or replenish their health. The game features several one-on-one encounters with bosses as well. The player must sometime complete levels in a certain order in order to finish a chapter. 'Last Battle' is also notorious amongst gamers for its harsh difficulty throughout. The original Japanese version is based on the Fist of the North Star mangas/animes. During the translation process all references to Fist of the North Star were removed - similar to its predecessor Black Belt.

Week 5 (August 29–31)

8 releases
U.N. Squadron

Most popular release in Week 5

U.N. Squadron

Side-scrolling shoot-em-up, in a similar style to such games as Gradius, R-Type and Scramble. The aim is to wipe out the enemy, which has gathered around the allied airspace of 'Area 88', in a series of military aircraft-based scenarios. You choose one of three unique pilots; Shin Kazama, Micky Schymon or Greg Gates, each with varying abilities at damage repair, weapon handling and flying skill, and engage the enemy over a series of challenging missions. The player starts out with the weakest plane, the F8E Crusader, which can only be armed with a very basic range weapons. But, through completing various missions, enough cash can be raised to purchase higher-quality aircraft. These superior planes are more agile, have improved resilience to damage and have a greater range of fire. Furthermore, the more advanced fighters can be armed with superior special weapons, such as napalm. The missions include attacks on sand bases, the nuclear submarine 'Seavet' and enemy supply camps, as well as seeing off groups of airborne 'bandits' who swarm-in on Area 88. The enemy is plentiful, and the pace is frantic. Shoot at everything on the screen that moves, and the allied forces might just come out on top......

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 10 new titles in August 1989. The runner up was Commodore C64/128/MAX with 7 new titles.

Family Computer10 releases
Commodore C64/128/MAX7 releases
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine7 releases
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis7 releases
Sharp X680005 releases
DOS3 releases
MSX23 releases
Nintendo Entertainment System2 releases
PC (Microsoft Windows)1 release
PC-9800 Series1 release

What genres were most popular?

Shooter was the dominant genre in August 1989 with 14 titles. Adventure followed closely with 8.

Shooter14
Adventure8
Platform8
Role-playing7
Sport7
Strategy5
Arcade4
Hack and slash4
Simulator3
Puzzle3