Games Released in January 1989

37 new games debuted in January 1989, with Family Computer being the most active platform. January 1 was the busiest day, with 14 releases. Golden Axe was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

January 1 saw the most activity with 14 releases.

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Game cover

14 releases

January 1

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5 releases

January 27

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2 releases

January 31

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2 releases

January 14

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Sun, Jan 1

14 releases

Mon, Jan 2

1 release

Tue, Jan 3

1 release

Wed, Jan 4

1 release

Thu, Jan 5

No releases

Fri, Jan 6

2 releases

Sat, Jan 7

No releases

Sun, Jan 8

No releases

Mon, Jan 9

No releases

Tue, Jan 10

1 release

Wed, Jan 11

No releases

Thu, Jan 12

1 release

Fri, Jan 13

1 release

Sat, Jan 14

2 releases

Sun, Jan 15

No releases

Mon, Jan 16

No releases

Tue, Jan 17

1 release

Wed, Jan 18

No releases

Thu, Jan 19

No releases

Fri, Jan 20

No releases

Sat, Jan 21

1 release

Sun, Jan 22

1 release

Mon, Jan 23

No releases

Tue, Jan 24

1 release

Wed, Jan 25

No releases

Thu, Jan 26

1 release

Fri, Jan 27

5 releases

Sat, Jan 28

No releases

Sun, Jan 29

No releases

Mon, Jan 30

1 release

Tue, Jan 31

2 releases

How did each week compare?

The first week of January was the busiest with 19 releases.

Week 1 (January 1–7)

19 releases

Week 2 (January 8–14)

5 releases

Week 3 (January 15–21)

2 releases

Week 4 (January 22–28)

8 releases
Golden Axe

Most popular release in Week 4

Golden Axe

Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different number of maximum magic bars and varying ranges of attack. Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice, which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire, is found later in the game.

Week 5 (January 29–31)

3 releases
Tex Murphy: Mean Streets

Most popular release in Week 5

Tex Murphy: Mean Streets

The year is 2033. Your name is Tex Murphy, Private Investigator in San Francisco. You've been hired by the beautiful daughter of a university professor to uncover the facts about his death. As you begin your investigation you uncover the deaths of several prominent members of the scientific community. Are these deaths coincidental or is there something more sinister going on? And which characters could have a motive? Could it be J. Saint Gideon, former head of British Intelligence? Could Frank Schimming, president of the largest surveillance company in the world be hiding something? Or what about Sylvia, the professor's daughter. Is she as innocent as she seems? And why is an infamous Detroit hit man in town?

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 13 new titles in January 1989. The runner up was DOS with 7 new titles.

Family Computer13 releases
DOS7 releases
Arcade5 releases
Amstrad CPC2 releases
Family Computer Disk System2 releases
MSX2 releases
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine2 releases
Amiga1 release
Atari ST/STE1 release
Mac1 release

What genres were most popular?

Arcade was the dominant genre in January 1989 with 11 titles. Shooter followed closely with 11.

Arcade11
Shooter11
Adventure9
Strategy5
Racing3
Sport3
Fighting2
Hack and slash2
Puzzle2
Card & Board Game1
1989 Review
DecFeb