Games Released in May 1989

37 new games released in May 1989, with Family Computer being the most active platform. May 1 was the busiest day, with 10 new releases.

Top Platform

Family Computer

New Releases

37

Busiest Day

May 1

Tennis

What was the most popular game of May 1989?

Tennis

Tennis is, as the name implies, Nintendo's version of the sport. One player vs computer or two players will compete in tennis in a more or less standard suite of rules (scoring, sets etc.). Players are controlled by the movement buttons, but while button A indicates a low hit, button B indicates a high one. You have the choice of four levels of computer AI, or two player via Game Boy link cable. The usual assortment of shots are available, including forehand and backhand, lobs and volleys when up close to the net.

Which days had the most releases?

May 1 saw the most activity with 10 releases.

Game cover
Game cover

10 releases

May 1

Game cover
Game cover

4 releases

May 25

Game cover
Game cover

3 releases

May 2

Game cover
Game cover

3 releases

May 16

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Mon, May 1

10 releases

Tue, May 2

3 releases

Wed, May 3

1 release

Thu, May 4

No releases

Fri, May 5

No releases

Sat, May 6

No releases

Sun, May 7

No releases

Mon, May 8

No releases

Tue, May 9

No releases

Wed, May 10

No releases

Thu, May 11

No releases

Fri, May 12

1 release

Sat, May 13

1 release

Sun, May 14

No releases

Mon, May 15

No releases

Tue, May 16

3 releases

Wed, May 17

No releases

Thu, May 18

No releases

Fri, May 19

2 releases

Sat, May 20

No releases

Sun, May 21

1 release

Mon, May 22

No releases

Tue, May 23

2 releases

Wed, May 24

No releases

Thu, May 25

4 releases

Fri, May 26

3 releases

Sat, May 27

2 releases

Sun, May 28

1 release

Mon, May 29

1 release

Tue, May 30

1 release

Wed, May 31

1 release

How did each week compare?

The first week of May was the busiest with 14 releases.

Week 3 (May 15–21)

6 releases
Volfied

Most popular release in Week 3

Volfied

Once in the game, using the arrow keys you can move the 'Scanner' ship around the 'Shield Line' at the parameter of the playing area. While moving around this edge the ship is protected from the aliens by a shield indicated by a glowing circle around the ship. This shield is not infinite and care should be taken to complete each level as quickly as possible. A counter indicates the level of shield that you have: when it reaches zero then any contact with an alien is deadly whether you are on the 'Shield Line' or not. The idea of the game is to cut areas out of the screen without touching any of the aliens. This is done by pressing the SPACE key which initiates the 'Laser Cutter' and moving off the 'Shield Line' and rejoining it somewhere else. While you are in the process of drawing a line, your shield is inactive and touching an alien is fatal. Similarly, if one of the aliens touches the line then it will send a charge down the line towards you and you must quickly return to the safety of the edge before it reaches you. When you rejoin the 'Shield Line' the area that does not contain the 'Boss' alien will be filled (points are gained by trapping the other aliens) and the 'Shield Line' will be adjusted to surround the area that is left. The level is completed when a certain percentage of the total area has been filled in. This percentage starts at 80% but may increase in the later levels.

Week 4 (May 22–28)

12 releases
Kaettekita! Gunjin Shogi: Nanya Sore!?

Most popular release in Week 4

Kaettekita! Gunjin Shogi: Nanya Sore!?

Kaettekita! Gunjin Shogi: Nanya Sore!? is a shogi game that uses the gunjin shogi, or military shogi, variant of the classic eastern chess-like board game. The player starts by selecting one of five opponents: A pumpkin-headed ghost, a werewolf Al Capone, an alien, Adolf Hitler or a sumo wrestler. The player is then given an assortment of pieces while the opponent appears to have the same number of instances of the same piece, though in truth their real forms are concealed from the human player. The player must use their wits to defeat the enemy's force of shogi pieces, which have different themes depending on the opponent the player has chosen (for instance, when fighting the pumpkin ghost both sides have vegetable-themed pieces).

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 10 new titles in May 1989. The runner up was Arcade with 7 new titles.

Family Computer10 releases
Arcade7 releases
PC-9800 Series4 releases
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine4 releases
Family Computer Disk System3 releases
MSX3 releases
Nintendo Entertainment System2 releases
MSX22 releases
Mac1 release
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis1 release

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in May 1989 with 10 titles. Arcade followed closely with 7.

Adventure10
Arcade7
Shooter7
Platform6
Sport5
Simulator5
Role-playing5
Visual Novel4
Strategy4
Puzzle2
1989 Review
AprJun