Click and compare - it's in your hands:

Maniac Mansion (1987) invited you to pick a trio of teenagers and trespass into the Edison household, where every room hid a gag, a trap, or a way to accidentally doom your friends.

Maniac Mansion

1987 • Amiga • Apple II • Atari ST +3 more

Pixel8Games 79% Users —

Break in, think

Batman: The Movie (1989) wasted no time brooding, throwing players straight into Gotham's grime with surprising confidence for an '80s movie tie-in.

Batman: The Movie

1989 • Amiga • Amstrad • Commodore 64 +1 more

Pixel8Games 87% Users —

Fear is the tool. Justice is the Knight.

Gryzor (1987) strapped a machine gun to your thumbs and dared you to run right, shoot everything, and still look cool doing it.

Gryzor (aka Contra)

1987 • Amstrad • Arcade • Commodore 64 +1 more

Pixel8Games 83% Users —

Run. Gun. Regret.

Raid Over Moscow (1984) served Cold War panic as an arcade sampler platter: launch the interceptor, dodge defences, blow the silos, then head for the Kremlin like you'd lost a bet.

Raid Over Moscow

1984 • Amstrad • Apple II • Atari 8-bit +2 more

Pixel8Games 80% Users —

The empire strikes back

Rise of the Triad (1994/95) took the Wolfenstein-style corridor shooter, chugged a can of soda, then started doing backflips.

Rise of the Triad

1994 • PC

Pixel8Games 86% Users —

Ludicrous gibs!

Blood (1997) gleefully dragged the shooter genre into a blood-soaked carnival of horror, humour, and absolute chaos.

Blood

1997 • PC

Pixel8Games 91% Users —

Horror with attitude

Entering a martial arts tournament at the height of the genre's mid-80s popularity, The Way of the Exploding Fist draws clear inspiration from Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, reinforced by its digitised kiai sample and visual nods.

The Way of the Exploding Fist

1985 • Amstrad • BBC • Commodore 64 +1 more

Pixel8Games 81% Users —

Participate in this morning's edification

Airwolf (1985) arrived fuelled by TV hype, cello solos, and the promise of airborne firepower.

Airwolf

1984 • Amstrad • Arcade • Commodore 64 +1 more

Pixel8Games 57% Users —

Cello in the air

Bruce Lee blended martial arts, platforming, and exploration into something quietly special.

Bruce Lee

1984 • Amstrad • BBC • Commodore 64 +1 more

Pixel8Games 84% Users —

Be water, my friend.

Duke Nukem 3D (1996) swaggered into the shooter scene chewing bubblegum and kicking ass.

Duke Nukem 3D

1996 • Mega Drive • PC

Pixel8Games 91% Users —

No manners. No mercy.

Gauntlet (1985), by Atari Games, cheerfully tossed players into a neon-soaked fantasy dungeon where health drained faster than loose change in an arcade pocket.

Gauntlet

1985 • Amstrad • Apple II • Arcade +2 more

Pixel8Games 77% Users 100%

Eat the food. Survive the dungeon.

Tetris was the sort of game that looked like office software, then quietly stole entire evenings.

Tetris

1984 • Amstrad • Commodore 64 • PC

Pixel8Games 80% Users —

One more piece

Ghostbusters (1984) dumped you into a bouncy, cash-hungry loop of buying gear, cruising the city, and praying you earned enough to keep the business afloat.

Ghostbusters

1984 • Amstrad • Apple II • Atari 8-bit +6 more

Pixel8Games 76% Users —

Busting makes you feel good

Doom started as a quiet Mars assignment and immediately escalated into shotguns, demons, and a full-blown trip to Hell.

Doom

1993 • PC • PS1 • SNES

Pixel8Games 94% Users —

One hell of a blast.

Metal Gear Solid (1998) smuggled blockbuster drama into your PS1 memory card, then told you to stop shooting and start sneaking.

Metal Gear Solid

1998 • PS1

Pixel8Games 92% Users —

Stealth with swagger

Elite (1984) dropped players into a vast, lonely galaxy armed with a fragile Cobra Mk III, 100 credits, and absolutely no safety net.

Elite

1984 • Amstrad • BBC • Commodore 64 +1 more

Pixel8Games 93% Users —

Profit or perish

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