Click and compare - it's in your hands:

Marble Madness (1984) looked cute until the timer started screaming and your marble began sliding like it hated you.

Marble Madness

1984 • Amiga • Amstrad • Arcade +6 more

Pixel8Games 74% Users —

Don't blink!

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

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

Micro Machines (1991) shrank racing down to tabletop size and somehow made breakfast tables more dangerous than Silverstone.

Micro Machines

1991 • Amiga • Mega Drive • NES

Pixel8Games 70% Users —

Small engines, big trouble

Sorcery (1984) flung you across up to 40 flip-screen fantasy scenes as a last-ditch wizard, trying to rescue your kidnapped mates before the timer and your energy bar both had a tantrum.

Sorcery

1984 • Amstrad • Commodore 64 • MSX

Pixel8Games 81% Users —

It's a kind of magic

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe took the idea of a friendly sports match, threw it out of an airlock, and replaced it with metal armour and flying elbows.

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

1990 • Amiga • Atari ST • Commodore 64

Pixel8Games 83% Users —

Enjoy a clean break

Impossible Mission (1984) politely greeted players with an ominous “Stay awhile… stay forever!” before immediately trying to kill them.

Impossible Mission

1984 • Amiga • Amstrad • Commodore 64

Pixel8Games 90% Users —

Stay a while. Stay forever!

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!

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.

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf put you behind the controls of an Apache and somehow made fuel gauges as frightening as missile launchers.

Desert Strike

1992 • Amiga • Mega Drive • PC

Pixel8Games 77% Users —

Get to da choppa!

Get Dexter (aka Crafton & Xunk) dropped you into a glossy isometric sci-fi maze where an android and his tiny sidekick had to blag, dodge and gadget their way to an all-important code.

Get Dexter

1986 • Amstrad

Pixel8Games 82% Users —

Crack the code, survive

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

Bubble Bobble (1986) turned monster-hunting into something suspiciously adorable.

Bubble Bobble

1986 • Arcade • Atari ST • BBC +1 more

Pixel8Games 76% Users —

Bursting with joy

Super Mario Bros began with a plumber, a mushroom, and a simple goal, then quietly redefined platform gaming forever.

Super Mario Bros.

1985 • NES

Pixel8Games 93% Users —

One plumber. Endless legacy.

Pyjamarama (1984) turned bedtime into a surreal obstacle course, starring Wally Week as he sleepwalked through his own house in stripy pyjamas.

Pyjamarama

1984 • Amstrad • Commodore 64 • Spectrum

Pixel8Games 68% Users —

Sleepwalking chaos

Rolling Thunder (1986) dropped players into a stylish spy thriller where trench coats were sharp, enemies were ruthless, and bullets were strictly rationed.

Rolling Thunder

1986 • Amiga • Amstrad • Arcade +2 more

Pixel8Games 83% Users —

Cool under fire

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