February 1987 Issue Of Computer Entertainer
The editors from Computer Entertainer have returned from the show floor of the January CES show. Video games have risen from their graves and have taken over more space than ever since the 1983 video game crash.
In Nintendo land there was a ton of new games and news to digest. Konami announced Rush ‘N Attack, Track & Field, Castlevania, and Double Dribble for the NES. We covered these games last month. SNK was also announced as the fifth Nintendo licensee and they plan on bringing the two-player simultaneous game, Ikari Warriors, to the NES later this year.
As we mentioned last month, Nintendo had a handful of Game Paks to show off at the show. The one that drew the most attention was certainly its new adventure game, The Legend of Zelda. Pro Wrestling and Slalom also drew the crowds.
Parents worried that their kids will become couch potatoes playing video games all day will want to check out what’s in store from Bandai. They are bringing out the Family Fun Fitness Control Mat which comes with the Athletic World Game Pak. Players have to stand up and actually run and jump on the buttons on the floor to interact with the TV.
Computer Entertainer does some fact checking to determine which gaming machine has the most games available and the most systems sold. The NES is by far in the lead with system sales at 1.1 million. Compare that number to the Sega Master System at 125,000 and the Atari 7800 at 100,000. Nintendo also has the most games announced, the most first party and third party releases (36 total games released versus 20 on Sega and 10 on Atari), and the most in development. By the middle of this year Nintendo should have about 51 games on store shelves versus 35 on Sega and 19 on Atari.
Download the full issue of Computer Entertainer.
Computer Entertainer Review Guidelines:
THE RATING SYSTEM:
4 SYMBOLS = EXCELLENT
3 SYMBOLS = GOOD
2 SYMBOLS = FAIR
1 SYMBOL = POOR
♦ = ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS (1st set of diamonds = quality of graphics; 2nd set = quality of game play and entertainment value)
Any program for a given system is compared only to other programs for the same system. In other words, all C64-compatibles are judged separately from Apple. Some programs, which are virtually identical for multiple systems, will be so noted. When we review software for more than one system, we will note differences and which system we reviewed.
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
