1987: The World in Gaming Trivia Quiz

Answer: Link

Link is the green tunic wearing hero from Nintendo's "Legend of Zelda" series. "The Legend of Zelda", the series' first title, was released for the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES) in Japan on February 21, 1986. However, Link's original adventure would not be seen in North America until August 22, 1987, more than a year later.

Its sequel "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link" was released in Japan on January 14, 1987. As such, "Zelda II" would not be seen in North America until December 1, 1988.

Answer: The Konami Code

"Contra" was originally released as an arcade cabinet in Japan on February 20, 1987. It was published by Japanese game developer Konami. "Contra" would later be ported to home consoles, with its Famicom/NES version becoming available a year later. "Contra" is one of the most famous games to utilize the Konami Code (UUDDLRLRBA Start), a cheat code built into the NES version of "Contra" that allowed the player to begin the game with thirty lives instead of the normal three.

This made the game easier to play as "Contra" was known to be rather difficult.

The Konami Code was first programmed into the game "Gradius", but "Contra" was the game that gave the code its notoriety. It was not used on the original arcade version of "Contra".

Answer: Leisure Suit Larry

"Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards" was the first game of the "Leisure Suit Larry" series of video games. The game was initially released as a PC game on July 5, 1987. It is a graphical point and click adventure game where you play a middle aged gambler named Larry Laffer, who is looking for some women to have "hot coffee" with, if you know what I mean.

The "Leisure Suit Larry" series has become infamous as one of the earliest video games designed specifically for adults.

Answer: Double Dragon

The classic beat 'em up game "Double Dragon" was originally released as an arcade cabinet in Japan on July 10, 1987. In the original arcade version two players were able to control one of the two protagonists, either Billy or Jimmy Lee. The twin martial artists took to the streets in order to save Billy's girlfriend Marian from a local gang.

It was later ported to home consoles, with the Famicom/NES version releasing in 1988. The home version of "Double Dragon" was changed so that instead of being allies, the two Lee Brothers were adversaries with Jimmy becoming the leader of the street gang.

Answer: Metal Gear

"Metal Gear" was the brainchild of Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima, who worked for Konami. The first installment of the series was released for the MSX2, a Japanese personal computer, in 1987. In the game, you take control of Solid Snake, a special ops soldier who must use stealth tactics to complete his mission. Solid Snake was tasked with infiltrating a secret military installation by his commanding officer Big Boss.

There, he discovered a bipedal tank with nuclear capabilities, aka Metal Gear.

At the end Solid Snake found out that Big Boss was the mastermind behind Metal Gear the entire time. Later games would eventually reveal that Solid Snake was one of Big Boss' cloned sons. "Metal Gear" was ported to the NES in 1988. However, the console version of "Metal Gear" was heavily modified and is often seen as being an inferior game when compared to the MSX2 version.

Answer: Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

"Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" was first released in 1987 by Konami for the Famicom in Japan where it was titled "Dracula II: Noroi no Fuin" (Dracula II: Seal of the Curse). In the original "Castlevania", vampire hunter Simon Belmont had been successful in defeating Count Dracula, the lord of the nosferatu.

However, Simon Belmont was inflicted with a curse that caused his body to start decomposing like a corpse. In order to cure himself, Simon Belmont needed to search for Dracula's remains and bring the dark prince back to life in order to defeat him once again.

The game was released in Japan less than a year after the original "Castlevania". "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" was released in North America on December 1, 1988.

Answer: Street Fighter

Japanese game developer Capcom released the first "Street Fighter" game as an arcade cabinet in 1987. In 1991, its sequel "Street Fighter II" was released and soon became a staple in arcades around the world. "Street Fighter II" would eventually be ported to the Super Nintendo.

The original "Street Fighter" was ported to personal computer systems, but was not ported over to the Famicom or NES. In "Street Fighter II", the Thai fighter named Sagat had a long scar across his chest. This scar was said to have been caused by the Japanese martial artist Ryu during the first "Street Fighter" tournament.

Answer: Mike Tyson

Famous American boxer Mike Tyson won his first heavyweight championship on November 22, 1986. To capitalize on his success, Nintendo decided to make Mike Tyson the face of their boxing game "Punch-Out!!" which was released in 1987 as "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!" for the NES. Mike Tyson himself would be programmed in as the final opponent of the game and was known to be pretty difficult to defeat.

However, in 1990, Nintendo's contract with Mike Tyson expired, which meant that the title would need to be changed back to simply "Punch-Out!!" for subsequent releases.

In addition, Mike Tyson's in game character was replaced with Mr. Dream.

Answer: Rockman

In 1987, Capcom released the first installment of the "Mega Man"/"Rockman" series. Rock was a humanoid robot created by a scientist named Dr. Light, who also built several other robots. Dr. Light's former partner Dr. Wily stole and reprogrammed six of the robots to do his evil bidding. Rock was then rebuilt into the hero Mega Man to fight them.

The "Mega Man"/"Rockman" series became famous for its choose-a-stage system which could be completed in any order. Each robot had a signature weapon that could be transferred to Mega Man to boost his arsenal.

In addition, each robot was weak to at least one of these weapons which was first discovered through trial and error. The "Mega Man"/"Rockman" series later became a huge success for Capcom, having spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs.

Answer: Final Fantasy

Japanese game developer Square (now known as Square Enix) first entered the video game market in 1983, but the titles that they initially produced were unsuccessful in producing a profit for the company. Square then decided to put their money behind a role playing game that represented their last ditch effort to avoid bankruptcy.

The appropriately titled "Final Fantasy" was released for the Famicom in Japan on December 18, 1987. The original "Final Fantasy" became successful enough in Japan to warrant two sequels by the year 1990, which is the year that the original "Final Fantasy" finally arrived in North America. "Final Fantasy" has since become one of the most successful RPG game franchises in the industry.