Top Video Games of 1988/89 Quiz | Video Games Mixture

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This hockey game, by Konami, was a critically acclaimed game for many reasons. First of all, it featured some voiceovers, and even let the player play another classic Konami game between the second and third periods. What game is this?

Answer: Blades of Steel

"Blades of Steel" was a hockey game best known for its fast paced action and its simple but addictive fighting engine. There were eight teams in the game, four Canadian, and four American. There were two modes of play standard to most hockey games: exhibition and tournament.

The game also featured voice technology which was very rare for the time. A notable extra included into the game was most likely the small sampler of "Gradius" included in between the second and third periods.

2. Although not exactly made in 1988, this game was ported to the NES because of its success in arcades around the world. The game, developed by Namco, was simple: fly your ship and blast incoming aliens. What game was this?

Answer: Galaga

"Galaga" is essentially a sequel to "Galaxian". "Galaga" was originally released in 1981 in arcades but saw a Nintendo port beneficial to its success. "Galaga" was far more popular than "Galaxian" because your ship could shoot more rapidly, move more rapidly, and also included a two-player mode.

3. This Konami mega-franchise made its North American debut in 1988. The premise of the game was to sneak around avoiding bad guys and rescue a character named Grey Fox. What game was this?

Answer: Metal Gear

"Metal Gear" was Hideo Kojima's first project in the gaming world. The game was something almost unheard of before, as a fairly intelligent A.I. system was included into the game. The stealth element was well implemented and the game could only be completed if someone mastered the stealth techniques available to Snake.

4. This game was never intended to be a sequel to a 1986 mega-hit, as it was originally named "Doki Doki Panic". The game did offer the first incarnations of Bob-ombs, Shy Guys, and Pokeys. What game is this?

Answer: Super Mario Brothers 2

"Super Mario Brothers 2" is perhaps the most unique game in the entire "Mario" series. The purpose behind the remake of a game called "Doki Doki Panic", was that the original Japanese release of another "Super Mario Brothers 2", proved unpopular in Japan because of its insane difficulty and redundant level design. Knowing that the game would fail in America, Japan released "Super Mario Brothers 2", as it is today: a unique adventure where you play as Mario, Toad, Luigi, or Princess Peach.

5. The sequel to the famous "Zelda" game was finally released in 1988 and not a moment too soon for fans. Upon release, fans were shocked to discover that the gameplay had been radically overhauled. Although the game was very popular, it did receive mixed reviews for its changes. What was the change that made most people discontent with the game?

Answer: Side-scrolling fight levels

"Zelda II: The Adventure of Link" is the only game in the "Legend of Zelda" series to not have a consistent title. "Zelda II", unlike its predecessor featured more RPG-like elements, like powering up weapons, gaining experience, and upgrading items in your inventory.

The big thing that fans disliked was the radically changed gameplay, involved in dungeons, and battles. The story of the game followed Link, as he went on a quest to bring Princess Zelda back from a deep sleep induced by Ganon. Only using the Triforce of Courage, and wielding the power of six magical crystals, could Link defeat Ganon and revive Zelda.

6. In 1989, Hudson Soft, a small-time game developer released a revolutionary strategic maze game. The object in it was to blast your way through a level by destroying walls and blowing up baddies in the level. What game had its franchise debut in 1989?

Answer: Bomberman

The general goal throughout the series is to complete the levels by strategically placing bombs to kill enemies and destroy obstacles. Most of the games in the series have remained true to the game's winning formula, though some have taken on different characteristics. "Bomberman" has retained its popularity over the years because of its addictive and entertaining gameplay.

7. In 1989, this RPG franchise made its game debut. The first iteration was developed by Nintendo, but all future variants were developed by Enix. The game took place in a fictional land, called Alefgard, and featured a villain by the name of Dragonlord. What game was this?

Answer: Dragon Warrior

The graphical changes made to the American release made the Japanese version of "Dragon Warrior" seem like ancient technology. It also added a back-up save feature, similar to that of the "Zelda" games. The Japanese version only used passwords to allow the player to continue. Nintendo was impressed with the Japanese sales of the title and overproduced the cartridge. To compensate for that apparent error in judgment, by marketing, Nintendo gave away copies of "Dragon Warrior" to American consumers just for subscribing to the fames 'Nintendo Power' magazine.

The game featured some outdated ideas, by today's standards, as it featured one-one-one combat, and a very limited amount of items, spells, dungeons, and towns. Regardless of that, the game was popular enough to spawn seven sequels, excluding spin-offs of the franchise.

8. This ninja game made its franchise debut in 1989. Tecmo had done it again, with its second game in two years to become a critically acclaimed bestseller. The series made a brand new revitalization on the Xbox console. What game was this?

Answer: Ninja Gaiden

"Ninja Gaiden" earned its spot in gamers hearts for its unique ideas in presenting gameplay. The game had flashy, though inanimate cinematics, and featured a high difficulty level that was mainly because of the fact that Ninja arts could not be used until players collected enough power-ups. Once the player used the Ninja-arts, those power-ups would disappear, forcing the player to collect another batch of power-ups before they die and get sent back to the start of the game.

9. This football game released by Tecmo had gained widespread praise for its realistic rendition of the game. Although graphically primitive, it did feature many things that football games had not yet thought of at the time. What game was this?

Answer: Tecmo Bowl

"Tecmo Bowl" contained twelve teams and a very realistic presentation of the game of Football. Although the game was widely praised by fans of Football, it was not without it faults. The main fault with the game was that any pass thrown to a covered receiver resulted in an interception, and it was unrealistically easy to block field goals and extra points.

10. In 1989, Capcom released a sequel to its critically acclaimed game from 1987. Dr. Wily has returned and reprogrammed robots, with different elemental powers, to do his biddings. Very similar to the first game and foreshadowed the eventual downpour of Capcom sequels to come. What game was this?

Answer: Megaman 2

"Megaman 2" made little changes from its predecessor but its freshness had not yet been spoiled to gamers. The North American release of the game had a choice of difficulty levels, as some may have considered the game to be too difficult. The two difficulties were "Normal" and "Difficult". "Difficult" was the level at which the game was originally released. Because the small changes did so much to enhance gameplay, "Megaman 2" is considered by many fans as the best game in the series, and was even named as one of the greatest games of all time, by Gamespot.

Source: Author Bruce007

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Top Video Games of 1988/89 Trivia Quiz

1988 and 1989 continued the rising success of video game entertainment. See if you know the top games of these two years.

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