Astounded Catfish

Blades of Steel (1987) First released in the Arcade and the NES a year later, this game from Konami was the hockey equivalent to the earlier Double Dribble. 5-on-5 action, goal celebrations, player entrances, and fighting all gave the game unique flavor proving that an NHL license was not necessary.

Street Fighter (1987) The original game in this series is largely forgotten, but was important in video game history for the evolution of the fighting genre. Players had three different punch and kick attack strength types to use as well as special combination moves. You could only fight as Ryu.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987) Departing from the gameplay of the original, in this game you control the cursed Simon Belmont who must roam the land to find a cure. It's a non-linear RPG helping coin the term Metroidvania. Day/Night cycles result in shops opening/closing & different monsters.

Rad Racer (1987) Arcade style racer by Square with fast-paced action to navigate point-to-point circuits from around the world. Players pick a Ferrari or Formula-style racecar, avoiding the other cars, and getting to checkpoints before time expires. Also had iconic soundtrack and a 3D glasses mode.

Double Dragon (1987) A genre-defining co-op beat em up game by Technos. Players use a variety of different moves & weapons as they deal punishment on their way to rescue the girl. Colorful & detailed sprites and levels let the game stand out, marking the beginning of a golden age for this genre.

R-Type (1987) Iconic and superbly difficult space shooter with mechanical/alien type enemies and environments. Enemies and bosses followed specific patterns that led to player success if memorized. The player ship had powerups could fire charged shots and produce a shield. Released on many platforms

NetHack (1987) Based off the game Hack, this free open-source title is essentially "Rogue-on-Steroids" - a sneaky deep turn-based RPG with procedural dungeons, many classes to play, strategies, and permadeath of course! The goal is to get to the bottom floor and find the elusive Amulet of Yendor.

California Games (1987) An event compilation game from Epyx in the vein of Track & Field, but featuring X-Games-like events: roller-skating, surfing, BMX, and hackysack, etc. Released on more than 12 platforms with remarkable consistency, it filled the gaming void for a growing set of "Alt-sports."

Bases Loaded (1987) This baseball game from Jaleco took a different approach in that it ditched the standard behind-homeplate view that all baseball games had and instead took the view from behind the pitcher. The unique perspective gave a more three dimensional-like experience was a new challenge.

Mickey Mousecapade (1987) Platform adventure game from Capcom featuring the Disney stars Mickey and Minnie Mouse. While the player controls only Mickey, Minnie Mouse follows him around and can get kidnapped. If Minnie fails to make a jump, a life is lost, even if Mickey made it safely.

Contra (1987) This run & gun platformer from Konami was a huge hit in the arcade & NES. The game puts the player(s) in the typical role of saving the world from terrorists that are being controlled by... aliens. Some levels were 3D-like where you advance through corridors. Many collectable powerups.

Dragon Quest 2 (1987) Known in the US market as Dragon Warrior II, the second game in this series brought with it a party of three heroes instead of just one, tying them all together with a common quest to save the world. Battles now also feature multiple enemies and each hero has their strengths.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) The sequel to the critically-acclaimed first game was quite a surprise and a departure from the gameplay seen in its predecessor. This game was instead a more brutally difficult action platformer with an XP system. Still plenty of adventure and secrets though.

The Ford Simulator (1987) Sent as a floppy in magazines as an advertisement and also available to play in dealerships, this driving simulator had unique physics for each car, from Mustangs to a Bronco. While gameplay was basic, it did feature different modes such as drag racing and circuit races.

Uridium (1986) This quality space shooter tasks the player with taking down large spaceships by first eliminating the defenses and then landing to place explosives to destroy the big ship's reactor. Gameplay was remarkably smooth and the player could fly in all 4 directions like Defender.

The Sentinel (1986) Unique puzzle game was one of the first to feature full 3D graphics. The goal is to avoid the gaze of the Sentinel - an Eye of Sauron-like that drained your energy with its gaze. Energy is gained by consuming trees/rocks & used to teleport or place objects like Synthoids.