1988

37 games in archive from 1988

Mega Drive, Mario 3 and Nintendo Power

In 1988 Sega launched the Mega Drive in Japan, Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 3 there six days earlier, and Dragon Quest III sold 3.8 million copies. The NES was the world's best-selling system by far, Nintendo Power began publication in the US, and Namco pointed the arcade toward 3D polygons.

Mega Drive (29 October)

Sega released the Mega Drive in Japan on 29 October, its 16-bit console that would be sold in North America as the Genesis.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (23 October)

Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Famicom in Japan; it would not reach North America until 1990.

Nintendo Power (July)

Nintendo published the first issue of Nintendo Power, replacing its Nintendo Fun Club News newsletter, which ended with issue 7 in June.

Namco Goes Polygonal

Namco released its System 21 arcade board for 3D polygon graphics and, in December, Winning Run, its first 3D polygon game.

Nintendo at Its Height

The NES and Famicom sold more than 8.5 million units worldwide in 1988, and Nintendo's third-party partners released some of the system's defining games. Enix's Dragon Quest III came out in February and sold 3.8 million copies in Japan; Tecmo released Ninja Gaiden in December; and Capcom released Mega Man 2 in Japan on Christmas Eve. In the United States the best-selling game was the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge bundled in the NES Action Set, the best-selling toy of the year.

The 16-Bit Challenge

Sega's Mega Drive arrived in Japan in October, six days after Super Mario Bros. 3, and would become Nintendo's most serious competitor. In the arcades, After Burner was the top earner in Japan, Double Dragon in the United States and Operation Wolf in the United Kingdom. On computers, SSI published Pool of Radiance, the first of its Gold Box Dungeons & Dragons games.