01
February 20, 1987
Contra is released in Japanese arcades
Konami's run-and-gun game begins with soldiers, aliens and relentless forward pressure.
spread-shot card
Gaming History, One Month at a Time
GTM-1987-02
February 1987
Contra begins as an arcade cabinet before becoming a home-memory machine.
ContraKonamiarcadesrun-and-gun
Timeline archive
Select a year
1987 month drawer
Installed months are active; empty drawers are held for future exhibits.
Gallery 01
News
Five researched moments, with broad context separated from confident month-level claims.
02
February 1987
Arcade action is becoming more militarised
Run-and-gun design turns the screen into a constant push against incoming fire.
arcade fireline
03
February 1987
The home version is still future tense
For many players, Contra's strongest memory will come through later home releases.
future cartridge
04
February 1987
UK micros remain separate from the arcade floor
British players often meet arcade names through previews, conversions and word of mouth.
conversion label
05
February 1987
No other major February anchor is forced
The drawer keeps Contra central rather than filling space with weak dates.
single-cabinet plinth
Gallery 02
Releases
Eight notable games from the year, led by month-specific anchors where the evidence supports them.
February 20, 1987Arcade
run-and-gun
Contra
Konami's run-and-gun action begins in arcades before becoming a home-console memory.
January 14, 1987Famicom Disk System
Zelda sequel
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Nintendo's sequel moves Link into side-scrolling action and RPG-like progression.
January 26, 1987Famicom
console RPG landmark
Dragon Quest II
Enix expands console RPG structure into a larger party and broader quest.
April 1987Arcade
beat-'em-up landmark
Double Dragon
Technos turns street fighting into a two-player scrolling beat-'em-up template.
June 4, 1987DOS
adult adventure
Leisure Suit Larry
Sierra's adult comedy adventure becomes a strange, talk-about-it computer-shop object.
July 1, 1987Arcade
shooter landmark
R-Type
Irem's shooter makes memorisation, the Force pod and body-horror staging feel inseparable.
July 13, 1987MSX2
stealth origin
Metal Gear
Hideo Kojima's stealth-action experiment starts on Japanese MSX2 hardware.
July 1987Arcade
Sega super-scaler
After Burner
Sega's jet cabinet sells speed, motion and spectacle.
Gallery 03
Hardware
Four machines or technology contexts that explain the month's place in gaming history.
PC Engine
NEC and Hudson's tiny HuCard console launches in Japan on October 30, opening a new hardware front.
HuCard mediacompact consoleJapan-first launch
NES / Famicom
The Japanese Famicom and Western NES histories are no longer moving in sync.
cartridge consoleFamicom Disk Systemregional libraries
Sega Master System / Mark III
Sega's 8-bit console hosts Phantasy Star in Japan and remains a different proposition by region.
cartridges/cardsMaster SystemJapanese Mark III context
UK 8/16-bit computers
Spectrum, C64, CPC, Amiga and ST define much of the British lived experience.
cassette and disk softwaremulti-format magazinesjoysticks
Gallery 04
Magazine Covers
Period magazine context, using reconstructed placeholders until verified cover scans are available.
October 1987
ACE
Future's multi-format magazine arrives with a more technical, score-led voice. Reconstructed placeholder, not a verified scan.
October-November 1987
The Games Machine
Newsfield brings its Crash/Zzap energy to a broader multi-format audience. Reconstructed placeholder, not a verified scan.
1987
Crash
The Spectrum shelf remains central to UK games culture. Reconstructed placeholder, not a verified scan.
1987
Zzap!64
The Commodore 64 scene keeps its own loud monthly identity. Reconstructed placeholder, not a verified scan.
Gallery 05
Online Life
Before online gaming was ordinary, paper, shops and local conversations carried the culture.
Print is the real network
ACE, The Games Machine, Crash and Zzap!64 move information faster than most players' modems.
BBS and online services remain specialist
A small enthusiast world exists, but ordinary gaming culture is still local and paper-led.
Import knowledge travels slowly
Japanese console releases become rumours, screenshots and tiny news items before they become playable.
The playground is still the feed
Cheats, arcade sightings and which conversion is terrible move by voice first.
Gallery 06
What It Felt Like
A short atmospheric reading of the month as a player might have met it.
01
The map was widening
February 1987 could mean a Japanese console RPG, a Sega arcade cabinet, a UK Spectrum review and a PC adventure all at once.
02
Britain felt format-first
The question was not just what game mattered, but which machine, which conversion and which magazine said so.
03
Arcades still had physical authority
R-Type, After Burner, Street Fighter and Shinobi felt like objects as much as software.
04
The future arrived out of order
Japanese consoles, American PCs and British micros made history in overlapping but unsynchronised timelines.