Top 50 Commodore 64 (C64) games of 1988 - in under 10 minutes

Hello and welcome to the fifth episode of TOP 50 Commodore 64 (C64) games in under 10 minutes.
1988 was another fantastic year for Commodore 64 gaming. Last ninja 2, Ultima 5, Bard's Tale 3, R-Type, Zak McKracken and Samurai Warrior are just a few of fantastic titles released in 1988 for the C64.
Games are, as always, presented in no particular order.
Have fun and let us know in the comments if you agree with our choices (and if we missed a title that should be on the list).

[@Lofote]

1987 and 1988 were the best years in C64 gaming history. Last Ninja 1 and 2 were just two (and the best) examples where they showed what the C64 really could do. And I can't count the number of hours that I spent with Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken.

[@Mickparrysstepdad]

I can remember upgrading from a 48k ZX spectrum to the C64 and being amazed by the sounds, graphics, and smooth movement. The speccy was my first love though...

[@ArttuTheCat]

COMMODORE 64 FOREVER 😺👍🕹️! In October 2022, i dropped by at a local game store in Tikkurila, Vantaa 🇫🇮, and bought a compilation called FISTS 'N THROTTLES for my Commodore 64 as a tape version and paid 10€. There are five legendary classic games: - DRAGON'S LAIR - BUGGY BOY - IKARI WARRIORS - THUNDERCATS - ENDURO RACER I also bought another Commodore 64 game compilation called SPACE ACE also as a tape version from the same local game store last month and paid 10€. There are seven great games: - EXOLON - ZYNAPS - CYBERNOID - M.A.S.K. III: VENOM STRIKES BACK - TRANTOR: THE LAST STORM TROOPER - XEVIOUS - NORTHSTAR And hey, awesome retrospective Commodore 64 game video 😺👍. Thank you 😸👍🕹️.

[@retrononame]

Uh, some very good titles on them compilations! Thanks for watching!

[@clauscombat418]

This is probably "my" personal, favorite C64 year. Fond memories reading through the magazines as a kid ❤️🥺

[@Scott_Bakula_is_my_DAD]

Your videos keep me feeling young, like I once was, many, many moons ago.

[@retrononame]

That's my goal actually. To bring back the feeling of them good old times, if only for a few minutes. Thank you for watching!

[@Simon0]

I was born old 🙁

[@chrisstephens6194]

I find it amazing how much better the games got for the c64 over time

[@bigmaxy07]

Went over to the Amiga in 1988 after 4 great years with my C64. Some great memories.

[@retrononame]

I was "stuck" on 8-bits (ZX Spectrum) until summer of 1991 when I got the first PC. Not gonna lie - was dreaming about having Amiga in the latter part of the 80s. :)

[@bigmaxy07]

@@retrononame Yeah in 92 I went to the 486 and the Amiga was shelved overnight ! Sad but didn't think twice about it at the time!

[@retrononame]

It's a shame what Commodore did with Amiga. With better management, Amiga could still be alive, competing with PC and Mac.

[@grantd1011]

Ikari warriors was awesome! Loved that game

[@Zett76]

Omg. So many memories (I bought my C64 in 1988, aged 12).... Playing alien syndrome co-op with my cousin... and I think I finished Wasteland, but it's WAY too long ago. :) And: hours of Pole Position 2, with my now deceased father.

[@semika79]

Oh, the good times. Remember playing about 60-70% of these. But how did i miss Purple heart back in the day? Never even heard of that one.

[@retrononame]

I always try to include at least a few games that are (in my opinion) great fun and that were not so well known back in the days.

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Great video! It is a lot of work to record playing 50 games and then edit them all together. I know personally spend hours/days putting together videos of my own. Keep it up!

[@retrononame]

Thank you very much. Comments like this makes it all (totally) worth it.

[@geertjalink]

The SID chip still can't be fully emulated but comes close to real 👍

[@CRYPTO-LUCK]

some of those games are great but hard as hell ...thank you for remembering old memories

[@retrononame]

Some of them are hard yes, but that was pretty common thing on all 8-bit machines back in the 80s. Thanks for watching!

[@Simon0]

Nice video. I grew up with the c64 so it's great to watch these kinds of videos for some much needed nostalgia!

[@retrononame]

Thank you!

[@vintageoldtoys303]

A lot of gems like zak, IM2 and others, glad you put F14 tomcat that was a great game. Nice video mate.

[@retrononame]

Thank you! I always try to include at least a few games that deserve to be in top 50 but are maybe not so well known as some others.

[@vintageoldtoys303]

@@retrononame Power at sea is in my top ten games from the c64, you definitely should to check that one, its from 1988 too.

[@wormsby74]

Dang, i feel cheated, I lived playing C64 games during that time trading floppies with other kids at school and copying games. I never heard of or played half of those games. I guess I was more out of the loop than I thought I was back then.

[@dennyhaynes3]

Great list of games from 1988, most I remembered but there was a couple I'd never seen. Love these type of videos 👍

[@retrononame]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@andrewclark8630]

The games got a lot better didn't they? I had a C64, pushed for an Amiga in 1987 but now I wish I had stayed with the C64 seeing how the quality of the games got better, and also with what you could do with the system.

[@retrononame]

Well, Amiga was a step forward in any case. I had ZX Spectrum up until 1991, when I got my first PC (286 with color VGA display). All these 8 bit computers from the 80s fascinate me though - especially, as you wrote, what programmers squeezed out of them.

[@LuteFrontier]

My 1st computer back in the days

[@IsaacKuo]

I like the look of Jet Bike Simulator at 6:30 ... the tiny sprites are definitely not the typical thing. Looks like a port from ZX Spectrum, given the 64 pixel wide border placard illustration to the right.

[@retrononame]

Jet bike simulator was the game I played on both, the ZX Spectrum and C64 back in the days. It's great fun, especially multiplayer!

[@mechamania]

This is a year before the Atari 800 hit a decade, and the C64 turned six, in this year.

[@leeannewillson7342]

loved zak mckracken and neromancer back in the day , Impossible mission 2 wernt that bad but always still loved the original more, was quite a few good sequal games in that list , arkanoid 2 was another of my quite played games of that year , i ball 2 wasnt very good at it back then but found it fun enough to keep tryin better myself, cant wait for the nxt part :)

[@retrononame]

I had love-hate relationship with I,Ball 2 back in the day. Loved the game (graphics, movement of the sprites... ) but was just so bad at it :) Thanks for watching!

[@ralffischer3465]

Barbarian 1 was cool, with the head-off-finishing-move. Had about 200 Floppy-Disks. All illegal copys. In the 80s no one matters. Today, you geh a kick in the ass.

[@lifeforce4822]

Nach diesem Video hat man wieder Lust C64 zu spielen. Danke! 🕹💪🏻😊

[@retrononame]

I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching!

[@testaajatestaaja7215]

Probably the best year for c64 gaming.

[@retrononame]

It's funny how I think to myself "this could be the best year for C64 gaming!" after each video from the year of 1985 up to this one. But yeah, 1988 has some great arguments(games) that could actually get it the title of "the best year for C64 gaming". Unless we change our minds when I release the top list for 1989 again (but I do think that by the 1989 things start to decline gaming wise on 8-bit machines) And hey, thanks for watching!

[@P5BDeluxeWiFi]

@@retrononame for 1989 I'd have.. Project Firestart, Stunt Car Racer, Turbo Outrun, Ghouls n Ghosts, Batman, Hard n Heavy, New Zealand Story, Space Rogue, Wonderboy in Monsterland, X-Out, Citadel, Demon's Kiss, First Strike and Grand Prix Circuit.

[@DeathToTheDictators]

It's funny because i'd moved on to the NES by 1988, so i didn't play any of these games (and, like an idiot, decided to basically never play any of my 'old' C64 games ever again.....who knew almost 40 years later i'd be playing my old C64 games again, via emulation lol).

[@lonardgetchell-bm9lc]

Got 4 favorites from this video. Impossible Mission 2 I played for hours. That's number 1. 2. Operation Wolf 3. Arkanoid 2 4. Outrun.

[@ThePancakeJedi]

Hawkeye should be on the list.

[@retrononame]

Now that I think about it - yeah it should probably be on the list, but I overlooked this one. Thanks for mentioning it and for watching the video!

[@HWYH.]

These games look, sound and play brilliantly even to this day. Thanks for posting.

[@spidericemidasiosmusicprod1309]

Interesting. Marauder has a Sisters Of Mercy soundtrack ("Afterhours").

[@neilthomas8070]

Interesting video, I used the computer but didn't play the games. I was a console gamer back then.

[@markholle3450]

As much as I used my C64, I didn't have many of these games. I went for a lot of the Infocom and story-based games instead of arcade ports.

[@dennisneo1608]

I had a C64 and a Plus4 back in the day. And boy did they suck, in retrospect.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

I just want to mention for the record that a buddy of mine, who later went on to be come a bicycle sports pro due to sheer innate bloodymindedness, bought and completed the cassette versions of last ninja 1+2 with no cheats.

[@sporthaas]

Great video.

[@retrononame]

Thank you!

[@manuelpassarella]

R-Type IS the GAME

[@CaptainRufus]

Weird how few of those non RPG or sims were out in the US.

[@erickrobertson7089]

The only one I remember is Pole Position... No Kung Fu Master? Thought for sure it would be on the list.

[@paumic6366]

Katakis ❤

[@RK-fy9zx]

Up to which year will the series be continued?

[@retrononame]

I will probably cover (full episodes) 1989, 1990 and 1991. And then I'll probably create another "special episode" covering games released after 1991 (so 1992 and up until today).

[@noccer_UT]

I think Gauldron 2 is missing

[@lkjyuiop1987]

Super console x got all them games

[@MephProduction]

😎

[@waxyeeratty7227]

I don't really like commodore 64 games they all got ugly bad graphics games but, I use to play c64 games when I was teenage. 8bit computer suck shit!.

[@JB.zero.zero.1]

Well, that's all we had back in the day. Many games don't stand up that well now, but I could list a dozen that are still worth playing. Hopefully you'll agree that something like Drop zone doesn't suck shit (sic).

[@funlovingvoyeur]

I know only 3 of this games, but this was also the year I got my first ‘real’ pc (with a 286 cpu)

[@retrononame]

I got my 286 a bit later - in May 1991 to be exact. I had ZX Spectrum 48k from 1985-1991 and played quite a lot of C64 games on my cousin's Commodore.

[@robertpiekosz7470]

What about the greatest game of all- The Omega Race?