Capcom Classics Collection 2-2

We're up to 1987 with Avengers. Avengers is a strange one in that it's an overhead brawler. It actually plays a little bit like Gauntlet with the flood of enemies coming at you from all sides as you make your way through Paradise City. The gameplay is about as simple as action gets. You have a joystick to move and one button to punch and another to kick. Pressing punch and kick together gives you a spinning kick. You make your way through wave after wave of enemies until you fight a boss and move on to the next stage. The story of Avengers has you playing to rescue kidnapped girls. You know what's implied there, don't you? Unless you save these girls it's going to be an orgy of rape for them at the hands of their hundreds of captors. The game allows for powering up your attacks and healing items and the like through smashing objects within the stages. The graphics are decent as is the sound. The gameplay is decent fun.

Also from 1987 is Black Tiger. The game is the standard action title of the era that tries to introduce elements of adventure. The joystick controls the character who happens to be a barbarian. You get one button to attack and another for jumping. Your attacks are strangely almost shooter like in that you throw out your main weapon straight out while also shooting out three daggers at different angles all with one push of the button. The gameplay is all run and jump and slash through the hordes until a boss battle. They add in some adventure aspects with villagers to save who will give you money, items, or advice. Money is also collected from defeated enemies and can be used to purchase better weapons and armor and anti-poison potions and the like in shops. Each stage has a hidden bonus dungeon to find and play through. The game has a Dungeons and Dragons approach to the art. The gameplay is tough and some of the boss battles are very difficult. There are some appearances here from other Capcom characters such as Firebrand the Demon.

Tiger Road is another title from 1987. This one has you playing as a monk who must travel to the badguy's fortress and rescue the kidnapped children. It's set in an ancient China filled with sorcery. Again the controls are as simple as it gets. You have the classic joystick for movement with buttons for attack and jump. The standard breaking of items reveals icons that will give you new weapons, fill your life a little and completely, and even take some life away. This is a pure action platform title. There are bosses at the halfway point and the end of the stages. The bonus levels are training levels and they're quite original in that if you successfully complete them you'll permanently earn new attacks or more power or more life. You only get one shot at each bonus stage. The graphics in Tiger Road are great. The game features large sprites in detailed and colorful backgrounds. The music is pretty good.  The game is freaking hard though. In both the platforming action and the boss battles. The final boss of Tiger Road is a guy named Ryuken. He might as well be M. Bison without the hat.  He even has an attack that's a literal dragon punch. There is some definite influence here for later Street Fighter titles.