Alongside the likes of Capcom, Konami and Namco, Data East was one of the quintessential software makers of the '80s arcade scene, but unlike those other firms it perhaps didn't have the pulling power to ensure long-term success. The company has long since been dissolved and its properties sold to the highest bidder, and while it lacks brands with the same impact as its rivals, it's library contains names that are sure to elicit nostalgic grins from gamers of a particular age.
As such, Data East is the perfect topic for the next in Hardcore Gaming 101's superb run of publications, following on from the likes of Sega and Konami. While some of its games have a considerable degree of fame – BurgerTime, RoboCop, Karnov, Midnight Resistance, Bad Dudes and Joe & Mac being notable examples – it's striking how many of the company's titles are obscure or largely unknown outside of coin-op circles. Flicking through the pages of this book you're almost certain to see a game you've never heard of, even if you consider yourself to be a seasoned gaming veteran.
Oddities like Tumblepop, Night Slashers and Boogie Wings will be news to many casual retro fans, largely because they never made it out of the arcades and onto home consoles at the time of release, meaning they only found fame with those who frequented amusement centers on a regular basis back in the '80s and early '90s. While it's true that the reason for the lack of console ports was due in part to the average quality of many of Data East's games – something this book doesn't shy away from – the fact that you're likely to view such games with a completely fresh perspective makes them fascinating.
Games like Psycho-Nics Oscar, Gondomania, Desert Assault and Act-Fancer: Cybernetick Hyper Weapon and Hippodrome may not be the finest examples of coin-op gaming but many of them boast interesting ideas as well as honing concepts seen in other games.
Amid these arcade exclusives there are examples which really should have found more fame. Take the brilliantly named The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy, for example. Released in 1990, this whip-cracking adventure put the licensed Indiana Jones titles to shame with its incredible scaling and rotational effects, making it a real treat for those who choose to play it today via MAME. The sheer volume of ideas on display in this title has led to Hardcore Gaming 101 branding it "a Treasure game before Treasure even existed", and it's a tragedy that it hasn't been experienced by more players.
Another highlight is the aforementioned Boogie Wings, also known as The Great Ragtime Show. A side-scrolling 2D shooter which boasts a steampunk-style aesthetic and is packed with bizarre enemies and levels. You can use your plane's hook to grapple virtually anything and use it as a weapon, and when your craft is destroyed the pilot leaps out and continues the battle on foot, with the ability to control any other vehicle (and in some cases, animal) he finds. It's a deliciously original and inventive shooter but remained exclusive to arcades, and would have been entirely forgotten were it not for modern-day emulation.
Data East's more famous offerings get plenty of attention in the book as well, as you might expect. Magical Drop has several pages devoted to it, while other titles are loosely grouped into series – Vapor Trail is followed by connected shooters Rohga: Armor Force and Skull Fang, for example. 1991's Captain America and the Avengers gets a glowing write-up thanks to its interesting take on the scrolling beat 'em up, and Neo Geo fan-favourite Windjammers is lavished with almost equal praise – and rightly so.
The book is less kind to Data East's attempt to cash-in on the Mortal Kombat craze with Tattoo Assassins, which was produced by the company's North American division. Featuring digitised sprites and goofy special moves which include farting on your opponent, this unreleased title is so bad it's almost amusing. Despite the involvement of Bob Gale, the screenwriter for the Back to the Future movies, it never even made it into arcades but a playable ROM exists which can be booted up in MAME – another piece of gaming history saved from oblivion by emulation.
Pound for pound, Data East arguably isn't in the same league as some of the other heavyweights of arcade gaming's golden era, but that's what makes the company's output – and this book – so interesting. It's also a vital piece of history as Data East isn't around these days to iterate on the ideas and concepts it crafted during the '80s and '90s, so be sure to pick up a copy if you have any interest in retro or coin-op gaming. It also serves as the perfect accompaniment to the hard-to-find Data East Arcade Classics, released on the Wii back in 2011.
Comments 20
Great review. I am definitely going to get this book. Love late 80s/early 90s arcade games and so love Data East.
Tumblepop was awesome. I used to play it at a campground all the time. Always had quarters for that- 25cents per play. I'm old.
I got that Data East Collection that came out for Wii. Surprisingly, it is worth more than the $20 I paid for it now.
I did used to like Data East quite a lot actually - Robocop and Bad Dudes vs. Dragonninja were two huge games from my youth. Back then the home versions were on cassette and were way, way inferior to the coin-ops. I wanted the true arcade versions so much.
Crude Buster was a favourite of my teenage years, and I did play Captain America and the Avengers, but it didn't make much of an impression on me to be honest. It's a bit of a shame these aren't appearing on the eShop.
Ah, yes, Data East. They've made a number of fun games. In fact, Tumblepop is one of my personal top-5 arcade games of all time! I played it all the time when I was a teenager. I can consistently beat it in one credit!
I used to stare in awe at the Cobra Command arcade screen at 7-11. I remember being so disappointed after I finally obtained a copy of the NES port. I think it was the first time I was struck with the reality of the vast difference between the arcades and home consoles, back in the late '80s.
Magical Drop 3 was my favorite.
I actually have a Marvel Legends Lineup on my shelf based on the four Avengers you could select from the Data East Arcade game.
@MetalKingShield Crude Buster is such a great game. Utterly bonkers and not actually that good in terms of quality, but man, it practically screams 1990.
I got my copy, and now I want a Atomic runner on the Sega Genesis
I remember Bad Dudes. I'M BAD!!! I Liked some of there Neo Geo games too.
Looks pretty cool.
Very cool. I love playing DE games in MAME. They don't make em like this anymore. And the Scaling/Rotation in The Cliffhanger RE, awesomeness that will especially never be made like that again
Nice review, Damo. Data East was one of a number of companies that could knock it out of the park every now and then. To be fair, even the likes of Sega, SNK, Konami, Capcom and Namco had their filler releases of lower quality, but I guess their output was high enough to get more good games out there. Nice bunch of games mentioned here. Windjammers is very good, and I often forget it's Data East and not SNK. I took a chance on Captain America for the Genesis when it came out and I still think it's good and fun(with some flaws), despite many reviews that say otherwise. I like the arcade version as well. I recall liking Thunder Zone/Desert Assault quite a bit. Bloody Wolf was great fun on the PC Engine and a game I'll definitely go back to. A shame it lost two-player option in the home conversion, as it's improved over the arcade version in other ways.
@Damo - I agree. My 12-year-old self just loved the fact they could pick up cars and wearily said "What a day..." when they ran out of energy.
Oh. _ I got all excited thinking someone was making a Collection to play.
B-Wings, specially for NES, remember that game because was one of my first games that I met and "almost" I played;
also, the soundtrack of that game was very interesting.
Data East is awesome. Great memories on my Game Boy with Burgertime Deluxe, Lock 'N Chase, Tumblepop, & Nail 'N Scale.
@blackknight77 I have Atomic Runner! Great game! Bought brand new and still today in like new condition!
I have 2 copies of the "hard to find" Data East Arcade Classics for the Wii. One is factory sealed! 😉
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