1st games to use the level/level boss format?

[Blackjack]

What would have been the first (or some of the first) games made to use the level>level boss thing?

 

A quick look in my Mame Favorites turned up these:

 

Shinobi (87)

Chelnov (88)

Renegade (86)

R-Type (87)

Sunset Riders (91)

[J.Max]

Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Phoenix (1982)

[Ze_ro]

If you consider the flag ship as a boss character, then I'd say Gorf (1981)... although it has four levels between boss fights.

 

--Zero

[8th lutz]

I think time pilot (1982)might count. This is an enemy boss that comes out if you you don't take out all 56 planes.

Shoa-lin's Road. (1985)Each 2nd level of each stage has a boss mixed in with other enemies.

 

Wonderboy(87)-sms

contra (87)-arcade

Megaman(87)-nes

Castlevaina(87)-nes

Desert Falcon (87)-7800

Double Dragon(87) -Arcade

 

There maybe more I didn't mention from this time frame.

[JimmydelaKopin]

Galaga '88

Alien Syndrome

Heavy Barrel

Front Line

Mercs

 

...for a few more to add to the list...though I'd have to go with Midway's bastard child of Taito's Space Invaders and Namco's Galaxian and say that Gorf is the first.

[NE146]

If you consider the flag ship as a boss character, then I'd say Gorf (1981)... although it has four levels between boss fights.

 

--Zero

 

I'd say Astro Fighter had a boss... and although KLOV doesn't say so, I really do think that game came out in the 70's in the "omg it's in color" era. Because I remember it shortly after Galaxian.

 

[yuppicide]

I asked someone selling a manual and Astro Fighter indeed came out in 1980, so that would make Galaxian the first game to have end bosses since it came out in 1979.

 

If you consider the flag ship as a boss character, then I'd say Gorf (1981)... although it has four levels between boss fights.

 

--Zero

 

I'd say Astro Fighter had a boss... and although KLOV doesn't say so, I really do think that game came out in the 70's in the "omg it's in color" era. Because I remember it shortly after Galaxian.

 

976359[/snapback]

[Blackjack]

I don't remember Galaxian having level bosses...... time to "consult Mame".

[Blackjack]

If you consider the flag ship as a boss character, then I'd say Gorf (1981)... although it has four levels between boss fights.

 

--Zero

976285[/snapback]

 

I always just considered this an "additional stage", not really a boss, but of course that's completely open to opinion.

 

 

There is some pretty "gray" area here on what is or isn't a level/boss format.

[NE146]

I don't remember Galaxian having level bosses...... time to "consult Mame".

 

 

Galaxian does not have a boss.

[Spoon]

If we're talking about platform gaming with boss characters at the end of each level, then Kung-Fu Master is probably right up there from 1984.

[Tempest]

If we're talking about platform gaming with boss characters at the end of each level, then Kung-Fu Master is probably right up there from 1984.

976820[/snapback]

 

Yeah that's really the first game I can think of where there were bosses at the end of each level.

 

Tempest

[Ze_ro]

If you consider the flag ship as a boss character, then I'd say Gorf (1981)... although it has four levels between boss fights.

I always just considered this an "additional stage", not really a boss, but of course that's completely open to opinion.

 

There is some pretty "gray" area here on what is or isn't a level/boss format.

Well, it could be argued that each set of five stages constitutes one "level", ending with the flagship and your promotion. It definitely is a gray area though.

 

--Zero

[supercat]

Well, it could be argued that each set of five stages constitutes one "level", ending with the flagship and your promotion. It definitely is a gray area though.

977193[/snapback]

 

I would say that the last enemy in either Gorf or Astro Fighter should definitely count as a boss. Not that either is especially hard, but in both games you fight multiple adversaries in all the previous waves, while in the last wave you just battle one which is harder than any of the other individual adversaries.

[Flojomojo]

Boss battles always struck me as VERY Japanese for some reason. USA and European games didn't really start doing them in a big way until after the NES hit.