This batch ranges from straightforward licensed platformers to handheld action games that make room for exploration, puzzles, or a nervous bit of resource management.

Action Man: Search for Base X

Action Man’s hunt for Base X sends Alex Mann through seven environments in pursuit of Dr. X, with hidden routes leading to weapons and battle suits. The mix of running, jumping, shooting, and searching for gear gives its compact campaign more to do than a straight march to the next boss.

AirForce Delta

AirForce Delta’s ten-mission campaign is described as a behind-the-plane flight-action game built around dogfights, ground strikes, bosses, and money for aircraft upgrades. With eight aircraft in the notes, the interesting question is whether players favor a nimble fighter or save their cash for a heavier machine.

Aliens: Thanatos Encounter

the Thanatos rescue runs give the top-down shooting an unusually sharp edge: a captured marine has 200 seconds to be recovered by another squad member. Carrying the motion tracker also means sacrificing a weapon slot, a choice that suits the cramped freighter setting beautifully.

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

Carnby’s Shadow Island investigation trades between fixed-screen exploration and eight-direction combat encounters, with keys, notes, and scarce ammunition shaping the route through the mansion. Keeping the Game Boy Color version focused on Edward Carnby makes this a leaner case than the larger releases.

Animorphs

the Animorphs’ animal forms are gathered through DNA collection and then brought into turn-based battles, alongside five action-oriented mini-games. A bear for force, an eagle for scouting, or a panther for stealth is the sort of lineup that invites a proper favorite-morph debate.

Antz

Z’s trek across Ant Island covers 19 side-scrolling stages, using crouching, hiding, rope climbing, and swinging to keep the movie tie-in moving. The boss encounters and insect-scale hazards sound more promising than a platformer that only asks for long jumps.

Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.

the Armorines’ bug hunt is a top-down assault where plasma rifles, flamethrowers, and lasers are swapped according to the enemy in front of you. The tunnel-and-complex settings are punctuated by large bosses, so learning a weapon preference matters as much as staying mobile.

Army Men: Air Combat

the miniature helicopter sorties span 16 missions with rescue work, supply drops, bombing runs, and attacks on fortified positions. Which objective type best fits the plastic-soldier setting: escorting allies, hunting targets, or threading a chopper through anti-air fire?

Astérix: Search for Dogmatix

the search for Dogmatix lets Asterix handle agile jumps while Obelix breaks obstacles, then opens its stages through a non-linear map. Coins, keys, an inn, arena bosses, and Instant Fun games make this sound like the most deliberately playful stop in the set.

Asteroids

Activision’s reworked Asteroids expands the arcade formula with five zones, selectable ships, regenerating crystals, hostile craft, and limited-use tools such as homing missiles and trigger bombs. The hidden classic mode is a pleasingly direct challenge: would you rather clear the expanded campaign or chase scores under the old vector-style rules?

Of these action games, which one would you revisit first for its extra hook: Thanatos Encounter’s rescue timer, Search for Dogmatix’s two heroes, or Animorphs’ morph selection?