Author: admin
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CloudPhobia
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Unknown CloudPhobia is yet another excellent freeware horizontal shooter from Japan. Featuring excellent “mecha” designs that are reminiscent of Gundam series, the game looks great and plays even better. In this “time attack” game, there is only one level:…
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MindArms
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Fancy Factory GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Fancy Factory I know it must be a cliche for longtime visitors by now, but this game deserves this: MindArms is one of the best 2D freeware fighting games I have ever played. It is not often that…
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Meander
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:ID Gaming GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, ID Gaming Meander is a good PC version of an innovative abstract board game from The Netherlands. Frequent visitors may wonder why I decide to review a freeware game that in my opinion does not merit our “Top…
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Minigolf Maniacs
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Shawn Bird GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 2001, Dynamix An unfortunate casualty of when Sierra (or more accurately, Havas Interactive) shut down Dynamix in 2001, Minigolf Maniacs is a superb unreleased mini golf game that was 80% complete – less than a month from going…
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Castlevania Haunted Castle 3
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Miguel Perez GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Miguel Perez Castlevania Haunted Castle 3 is a great freeware platformer from Miguel “MIG2” Perez, independent developer most famous for Lost Valley. In this fangame set in the Castlevania universe, you play Trevor Belmont, a hero who must…
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Allegiance
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Rashids GAME DEVELOPER:Microsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Microsoft Copyright 2000, Microsoft Allegiance is a superb and innovative massively multiplayer space combat simulation from Microsoft that pushes the genre’s envelope in many areas. In contrast to most multiplayer space combat games, Allegiance stresses the importance of team-based decisions and…
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Urban Assault
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Terratools GAME PUBLISHER:Microsoft Copyright 1998, Terratools Urban Assault is a superb and highly underrated blend of real-time strategy and first-person shooter genres – much like Uprising but with significant differences, particularly in strategic options. The Adrenaline Vault’s detailed review says it all: “The game’s…
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Pole Position II
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Namco GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1988, Namco Pole Position II is a decent EGA/VGA conversion of Namco’s arcade hit of the same name. The premise is the same as the original: drive your F1 as fast as possible to qualify for “pole position” in the…
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Vangers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrey Kouzmine GAME DEVELOPER:KD Lab GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1998, KD Lab One of the most original genre-busting games I have ever played, Vangers is a unique and captivating blend of action, racing, strategy, and even adventure elements that result in a compelling experience. As Bob…
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Booking Mpire
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mat Dickie GAME DEVELOPER:MDickie GAME PUBLISHER:MDickie Copyright 2004, Mat Dickie Booking Mpire is an excellent wrestling management simulation from Mat “MDickie” Dickie, arguablye among the world’s most underrated “lone wolf” designers. This is no average wrestling game: instead of playing a wrestler, you play a promoter…
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O-DEN2000
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:E. Hashimoto GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, E. Hashimoto O-DEN2000 is a fun, unassuming horizontal shooter from the designer of Akuji the Demon. Like in his better-known platformer, this game sports crisp graphics, smooth animations, and fluid gameplay that will delight G-Type fans. Your craft,…
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Duke Nukem: Waiting For Forever
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:AVataRR GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, AVataRR Duke Nukem: Waiting for Forever is a fun and varied Duke Nukem fangame starring the lovable smart-ass hero from 3D Realms’ series. Fellow Game Maker coder darthlupi says it all about this fun underdog in his review for…
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Pepsi Virtual Reality Game
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Pepsi GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Pepsi Pepsi Virtual Reality Game is a below-average 3D action game from Pepsi, the world’s cola giant. Aside from the dubious merit as the first 3D promotional game ever made, there is little to recommend this obscure title. This…
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Big BumpZ
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mat Dickie GAME DEVELOPER:MDickie GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Mat Dickie Big BumpZ is an addictive and original freeware wrestling game from Mat “MDickie” Dickie, maker of a fun series of wrestling game including Wrestling Mpire and Booking Mpire. In Big BumpZ, your goal is not to…
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FlapFlapFlap
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lackey GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Lackey In the increasingly crowded freeware arena, “abstract shooters” are a relatively new type of game that is quickly becoming many people’s favorites. These games typically take a minimalist approach to graphics, and concentrate instead on realistic physic and…
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Dammit!
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Roberds GAME DEVELOPER:BSX International GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1989, BSX International Dammit! is another rare solitaire game by Robert Roberds and BSX International. Theodor Lauppert gives a good overview and impression of the game at his website: “Like so many solitaire games, [Dammit!] relies far more…
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Gridly
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Roberds GAME DEVELOPER:BSX International GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, BSX International Yet another original solitaire game from Robert Roberds and BSX International, Gridly is a unique game that requires much more strategy than luck – a refreshing change from the majority of traditional solitaire variants. From…
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Leong
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Roberds GAME DEVELOPER:BSX International GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, BSX International Leong is a decent one-player board game from Robert Roberds of BSX International. As you would expect from a shareware developer that is famous for original games, Leong is yet another invention by Mr. Roberds…
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Guzzle
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Roberds GAME DEVELOPER:BSX International GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1989, BSX International Guzzle is an entertaining mix of drinking and trivia games for 2 to 4 players. The game is meant to be an “electronic companion” when you and a few friends get together for a drinking…
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HeroQuest
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Baker & Gerwin Broers GAME DEVELOPER:Games Workshop GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Gerwin Broers HeroQuest is a superb fanmade PC version of Milton Bradley and Games Workshop’s popular but now out-of-print boardgame of the same name. In this turn-based board game in a fantasy setting, you…
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SpaceHulk-SP
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rod Taylor & David Taylor GAME DEVELOPER:Games Workshop GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Rod Taylor & David Taylor SpaceHulk-SP is a great fanmade PC version of Games Workshop’s Space Hulk boardgame, designed for single player (hence the “SP” in the name). Set in a far future, the…
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Sorcerer’s Cave
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Donnelly GAME DEVELOPER:Skookum Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Peter Donnelly Sorcerer’s Cave is a fun Windows turn-based fantasy-themed board game similar to HeroQuest. Originally a board game, this PC version is coded by the designer himself, who released this Windows version as shareware in 1995,…
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Animal Game, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Donnelly GAME DEVELOPER:Skookum Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Peter Donnelly The Animal Game is a solid PC implementation of a board game of the same name that is very popular in China but little known outside. Also known as Shou Qi or The Jungle Game,…
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Wreckin’ Crew
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Telstar GAME PUBLISHER:Telstar Copyright 1998, Telstar
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Yogho Yogho
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, Yogho Yogho Yogho Yogho is a decent platformer distributed freely with ice creams in the “Yogho Yogho” line from Campina, a giant Dutch dairy company. The game is a straightforward 2D side-scrolling platformer, with colorful cartoony graphics. There is…
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Wire Hang Redux
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Masaki Kobayashi & Mark Sibly GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Mark Sibly Wire Hang Redux is a great fanmade remake of a great Java game called Wire Hang. In this amazingly addictive coffee break title, your job is to help anime heroine named Rinrei-chan climb…
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Goats and Tigers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Anonymous Goats and Tigers is a solid PC implementation of “Bagha Chal,” a little-known board game popular in Nepal and Tibet. I have been looking high and low for a PC version of this very interesting game for months…
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Turncoat
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Donnelly GAME DEVELOPER:Skookum Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Peter Donnelly Turncoat is a very interesting and original strategy game designed by Peter Donnelly. In the designer’s words, Turncoat “…is a simulation of a card game pitting one human against three AI opponents. The theme of…
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Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Frank Abbing & David Crane GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Frank Abbing Pitfall II is a superb fanmade Windows remake of Activision’s classic action game designed by the now-legendary David Crane. The game takes the original frantic jump ‘n run action, but propels it to…
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Card Puzzles
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:NZP GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, NZP Card Puzzles is yet another excellent freeware card puzzle collection from NZP. This collection, in the author’s words, includes “…five clever conundrums with playing cards. Several varieties of puzzles are included in this collection – stacking and sequence…
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Robocop 2D
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Park Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Park Productions RoboCop 2D is an excellent freeware remake of RoboCop, a fun arcade platformer game that was ported to PC by Data East (which you can download from this site). Like the original, you play RoboCop, a…
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Clone
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mathieu Frenette GAME DEVELOPER:Antares Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Antares Productions Clone is a fun but very little known shareware puzzle game from Antares, published by LaserPoint Software in 1997. Since LaserPoint no longer existed, the full registered version is being distributed as freeware from the…
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Test Drive: Off-Road
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Accolade GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1997, Accolade Test Drive: Off-Road is a disappointing entry in Accolade’s classic Test Drive series. Even a rocking soundtrack cannot save this marginal underdog from mediocrity. Greg Kasavin’s review at GameSpot says it all: “The ancient conflict of man…
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Messiah
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Damien GAME DEVELOPER:Shiny Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 2000, Shiny Entertainment One of the most original 3D action games ever made, Shiny’s Messiah was a game that largely lived up to its hype, but unfortunately was met with mixed results. People who encountered bugs seemed to…
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Daikatana
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Romero GAME DEVELOPER:ION Storm GAME PUBLISHER:EIDOS Interactive Copyright 2001, ION Storm One of the most “hyped” games in the history of PC gaming, Daikatana is an ambitious FPS, a brainchild of id Software legend John Romero that is more famous for suffering through innumerable development…
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X-COM: UFO Defense Collector’s Edition
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Julian Gollop & Nick Gollop GAME DEVELOPER:Mythos Games GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1998, Firaxis X-COM and its sequel Terror from the Deep are two veritable strategy masterpieces that need no introduction. Massively popular and deservedly so, the only reason you find them here on this site (which…
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X-COM: Terror from the Deep Collector’s Edition
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Julian Gollop & Nick Gollop GAME DEVELOPER:Mythos Games GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1998, Firaxis X-COM and its sequel Terror from the Deep are two veritable strategy masterpieces that need no introduction. Massively popular and deservedly so, the only reason you find them here on this site (which…
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Necrotic Drift
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robb Sherwin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Robb Sherwin Necrotic Drift is a fun graphical “survival horror text adventure” that plays like a modern cross between From Dusk Till Dawn and Underworld movies. Like Sherwin’s previous game Fallacy of Dawn, the game is set in…
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Captain Pork’s Revenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Captain Pork GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Captain Pork Captain Pork’s Revenge is a superior sequel to Captain Pork’s World of Violence, itself one of the best Liero clones ever made. In the author’s own words, the game features “…many vast improvements over World of…
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Adventure 770
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Arnautov GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Mike Arnautov Adventure 770 is an excellent version of Will Crowther’s and Don Woods’ Adventure (a.k.a. Colossal Cave), the first adventure game ever made. As befits a watermark in gaming, the original game has gotten so many fanmade…
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To Hell in a Hamper
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Guest GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Jason Guest To Hell in a Hamper is an excellent one-room game from Jason Guest, originally coded in ARIFT and later ported to TADS, a better version which fixes a lot of bugs in the original release. Emily…
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Act of Misdirection, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Callico Harrison GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Callico Harrison The Act of Misdirection is an excellent first game by Callico Harrison. Despite some inconsistency in the writing (some parts “flow” better than others, and sometimes the writing style shifts in an incongruous way) and parser…
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Typing of the Dead, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:Empire Interactive Copyright 2000, SEGA The Typing of the Dead is a fun and addictive typing “game” from SEGA, essentially taking House of the Dead 2 and replacing the player’s gun with a keyboard. This review of the Dreamcast version (which is…