Author: admin
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ArmJoe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Takase GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Takase ArmJoe is a great 2D one-on-one fighting game coded with ASCII’s Fighter Maker program. The game is an unofficial tribute to the Les Miseables broadway musical, which is in turn based on Victor Hugo’s epic novel of the…
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Moon Child
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Reinier von Viet GAME DEVELOPER:Team Hoi GAME PUBLISHER:Valkieser Copyright 1997, Team Hoi Moon Child is a fun but little-known 2D platform game that was sold in limited distribution by Dutch multimedia giant Valkieser in 1997. Billed as “oldskool gaming as it’s meant to be,” this 13-level…
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Flight Simulator Flight Shop
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:BAO Ltd. GAME PUBLISHER:Microsoft Copyright 1995, BAO Ltd. BAO’s Flight Simulator Flight Shop (FSFS) is a great add-on for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 5.1 that not only ‘fixes’ many bugs and incomplete features in the original release (such as blocky coastlines and ATC features), but…
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Reap, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Housemarque GAME PUBLISHER:Take 2 Interactive Copyright 1997, Housemarque One of the best-looking shooters ever released, The Reap from Finnish developer Housemarque features stunning visual effects and huge 3D-modelled levels spanning 4 different worlds. As the official blurb says, the game uses “…rendered graphics to…
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Dan! Da! Dan!
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:OMEGA GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, OMEGA Dan! Da! Dan! (yes, I’d like to know what this hard-to-spell title means, too) is a fun mix between puzzle and vertical shooter from OMEGA, the author of freeware classic Every Extend. A cool game that is reminiscent…
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Silence of the Chicks
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Oren Bartal GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Oren Bartal Silence of the Chicks is a superb puzzle game by Oren Bartal, maker of Ultimate Super Stack, a classic QBASIC game reviewed elsewhere on this site. The goal is simple: as a sheep, you must catch…
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Deuteros: The Next Millennium
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Bird GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1991, Ian Bird One of the best games ever made for the Amiga and Atari ST, Deuteros is the superior sequel to Millennium, Ian Bird’s 4X masterpiece that was converted to PC by Paragon Software. Dixiak Narco’s review explains…
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Robot Battle
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brad Schick GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Brad Schick Robot Battle is a great programming game in the footsteps of Apple II classic Robot War. From the official website: “Your goal is to create robots or teams of robots to compete in tournaments against friends…
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Genocide Sa-Ga
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Unknown Genocide Sa-Ga is a fanmade one-on-one fighting game using characters from Square’s Romancing Sa-Ga RPG series that were huge in Japan but never were translated into English. Even if you have never played the RPG, you will probably…
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Total Knockout Boxing
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Lobster Company GAME PUBLISHER:Starhill Productions Copyright 1995, Digital Lobster Company Total Knockout Boxing is an ambitious boxing game that uses the same cartoon style as the classic SNES game Super Punch-Out!, but falls flat on its face due to awkward controls, ridiculously easy…
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Fracas [Geckosoft]
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Geckosoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Geckosoft Fracas is a solid clone of Bomberman from Geckosoft, a short-lived shareware developer. As a wizard, your job is to lay magical bombs around the screen to defeat various enemies. The game supports 4-player hotseat mode (although the…
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Deranged Wizard’s Castle
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Engelmann GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, John Engelmann Deranged Wizard’s Castle is a great “retro” adventure game inspired by Kevin Bales’ classic Castle Adventure. You play an intrepid adventurer who goes inside the king’s castle that has been abandoned except for a lone wizard…
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Crystal Towers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Newton GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, David Newton Crystal Towers is yet another great freeware platformer game with the quality to rival commercial releases, amateurish graphics notwithstanding. Obviously inspired by Apogee’s classics like the Commander Keen games, Crystal Towers casts you as Bernard, the…
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Spice Trade
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Juha Holopainen GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Juha Holopainen Spice Trade is a very interesting historical business game that is based on a unique perspective as far as computer games go: an Arab merchant living in the 14th century, when Europeans were starting their “great…
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Splinter Source
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jerry GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Jerry Splinter Source is a fun fanmade game based on Splinter Cell. Similar to Codename: Gordon and DOOM 2D, Splinter Source presents a dimensional shift from 3D to 2D. In the author’s words: “You don’t play as Sam Fisher,…
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Flatspace
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark Sheeky GAME DEVELOPER:Cornutopia GAME PUBLISHER:Cornutopia Copyright 2005, Cornutopia One of the best space combat/trading games I have ever come across, Flatspace from Cornutopia Software is a stunning and addictive game that is well worth the $20 price tag, and fondly recalls the good old days…
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Starscape
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark Featherstone GAME DEVELOPER:Moonpod GAME PUBLISHER:Moonpod Copyright 2003, Moonpod Starscape is a superb 2D shooter/strategy mix from Moonpod Software, an independent software house founded by 3 industry experts. The combination of nonstop action, strategic elements (mainly R&D options on your fleet), an interesting “space opera” plot…
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All Things Devours
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Toby Ord GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Toby Ord All Thing Devours is a superb trial-and-error science fiction game that ranks among one of the most ingenious text adventures ever made. The
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Mingsheng
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rexx Magnus GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Rexx Magnus Mingsheng is a well-written IF game about the origins of Tai Chi. The puzzles are quite logical and well-clued, and the subject matter should appeal to most IF fans, especially those who are interested in Taoist…
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Luminous Horizons
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul O’Brian GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Paul O’Brian A well-deserved winner of the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Luminous Horizons is the closing chapter in Paul O’Brian’s fun Earth and Sky superhero series that began in 2001. The thorough and convincing review at SPAG says…
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Earth and Sky
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul O’Brian GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Paul O’Brian Earth and Sky is a fun but far too short first installment in Paul O’Brian’s Earth and Sky superhero series. You play a duo of brother and sister who accidentally discover supernatural powers while seeking to…
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Blue Chairs
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Klimas GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Chris Klimas Second-place winner in the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Blue Chairs is by far my most favorite game in the competition. Similar to Losing Your Grip or Little Blue Men in mood and surreal setting, Blue Chairs…
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Goose, Egg, Badger
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Rapp GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Brian Rapp My favorite ‘underdog’ of the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Goose, Egg, Badger is an ingenious game by Brian Rapp that uses a very clever gimmick that will make you at least chuckle at the author’s deviousness…
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Square Circle
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Eve GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Eric Eve Square Circle is a very neat puzzle-based text adventure with a great plot. Although the game is much longer than an average IFComp game, and some puzzles are so difficult you will likely need to consult…
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Sting of the Wasp
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Devlin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Jason Devlin A fun entry in the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Sting of the Wasp (SotW) is a fun game with an interesting premise not usually seen in computer games: you have been caught in a compromising situation,…
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Bolivia by Night
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Aidan Doyle GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Aidan Doyle Bolivia by Night is a well-deserved runner-up winner in the 2005 Spring Thing competition. Dan Shiovitz’s concise review says it all: “I am going to spoil more of this game than I usually like to spoil…
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Whom the Telling Changed
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Aaron Reed GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Aaron Reed Whom the Telling Changed is a well-deserved first place winner in the 2005 Spring Thing competition. Dan Shiovitz’s concise review says it all: “This was the last game I played of this year’s spring comp, and…
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Fire Tower, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jacqueline Lott GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Jacqueline Lott Well-deserved winner of the “Best of Show” award in the 2004 IF Art Show competition, The Fire Tower is a captivating all-text “virtual hike” that offers evocative landscape, realistic locations, and extremely well-written descriptions. Emily Short’s…
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LeGame
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Edward Bono & PK Winter GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, PK Winter LeGame is a solid PC implementation of L Game, a neat little board game designed by Edward Bono that allows for an impressive range of possible moves (over 18,000), especially given a very…
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Dvonner
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kris Burn & Matthias Bodenstein GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Matthias Bodenstein Dvonner is a great Windows game that features tough AI opponent for the game of Dvonn, a fun and unique tile-stacking abstract board game invented by Kris Burn in 2001. From the official…
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Babala
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pavel Richter GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Pavel Richter One of the best turn-based brainteasers I have come across, Babala is a great and fiendishly difficult freeware puzzler by Czech author Pavel Richter. If you love games in the DROD series, you will likely enjoy…
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Mission Missyo
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:G.R.C GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, G.R.C Mission Missyo from Japanese developer group called G.R.C. is a neat turn-based puzzle game that plays like a tribute to Blizzard’s excellent The Lost Vikings game and its sequel. Your goal is to lead three anime-style ninjas through…
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Caveship
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Generation Stars GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Generation Stars Caveship is a fun entry in Retro Remakes’ One Switch Competition. The game is similar to UrthWurm but with even simpler controls: like other games in the competition, you use only one key in the game.…
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Zombie Smashers X2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Silva GAME DEVELOPER:Totally Screwed GAME PUBLISHER:Totally Screwed Copyright 2005, Totally Screwed Zombie Smashers X2 is a superb shareware follow-up to Zombie Smashers X, a great beat ’em up game reviewed earlier on this site. Derek Yu (of Blackeye Software fame) says it all in his…
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Gunroar
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kenta Cho GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Kenta Cho Gunroar is a cool 360-degree top-down shooter from Kenta Cho, talented Japanese developer best known for rRootage and several other excellen shooters that feature abstract graphics, innovative gameplay, and nonstop action. Like Mr. Cho’s other games,…
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Oddballz
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:P.F. Magic GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1996, P.F. Magic One of the best and most underrated “virtual pet” programs ever made, Oddballz is a great program that deserves much more notice. Description from HOTU contributor David J. and a comprehensive review at MacNN says it…
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Minigolf 1Shot
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Danny Boyd GAME DEVELOPER:Danjo Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Danny Boyd Minigolf 1 Shot is a great entry in Retro Remakes’ One Switch Competition. It finished a respectable third from over 40 entries in the competition, and deservedly so. Like all other entries, the game can…
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World Championship Soccer
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Elite Systems GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1991, Elite Systems Probably the rarest PC game from SEGA, World Championship Soccer is an okay PC port of one of the first soccer games on the SEGA Genesis. This overhead soccer game lets you choose from 24 national…
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A Game With A Kitty
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bernhard Politsch GAME DEVELOPER:Fallen Angel Industries GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Bernhard Politsch A Game With A Kitty is a great “short but sweet” 2D platformer that harks back to the good old days of SNES games. Although the game is quite short (it will take joystick…
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Jailbreak
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Roantree GAME DEVELOPER:Deliberate Games GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Deliberate Games Billed as a “sneak ’em up,” Jailbreak is a fun top-down action game that really does fit its bill. As a prisoner who is one day given an opportunity to escape his cell, your goal…
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Lumines
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tetsuya Mizuguchi & Kaikai GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Kaikai Lumines is a superb fanmade PC translation of a hit Sony PSP game of the same name that many are already calling the best game ever made for that portable console. One of the best…
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Fearsome Floors
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Friedemann Friese GAME DEVELOPER:Rio Grande Games GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Friedemann Friese Fearsome Floors is an accurate Macromedia Flash conversion of a neat German board game of the same name (called Finster Flure in German). The goal is to get the yellow smilies (i.e. your opponents’…