Author: admin
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Fire Zone
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Arcadia GAME PUBLISHER:PSS Copyright 1988, PSS A very little known game, Fire Zone is an ambitious tactical-level wargame that boasts PSS’ usual top-notch AI, but unintuitive interface and questionable logistics. The game is similar to QQP’s celebrated The Perfect General II in that it…
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Allied General
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Carl Norman GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1996, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) First sequel to SSI’s breakthrough wargame Panzer General, Allied General is essentially the same game set in a different theatre in World War II, with some slight improvements…
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Star General
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bill Fawcett GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1996, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Based on David Drake’s Fleet novels, this extension of SSI’s celebrated Panzer General engine is a big disappointment, and shows that the engine could only be stretched so…
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Pacific General
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Carmak GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1997, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Arguably the best entry in SSI’s 5-star series (except for Fantasy General) before the engine was upgraded for Panzer General 2, Pacific General covers both land and naval…
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Cubic Tic Tac Toe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Karl Forster GAME DEVELOPER:Silver Bullet Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Silver Bullet Systems Copyright 1985, Silver Bullet Systems A solid 3D version of Tic Tac Toe, Cubic features a strong AI, 2-player mode, and a lot of “extras” that suggest high production value, such as complete on-line rules, difficulty…
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Hyperdyne Sidearms
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Yoshiki Okamoto GAME DEVELOPER:Capcom GAME PUBLISHER:Capcom Copyright 1987, Capcom An oldie horizontal shooter that is a decent conversion of CAPCOM’s arcade game of the same name, although much inferior to console versions e.g. NES and SEGA CD. Not much more to say about this one– good…
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It’s a Funny Old Game
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:21st Century Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:21st Century Entertainment Copyright 1996, 21st Century Entertainment It’s a Funny Old Game is one of the few tongue-in-cheek soccer simulations in existence. While it will never dethrone the likes of Championship Manager or even On The Ball as one…
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Red Dwarf
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joseph Stanko GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Joseph Stanko Red Dwarf is based on BBC sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, which is very popular in Europe. You are the main character: Lister, the last surviving member of the human race who is on board huge…
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Trog
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Acclaim Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1992, Acclaim Entertainment Trog is a cute little Pac-Man-style game with a difference. Despite the strong d?j? vu effect when you first start the game, it won’t take long for Trog‘s charming claymation and surprises to glue you…
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Top Gun
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Wahid GAME DEVELOPER:OCEAN GAME PUBLISHER:Thunder Mountain Copyright 1986, Thunder Mountain One of OCEAN’s earliest flight sims, Top Gun is a simulation of F14 Tomcat, one of the world’s most famous modern fighters. The movie license is a mere marketing ploy here, as the game is…
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Jim Power
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Guillaume Dubail & Fernando Velez GAME DEVELOPER:Loriciel GAME PUBLISHER:Loriciel Copyright 1993, Loriciel A colorful side-scrolling shooter starring Jim Power, the fictitious daring sci-fi hero, Jim Power gets high marks for its vibrant graphics, great level design, and challenging enemies that are quite capable of dodging your…
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Sea Legends
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Serge Orlovsky GAME DEVELOPER:Mir Dialogue GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1995, OCEAN One of the best spiritual successors to Sid Meier’s classic Pirates! that unfortunately few knew about, Russian developer Mir Dialogue has painstakingly reproduced in Sea Legends almost all the elements that made Pirates! so popular, and…
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Ninja Gaiden: Ninja in The USA
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:CAPCOM GAME PUBLISHER:CAPCOM Copyright 1991, Capcom Adapted from the hit arcade game (and not the better-known Nintendo version and the better-known alternate name of Ninja Ryukenden), Ninja Gaiden for the PC is a good attempt at recreating the original’s addictiveness that is somewhat disappointing…
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Ninja Gaiden 2: Dark Sword of Chaos
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Manley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1991, GameTek A much better conversion of arcade hit than the original Ninja Gaiden for PC, Ninja Gaiden 2 opens with a great musical theme accompanying a cinematic scene. You learn that Jaquio, the evil crimelord you defeated at…
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Imperial Conquest 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Serious Games GAME PUBLISHER:Serious Games Copyright 1997, Serious Games Imperial Conquest 2 is a fun wargame where your goal is lead a major nation to ever higher levels of glory over a twenty-year rulership during the 3rd Century BC. There are 16 playable nations,…
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Fatal Racing
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Les Spink & Ade Carless GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1996, Gremlin Fatal Racing (released as Whiplash in the USA by Interplay a year later) is one of the best stunt car racing games ever made. In many ways a spiritual successor to Geoff Crammond’s underrated…
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Battle Beast
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Page & Dan Kuenster GAME DEVELOPER:7th Level GAME PUBLISHER:7th Level Copyright 1996, 7th Level Battle Beast is a funny arcade-style combat game with terrific full-color graphics and humor… both of which unfortunately sank beneat horrible controls and repetitive action. Despite its claim of being ”The…
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Beetlejuice: Skeletons in The Closet
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Reidel GAME DEVELOPER:Hi-Tech Expressions GAME PUBLISHER:Hi-Tech Expressions Copyright 1989, Hi-Tech Expressions From MobyGames‘s description of this zany action game based on the cult horror movie: “A truly bizarre game which was rather popular at the time. It’s an action game of sorts, in which you…
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NBA Jam Tournament Edition
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Acclaim Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1996, Acclaim Entertainment One of the best arcade basketball games ever made, Acclaim’s NBA Jam is a great conversion of the blockbuster arcade game to PC. The Tournament Edition features several options not available on the original NBA…
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Take No Prisoners
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Raven Software GAME PUBLISHER:Red Orb Entertainment Copyright 1997, Red Orb Entertainment Take No Prisoners is a refreshing 3D shooter that takes an interesting perspective on the genre – both literally and figuratively. True to their reputation as one of the most innovative action game…
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Vikings: The Strategy of Ultimate Conquest
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Randall Masteller GAME DEVELOPER:Random Games GAME PUBLISHER:GT Interactive Copyright 1996, GT Interactive Vikings is a fun but little-known adventure/strategy hybrid that was originally released for Windows 3.1, although it runs fine in Windows 95/98 with 256 colors. In this unique game, you play the chief of…
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Veritech
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:RYLO Software GAME PUBLISHER:RYLO Software Copyright 1994, RYLO Software Veritech is a unique sci-fi flight simulator based on famous Japanese Macross anime series (known in the West as Robotech). The game follows the plot of Macross Plus, although not too closely. As in the…
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G-Force
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virgin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1993, Virgin Interactive G-Force is a solid flight-sim revolving around the MiG russian jets, similar to MiG 29. As you boot the game up, you will see a map with targets of the area such as airfields, buildings…
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NFL Challenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Owen GAME DEVELOPER:XOR Corporation GAME PUBLISHER:XOR Corporation Copyright 1985, XOR Corporation One of the oldest football games ever made, XOR’s NFL Challenge remain to this day one of the most ambitious simulations of its kind, containing over 30,000 lines of C and Assembly source codes…
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Basketball Challenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Owen GAME DEVELOPER:XOR Corporation GAME PUBLISHER:XOR Corporation Copyright 1987, XOR Corporation Building on their solid simulation model used in NFL Challenge, XOR released Basketball Challenge 2 years later, to even less fanfare than the original. Don’t let the lack of recognition fool you, though– Basketball…
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Front Page Sports Baseball Pro
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Patrick Cook GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1994, Dynamix The people who brought us FPS: Football Pro, one of the best football games ever made, has done it again with baseball. Unfortunately though, Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro never achieved the same level of accolades…
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Elvira: The Arcade Game
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Flair GAME PUBLISHER:Flair Copyright 1991, Flair A so-so platform game based on the well-known mistress of the dark popularized by Horrorsoft’s RPGs, Elvira: The Arcade Game offers several hours of entertaining dagger-shooting action that is over all too soon. The game is plagued by…
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Brett Hull Hockey 95
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Accolade GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1995, Accolade One of the best action-oriented hockey games ever made, this 1995 version of Accolade’s Brett Hull Hockey series is widely regarded as the best game in the series, even though two more sequels would be made. Fans of…
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Space Empires III
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Malfador Machinations GAME PUBLISHER:Malfador Machinations Copyright 1997, Malfador Machinations All you 4x space strategy addicts rejoice! You might not even have to wait for Master of Orion 3 to enter a realm of blissful galactic domination. Shareware publisher Malfador Machinations offers Space Empires III…
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Pawn, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rob Steggles GAME DEVELOPER:Magnetic Scrolls GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbird Copyright 1986, Rainbird Definitely one of the “Finest Hours” of the British interactive fiction scene, Magnetic Scrolls’ first release The Pawn was an instant sensation in Europe when it was first released by Rainbird in 1987, and instantly earned…
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Jinxter
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Georgina Sinclair & Michael Bywater GAME DEVELOPER:Magnetic Scrolls GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbird Copyright 1987, Rainbird There are still witches in Aquitania. Centuries ago they did great harm until the good sorcerer Turani created a bracelet that gave magic luck to the inhabitants of Aquitania. No one was injured…
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Corruption
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rob Steggles & Hugh Steers GAME DEVELOPER:Magnetic Scrolls GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbird Copyright 1988, Rainbird One of my most favorite Magnetic Scrolls games (alongside The Pawn) and one of the best games ever made, Magnetic Scrolls’ Corruption marks a departure for the company in many ways, all for…
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Guild of Thieves
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rob Steggles GAME DEVELOPER:Magnetic Scrolls GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbird Copyright 1987, Rainbird Successor of Commodore blockbuster The Pawn, Magnetic Scrolls’ Guild of Thieves improves upon its predecessor in almost every respect, although the charming tongue-in-cheek humor of the first game is somewhat muted here by a much stronger…
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Triplane Turmoil
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Markku Rankala GAME DEVELOPER:Dodekaedron Software Creations GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Dodekaedron Software Creations Borrowing gameplay from the old CGA-classic Sopwith, Triplane Turmoil is about flying your triplane fighter/bomber horizontally in a highly hypotethical (and even satirical) scenario, where the WWI-styled air forces of England, Germany, Japan…
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Biprolex+
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:K-D Lab GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, K-D Lab Biprolex+ is a very addictive arcade-style puzzle game that requires both quick thinking and reflexes. Gameplay is essentially Tetris meets Breakout: At the top of the screen is Tetlix, an entity which emits Tetris-style blocks, and…
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Europa Universalis
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Henrik Strandberg & Johan Andersson GAME DEVELOPER:Paradox Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Blackstar Interactive Copyright 2000, Paradox Entertainment Sometimes, somewhere, for some people dreams actually come true. Right now, with the publishing of Europa Universalis, developed by the small Swedish company Paradox, the friends of historical simulations may well…
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Transport Tycoon Deluxe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Sawyer GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1995, Chris Sawyer One of the most fun business strategy games ever made, Chris Sawyer’s Transport Tycoon Deluxe is a great update of the earlier– and also underrated– Transport Tycoon game released in 1994. The Deluxe version adds multiplayer…
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Match Day Manager
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Junkyard GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1995, Merit Studios While no Championship Manager (I frequently won games without realising I was fielding 9 or less players), this underdog is still surprisingly playable. The game simulates England’s division two soccer league, so Manchester United or Liverpool…
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All Dogs Go To Heaven
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Roger Pedersen GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1989, Merit Studios This is one of those standard cheap arcade games based on a popular license (in this case, the Burt Renyolds/Dom DeLouise voiced children’s movie of the game’s name). Most of them have little thought…
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AIV Network$
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tatsuo Nagahama GAME DEVELOPER:ArtDink GAME PUBLISHER:Infogrames Copyright 1997, ArtDink AIV Network$ (released as C.E.O. outside Japan) is the last and best English version in ArtDink’s underrated railroad simulation series that began with Railroad Empire and best known with A-Train. The game was released only in a…
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Adventures of Lomax
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Henk Nieborg GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1996, Psygnosis Little-known PC port of the better-known Playstation game, The Adventures of Lomax features the lemmings from Psygnosis’ classic arcade puzzle series, but takes them back this time to the old school of classic platform gameplay. The plot…
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High Seas
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ralph Bosson GAME DEVELOPER:Garde GAME PUBLISHER:Garde Copyright 1987, Garde A very early (1987!) Age of Sail simulation, High Seas emphasizes joystick maneuverability at the expense of realism and playability. Although the game deserves notice for being one of the first to offer attractive top-down isometric view…
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Off To Europe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gunther Koenig GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Gunther Koenig One of the most curious promotional games ever made, Off To Europe was developed by the Foreign Affairs Office in Bonn, Germany, and released as freeware in 1992 to promote the European Union (EU) and the…
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Dawn Raider
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Softstar GAME PUBLISHER:Softstar Copyright 1991, Softstar An okay top-down shooter from prolific Taiwanese developer SoftStar, Dawn Raider takes place in a futuristic world where the Earth is rife with civil wars that broke out among warring clans. The game won’t dislodge Tyrian or even…