Author: admin
-
Dynablaster
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Hudson Soft GAME PUBLISHER:UBI Soft Copyright 1992, Hudson Soft Dynablaster is an excellent PC conversion of Hudson’s popular PC-Engine arcade/puzzle hybrid Bomberman (although why they had to change the popular name to this obscure title is puzzling). The game, which has spun off numerous…
-
Manchester United Europe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Krisalis GAME PUBLISHER:Krisalis Copyright 1992, Krisalis First in Krisalis’ trio of soccer games based on the exploits of Manchester United, Manchester United Europe is a fun action soccer game that lets you lead this popular club in major European tournaments, including the European Cup,…
-
Magic Pockets
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Martin Schmitz GAME DEVELOPER:Bitmap Brothers GAME PUBLISHER:Renegade Software Copyright 1992, Infogrames A decent platform game from Bitmap Brothers featuring a strange, kid-in-fantasy-land plot. From the manual: “The Bitmap Kid was pretty much like every other kid on the block until the day when a Strange Old…
-
Delta V
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bethesda Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Bethesda Softworks Copyright 1994, Bethesda Softworks A precursor of Bethesda’s much later X-Car Experimental Racing, Delta V is an example of a game designed to take advantage of industry capabilities rather than being too concerned with presenting a satisfying, intelligent gaming…
-
Charlie Chaplin
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Canvas GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1988, US Gold Although billed as an action game, Charlie Chaplin is not just a plain jump-and-run, but a very original game than is quite enjoyable. Your task is to create and edit a slapstick movie by acting as…
-
Rotox
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Leitch GAME DEVELOPER:US Gold GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1990, US Gold Rotox is a fun top-down shoot’em up with decent 3D/bitmap graphics. Your objective: navigate the Cyborg Class 2-A over the platforms while dodging and shooting the deadly machine-enemies. Don’t fall off the platforms or…
-
Solomon’s Key
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Raffaelle Cecco GAME DEVELOPER:Probe Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1988, US Gold A disappointing conversion of Tecmo’s popular platform/puzzle arcade game, done by Probe Entertainment. I remember this game quite well on the C64 when it was a lot of fun. Simple goal, good playability: solve…
-
Slipstream 5000
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Martin GAME DEVELOPER:The Software Refinery GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1995, Gremlin Slipstream 5000 is a nice futuristic racing game with cool-looking fully-textured 3D graphics. They are very fluid albeit a bit slow. You can fly through varied courses located all over the world, there are also…
-
Black Gold
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Holger Gehrmann & Tobias Richter GAME DEVELOPER:reLINE Software GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbow Arts Copyright 1990, reLINE Software One of the masterpieces in the niche genre of business management simulation, Black Gold lets you manage the unique and intriguing oil business. When the game was first released as Oil…
-
Big Business
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:DigiTek GAME PUBLISHER:Magic Bytes Copyright 1990, DigiTek A decent, humorous business game, Big Business by DigiTek acquired a small following when it was released for the Amiga, although the game’s flaws economics model and repetitive gameplay seriously hamper replay value. As CEO of a…
-
Bubble Bobble
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Butrovich GAME DEVELOPER:NovaLogic GAME PUBLISHER:Taito Copyright 1987, Taito One of the most popular arcade games ever made, Taito’s Bubble Bobble tells a story of Bub and Bob, two friends who are changed into bubble dragons, and must save their girlfriends from a super baddie named…
-
Bubble Bobble featuring Rainbow Islands
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Probe Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1996, Taito A great value for money that includes two classic action/puzzle games: a remake of 1989’s Bubble Bobble, and its sequel Rainbow Islands. For those who aren’t familiar with the original, Bubble Bobble is a classic arcade…
-
Logo
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:M. Schmitz GAME DEVELOPER:StarByte GAME PUBLISHER:StarByte Copyright 1990, StarByte Logo is a collection of three fairly simple puzzle games in one pack. All three games are variant of a traditional matching game, except that after solving one level, you get to see one piece of a…
-
Mighty Bombjack
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Elite Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Elite Systems Copyright 1990, Elite Systems Conversion of Tecmo’s arcade follow-up to the fun game Bombjack. I loved both the C64 and the arcade version of the first part. This follow-up that adds a scrolling multi-screen dimension never was one of…
-
ACE
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Martin GAME DEVELOPER:Cascade GAME PUBLISHER:Cascade Copyright 1987, Cascade ACE is a solid arcade-ish sim oldie that remains surprisingly playable more than a decade after its releae. Instead of simulating real-life airplanes, Cascade Software chose to simulate a hypothetical aircraft called AWAT, which stands for”All-Weather, All-Terrain…
-
ACE 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Martin GAME DEVELOPER:Cascade GAME PUBLISHER:Cascade Copyright 1987, Cascade A solid follow-up to ACE, although not as fun to play as the original. Similar to its predecessor, ACE 2 is an oldie head-to-head air combat flight sim set in modern days of aviation. The game has…
-
Dambusters, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alex Leavens GAME DEVELOPER:Artech GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1985, Artech Decent conversion of Sydney Development’s (Evolution) very early World War II flight simulator, released for the C64 in 1984. Despite primitive CGA graphics, The Dambusters is surprisingly complex for its time, offering multiple views, control options for…
-
Days of Thunder
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Argonaut Software GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1990, Argonaut Software Argonaut’s entry in the racing genre using the Tom Cruise Days of Thunder movie licence. Here is your chance to become cocky Cole Trickle as you race around various circuits from the Daytona 500 to Phoenix.…
-
Jungle Strike
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1995, Gremlin Gremlin’s excellent conversion of EA’s console game, follow-up to the popular shoot’em up Desert Strike. Jungle Strike is basically the same game as its predecessor– just set in a different scenario. In Jungle Strike you’re mainly controlling…
-
Desert Strike: Return to The Gulf
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1994, Gremlin Pretty cool conversion of Electronic Arts’ Mega Drive action hit Desert Strike, the first game in their “Strike”-games series. An isometric-view heli-shooter, not bad at all – just leave out the idiotic story. That banal premise has probably…
-
Road Runner
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1989, Mindscape Decent – at best – conversion of Atari’s fun arcade hit from 1985 based on the Warner Bros. cartoon series of the same name. You control Road Runner in a race against Wile E. Coyote and his ACME…
-
Rampart
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bitmasters GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1992, Bitmasters A near-perfect conversion of Atari’s 1990 arcade hit. Rampart is a game of medieval warfare that boasts fast, furious gameplay, good graphics, and a very high addictiveness quotient. Like all good arcade games, Rampart is easy to…
-
Puzznic
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Taito GAME PUBLISHER:Taito Copyright 1990, Taito Decent conversion of Taito’s coin-up puzzle/logic game done by Banana Development, an independent studio that ported a lot of arcade/non-PC games to the PC. A fun puzzler where you have to eliminate blocks by moving two or more…
-
Nectaris
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Hudson Soft GAME PUBLISHER:Hudson Soft Copyright 1995, Hudson Soft Nectaris is one of the most obscure sci-fi strategy classics of all time. If you like Battle Isle by Blue Byte, you will definitely enjoy this game. Actually, Battle Isle was very much inspired (although…
-
Atomino
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tobias Herre GAME DEVELOPER:Blue Byte GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1991, Psygnosis Atomino, not to be mistaken for Atomix by Thalion, is probably best described as a molecular version of Tetris: simple in concept, but addictive in gameplay. The objective in the game is to combine atoms into…
-
Faceoff!
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MindSpan GAME PUBLISHER:Gamestar Copyright 1989, MindSpan A great ice hockey game developed by Canadian sports games experts MindSpan (makers of Hardball series and Joe Montana Football). Faceoff! was MindSpan’s first game, and was instantly touted (although not loudly enough in my opinion) as one…
-
Toyota Celica GT Rally
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Astros GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1992, Astros Despite endorsement from one of the world’s leading auto makers, Toyota Celica GT Rally is still a pretty poor rally racing game. The partly 3D, partly bitmapped graphics looks okay, and I also noticed nice PC speaker music,…
-
Willow
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Rice GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1988, LucasFilm Willow is an oldie action game based on LucasFilm’s fantasy movie of the same name starring Val Kilmer. Not a classic, but an interesting movie conversion with some nice ideas. The game faithfully follows the movie’s script,…
-
European Championship 1992
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Elite Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Elite Systems Copyright 1992, Elite Systems European Championship 1992 is a PC conversion of Tecmo’s arcade soccer game World Cup 1990, though the computer version has been licensed to the European Championship of 1992. It’s a standard isometric view arcade style…
-
World Class Soccer
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:US Gold GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1991, US Gold Re-release of U.S. Gold’s own Italy 1990 with a few unimportant enhancements, mostly cosmetic ones. Despite the coveted World Cup license, World Class Soccer is a very uninspiring game that doesn’t offer much more than…
-
Gods
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Matthews & Steve Tall GAME DEVELOPER:Bitmap Brothers GAME PUBLISHER:Renegade Software Copyright 1991, Bitmap Brothers A great conversion of Bitmap Brother’s Amiga classic, Gods is a very stylish platform game that is famous for offering many nice twists and ideas, including puzzles, adventure-game style inventory, and…
-
Strike II
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Pollock & Jason Wilson GAME DEVELOPER:Millennium GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1991, Millennium Strike II is a fun 3D action shooter by Millennium, sequel to Thunder Strike. The thing I love most about this game is the presentation surrounding the actual action. Mixing absurd classical music with…
-
Cloud Kingdoms
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dene Carter GAME DEVELOPER:Brainware GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1990, Millennium Cloud Kingdoms is a great action/puzzle game featuring the first injection-moulded, eight-way rolling, rubber-bottomed software hero! The review at Lemon 64 says it all about this underdog, and there’s not much difference between the C64 and PC…
-
Horror Zombies from The Crypt
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stuart Gregg GAME DEVELOPER:Astral GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1991, Millennium Horror Zombies from The Crypt, as the name implies, is a spooky action-adventure by Millennium. You are Count Frederick Valdemar, and your mansion has been shattered by the arrival of an army the undead. So it’s up…
-
Tronic
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Webfoot Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Webfoot Technologies Copyright 1995, Webfoot Technologies Tronic is a fun, traditional breakout game in the best tradition of Taito’s popular Arkanoid. In this reincarnation of Pong, you use the racket, controlled by the arrow keys or mouse, to hit the balls,…
-
Jumpman
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Randy Glover GAME DEVELOPER:Epyx GAME PUBLISHER:IBM Copyright 1984, Epyx Jumpman is one of the best “ladder” games (e.g. climb various ladders to the exit) that were hugely popular in the early 1980s. Your goal is to collect all the bombs to advance through levels, while avoiding…
-
GATO
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Arlton & Ed Dawson GAME DEVELOPER:Spectrum Holobyte GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1983, Spectrum Holobyte The first World War II submarine simulation ever made for the PC, GATO was a true pioneer in this niche genre, an ambitious sim that features a lot of realistic instruments…
-
Cosmic Crusader
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Abrash GAME DEVELOPER:Funtastic GAME PUBLISHER:Funtastic Copyright 1982, Funtastic Ah… the memories. Cosmic Crusader was the very FIRST IBM PC game I played. It was one of the pre-loaded software on our brand new 8088 IBM — running at a whopping 8Mhz 🙂 The game itself…
-
Snack Attack II
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Abrash GAME DEVELOPER:Funtastic GAME PUBLISHER:Funtastic Copyright 1982, Funtastic Another wonderful Michael Abrash classic, Snack Attack II is an enhanced Pac-Man clone that is no less addictive than the arcade classic. The goal, as we all know too well, is to gobble up gumdrops and other…
-
Big Top
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Abrash GAME DEVELOPER:Funtastic GAME PUBLISHER:Funtastic Copyright 1983, Funtastic Undoubtedly Michael Abrash’s masterpiece, and one of my most favorite games of all time, Funtastic’s Big Top is an incredibly addictive “ladder” game that adds so many extras and nice touches that set it apart from the…
-
Moonshine Racers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Millennium GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1991, Millennium Moonshine Racers is a fun 3D bitmap racing game with nice graphics, converted from the original Amiga release. Probably the best thing about the game is the wacky plot, which is set in the wild, wild west of…
-
Neverending Story II, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ste Cork & Markus Grimmer GAME DEVELOPER:Linel GAME PUBLISHER:Linel Copyright 1991, Linel The Neverending Story II is a very poor action game based on the not much better (and quite bizarre) movie of the same name. The concept is simple: you’re Bastian, and are called forth…
-
James Pond 2: Codename: RoboCod
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Sorrell GAME DEVELOPER:Millennium GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1993, Millennium A solid PC conversion of Millennium’s 1991 Amiga hit James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod. RoboCod is a fantastic, colorful platform game which improves the genre with some very ingenious ideas. The star of the game is James…
-
Cyborg: Hopy-ONE
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Webfoot Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Webfoot Technologies Copyright 1995, Webfoot Technologies A strangely appealing, unique action/puzzle hybrid, Cyborg: Hopy-ONE is reminiscent of Epyx’ classic Spiderbot. You are a pogo stick-like robot who must navigate dozens of levels to get out. You can bounce, or you can…
-
Tux Racer
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jasmin F. Patry GAME DEVELOPER:Sunspire Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Sunspire Studios Copyright 2000, Sunspire Studios A cute and unique 3D racing game, Tux Racer casts you as Tux the Linux Penguin (*groan*) as he races down steep, snow-covered mountains. Your mission is to race Tux down a hill…
-
Hole-In-One Miniature Golf
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:DigiTek GAME PUBLISHER:DigiTek Copyright 1989, DigiTek A humorous miniature golf game with a lot of innovative ideas, Hole-In-One Miniature Golf from DigiTek is a severely underrated game that deserves a closer look. The game takes the standard approach of using the overhead view for…
-
Top Gun Danger Zone
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Konami GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1991, Konami Top Gun Danger Zone is a fun arcade-style flight simulator based on the hit Tom Cruise movie of the same name. The goal, of course, is to become a Top Gun abroad the USS Brigham. You’ll get to…
-
Crush! Deluxe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Stone Jackal Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Megamedia Copyright 1997, Megamedia One of the best, and most underrated, futuristic sport games ever made, Crush! Deluxe is best described as a much-improved version of Micro League’s earlier Blood Bowl, a futuristic rugby game. David Finn of Games Domain…
-
Virtuoso
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Williams GAME DEVELOPER:Motivetime GAME PUBLISHER:Motivetime Copyright 1994, Motivetime 3D shooters of the old kind were known for having somewhat constructed game stories. But this one beats them all. Obviously Motivetime thought: “Let’s make a 3D shooter with a rock’n roll hero and cool rock’n roll…
-
Castle Wolfenstein
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Silas S. Warner GAME DEVELOPER:Muse Software GAME PUBLISHER:Muse Software Copyright 1983, Muse Software Undoubtedly one of the best action games ever made, Muse Software’s Castle Wolfenstein is a revolutionary action game that spawned a whole new genre. If the name sounds familiar to you, your hunch…