Author: admin
-
Magnaflux Runner
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:3DI Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1994, 3DI Productions Magnaflux Runner is a fun top-down miniature racing game for Windows 3.1 that is similar to better-known Micro Machines series. Instead of racing around everyday objects, Magnaflux Runner pits your skills against computer-controlled cyborg opponents on…
-
M.A.X.
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ali Atabek GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1996, Interplay One of the most underrated strategy games ever made, Interplays M.A.X. (short for Mechanized Assault & Exploration) is an incredibly addictive game that offers a novel and excellent combination of real-time and turn-based modes that will please…
-
Death Rally
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Remedy Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1996, Remedy Entertainment One of the best racing games ever made, Death Rally is an arcade-style overhead racer that is simple in nature, but is incredibly addictive. The game is similar to Micro Machines, except that it is a…
-
Great Battles: Collector’s Edition, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Green GAME DEVELOPER:Interactive Magic GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1998, Interactive Magic The Great Battles Collector’s Edition is 4 games in one- The Great Battles of Alexander (the Great), The Great Battles of Hannibal, The Great Battles of Caesar, and a Scenario Designer/Player Utility. This collection…
-
Pandemonium!
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Toys for Bob GAME PUBLISHER:Crystal Dynamics Copyright 1996, Toys for Bob One of the best PC conversions of PlayStation games, Pandemonium! is a great platformer that tells a story about a jester and a sorceress who inadvertently summon a giant monster, and so must…
-
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Reynolds GAME DEVELOPER:Firaxis GAME PUBLISHER:Firaxis Copyright 1999, Firaxis On SMAC‘s official website, we learn of an unexpected reactor malfunction aboard the colony ship (christened U.N. Unity) that wakes everyone from cryo-sleep and damaged the communications equipment and contact with mother Earth is lost. The travelers…
-
Railroad Tycoon II
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Phil Steinmeyer GAME DEVELOPER:PopTop GAME PUBLISHER:Gathering of Developers Copyright 1998, PopTop Railroad Tycoon II is an incredibly addictive railroad management simulation that occupied my time for much of 2000. The game is the true heir to Sid Meier?s masterpiece Railroad Tycoon, although it was designed by…
-
Tiles of The Dragon
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tom Hall GAME DEVELOPER:SoftDisk Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1993, SoftDisk Publishing Tiles of The Dragon is a fun, no-frills Mah Jongg game from id legend Tom Hall’s early days at SoftDisk. For those who are unfamiliar with the game, the goal is to remove as…
-
Catacomb, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Carmack GAME DEVELOPER:SoftDisk Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1993, SoftDisk Publishing The Catacomb is the rare, forgotten first Catacomb game that predates the well-known Catacomb 3D trilogy by months. For those not in the know, here is why Catacomb 3D is a milestone in action…
-
Keen Dreams
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Carmack GAME DEVELOPER:SoftDisk Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1991, SoftDisk Publishing A boy genius, a world of evil vegetables & blazing action–it’s one of the greatest games of all time! You’ll help young Commander Keen defeat the killer vegetables which have conspired to clean his…
-
Germ Nation
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Craig Jardine GAME DEVELOPER:Virtually Real GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Virtually Real Germ Nation is a fun, addictive freeware puzzler that could have been inspired by SNES classic Dr. Mario and Bust a Move, but with many twists of its own. Similar to Tetris and its numerous…
-
Diabolika
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jonathan Perry & Derek Yu GAME DEVELOPER:Blackeye Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Blackeye Software One of the best freeware puzzle games I’ve ever played, Diabolika is a fun, very original board game from Blackeye Software. I was going to sit down and review this little gem,…
-
Snowbrawl
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Derek Yu GAME DEVELOPER:Blackeye Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Blackeye Software Another maddeningly addictive coffee break arcade fun from Blackeye Software, Snowbrawl is a great game that pits you in a furious snowball fight in one or two player mode. You are Brian, a kid whom…
-
Andromeda Conquest
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Peterson GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1982, Avalon Hill Andromeda Conquest is one of the first galactic conquest games ever made for the PC. Not surprisingly for a game this old, the gameplay is quite simplistic the entire game was coded in BASIC,…
-
Bible Builder
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Everbright GAME PUBLISHER:Everbright Copyright 1992, Everbright Bible Builder is a fun trivia game about the Bible from Everbright Software, one of the first companies to have developed games exclusively for the Christian community (as an interesting side note, many such companies have since folded,…
-
Armada
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Turcan GAME DEVELOPER:PSS GAME PUBLISHER:PSS Copyright 1990, PSS Armada is the first naval wargame in an unrelated series of real-time wargames with isometric perspective by Peter Turcan. Unfortunately, it is also the most obscure due to much more limited distribution than his previous games. As…
-
Conquest of The New World: Deluxe Edition
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Vince DeNardo GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1995, Interplay Conquest of the New World: Deluxe Edition is a much-improved update to Interplay’s highly underrated game of colonizing the American continent. GameSpot’s T. Liam McDonald posted an excellent review that should convince everyone of how great the…
-
What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Reality Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Reality Technologies Copyright 1987, Reality Technologies One of a handful of games ever made about sports management, What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School is an excellent business simulation based on Mark McCormack’s classic book. In case you are…
-
Dark Colony
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1997, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Dark Colony is an underrated real-time strategy game in the same vein as StarCraft or Warcraft 2. Its commercial failure is perhaps unsurprising, given the deluge of RTS games…
-
Merchant Prince II
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Holistic Design GAME PUBLISHER:Talonsoft Copyright 2001, Holistic Design Merchant Prince II is an excellent sequel to Holistic Design’s classic underdog Merchant Prince (which was later updated and published as Machiavelli The Prince by MicroProse). Don’t expect anything radicaly different or changed from the original…
-
Ikari Warriors
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Twiddy GAME DEVELOPER:Quicksilver GAME PUBLISHER:Data East Copyright 1986, SNK One of the most popular arcade games of its time, SNK’s Ikari Warriors was a vertically-scrolling mission deep into hostile territory. Your mission: rescue General Alexander Bonn, C.I.F. US Forces in Central America, who has been…
-
Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Twiddy GAME DEVELOPER:Quicksilver GAME PUBLISHER:Data East Copyright 1986, SNK One of the most popular arcade games of its time, SNK’s Ikari Warriors was a vertically-scrolling mission deep into hostile territory. Your mission: rescue General Alexander Bonn, C.I.F. US Forces in Central America, who has been…
-
Hellcat Ace
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Meier GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1984, Firaxis One of the earliest flight sim classics from MicroProse, Hellcat Ace was designed by Sid Meier for Atari and converted to PC by R. Donald Awalt. Digital Antic stores David Plotkin’s excellent review of the Atari original…
-
Spitfire Ace
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Meier GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1984, Firaxis One of the earliest flight sims by MicroProse, Spitfire Ace was designed by Sid Meier for the Atari and converted to PC version by R. Donald Awalt. The game depicts aerial combat over Europe in World War…
-
Congo Bongo
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1984, SEGA Congo Bongo is an extremely faithful port of Atari’s famous jump-n-run platform arcade game, which in itself is a blatant ripoff of Donkey Kong, presented in Zaxxon-style isometric perspective. When the game begins, Bongo the gorilla just gave…
-
Wingstar
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:InterActive Vision GAME PUBLISHER:InterActive Vision Copyright 1994, InterActive Vision Wingstar is a relatively obscure vertical shooter from InterActive Vision, a small Denmark-based developer of action and flight sims with roots in ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. The plot in this sci-fi shooter is straightforward:…
-
Tropico
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Franz Felsl GAME DEVELOPER:PopTop GAME PUBLISHER:Gathering of Developers Copyright 2001, PopTop Tropico is the newest effort from PopTop Softwere, who enjoyed considerable success with Railroad Tycoon II. Using the same game engine as RT2, just modified to fit their new game, PopTop was able to once…
-
Bridge Builder
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alex Austin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Alex Austin One of the most original puzzle games ever designed, Bridge Builder is an intriguing blend of real-world physics, puzzle, and economics. Your job is simple: build a structurally sound bridge across the river, over which trains…
-
A320 Airbus
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rainer Bopf GAME DEVELOPER:Thalion GAME PUBLISHER:Thalion Copyright 1991, Thalion Thalion’s A320 Airbus is a highly realistic passenger airline simulation – one of its kind ever made. The game is perhaps best described as a more “micro,” hands-down version of Air Bucks, with more emphasis on flying…
-
N-Knights & N-Queens
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kostas Symeonidis & John Tsoukalidis GAME DEVELOPER:CyLog Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, CyLog Software N-Knights and N-Queens are two excellent computer version of classic chess problems. N-Knights contains two problems, Max Knights and Min Knights. In the Max Knights puzzle, your goal is to move the…
-
Pitfall: A Mayan Adventure
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1996, Activision The first platform game designed specifically for Windows 95, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is an excellent game that updates the addictive gameplay of Atari?s Pitfall! to modern hardware. The plot even pays homage to the original: Pitfall!?s hero…
-
Earthworm Jim
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Perry GAME DEVELOPER:Shiny Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1995, Shiny Entertainment After successfully updating classic Atari cartridge game Pitfall! to the ’90s with Pitfall: A Mayan Adventure, the first platform game for Windows 95, Activision next turned their excellent game engine to Earthworm Jim, a cult…
-
Earthworm Jim 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Perry GAME DEVELOPER:Shiny Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1996, Shiny Entertainment After successfully updating classic Atari cartridge game Pitfall! to the ’90s with Pitfall: A Mayan Adventure, the first platform game for Windows 95, Activision next turned their excellent game engine to Earthworm Jim, a cult…
-
Cyberia
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Drew Markham GAME DEVELOPER:Xatrix Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1996, Xatrix Entertainment Cyberia is an innovative first-person rail shooter that was lambasted roundly by critics when it was first released for its unforgiving difficulty and drag-the-player-by-the-nose gameplay. I feel that the criticisms, while accurate, undermine the games…
-
Cyberia 2: Resurrection
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joan Wood GAME DEVELOPER:Xatrix Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1997, Xatrix Entertainment The original Cyberia is an innovative, if unforgiving cyberpunk rail shooter that combines adventure game elements with Rebel Assault– style action sequences. Cyberia 2 is essentially the same, except the 3D rendered graphics have been…
-
Fire Brigade: The Battle for Kiev 1943
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave O’Connor & Tony Oliver GAME DEVELOPER:Panther Games GAME PUBLISHER:Panther Games Copyright 1989, Panther Games ne of the most overlooked wargames of all time, Fire Brigade is an exceptional game by Panther Games that simulates the 1943 battles around Kiev on the Eastern Front. Released only…
-
F-22 Raptor
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Novalogic GAME PUBLISHER:Novalogic Copyright 1998, Novalogic One of the best examples of a game that sank without a trace in the market due to misleading marketing, F-22 Raptor is another of Novalogic?s ?sim-lite? entries, similar to the famous Comanche series. Instead of marketing it…
-
G-Police
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Neil Duffield GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1997, Psygnosis One of the best-looking 3D games ever made, Psygnosis? G-Police is an addictive, albeit very difficult, futuristic shooter set in a far future. You are Slater, veteran of the so-called ?resource wars?, who has enlisted in the…
-
Eco Phantoms
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Jones & Nicholas Snape GAME DEVELOPER:Splinter Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Zoo Copyright 1990, Electronic Zoo One of the most obscure strategy/action hybrids of all time, Eco Phantoms is an ambitious mix of action and strategy that does neither well. Detailed description and review from MobyGames: “After…
-
Navy SEAL
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Norman GAME DEVELOPER:COSMI GAME PUBLISHER:COSMI Copyright 1989, COSMI Marginally above-average realistic military action game in the style of MicroProses venerable Airborne Ranger, except not even half as fun. Your role, from MobyGames description, is to: …[take] the role of a navy SEAL operative and embark…
-
B-1 Nuclear Bomber
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1981, Avalon Hill One of Avalon Hills earliest games for the PC, B-1 Nuclear Bomber is a simplistic wargame that lets you fly a B-1 bomber on a mission over the Soviet Union. You must fly through stiff…