Author: admin
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Frenetic Five vs. Sturm Und Drang, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Neil deMause GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Neil deMause Written for the 1997 Annual IF Competition, The Frenetic Five vs. Sturm Und Drang is one of the best superhero games ever made, bar none. The game has it all: men in tights, wacky nemesis, and…
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Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Neil deMause GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Neil deMause Sequel to the underrated Frenetic Five vs. Sturm Und Drang, Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man is a competent sequel that is unfortunately not as funny as the first. Perhaps it’s because the game assumes that…
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Arrival, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Granade GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Stephen Granade A quirky, fun game about alien abduction starring you as a kid, The Arrival is one of the first HTML TADS IF titles, The Arrival is also the first IF Competition game ever to include pictures…
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Four in One
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J. Robinson Wheeler GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, J. Robinson Wheeler Four In One is a funny game that fans of the Marx Brothers will tremendously enjoy, although I must admit some of the game’s references and jokes are a bit too obscure for my…
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Bop ‘N Wrestle
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Beam International GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1986, Mindscape Bop ‘N Wrestle (released as Rock ‘N Wrestle in Europe) is a fun arcade-style wrestling game that was way ahead of its time in terms of graphics and player animations, although coaching options leave a lot to…
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Paul Cezanne: Portrait of My World
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Corbis Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:Corbis Publishing Copyright 1996, Corbis Publishing As an enthusiast in the history of art, I’ve been an avid collector of art-related CD-ROMs since the early days of the medium, around 1993. After dozens of CDs later, I can honestly say that…
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Vincent van Gogh: Straight from The Heart
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Christopher Engel GAME DEVELOPER:Sadie Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Sadie Productions Copyright 1999, Sadie Productions No doubt one of the best CD-ROMs ever made about an artist’s life, Vincent van Gogh: Straight from the Heart is a true labor of love by Christopher Engel, himself an artist, who spent…
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Passion for Art
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Corbis Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:Corbis Publishing Copyright 1995, Corbis Publishing One of the best CD-ROMs ever made about art, Passion for Art gives you a look inside the private collection of Dr. Albert Barnes, the irascible art collector whose museum in Philadelphia is among the…
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Leonardo Da Vinci
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Corbis Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:Corbis Publishing Copyright 1997, Corbis Publishing One of the best CD-ROMs ever made in any genre, period. The review of this outstanding CD in Business Week hit the spot so well I’d like to transcribe it here in full: “When Microsoft…
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OutRun
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pete Gardner GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1989, SEGA Another popular SEGA arcade game converted to the IBM-PC. This time it’s SEGA’s 1986 arcade hit OutRun, the classic bitmap racer. The original arcade game just rocks, so get yourself an emulator and play the real thing…
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Turbo OutRun
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1990, SEGA Turbo Outrun is a solid PC conversion of SEGA’s arcade game of the same name, follow-up to OutRun. A much better conversion this time than its lackluster predecessor, Turbo Outrun very faithfully recreates the addictive arcade experience on…
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Mystery of Magritte, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virtuo GAME PUBLISHER:Macmillan Interactive Publishing Copyright 2000, Virtuo One of the best CD-ROMs about famous artists, The Mystery of Magritte is an excellent reference CD that goes above and beyond what most CDs do: present the artist’s life and works in creative hypermedia format…
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Harrier Combat Simulator
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1988, Mirrorsoft Harrier Combat Simulator is a thoroughly average Harrier flight sim that doesn’t come even close to giving Harrier Jump Jet a run for its money. A revised version of Mirrorsoft’s 1986 High Roller, the game simply boasts better…
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Amok
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Scavenger GAME PUBLISHER:GT Interactive Copyright 1997, Scavenger Amok is a solid conversion of an underrated FPS on the SEGA Saturn console that offers several interesting gameplay innovations that were sadly overlooked, the best of which is the blend of strategy elements that fans of…
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Wrath of The Sea King
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bloodlust Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Bloodlust Software The latest Bloodlust game is an excellent mix of shooting, puzzle and reflexes. The new hero is an adventurer called Dust, who in 1899 started to search for a cure to what he considered his worst…
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Enemy Infestation
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Micro Forte GAME PUBLISHER:Ripcord Games Copyright 1998, Micro Forte Enemy Infestation is an interesting and enjoyable squad-based RTS. The action takes place on a human colony of Redavi, where an alien spaceship has crash-landed. The ship is actually one of many colonizing pods sent…
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Oklib’s Revenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sue Medley GAME DEVELOPER:Castle Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Castle Technologies Copyright 1992, Sue Medley Sergeant Oklib himself “volunteered” you to find the King’s missing staff. You are off on a classic quest vowing that you’ll find your way back and show Oklib just what you think of him…
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Betrayal
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Harvey Stroud GAME DEVELOPER:Rainbird GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1990, Rainbird One of the more mediocre games from Rainbird/MicroProse, Betrayal is a typical medieval strategy game, released only in Europe, that plays like it aspires to be another Defender of The Crown, but couldn’t quite pull it off.…
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Advanced Xoru
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Sanders GAME DEVELOPER:Castle Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Castle Technologies Copyright 1989, Castle Technologies One of the best text-based RPGs ever made, Advanced Xoru is an excellent but little-known shareware dungeon romp that is reminiscent of Infocom’s Beyond Zork, but with a much more effective use of RPG…
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Alf
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Box Office GAME PUBLISHER:Box Office Copyright 1987, Box Office One of the better movie-based games from Box Office, Alf was a budget release game based on the popular 80’s television show of the same name. As Alf the good-hearted alien, your goal is to…
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Double Dribble
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Konami GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1990, Konami Decent conversion of one of Konami’s earliest hit arcade games. When Double Dribble made its debut on arcade machines in 1986, it was hailed as a revolutionary game in early competitive sports gaming. This basketball game offers both…
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Sky Shark
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Banana Development GAME PUBLISHER:Taito Copyright 1989, Banana Development Sky Shark is a faithful conversion of early Taito classic arcade game. A top-down shooter similar to Raiden, Sky Shark is much more accessible to beginners due to more forgiving enemies and a generous number of…
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First Person Pinball
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Tynesoft GAME PUBLISHER:Tynesoft Copyright 1988, Tynesoft First Person Pinball is a solid but little-known early pinball game from Tynesoft. Although there is only one table, the game’s highlight lies in the ability for up to four players to compete for the high score table,…
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Heart of Darkness
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Chahi GAME DEVELOPER:Amazing Studio GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1998, Amazing Studio Heart of Darkness is an excellent, but little known, platform adventure game Last PC game by Eric Chahi, designer of sleeper hit Out of this World (OOTW). Under development for over five years, Heart of…
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Yes Prime Minister
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Oxford Digital Enterprises GAME PUBLISHER:Mosaic Publishing Copyright 1988, Oxford Digital Enterprises Yes Prime Minister is a very rare PC version of a “cult” Commodore 64 game based on the hit BBC comedy series of the same name that aired in the 1980s and was…
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Mindfighter
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Anne Popkess & Fergus McNeill GAME DEVELOPER:Abstract Concepts GAME PUBLISHER:Abstract Concepts Copyright 1988, Abstract Concepts Mindfighter is one of the best post-apocalyptic adventures ever made, although sadly not many people played it when the game was released in 1988 for the PC, Atari ST, and most…
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Steel Panthers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gary Grigsby GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1995, Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) One of the best wargames ever made, period. Since Darren Ingram’s review of this masterpiece for CDMag is much more well-informed than mine could ever be, I would like to quote…
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Pro Manager
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1984, Avalon Hill The very first statistical baseball simulation for PC, Pro Manager is a faithful adaptation of the Avalon Hill board game of the same name that enjoyed moderate success among tabletop baseball fans in early 1980s.…
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Final Soccer Challenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mattias Brynervall GAME DEVELOPER:Brainchild Design GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Brainchild Design A fast, fun, and strangely addictive three-on-three arcade soccer game. No complex controls or maneuvers in this game – there’s one button for shooting, and another for changing the active player. Great for a coffee…
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Kick-Ups
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Liam O’Donnell GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Liam O’Donnell Kick-Ups is a maddeningly addictive Flash game that is deceptively simple: your goal is to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible by clicking the mouse on it. The game records your…
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Skippy’s Revenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bloodlust Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Bloodlust Software This time, Hellbent Deathspew and Co. make a game based on a Troma movie – hey, I don’t think Tromaville hosts them for nothing 😛 You are Skippy, a little boy who, while riding his bike,…
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Super Speed
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 1995, Anonymous Super Speed is nice little top-down racer that pays homage to Indy 500, an old arcade racing game. Like its spiritual predecessor, Super Speed allows up to 4 players to race around a curvy track, performing wild spins…
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X-COM: Interceptor
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Ellis GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1998, MicroProse Fourth in the profitable X-COM franchise, X-COM: Interceptor is a detour from the familiar squad-level turn-based combat of the first three games. Given the current fad of 3D action games, some may argue that moving the franchise…
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Ducks
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tim Furnish GAME DEVELOPER:Hungry Software GAME PUBLISHER:Hungry Software Copyright 1999, Hungry Software Ducks is a great Lemmings clone with one major difference: in contrast to the oblivious march-to-doom in Lemmings, Ducks lets you decide when and where the ducks will move. Somehow, these loveable egg-heads have…
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Bad Street Brawler
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Davie GAME DEVELOPER:Beam International GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1987, Beam International From Seanbaby review of the game: “Bad Street Brawler is a fun “East Meets West” side-scroller that was much better known on the Nintendo. You play Duke Davis, self-proclaimed “former punk rocker and the world’s…
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Wrath of Earth
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Faller GAME DEVELOPER:Addix Software Development GAME PUBLISHER:SoftKey Copyright 1995, Addix Software Development One of the most unknown, underrated games ever made, Wrath of Earth is a fun futuristic FPS with quite a few innovations that are rarely seen in today’s 3D-accelerated games. You play either…
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MegaZeux
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gregory Janson GAME DEVELOPER:Software Visions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Freeware One of the best game-related applications ever made, MegaZeux is a versatile Game Creation System (GCS) created by Gregory Janson, creator of acclaimed ZZT games Code Red and many more. Essentially a souped-up version of ZZT,…
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California Pro Golf
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1988, Mastertronic California Pro Golf is a nice, early golf game from Mastertronic that should have gotten more attention than it did. Although not as well known as Accolade’s Mean 18, California Pro Golf offers a few rounds of solid…
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Qix
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Taito GAME PUBLISHER:Taito Copyright 1989, Taito One of Taito’s best known games, Qix is a great PC port of the hit arcade title that sparked numerous clones. Like all other great arcade classics, the gameplay is simple, but highly original and addictive. Your goal…
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Zeitgeist
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Taito GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1996, Taito Zeitgeist is an excellent PC conversion of the Playstation game Jupiter Strike from Taito. First released only in Japan, this English PC port was released around the world by Interplay. Zeitgeist is a great 3D shooter similar to…
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USS John Young
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Magic Bytes GAME PUBLISHER:Magic Bytes Copyright 1990, Magic Bytes Two fun arcade-style single-ship simulations from Magic Bytes, USS John Young 1 and 2 are short on realism but long on old-fashioned fun and attractive graphics. Taking place in a hypothetical modern day, the games…
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Dive Bomber
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:US Gold GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1988, US Gold Dive Bomber is one of the least known World War 2 simulations ever made, even though it was marketed by (then) UK giant US Golf and ported quite competently by Epyx to the US. Perhaps one…
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Risk
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Clark & Ian Mathias GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1989, Mastertronic This Mastertronic/Virgin version of Risk is an official conversion of the classic Parker Brothers board game. In contrast to many other “official” conversions that are poor replica of the board game originals, Risk…
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Revenge of Defender
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Logotron GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1988, Logotron Starray is a fun side-scrolling shooter developed by Logotron and published by Epyx in the US as Revenge of Defender (probably to increase brand awareness by associating the game with Atari classic Defender. Despite the lofty name, though,…
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Laser Tank
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Kindley GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Jim Kindley One of the best shareware puzzles games ever, Laser Tank is an excellent variant of popular Capture the Flag game. The comprehensive review at Rocket Download says it all: “Laser Tank may be one of the…
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Subbuteo
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Goliath Games GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Zoo Copyright 1991, Goliath Games Subbuteo is a solid PC version of the popular miniature soccer game in the UK that most kids grow up with. Similar to Foosball in the US but much more akin to the actual game,…
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Total Carnage
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Handmade Software GAME PUBLISHER:Midway Copyright 1994, Handmade Software Total Carnage is a near-flawless PC conversion of the sequel to Midway’s arcade classic Smash TV!. Although not as funny as Smash TV!, Total Carnage still packs a lot of humor and addictive thumb-blistering mayhem. The…