Author: admin
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Playboy Interview: Three Decades, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:IBM GAME PUBLISHER:IBM Copyright 1994, IBM One of the best reference/educational CD-ROMs ever created, The Playboy Interview: Three Decades was unfortunately a commercial failure for IBM’s short-lived Multimedia Publishing Studio. Perhaps this is largely attributable to the possibility that too few people think of…
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Dracula’s Shadow
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Archimedes GAME DEVELOPER:Konami GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Archimedes Dracula’s Shadow is an excellent and very faithful PC remake of Konami’s classic NES game Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest. For those who have never played the original game: Castlevania 2 begins where the first game left off. You…
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Abalone
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Lalet & Olivier Thill GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Olivier Thill Abalone is an excellent unofficial Windows version of an original abstract board game of the same name, which remains largely unknown outside France where it was invented. In this unique board game for…
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Tracer Sanction, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1984, Interplay One of the rarest PC games in existence today, The Tracer Sanction is a fun sci-fi text adventure with graphics designed by Interplay and published by Activision. From a brief review first printed in ZZAP!64: “The Tracer Sanction…
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Frequon Invaders
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Arch Robison GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Arch Robison Frequon Invaders is no doubt the most unique Space Invaders clone I have ever seen. The gameplay is hard to describe, so here are the designer’s own words: “…your mission is to destroy each invading Frequons…
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Last Rites
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:OCEAN GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1997, OCEAN Last Rites is one of the most obscure first-person shooters ever made. But unlike underrated classics such as Wrath of Earth, the game is obscure for a good reason: it is horrible. The Games Domain’s uncompromising review says…
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Inucla No Classical
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Qul GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Qul Inucla No Classical is a fun turn-based board game from Japan based on original concepts. The game is designed by one of the lead programmers of Siter Skain, one of Japan’s best shareware developers. Starting with 3-6 pieces…
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Medicalat
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Anonymous Another fun “cute flying witch” horizontal shooter from Japan, Medicalat features smooth SVGA graphics and addictive gameplay that recalls the best of IREM’s offerings. One of the best features in the game is the rocket that accompanies you,…
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T2002
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Manfred Trenz & Pekaro GAME DEVELOPER:Rainbow Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Pekaro T2002 is a superb Windows clone of Factor 5/Rainbow Arts’ classic platformer Turrican, which was unfortunately never released for PC (unlike its sequel Turrican II). The plot – somewhat superfluous for this type of…
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ZPC
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Zombie GAME PUBLISHER:GT Interactive Copyright 1997, Zombie ZPC is an original first-person shooter from Zombie that you will most likely either love or hate (I love it, incidentally). If any action game deserves a label “artistic game” (much like The Dark Eye does for…
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Pipeful Sunday
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Anonymous Pipeful Sunday is a nice freeware Pipe Mania clone. While it doesn’t show off any revolutionary concepts or push the envelope, it is a well-coded, fun, and challenging puzzler. Your goal on each level is to lay different…
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Sid Meier’s Alien Crossfire
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Timothy Train GAME DEVELOPER:Firaxis GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1999, Firaxis Sid Meier’s Alien Crossfire is an outstanding (and unfortunately the only) expansion pack for Firaxis’ superb Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri. Strategy Plus summarizes all the goodies you get in their review: “Alien Crossfire introduces seven new…
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BVE
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mackoy GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Mackoy BVE (short for Boso View Express) is an excellent freeware train simulation from Japan that is much better than many commercial releases, and is considered by many avid fans to be the most realistic PC train sim to…
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Kohan: Ahriman’s Gift
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Timegate Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Strategy First Copyright 2002, Timegate Studios I really liked the original Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns. It had an original and well-balanced resource system which involved not only paying for your troops with gold, but also building enough resource-structures in your towns and…
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Grand Prix 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Geoff Crammond GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1996, Geoff Crammond A worthy successor to Geoff Crammond’s classic World Circuit (a.k.a. F1 Grand Prix, Grand Prix 2 is a rare sequel that manages to surpass its predecessor in every respect. Racing game guru Ben Chiu said it…
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Barrage
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pierre Schiro & Michael Royer GAME DEVELOPER:Mango Grits GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1998, Mango Grits Barrage is an excellent but little-known 3D shooter created by small developer Mango Grits, the same team behind two outstanding “rail shooters/adventure hybrids” Cyberia and Cyberia 2, and published by Activision. While…
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TDK Pinball Machine
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, TDK TDK Pinball Machine is a fun freeware pinball game released to promote TDK’s line of storage media for the PC (floppy disks, hard drives, tape drives, etc.) The game has only one table and few bonuses, but it…
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Hostage: Rescue Mission
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Infogrames GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1989, Mindscape Hostage: Rescue Mission is a fun game from Infogrames, published by Mindscape in the U.S. As commander of an anti-terrorist squad somewhere in Europe, your job is to rescue U.S. Embassy officials who have been taken hostage by…
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RoboCrush
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeform Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Freeform Interactive RoboCrush is an excellent Bust-A-Move-style game from Freeform Interactive, the now-defunct company behind the popular Ingava.com freeware site. You play RoboCrush 5000, a cute anime-style robot whose goals is to vault colorful creatures called “Bleeps” up…
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Code: Europe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Compu-Teach Copyright 1993, Synergistic Software Code: Europe is a decent edutainment title that looks and feels very similar to Broderbund’s famous Carmen Sandiego games, but much less engaging or original. Cast as a secret agent, your job is to catch the…
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Double Agent
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Flair GAME PUBLISHER:MicroValue Copyright 1998, Flair Double Agent is a fun action/adventure/strategy hybrid from Flair Software that plays like a modern remake of classic Spy vs. Spy. Released only in Europe and pulled from the shelves in a matter of months after dismal sales,…
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Creep Clash
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:47-Tek GAME PUBLISHER:47-Tek Copyright 1994, 47-Tek Creep Clash is a thoroughly awful low-budget 3D fighting game from 47-Tek, a small Japan-based developer. Although the genre doesn’t really need one, here’s the hackneyed plot anyway: in the land of Eternal Night, a leadership battle is…
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Comic Kicker: Euro 2000
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Anders Wihlborg GAME DEVELOPER:Wihlborg Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Wihlborg Entertainment Copyright 2001, Wihlborg Entertainment Comic Kicker Euro 2000 is an enjoyable, humorous cartoon version of the Euro 2000 football (soccer to you Americans) championship. The game features 16 funny caricatured teams to choose from, fluid animations, and solid…
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Carnivores: Ice Age
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Oleg Slusar GAME DEVELOPER:Action Forms GAME PUBLISHER:WizardWorks Copyright 2001, Action Forms Carnivores: Ice Age is the final and definitely best in Action Forms’ underrated Carnivores series of first-person shooter games. Bradford Roberts of The Games Domain explains in his very thorough review: “Fans of the previous…
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Freespace 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Adam Pletcher GAME DEVELOPER:Volition GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1999, Volition Undoubtedly one of the best 3D space combat games ever made, Freespace 2 by Volition is a superb space opera of epic proportions. The strong emphasis on plot development combined with spectacular graphics and story-based missions make…
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Operation Combat II: By Land, Sea and Air
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Lamb GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1993, Merit Studios The one and only sequel to Merit’s earlier Operation Combat, Operation Combat II is even lesser known than the original despite sporting improvements in all areas. As in the original, you choose one of…
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Blood
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nick Newhard GAME DEVELOPER:Monolith Productions GAME PUBLISHER:GT Interactive Copyright 1997, Monolith Productions Arguably the best game ever made with Ken Silverman’s Build 3D engine (the engine behind Duke Nukem 3D games), Blood is an excellent, atmospheric, and highly replayable first-person shooter that distinguishes itself from other…
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Blood 2: The Chosen
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jay Wilson GAME DEVELOPER:Monolith Productions GAME PUBLISHER:GT Interactive Copyright 1998, Monolith Productions Blood 2 is a fun sequel to Blood, a cult classic FPS from Monolith. Instead of the Build engine used in Blood, Blood 2 designers opted this time to use the enhanced version of…
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Banzai Bug
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Grolier Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Grolier Interactive Copyright 1997, Grolier Interactive Billed as a “flight sim,” Banzai Bug is actually a 3D action game, although the premise is indeed unique: you fly a bug named Banzai on a quest to drive the bug-phobic humans out of…
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Quiver
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Advertainment GAME PUBLISHER:ESD Games Copyright 1997, Advertainment Quiver is a fun shareware FPS that makes up for the lack of multiplayer support with a great sense of humor, some innovative weapons, and huge levels. The plot is nothing you haven’t seen before in DOOM…
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Croc: Legend of the Gobbos
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Argonaut Software GAME PUBLISHER:Fox Interactive Copyright 1997, Argonaut Software Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is a fun 3D game that was much more successful on the Playstation and Gameboy Color consoles. You play Croc, a cute Crocodile who’s trying to rescue his even cuter…
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Witchaven
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:James Wheeler GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:Intracorp Copyright 1995, Capstone Witchaven is a decent first-person shooter from Capstone/Intracorp that introduces a few innovations to the genre at the time (1995 – the era of Duke Nukem 3D and DOOM), but falls flat with repetitive gameplay and poor…
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Akuji the Demon
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:E. Hashimoto GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, E. Hashimoto Akuji the Demon is an excellent freeware platformer from Japan that puts many commercial titles to shame. The storyline alone is already a twist on the familiar “hero kills foozle” plot: you play a demon (albeit…
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Fallthru
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Deal GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1989, Paul Deal One of the most unique text-only games ever made, Fallthru is a fun parser-based RPG that can be played by up to 3 players on the same computer. The game is turn-based: each player has X…
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Flesh Feast
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SegaSoft GAME PUBLISHER:SegaSoft Copyright 1998, SegaSoft Flesh Feast is basically an inferior clone of Raven’s Take No Prisoners, despite having better graphics. In this 3D action game, you play up to three different groups of people who are trapped on an island and can’t…
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Re-Loaded
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1996, Gremlin Re-Loaded is a fun top-down action game from Gremlin, published by Interplay. The game is a slightly inferior sequel to Loaded, a reasonably successful Playstation game that was never ported to the PC. The original Re-Loaded on the…
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Into the Void
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Adrenaline Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Playmates Interactive Copyright 1997, Adrenaline Entertainment Into the Void is a decent 4X space strategy game that in my opinion is not nearly as bad as most game magazines say, although it is by no means a classic. It is an…
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Cerberus
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Teemu Hynninen GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Teemu Hynninen “The future, mankind has left its home planet of Earth in search of new inhabitable worlds. Such places were indeed discovered and colonized. Life seemed to exist all over the galaxy. Intelligent lifeforms weren’t to be…
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Line, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bepposoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Bepposoft The Line from Bepposoft is a fun platformer with a very unique and fascinating premise which translates into a unique gameplay as well. Imagine a one-dimensional world comprising of just one line, as depicted in Abbott’s classic book…
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Xeno 2002
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Colin McGregor GAME DEVELOPER:Bug-Byte Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Colin McGregor Xeno 2002 is a fun remake of Xeno, an old 8-bit Spectrum ZX classic from 1986. Xeno is a futuristic sports game for 2 players that plays like air hockey. Though the goal is the…
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Fleet Starship Tactical Combat Simulator
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Wells & Douglas Stastny GAME DEVELOPER:Smoke and Mirrors Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Smoke and Mirrors Studios Copyright 1997, Smoke and Mirrors Studios Fleet Tactical Combat Simulator is an excellent shareware simulation by small developer Smoke and Mirrors Studios that offers a very detailed tactical combat engine that…
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Extreme Warfare Revenge
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Adam Ryland GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Adam Ryland Extreme Warfare Revenge is an outstanding ‘wrestling promoter sim’ from Adam Ryland. This is not yet another arcade wrestling game where you watch guys in skimpy clothes duke it out on the stage: this is a…
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Iron Dragon
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Eden Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Eden Studios Copyright 2000, Eden Studios Iron Dragon is a superb computer version of Mayfair Games’ classic fantasy railroad boardgame of the same name, which is one of many entries in its Empire Builder series of railroad boardgames. In addition to…
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Metal Rage
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Titus GAME PUBLISHER:Titus Copyright 1996, Titus Metal Rage is a lackluster 3D shooter from Titus. It remains probably Titus’ least known game, but you will discover why very soon after you start playing: this is a sub-par game that is not fun to play,…
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Bonkheads
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:1 AM Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:1 AM Entertainment Copyright 1998, 1 AM Entertainment Bonkheads is a fun 2D action game designed for kids. The Troll brothers Grag and Thog must rid their home of annoying pests in each of the 144 levels that comprised Trollsville.…
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Super Gem’Z
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Kaiko GAME PUBLISHER:Software 2000 Copyright 1992, Software 2000 Super Gem’Z is a fun puzzle game by Kaiko, a short-lived German developer who released several games for the Amiga before disbanding the company in 1993. A mixture between Gem’X, Kaiko’s previous game, and Bomberman, your…