Category: Arcade and Action Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1994, Simulmondo After having ruined some comics’ licenses, Simulmondo tried again, this time with completely own storyline and characters. The project was quite ambitious: Fabbri is one of Italy’s biggest magazine publishers, and the games were even advertised on television…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Toby Simpson GAME DEVELOPER:Millennium GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1994, Millennium One of the better Lemmings-inspired games, Diggers is an interesting cross between Lemmings and The Humans, with a dash of Populous thrown in for good measure. The result is a fun strategy game with a lot of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Carlson & Iikka Keranen GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Eel GAME PUBLISHER:Cheapass Games Copyright 2001, Digital Eel Plasmaworm is an excellent modern version of classic freeware gem Pizza Worm, which in turn is the descendent of early arcade classics including Snakes and Nibbles. Instead of the pixellated worm…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1994, Gremlin Decent 3D shooter from Gremlin that tries hard to enhance the immersion with Wing Commander-style ?interactive screens? between missions, but didn?t quite succeed due to insipid plot and writing. The plot: as the name implies, fight to avenge…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Magic Touch GAME PUBLISHER:WizardWorks Copyright 1997, Magic Touch Last and best entry in the semi-popular Skunny series of platform games from Magic Touch, starring a cartoony squirrel who looks like a distant cousin of Jazz Jackrabbit. First (and last) in the series to be…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Action Forms GAME PUBLISHER:WizardWorks Copyright 1997, Action Forms Chasm: The Rift is a marginally above-average first-person shooter that would have probably been better known had it been released before the likes of Quake II and Jedi Knights. Like most 3D shooters, Chasm incorporates only…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Kulas & Matthew Toschlog GAME DEVELOPER:Parallax Software GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1996, Parallax Software Descent 2 is a superb sequel to one of the most original shooters to come along in ages. If you call yourself a die-hard space shooter fan, but have never played any…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Fiendish Games GAME PUBLISHER:Small Rockets Copyright 2000, Fiendish Games Tower of The Ancients is a fun, fast-paced puzzle game that ranks among one of the best Tetris clones ever created, featuring spectacular graphics and sound effects. It is unfortunate that the game isnt very…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Image Works GAME PUBLISHER:Image Works Copyright 1991, Image Works Blade Warrior is a very stylish arcade adventure game from Image Works/Mirrorsoft, set in a fantasy world. Although the premise and gameplay is not that different from most other fantasy hack-and-slash side scrollers, Blade Warrior…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Thunder Mountain GAME PUBLISHER:Thunder Mountain Copyright 1991, Thunder Mountain The fourth Pac-Man game for PC, Super Pac-Man is the first “true” Pac sequel in the sense that it was the first one to be developed by the games original creator, NAMCO. This PC conversion…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Thunder Mountain GAME PUBLISHER:Thunder Mountain Copyright 1988, Thunder Mountain Third in the Pac-Man series and the first Pac-Man game not converted to PC by Atari. Jr. Pac-Man stars the Pac Junior, the baby Pac who first appears in several intermission screens in Ms. Pac-Man,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Atari Games GAME PUBLISHER:Atari Games Copyright 1983, Hasbro Interactive The first true sequel to the classic Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man is a decent PC conversion of the Atari arcade game of the same name. This is also probably the only sequel that Atari converted to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1982, Windmill Software Probably the rarest game from Windmill Software, maker of Digger, Attack on Altair is a shooter game that is entirely text-based and not a very good one, at that. If you have played Space Invaders…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1983, Windmill Software Rollo and The Brush Brothers is one of the rare games from Windmill Software that are not clones of Atari classics. The object is to maneuver a brush around each side of a screenful of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1983, Windmill Software The Exterminator is a lackluster clone of Centipede from Windmill Software, the preeminent clone house in early 1980s that basically tried to emulate Atari by cloning all of their coin-op classics. The idea behind The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1983, Windmill Software From Windmill Software, prolific developer of arcade clones comes Conquest, a nice twist on classic Joust. Trixter said it all in his review at MobyGames: “The Good:Conquesthas oversized graphics, which makes it much easier to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1983, Windmill Software Yet another game by Windmill Software inspired by arcade originals, Moon Bugs is a blatant clone of Galaxian that unfortunately adds little to the tried-and-true shoot all aliens in sight concept. Your goal is to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1982, Windmill Software An early arcade classic from Windmill Software, famous for unleashing Digger to the unsuspecting public and converted many skeptics to PC gamers for life 😉 Like all other Windmill games, Floppy Frenzy is simple, intuitive,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1983, Windmill Software Another excellent classic from Windmill Software, Styx is an enhanced clone of Taitos Qix that allows diagonal drawing. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Taito classic, heres the basic scoop: you play a marker,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1983, Windmill Software Undoubtedly the most successful game from Windmill Software, Digger is a timeless action classic that combines the best elements of Ataris Dig Dug and Mr. Do. MobyGames says it all about this masterpiece that remains…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Crystal Dynamics GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1997, Crystal Dynamics Pandemonium 2 is a solid sequel to Pandemonium, one of the best platform games ever created. Although more evolutionary than revolutionary, Pandemonium 2 offers the same addictive gameplay as the original, with even better graphics.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Crow GAME DEVELOPER:Bubble Bus GAME PUBLISHER:ShareData Copyright 1988, Bubble Bus One of the most innovative side-scrolling shooters ever made, Starquake was a big hit on the Commodore 64 and Atari ST but sadly not on the PC system. The plot is very clich?, but its…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Nikita GAME PUBLISHER:Nikita Copyright 1995, Nikita A nice Windows remake of cult classic Perestroika (a.k.a. Toppler), one of the few games that manage to both be a fun action game and make a political statement about reforms in Russia. Read my earlier review of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Locis GAME PUBLISHER:Locis Copyright 1991, Locis Perestroika (a.k.a. Toppler) is a fun game by a small Russian developer called Locis, who promptly disappeared after this one hit wonder. What makes the game interesting and of historical value is not only great gameplay, but the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tritone GAME DEVELOPER:Alpha Helix GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1993, Alpha Helix One of the most entertaining and original shooters ever made, The Last Eichhof is the great freeware game developed by Alpha Helix, small Swiss outfit and guzzlers extraordinaire. Derrick Steel sums up the game succinctly in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:Dialog GAME PUBLISHER:Dialog Copyright 1989, Dialog A cute little puzzler by Alexei Pajitnov, most famous as the creator of Tetris. The objective in Magnetic Crane is to arrange train bogeys in the right order before time runs out. Each level starts with the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:Capstone Copyright 1993, Capstone Another Real Dog from Capstone, who tirelessly acquired lucrative movie licenses and churned out horrible games based on them — and they never seem to learn, either. Surf Ninjas is no exception. But what makes the game worse…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Stywox GAME PUBLISHER:Titus Copyright 1994, Stywox Lackluster platform game from Stywox and Titus, featuring chubby and toothy rabbits that are uglier than they are cute. Standard platform fare, except with blocky graphics, uninspired levels, and downright boring gameplay. Definitely one of the worst games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dysin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Dysin Interactive Copyright 1994, Dysin Interactive Violent Myth is a lackluster 2D fighting game that botches the very interesting premise by poor execution. Although it looks and feels similar to Panda Software’s famous Sango Fighter, the game is not half as…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Reinier von Viet GAME DEVELOPER:Team Hoi GAME PUBLISHER:Rasputin Copyright 1994, Team Hoi Clockwiser is a good PC conversion of an interesting match-the-picture game by Team Hoi, one of Amiga’s most underrated publishers. Your objective is to move various elements (these include bricks, bombs, transporter unit, self-generating…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nick Thompson GAME DEVELOPER:Codemasters GAME PUBLISHER:Codemasters Copyright 1993, Codemasters Captain Dynamo is a solid entry in Codemasters’ string of excellent cartoon platformers. As chubby, smiley Captain Dynamo, your goal is to rescue your girl’s diamonds from a loony old villain. The game is a vertically-scrolling affair…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SoftStar GAME PUBLISHER:SoftStar Copyright 1994, SoftStar Another solid arcade game from SoftStar, Taiwan’s best game company, Act of Fighter is a smooth side-scrolling beat-em-up set in Chinese history. Set in a typical o-father-I-vow-to-avenge-your-death premise common in most “period” Chinese stories, Act of Fighter is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Hardt GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Steve Hardt One of the most graphically violent games ever made, XEvil is probably one of a handful of games that manage to be this offensive and controversial and get away with it. The game features an incredibly…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Peterson GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, David Peterson Hell Fighter is a unique top-down space combat/strategy hybrid that is highly addictive, especially in multiplayer. First released in 1995, the game has gone through numerous iterations and improvements, thanks to the dedication of designer David…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1991, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1990, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1991, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1992, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1992, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1991, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rick Dyer GAME DEVELOPER:ReadySoft GAME PUBLISHER:ReadySoft Copyright 1993, ReadySoft In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jay Kramer GAME DEVELOPER:Teacy GAME PUBLISHER:Homebrew Software Copyright 1994, Teacy Flying Tigers 2 is a decent top-down shooter that is identical to its predecessor in every respect, except for new levels and enemies. If you have played the first game, you know what to expect: a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:ComAd GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, SONY Probably one of the worst promotional games ever made, Sony Game is a quaint platformer starring everyone’s favorite Walkman– SONY’s, of course. It’s a typical platformer in every respect, except that from time to time you will find…