Category: Arcade and Action Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nozomi Matsuzaka & Yuka Higashiiwai GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Nozomi Matsuzaka & Yuka Higashiiwai Another fun and quite unique time waster from Japan. In Ranchan Cat, you are a cat named Ranchan (duh), who needs to get to the end of each level (to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Anonymous Connaone is a fun freeware action game based on Korean cartoon of the same name. You are Connaone, a rowdy, tough youngster who has been jailed for countless misdemeanors and petty theft charges. Your goal, of course, is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dragonsoft GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 2001, Anonymous Samural Shodown VS MUGEN A competent fanmade fighting game based on characters from SNK’s hit Samurai Shodown series (a.k.a. Samurai Spirit in the West), coded using the versatile M.U.G.E.N. fighting games engine. Although the game is very competently…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Keypunch GAME PUBLISHER:Keypunch Copyright 1989, Keypunch One of the worst games from Keypunch (and that’s saying a lot, considering how 99% of their games are horrible), and one of their last (thank goodness). Dream Warrior seems interesting enough if you just read the blurb…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GAMOS GAME PUBLISHER:Arsenal Copyright 1998, GAMOS From Corner to Corner is a fun variant of Chinese checkers for one to four players, each of whom can be either a computer or a human. Best described as a 4-way version of Chinese checkers, the object…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GAMOS GAME PUBLISHER:Arsenal Copyright 2000, GAMOS One of the best and most inventive puzzlers I?ve ever played, NetWalk is a great logic game that is now enjoying great popularity on the handheld platform (one of my colleagues in the office would play a quick…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GAMOS GAME PUBLISHER:GAMOS Copyright 1999, GAMOS Balda is a fun game based on a popular Russian pen-and-paper word game of the same name. The goal is to construct the longest word you can from a given number of alphabets. The longer word you can…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GAMOS GAME PUBLISHER:GAMOS Copyright 1999, GAMOS Sabor is an interesting blend of side-scrolling beat-em-up genre and puzzle, based on Russian folkloremore specifically, an ancient martial arts called sabor (which, as far as I know, is similar to Tai Chi in the Orient). The term…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GAMOS GAME PUBLISHER:GAMOS Copyright 1993, GAMOS One of the most addictive time wasters Ive ever come across, GAMOS Color Lines is a wonderful puzzle game that, similar to Tetris, is very easy to learn but hard to master. The idea, as described on the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:InterActive Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Midas Interactive Copyright 2000, InterActive Vision One of the most obscure and underrated cyberpunk shooters ever made, B-Hunter is a low-profile release developed by Danish-based Interactive Vision and published by UK-based Midas Interactive Entertainment. Similar to Psygnosis’ much better known G-Police,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silent Software GAME PUBLISHER:Ripcord Games Copyright 1998, Silent Software A great sequel to Return Fire, one of the best capture the flag games ever made. The plot is very simple: you and an enemy are on an island, which is full of military strongholds.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:Capstone Copyright 1994, Capstone Another extremely bad, extremely cheesy game from Capstone, the “nadir of computer entertainment.” Terrorists have taken control of the UN building in New York, and you are part of the assault team assigned to take it back. Yawn.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Kinetica GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1989, US Gold Another Atari/Amiga hit that failed to attract PC gamers’ attention. Gold of the Aztecs is a fun action/adventure game set in South America. The mundane plot casts you as another unfortunate pilot-turned-adventurer who crash-landed in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GameTek GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1988, GameTek A cute little action game starring little people, Fisher-Price’s popular toys for toddlers. The idea: as a fireman in training, you must rescue little people and their pets from burning houses and trees. There are four levels of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Geckosoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Geckosoft A great Arkanoid/Breakout clone from Geckosoft with a few nice twists to the familiar bounce-the-ball-to-destroy-the-blocks theme. The highlights of Enigma are the sheer number of levels (over 150) and five interesting “subgames” that have nothing to do with…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Magic Bytes GAME PUBLISHER:Magic Bytes Copyright 1995, Magic Bytes One of the best Breakout (aka Arkanoid) clones ever made, Crystal Hammer was one of Magic Bytes’ last hits on the Amiga that failed to make an impact in the crowded PC market. Everything you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Leigh Rothschild GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1995, Capstone Capstone once again rose (sank?) to their notoriety as one of the worst game developers in history with this awful Wolfenstein 3D clone. Even id Software’s celebrated Wolf 3D engine can’t save Corridor 7 from being a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Karl-Johan Nilsson GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Karl-Johan Nilsson Critters 2 is an excellent remake of Thalamus’ Creatures 2: Torture Trouble, one of the most underrated games ever made for the Commodore 64. In this Lemmings meets The Humans game, your goal is to free…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Thalamus GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1988, Thalamus Mind-Roll by Thalamus (published by Epyx in the US) is a fun Marble Madness-style game with a simple premise: guide the marble through a complex obstacle course to the exit, avoiding obstacles on the way. The game is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Friends GAME DEVELOPER:Konami GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, Konami No, this is not PC version of a famous Amiga game based on Children’s TV series (that one was never made for PC, by the way). This Knightmare is the recompiled DOS version of the Konami game of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Genias GAME PUBLISHER:Genias Copyright 1991, Genias Not to be confused with Codemasters’ action-adventure game of the same name, Genias’ Tilt! is a fun puzzler that plays like EA’s classic Marble Madness meets a pinball game. The goal is straightforward: maneuver the ball on each…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1994, Merit Studios Frankenstein is an average cartoon platformer from the UK division of Merit Studios. The game’s obscurity is probably due to the fact that it was released very quietly as a shareware title, and only in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Leigh Rothschild GAME DEVELOPER:Firebird GAME PUBLISHER:MicroValue Copyright 1993, Firebird Ninja Rabbits and its sequel International Ninja Rabbits are two “faithful” conversions of a pair of terrible Commodore 64 games of the same names that star you as a rabbit who is tasked with saving a factory…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ky Kimport GAME DEVELOPER:Tursiops Truncatus GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Ky Kimport Drops of Light is an excellent puzzle game that plays like a blend of classic 15-peg puzzle game, some inspirations from Chinese checkers, and a twist of color physics. The goal: rearrange the photons in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Blackeye Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Blackeye Software Another excellent freeware action gem from Blackeye Software, Dive & Destroy is underwater shoot-em-up at its best, with plenty of enemy subs and sealife, solid controls, and a variety of weapons to use. You can use…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Tumino GAME DEVELOPER:Virtually Real GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Virtually Real One of the best games ever made with Maxis’ Klik & Play game creation system, Destruction Carnival is an excellent kill-everything-in-sight mayhem that fans of arcade hits Smash TV will be familiar with. You play…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Codemasters GAME PUBLISHER:Codemasters Copyright 1992, Codemasters DJ Puff’s Volcanic Capers is an okay cartoony platformer from Codemasters that doesn’t really hold up well against other titles once the initial novelty wears off. The plot: you are a disco-loving dragon called DJ Puff (probably inspired…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Softstar GAME PUBLISHER:Softstar Copyright 1993, Softstar Air is an excellent side-scroller from premier Taiwan developer Softstar. Despite what the name implies, the game actually takes place underwater most of the time. In contrast to most other shooters that feature futuristic spacecraft and menacing-looking enemies,…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Tunnell GAME DEVELOPER:Jeff Tunnell Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1994, Jeff Tunnell Productions Incredible Toon Machine is the sequel to Jeff Tunnell’s quirky Sid & Al’s Incredible Toons, updated for Windows 95 and enhanced with many new devious levels. As in the predecessor, ITM is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Domark GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1989, Domark 007: License to Kill is a great top-down shoot-em-up based on movie of the same name that stars Timothy Dalton as James Bond, the world?s most famous secret agent. The plot is identical to the movie: James Bond…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Braybrook & Steve Turner GAME DEVELOPER:Hewson GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1988, Hewson Uridium is a fun, original fast scrolling shoot-’em-up that is much better known on the Commodore 64. In one of the “stock” sci-fi plots that we have heard a hundred times before, the plot…