Category: Arcade and Action Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, E-Game The first of two promotional titles sponsored by Norwegian oil giant Statoil, Statoil Ice Hockey is a fun, mindless Qix clone. In the game’s language: “The objective of the game is to limit the space for the referee…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, E-Game Similar to Eduman, Expertris is a straightforward ripoff of a well-known game. In this case, the game is Tetris, and the clone plays like an exact replica, only with different graphics. No frills or twists of any kind..…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, E-Game An early promotional game from E-Game, Eduman is a straightforward Pac-Man clone with no innovation. Gobble up dots, avoid flies– that’s about it. Fortunately the company would get much better at making promotional games that add a twist…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, E-Game Yet another fun little gem from E-Game, promotional game developer extraordinaire. This time the sponsor is Galleria, an Internet shopping portal run by GulaSidorna, Sweden’s premier Yellow Pages. In-game description goes as follows: “It’s not always as easy…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, E-Game A fun Frogger clone, sponsored by Trygg-Hansa, Sweden’s second-largest insurer. Developer E-Game really has a knack for creating game concepts that match the sponsor’s business, and Trygg-Hansa is no exception. What better game to represent the importance of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, E-Game Another cool promotional gem from prolific developer E-Game, this time sponsored by SAS, premier Scandinavian airline. True to its sponsor’s nature of business, SAS Baggage Claim puts you in the role of baggage claim clerk at a nondescript…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, E-Game Another solid entry in E-Game’s line of free promotional games. Statoil Service Station, as its name implies, is sponsored by Statoil, Norway’s biggest oil company. You are a male or female attendant (your choice) at a Statoil petro…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Hypnovista GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Cartoon Network A simple, slick side-scrolling platformer starring The Jetsons, everyone’s favorite space age family. George is running late and there’s bumper-to-bumper traffic on the intergalactic interstate. But he still has to drop off Elroy at the Little Dipper…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Biebersoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Biebersoft Super Mario vs. NWO World Tour is a competent fan-made spoof of WCW vs. NWO Nintendo 64 game. SMNWO attempts to bring some of the fun of the original side-scrollers back, and it largely succeeds, while slipping Sonic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, E-Game Yahoo! Balloon Circus is yet another small, fun freeware gem from promotional game developer E-Game. Once again, the ties between the product the game promote and the game itself are quite ingeniously presented: remember those colorful balloons on…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Freeware X-Fools: Abduct This! is a great Shockwave game from Palladium Interactive. This unusual X-Files spoof puts a twist on the familiar kill-all-alien shooter genre. Instead of shooting the aliens, you are yourself and alien in this game. As…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:CyberStuff GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, CyberStuff Finally, someone developed a game with a hero worth fighting for. Forget Lara Croft, I’m talking about a humble pint of lager. Beer: Barstool Adventures is a fun little freeware game that casts you as a beer mug…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:E-Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, E-Game A great remake of classic Tapper arcade game, Falcon Beertender is a wonderful, addictive coffee-break game from E-Game, Swedish developer with a novel business model: they create free, promotional games for companies who are interested in promoting brand…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Brainchild Design GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Brainchild Design Jump n Bump is a simple platform game for from two to four players. Each player controls a bunny, and has controls to walk the bunny left and right, or jump. The only goal is to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Presage Software GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1995, Presage Software Lode Runner On-Line: The Mad Monks’ Revenge is the new and improved version of Lode Runner: The Legend Returns. Developed and released in 1995 by Presage (now Human Code), makers of The Legend Returns and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Freeware EmPipe is a fun Windows 95/98 version of classic Pipe Dreams connect-the-pipes game. The objective is simple: connect pipe sections to let water flow from the start to finish. Pipe tiles are given at random, and you can…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Pytel GAME DEVELOPER:Epic Megagames GAME PUBLISHER:Epic Megagames Copyright 1993, Epic Megagames Zone 66 is a great overhead shooter that takes the genre to another level with 360-degree freedom of movement. Featuring furious gameplay, funky techno soundtrack and plenty of options, Zone 66 is one of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Omegavision GAME PUBLISHER:Starbyte Copyright 1990, Starbyte Crown is a nice oldie platformer by the chaps from StarByte. Travel through various countries all over the world (stages that is) and “fight” for the crown in each of the six countries. A fun game with varied…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Arcadia Copyright 1991, Arcadia N.Y. Warriors is a fun top-down shooter that recalls Quicksilver’s Heavy Barrel, although it is much less well-known. If you’ve played Konami / Data East / CAPCOM arcade games, you already know the drill: as a lone…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1994, Dynamix Battledrome is the first release in Dynamix? MetalTech giant-robots universe that bears more than a passing resemblance to FASA?s BattleTech. Fortunately, the game is strong enough to be able to stand on its own without a FASA…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:LittleWing GAME PUBLISHER:Amtex Copyright 1995, LittleWing Second in Amtex’ line of computer pinball games (after Tristan Pinball) and the first to simulate an actual pinball machine, Eight Ball Deluxe is an excellent replication of a popular Bally Midway pinball machine of the same name.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Kalisto GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1995, Mindscape Another good idea botched by actual execution, Savage Warriors is a side-scrolling fighting game that has several nice ideas, none of which enhances the gameplay. The game’s premise is simple: 10 fighters are plucked out of their time…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Hi-Tech Expressions GAME PUBLISHER:Hi-Tech Expressions Copyright 1993, Hi-Tech Expressions We’re Back: A Dinosaur?s Story is among a handful of games based on movie licenses that break the trend: the game is actually better than the movie. While it doesn’t rival the best of Disney’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:CAPCOM GAME PUBLISHER:CAPCOM Copyright 1988, CAPCOM Ghosts ‘n Goblins is a competent PC port of one of the best side-scrollers ever made. You play Arthur, noble knight (apparently before he was crowned King of Camelot) on a trek through haunted lands to rescue his…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Probe Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1995, Probe Entertainment Despite being one of UKs most popular cult comic books, Judge Dredd never fared well when licensed to other mediathe movie starring Sylvester Stallone as the beefy judge is one of his worst, and the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Denny Thorley GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1989, William Appleton Despite the name, Apache Strike is not a realistic simulation of Apache helicopter, but a straightforward first-person shooter. Your goal in this Rebel Assault precursor is simple: shoot the aliens that are (what else) invading the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Melbourne House Copyright 1989, Psygnosis Obliterator is a fun early side-scrolling platformer from Psygnosis that is notable for being the first Psygnosis game to include music (although the PC speakers, naturally, pale in comparison to Commodore 64 version). This sci-fi platformer features…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lance Wall GAME DEVELOPER:Unlimited Software GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1989, Brderbund Wings of Fury is a fun, albeit repetitive, action/simulation game in the style of old side-scrolling classic Sopwith. You fly an F6F Hellcat fighter, and your task is to escort a damaged aircraft carrier to Allied…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Titus GAME PUBLISHER:Titus Copyright 1989, Titus An early game by Titus, Titan is a fairly unorthodox Arkanoid / Breakout clone that unfortunately doesn’t play as well as the concept would lead you to believe. The best way to describe Titan is to think of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Kalisto GAME PUBLISHER:Kalisto Copyright 1992, Kalisto Decent puzzle game by Atreid Concept (Kalisto), S.C. Out is a Chip’s Challenge – style game that features an option to create and play your own levels. The premise is simple: navigate your ship on a 2D board…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Cascade GAME PUBLISHER:Cascade Copyright 1987, Cascade Oldie shoot em-up by Cascade Games, in which you’re up to the task to save mankind from a narcotic drug called “Sky”. Simple arcade fun– very similar to Titus’ Offshore Warrior, but with smoother graphics and gameplay. Lack…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:K. Handelmann GAME DEVELOPER:Ferox Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Ferox Software Not to be confused with a Macintosh puzzle game of the same name, Bubble Trouble is a cute little Missile Command clone, with attractive graphics, rocking soundtrack, and smooth gameplay. The objective is simple: make…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kent Brewster GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 1991, Kent Brewster Stained Glass is a wonderful and original shareware card game that was the inspiration behind Nick Schlott’s Tesserae, a commercial game published by GameTek in 1991 that features VGA graphics but same concepts. J. Michael Ambrosio’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Carr GAME DEVELOPER:Carr Software GAME PUBLISHER:Carr Software Copyright 1991, Carr Software The Islands of Danger remains this day one of the most unique and memorable text-mode game ever written. As one of the first shareware titles programmed by Richard Carr, IoD bodes well for his…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1994, Psygnosis Third official entry in DMA Design/Psynosis celebrated puzzler series, The Lemmings Chronicles (a.k.a. All New World of Lemmings in Europe) is a disappointing entry that feels like a rushed product that was made just to cash in on…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:DMA Design GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1993, Psygnosis Lemmings 2: The Tribes is a great sequel to Psygnosis famous puzzler Lemmings, although it never was quite as popular. Everyones favorite furry critters are back, and this time, they come with all new abilities and much…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1996, Sierra On-Line Earthsiege 2 is a much-improved sequel to Dynamix/Sierras Earthsiege, and marks the companys third entrant into the giant robots genre (after Battledrome and Earthsiege

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Noble GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Andy Noble Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy are without a doubt the two BEST games ever made for the Sinclair Spectrum computer in mid-1980s. Designed by Matthew Smith and published by Bug Byte / Software Projects, these…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Matthew Smith & Andy Noble GAME DEVELOPER:Bug-Byte Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Andy Noble Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy are without a doubt the two BEST games ever made for the Sinclair Spectrum computer in mid-1980s. Designed by Matthew Smith and published by Bug Byte…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Black Fish GAME PUBLISHER:Black Fish Copyright 1998, Black Fish Magic Polalamin is a fun top-down anime shooter from little-known Japanese developer Black Fish. The game features great graphics, smooth animations, and near-flawless gameplay that great shooters are known for. The hallmark of Magic Polalamin…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Housemarque GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1996, Housemarque Super Stardust 96 is an excellent arcade shoot em-up that combines addictive gameplay with breath-taking ray-traced and fully animated 3D graphics, digital music and sound effects, to give you the blast feast of your life. Your objective is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Negative GAME PUBLISHER:Negative Copyright 1996, Negative Marble Cooking is one of the most unique and fun action-oriented puzzle games Ive ever come across, Hentai (i.e. adult in Japanese) elements notwithstanding. You play a little witch who must hunt down a demon lord she has…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Grand Slam GAME PUBLISHER:Grand Slam Copyright 1992, Grand Slam Legend of Myra is an okay puzzle game of treasure hunting in mazes similar to classic Boulderdash. You control Slimmy the rabbit in this game, as explores mazes full of monsters. Your goal is to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Asys GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Asys Shooting Heart is a great freeware side-scrolling shooter from Japanese freeware group Asys. Choose to play as one of 3 main characters from To Heart, a popular anime series about romance in highschool, starring both humans and androids.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:IBM GAME PUBLISHER:IBM Copyright 1982, IBM One of the most interesting games ever made, IBM’s archaic 1982 game Attack would go down in history as just another mundane, primitive Paratrooper clone, if not for the fact that it could very well be the first…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Blue Byte GAME PUBLISHER:Blue Byte Copyright 1990, Blue Byte Little 7 year old Tom and his mother go on a trip to a castle in Scotland. While there, an evil magician enters the scene and casts a spell on Tom’s mother, both disappear, leaving…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Zmiro GAME DEVELOPER:Titus GAME PUBLISHER:Titus Copyright 1992, Titus MobyGames description says it all about Titus’ most popular platformer: “Titus the Fox: to Marrakech and Back is one of the most popular and innovative titles ever to be witnessed on the old 286. It’s a really…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Klinger GAME DEVELOPER:EGOSOFT GAME PUBLISHER:Blue Byte Copyright 1992, Blue Byte Good conversion of the Amiga game. Ugh! is a neat clone of Space Taxi, a great Commodore 64/Amiga classic that was never made for the PC. Instead of a future scenario, Ugh! is set in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Britt Allcroft GAME DEVELOPER:Peakstar GAME PUBLISHER:Alternative Copyright 1993, Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Ltd. Thomas The Tank Engine and its sequel are two fun action games for kids based on the popular kids’ stories of the same name. For those who aren’t familiar with the books, Thomas The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Britt Allcroft GAME DEVELOPER:Peakstar GAME PUBLISHER:Alternative Copyright 1992, Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Ltd. Thomas The Tank Engine and its sequel are two fun action games for kids based on the popular kids’ stories of the same name. For those who aren’t familiar with the books, Thomas The…