Category: Arcade and Action Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dorian Hart GAME DEVELOPER:Looking Glass Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Looking Glass Technologies Copyright 1996, Looking Glass Technologies Terra Nova is Looking Glass’ forgotten classic that remains to this day one of the best squad-level first-person games ever made. Set in the far future of mankind where inter-planetary wars…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bethesda Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Bethesda Softworks Copyright 1992, Bethesda Softworks Terminator: Rampage is the third game in Bethesda’s “The Terminator” ™ series, in which you must travel to the past in order to protect the future. The plot is standard post-apocalyptic mumbo-jumbo: it’s the year…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bethesda Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Bethesda Softworks Copyright 1993, Bethesda Softworks Excerpted from GameSpot’s review: “To make a video game that continues the tradition of the hard-hitting, multi-million dollar Terminator movie series, you have to combine engaging action with mind-altering special effects, gratuitous violence, and a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Julian LeFay GAME DEVELOPER:Bethesda Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Bethesda Softworks Copyright 1991, Bethesda Softworks An excellent and inventive 3D action game that casts you as either The Terminator or Reese from the hit movie of the same name. Although primarily an action game, the typical shoot-em-up formula is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bethesda Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Bethesda Softworks Copyright 1992, Bethesda Softworks Bethesda’s second game based on the hit Terminator movie sports a much-improved game engine that displays impressive graphics, but also has quite a few bugs. The game could be considered a “remake” of The Terminator,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark Randel GAME DEVELOPER:Terminal Reality GAME PUBLISHER:3D Realms Copyright 1995, 3D Realms This is a fun, innovative 3D shooter that combines good graphics with knuckle-blistering gameplay. Pilot a futuristic vehicle in numerous blow-everything-in-sight missions. What sets Terminal Velocity apart from other 3D games is the cool…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Konami GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1992, Konami One of the best superheroes action games ever made, Manhattan Missions is the third game in Konami’s line of platform games based on the lucrative license. The third time is really a charm for this game, as the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Image Works GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1991, Konami After starting on a good start with the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, Konami fumbled the license with this inferior sequel, subtitiled The Arcade Game. The graphics somehow becomes so grainy and dull that you’ll have…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Gray GAME DEVELOPER:Imagexcel GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1988, US Gold Techno Cop is a good futuristic cop game that offers two game styles: racing and platform shooter. Your job is simple: first, make your way to a crime scene. The screen shows your damage (it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pascal Einsweiler & Michel Pernot GAME DEVELOPER:Silmarils GAME PUBLISHER:Silmarils Copyright 1989, Silmarils A straightforward platform game with a simple kill-the-evil-foozle plot, Targhan recalls Psygnosis’ earlier Barbarianbut with better graphics and more difficult monsters. Overall, it’s a standard side-scrolling affair that has some nice graphical effects and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ken Jordan GAME DEVELOPER:Midway GAME PUBLISHER:Midway Copyright 1983, Midway Good graphics, great gameplay– what else does a game need? Serve beer to customers and also collect the mugs back… a bartender’s job has never been better illustrated. I remember spending hours in vain on this game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:7th Level GAME PUBLISHER:7th Level Copyright 1995, 7th Level This is a cool collection of screen savers and mini-games based on oscar-nominated cartoonist Bill Plympton’s works, which are like a cross between Dilbert and Monty Python: deadpan and sleazy humor that make fun of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix Second and last in Sierra’s underrated Take a Break! series that began with Take a Break! Crossword, this is a good pinball game that eschews realistic ball motions in favor of fast action and imaginative tables based…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix Part of Sierra’s avalanche of “budget” games in the early 1990s, Take a Break! Crossword 1 and 2 actually delivers more “bang for the buck” than most other budget titles. It features dozens of puzzles from Dell…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1992, Dynamix Part of Sierra’s avalanche of “budget” games in the early 1990s, Take a Break! Crossword 1 and 2 actually delivers more “bang for the buck” than most other budget titles. It features dozens of puzzles from Dell…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynafield GAME PUBLISHER:Prestige Copyright 1993, Prestige This is a fun side-scrolling action game that did quite well on the Amiga but went unnoticed on the PC. Easy enemies and somewhat repetitive levels are made up for by excellent graphics and a lot of exotic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:First Star GAME PUBLISHER:Capstone Copyright 1988, First Star The only comic book conversion so far that features the Man of Steel despite his being the most well-known of all superheroes, Superman is a fun action game that features both 3D airborne sequences where Superman…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:Spectrum Holobyte GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1991, Spectrum Holobyte This follow-up to the hugely popular Tetris didn’t do as well commercially, but it does offer a lot of neat twists to the falling block concepts: two-player mode, special items such as bombs that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Softgold GAME PUBLISHER:LucasFilm Games Copyright 1994, LucasFilm Games This is the never-released PC version of a console side-scrolling platform game from LucasArts. The game follows the plot of the first Star Wars very closely– as Luke Skywalker, you must fight your way from the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Death Adder GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Death Adder As the title suggests, this game is an ingenious home-brew game that pits fighters from Sango Fighter against those from Super Fighter in the ultimate fighting match. Death Adder did a great job ripping all graphics,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kwan Chuan Hoa & Ho Miung Li GAME DEVELOPER:C&E Inc. GAME PUBLISHER:C&E Inc. Copyright 1993, C&E Inc. One of the better Street Fighter 2 clones, Super Fighter features imaginative moves, special attacks, and fluid animations. As in Street Fighter 2, fighters that hail from all over…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Philip Jespersen GAME DEVELOPER:Dream Factory GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, Digital Integration In one of the best Boulderdash clones, gameplay in Supaplex is similar to that classic: as Murphy the bug-hunter living inside a computer, you must collect enough infotrons in each level and exit as fast…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Molinets GAME DEVELOPER:Velocity GAME PUBLISHER:Velocity Copyright 1993, Velocity This last licensee of id’s popular DOOM engine is one of the best first-person action games ever made and among the early successful action / RPG hybrids. Strife takes DOOM into a dynamic world inhabited by not…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Capcom GAME PUBLISHER:Capcom Copyright 1989, Capcom This is a good PC conversion of the arcade hit by Capcom that is best described as futuristic ninja combat. Anachronistic weapons and enemies only make the game more fun, with lots of surprises along the way. Strider…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andr? Rocques & Louis-Marie Rocques GAME DEVELOPER:Silmarils GAME PUBLISHER:Silmarils Copyright 1992, Silmarils After breaking into the puzzle genre with Boston Bomb Club, Silmarils continued to diversify into unfamiliar territories with Storm Master, a game that combines action/adventure mix with strategic elements. Set up a spy network,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1988, Mastertronic A good top-down action / RPG that recalls classic Gauntlet, Storm lets one or two players explore the dungeons in search of treasures and exotic weapons. It offers straight-forward dungeon hack-and-slash without bothering with detailed statistics, and everything…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Eclipse GAME PUBLISHER:Eclipse Copyright 1992, Eclipse Yet another fun puzzler in Pushover‘s cartoony style. In this game, guide the dinosaur past all manners of obstacles toward the exit. Obstructing blocks can be moved to clear the way. Similar to Sokoban, but with more variation…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Damon Slye GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Dynamix Copyright 1992, Dynamix Stellar 7 and its better sequel Nova 9 are two fun 3D action underdogs that combine furious action with resource management similar to the classic Spectre. Drive futuristic hovercrafts in missions against the evil warlord Drax and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1986, Apogee The first Star Trek trivia game in existence is also interestingly the very first shareware game Apogee released– in 1986. Despite archaic text-based interface, the game stands up well with time, featuring dozens of questions related to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:George Broussard GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1987, Apogee The follow-up to Star Trek: The Trivia Game is based, appropriately enough, on Star Trek: The Next Generation series. The game is still text-based with hardly any graphics to wow over (but then, who needs any?), but…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interactive Magic GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1995, Interactive Magic The first game developed in-house by ill-fated Interactive Magic is an outstanding space combat / strategy game that truly recaptures the intensity and excitement of the classic Atari 2600 game Star Raiders. In each of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Take 2 Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Take 2 Interactive Copyright 1994, Take 2 Interactive A solid 3D space combat underdog, Star Crusader has it all except the hype: great graphics (if not as sharp as Wing Commander), lots of cool and colorful ships, over 100 missions,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark E. Seremet GAME DEVELOPER:Paragon Software GAME PUBLISHER:Paragon Software Copyright 1988, Paragon Software Touted (incorrectly) by Paragon as “the world’s first interactive comic book,” this is a fun side-scrolling action game featuring none other than Spider-Man and Captain America. Use their superpowers in over 30 battles…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul O’Malley GAME DEVELOPER:Epyx GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1988, Epyx Spiderbot is a unique platform game that combines the usual side-scrolling action with puzzle-solving. As a robotic insect racing to protect your home from evil insects’ invasion, you can capture the invading insects, then brainwash them to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Velocity GAME PUBLISHER:Velocity Copyright 1993, Velocity A fun frag-fest that pays homage to the arcade classic Battlezone, Spectre is a fun multiplayer 3D tank game that features a great capture-the-flag mode, cool futuristic graphics, and intuitive interface. Although the computer AI is capable, the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Velocity GAME PUBLISHER:Velocity Copyright 1991, Velocity A fun frag-fest that pays homage to the arcade classic Battlezone, Spectre is a fun multiplayer 3D tank game that features a great capture-the-flag mode, cool futuristic graphics, and intuitive interface. Although the computer AI is capable, the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Extremes GAME PUBLISHER:Epic Megagames Copyright 1993, Epic Megagames In this fun shooting/adventure pair set in the spirit of Privateer, you are a space jockey / mercenary who takes on a variety of missions for fun and profit while watching the greater plot unfold.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Khaled Bentebal GAME DEVELOPER:Spectrum Holobyte GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1984, Spectrum Holobyte Soko-ban is the first puzzle game I played on the PC, and it remains to this day one of the most difficult. The objective is simple: move crates to create a path to the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Infogrames GAME PUBLISHER:Infogrames Copyright 1996, Infogrames The Smurfs is a fun platform game based on a wildly popular 80s cartoon (which so popular it even spawned a spinoff called the Snorks — I’m not making this up). The game succeeds at capturing the bumbling…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Smart Games GAME PUBLISHER:Hasbro Copyright 1998, Hasbro Easily the *best* puzzle compilations I’ve ever come across, each Smart Games is chock full of puzzles in almost every category imaginable. Most puzzle types are very original, and even those that derive from well-known games put…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bill Williams GAME DEVELOPER:Cinemaware GAME PUBLISHER:Cinemaware Copyright 1988, Cinemaware This Cinemaware game puts you in the shoes (sandals?) of legendary Sinbad the sailor from 1001 Arabian Nights, who roam the seas in search of fortune, power, and true love. In contrast to Cinemaware’s earlier action/strategy classics…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:S. Uesaka & H. Godai GAME DEVELOPER:Game Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1987, Game Arts For many action gamers, playing Silpheed is a thoroughly captivating experience that is hard to forget. Designed by Thexder designers S. Uesaka and H. Godai and licensed from Japanese company Game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Tunnell GAME DEVELOPER:Jeff Tunnell Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Dynamix Copyright 1992, Jeff Tunnell Productions In Sid & Al, Tunnel catapulted the already addictive concept of The Incredible Machines into a whole new levels by injecting two hapless cartoon characters, a greedy cat a hungry mouse, as both…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:Academy Soft GAME PUBLISHER:Academy Soft Copyright 1986, Academy Soft Before Aleixei Pajitnov became famous world over for Tetris, he designed this strange puzzle game for Russian developer Academy Soft that is would later be revised as Color Collision for Microsoft’s Puzzle Collection. Bounce…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Aaron Koolen GAME DEVELOPER:Vision Software GAME PUBLISHER:Safari Software Copyright 1996, Safari Software Safari’s last game before fading into obscurity is an excellent and novel shooter that “features a smooth 360 degree battlefield, tons of action, multiple weapon upgrades and configurations, beautiful explosions and mass destruction. Your…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Perry & Nick Bruty GAME DEVELOPER:Probe Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Probe Entertainment Copyright 1988, Probe Entertainment Savage is a little-known gem from much better known software developer, Probe Entertainment (and was even programmed by Brian O’Shaughnessy, who also worked on Mortal Kombat). In Savage, you play the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Panda Software GAME PUBLISHER:Panda Software Copyright 1995, Panda Software Sango Fighter 1 and 2 are two excellent side-scrolling fighting games from underrated Taiwanese eveloper Panda are based on the epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel (as depicted in KOEI’s classic strategy series). The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Panda Software GAME PUBLISHER:Panda Software Copyright 1994, Panda Software Sango Fighter 1 and 2 are two excellent side-scrolling fighting games from underrated Taiwanese eveloper Panda are based on the epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel (as depicted in KOEI’s classic strategy series). The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SNK GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1995, SNK Best known for their Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting series, SNK has been one of the forefather of fighting games (along with Capcom, of course). As we know it today, SNK is the first to develop the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kellyn Beck GAME DEVELOPER:Cinemaware GAME PUBLISHER:Cinemaware Copyright 1988, Cinemaware Arguably one of the worst Cinemaware games ever, S.D.I. gets bogged down with control scheme that is so bad that the typical Cinemaware hallmark of cinematic feel can’t rescue the game from being removed from your hard…