Category: Arcade and Action Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Starbyte GAME PUBLISHER:Micro League Copyright 1993, Micro League In this fun and colorful platform game, your task is to guide youngster Ronny to various locations in town on rollerskates, deftly avoiding fallen objects, malicious skaters, and various other obstacles. The game’s highlight is the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SAV Creations GAME PUBLISHER:Homebrew Software Copyright 1995, SAV Creations Rollin is a quick-thinking puzzle game which requires reflexes as well as astute thinking. The object of the game is simple: maneuver the ball from the start (IN) to the goal (OUT). The ball follows…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:BlueSky Software GAME PUBLISHER:Disney Copyright 1989, Amblin Entertainment Roger Rabbit returns with a vengeance in this semi-sequel to the average Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Although Hare Raising Havoc is still a platform game, this time Disney vastly improved all the facets of the game,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Garcia GAME DEVELOPER:NovaLogic GAME PUBLISHER:Disney Copyright 1991, Disney Undoubtedly one of the best Disney games ever (at least until the release of Jungle Book, The and later platform games), The Rocketeer is based on the retro movie of the same name that is reminiscent of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kellyn Beck GAME DEVELOPER:Cinemaware GAME PUBLISHER:Cinemaware Copyright 1990, Cinemaware Rocket Ranger is Cinemaware’s excellent adaptation of the old “Flash Gordon” comics in which you must stop the Nazis from conquering the world with your trusty rocket pack. Those who expects a good mix of strategy and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Martin Kenwright GAME DEVELOPER:OCEAN GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1991, OCEAN Licensed from the movie of the same name, you play Robocop, a cyborg cop who must rescue hostages, pursue the bad guys, and eventually save the world from terrorists with your trusty jetpacks. Cut-scenes greatly enhance the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Krisalis GAME PUBLISHER:Krisalis Copyright 1992, Krisalis An original puzzle game that could be considered a precursor to the recent CD-ROM game Safecracker, Revelation is all about cracking safes– hundreds of them. The goal is to match colors for each safe by turning the dials…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silent Software GAME PUBLISHER:GT Interactive Copyright 1996, GT Interactive Return Fire was basically the 3DO’s best game, and one of the most fun multiplayer action games ever. You and either a computer player or one of your friends are given control of a bunker…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Synthetic Dimensions GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1990, Millennium Resolution 101 is a standard 3D action fare set in future New York city. The plot is novel enough: you are a criminal who is promised freedom if you help the authorities eliminate other criminals from the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1987, Mastertronic In this novel puzzle game, you must maneuver MSB, a maintenance droid, around the damaged ship Rasterscan to avert the impending crash with a nearby star. MSB must solve numerous logic puzzles to gain access to other areas…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Taito GAME PUBLISHER:Taito Copyright 1990, Taito Rastan is a great PC conversion of the arcade hack & slash hit. From MobyGames description: “A foul dragon and his evil minions run rampant over Lograth. The land is filled with danger, the times are harsh, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Coe GAME DEVELOPER:Imagitec Design GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1994, GameTek Raiden is a good PC translation of a popular console shoot-em-up. Standard fare here– shoot baddies, collect power-ups, and overcome end-level bosses. The plot: Mother Earth has fallen to deranged aliens. Now, as pilot of the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1996, MicroProse This is a a good Tetris variation with difficult computer opponents, each with unique playing style. Players can manipulate the path of falling Qwirk, rotate its position, and speed up its rate of descent. When four Qwirks…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Imagexcel GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1995, GameTek One of the first truly irreverent and unpretentiously violent games, Quarantine has achieved cult classic status among action gamers as one of the few games that provide pure, unfiltered, visceral fun of killing pedestrians and everything else that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steven Cain & Colin Parrott GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1995, Psygnosis Pyrotechnicais a fun 3D action game that is a precursor to Interplay’s blockbuster Descent in many ways (albeit not in popularity), not the least of which in smooth rotational graphics and similar goal: to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael O’Brien GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, Michael O’Brien Without a doubt one of the most (if not THE most) entertaining ASCII games ever designed, Pyro 2 is novel in both gameplay and concept: you play a pyromaniac with fulfills his cruel streak by tying…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Romero GAME DEVELOPER:id Software GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1990, SoftDisk Publishing Although John Romero has become one of the most celebrated designers of all time, he didn’t just start with Doom or, for that matter, Wolfenstein 3D. Back when id was a small operation, Romero…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 1991, Anonymous Nothing fancy here, just a collection of good old crossword puzzles from the New York Times, implemented flawlessly. This game lets you print out the clues, save puzzles in progress, and even create your own crossword puzzles! With…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Cliff Johnson GAME DEVELOPER:Manley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Miles Computing Copyright 1990, Cliff Johnson The “sequel” of sorts to The Fool’s Errand, Cliff Johnson wasn’t at his best in this puzzle collection designed around the “carnival” theme (the game takes a sardonic look at the amusement park biz…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Helen Elcock GAME DEVELOPER:Red Rat GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1992, Red Rat Pushover and One Step Beyond are two quirky little gems from British publisher Ocean, who take the concept of traditional parlor games and turn them into addictive puzzle games that are reminiscent of Lemmings in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Griffith & Glenn Dill GAME DEVELOPER:Paragon Software GAME PUBLISHER:Paragon Software Copyright 1988, Paragon Software An original blend of action, adventure and strategy and my most favorite of all Paragon’s comics games, The Punisher casts you as the title superhero who must amass $500,000 through successful…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1987, Mastertronic Prowler is a colorful futuristic 3D flight-sim that is fun for a short while, but gets insanely difficult so fast you’d need a lot of Tylenol to finish it. Nothing in the game distinguishes it from hundreds of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Infogrames GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1989, Epyx MobyGames says it all: “taking on the role of special agent Robert “Rip” Steel, it is up to you to destroy the evil Yellow Shadow’s network of undersea mining bases [while protecting] your own bases from attack. You…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:COSMI GAME PUBLISHER:COSMI Copyright 1989, COSMI Although not traditional IF in a sense that there is no text parser, President is Missing and its sequel Presumed Guilty embody what make great IF: involving story and inventive puzzles where logical deduction and attention to detail…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Infogrames GAME PUBLISHER:Infogrames Copyright 1990, Infogrames Pop-Up! is a fun action/puzzle blend with an elegantly simple premise: bounce the ball around the screen to collect all the required items to expose the exit and progress to new levels. Gameplay is also deceptively simple: controlling…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Quicksilver GAME PUBLISHER:Data East Copyright 1985, Data East Another faithful coin-op conversion by Quicksilver that was published by Data East, Platoon is a side-scrolling action game based on the hit movie of the same name. Nothing fancy here: shoot everything in sight, and find…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:LucasFilm Games GAME PUBLISHER:LucasFilm Games Copyright 1989, LucasFilm Games This is a nice VGA update of the classic game of fast action and decision. Your goal as digital plumber is to connect fallen pipe pieces into a complete circuit before water leaks outside the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1990, Apogee Just looking at this game will make you realize how far Apogee has come from a little-known shareware company 🙂 This game is reminiscent of Montezuma’s Revenge— basically you jump, run, and dodge to collect treasures from the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:Microsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Microsoft Copyright 1999, Microsoft Tetris creator Alexei Pajitnov’s latest creation is a wonderful compilation of puzzles with jaw-dropping graphics and wonderful music culled from around the world. Most puzzles are clever jigsaw variants made possible only with today’s technology. It’s also…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Hiebert GAME DEVELOPER:Destiny Software Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) Copyright 1994, Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) Origamo is a refreshing and fun puzzle game that is essentially Tetris meets the ancient Chinese game Tangram. Here the Tangram pieces come on the conveyor belt, and you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Red Rat GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1993, Red Rat Pushover and One Step Beyond are two quirky little gems from British publisher Ocean, who take the concept of traditional parlor games and turn them into addictive puzzle games that are reminiscent of Lemmings in style,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rob Elam GAME DEVELOPER:Diversions Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Diversions Entertainment One of the BEST fighting games ever made. Period. When it first came out the response on the action newsgroup comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action was overwhelmingly positive, despite garnering virtually no attention in the gaming magazines. Pick your…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rob Elam GAME DEVELOPER:Diversions Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1993, Diversions Entertainment One Must Fall is an early beta version of the excellent fighting game One Must Fall: 2097. Interestingly, it is remarkedly different from the released version– as the screenshot shows, it was originally developed as…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Bowman GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1994, 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…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bloodlust Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Bloodlust Software Noggin Knockers 1 and its sequel are “teasers” of sorts to Bloodlust Software’s better and more controversial Time Slaughter. They are funny but gruesome parody of classic arcade game Pong, in which two players score points…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bloodlust Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1993, Bloodlust Software Noggin Knockers 1 and its sequel are “teasers” of sorts to Bloodlust Software’s better and more controversial Time Slaughter. They are funny but gruesome parody of classic arcade game Pong, in which two players score points…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Coleman GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1986, Mastertronic Karateka wannabe: platform game that’s not as good, but still fun for a while. There’s really not much else I can say about this 🙂

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Westwood Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1988, Westwood Studios In this exciting action game based on the hit movie, you must find evil Freddy’s house before he finds you, and enter it to rescue your friends. Freddy strangely disappears after you enter the house, but…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:LucasFilm Games GAME PUBLISHER:LucasFilm Games Copyright 1990, LucasFilm Games Yet another forgotten underdog from a company famous for adventure games, this quirky little gem puts you in the role of assembly line operator who must fill a production quota (robots in this case) in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Blochowiak GAME DEVELOPER:Argo Games GAME PUBLISHER:Argo Games Copyright 1994, Argo Games Night Raid is a fun variation of the classic Parachute Drop game of yore in which, manning artillery, you must shoot all enemies that drop from parachutes before they get close enough to you.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1989, Psygnosis Never Mind is a unique and challenging puzzle game that requires both speed and skill to solve. The game is best described as jigsaw puzzle in 3D — your objective on each level is to restore one picture…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dinamic Multimedia GAME PUBLISHER:Dinamic Multimedia Copyright 1990, Dinamic Multimedia Narco Police is a fun 3D action game long before 3D is all the rage. As member of the futuristic police team, your mission is to fight drug gangs on various planets, arresting gangsters hidden…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Twin Dolphin Games GAME PUBLISHER:Twin Dolphin Games Copyright 1993, Twin Dolphin Games Nano Tank is a little-known gem for Windows that features cleverly (some will say fiendishly) designed levels and electrical components. The goal in each level is simple: maneuver your nano tank to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Patrick Cook GAME DEVELOPER:Starwave GAME PUBLISHER:Starwave Copyright 1996, Starwave One of the best games of any kind, Muppets Inside is, similar to Monty Python’s Complete Waste of Time, part adventure, arcade, trivia.. overall, it’s a thoroughly entertaining product that perfectly captures the spirit of Jim Henson’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1992, Mindscape Yet another Amiga hit that failed to dent the PC game market, Moonstone is an excellent RPG-flavored action game that puts you in the shoes of a medieval Knight in search of the Moonstones that will bring the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Loriciel GAME PUBLISHER:Loriciel Copyright 1990, Loriciel A mindless but fun 3D shooter in the spirit of Spectre, Moon Blaster ups the ante with attractive graphics, good variety of enemy cars, interesting bonuses, and fun power-ups to collect. Choose to play on one out of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Zmiro GAME DEVELOPER:Titus GAME PUBLISHER:Titus Copyright 1991, Titus A decent platform game that’s identical to Titus’ earlier The Fox: From Here for Marakech, except that you are now controlling Moktar, a plump Arabian adventurer similar to Nintendo’s popular Mario. Nothing is wrong with the game–…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:Microsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Microsoft Copyright 1997, Alexei Pajitnov & Microsoft Alexei Pajitnov of Tetris fame designed several puzzles in this collection of 10 puzzle games. Although the games vary in fun level and originality, most of them, such as Fringer and Finty Flush (which…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andr? Rocques GAME DEVELOPER:Silmarils GAME PUBLISHER:Silmarils Copyright 1991, Silmarils A difficult side-scrolling action game, Metal Mutant is similar to Sierra’s Thexder in that it allows you to transform at any time into three different robot forms, each with its own weapons. The range of combat moves…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Hideo Kojima GAME DEVELOPER:Ultra Games GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1987, Konami Metal Gear for PC is a good conversion of the NES game of the same name, which is in turn based on a MSX blockbuster (MSX was an early console system that no longer exists). This…