Category: Arcade and Action Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Infogrames GAME PUBLISHER:Infogrames Copyright 1997, Dupuis Lucky Luke and Spirou are two relatively obscure 2D side-scrolling platformers designed by Infogrames based on popular Belgian comics. Lucky Luke is a Western cowboy, while Spirou is a bumbling bellboy who looks like he could be Tintin’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Christian Lykawka GAME DEVELOPER:Southlogic Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Southlogic Studios Copyright 1997, Southlogic Studios Guimo is a highly underrated, innovative 2D side-scrolling platformer, probably the first game from a Brazilian studio that was released outside the country (Europe, in this case). Similar to Alien Carnage, there is a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:YoMamasMama & Dex GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, YoMamasMama & Dex Dim is a fun little platform/puzzle hybrid that is a collaborative effort of two Game Maker coders. You play a lab mutant who has to find the exit in each level. What sets this…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:UBI Soft Copyright 2000, Frontier Developments Infestation is a fun and diverse 3D ground combat game that features Transformers-style futuristic vehicle that can be transformed into five different shapes. In a mundane shoot-the-aliens plot, you pilot an experimental vehicle called ACAM,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Squaresoft GAME PUBLISHER:Squaresoft Copyright 1996, Squaresoft Front Mission – Gun Hazard is a fun side-scrolling “mech” arcade/RPG platformer for the SNES console, set in Squaresoft’s Front Mission universe. Although the game is not a turn-based tactical strategy game like others in the series, it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Gonzalez GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Richard Gonzalez Metroid Redemption is a great fanmade platformer set in the universe of Metroid, Nintendo’s immensely popular series. Beanjo’s excellent review at Gamemakergames.com says it all: “Metroid Redemption is an original fan game based off of the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bluemoon Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1999, Bluemoon Interactive Thunder Brigade is an ambitious but ultimately disappointing ground combat game from Bluemoon Interactive. The game suffers from being rushed out of the door and the unfortunate timing: it was made when publisher Interactive Magic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:HOT-B GAME PUBLISHER:HOT-B Copyright 1991, HOT-B Over Horizon from developer HOT-B is one of the most underrated shoot ’em ups on the NES console. Reminiscent of R-Type in many ways, Over Horizon introduces many neat features to the crowded genre, such as speed-up of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Crane GAME DEVELOPER:Absolute Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Absolute Entertainment Copyright 1989, Absolute Entertainment A Boy and His Blob: Trouble in Blobolonia is a unique puzzle/action/adventure masterpiece designed by Pitfall creator David Crane, released only on the NES in 1989. There are many gushing reviews of this underdog…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Evolution GAME PUBLISHER:Fox Interactive Copyright 1997, Fox Interactive Virtual Springfield is a disappointing ‘game’ from FOX Interactive. Set in the Simpsons universe, this CD-ROM takes you on a virtual-reality tour of Springfield – more specifically, about 50 famous locations ranging from Moe’s Tavern…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Villadsen & Uffe Jakobsen GAME DEVELOPER:SilverRock Productions GAME PUBLISHER:SilverRock Productions Copyright 1991, SilverRock Productions Guldkorn Expressen is a fun freeware advertising game from Denmark – one of the first promotional games that are actually fun to play, and approaches commercial titles in terms of graphics…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Davilex GAME PUBLISHER:Davilex Copyright 1995, Davilex RedCat 2 is a decent 2D platformer from Holland. The plot: Princess Dana has been kidnapped by a group of mice (!) led by an evil wizard. As the hero RedCat, you must rescue her by defeating hundreds…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Beau GAME DEVELOPER:Fallen Angel Industries GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Fallen Angel Industries Tango Strike is a superb freeware gem from Fallen Angel Industries, makers of such “klik” classics as Douglas Circumstance and Streambolt (of which you can read my reviews elsewhere on the site). The game’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:YoMamasMama GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, YoMamasMama Jumper 2 is a great platformer/puzzle hybrid coded in Game Maker. Although I find the game too difficult for my deficient reflexes, interesting level designs and the cool skid/jump maneuvers keep me coming back for more (masochistic) fun.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Radix GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Radix Kaiser Kitty is a fun third-person arcade-blended puzzle game starring a cat. Your job: find and retrieve the stolen “Kitty Edge” blade, a ” a ceremonial blade passed down through generations of Kittyland rulers.” You do this by…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Sunstorm Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:WizardWorks Copyright 2001, Sunstorm Interactive Shark! Hunting the Great White is a surprising fun underwater “shark hunting simulation” from Sunstorm Interactive, the company that brought the world numerous renditions of the extremely popular Deer Hunter series. The game has been largely…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Altar Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Altar Interactive Fish Fillets is a fun and unique puzzle game from Czech, originally published only in Czech but has been much more widely circulated since the developer released it as open source freeware under the GNU GPL…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pug Fugly GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Pug Fugly Ambush in Sector 9 is a great “retro” style shooter from Pug Fugly Games, programmed in Game Maker. Although the game is rather short, you will be having a lot of fun with blasting various spaceships…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Vulcan Software GAME PUBLISHER:Vulcan Software Copyright 2002, Vulcan Software Timekeepers is a fun but little-known Windows remake of an Amiga-only underdog of the same name. Although not as complex as Lemmings, Timekeepers will draw you in with charming graphics and addictive levels that are…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Raiter GAME DEVELOPER:Epyx GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Brian Raiter Tile World is a superb freeware “emulator” of Chip’s Challenge, a classic tile-based puzzle game reviewed elsewhere on this site. If you have never played the original Chip’s Challenge, read my review of that game first…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Garrett Price GAME DEVELOPER:Monolith Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Monolith Productions Copyright 1997, Monolith Productions Claw is a fun but little-known side-scrolling 2D platformer game from Monolith. The Adrenaline Vault’s detailed review explains why action fans should take a look: “Based roughly during the 15th century, Claw takes us…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Senile Team GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Senile Team One of the best beat ’em up games I have ever played, bar none, Beats of Rage is a superb fanmade tribute to Streets of Rage, SEGA’s classic coin-op game that was never released on PC.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1996, SEGA Virtua Cop is a decent PC conversion of a hit arcade game of the same name by SEGA. Your objective in this 3D shooting gallery is simple: as a cop, move through various areas of a city, eliminating…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 2000, SEGA Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine and Columns III: Revenge of the Columns are two excellent Windows version of SEGA’s popular SEGA Genesis puzzle games. The games are both Tetris-style “falling blocks” games, but with some differences. Dr. Robotnik…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 2000, SEGA Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine and Columns III: Revenge of the Columns are two excellent Windows version of SEGA’s popular SEGA Genesis puzzle games. The games are both Tetris-style “falling blocks” games, but with some differences. Dr. Robotnik…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tim Cowley & Dylan Allison GAME DEVELOPER:WhitespaceUnlimited GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, WhitespaceUnlimited Stick Soldiers 2 is the sequel to Stick Soldiers, a fun multiplayer shooter reviewed elsewhere on this site. This time, the 2D graphics has been enhanced with more animations, and you have even more…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Pooler GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1986, Mike Pooler One of the best Space Invaders clones ever made, Round 42 is also one of the first freeware games I really like. The name comes from the fact that there are 42 rounds of battle against…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirage GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1996, Mirage Resurrection: Rise 2 is the sequel to Rise of the Robots, one of the worst one-on-one fighting games ever made. While this sequel is far from a Top Dog, it still shows that Mirage spent a lot…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Damaged Games GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Damaged Games Hard Hat and Hard Hat 2 are excellent 2D platformers based on robot from CAPCOM’s popular Mega Man (Rockman in Asia) franchise. In the author’s words, “…the game is a single player game where you play…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Damaged Games GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Damaged Games Hard Hat and Hard Hat 2 are excellent 2D platformers based on robot from CAPCOM’s popular Mega Man (Rockman in Asia) franchise. In the author’s words, “…the game is a single player game where you play…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Captain Pork GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Captain Pork Captain Pork’s Revenge is a superior sequel to Captain Pork’s World of Violence, itself one of the best Liero clones ever made. In the author’s own words, the game features “…many vast improvements over World of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Romero GAME DEVELOPER:ION Storm GAME PUBLISHER:EIDOS Interactive Copyright 2001, ION Storm One of the most “hyped” games in the history of PC gaming, Daikatana is an ambitious FPS, a brainchild of id Software legend John Romero that is more famous for suffering through innumerable development…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Damien GAME DEVELOPER:Shiny Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 2000, Shiny Entertainment One of the most original 3D action games ever made, Shiny’s Messiah was a game that largely lived up to its hype, but unfortunately was met with mixed results. People who encountered bugs seemed to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mathieu Frenette GAME DEVELOPER:Antares Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Antares Productions Clone is a fun but very little known shareware puzzle game from Antares, published by LaserPoint Software in 1997. Since LaserPoint no longer existed, the full registered version is being distributed as freeware from the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Park Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Park Productions RoboCop 2D is an excellent freeware remake of RoboCop, a fun arcade platformer game that was ported to PC by Data East (which you can download from this site). Like the original, you play RoboCop, a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:NZP GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, NZP Card Puzzles is yet another excellent freeware card puzzle collection from NZP. This collection, in the author’s words, includes “…five clever conundrums with playing cards. Several varieties of puzzles are included in this collection – stacking and sequence…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Frank Abbing & David Crane GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Frank Abbing Pitfall II is a superb fanmade Windows remake of Activision’s classic action game designed by the now-legendary David Crane. The game takes the original frantic jump ‘n run action, but propels it to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Masaki Kobayashi & Mark Sibly GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Mark Sibly Wire Hang Redux is a great fanmade remake of a great Java game called Wire Hang. In this amazingly addictive coffee break title, your job is to help anime heroine named Rinrei-chan climb…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, Yogho Yogho Yogho Yogho is a decent platformer distributed freely with ice creams in the “Yogho Yogho” line from Campina, a giant Dutch dairy company. The game is a straightforward 2D side-scrolling platformer, with colorful cartoony graphics. There is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lackey GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Lackey In the increasingly crowded freeware arena, “abstract shooters” are a relatively new type of game that is quickly becoming many people’s favorites. These games typically take a minimalist approach to graphics, and concentrate instead on realistic physic and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Pepsi GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Pepsi Pepsi Virtual Reality Game is a below-average 3D action game from Pepsi, the world’s cola giant. Aside from the dubious merit as the first 3D promotional game ever made, there is little to recommend this obscure title. This…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:AVataRR GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, AVataRR Duke Nukem: Waiting for Forever is a fun and varied Duke Nukem fangame starring the lovable smart-ass hero from 3D Realms’ series. Fellow Game Maker coder darthlupi says it all about this fun underdog in his review for…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:E. Hashimoto GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, E. Hashimoto O-DEN2000 is a fun, unassuming horizontal shooter from the designer of Akuji the Demon. Like in his better-known platformer, this game sports crisp graphics, smooth animations, and fluid gameplay that will delight G-Type fans. Your craft,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrey Kouzmine GAME DEVELOPER:KD Lab GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1998, KD Lab One of the most original genre-busting games I have ever played, Vangers is a unique and captivating blend of action, racing, strategy, and even adventure elements that result in a compelling experience. As Bob…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Miguel Perez GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Miguel Perez Castlevania Haunted Castle 3 is a great freeware platformer from Miguel “MIG2” Perez, independent developer most famous for Lost Valley. In this fangame set in the Castlevania universe, you play Trevor Belmont, a hero who must…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Fancy Factory GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Fancy Factory I know it must be a cliche for longtime visitors by now, but this game deserves this: MindArms is one of the best 2D freeware fighting games I have ever played. It is not often that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Unknown CloudPhobia is yet another excellent freeware horizontal shooter from Japan. Featuring excellent “mecha” designs that are reminiscent of Gundam series, the game looks great and plays even better. In this “time attack” game, there is only one level:…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stuart Collier & Andy Hewitt GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Ovine by Design HamsterJam is a superb Windows remake of Commodore / Spectrum ZX game called Rockman, originally released by Mastertronic in 1985. As the official site explains, “…the idea of the game is to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gert Ldecke GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Gert Ldecke T4 Funeral is a superb fanmade side-scrolling platformer built with level editor that was included with T2002, another great Turrican fanmade game that is also reviewed on this site (so one could more accurately call the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mr. Chubigans GAME DEVELOPER:Sony Imagesoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Mr. Chubigans Ore No Ryori 2 is a superb sequel to a great PC remake of a Sony Playstation game that was a huge hit in Japan but never made it across the continent. As manager-cum-chef of…