Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: Tasha - Published: 31 July 2017, 9:28 pm
Bio Menace is an action platform game developed almost entirely by Jim Norwood and published by Apogee Software in 1993 for DOS only. It became freeware in 2005.
The game utilizes Id Software’s Commander Keen engine and uses roughly the same type of menu system and display. It also features a Mario-esque feature of hitting beacons to start from that point in the level should you die.
Take an early ‘80s action flick plot line (think Escape from New York) about a hero sent by the government to take out some sort of evil bad guy, add some mutants, and throw in a name featuring the word “snake” and you’ve got yourself Bio Menace. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, I love early ‘80s action flicks. Playing as Snake Logan you have to take out the evil Dr. Mangle before he can destroy the city. Snake can jump, climb, and kneel, as well as fire his weapon and throw grenades. Snake has to kill various mutants (that explode upon death), while collecting keys to open doors. He must also save hostages to gain the key to the next level. Bio Menace has 3 episodes: Dr. Mangle’s Lab, The Secret Lab, and Master Cain, each with their own set of levels.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 28 July 2017, 1:38 am
Manchester United (aka Manchester United: The Official Computer Game) is a football/soccer simulation created by Krisalis. It was originally developed for the Amiga and published in 1990. It was ported to Commodore 64, DOS, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST.
The game uses the official license of Manchester United and, as you can expect, you won't be able to choose other teams. Despite this, and despite the minimum match time being 10 minutes (how annoying), it's a game that received positive reviews. In terms of action, it doesn't beat Sensible Soccer or Kick Off, but the tactical part is well done. The Tacti Grid, a system that allows the player to micro-manage the football players, will make all coaches very happy.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 25 July 2017, 12:27 am
Atomic Robo-Kid is an action shooter developed and published by UPL Co. in 1988, initially as an arcade. In 1990 it was ported to several other platforms, including the Amiga, Commodore 64, and others. The Amiga port was made by Software Studios (Activision).
As I’m sure you’ve already been able to deduce, the main character is a little cyborg dude. His goal is to kill lots and lots of aliens. Playing as a side-scroller, you can use your gun (default plus four others) to mow down any aliens in your way. I should note that any additional weapons gathered are lost if you die. You can also drop bombs on any enemies beneath the character. Robo-kid can walk and jump but will spend most of the time using his thrusters to fly.
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Author: Tasha - Published: 20 July 2017, 12:39 am
Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard’s Tale (or simply The Bard's Tale) is a role-playing game designed by Michael Cranford. It was developed by Interplay. Released initially for the Apple II in 1985, the Commodore 64 and Amiga would follow in 1986, while ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, and DOS versions were released later.
Like most RPGs, there is, of course, an evil bad guy threatening the world. In this case, an evil wizard has sent his monster minions to harass all the humans. To make matters worse, the wizard has cast a spell to make it winter permanently. This is where you and your merry band of heroes come along. Creating a party of up to six characters, you must embark on a quest to defeat evil. Character classes include Bard (duh), Hunter, Monk, Paladin, and more. As the title suggests, the bard class is pretty important in this game, not only to support the rest of the team with his spells but also to solve some of the puzzles.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 16 July 2017, 9:54 pm
Kick Off 2 is the sequel to Dino Dini's Kick Off, one of the most appreciated soccer sims of the '90s. Developed by Anco Software, it was published in 1990, one year later the first game, for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS and other platforms.
Legendary designer and developer Dino Dini created Kick Off in 1989 originally for the Atari ST. It was the first soccer game that can be considered a simulation, featuring tactics, players attributes and transfers. But most importantly it introduced a new way to control the ball, that was not magically stuck to the player feet but had to be 'kicked'. Kick Off 2 added a few improvements, including replay and full league tournaments. The learning curve is steep but the game is really satisfying once you know how to master the moves, including the famous after-touch. Kick Off 2 also featured 24 referees, each one with his own personality.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 15 July 2017, 9:50 pm
The Last Ninja 3 is the third chapter of the popular series created by Mark Cale with System 3 for the Commodore 64. Ninja Three was released for the Commodore 64, Atari ST and Amiga in 1991.
You are Armakuni (the Last Ninja) and you have to defeat the evil Shogun Kunitoki. Battles will take place in several temples and you will have to alternate the use of weapons and martial arts.
The C64 version is considered the best. The fighting system is a bit complex, but as in the previous chapters, music, graphics, animations are simply amazing. You just need to watch the introduction to understand why. You won't believe it was just an 8-bit platform. The Amiga and Atari ST versions are fine, but the C64 version is simply a masterpiece. Reviews for this version were extremely positive, normally higher than 90%, scoring also a 100% from Your Commodore. Despite his creator still prefers the first chapter, Last Ninja 3 is considered by many the best game ever developed for the Commodore 64.
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