Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 5 May 2025, 12:06 am
Strike Commander, released in 1993 by Origin Systems, is one of the most ambitious flight combat sims. Developed by Chris Roberts, best known for Wing Commander, the game is set in a near-future world dominated by corporations and private military contractors. The game puts the player in command of the Wildcats, a squadron of mercenary F-16 pilots navigating a complex web of alliances, betrayals, and geopolitics.
What made Strike Commander stand out was its blend of fast-paced aerial combat and cinematic storytelling. Like Roberts' other works, narrative played a key role: the campaign features branching dialogues, scripted events, and character-driven missions that unfold like a movie. Between sorties, players interact with crew members, negotiate contracts, and manage their squad's finances—elements that give the game a strong role-playing flavor.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 4 May 2025, 9:38 pm
Blade Warrior is a unique and stylistically bold action-adventure game developed by Jason Kingsley and published in 1991 by Image Works. The game was released for both Amiga and MS-DOS platforms. Its distinctive graphical style immediately sets the game apart: the entire game world is rendered in stark black silhouettes against richly colored and animated backgrounds, creating an eerie, atmospheric effect reminiscent of shadow puppetry. This approach is not just an aesthetic choice but part of the gameplay identity, emphasizing shape recognition and visual storytelling without relying on detailed textures.
The Amiga version is often considered the superior one in terms of sound and smoothness of animation, benefitting from the platform's audio capabilities and color palette. The MS-DOS version, while faithful to the design, tends to suffer from slower performance on lower-end machines and less rich audio. However, the core visual identity and structure remain consistent across both platforms.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 3 May 2025, 6:43 pm
Contra III: The Alien Wars marked the debut of the iconic Konami run-and-gun series on the Super Nintendo in 1992. Developed and published by Konami, the game was created by a team that included veterans from earlier Contra titles. Known in Japan as Contra Spirits, the game aimed to modernize the series using the SNES’s superior capabilities.
Compared to its NES predecessors (Contra and Super C), Contra III offered significant technical and gameplay improvements. The SNES allowed for detailed sprites, more dynamic animations, and enhanced sound.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 3 May 2025, 12:20 am
The Settlers III is the third chapter of the famous real-time/city-building strategy game by Blue Byte. It was released in 1998 for Windows.
This third chapter stands as one of the most refined and beloved entries in the long-running German strategy series. The game was designed by Volker Wertich, the original creator of the franchise, who had already made a name for himself in the 1980s with the puzzle game Emerald Mine for Amiga. When he created The Settlers, Wertich set out to design a strategy game that emphasized logistics, supply chains, and economic simulation over direct combat, something that set it apart from other real-time strategy titles of the time.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 2 May 2025, 12:49 am
Death or Glory: The Battle of Morgan is a strategic-rpg fantasy game released by Software 2000 for the Amiga and DOS. The game stands out in the early 90s as a refined blend of tactical combat, RPG elements, and an ambitious narrative structure. The game was designed by Rainer Wekwerth and Robert Reischmann. Inspired in part by Warsong and AD&D-style mechanics, the game offers players a deep tactical experience with a strong fantasy storyline.
Players take on the role of Prince Raven, who must uncover a conspiracy behind his father’s assassination while leading a campaign across the land of Morgan. The world map features 16 large-scale battles, each richly atmospheric and characterized by diverse terrain variations, including deserts, forests, and ice fields. Units include infantry, archers, mages, and other fantasy troops, each influenced by the player's leadership and decisions.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 2 May 2025, 12:23 am
Warrior of Rome II is a real-time strategy game developed by Micronet and released in 1992 for the SEGA Genesis. It is the direct sequel to Warrior of Rome, released a year earlier, and while it keeps the same strategic foundation, it brings notable improvements in graphics, controls, and complexity.
The game is set during the Roman Empire's era of expansion, with the player taking on the role of Julius Caesar, leading military campaigns across regions such as Egypt, Gaul, and Mesopotamia. Compared to its predecessor, Warrior of Rome II features a much larger world map, greater troop variety, and more detailed management of logistics and strategy.
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