Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 9 April 2025, 5:10 pm
Xenon is a vertical scrolling shooter created by The Bitmap Brothers in 1988 for the Atari ST. The same year, it was ported to the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, and MSX.
The game is one of the most iconic shoot ’em-ups of the 16-bit computer era. It was developed by The Bitmap Brothers, a British team consisting of Mike Montgomery, Eric Matthews, and Steve Kelly. It was their debut title and immediately showcased the distinctive style they would become known for: polished gameplay combined with a strong visual and audio identity.
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Author: Adam - Published: 8 April 2025, 8:16 pm
Mech Brigade is a wargame published by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) in 1985, initially for the Apple II and Commodore 64.
The game is a landmark in tactical war simulation and one of the most detailed Cold War-themed strategy games ever released for home computers. Designed by Gary Grigsby, one of the most prolific and respected names in the wargaming scene, it built upon the mechanics of his earlier work Kampfgruppe, but shifted focus from World War II to a hypothetical conflict between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces in Central Europe.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 7 April 2025, 7:18 pm
Sensible World of Soccer 2024-25 is the fan-made update to the 2024-25 season of the iconic Sensible Soccer game.
Sensible World of Soccer, affectionately known as SWOS, remains one of the most iconic football games ever created. Originally developed by Sensible Software and released in 1994 for the Amiga, this groundbreaking title expanded upon the already beloved Sensible Soccer by combining fast-paced, top-down arcade gameplay with an impressively deep managerial mode. Players could control their favorite teams across domestic leagues and international tournaments, or take charge of a club, making transfers, managing lineups, and guiding them to glory over multiple seasons.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 7 April 2025, 6:21 pm
Moonfall is a space combat and trading sim released in 1991 by 21st Century Entertainment, originally for the Commodore 64. The game was then ported to Amiga and Atari ST.
The game was designed by Jukka Tapanimäki, who also developed the Commodore 64 version. The game is a space trading and combat simulation that attempted to carve its own niche in a genre dominated by heavyweights like Elite and Mercenary.
At its heart, Moonfall drops the player into a futuristic setting where exploration, trade, and survival are the central themes. Unlike Elite, which emphasized open-world freedom and procedurally generated galaxies, Moonfall was more structured, offering a mission-based progression that gradually unfolded the universe and its dangers. The game also introduced narrative and character interaction elements more in line with Mercenary, adding a sense of purpose and context to the player's journey.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 5 April 2025, 8:07 pm
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is a turn-based strategy game published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The game developed by Intelligent Systems is the direct sequel to Advance Wars, and it continues the story of the four nations of Wars World—Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth—as they face a renewed threat from the sinister Black Hole Army.
The game was directed by Makoto Shimojo and produced by Tōru Narihiro, who had long been associated with Intelligent Systems' strategy titles. Advance Wars 2 builds directly on the core mechanics of its predecessor, preserving the accessible yet deep gameplay that had made the original such a success. Players command armies composed of various unit types, including infantry, tanks, artillery, naval vessels, and aircraft, each with its strengths and weaknesses. The game plays out across a grid-based map, where terrain and unit positioning are crucial to success.
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Author: Adam - Published: 4 April 2025, 1:23 pm
Leader Board Golf is a gold simulation created by Access Software originally for the Commodore 64 and released in 1986.
Leader Board redefined the sports simulation genre and introduced many players to the joys of computer golf. Behind the development were Bruce and Roger Carver, two brothers who not only programmed the game but also designed an engine that would lay the foundation for many golf games to come.
The technical ingenuity behind Leader Board was remarkable. Working within the tight constraints of the Commodore 64’s limited 64KB memory, the Carver brothers devised a clever method of rendering 3D courses. Instead of designing each hole individually, they used a set of about 30 predefined polygon shapes, referred to as “islands,” to construct the fairways, greens, and hazards. These elements were assembled to form the 18-hole courses, all floating above a sea of blue that represented water, an efficient way to manage background graphics while conserving resources. The game’s 3D perspective was rendered using the multicolor bitmap mode, which used up a significant portion of the C64’s memory, yet the result was smooth and visually impressive for the time.
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