Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 3 January 2022, 2:10 pm
Enemy: Tempest Of Violence is a platformer action-adventure created by Anachronia for the Amiga and published originally in 1997.
The developer released an improved version, called the "easyplay version", in 2011, and declared the game freeware.
This title, designed and programmed by André Wüthrich, is inspired by classic 2D action adventures like Prince of Persia - you might also add Impossible Mission or Castlevania. But this is a much richer and complete game.
In 2029, human scientists are taken prisoners on three alien vessels orbiting around Mars. As a space marine, your task is to explore the vast starships, divided into 34 levels, and save the scientists. Each level will give you a certain amount of time to solve it.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 29 December 2021, 8:18 pm
DragonStrike is a fantasy flight simulator created by Strategic Simulations Inc set in the AD&D world of Dragonlance. The game was released for the Amiga, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS in 1990.
Quite unusual for SSI, well known for great RPGs, to produce a 3D flight simulator. But this is not a standard flight sim because you can pilot a dragon in this game! You will fly and fight with your lance or with your dragon's breath in a set of different missions. Like any other flight sim, your tasks will involve patrolling areas, defeating enemies, or attacking bases (castles in this case). Just think Wings, but with fantasy settings.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 22 December 2021, 7:01 pm
Hard Drivin' II: Drive Harder is a sequel, for computers only, of the famous arcade by Atari, one of the most popular in the history of video games.
Hard Drivin 2 was released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS. Like the predecessor, the game is a 3D racing game with filled polygons. This time, it also includes a track editor, which is one of the best aspects of this release.
The conversion of the first chapter of Hard Drivin' wasn't exactly a masterpiece. This sequel solves many bugs of the first game and improves the framerate, taking it to an acceptable level. This is why many magazines gave high ratings, even though you can find better titles in this genre, like 4D Sports Driving or Stunt Car Racer. Despite this, if you are nostalgic about the old Atari coin-op, this is the version you should choose.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 11 December 2021, 2:19 am
Gnome Ranger is a text adventure with graphics created by Level 9 Computing and released in 1987 on several 8-bit and 16-bit platforms. Releases include Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, and others.
The game is often compared to Magnetic Scrolls' masterpiece The Pawn, but Gnome Ranger doesn't aspire to be such an epic game. Nevertheless, it's well-written, funny, and not too hard. This adventure, set in a fantastic and surreal world, was written by Pete Austin and developed using Level 9's engine KAOS - the same engine used to produce Knight Orc.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 3 December 2021, 9:52 pm
Stellar 7 is a 3D sci-fi tank simulator created by Demon Slye for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1983. Clearly inspired by the classic arcade Battlezone, Stellar 7 puts the player in the seat of a super tank, with the task of defending the solar system from the evil invaders. The hero should fight the enemies in 7 different systems (hence the title Stellar 7) until the final battle with the overlord Gir Draxon and his powerful tank. Of course, due to the limitation of 8-bit computers, the game was entirely rendered with wireframes.
Stellar 7 was followed by a sequel, Arcticfox, released in 1986. A few years later, Dynamix decided to release a completely revamped version of the original Stellar 7 for PC and Amiga. The game graphics were completely redesigned, with the engine was now supporting 3D-filled polygons. Sound effects, music, and excellent cutscenes were added. The plot, merely outlined in the original game, is now fully explained, improving the player experience. At the same time, Dynamix decided not to change any element of the game design or even the map of the levels, the enemies, and the bosses. A great choice. I wish all remakes were like this.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 20 November 2021, 9:52 pm
The Lords of Midnight is a mix of strategy and adventure games created in 1984 by Mike Singleton for the ZX Spectrum. In the following years, the Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC versions were also released.
Mike Singleton created a revolutionary engine called "landscaping" for this game, used to render a 3D world from a first-person perspective. The player could move in 8 different directions, with the scene changing accordingly. Despite not being a real 3D engine, the illusion was very realistic. The game was able to show up to 32000 different views. Quite impressive, considering that we are talking about 8-bit computers in 1984. The players and the critics appreciated this solution, and the game became a huge success.
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