Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: Adam - Published: 24 December 2023, 1:22 pm
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King is a platform game created by Tose for the Game Boy Advance and released in 2005.
The story told in the game precedes the events of Tim Burton's famous holiday horror film. Players will discover Jack Skellington's first encounter with Oogie Boogie and how the protagonist earned the title of "The Pumpkin King." Familiar characters include Jack's love interest, Sally, the zombie doll created by Dr. Finklestein.
The gameplay can be described as classic Metroidvania, featuring a non-linear exploration of various levels to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Moreover, the game's horror theme emphasizes similarities with the classic Castlevania, although, in this case, it is suitable for children who enjoy the "Tim Burton" genre. Perhaps what is lacking is a bit of innovation; Tose's choices were not very daring, and it would have been interesting to introduce some new elements.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 21 December 2023, 9:26 pm
SEGA Rally Championship is a racing game originally created by SEGA as an arcade release in 1994. The game was also released in 1995 for SEGA Saturn and in 1997 for Windows. Several years later, in 2003, the Game Boy Advance edition was published, and that's the one we present here.
The game made history as the first racing simulator to implement different terrains and conditions (desert, mountain, and forest) that influenced the car's behavior. Moreover, the various environments were inspired by real locations, such as Corsica (for the mountain) or Yosemite Park for the forest. The famous Lancia Delta Integrale is available as a drivable car, along with the Toyota Celica GT-4, while Sandro Munari's Lancia Stratos can be unlocked later. The title was hugely successful, even in the SEGA Saturn version. It is said that SEGA Rally Championship influenced the famous Colin McRae Rally.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 30 October 2023, 8:38 pm
Little Samson is a fantasy platform game developed by Takeru and published by Taito in 1992 exclusively for the NES. After its release in Japan and the USA, it also arrived in Europe in 1993.
Taito is undoubtedly more famous for its legendary arcade games, but in the 1990s, it also ventured into creating titles for the 8-bit Nintendo console. In this case, we have a platformer with fairly standard mechanics, featuring gameplay not too dissimilar from Capcom's classic Mega Man. However, Taito's style shines through with its colorful arcade-style graphics, which, at least in part considering the hardware difference, evoke memories of the wonderful Bubble Bobble.
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Author: Adam - Published: 24 October 2023, 8:34 pm
MUSHA, also known as Musha Aleste, is a vertically scrolling shooter created by Compile for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive and released in 1990. The full title is M.U.S.H.A.: Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor.
The game, known in Japan as Musha Aleste - Full Metal Fighter Ellinor, belongs to the Aleste series, which began in 1988 with Aleste, known in the Western world as Power Strike. Initially, it was intended to be called "Aleste 2," but it was decided to make it a spin-off due to a change in the setting. In fact, the shooter has a much stronger connection to Japanese mythology, featuring demons, ninjas, and giant robots. Instead of the classic spaceship, you pilot a mecha (Gundam-style) called M.U.S.H.A. and must combat a supercomputer threatening Earth.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 21 October 2023, 12:25 pm
Doctor Who: The Gunpowder Plot is the last of the graphic adventures featuring the eleventh Doctor, portrayed by Matt Smith. The game was released for free by the BBC in October 2011.
The BBC had previously released four episodes in 2010 under the title Doctor Who: The Adventure Games. The Gunpowder Plot was written by Phil Ford, who also wrote the fourth chapter of the previous series, "Shadows of the Vashta Nerada." Sumo Digital was the development studio once again, and this adventure also had Charles Cecil and Steven Moffat as executive producers.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 20 October 2023, 5:08 pm
Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony is a role-playing game initially created by Origin Systems for the Apple II and published in 1985. The game was designed and programmed by Greg Malone. In 1987-88, DOS, Atari ST, and Amiga versions were released. In 1989, Origin published a sequel called Windwalker.
Moebius strongly reflects its 8-bit origins and is reminiscent of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, another title from Origin to which it is clearly inspired. Like in Ultima, you'll have to explore a large world (actually, four different worlds) from a top-down perspective in search of the infamous Orb of Celestial Harmony. However, what sets Moebius apart is its combination of RPG mechanics with side-view beat 'em up-style combat.
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