Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: Gustavo - Published: 3 April 2020, 8:00 pm
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 is a side-scrolling platformer produced by Epic Games (at that time under Epic MegaGames). After Arjan Brussee accidentally confirmed its existence in 1994, it was published for Windows in 1998.
This is a sequel to Jazz Jackrabbit (1994). In this case, the protagonist must pursue Devan Shell, leader of a terrorist group made up of turtles and the main villain of the previous title, through time to recover the ring with which he plans to marry Eva, his romantic interest.
The gameplay resorts to the classic formula of 2D titles. The player must move from the beginning to the end of the level, not without first facing several enemies and going through different traps that make this task harder. However, this installment doesn't need to be revolutionary in this matter because its merit is not in the destination but in the route.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 1 April 2020, 11:53 pm
Nitro is a racing game produced and published in 1990 by the British company Psygnosis for the Amiga and Atari ST.
The company from Liverpool, known for releasing masterpieces such as Benefactor or Blood Money, created its own version of Hot Rod, a very similar title from Activision. On the other hand, they did not limit themselves to making a mere copy but encouraged themselves to set it in a post-apocalyptic world. This decision separates it from its predecessor and, in the eyes of many, even surpasses it.
The plot goes from simple to non-existent, in a decontextualized way, the runner must advance through 32 tracks and beat three other runners. Far from being a failure, this was a choice of the developers, who preferred to focus their attention on different aspects of the title.
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Author: Adam - Published: 31 March 2020, 6:33 pm
SimLife: The Genetic Playground is a simulation game developed and published by Maxis in 1992. The game is part of the long list of "Sim" games created by Maxis, like SimAnt and SimCity, but Will Wright didn't have a role in this. Simlife was designed and programmed by an independent developer called Ken Karakotsios.
Released initially for Macintosh and Windows 3.x, in 1992, it was ported to Amiga, including a version for AGA machines (A1200, A4000). It was the first case of an AGA game released before the standard one. Of course, the AGA had far better graphics. SimLife was super CPU intensive; the simulations often crank a computer to its limit, even on an A4000.
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Author: Adam - Published: 30 March 2020, 12:39 am
Mean Streets is a dystopian cyberpunk graphic adventure developed by Access Software for MS-DOS and Commodore 64 in 1989. Later, it was ported to the Atari ST and Amiga in 1990.
The game is the first installment in the Tex Murphy series, that would continue with Martian Memorandum, and is set in a dystopian cyberpunk neo-noir world.
The game follows the life of a private investigator, Tex Murphy. The game's protagonist lives in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where he is hired by a beautiful curvaceous woman named Sylvia Linsky; she wants to investigate her dad's death, which she finds to be mysterious and suspicious. Dr. Carl Linsky was a professor who jumped to his death off the Golden Gate Bridge. His daughter claims it to be murder and not something self-inflicted. The story of a tough cop going against the odd is pretty cool, but the storyline could have gone a bit deeper with more twists to it as the game line is almost too predictable.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 29 March 2020, 11:11 pm
Super Contra is an arcade game developed and published by Konami in 1988, also ported for Nintendo Entertainment in 1990
This installment is a sequel to the legendary Contra (1987) and the story continues the missions of Bill and Lance. In this case they must stop the alien force that attacked an allied base and possessed all its occupants, which puts the protagonists in the dilemma of not just fighting against aliens, but also their compatriots.
From the first level you can already feel the essence of the classic Contra, with a very imposing music and a shattered background as a result of the extraterrestrial attack. In addition, the adventure received a great improvement in the fluidity of the controls, so there are many more comforts than in its predecessor.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 29 March 2020, 1:53 pm
Lords of the Rising Sun is a game designed by the renowned Doug Barnett and published by Cinemaware in 1989 for the Amiga, among other consoles.
This adventure puts the player in the shoes of Yoshitsune or Yoritomo, two famous Japanese general/samurais brothers who must fight in an endless and bloody conflict against a rival clan.
True to Cinemaware's previous work, Defender of the Crown, Lords of the Rising Sun is notable for its gameplay: at times, it's an arcade, then an RPG, and at moments it even becomes a first-person shooter. On the other hand, every great tale deserves to be told in the best way, and this is where the title takes the opportunity to tell us the story through black panels that provide enough exposure for the player to commit, but not to get bored.
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