Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 13 October 2020, 8:03 pm
Spindizzy is a puzzle arcade game released by Electric Dreams Software in 1986 for 8-bit platforms.
The game was designed and programmed by Paul Shirley, who developed it for the Amstrad CPC and then ported it to ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, and Apple II.
Spindizzy's graphics were clearly inspired by Ultimate Play the Game's success Knight Lore, which made the so-called "3D" graphics popular on 8-bit machines. Of course, it was not real 3D, it was just 2D isometric, but it was a real innovation for the time. The gameplay is inspired by another isometric hit, the arcade game Marble Madness. The game's goal is to explore all 385 levels with your rolling ball, named GERALD, finding your way through slopes, bridges, lifts, trampolines, and more. Obstacles such as ice and water will make your life complicated. Gerald can transform into different shapes, each one useful for specific situations. The exploration must be completed before time expires, but the limit is very short, so it's necessary to collect jewels to increase the time. But what makes this game really special is the ability to rotate the screen by 90 degrees using the cursor keys, a truly astonishing feature that made Spindizzy a real 3D game.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 11 October 2020, 2:16 pm
Streets of Rage 2, released in Japan as Bare Knuckle II: The Requiem of the Deadly Battle, is a beat-em-up created by SEGA for the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was released in 1993.
The title was developed by Ancient, the same studio that created Sonic the Hedgehog. The developers who worked on the prequel, released 2 years before, were involved in the sequel. However, game design and graphics were curated by Ayano Koshiro, which gave a distinct style to the new chapter. She took inspiration from Street Fighter II for the characters' moves. The sprites are also bigger than Street of Rage I, another distinctive feature probably inspired by the CAPCOM fighting game. Animations are more fluid, with many frames used for each move. But what makes this game really outstanding is the really perfect gameplay that makes this title not only one of the best Genesis/Mega Drive games ever created but also one of the best videogames of all time. Great enemies, plenty of moves and weapons to choose from, difficulty perfectly balanced. You can also add a superb soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro (brother of Ayano).
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 7 October 2020, 8:10 pm
4D Sports Boxing by Distinctive Software, released in 1991, is one of the best boxing simulations ever created.
When you think of retro boxing titles, what is the first one that comes to mind? The most obvious reference is the classic Punch-Out!! But this and many other entries have a very distinctive characteristic: they are very unrealistic and not very faithful to the sport. On the other side of the threshold, there was a game that dared to do the opposite. This is 4D Sports Boxing, the game that is perhaps too realistic for its own good.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 5 October 2020, 7:14 pm
Where in America's Past Is Carmen Sandiego is the 5th game in the Carmen Sandiego mystery educational series. It was released in 1991 for Apple II and MS-DOS.
Where in America's Past Is Carmen Sandiego? also known in my room as "If I had known this game, I wouldn't have had such a hard time passing history," is an educational game developed and published by Broderbund in 1991. The entry is the fifth part of the Carmen Sandiego saga, which started with Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
As in previous installments, the story is based on taking down V.I.L.E., a criminal organization dedicated to stealing famous works and catching its leader, Carmen Sandiego, and her henchmen. In this case, Carmen and the other criminals steal pieces scattered throughout the history of America at different times and locations, where she even steals the Statue of Liberty with a helicopter. Same old Carmen, amirite?
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 4 October 2020, 8:39 pm
Operation Wolf is a rail-shooter arcade released by Taito in 1987. It was ported to many home platforms, including Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Atari ST, Amiga, and more.
Roy Adams, a Special Forces Operative soldier, is entrusted with a critical mission: to rescue five hostages held in enemy territory. To do this, he must infiltrate, interrogate, and find the concentration camp where the innocents are being held. But let's be honest, none of this really matters to you, does it? You are only here to shoot bad guys. Welcome to Operation Wolf.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 4 October 2020, 2:15 pm
Knight Tyme is a graphic adventure published by Mastertronic in 1986 for 8-bit platforms, initially from the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. Later it was ported to Commodore 64 and MSX.
The game was designed and programmed by David Jones, and it was the third title in the Magic Knight series, after Finder Keepers and Spellbound. Legendary musician Rob Hubbard composed the soundtrack for the MSX/Spectrum version.
If Spellbound was more of an action adventure, considering the enemies to avoid and other more dynamic mechanics, Knight Tyme would be a pure graphic adventure. Don't let the 2D platformer-like graphics fool you. The game is entirely based on exploration and puzzle-solving. The platforming mechanics are used only for movement because you will sometimes need to jump to reach a specific object.
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