Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 27 May 2020, 11:16 pm
Civilization II: Test of Time is an enhanced version of Civilization II, created by MPS Labs and released in 1999 for PC.
As we know, the first Sid Meier's Civilization, the turn-based strategy game created by Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley, was a huge success. The series saw a sequel in 1996, with Sid Meier's Civilization II (not mentioning the spin-off Sid Meier's Colonization, released in 1994). Civ II, faithful to the formula, but with improved isometric graphics, compared to the top-down 2D view of the first title, was again a hit. However, in 1999, the situation was not so good for MicroProse. After several legal issues, Activision released its own "Civ-style" game called Civilization: Call to Power, while Civilization 3 was not on the radar yet. So MPS decided to create this extended version of the original Civilization II, compatible with the new 32-bit Windows and, most importantly, enriched with several unique scenarios.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 27 May 2020, 12:22 pm
Frontier: First Encounters is a space combat and trading sim created by David Braben with his company Frontier Developments.
First Encounters is the third installment of the Elite saga, where its direct predecessor is the masterpiece Frontier: Elite II. GameTek published the game in 1995 for DOS. Unlike Elite and Frontier, First Encounters was not released on the Amiga or other platforms. There was a plan for an Amiga1200 port, but it never happened.
The story is based on a distant future, where humanity is at war with an alien race of insects called Thargoids. After being defeated in the previous installment of the saga, the enemies of humanity decide to launch a new attack. The main character, who pilots a below-average ship and has no alliances, is one nothing more than a pawn of the bigger groups and gets involved in the war.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 23 May 2020, 5:51 pm
Murder! is a game designed by Creative Materials and published by US Gold in 1990 for the Amiga. The isometric adventure title was also ported for the Atari ST and MS-DOS.
This is not the only title where Creative Materials explores the theme of crime. But it stands on the other side of the threshold in The Godfather (1991), where the player is part of the criminal world. On the other hand, the game was written and designed by the renowned Grant Harrison and Jason Kinglsey. Kinglsey is well known now since he is the founder of Rebellion!
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Author: GN Team - Published: 22 May 2020, 7:37 pm
Battlehawks 1942 is a historical flight sim set in the Pacific during World War II. The game was created by LucasArts and released between 1988 and 1989 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST.
The title was designed and programmed by Lawrence Holland, who would become famous for the great LucasGames flight sims. In fact, his name is associated not only with Their Finest Hour and Secret Weapons Of The Luftwaffe (which form with Battlehawks 1942, the so-called Lucasfilm WWII Air Combat trilogy) but also Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars: TIE Fighter.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 21 May 2020, 9:25 pm
Legend is a 3D Isometric fantasy role-playing game developed by Mindscape and published by The Software Toolworks in 1992. It was released for the Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS. The title, known in the U.S.A. as The Four Crystals of Trazere, released a demo in October of that year and a sequel in the next called Worlds of Legend: Son of the Empire.
The story is about four adventurers who must explore various locations to find the origin of an ancient evil that seeks to awaken. To do this, the heroes must avoid or attack enemy factions, crawl dungeons and castles, solve puzzles and find their way through the lands of Trazere.
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 21 May 2020, 6:46 pm
The immortal is an action RPG developed by Sandcastle and published by Electronic Arts in 1990. The title was initially created for Apple IIgs but was later ported to Amiga, MS-DOS, Atari ST, NES, and Genesis.
The game was designed by Will Harvey, whose only background in video games was creating Zany Golf (1988) for the Apple II. The developer admitted that The Immortal was originally going to be called "Campaign" and that the title was destined to be a multiplayer RPG.
The plot is about a mage who is told his mentor is trapped in a maze. Upon entering it, he must quickly choose whether to befriend a faction of goblins or trolls, antagonizing the group he doesn't choose. The adventure progresses through the protagonist's dreams, which unfold as he sleeps in beds scattered throughout the maze. As the release continues, the player understands that he must make several decisions and that his goal is more diffuse than he thought.
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