Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
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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Author: Adam - Published: 29 March 2020, 12:49 am
Hi-Octane is a racing/vehicular combat game developed by Bullfrog and released in 1995 for the PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. The game is based on Bullfrog's Magic Carpet engine.
Bullfrog Productions was not a newcomer to the gaming industry as they were the same team that built the legendary Populous series that is highly spoken of. But this time, they tried a different genre. Hi-Octane was a director contender to the Psygnosis' huge success WipEout.
Hi-Octane allows its players to live a universal childhood fantasy, to drive a car that can shoot. Players can literally drive a car with miniguns and missiles loaded up on the front, ready to blow up anyone they want. The vehicles also can hover and are boarded up with armor to protect you from the rest of the competing racers. You can choose from a collection of seven hovercars that range from what looks like a 90's sports car to a huge truck. Your opposing players have only one goal, that is to knock you off the road with everything they have, and trust me, they are hell-bent on doing that!
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Author: Gustavo - Published: 28 March 2020, 3:19 pm
Sweet Home is a survival horror roleplaying game produced and published by Capcom for Famicom in 1989. Although it was released exclusively for Japan, it received an excellent translation for English-speaking players.
There was a time when horror as a genre was unpopular and almost non-existent. The developers were exclusively dedicated to making adventure releases with a terror theme or based on some known movie to capitalize on its success. It was in that context that Capcom decided to experiment with Sweet Home. This title would set the basis for the Resident Evil saga, arguably one of the most important horror games of all time.
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