Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 23 December 2019, 9:45 pm
Holiday Lemmings, also known as Xmas Lemmings 1993, is a holiday edition of the classic puzzle game created by DMA Design. It was published during the festive season in 1993.
The game engine is the classic Lemmings (despite in 1993 Psygnosis also published Lemmings 2: The Tribes) but, as you can imagine, the game has a Xmas theme: the little lemmings are dressed as Santa Claus, the scenario is full of snow, and the background music is made of remixed holiday songs.
The previous Xmas Lemmings editions were just demos, with few levels, but this time 32 new levels are available. Initially released commercially, the game was published later as freeware.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 23 December 2019, 3:18 pm
Spy vs. Spy is a video game created by Michael Riedel for the Commodore 64 and published by First Star Software in 1984.
It's the official electronic adaptation of a famous comic strip published in Mad magazine. The game was also ported to Apple II, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, NES, ZX Spectrum, and many other platforms.
You play as one of the two spies against a friend or the computer. The goal is to find the briefcase and be the first to escape the embassy with the secret plans. If you want to win, you will have to make things difficult for your adversary, and placing traps is the best thing you can do.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 20 December 2019, 7:59 pm
Warhead is a space combat sim created by Glyn Williams and published in 1990 by Activision for Amiga and Atari ST.
Just like Elite, you play the game from the cockpit of your ship, with a first-person perspective and 3D-filled vector graphics. But the game is mission-based, with a plot that connects them all. Warhead is probably the first space sim with this structure since Wing Commander was released after it.
One of the main characteristics of the game is realistic physics. For example, no gravity or friction is stopping your ship, so once you have impressed a speed, your vessel won't stop unless you use the engines to go in the reverse direction. This makes the controls more complicated compared to arcades games. Thank god you can use several pre-programmed autopilots to perform standard tasks.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 16 December 2019, 2:14 am
Premiere is a platformer developed by The 8th Day and released for Core Design in 1992 for the Amiga. It was also ported to CD32 in 1994.
In this game, you are Cluth Gable, a movie editor who fell asleep while working one night. Six reels of the film are stolen, and Cluth has to retrieve them.
Each game level has a different set: Wild West, Sci-Fi, Black & White, Horror, Cartoon, and Fantasy. The 8th Day already did a great job with the graphics of Heimdall, their previous title. But Premiere has even better graphics and animations. The intro sequence is like an animated movie. Regarding the game, just look at the screenshots, and you will realize that the backgrounds and the sprites are simply fantastic. The animation is fluid, with plenty of frames for each move.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 12 December 2019, 9:01 pm
Super Skidmarks is a racing game created by Acid Software for the Amiga, released in 1995. Codemasters also released a Genesis / Mega Drive version.
The game is the sequel to Skidmarks (in fact, it's also called Skidmarks 2), and like the predecessor, was developed in Blitz Basic by Chris Blackbourn. The gameplay and graphics are similar: birds-eye view, small isometric cars (resembling matchstick boxes), and plenty of drift.
Skidmarks 2's new features include hi-res graphics (handy because you see a more significant portion of the track), 3-players split-screen (yes, 3, not just 2), or eight players simultaneous play with null-modem cables connected Amigas. You can also choose to race with a wheeled cow (yes, cow) or with a caravan attached to your car (sounds stupid, but extremely fun). But Skidmarks 2 best feature is its playability, which is simply perfect. Super Skidmarks is the typical game that is brilliant to play and extremely fun to watch. Just be sure to call your friends.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 11 December 2019, 8:26 pm
Golden Axe II is a fantasy side-scrolling beat 'em up created by SEGA in 1991 as a sequel to one of the most famous arcades of all time.
While the original Golden Axe was first released as a coin-op and then ported to several home computers and consoles, Golden Axe II was created for the SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive and was never ported to other home consoles or computers. Golden Axe 2 was a Genesis exclusive.
The reception was not so positive, many criticized the lack of originality. Golden Axe II is more of an enhanced version rather than a sequel. But "enhanced version" means there are improvements, right? In fact, there are quite a few of them: you can now decide the amount of mana you want to use for your magic; the spells are different (the dwarf has a kind of earthquake, which is much more appropriate); the back attack is now more powerful; enemy AI is a bit better (not exceptional), and you can decide where to throw the enemies. The gameplay is also faster, and the controls are more responsive.
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