showing 11 games

namepublisher(developer)year arrow_downwarddescription
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight Mindscape (Images Software)1992For 1-4 players taking turns except for when fighting each other.***Images Software ported the game and are not the original developer.***Welcome weary travellers to The Moonstone Tavern, the only site on the Web dedicated to the 1991 Commodore Amiga and PC classic and pioneer of gore in computer and video games that is Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight. Contained within is a history of the quest, an extensive bestiary, battle tactics, ROMs, movies and wallpapers for download and tons and tons of gory screenshots that will no doubt bring the memories flooding back... So why not treat yourself to a flagon of frothing ale (on the house, naturally!), put your feet up and reminisce with me as I take you for a sojourn through Mindscape's magnificent and charnel-splattered world of knights, monsters and valiant derring-do.
[i d o r u]
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Mortal Kombat  Acclaim;Virgin (Probe Software)1993Very few modifications to the arcade version's C source code were needed to create this version of the game. So it has many of the same bugs.
[Zerothis]
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DOOM id Software1993[b]npc strife[/b] - they don't do this automatically, but will beat up their allies if subjected to friendly fire. This is a "feature" repeated in many games using the Doom engine.
[b]possessed[/b] - the humans you encounter are controlled by demonic spirits or some such, not zombies or anything.***DoomEd as well as the DOS version of DOOM were developed on a several platforms running NeXTSTEP 3.3. NeXTSTEP's design didn't really care if these systems were 68k, x86, or PPC:[quote=John Romero]In fact, with the superpower of NeXTSTEP, one of the earliest incarnations of DoomEd had Carmack in his office, me in my office, DoomEd running on both our computers and both of us editing one map together at the same time. I could see John moving entities around on my screen as I drew new walls. Shared memory spaces and distributed objects. Pure magic.[/quote]
[Zerothis]***There was also an expansion to Doom called [game=#162120]The Ultimate Doom[/game] that added fourth episode, "Thy Flesh Consumed", into the mix.***Doom launched First-Person shooters as one of the dominant genres in PC gaming(although Wolfenstein 3D had established the genre), and also launched the PC as a viable gaming platform
Superb level design, well-designed weapons and truly frightening atmosphere. The pseudo-3D levels (Doom's engine didn't allow for levels to be multi-layered) were the best looking and immersive of the time and are still enjoyable today.
Also one of the PC's most copied games, its influence rings true in the vast array of First-person shooters. This has been both a blessing and a curse for gamers, as unimaginative and poorly executed Doom-clones swamped release schedules in the mid-to-late 90s.
Doom was originally released as shareware, allowing Doom to gather a massive following very quickly.***My first digital addiction.. pure nostalgia.

Think back and feel the atmosphere again that was hanging around your DOS machine when it was playing those sinister midi files... what a game!
[Roland]
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Rise of the Triad: Dark War  Apogee1994Dark War and The HUNT Begins support a different set of sound hardware.***CD-ROM version.
[22]***You are part of an elite group of operatives called HUNT (High-risk United Nations Taskforce), and you must stop a maniac cult leader from killing millions of people. While scouting a remote island, you are suddenly surrounded by enemy troops with guns blaring. In the distance you see your boat--your only chance to escape--explode into matchsticks. In front of you is a huge fortress monastery, and your only chance to stop the madness. You are e quipped with awesome, high-tech weaponry like heat-seeking missiles, split missiles, and the Flamewall cannon, which leaves a trail of charred skeletons in its wake. You'll also find magical instruments and weapons so incredible they defy description.

FEATURES

* Super huge levels - up to one million sq. feet, and up to 16 stories high!
* Ten unique, real digitized enemies (actual Apogee employees!)
* Thirteen hardcore weapons, including magical weapons.
* Nearly every object can be destroyed - even mark walls with bullet holes!
* Modem and network playable, up to 11 players via an IPX compatible network.
* Adjustable violence/gore levels, from none (for children) to "excessive"!
* 20 Megabytes of explosive graphics, animations, music and digitized sounds!
* Play one of five players, each with unique attributes and abilities.
* In modem or network play, each player can can select what they want to look like.
* Look both up and down, up to 45 degrees, to see what is above and below.
* Ten unique, digitized enemies in the game, plus four multi-stage bosses!
* 15 incredible game hazards, like Spinblades, gun bunkers, huge boulders, Firejets, pits, Firechutes, Lavawalls, gas grates, and more.
* Special effects galore: Fog, lightning with properly delayed thunder, parallaxing skies, real lights that illuminate walls (you can shoot the lights and the room gets darker), ricocheting bullets, wind sounds, and more.
* Jump pads will spring you up into the air to jump over obstacles, walls, other players, (great in multiplayer games) and even to reach new weapons.
* Many useful objects and power-ups, like a fireproof vest, gas mask, Mercury mode (enables the player to fly!), and even a special "god" and "dog" modes, both making the player invincible for a short time (with hilarious side effects).
* 32 page full color game manual.

MULTIPLAYER FEATURES

* Supports modem, serial cable, and network multiplayer games with more specialized options than any game previously released.
* Network games up to 11 players!
* Each player can select one of the five unique characters, plus each player can choose from one of 11 uniform colors. (In team games, each team has the same uniform color.)
* Nine unique Comm-bat games, such as Eluder, Capture the Triad, and Hunter.
* RemoteRidicule allows players to send digitized voice messages to other players (an industry first!)
* With a microphone, a player can even speak directly to the other players in network games! Great for team play or taunting others.
* Play Comm-bat games in the normal game levels, OR use the special Comm-bat levels, which are specifically designed for fun multiplayer games.
[Apogee]***Dark War was the commercial full version published in 1995, The Hunt Begins was the Shareware version published in 1994. I've never met anyone who knows the game with the full name, just Rise of the Triad or ROTT, never anything about Dark War or The Hunt Beginning..

Source code was released in Dec 2002 and is available at 3D Realm's website.
[Sanguine]
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Doom II  id Software1994
[22]***[media=youtube]tt3E7S8me2E[/media]***[b]boss battles[/b] - the Icon of Sin if nothing else.***Let the Obsession begin. Again.

This time, the entire forces of the netherworld have overrun Earth. To save her, you must descend into the stygian depths of Hell itself!

Battle mightier, nastier, deadlier demons and monsters. Use more powerful weapons. Survive more mind-blowing explosions and more of the bloodiest, fiercest, most awesome blastfest ever!

Play DOOM II solo, with two people over a modem, or with up to four players over a LAN (supporting IPX protocol). No matter which way you choose, get ready for adrenaline-pumping, action-packed excitement that's sure to give your heart a real workout.
[?]***This game is one of the most popular games when 3D shoot-em's first became popular. It involves total carnage of evil demons, zombies and monsters with an arsenal of shotguns, chainguns, missiles, BFG, Plasma, Pistol, and Chainsaw.
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Mortal Kombat 3  Midway (Sculptured Software)1995 labelminimizeminimize
The Ultimate Doom  GT Interactive (id Software)1995[media=youtube]K0nlO87evhY[/media]***The complete megahit game that set the world afire. Plus All-New Episode IV: Thy Flesh Consumed.

The demons came and the marines died. Except one. Your are the last defense against these hell-spawned hordes. Prepare for the most intense mutant-laden, blood-splattered action ever! The texture-mapped virtual world is so real, you don't just play DOOM - you live it.

The Ultimate DOOM takes you beyond anything you've ever experienced. First, you get all three original episodes - that's 27 levels of awesome, explosive excitement. Then it really blows you away with an all-new episode: Thy Flesh Consumed.

Now you're dead meat. Just when you think you're getting pretty good at DOOM, you get hit with Perfect Hatred, Sever the Wicked and seven other expert levels never seen before! They're so incredibly tough, the first 27 levels will seem like a walk in the park!
[?]***Comes on 5 3½ disks.***[b]Minimum:[/b]
* MS-DOS 5.0
* 33 MHz 386 CPU
* VGA GPU
* 4 MB RAM
* 20 MB free HD space
* Sound Blaster or AdLib SPU

[b]Recommended:[/b]
* 8 MB RAM***The Ultimate Doom takes you far beyond the realms of your experience. All three original episodes of the greatest, splattertastic, adrenaline pumping game ever made are here - that's 27 levels of doomongerous gameplay to challenge even the most hardened gamer. But that's just for starters... Then, but only if you're tough enough, you can pick up the gauntlet of an all-new episode... Thy Flesh Consumed. Those fiendish geniuses from id have delved deep into their twisted psyches to present you with the ultimate Doom experience yet - nine new levels of the most torturous, twisting and toughest action imaginable. Will you prove big enough to meet the challenge?
[Box blurb]***Retail version of shareware [i][game=#19653]Doom[/game][/i] that included fourth episode: "Thy Flesh Consumed" which was not present in the registered version of the shareware release. The fourth episode is not considered canon either, as the story involved with it is intentionally ridiculous (avenging the murder of your white pet rabbit).
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Mortal Kombat II  Midway (Probe Software)1996 labelminimizeminimize
Duke Nukem 3D  Apogee Software (3D Realms)1996About tech / gameplay innovation, to quote TV Tropes:
[quote]First Person Shooters prior to Duke 3d didn't feature "realistic" real world locations. Things that Duke 3d did first include: televisions that show different programmes; closed circuit security cameras that let you see other areas of the level than the bit you're in; working subway trains that take you across "town"; strip bars/clubs; breakable glass/destroyable furniture/mirrors that you can see your own reflection in; triggered set pieces such as earthquakes that can destroy the architecture around the player; and working toilets that you can use to gain extra health. These things were quite revolutionary at the time, and the level design in later games of the genre (such as Half Life, Deus Ex, Soldier Of Fortune, and even aspects of Doom 3) show signs of its ground breaking influence. It could be argued that this organic approach to level design would have come about anyway as a direct result of increasingly better technology... but nevertheless, Duke 3d was there first.[/quote]***The source code for the 1.5 version was released under GPL license on 2003-04-01.***"Complete Version", the one I have, came on single CD-ROM. I'm pretty sure some older releases came on several 3½ disks.***[b]Minimum:[/b]
* 486 CPU
* 8 MB RAM
* VGA GPU
* 30 MB free HD space

[b]Recommended:[/b]
* 486DX2 / 66 MHz CPU (Pentium for SVGA modes)
* 16 MB RAM
* VESA-compliant VGA or SVGA GPU

[b]Supported sound cards:[/b]
For music: Gravis UltraSound, Sound Blaster (all of them), SoundMan16, Pro Audio Spectrum, SoundScape, Waveblaster, Sound Canvas, Adlib, and General MIDI.
For sound: Sound Blaster (all of them), Gravis UltraSound, SoundMan16, Pro Audio Spectrum, SoundScape, Disney/Tandy Sound Sources.***The third chapter in the series, and the first with a 3D perspective (the original Duke Nukem and the sequel, Duke Nukem II, are side scrolling platform games). This game, set sometime in the early 21st century, begins in a ravaged LA, which was overtaken by aliens while you were abducted during Duke Nukem II. Duke, upon returning to Earth, finds himself with another mess to clean up, and another alien race that needs exterminating. Duke is a can-do hero who realizes that sometimes innocent people have to die in order to save Earth, so accuracy of gun fire is not a real concern to him. :)

This game has a long list of cool things that haven't been attempted in 3D action games, yet. The weapons, for example, kick-butt:

* There's a mine that can be placed on any wall and sends out a laser trip beam-- perfect for multiplayer games.
* There's also a shrinker ray that reduces an opponent to the size of a G.I. Joe, at which point they are foot fodder--watch them splat!
* As in Shadow Warrior, you can swim under water, and even shoot players who are standing outside the water, or vice versa.
[3D Realms]
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Shadow Warrior  GT Interactive;Devolver Digital (3D Realms)1997The game runs at 320x200 resolution by default, but for those with VESA 2.0 compatible GPU, the game can use up to 800x600 resolution.

Build engine renders pickups and some other objects like levers and buttons with voxels, though this can be disabled so they show up as regular sprites.
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Shadow Warrior: Twin Dragon  (Level Infinity)1998 labelimageminimize
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