showing 22 games
| name | publisher(developer) | year arrow_downward | description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | Origin (Origin Systems) | 1985 | Comes on two 5.25' disks. In 1997 the full version of this game was 'made available for free download' at selected sites by Origin. However, it remains proprietary and not defined as "freeware" or "public domain" (these downloads can disappear or the priced raised at any time at Electronic Art's option). Several homebrew upgrades exist for this game that add features such as VGA graphics and Midi sound. The xu4 project allows this game to run on Windows, Linux, Mac OS 8, Mac OS X, and other operating systems. xu4 Also allows extensive modding of the graphics, enemies, items, and certain game logic. The Ultima series continued to innovate with the release of each game in the series. With the 4th game released for Apple ][ and then ported to IBM-PC, the genre was taken to bran new places. There is no evil big bad enemy to defeat, and the point of the game is not to take advantage of people to get stuff to go defeat the enemy. Rather, the point of the game is for the main character to become a champion of virtue. The goals are literally honesty, humility, honor, spirituality, valor, justice, compassion, sacrifice, courage, truth, and love. Actions, inactions, even words can have less than apparent unhelpful or helpful consequences. Yes, there are still monsters to fight and treasures to find, but this makes up less than 1/8th of the game and the care and purpose in handling these things is more important than the end result. [Zerothis] | labelimagesubject |
| Swords of Glass | Keypunch Software | 1986 | labelimageminimize | |
| Catacomb | Softdisk (PC Arcade) | 1990 | [b]microgrid[/b] - player character and most monsters occupy 2x2 grid points [b]penetrating projectiles[/b] - fully charged attack mows through the monsters quite easily, the bolt magic scroll likely does the same. | labelimageminimize |
| The Dark Heart of Uukrul | Brøderbund (Digital Studios) | 1990 | [49]***This game has some interactive fiction, adventure and not yet defined elements. Players can visually search the room or listen find secrets, to get descriptions of the room, find riddles that hint at solutions to puzzles, and/or find clues to events in the nearby area. These are returned as text as the game has no sound whatsoever. Advancement must be confirmed by player actions. Crosses are not just symbols in this game, they are apparently melee weapons. Equipment can require a minimum level of experience and/or a minimum character attribute. Clerics must pray to cast spells (all one action). The petitioned god can grant the cast, not answer, or punish the character. These random responses seem to be based on the character's previous actions but the mechanism is unclear. The game is automatically saved much the same way as typical rogue-likes but a bit less often. Simply walking from one place to the next does not prompt a save, but reading a clue or resolving an encounter does. There is also a game "backup" save system. When a player is in a "sanctuary" they may manually create a second save. Experience is shared but most of it distributed unequally based on a character's participation. The mechanism is unclear. Killing blows and attacks delivering significant damage have the most reward. Other actions are rewarded as well no mater what the result. Every character still gets something even if they did not interact with the battle at all. For example, if the first move of a battle is the player's fighter killing a single foe with a single blow, all other party members will get at least 1 XP or more for a stronger enemey.***If a character sacrifices their life to save their fellows, they lose piety. Dying is heresy, how [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oran_of_Iona]Oran[/url]ic¡*** [63]*** [52]*** [37] | labelimageminimize |
| Catacomb II | Softdisk | 1991 | This 'sequel' is more or less just a level pack to the original Catacomb. Later re-released under the title "The Catacomb". | labelimageminimize |
| Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight | Mindscape (Images Software) | 1992 | For 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] | labelimageminimize |
| The Summoning | SSI;Softgold Computerspiele (Event Horizon Software) | 1992 | Yes, the character has limited capacity _and_ the game world has limited supplies _and_ there is no back tracking. Forcing players to choose very carefully which items they want to carry to the next level and exactly when to use said items or not. Failure to have the right items can put the game in an unwinnable state. Magic regen is extremely slow. There is a cheat patch for this game that does nothing except speed up Magic regen. Many consider this game to be near unbeatable (even with the regen cheat) yet magic regen is the only cheat anybody has bothered to create.*** [22]*** [52]*** [37] | labelimageminimize |
| Heirs to Skull Crag | SSI (MicroMagic;SSI) | 1993 | Heirs to Skull Crag is the game, exclusively available in no other package game, real game, actual game, existing game, playable game, completable that comes the the Unlimited Adventures game creator which is in every other videogam database with tools to create AD&D based adventures, or even other types of adventures based on the Gold Box Engine. The executable is "FRUA.EXE" and the letters stand for "Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures". But UA is by no means limited to the Forgotten Realms setting. Materials from other settings are included and players are free to create their own or download UGC from the aforementioned site. | labelimagesubject |
| Prince of Evil | Softstar Entertainment | 1993 | labelimageminimize | |
| Blackthorne | Interplay Productions (Blizzard Entertainment) | 1994 | Interplay provides a version of this game to download from battle.net. Comes packaged for play on Windows using DOSbox or an alternative package for Mac using DOSbox. The executable zip file is encrypted preventing it from being run on non-windows systems without using Windows emulation. Once installed, the game should theoretically work on DOS, FreeDOS, or most any system DOSbox runs on. However, Blackthorne's the setup executable is not included making sound configuration especially problematic. This game is not Freeware. Blizzard retains full copyright and the downloaded version includes and EULA restating Blizzard's ownership. No right to redistribute or otherwise treat this version as Freeware is granted by Blizzard.***[b]from another world[/b] - you're actually native, but was transported as an infant into another world where you grew up, and now you've returned to bring your royal boot to the Face of Evil. [b]unrestricted violence[/b] - player can freely kill the slaves as much as the orcish monsters. | labelimageminimize |
| Crusader: No Remorse | Electronic Arts (Origin Systems) | 1995 | Latest version: 1.21 (as of 1999-?)***[b]ultima8-engine[/b] - an enhanced version of the U8 engine. | labelimageminimize |
| Anvil of Dawn | New World Computing (DreamForge Intertainment) | 1995 | [b]Minimum[/b] * DOS 5.0 or greater * 486/33 CPU * 4 MB RAM * 5 MB free HD space * 2X CD-ROM drive * Mouse [b]Recommended:[/b] * 486/66 CPU * 30 MB free HD space***The game's unusual in the manner that although you select one of the five heroes to play as in the beginning, you get to meet the other four in your travels. The choice of hero mostly affects the voice-overs (and dialog with it) and appearance, attributes are freely customizable if you so desire.***The game was apparently re-released in 2007/01 with Windows XP support. Unable to verify this currently, though. | labelimageminimize |
| Hexen | id Software;GT Interactive (Raven Software) | 1995 | Re-edited version with addons included [84]*** [22]***1999-01-11 source code released under a restrictive license. 2008-09-04 source code was released under GPL compatible license***Has rather unique difficulty levels, the number of enemies gets inflated as is to be expected, but better weapons are located later on, forcing you to fight with old and "less efficient" ones much longer. But since each character has only 4 weapons total, including the starting weapon, this isn't such a big thing but does prove additional challenge early on. There are some differences in encountered enemies between the characters, too (or they're randomized, but I haven't verified that). There are only two types of "ammo" (mana, really), where the second weapon consumes blue, third weapon green, and fourth weapon both. Unlike some other games of the time, magic was not simply dispensed from some magical weapons, but the character actually seemed to have proficiency in magical arts, as witnessed by the mage classes use of lightning and ice and cleric's use of fire. Hexen is also one of the first (if not [i]the[/i] first) first-person games to implement jumping, as well as falling damage which is ignored in great many games even today. [spoiler=Show weapons;Hide weapons]Baratus (Warrior): * Spiked Gauntlets * Timon's Axe * Hammer of Retribution * Quietus Parias (Cleric): * Mace of Contrition * Serpent Staff * Firestorm * Wraithverge Daedolon (Mage): * Sapphire Wand * Frost Shards * Arc of Death (Lightning) * Bloodscourge[/spoiler]***Raven Software's HeXen actually began development as an expansion for Heretic that was originally slated to hit the shelves as "Heretic II." However, the game design so expanded beyond the original game that this proposed the expansion of the Heretic universe took on a bold new identity of its own...HeXen: Beyond Heretic. HeXen was developed over a period of 8 months, published by Id Software and distributed by GT Interactive in 1995. The game introduced the 3-D gaming world to the "hub system" of level progression, rotating polygonal brushes and multiple character classes that were available in both single player and multiplayer. All of this combined to help HeXen raise the bar for the first-person shooter genre. HeXen pushed Id Software's DooM engine to its absolute limits and surpassed Heretic as Raven Software's most popular, highly acclaimed title. The success of HeXen prompted a mission pack, Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, and several ports to home console gaming systems including the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 and the Sony PlayStation. HeXen also became the first Raven Software game made available for the Macintosh. [Raven]***[b]System requirements:[/b] * 486 33 MHz CPU or better * MS-DOS 5.0 or higher. * 25 MB free HD space * 8 MB RAM * VGA graphics card * Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card Supports joystick and mouse.***~ Represeting a quantum leap in realism, bursting at the seams with playability and bulging interactivity, Hexen is a spellbinding and terrifying epic that pits its players as one of the three classes of hero and sets them on a nightmarish knife-edge quest to destroy the evil rulers who once controlled them. Every part of this colossal battle between horrific creatures is waged with one of the 12 death dealing weapons, either alone or in 'co-operative' or 'Deathmatch' networked play. Pretenders to the throne beware: - id Software and Raven have joined forces again to create this masterpiece of the 3D dynasty. [Box blurb]***While you were battling the evil forces of D'Sparil, the other Serpent Riders were busy sowing the seeds of destruction in other dimensions. One such dimension is the decaying world where Hexen takes place. A world littered with the mangled corpses of nonbelievers and inhabited by the undead followers that executed them. Only three humans - a warrior, a mage and a cleric - have escaped the leaders' vicious spell. Now these brave souls have sworn to crush the evil regime that threatens to destroy the world forever. Separated upon entering the mystical portal, the three are forced to attempt on their own what they had hoped to do together: find Korax's stronghold, destroy him and restore order in the physical world. [id Software]***A sort of sequel of Heretic, Hexen takes you to a new world to take the place of one of three heroes (A Fighter, a Cleric and a Mage) to stop the second of the Serpent Riders. The use of a "hub" system to travel back and forth through the levels is a very innovative idea. This is one of my all time favorite games, however some are turned away by the running around, collecting of puzzle pieces. | labelimagesubject |
| Stonekeep | Interplay (Interplay Productions) | 1995 | Latest version: 1.2 (as of ?)***[b]sorcery[/b] - requires a magic staff onto which you inscribe combinations of magic runes that produce various effects, modified by meta runes and so forth (in the tag's grey area) --- averted ambidextrous - has no significant gameplay effect. simply determines which mouse button activates it and which hand on the screen uses it. ergo, this is primarily a graphical gimmick. no way to swap handedness without dragging and dropping the tools between hands.***The scan of the box art is flawed only because my scanner can't really scan the hologram on it (I'm not sure any scanner can). You can see this rainbowy thing behind and around the front skeleton and another skeleton in the rainbow, but in reality it should be silvery/chrome-white and the second skeleton barely visible.***Immerse yourself in an epic experience more powerful and realistic than anything you've imagined. Using innovative new technology, Stonekeep draws you into its dark reaches so completely you'll forget it's just a game. Your feet will walk the ancient corridors. Your hands will wield weapons of metal and magic. You'll battle disembodied foes, rescue your allies from evil, liberate a massive dragon from bondage and discover an experience more realistic than anything you've ever imagined. Step into the mystery of Stonekeep and begin a quest through dark corridors, treacherous sewers and subterranean realms of faeries, magic and the living dead. You'll discover a world where darkness reigns and where you become part of a detailed story line that unfolds to your commands. Defeat evil, reclaim your immortal soul and experience the adventure that is Stonekeep. Concentrate on the experience, not the computer * An epic production, Stonekeep is the result of nearly 30 man-years for a dedicated team of producers, designers, programmers, artists and other professionals. * Hollywood special effects, state-of-the art sound effects and music, expert scriptwriting and stunning live action cinematic sequences... Stonekeep is an experience like nothing you have ever seen. * 3-D rendered dungeons and creatures combine with live actors and amazing special effects to produce a game play environment of unparalled realism. * Full-Screen graphics let you truly feel the full intensity of your quest. Without distracting menus and icons, you can conctentrate on the experience, not the keyboard. * An intelligent Diary accompanies you in your travels, automatically mapping where you've been, the characters you've encountered and important clues you may have heard. * Includes the first chapter in the Stonekeep saga - Thera Awakening, a limited edition hardbound novella from Steve Jackson and David Pulver. [Box blurb]***The game came bundled with a small novella, Thera Awakening, coauthored by Steve Jackson and David Pulver. | labelimagesubject |
| Bust Hillary 3D | Tenkiller | 1996 | labelminimizeminimize | |
| Crusader: No Regret | Electronic Arts (Origin Systems) | 1996 | labelimageminimize | |
| Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel | id Software (Raven Software) | 1996 | Apparently the first expansion Raven Software ever did. | labelimageminimize |
| Strife | 3DO (Rogue Entertainment) | 1996 | Tagline: [i]Trust No One[/i]*** [58]***As the source code for this game was lost, subsequent porting efforts are relying in the reverse engineering efforts of Vavoom, ZDoom, SvStrife and Chocolate Strife developers.***This has the most advanced retail modification of the old Doom engine I've seen. | labelimageminimize |
| Descent To Undermountain | Interplay (Dragon Play) | 1997 | Latest version: 1.3 (as of ?) | labelimageminimize |
| Blood | GT Interactive (Monolith Productions) | 1997 | [b]Episodes:[/b] * The Way of All Flesh * Even Death May Die * Farewell to Arms * Dead Reckoning [b]Difficulty levels:[/b] * Still Kicking * Pink on the Inside * Lightly Broiled (default) * Well Done * Extra Crispy [b]Weapons:[/b] * Pitchfork * Flare gun * Shotgun * Tommy gun * Aerosol can * TNT bundle * Proximity/remote detonator * Napalm launcher (functions like rocket launcher) * Tesla cannon * Voodoo doll***Has optional support for VESA 2.0 (SVGA 640x480 and 800x600 display resolution with 256 colors)***Experience more terror, mayhem, and violence in the full registered version of Blood. Buy Blood While fighting your way through intricately devious traps and monsters, you will find armaments that you could only dream of to help assist in destroying the Cabal forever. Use the Tesla Cannon to scorch evil cultists hell-bent on destroying you. Quietly lay proximity bombs when faced with dangerous and uncharted ground, then laugh as you hear the sounds of zombies and cultists vaporizing when the bombs detonate. New game features & additions include: * 34 levels spanning through 4 episodes plus 8 additional Bloodbath-only levels designed for fast-paced action. * 12 weapons, including the Tesla Cannon, Voodoo Doll, Life Leech, Spray Can Flame-Thrower, and Remote and Proximity Detonators. * 17 enemies * New enemies, bosses, sounds, and art. * Mapedit, our enhanced Build level editing tool, which will allow you to create your own levels or modify ours. * Beautifully rendered cutscenes to enhance the mood and story of the game. * Stunning redbook-audio cd soundtrack. * Additional bonus: we've gone back through and put all the weapons into the first episode for improved BloodBath! [Monolith]***[b]Minimum:[/b] * DOS 6.2 * 75 MHz Pentium CPU * 16 MB RAM * 80 MB HD space * 4X CD-ROM drive * Sound Blaster [b]Peripherals:[/b] * Keyboard * Mouse * Gamepad * Joystick***Contains several [i]references[/i] to H.P. Lovecraft's works, Macbeth, Shine, and likely several other works as well.***[b]magic[/b] — the voodoo doll, may be the only instance of it besides the other paranormal things that can't be attributed to much anything. [b]limited supplies[/b] — not very strong example, but you certainly can't shoot brazenly about like you can in most other shooters. Finding secret stashes helps a lot, but these are [i]secrets[/i]. [b]healing stations[/b] — life essences can't be carried about and therefore function like automatic single-use health dispensers. [b]immortals[/b] — the zombies raise again an unidentifiable number of times, though you can put an end to it if you put some effort in it. | labelimagesubject |
| Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny | Virgin Interactive (Westwood Studios) | 1997 | Latest version: 1.30 (as of 1998-02?)***Comes on 4 CDs. | labelimageminimize |
| Avalon | MiG Designs (MiG Outpost) | 1998 | labelimageminimize |
