showing 8 games
| name | publisher(developer) | year arrow_downward | description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Thing | Black Label Games;Torus Media (Computer Artworks) | 2002 | WHERE THE MOVIE ENDED, THE TRUE TERROR BEGINS. In the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, a mysterious shape shifting alien life form has wiped out an American scientific outpost. You're Cpt. Blake leader of a military rescue team sent to investigate the carnage. Trapped by the elements and infected by a horrific enemy, you must keep your squad together. Control their fear, gain their trust and you might just survive. * Use awesome firepower like explosives and flamethrowers to torch your enemies. * Control your squad's emotions using innovative trust/fear tactics. * Fight fear with psychological mind games to survive. * Experience state-of-the-art environmental effects that create suspense and terror. * Choose multiple paths to solve levels and accomplish goals. [Box blurb]***[b]Minimum:[/b] * Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP * 400 MHz Pentium III or equivalent CPU * 64 MB RAM * 8 MB VRAM * 600 MB HD space * 4X CD-ROM drive***[spoiler=Show spoiler tags;Hide spoiler tags][b]unusual protagonist[/b] — the documents later in the game reveal that the protagonist has been infected by the Thing, but for some reason has not been taken over nor does the blood test reveal it. The document states that this may be due to the protagonist's unusually long and frequent exposure to the creatures.[/spoiler]***Latest version: 1.2 (as of ?)***A sequel to the [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/]1982 movie[/url], starting several months after the events of the movie transpired and continues from thereon with you controlling captain Blake investigating what has happened at the research station. | labelimagesubject |
| Notrium | Instant Kingdom | 2003 | [b]Minimum:[/b] * Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP * 1 GHz CPU * 64 MB RAM***Latest version: 1.345 (as of 2010-03-02?)***You have crash-landed on planet Notrium. Your food supplies are running low, a pack of predatory aliens have got your scent. There are no more bullets for your pistol, your only weapon a handful of rocks. The night is coming, and you are desperately looking for wood to make a fire. Notrium is a game of survival. Survival, Exploration and Action * An integral part of the game is finding enough food and supplies to survive through the cold, dark nights. * Exploring the alien ruins and bases you can find various items, which can be combined to make weapons and equipment. * Most of Notrium's inhabitants are not happy to see you. You can try getting past your enemies quietly, but often you will need either fast legs or a sharp aim. Player Characters * The Human is weak, relying on weapons and items for survival. * The Android is very strong, but can only heal himself with repair units. * The Alien gains fearsome hunting skills through evolving. * The Psionic has unique mental powers, but cannot carry anything. Moddable * Notrium is a very moddable game. Several high quality mods are available. Join our modding community to make a mod yourself, or help others. [Ville Mönkkönen] | labelimagesubject |
| Cold Fear | Ubisoft Entertainment (Darkworks) | 2005 | There's only two things I dislike about this game. For one, being able to carry every single weapon found. This is supposed to be survival horror, you know. For second, the boss battle. I can't remember playing more aggravating boss battle than this on PC (console gamers seem to love these insanely overpowered bosses as they're so damn common on them). Way overpowered compared to anything else met and [i]nothing[/i] prepares you for it. Finally used a trainer to get through it because the game was sitting at the final battle for over a month (probably one fourth of the game can be played in the same amount of time I invested solely on the boss battle). [spoiler=Grievances with boss battle;Hide]Effectively you have to shoot the boss until he turns his attention to you, dodge the charge he makes either left or right, by staring at him in the aim view until he raises either of his arms to strike (so you know which side to dodge to), and repeat this until Anna escapes (which takes some 5+ charges). After this you have to wait for him to charge, dodge that, and then run back in front of him so he can grab you - YES! you have to intentionally let him grab you here. And then hit action button to get released. After you do this the third time, you can shoot him in the face. This has to be repeated about 3 times in total, so that's surviving about 9 more charges while managing to let him grab you. You don't have any healing items and you die on the third charge you fail to dodge. There's also the fact that the only way to dodge the boss is to stare down at him until he raises either of his arms (lest you wish to rely on luck as there's no pattern) and then swivel quickly to the opposite side, release aim and [i]run[/i]. There's probably less than a second for you to do this, so imagine repeating this sequence few times, dying at the final part several dozen times because you [i]can't[/i] do it fast enough, and that's pretty much it for playing this game through without cheating.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Third grievance and a spoiler;Hide]Tom gets infected second time but I don't recall him getting an antidote, so I have to assume he spreads the parasites to the rest of the world. The ending is very curt, but then I didn't watch through the credits for any hidden hints on that.[/spoiler]***Comes on 3 CDs.***[b]Minimum:[/b] * Windows 2000 or XP * 1 GHz CPU * 256 MB RAM * 64 MB VRAM * 2.2 GB HD space * 8X CD-ROM drive [b]Recommended:[/b] * 2 GHz CPU * 512 MB RAM * 128 MB VRAM***[size=150]Embark on a Voyage of No Return[/size] You are Tom Hansen, a US Coast Guard, investigating a distress call from a large Russian whaler in the middle of the Bering Sea. A ferocious storm descends and a watery gateway to hell opens, as the horror lurking beneath the ship's bloodstained decks rises. [image: showing Tom shooting at a zombie with a pistol] From a [b]sinister whaler[/b] infested by mutated & clever enemies to a [b]hostile oil rig[/b], there will be no safe place. [image: shows Tom using a flamer on a group of hostiles] [b]Unleash lethal weapons[/b]: Battle with shotguns, flame throwers... or any object on hand to destroy your evolving foes [image: shows Tom struggling to stay on board as a breaker tilts the ship heavily to its side, throwing several zombies overboard] [b]Keep your bearings in treacherous waters[/b]: Face huge breakers, driving rain and stormy winds that constantly rock the ship. [image: shows Tom shooting at a zombie's head, causing it to explode violently] [b]Blast your enemies[/b]: spill their blood with cool finishing move. [Box blurb] | labelimagesubject |
| Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth | Bethesda Softworks;Ubisoft Entertainment (Headfirst Productions) | 2006 | INT 2009-06-16 on Steam, by Bethesda Softworks (lang: eng, fre, ger)***The game is initially very much like survival horror, but "degenerates" sometime in the midpoint of the game to stealth FPS and later to plain FPS (although only because the enemies no longer have firearms and you don't have to watch out for them shooting at you anymore, the character is extremely frail [compared to other FPS games] and wouldn't survive such). [spoiler]There may be some confusion on the true nature of the protagonist. But, if one bothers to understand the mythos, we can see that the Yith only swapped bodies with him. Explaining the sequence where he was in an alien body for a time, and the amnesiac time of his past. His consciousness had been swapped by the Yith, leaving his consciousness in the "original" body of the Yith who had taken over his. Some have proposed that the protagonist himself is Yith but this ignores how the Yith work (they swap minds across time and space, usually for purposes of study). The Yith either wiped his memory or the experience was too traumatic that caused the initial amnesia. As an additional note, the physical form of the Yith is actually not their original, simply what species they had taken over in force (supposedly not all can house their minds for prolonged periods of time).[/spoiler]***Call of Cthulhu -- Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and adventure elements. You will draw upon your skills in exploration, investigation, and combat while faced with the seemingly impossible task of battling evil incarnate. Other than fighting, you have the ability to interact freely with characters and the gaming environment. To increase the sense of immersion, there is no interface or 'HUD' on screen at any time during normal gameplay. Instead, more intuitive methods are available for you to assess your condition, ammunition levels, and other relevant information. The combat within the game is extremely realistic, with a detailed damage and healing system that breaks down the healing process into conditions and treatments - rather than having the typical FPS 'health packs' lying around everywhere. The game also allows you to stamp your own style onto the proceedings via an advanced AI system that can react to your method of play. Cthulhu enemies can roam freely around the environment - opening doors and tracking you down single-handedly or in groups. To stay alive you won't just be able to outshoot them, you'll need to outthink them as well. You will have to keep your mental health in check as you are exposed to the increasingly shocking images of the Cthulhu Mythos. You will need to combat enemies using the environment, powerful and evil artifacts, Alien technology, or by fighting with weapons that are completely authentic for the period. Set during the 1920s, Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of HP Lovecraft, an American writer of fantasy and horror. Lovecraft's stories tell of unthinkable evil, psychic possession, and mythical worlds and his work has profoundly influenced numerous fantasy and science fiction writers, including Stephen King and Anne Rice. The technology powering Call of Cthulhu has provided Headfirst with the means to present an incredibly detailed and accurate depiction of the sights and sounds of this unique 1920's New England setting. A diverse range of cutting edge special effects is utilized to ensure both unprecedented levels of realism and an exact portrayal of your mental degredation. Key Features: * Diverse array of levels from quaint towns to alien locations, including Deep One City * Dynamic Sanity system resulting in hallucinations, panic attacks, vertigo, paranoia, and more! * Incredibly detailed real-time graphics with atmospheric lighting and dynamic shadows * Intelligent gameplay involving puzzle solving as well as combat and exploration * 1920s weaponry and vehicles as well as evil artifacts and alien technology * Lovecraft's famous monsters and locations [Bethesda] | labelimagesubject |
| Dwarf Fortress | Bay 12 Games | 2006 | Dwarf Fortress is a single-player fantasy game. You can control a dwarven outpost or an adventurer in a randomly generated, persistent world. Although Dwarf Fortress is still in a work in progress, many features have already been implemented. *The world is randomly generated with distinct civilizations spanning centuries of detailed history, hundreds of towns, caves and regions with various wildlife. *The world persists as long as you like, over many games, recording historical events and tracking changes. *Command your dwarves as they search for wealth in the mountain. ---Craft treasures and furniture from many materials and improve these objects with precious metals, jewels and more. ---Defend yourself against attacks from hostile civilizations, the wilderness, the depths, the dead and creatures of the night. ---Trade for all manner of exotic goods with your neighbors. ---Establish a barony and support the nobility as they make demands of your populace. ---Keep your dwarves happy and read their thoughts as they work and relax. ---Z coordinate allows you to dig out fortresses with multiple levels. Build towers or conquer the underworld. ---Build floodgates to divert water for farming or to drown your adversaries... and don't forget the magma! ---Surgery, sutures, splints, crutches and more: care for your wounded dwarves instead of leaving them to fend for themselves. ---Retire your fortress, then unretire it after spending time playing other roles in the world. ---Honey, wax, pottery, windmills, waterwheels, soap, plaster, wool, eggs, dyes, cheese, glass, animal training, and much much more... *Play an adventurer and explore, quest for glory or seek vengeance. ---Meet adversaries from previous games. ---Recruit people to come with you on your journey. ---Explore without cumbersome plot restrictions -- thriving capitals, villages, catacombs, labyrinths, bandit camps, caves and more! ---Seamlessly wander the world or travel more rapidly on the region map and in underground tunnels. ---Travel by day and search for a place to shelter as night falls. ---Listen to rumors and help out town and civilization leaders. ---Earn a reputation as a hero, friend, soldier, enemy, thug, etc. with the various civilizations in the world. ---Retire and meet your old characters. Bring them along on an adventure with a new character or reactivate them and play directly. ---Z coordinate allows you to move between twisting underground caverns and scale structures, fighting adversaries above and below. Climb, jump and sprint! ---Stealth system with vision arcs which also respects vegetation density and other factors. ---Use signs like shoe impressions and animal tracks to hunt and avoid danger. ---Steal a mummy's treasure or learn the secrets of life and death at a necromancer's tower. ---Visit your retired fortresses and ask your dwarves to join you on adventures. *The combat model uses skills, body parts, individual tissues, material properties, aimed attacks, wrestling, one-time opportunities, charging and dodging between squares, bleeding, pain, nausea, various poison effects and much more. Attacks and other movements extend over several instants, allowing you to deliberately catch enemy blows or plan your counter-attack. *Hundreds of animals and other monsters, including many that are randomly generated for each world. *Multi-tile climbable trees and many, many kinds of plants. Fruit, flowers and falling leaves. *A dynamic weather model tracks wind, humidity and air masses to create fronts, clouds, rain storms and blizzards. *Over two hundred rock and mineral types are incorporated into the world, placed in their proper geological environments. *Add new creatures, weapons, plants, metals and other objects via modifiable text files. *Extended ASCII character set rendered in 16 colors (including black) as well as 8 background colors (including black). [Dwarf Fortress Official Website]***[b]Minimum:[/b] * Windows 98 * 512 MB RAM * 100 MB HD space***Latest version: 0.31.25 (as of 2011-03-28) * 0.28.181.40d (2008-09-06) Oldest recorded version was released on 2006-08-08. The game's release date should be modified to the date on which "feature complete" version is released (when and if such a thing is released).***The game has two modes, adventure mode which resembles any rogue-like game and the dwarf fortress strategic mode where you build and maintain the fortress and its dwarves.***2002 Development started 2006 First public release At the time of writing, the game is still in alpha. We (UVL management) should consider this "finished" (as in, set the release date for) when the game has implemented everything everything in the core components and reqs described in [url=http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev.html]this page[/url]. However, unlike many other games listed as "in development" here on UVL, Dwarf Fortress is quite playable already. Following concepts were found in future plans for DF: [code]diplomacy[/code], [code]ruins[/code], [code]a-life[/code], [code]magic[/code], [code]natural disasters[/code], [code]dimensional travel[/code], [code]trading[/code], [code]hunger[/code], [code]outlaws[/code], [code]literal experience[/code], [code]injuries[/code], [code]taxes[/code], [code]stealth[/code], [code]item durability[/code], [code]riding[/code], ... | labelimagesubject |
| Penumbra: Overture | Lexicon Entertainment;Got Game (Frictional Games) | 2007 | [100]*** [12]***2006-??-?? Penumbra tech demo 2007-03-30 UK boxed and online release 2007-05-08 US boxed release 2007-10-04 Released on GameTap 2009-03-06 Released on Steam***[b]missing images:[/b] more interesting in-game screens***[b]Minimum:[/b] * Windows 2000 or XP * 1.5 GHz CPU * 512 MB RAM * 1 GB free HD space * Radeon 8500 or GeForce 3 Ti***Voice-overs are only in English, German and Russian, for all others the voice-overs are in english. Subtitles are in all available languages. Widescreen is only available in resolutions of 1280x~***Like all good nightmares, Philip's begins with something all too real - his mother's death. The days following the funeral are characterized by nothing, save for an incessant feeling of abandonment. Until, that is, he receives a letter from a dead man. Philip's father left before he was born, taking his reasons with him. Now, here he is, opening up the door from beyond the grave. That door leads to more questions, and those questions lead to Greenland. Philip follows the clues - they're all he has left. On leaving the final signs of human civilization behind him, in search of the location mentioned in his father's ambiguous notes, Philip wonders if he's left some part of his humanity behind as well. Soon, that will be the least of his fears. Now, Philip needs your help. He's found an inexplicable metal hatch, in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Inside, is something yet more unfathomable. Step into the unknown. Gameplay Penumbra: Overture is a first person adventure game that focuses on story, immersion and puzzles. Instead of using violence to progress the player has to use his/her wits to guide Philip on his quest to unravel the past. Played from a first person viewpoint, Penumbra is very different from other adventure games. Not only is it powered by a 3D engine utilizing cutting edge technology, it also has an advanced physics system which allow for a never before seen environment interaction. The weapon system differs from your average game; swinging a melee weapon is done using the mouse, which increases the realistic feel of combat. Fighting enemies is not something best done with brute force though, in most situations fighting is a last resort and the player is often better of using his/her wits. The AI of the enemies will also do its best to hunt and scare the player. The creatures encountered can break down doors, use group co-ordination, interact with the physics and more. Penumbra: Overture will keep players on the edge as they have to explore scary and immerse environments never knowing what is behind the next corner. The world is detailed, graphical as well as a story wise making the player feel part of the world as secrets are uncovered. Features * Detailed and atmospheric environments. * State of the art interaction system. * Thrilling blend of puzzles and action. * Dark secrets to be discovered. * Over 8 hours of gameplay. [Paradox] | labelimagesubject |
| Lost Planet: Extreme Condition | Capcom | 2007 | [b]dying[/b] - Thermal Energy (T-ENG) functions as both the protagonist's health as their capacity for surviving in the cold environment, whenever they're not in a VS or indoors (which is rare) their T-ENG rapidbly drains. On "extreme" difficulty this seems to drain regardless. [b]undefined healing[/b] - the T-ENG reserves are depleted to restore health automatically, no T-ENG means no healing. T-ENG is gained from destroyed Akrid and from the remains of any object that managed to explode, except for grenades, rockets and your piloted VS.***[b]Minimum:[/b] * Windows XP * Pentium IV CPU w/ HTT * 512 MB RAM * 256 MB VRAM * GeForce 6600 GPU * 8 GB HD space [b]Recommended:[/b] * Windows Vista * Core 2 Duo CPU * 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista) * 512 MB VRAM * GeForce 8600 GPU * X360 controller***Gameplay For the most part it was fun, the levels were extremely small except for the vast expanses of nothing in some places. Fighting medium sized Akrid was especially fun when you didn't have a VS warming your buttocks. The largest variety were just tedious, especially the giant worm that I just avoided after trying to kill it for the fourtieth time (really, are all console games (Lost Planet is console game first and foremost) about repeating the same boss battle for half the whole playing time?) The best parts of the game were usually outdoors, indoors being mostly dull corridors or large halls (cities?) where you're most of the time stomping around with your VS. You seem to play most of the time in VS indoors and as Wayne outdoors, which is kinda funny since anyone with half-a-mind would expect this to be the otherway around. Caves were a bit of an exception for this, but caves are caves. Fighting NEVEC was the part I hated most, and it was the least sensical of it all. Controls Since I can configure them as I see fit, I can't really give an opinion on how good they were or not. Everything I could think of had separate button for it and nothing else. The only gripe I have is that the control instructions for the VS (there's two special buttons for VS) had this huge X360 controller showing how to use the different things on it. The problem is, I was playing with keyboard and mouse, and I had to learn them by trial and error since I couldn't make connections between the xbox controller config and my keyboard and mouse configuration (What were they thinking? That everyone has innate understanding of X360 controllers? Or even have them? I'm playing the game on PC so it's far more likely I have a keyboard and mouse in front of me than that blasted thing between my thumbs). Everything worked out well in the end, since trial-and-error works well usually. There were some issues of the controls not being responsive, or there were several different actions made to happen from the same button (only for some VS, not when running around naked with Wayne, our protagonist), this was the most obvious in the final boss battle. Story During the cut-scenes, I constantly got this nagging feeling that I've missed part of the story somewhere, but I couldn't figure out where. So it was greatly disjointed and oddly hurried. Quality wise the beginning started nicely, but degraded seriously over time and it was not much of a help that you had the feeling that there's parts of the story missing. The characters weren't developed much, but I don't think that was necessary, and even their own background info was only to clarify why they were there in the first place and nudge the plot forward a bit in a bit awkward manner. Of course there was also the "must" romantic affair, too. Also, the characters were awfully stereotypical, but since the game was so short, there was little chance of them being much else. There was also this strange part that you were alone running through every single Akrid hive and NEVEC base to get to some distant location while your friends lazily used alternative route on their huge ass truck / mobile base, until you joined them at the destinaton. This was never even explained, and in some cases where there was some reason to do it, they could've hauled you closer to the final target before letting you off running and gunning everything in sight. And finally, the ending was disappointing, but sadly this is the norm for almost anything except books. Major gripes The game suffers from the usual console game features: ridiculously over-powered boss fights compared to everything else and all too linear story/gameplay. Thermal energy meter gave nothing but another reason to die suddenly when you just happen to use some energy based weapon too much or take too many whacks to your head (Wayne regenerates to full health in seconds by taking a large dose out of your energy reserves). Really, it's just a health reserve that keeps draining itself slowly and sometimes faster (I couldn't figure out what this was based on, some articles have said it's based on the temperature of the surroundings, but that should've meant it shouldn't drop at all or maybe even increase when around volcanic actiivity, lava flow or a smelting pool in some factory). The only thing I did notice to actually cause difference was the use of energy weapons and the special abilities of the VS. Honestly speaking, the game went downhill sometime around the middle of the game when you started fighting NEVEC as much or even more than the Akrid. Summary Overall, I'll give it 2 out of 5. The game's emphasis is on graphics, besides that it is horribly lacking.***Supported videocards: http://www.capcom.com/BBS/showthread.php?t=15043 Game manual: http://static.capcom.com/lostplanet/LostPlanet_PC_manual.pdf Firewall port configuration: UDP in/out: 3075, 27215 UDP out: 27000-27015, 27216 TCP out: 27030-27050***ON A LOST PLANET FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL, HUNT FOR REVENGE Your memory lies in pieces, like shattered glass... Green Eye... your father... lying dead on the ground. These memories continue to haunt your steps. But now is not the time for quiet contemplation. The Akrid are attacking! It's time to put it al on the line, avenge your father and save the tattered remnants of humanity. Find Thermal Energy, destroy the Akrid menace. On a lost planet, your destiny will unfold... BLOOD. RUNS. COLD. Extreme conditions Battle enemies and the environment. Conserve heat from enemy bodies and keep killing, before your temperature drops. Survival tools Defeat giant Akrid using numerous weapons and "Vital Suits" that can upgrade into fast-moving vehicles and heavy tanks. Band together Beyond the 12 epic single-player missions, take the battle for survival online with unique 16-player multi-player action. [Box blurb] | labelimagesubject |
| Lost Planet: Colonies | Capcom | 2008 | Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition includes everything that made the original Lost Planet a hit on PC, as well as the following new features: * New modes for single-player campaign * Score Attack - Each enemy and destructible object has points assigned to them, with the player being awarded different points depending on how they defeat the enemy. * Trial Battle Mode - Take on each of the game's Bosses, one after another * Off limit Mode - Go wild with over-the-top super-charged weapons with unlimited ammunition and increased speed of movement * New online modes * Akrid Hunter – Get the chance to finally play as an Akrid as your opponents attempt to take you down * VS Annihilator – Each team attempts to destroy its opponent's VS while defending its own * Counter Grab – The team with the longest data posts activation time wins * Point Snatcher – Take down opponents and collect the most thermal energy points * Akrid Egg Battle – Steal Akrid eggs from the opponent’s team and bring them safely back to your own base * Egg Bandit – steal your opponents' Akrid egg, with points awarded for longer capture time * 4 new maps for online matches: Crossfire City, Area 921, Lost Arena, Assault Space * 5 new playable character models * Multiple new weapons for both snow pirates and the robotic VS suits * Cross-platform Battles – Xbox 360 owners can join forces or play against PC gamers * New perspectives - Switch to first person view or the over-the-shoulder view for even more intense action [Capcom]***An enhanced re-release of [[game:Lost Planet: Extreme Condition]]. Some of the important highlights being: - New single- and multiplayer game modes - Cross-platform multiplayer Unfortunately your achievements aren't shared with this from the old game, nor can you move your save games to it. So you pretty much lose all that unless you still want to play the regular version in addition to Colonies. | labelminimizesubject |
