Abandonware DOS retro gaming spotlight
-
Premier Manager: one of the earliest football management games
6th July 2024simulation, sportsPremier Manager was released in 1992 by Gremlin Interactive for the Commodore Amiga and MS-DOS platforms. It was one of the earliest football management simulation games and allowed players to take on the role of a football club manager in the English football league system. In Premier Manager, players were responsible ... -
Demo versions: what happened to game demos?
29th June 2024action, adventure, puzzle, RPG, shooter, simulation, sports, strategyLet's start by emphasizing a crucial point: not every classic game has been "abandoned". With the resurgence of all things "vintage", there's a renewed fascination with retro items, including video games. Consequently, certain companies have acquired entire back catalogs of old games and begun selling them anew. Hence, many captivating ... -
Lemonade Tycoon: the remake of an unknown classic
22nd June 2024simulationLemonade Tycoon is a business simulation game that allows players to run their own virtual lemonade stand and try to turn it into a successful and profitable business. The game typically involves setting prices, managing inventory, adjusting recipes, and dealing with factors like weather and customer satisfaction. The objective of ... -
Princess Maker 2: a fantasy life simulation
4th May 2024simulationPrincess Maker 2 is a life simulation anime-style game developed by Gainax in 1993. In Princess Maker 2, the player is the father of a young princess and must tutor and raise her to the age of 18 by scheduling jobs, school classes and programming other activities. The princess is defined by attributes (strength, ... -
Pharaoh: city building in ancient Egypt
9th March 2024simulation, strategyPharaoh is a city building strategy game that is part of a group of games that uses the same interface and the same gameplay style: Pharaoh, the Caesar series and Zeus. Here's a couple of excerpt from reviews of old video game magazines. -
GameSpy Greatest PC Games of All Time: The '80s
27th January 2024action, adventure, RPG, simulation, sports, strategy, top games and awardsThis is a special feature of the popular (and old!) video games site GameSpy. These games were handpicked by the GameSpy staff to be part of the best PC games published in the 80s. GameSpy Online, often referred to as GameSpy, was a division of IGN Entertainment that provided a ... -
The shareware business model
6th January 2024action, adventure, puzzle, racing, RPG, shooter, simulation, sports, strategyShareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.Shareware games were released for free with limited ... -
God games: from Populous to Black and White
2nd December 2023simulation, strategyA god game is a genre of video games where the player assumes the role of a deity or god and has control over various aspects of the game world. In these games, players typically have god-like powers and influence over the environment, characters, and events within the game. The ... -
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2: a classic simulation
18th November 2023simulationRoller Coaster Tycoon 2 is a simulation game developed by Chris Sawyer Productions and published by Infogrames. It was released in 2002 as the sequel to the original classic Roller Coaster Tycoon. In Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 players take on the role of an amusement park manager and are tasked with ... -
Sid Meier was a pirate
30th September 2023adventure, remakes and sequels, simulation, strategyPirates! Gold is an open world game designed by Paul Murphy, developed and released by MicroProse Software in 1993 for DOS, Windows 3.x, Mac and also Sega Genesis and Amiga CD32. Pirates! Gold is a remake of the game Pirates, created by Sid Meier in 1987. Pirates! Gold gameplay is a unique ... -
Magic Carpet, by Bullfrog
18th August 2023shooter, simulationI remember little of Magic Carpet, but one thing I remember clearly was the plain fun I had flying around casting spells. It was one of the smoothest first-person games around at the time and it gave me a wonderful feeling of flying freedom. Sadly I never got a chance ... -
B-17 Flying Fortress: heavy bomber simulation
29th July 2023simulationB-17 Flying Fortress is a single-player historical combat flight simulation game designed by Mike Brunton, developed and released by MicroProse Software in 1992 for DOS, Amiga and Atari ST. As the title suggests, it's a simulation of the B-17 heavy bomber, set during World War II. Flight is not the only ... -
Star Crusader: space combat
12th May 2023shooter, simulationStar Crusader is an abandoned science fiction first-person 3D space combat simulation, developed by Take-Two Interactive and released by GameTek in 1994 both for DOS and for Amiga platforms. During the game you will have to choose on which side you want to fight: the Gorenes or the rebels. Depending on ... -
Solo Flight, by Sid Meier
6th May 2023simulationNot many people know that the first games created by Sid Meier were flight simulations. Solo Flight was published by MicroProse in 1983 for Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari, and a year later, in 1984, for PC. The game takes place in the United States. As a fliying mailmain, the goal of the ... -
CODiE Awards 1993: A-Train, Links 386, Wolfenstein 3-D
8th April 2023shooter, simulation, sports, top games and awardsIn 1993 the games awarded by the CODiE Awards aren't the most remembered of that decade. Looking at this meager list, the only game that stands out after all these years is Wolfenstein 3-D, which is simply the father of Doom and all the first-person shooters that came after that.1993A-Train ... -
SimEarth: a life simulation game by Maxis
29th March 2023simulationSimEarth is a simulation in which you can shape and mold a planet in almost every way you can imagine. In SimEarth our planet is simulated as a whole: life, climate, atmosphere are all aspects of a single Gaia-like Earth. SimEarth can be played in two modes: game and experimental. ... -
Populous 2 Trials of the Olympian Gods: the perfect god-game?
11th March 2023simulation, strategyPopulous 2: Trials of the Olympian Gods is an old sandbox strategy god-game. As the title suggests, the setting is more of less ancient Greek mythology and you're a god (hence the god-game label). Populous 2 is the sequel of the much acclaimed Populous, designed by Peter Molineaux. Populous 2 was developed ... -
Free Enterprise: build your small business from the ground up
30th September 2022simulationDehumanizing offices? Check. Depressing environment? Check. No windows in the whole place? Check. Good, I'm ready to exploit my workers and become great entrepreneur. All of this thanks to Free Enterprise, a simulation for Windows by Tsunami Media, published in 1996.More info:Genres: simulation, business simulationSystem: Windows ... -
The Sims: a masterpiece by Will Wright
14th September 2022simulationThe Sims, released in 2000, marked the beginning of the iconic life simulation series. Developed by Maxis and designed by Will Wright, the game quickly became a cultural phenomenon and a best-selling title. In The Sims, players create and control virtual characters known as Sims. They can customize their Sims' appearance, ... -
X-COM Apocalypse: a different X-COM
27th August 2022remakes and sequels, simulation, strategyX-COM: Apocalypse is the third installment of the very popular X-COM franchise. After X-COM: Ufo Defence and Terror From the Deep, fans expected another smash hit. Apocalypse is quite different under many aspects, from gameplay to aesthetics. X-COM Apocalypse was designed by Julian Gollop (the same designer that brought the ...