A Handful of 1990s PC Games
March 16, 2017 Filed in: Video Games
Over the last few weeks, I dabbled in several computer games from the 1990s: Mystic Towers, Little Big Adventure, Wacky Wheels, Blake Stone: Planet Strike, and Rise of the Triad Dark War. With only one exception, none of them held my attention for very long. Here is a quick rundown:
Mystic Towers - This game held some promise with its story about a wizard trying to clear towers full of monsters. The graphics were ok for its time. Combine some combat with light puzzles and it was entertaining for a bit. I played through one tower and that was enough for me.
Little Big Adventure - Released by Electronic Arts, this was the most ambitious title on the list. Its 3D isometric graphics were probably impressive for its time and it holds up pretty well for a game over 20 years old. It had the feel of an RPG but it was essentially an action adventure game. Set on the planet Twinsun, you play as the character Twinsen who begins the game a prisoner. After escaping, your goal is to defeat the oppression of the evil Dr. FunFrock. I played it for a while and found it interesting. However, the controls were somewhat frustrating and I gave up before devoting too much time to it.
Wacky Wheels - This was an unexpected gem. It resembled Super Mario Kart except with little animals in the drivers’ seats. I competed in dozens of races and always chose Morris the Moose as my driver. There were power ups and weapons to add to the mayhem and fun. Definitely recommended.
Blake Stone: Planet Strike - This was the sequel to Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, a game I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. Like its predecessor, it used the game engine from Wolfenstein 3D. Unfortunately, it brought little new to the table. I only played one level and decided to move on.
Rise of the Triad: Dark War - Here was yet another game that used the Wolfenstein 3D engine. It offered a somewhat different experience than the two Blake Stone games. After three similar games, I was burned out on these old first person shooters.
Morris the Moose takes gold in Wacky Wheels
Mystic Towers - This game held some promise with its story about a wizard trying to clear towers full of monsters. The graphics were ok for its time. Combine some combat with light puzzles and it was entertaining for a bit. I played through one tower and that was enough for me.
Little Big Adventure - Released by Electronic Arts, this was the most ambitious title on the list. Its 3D isometric graphics were probably impressive for its time and it holds up pretty well for a game over 20 years old. It had the feel of an RPG but it was essentially an action adventure game. Set on the planet Twinsun, you play as the character Twinsen who begins the game a prisoner. After escaping, your goal is to defeat the oppression of the evil Dr. FunFrock. I played it for a while and found it interesting. However, the controls were somewhat frustrating and I gave up before devoting too much time to it.
Wacky Wheels - This was an unexpected gem. It resembled Super Mario Kart except with little animals in the drivers’ seats. I competed in dozens of races and always chose Morris the Moose as my driver. There were power ups and weapons to add to the mayhem and fun. Definitely recommended.
Blake Stone: Planet Strike - This was the sequel to Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, a game I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. Like its predecessor, it used the game engine from Wolfenstein 3D. Unfortunately, it brought little new to the table. I only played one level and decided to move on.
Rise of the Triad: Dark War - Here was yet another game that used the Wolfenstein 3D engine. It offered a somewhat different experience than the two Blake Stone games. After three similar games, I was burned out on these old first person shooters.
Morris the Moose takes gold in Wacky Wheels