March 2017
Four PC Games from 1995
March 31, 2017 Filed in: Video Games
Continuing my chronological walk through PC gaming’s past, I recently played four titles from 1995. However, I really only played one of them for a significant amount of time. Here is the rundown.
Terminal Velocity - This was a 3D shooter in which you pilot a starfighter. Your job is to defend Earth against an alien race. I only completed one mission before bailing on it. It reminded me a bit of Descent, another game that never really grabbed me.
Realms of Chaos - Published by Apogee, this was a side-scrolling platform game with a fantasy setting. The gameplay had one twist—the ability to switch between characters. Available to you were Endrick the warrior and Elandra the sorceress. Each character is useful, depending on the situation. I liked this game better than Terminal Velocity. However, I didn’t play it long enough to finish a complete episode.
Kingdom: The Far Reaches - Out of these four games, this was the only one not published by Apogee or 3D Realms. It originated as a laserdisc game before it was ported to other platforms such as the PC. Created by Rick Dyer, it had a similar feel to his more famous creation, Dragon’s Lair. Like Dragon’s Lair, it gave you the same feeling of being in an animated movie or a Saturday morning cartoon. Unfortunately, playing Kingdom: The Far Reaches involved a lot of dying and repetition. Although I was extremely impressed with the visuals of Dragon’s Lair back in the heyday of arcades, I never really enjoyed playing it. For me, it is more fun to watch someone else play these games than it is to play them myself. There were two play options, apprentice mode and wizard mode. I wimped out and played apprentice, mainly because I wasn’t sure how long the full game would take to complete. Apprentice mode kept the game pretty short and I played it to the end.
Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport - This one on one fighting game was the biggest disappointment of the lot. Although it looked pretty cool with good graphics for its time, it was a letdown. The fighting game genre has always been more popular on consoles. This game did nothing to advance the genre on PCs. I only played a few fights before uninstalling it. Compared to classics like Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and my favorite SoulCalibur, Xenophage was completely forgettable.
Lathan Kandor meets Princess Grace Delight in Kingdom: The Far Reaches
Terminal Velocity - This was a 3D shooter in which you pilot a starfighter. Your job is to defend Earth against an alien race. I only completed one mission before bailing on it. It reminded me a bit of Descent, another game that never really grabbed me.
Realms of Chaos - Published by Apogee, this was a side-scrolling platform game with a fantasy setting. The gameplay had one twist—the ability to switch between characters. Available to you were Endrick the warrior and Elandra the sorceress. Each character is useful, depending on the situation. I liked this game better than Terminal Velocity. However, I didn’t play it long enough to finish a complete episode.
Kingdom: The Far Reaches - Out of these four games, this was the only one not published by Apogee or 3D Realms. It originated as a laserdisc game before it was ported to other platforms such as the PC. Created by Rick Dyer, it had a similar feel to his more famous creation, Dragon’s Lair. Like Dragon’s Lair, it gave you the same feeling of being in an animated movie or a Saturday morning cartoon. Unfortunately, playing Kingdom: The Far Reaches involved a lot of dying and repetition. Although I was extremely impressed with the visuals of Dragon’s Lair back in the heyday of arcades, I never really enjoyed playing it. For me, it is more fun to watch someone else play these games than it is to play them myself. There were two play options, apprentice mode and wizard mode. I wimped out and played apprentice, mainly because I wasn’t sure how long the full game would take to complete. Apprentice mode kept the game pretty short and I played it to the end.
Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport - This one on one fighting game was the biggest disappointment of the lot. Although it looked pretty cool with good graphics for its time, it was a letdown. The fighting game genre has always been more popular on consoles. This game did nothing to advance the genre on PCs. I only played a few fights before uninstalling it. Compared to classics like Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and my favorite SoulCalibur, Xenophage was completely forgettable.
Lathan Kandor meets Princess Grace Delight in Kingdom: The Far Reaches
Flight of the Amazon Queen
March 18, 2017 Filed in: Video Games
This week, I finished playing Flight of the Amazon Queen, a point and click adventure game released in 1995. Clearly inspired by both Indiana Jones and LucasArts adventure games, it didn’t reach the lofty heights of those franchises. It was still a pretty good game, however. The game is set in 1949 and you play as Joe King, owner of the Amazon Queen and pilot for hire. Joe becomes embroiled in a plot by the evil Dr. Ironstein to rule the world. Accompanying Joe on his adventure are his mechanic and best pal Sparky as well as his passenger, the beautiful (and annoying) actress Faye Russel. Along the way, Joe encounters many characters, including a talking ape, a witch doctor, and of course several Amazon women. By the end, Joe defeats Ironstein and all is right with the world. Shocking, I know.
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