All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, core' on The Great Games Experiment All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, core' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, core' on The Great Games Experiment en-us Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos Developed by classic developer house Westwood Studios, Lands of Lore is a role playing game (RPG) that was originally released for the PC back in 1994! Since then it has won numerous awards and received much acclaim. At the time, it was one of the biggest and most detailed games available. It took full advantage of the new CD-ROM format with full voice digitization including voicing done by Patrick Stewart portraying King Richard.

The game interface is superbly done, by far the easiest and smoothest I have ever played. Many RPGs tend to have complicated interfaces that take hours of learning to master. But not here, simply click on the sword or magic symbol to use it. Other features include a compass, and a very nice auto-mapper which is a necessity in such a huge world.

Unlike some RPGs, Lands of Lore places more emphasis on adventure and less on the complexities of character and party selection. This allows you to be able to get into the game quickly without squabbling over the unnecessary details in some games, like the color of your pants.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 02:06:11 System Shock 2 A dark and moody cyberpunk RPG that brings back to life SHODAN one of the best realized arch-nemesis in computer gaming.

This time around it is a ship - not a station that has been taken over.

Story telling elements such as voice mail as 'ghost' residue are used to great effect. You can see similar mechanisms being used in F.E.A.R and others.

Uses a modified Thief engine so there is a significant focus on 'sneak'- although the game can be player through in multiple ways.
]]> 06 Dec 2006 06:56:49 Garry's Mod

What is it?


Garry's Mod is a sandbox mod for the Source Engine. Unlike normal games there aren't any predefined aims or goals. Players are given tools and are left to entertain themselves.

The player is in a world where objects can be created and destroyed on demand. Where people can be created and destroyed with the click of a mouse. A world made for him. A world he made.


So what do you do?


There are a lot of things you can do with Garry's Mod, but here's a few of the more common uses.


Construction


Garry's Mod provides tools to constrain objects together in various ways. Using these tools the player can create working contraptions.

The simplest example is a car. The player spawns an object to be used for the car's body then adds wheels by firing the tool gunat the object. Wheels are then controllable using the numpad on your keyboard.

You don't have to make moving contraptions though - want to build a fort out of wooden crates then set it on fire? Go for it! Want to build a house using fridges for the walls and mattresses for the ceiling then drive a jeep into it all? Go for it!


Posing and Comics


One of the universal appeals of Garry's Mod has been the ability to place and pose ragdolls. This allows you to create your own comic books and share them online. One major comic spawned from this is HLComic - the story of Gordon Frohman's journey in City 17.

Garry's Mod gives you the ability to place ragdolls, manipulate their facial expressions and aim their eyes.


Gamemodes


Garry's Mod gives the ability to program your own gamemodes (Don't worry - you don't need to be a programmer to play them). This allows the community to make new, often wacky, gamemodes such as melon racing, build to the top and so on.

It's often worth taking a look in the server list to see if any of the games prick your attention - there's often something weird there to try out.


User Created Content


Garry's Mod benefits greatly from a thriving community which is constantly churning out new ideas, maps, models, gamemodes, weapons, Lua scripts and skins.

Taken from http://www.garrysmod.com/about/
]]> 25 Jan 2007 09:22:54 Unreal Tournament 3 The Necris invasion has begun, and your clan was one of the first to be slaughtered. Head to the front lines and join this Epic battle to defend humanity while taking your revenge. Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the premiere tournament-style first-person shooter. Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense and hyper-real battles with other human players online or against incredibly realistic Unreal artificial intelligence. Over two dozen weapons and vehicles have been upgraded and enhanced for maximum killing potential. Take on all comers in a variety of game modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, an all-new Warfare mode and more.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 09:08:55 Team Fortress 2 If you're ready for the challenge of true team-based online action, you'll find it in Team Fortress 2. With TF 2, you'll go into battle as part of a cohesive squad of fellow warriors all bent on the same goal - whether it's storming a beach, demolishing a bridge or escorting a VIP to safety. And you'll do it knowing your teammates are watching your back as carefully as you're watching theirs. Begin by assuming one of twelve roles, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. If you're looking for a straight-up fight, you'll choose Marine or Commando. Prefer the shadows? You'll make a cunning Spy or Sniper. Medics and Engineers support their teammates through bravery and ingenuity. Focus the raw force of your team's talents through communication and strategizing.

Team Fortress 2 and Portal are included with all retail and Steam versions of Episode Two for the PC.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 05:22:16 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Dark Crusade From the Developer's web site:

Deep under the central desert of Kronus, a vast honeycomb of skull-lined tunnels and funereal chambers house the awakening mass of the Necron plague. Eons ago, these were the boulevards and squares of a great necropolis built to house the bones of the races who had fallen to the Necron purge, and ultimately for the Necron themselves to retire to. Over the millions of years, sand and rock had covered it all until ill-fated excavations awoke the deathless again. Play any of seven races, striving for control over Kronus. Take other races' strongholds by winning challenging battles on various maps individually associated with the respective Strongholds.
]]> 29 Jan 2007 09:20:40 Cave Story - Doukutsu Monogatari Cave Story is a freeware sidescrolling action/adventure/platformer title with leanings towards Wonderboy and recent sidescrolling Castlevania titles. You control a little amnesiac who runs around helping out these rabbit-ish creatures called Mimigas while trying to find your way out of the giant cave inside the floating island which makes up the game's setting.

This is a free game made by one man:

Pixel said,
It's been five years since I first thought to myself, "Hey, why not try making a game?" I developed Cave Story at my own pace, taking my time, and while doing so I released a few other smaller games as well.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 01:38:13 Starcraft: Brood War StarCraft: Brood War is an expansion pack released in 1998 for StarCraft — an award winning real-time strategy computer game. It was co-developed by Saffire and Blizzard Entertainment.

The expansion pack introduced new campaigns and two additional units for each race, new tech advancements, new map tilesets, and new music. The campaigns continue the story from where the original StarCraft left off: the Overmind had been destroyed with the sacrifice of Tassadar, the Protoss homeworld of Aiur had been left desolate and rampaged by the Zerg, and Kerrigan was now left alone in her new Zerg form. Full details are in the Brood War introduction.

The first of the new campaigns involves the Protoss, (or rather, the Dark Templars), and mostly takes place on their homeworld of Shakuras. The second campaign features the newly arrived armies of the United Earth Directorate (UED) commanded by Admiral DuGalle, and the last campaign (Zerg) has Kerrigan as the protagonist.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 04:18:51 Psychonauts Embark on a unique third person psychic adventure through the minds of misfits, monsters and madmen....

For years, the Psychonauts have deployed their psychically-armed operatives all over the world, but this time trouble is brewing in their own boot camp. A deranged scientist is abducting camp cadets for their brains. One student, a mysterious and powerful new arrival named Raz, stands alone against the lunatic. Raz must develop and unleash an arsenal of paranormal powers including his most powerful weapon of all: the ability to launch himself telepathically into the minds of others. Ultimately he must enter the psyche of his worst enemy and destroy his dark plans at their source while trying not to lose his sanity in the process.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 11:14:08 Fallout 2 The sequel to the greatest rpg of all time (I think so anyway) This one packs even more humor and gratuitous violence than ever before.

You play as an ancestor to the vault dweller after he founded a tiny village. You must go on a quest to find a G.E.C.K or Garden of Eden Creation Kit.
]]> 08 Nov 2006 07:52:41 Portal Portal is a first-person puzzle game currently under development which will be bundled with Half-life 2: Episode 2.

The game revolves around the so called "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device" a device that can create portals on almost any surface, allowing instant travel and a visual and physical connection between any two different locations in 3D space.

The game is directly based on Narbacular Drop (and is developed by the same team).
]]> 08 Mar 2007 05:41:58 Descent: Freespace - The Great War As a pilot in the Gallactic Terran Alliance (GTA), you've known the Vasudans as the enemy for a long time. But things are about to change... An unknown menace, with technology beyond both ours and Vasudans, are destroying both sides... And now... Old enemies must unite to fight this common enemy, and the dissenters and traitors on both sides...

Descent: Freespace is a new chapter in space dogfight sims. The graphics are bigger, better, with more weapons and missiles/bombs. The capships in this game are truly HUGE (kilometers long, compared to your puny fighter). It also has true online multiplayer that puts it heads and shoulders above the rest. Take fighters and bombers on attack, recon, escort, and sweep missions against enemy capships and fighters/bombers. Defend your own capships and other assets... Your rating and performance is noted after every mission, with suggestions (if applicable). You can call in reinforcements (if available), and your wingmen actually do fight intelligently, as there can be dozens of fighters flying about.
]]> 01 Jun 2007 02:20:18 Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers This game follows the adventures of Gabriel Knight as he is drawn into the investigation of a series of murders. Set in New Orleans this game has a rich story filled with voodoo and suspense.
]]> 31 Jan 2007 04:03:17 System Shock System Shock is one of the classics: a science fiction horror game that set nerves on edge as the player -- a cybernetically-augmented hacker -- tries to rein in a rampant AI on Citadel Station. Constantly taunted and hunted by the AI SHODAN, the player must counter SHODAN's attempts to destroy human life on Earth.

System Shock went on to receive critical acclaim and garnered awards in the adventure genre, despite its mediocre commercial performance. The game's legacy influences game development to this day.

Developer: Looking Glass Studios
Release: 1994

Platform: PC, Macintosh

Producer: Origin Systems
]]> 28 Nov 2006 05:43:10 Star Wars: TIE Fighter Published by: LucasArts
Developed by: Totally Games
Genre: Space simulation
Number of players: 1
Release date: 1994, 1995

It is a time of chaos in the Empire. Rebel factions strike from hidden bases, pirates plunder unsuspecting civilian spacecraft, and traitors plot behind the Emperor's back. You, a rookie pilot in the Imperial Navy, must rise to action for the glory of the Empire and the good of all mankind.

The player's character is unnamed (however, in sources outside the game, name is Maarek Stele), but features such notable Star Wars characters as: Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and even Admiral Thrawn from the books.

Star Wars: TIE Fighter is somewhat of a sequal to Star Wars: X-Wing, however this time the player is the "bad guy." With various objectives ranging from destroying pirates and Rebels to flying wingman for Darth Vader himself, TIE Fighter offers a great deal of enjoyment for those who love the Star Wars universe.

Gameplay involves managing your weapons/engine/shield (if available) systems while dogfighting enemy spacecraft or attacking larger capital spaceships. Additionally, missiles are limited (if even available), so must be used carefully. Because this is the side of the Empire, the fighters you will be flying initially are very vulnerable to damage. Two or three hits to your TIE Fighter and you're toast, and destroying shielded enemy Rebel fighters in such a craft can be challenging.

Mission objectives are crucial to completing stages of the game, and advancing the storyline. Additionally, there are optional bonus objectives, which influence the secondary advancement in the Emperor's secret order.
]]> 24 Jan 2007 07:45:12 Ultima VII - The Black Gate From the Moby Games description:

You are the Avatar, returning to Britannia after 200 years of absence. Strange ritual murders are committed in the land while an organization known as The Fellowship is gathering a huge following. And there is this being known as The Guardian whose mockery follows you on your travels. Your old companions will join you on your quest through Britannia as you slowly discover the secret behind the Fellowship and the Guardian.

Ultima VII features completely revamped graphics and controls. The traditional Ultima top-down view of the world now fills the entire screen, with other informational windows overlaid on top of it only when necessary. Both world interaction and dialogue are fully mouse-controlled. The tactical combat system of previous Ultimas was replaced with a real-time system where only general strategies can be set and party members fight automatically.

The Britannia of Ultima VII is a large virtual world with lots of details: hundreds of NPCs can be talked to, virtually every object in the game is usable in some way and many side quests await the player.
]]> 05 Dec 2006 02:27:09 Fallout Set in a future apocalypse version of the 50's-60's, Fallout is an RPG made by the now out of business Interplay and Black Isle Studios. It's violent, funny, and it can be played 100 times and never lose its appeal.

You play as a member of a high-tech vault made to protect from the bombs. Now you must find a water chip to save your vault.
]]> 01 Nov 2006 10:22:36 Cortex Command Mine precious gold from the deformable terrain in order to buy better weapons, digging tools, and deployable defenses. Use these assets to defend your disembodied brain and bankrupt your opponent!

Old-school 2D sidescroller pixel graphics coupled with an extremely detailed physics simulation makes for a mix of nostalgia and surprising gameplay.
]]> 12 Nov 2006 03:44:39 X-COM: Ufo Defense Turn-based strategy game that seamlessly combines two different elements- tactical squad battles and resource management.
]]> 22 Nov 2006 04:38:58 Star Wars: X-Wing From Wikipedia: Star Wars: X-Wing is the first LucasArts DOS computer game set in the Star Wars universe, as well as the lead title in the X-Wing computer game series. It attempts to "realistically" simulate the experience of combat in the A-wing, X-wing, and Y-wing starfighters of the Rebel Alliance. Fans of the Wing Commander series of games often put forward the mistaken notion that X-Wing was somehow inspired by, or derivative of Wing Commander, but the truth is that X-Wing was built on an evolution of the same game engine that underlay the Air Combat Classics series of World War II flight combat games, (Battlehawks 1942, Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain, and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe), that were developed by Lawrence Holland for Lucasfilm Games. In fact, Larry Holland has reported that Chris Roberts approached him at a trade show to boast that he had reverse-engineered Battlehawks 1942 to create the Wing Commander game engine which he then attempted to pitch to Lucasarts as the basis for a Star Wars flight combat game! The failure of that pitch led to creation of Wing Commander.

X-Wing's main advance was that it featured a fully 3-D engine instead of bitmaps and sprites. The game also demonstrated a significant step forward in the AI and mission scripting so that players felt immersed in a believable simulation of the Star Wars universe, and faced intelligent adversaries that seemed responsive to the player's tactics. This was in stark contrast to the simple-minded AI of the Wing Commander series that was essentially an arcade shooter for gamers who wanted to experience the fantasy of being a starfighter pilot without requiring anything resembling the necessary skills. X-Wing was a flight combat simulator that required a high level of situational awareness, and some semblance of actual dogfighting skills. The X-Wing series appealed more to "hardcore" gamers and in its original floppy disk version was often found to be too difficult for more casual gamers.
]]> 17 May 2007 03:06:27 Command & Conquer The First Decade Command & Conquer: The First Decade was announced on November 4th, 2005 and was released on February 7 2006. Not being a new title in the Command & Conquer series as such, The First Decade is a compilation of the series' prior games, all bundled into one DVD and updated to run optimally on Windows XP. It was sold for the price of one retail game. Also included in the compilation was a bonus DVD which took a look behind the scenes of the successful franchise, including interviews with producers, old concept art, various soundbites, as well as a montage of the winning fan videos of the "Are You The Biggest C&C Fan?" competition held prior to the compilation's release.

Other items included in the compilation included a A3 poster with high-quality C&C renders on both sides, one of which has been confirmed to be a teaser image for EA's new Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars game currently in production, as well as a 70-page manual that only includes unit descriptions for each of the included games.
]]> 27 Mar 2007 11:38:40 Starsiege: Tribes Starsiege: Tribes a first person shooter set in the Earthsiege universe. It was developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra Online in Nov. 1998. It's the first in a line of Tribes products which include Tribes II in 2001, Tribes Aerial Assault in 2002 (for PS2) and Tribes: Vengeance in 2004.
]]> 15 Nov 2006 01:51:38 Grim Fandango Something's rotten in the Land of Dead and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:17:40 Civilization II The design team at Microprose has managed to add a score of new play elements that help the aging strategy classic evolve - without sacrificing the game's addictive qualities.

By: MicroProse, MPS Labs
Genre: Historic Turn-Based Strategy
Release Date: Feb 29, 1996
Players: 1
]]> 05 Feb 2007 10:23:37 Planescape: Torment Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Microsoft Windows by Black Isle Studios. Released on December 12, 1999, the game takes place in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Planescape campaign setting. Unlike other computer role-playing games, such as Baldur's Gate, Torment places emphasis on conversation and storyline instead of combat.

The game begins in Sigil, where the protagonist, an enigmatic and heavily scarred immortal dubbed The Nameless One by the game's interface, wakes up in a mortuary with no memory of his identity and past experiences. Assuming the role of The Nameless One, players embark on a quest to solve the mysteries surrounding him.

Torment received almost universal critical praise, and has since become a cult classic. The game was added to Gamespy's "Hall of Fame" in August 2004, and to Gamespot's "Greatest Games of All Time" list in October 2005.

(from the Wikipedia page on Planescape: Torment)
]]> 04 Dec 2006 09:51:58 Sam & Max Hit the Road Sam and Max are the oddest of detectives, an anthropomorphic dog and a psychotic rabbit, featured here in a cross country adventure. The game includes a wealth of crazy puzzles, nonstop humor, and sharp satire of Americana, as the trenchcoat wearing dog and and his pal search for an escaped bigfoot.


Additional Game Features:

  • Classic "point and click" adventure packed with humor.

  • 5 mini-games are also contained within the game.

  • Backgrounds beautifully drawn in 256 colors.

  • Based upon comic book characters created by Steve Purcell, who was also the lead writer of this adventure.

  • Graphical adventure using the SCUMM engine.

  • Released simultaneously on CD-ROM and Floppy, the CD version includes complete voice performances.


Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: LucasArts
Released: 1993 (DOS), 1995 (Mac)

System Requirements
386/33 MHz CPU, 4 MB RAM, 256 color VGA, DOS 5.0
]]> 23 Dec 2006 12:43:47 Clock Tower: The First Fear
patente101 said,
I thought a SNES game couldn't be scary. I was wrong. Really wrong. Clock Tower made me scream and made nightmares form in my mind. For almost a month, I checked behind each single door in my house...

The true title of this game is simply "Clock Tower". It was released in Japan only, for the Super Famicom (Japanese market equivalent of the SNES). It was later ported to the Playstation (also in Japan only), and Windows 95, but under the title "Clock Tower: The First Fear". Thus it was natural for the sequel to be titled "Clock Tower 2" in Japan, but the North American sequel was entitled "Clock Tower", since the title had not yet been exploited here. In keeping with the North American release title, it is the sequel that's listed as "Clock Tower" elsewhere here at GGE.


We enter the story just as the 15 year old orphan Jennifer and three of her friends are adopted by the reclusive Mrs. Barrows. Upon arriving at the imposing Barrows mansion in the mountains of Norway, Jennifer and her friends are left alone for a long while and finally the girl sets out after Mrs. Barrows, but runs back in search of her friends when she hears a scream. The power has gone out, and Jennifer finds herself in the dark and alone.

As Jennifer, you now must seek out your friends, and save them if you can as you discover the depth of evil at work, witnessing a murder at the hands of the Scissorman, leaving you terrified throughout your ordeal as you try to evade and hopefully, escape.

Jennifer's adventure will unravel mysteries of the mansion, the murderous evil Barrows twins, and even her own past as she explores the eerie mansion and encountering it's evil inhabitants.


Additional Game Features:


  • Simply point and click gameplay means you have to use your head and keep your wits. Choices made throughout the game will sooner or later have consequences.

  • Keep an eye on Jennifer's avatar throughout the game. Her current strength is indicated by the window color and must be managed wisely, and her reactions to what's going on may provide useful hints.

  • Sounds and music used sparsely and cleverly, adding to the overall tension and drama.

  • Explore the numerous rooms and levels of the Barrows Mansion.

  • Intricate story full of mystery and puzzles, with many alternate endings adding to the replay value.

Developer: Human Entertainment
Publisher: Human Entertainment
Released: Sep 14, 1995 (JP)

System Requirements
Windows 95 version information unverified. Contributions welcome!
]]> 26 Jan 2007 06:53:43 Raptor: Call of the Shadows Raptor: Call of the Shadows (often Raptor for short) is a 2D raster graphics vertical scrolling shoot 'em up single player game for the x86 PC written for MS-DOS, by Cygnus Studios (which has since changed its name to Mountain King Studios).

Raptor: Call of the Shadows was originally released on April 1, 1994. There is a shareware version available for this game which includes the first sector, the Bravo Sector. The full version can still be bought today

As in all shoot 'em up games of this genre, there is a vast number of enemies to kill, both on the ground and in the air. At the end of each wave, and often halfway through the more difficult waves, there is a "boss" which is a single enemy of great size and whom can take a lot of fire before succumbing.

For each target destroyed the player earns credits, with the amount of credits earned per enemy destroyed is proportional to how tough the enemy ship is. Most of the ground objects (buildings, vehicles, turrets) can be destroyed as well. Between new waves and sectors the player can use credits to select among 16 different equipment upgrades (various weapons, "shield-packs", bombs, etc) to be bought for his own aircraft.

The game is divided into three "sectors": Bravo Sector, Tango Sector, and Outer Regions, all of which have nine sub-missions called "waves", making for a total of 27 levels.

(Quoted from Wikipedia)
]]> 11 Jun 2007 11:15:52 Loom Loom is a strange and beautiful adventure game set in a feudal past. The hero is Bobbin Threadbare, a weaver. In the world of Loom, everyone belongs to a guild. Apart from the weavers, there are sheperds, blacksmiths, glass makers.

When Bobbin embarks on his quest, he has no inventory (very unusual in an adventure game), he will solve problems not with items, but with "drafts", spells consisting of four notes of music. These drafts can be written down in the beautiful Book of Patterns that is present even in later jewelcase editions.

Loom first came out 1989 on floppies with EGA graphics and a 30-minute audio prologue on tape. The next year it was ported to Mac and Amiga. While the black & white Macintosh version is rather interesting, the color ports are rather crude. 1991 saw a new DOS CD version with VGA graphics and CD music.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 02:11:49 Freespace 2 Freespace 2 is a space combat simulator published in 1998. Long heralded by fans as the epitome of the genre, it was also sadly one of the last truly great games of its type.

In the game, you play as an anonymous pilot of the Terran Alliance, fighting for galactic peace. However, the plot quickly turns, as it appears that the Shivan threat (thought defeated in Freespace: the Great War) has returned.

The gameplay is mission based, with each mission giving you a set of often-changing objectives to be accomplished ranging from interception to recon to patrol. Just like others in the genre, the game takes place completely from the cockpit of your ship, although your ships and the scale of the forces you command change over the course of the game -- eventually orchestrating full fighter wing engagements.

The game has an amazing plot and beautifully rendered enviroments, with a truly epic sense of scale. Couple that with an intense and fun multiplayer experience, and you have one grand game in your hands.
]]> 19 Dec 2006 04:49:25 Beyond Good and Evil For centuries, the planet Hyllis has been locked in conflict with a race of relentless alien invaders.

Wary of her government's promises to repel the aliens for good, a rebellious action reporter named Jade sets out to capture the truth behind the prolonged war.

Armed with her camera, dai-jo staff, and fierce determination, Jade soon finds herself inside the jaws of a horrific conspiracy, and face to face with an evil she cannot possibly fathom.

In a world where deception is the deadliest weapon of all, will Jade's discoveries be enough to free her people?
]]> 26 Nov 2006 11:41:51 Metal Gear Solid This game is the game that started it all, sure the other ones after this are great, but I think this is the best. It has level design that is genious. The storyline is compelling and full of plot twists, and the action and gameplay is groundbreaking.

basic Plot outline:
An elite group of Next Generation Special Forces lead by members of FOX HOUND has attacked and captured an Alaskan nuclear weapons facility.

Their demands state that the US government hand over the remains of their former commander (Big Boss) within 24 hours or they will launch a nuclear weapon.

Solid Snake's mission comes in a two phases. First, he needs to rescue both DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and the President of Arms Tech Kenneth Baker, both are being held captive in the facility.

Next, Snake needs to investigate weather or not the terrorists have the ability to actually launch a nuclear weapon, and stop them if they do.
]]> 13 Dec 2006 05:20:13 AfterWorld AW stands for AfterWorld, MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) with a 3D post-apocalyptic-style world and elements of FPS (First-Person Shooter) and RPG (Role-Playing Game) merged together to offer a unique gameplay. On release it is planned to implement in AW a RCE (Real Cash Economy).
]]> 05 Dec 2006 01:42:09 Draft Day Sports: Pro Basketball DDS: Pro Basketball puts you in the role of general manager or head coach (or both) of a professional or developmental league basketball team. You sign, trade and draft players, set playing rotations and manage other day-to-day operations of your team as you guide them to a championship. Games can be simulated or coached/watched in an animated 2D format.
]]> 08 Mar 2007 10:28:22 Quakeworld Team Fortress Team Fortress (TF or QWTF/Quakeworld TF for this specific version) was a popular multiplayer modification for id Software's "Quake". It featured teams of players choosing from 9 different classes in matches of capture the flag, VIP escort, territorial control, and many other missions.

Team Fortress 1.0 was released July 25th, 1996 for the original Quake, and the first release for QuakeWorld (v2.0) came on December 22, 1996 taking advantage of the enhanced multiplayer functionality of the new client.

It was sufficiently successful that the developers formed TeamFortress Software to then develop "Team Fortress 2" as a commercial mod for Quake II. TF would instead be rewritten for the Half-Life engine.

Over ten years later, TF still enjoys a small community of active players, and several variations on the original TF formula have helped keep peoples interest, including CustomTF, which introduced the ability to configure your own custom class by trading frags scored as cash to purchase abilities.

[adapted and extended from Wikipedia]
]]> 05 Jun 2007 11:12:49 Hellgate: London Notice: In production

London, 2038. The once great city lies in ruins. A massive, sinister gash in the fabric of our reality gnarls and churns, dominating the horizon as it blends into a permanently darkened sky. The unspeakable cataclysm that befell London threatened to engulf the world as the shadow of the demons fell across the face of mankind.

  • Introduction

    • According to legend, when the ravens depart the Tower of London, it will crumble to rubble and disaster will befall England. As man became more dependent on science, ancient lore and rituals were lost to the antiquity of time.

  • Classes

    • Mankind is a race of survivors. A rebellious few survive in the shadows of their former dominance, combining the holy, ancient, and arcane rites with the fringe sciences of the modern era.

  • Demons

    • Emerging from the swirling chaos of the Hellgate, the demons overwhelmed humanity's defenses. The Hellgate writhes and seethes like a living thing, a tornado of eldritch energies through which the minions of the netherworld surge forth.

  • Mods

    • Some equipment can be modified through the introduction of various technological and magical elements, commonly called Mods. These Mods are typically integrated into pre-defined slots or hard points on an item through a simple procedure that can be performed by any adventurer.

    Bill Roper said,
    Success should be based on skills, level, items, and so on. So it's really based on what makes you successful in an RPG. That being said, it certainly isn't going to hurt a guy if he's good at shooters.

    Additional Game Features:

    • First person perspective!

    • Dynamically generated content and levels including tons of weapon and item drops for scavenging.

    • PvP will be included, although it is likely that it will be for Elite members only. PvP modes may include duels and arena matches

    • Has some combat aspects of a shooter, but is first and foremost an action rpg. Players will not need to scavenge for ammo. The only mention of "ammo" refers to a type of modification.

    • Quest driven story, yet with a lot of freedom to adventure and treasure hunt in hopes of finding the best of the randomly generated goodies, as was so popular in the spiritual predecessor Diablo!

    Proposed Subscription Details (thanks Hellgate Guru!) These are just a few of the features discussed, visit the Hellgate Guru links for more info:

    • Free player accounts as well as "elite" optional subscription play options that are currently stated as $9.95 per month for U.S. players.

    • Free players can access all initial content and play with free or elite players, but elite accounts will receive regular content updates.

    • Elite players can access premier 24/7 customer support via phone and email, and will have priority in case of player ques.

    • Free players may create 3 characters, Elite players up to 12. Elite players will have a 40 item "swap stash" versus 20 items for free players.

    • Elite accounts can access additional play modes.

    • Elite players will have enhanced graphical options for characters.


    Ex-Blizzard employees Bill Roper, Erich Schafer, Max Schafer, and Dave Brevik--the men behind Diablo, are the heart of the development of Hellgate: London.

    Developers: Flagship Studios
    Co-publishers: Namco Bandai Games & Electronic Arts

    The game runs on a proprietary engine developed specifically for this game. The only other component that Flagship has licensed is Havok for physics.

    System Requirements: Pending!
    ]]>     16 Dec 2006 10:48:21     Rayman 2 - The Great Escape Wikidipedia says ...

    Not long after Polokus - god and spirit of a newly created planet where the game takes place - departs, an army of Robo-Pirates led by Admiral Razorbeard takes over and enslaves the planet, holding the captured inhabitants in the pirate prison ship, "The Buccaneer".

    Eventually Rayman and his friends are captured, but with some help from his best friend Globox they escape, but get separated in the process. As he progresses along in search of help from Ly the Fairy, he learns that the pirates have broken the Heart of the World, the world's core, into 1000 lums that have then been scattered all over the planet, weakening the world as a result. It's up to him and whatever help he can get to collect these lums but more importantly, retrieve the 4 legendary Masks that are said to awaken the Great Pokolus, the planet's greatest hope to exterminate the Robo-Pirates and once again liberate the World.

    After escaping and not being able to find Globox, he meets the teensies who have forgotten which one of them is the teensie king and squabble over it.

    Rayman later meets Clark who has a bellyache from chewing a robo pirate in battle and must go to The Cave of Bad Dreams to get the elixer to heal him.

    I say ...

    This is a must have. Everyone who makes games should play this game from start to finish - the level design, graphics and ambience is absolutely incredible. I can't ever recall playing a game with such intuitively designed levels and so polished in collisions, flow and 'feel'.

    I can't gush about this game enough ... it really is an inspirational game and one that serves as a great lesson on camera, cinematics and general game mechanics for anyone serious about making games.
    ]]>     19 Feb 2007 06:35:47     Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic It is Four Thousand years before the Galactic Empire and hundreds of Jedi Knights have fallen in battle against the ruthless Sith. As the last hope of the Jedi, you must lead a band of freedom fighters in an epic struggle to save the galaxy. Can you master the awesome power of the Force on your quest to save the Republic? Or will you fall to the lure of the dark side?
    Hero or villain, savior or conqueror...you must choose wisely as you alone will determine the destiny of the entire galaxy!
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 04:18:12     Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords Galactic Civilizations II is the sequel to 2003's hit turn-based strategy game of the same name.

    The player takes on the role of the leader of a space-faring civilization and must guide its expansion in a hostile galaxy. Gamers must balance their economic, technological, diplomatic, cultural, and military power to forge alliances, fight wars, and ultimately dominate the galaxy.

    The game is single-player and allows the player to play randomly generated galactic maps or play through a multi-mission campaign that tells the story of an ancient enemy called the Dread Lords.
    ]]>     24 Dec 2006 04:37:22     Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Shivering Isles is an expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It is available for download on Xbox Live or for the PC.
    ]]>     10 Apr 2007 02:46:54     Blockland The game where you build stuff.

    An open-ended, non-competitive, multi-player construction game. You build online with bricks.
    ]]>     09 Oct 2006 01:38:19     Full Throttle Motorcycles. Mayhem. Murder.

    One minute you're on the road, riding. Then some guy in a suit comes along, says he's got a deal for you and your gang. But when you come to, you've got a lump on your head, the law on your back, and a feeling that the road you're on is about to get a lot rougher...
    ]]>     26 Nov 2006 05:42:45     Deus Ex The year is 2052 and the world is a dangerous and chaotic place. Terrorists operate openly - killing thousands; drugs, disease and pollution kill even more. The world's economies are close to collapse and the gap between the insanely wealthy and the desperately poor grows ever wider. Worst of all, an ages old conspiracy bent on world domination has decided that the time is right to emerge from the shadows and take control. No one believes they exist. No one but you.
    ]]>     22 Nov 2006 09:26:12     TrackMania United Produced by the young, talented French studio Nadeo, TrackMania United is the latest version of the most entertaining car racing game available. Released in 2003, the TrackMania series has rapidly become one of the most popular video games for PC thanks to its fast and fun gameplay.
    ]]>     23 Jan 2007 10:50:48     Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 Fight in the theater of war that changed the world forever. Battle alongside your compatriots on some of the most inhospitable environments of the Eastern Front in Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 RO places you in the most realistic WWII first-person multi-player combat to date on the PC, allowing the player to fight through some of the most intense combat of the war. You can play as infantry, using a wide range of infantry weapons, or crew one of the many armored combat vehicles available in the game, from half-tracks all the way through to the most famous German and Soviet heavy tanks. You can engage the enemy with everything from your bayonet at close quarters up to the massive 122mm cannon on the Soviet IS-2. And if that isn't enough, find an officer and a radio to call in thunderous artillery strikes to shake the enemy loose.
    ]]>     14 Feb 2007 06:39:39     Starcraft An excellent RTS. Control one of three races to battle and destroy the opponents. The three races have different properties and abilities, but the balance in gameplay is superb.

    Made by Blizzard, creators of Warcraft.
    ]]>     07 Dec 2006 01:22:55     Half-Life Named Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Valve's debut title blends action and adventure with award-winning technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players must think to survive. Also includes an exciting multiplayer mode that allows you to play against friends and enemies around the world.
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 04:10:36     Sid Meier's Civilization Sid Meier's Civilization is a landmark turn-based strategy game. It is inspired by Avalon Hill' board game of the same name.

    The game begins in 4000 BC, where the player gets a small tribe which have to be controlled and made great through the ages until modern and near-future times. The game is also known simply as Civilization, or abbreviated to Civ or Civ I.
    ]]>     05 Feb 2007 10:25:27     Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat Battlefield 1942 Desert Combat was a mod created before Battlefield 2. It essentially did what BF2 did before it ever came out brining modern warfare to the fold.
    ]]>     29 Jan 2007 01:36:51     Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar From the Moby Games entry:

    The fourth game in the now well-established Ultima series featured an improved game engine, with color graphics and better character interaction (you could now have actual conversations with NPCs). But what really makes Ultima IV shine is its radical departure from any other RPG made before or since in terms of the story and goal.

    Instead of building up your character by any means possible in order to face the Ultimate Evil in a big bang up showdown, in Ultima IV you were trying to become the Avatar, a role model of sorts for the people of the land. This meant upholding the "eight virtues" and basically trying to become a better person. In most RPGs you chose to be a just/nice hero because the people you'd help would usually provide you with some nice equipment for your services, but in Ultima IV you helped people not for a reward or to advance the plot but simply because it was the "right thing to do". The game actually frowns on behavior that was typical of most other RPGs, such as backstabbing fleeing monsters or picking up everything that wasn't nailed down even if it didn't belong to you. The game keeps track of all your actions, so if you went about killing and looting like in most RPGs, you'd never finish the game.

    This VERY different approach to the game's ultimate goal is what makes Ultima IV famous so many years later, and became the sort of design philosophy that made all the following Ultimas so unique in their genre.

    Of course, the game still has plenty of traditional RPG elements such as dungeons to explore and hostile monsters to kill, as well as a typical final "Holy Grail" type quest where you had to find the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom to complete your transformation into Avatarhood.

    In 1996 Computer Gaming World named Ultima IV as #2 on its Best Games of All Time list on the PC.

    The game was released for free to the public. The original MS-DOS version is available on many sites, and a game engine recreation is now available for for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.
    ]]>     05 Dec 2006 01:59:25