All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, core, classic' on The Great Games Experiment All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, core, classic' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, core, classic' on The Great Games Experiment en-us 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 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 You Don't Know Jack

You Don't Know Jack: the show where high culture and pop culture collide!


You Don't Know Jack is a series of quiz show-inspired computer games which combine trivia and comedy. The games are known for their humor and challenge, as well as simple presentation. The games rarely use graphics, relying heavily on voice acting and text.

The games have recently been revived at the YDKJ official website, where new episodes are released every weekday. These are developed in Flash and are available to play for free within your web browser.

Category: Quiz

Release Date: Varied

Developer: Jellyvision
]]> 26 Mar 2007 11:13:20 King's Quest Collection Celebrate the golden age of adventure games all over again with the return of King's Quest.

The bravest knight in all of Daventry, Sir Graham, is appointed by the dying king to embark on a Quest for the Crown. By retrieving the three treasures of Daventry, he will not only save the land but become its king.

Now the ruler of Daventry, King Graham sees a vision of a beautiful woman trapped in a tower. Romancing the Throne won't be easy with mermen and vampires separating him from his imprisoned bride.

A young apprentice to an evil wizard must escape his captor or be faced with certain death. Upon the discovery that he is the long-lost son of the royal family, young prince Alexander learns that To Heir is Human.

King Graham lies on the brink of death and only a magical fruit from a far off land can heal him. The Perils of Rosella pit evil fairies and fearsome foes against the brave princess as she fights to save her father.

Returning home one day to find the castle missing, King Graham must don his famous adventurer's cap once more to find his family. Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder and Graham must learn a little magic of his own to rescue his loved ones from an evil spell.

Haunted by the memory of the kidnapped princess who helped his family escape the malevolent wizard Mordack, Alexander learns of a plot to force the beautiful Cassima to marry an evil Vizier. Sworn to protect the woman who saved his life, Alexander takes to the Green Isles in Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Rebellious Rosella is content to be The Princeless Bride, but her adventurous spirit may lead to a marriage to the King of the Trolls. With the help of her mother, Queen Valanice, Rosella must end a plot to destroy the land of Eldritch and find her own happy ending.

from http://classics.sierra.com/us/kingsquest/
]]> 03 Jun 2007 01:07:42 Mutant Storm Inspired by RoboTron, Smash TV and Llamatron. Mutant Storm is a classic arcade game with a new age twist. One hand controls the firing the other controls the movement. Simple controls and addictive gameplay with decent graphics set Mutant Storm apart.
]]> 17 Jan 2007 01:27:17 Blood Blood is a PC game developed by Monolith Productions and distributed by GT Interactive. Released on 31 May 1997, it utilized the first Build engine from Ken Silverman to feature voxels. The game falls in the first-person shooter category and, with its arsenal of curious weapons, numerous enemies and liberal amounts of gore, truly does justice to its name.

Blood is set in an unspecified time period that resembles the American Old West, where science-fictional anachronisms coupled with real life technology abound. A sequel to Blood, titled Blood II: The Chosen, was released on 31 October 1998. In terms of copyrights and ownership, Monolith sold the rights for Blood to GT Interactive who published the games; the company was later purchased by Infogrames which has since been renamed to Atari.
]]> 31 Jan 2007 07:03:50 Marathon 2: Durandal Marathon 2: Durandal is the second game in the classic sci-fi shooter trilogy. It continues the story started in Marathon and is followed by Marathon Infinity.

Bungie went on to create one of the most successful games of all time: Halo: Combat Evolved.

Developer: Bungie Software
Released: 1995 [Mac], 1996 [Windows]
]]> 02 Dec 2006 01:38:19 Dig Dug Dig Dug is an arcade game released by Namco in 1982. A popular game based on a simple concept, it was also available as a home video game available on many consoles, and had many arcade and home clones. Dig Dug runs on Namco Galaga hardware.

The objective of Dig Dug is to eliminate underground-dwelling monsters. This can be done by inflating them until they pop or by dropping rocks on them. There are two kinds of enemies in the game: Pookas are round red monsters who look like tomatoes wearing yellow goggles, and Fygars; green dragons who can breathe fire. The player's character is Dig Dug, dressed in white and blue who can make tunnels. Dig Dug is killed if he is caught by a monster, burned by a Fygar's fire, or crushed by a rock.

It takes four 'pumps' with the player's action button to inflate a monster to popping. If left partially inflated, the monster will deflate and recover after a few seconds, but half-inflating is a useful way to stun an enemy, especially to make sure it remains in the path of a falling rock.

The monsters normally crawl through the tunnels in the dirt but they can turn into ghostly-eyes and travel slowly through the dirt.
]]> 01 Feb 2007 10:09:36 Digger Digger was released by Windmill Software in 1983, popular in the era of the IBM PC with a CGA graphics card and monitor. Digger was resurrected by Andrew Jenner in 1998, when he reverse engineered it to run using VGA on fast Pentium based computers. The source code of the remastered version was released under the GPL with permission of the original author Rob Sleath.
]]> 24 Dec 2006 02:53:39 Police Quest Collection The closest experience to being a police officer without having a badge.

Investigating what seems to be a simple car crash, rookie cop Sonny Bonds uncovers a homicide. In Pursuit of the Death Angel, Bonds must track down murderous drug lord Jessie Bains before he strikes again.

It isn't long after Sonny Bonds is promoted to the homicide department that Jessie Bains escapes from prison seeking revenge on everyone who put him behind bars. Bonds must protect not only his own life, but his girlfriend Marie from The Vengeance of Bains.

With vicious cult killings, a raving madman, and a new drug regime threatening Lytton, Bonds is faced with his greatest fear: his wife Marie is stabbed and lays in a coma. Will Bonds be able to keep his cool and solve the brutal mysteries of The Kindred?

The action moves to Los Angeles, where Detective John Carey must find the link between the murder of his partner and a string of mutilation murders. It's Open Season when a serial killer is one step ahead of the investigation.

from http://classics.sierra.com/us/policequest/
]]> 03 Jun 2007 01:13:27 Quest for Glory 3: Wages of War The third game in Quest for Glory series is set in the Africa-like world of Tarna, where you travel with your new liontaur friends you have met in the second game. Shortly after your arrival, you learn about the conflict between the liontaurs and the neighbor Simbani village, populated by the leopardmen. It is now time for our hero to become a skillful diplomat and to prevent an upcoming war between the two nations.

The gameplay system of "Wages of War" is the same as in the two previous games. The game plays like an adventure, with puzzles to solve and characters to talk to, with the additional of RPG elements: combat (action-based) and character development. You can play as either a fighter, a thief, a mage, or a paladin, and raise your skills directly after battles or by performing various actions. Graphics and interface underwent a major change. This is the first 256-color Quest for Glory game, and the first one to utilize the new, icon-based interface.

(from the Moby Games QFG3 page)
]]> 05 Dec 2006 11:32:14 Leisure Suit Larry Collection A decade of debauchery now on one CD.

Larry Laffer is a loveable loser on the most desperate of quests: lose his virginity or die trying. Armed with his trademark leisure suit, breath spray the dream of true love (or at least fake love), he heads to the sinful Lost Wages, The Land of the Lounge Lizards.

When the girl of his dreams has second thoughts, Larry finds himself on the street again, but this time in Los Angeles. Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) amidst KGB agents, island natives, and the evil Dr. Nonookee.

Larry may finally have found The One on Nontoonyt Island, but a misunderstanding separates him from his lascivious lounge singer love. Explore the jungle with lovelorn Larry or aid Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals.

After suffering amnesia induced by The Case of the Missing Floppies, Larry must find three hot women to appear on America's Sexiest Home Videos. Meanwhile, Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work as an FBI agent investigating corruption in the music industry. Help the lost lovers take on organized crime and Larry regain his memory.

Alone again, Larry finds himself at a spa resort as a consolation prize on a TV dating game. To try to win the hearts of the beautiful vacationers, Larry must Shape Up or Slip Out!

Grab this spectacularly priced collection and help the original Leisure Suit Larry himself find his way in the series that spawned a lecherous legend. Be sure to visit the creator at www.allowe.com for great game hints, tips, and all-around good humor!

from http://classics.sierra.com/us/larry/
]]> 03 Jun 2007 01:18:21 Duke Nukem 2 [assembling]
]]> 05 Feb 2007 08:14:27 The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight Developed by Interplay Productions and distributed by Electronic Arts, The Bard's Tale series is considered by many to be one of the pillar classics of computer fantasy role playing games.

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight allows players to create characters, form parties and adventure throughout the lands. Combat is turn based and players can choose the actions of every member of the party.

From the box text:

"Do you believe in legends? Legend states that, 'Unimaginable power is bestowed upon the one who reforges the Destiny Wand...' Regardless of whether or not you hold faith in the stuff of legend, you must defeat Lagoth Zanta, regain the seven fragments, and reforge the Destiny Wand â€â€
]]> 10 May 2007 02:27:38 Paper Ball Paper Ball is a unique remake of the old classic Arkanoid. With new "hand-drawn" graphics and some new gameplay features Paper Ball is a fun addictive arcade game.
]]> 16 Jan 2007 04:14:30 Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
]]> 14 May 2008 04:27:40