All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, space' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us 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 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 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 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 The year is 2839. Earth has been decimated by a near-by star explosion, two space colonies are all that survive. Six years pass and the groups become hostile against each other. They begin to build armies just in case things take a turn for the worst, and they do. The armies start to claim each nearby planet and use it as an empire. By now there are millions of people fighting on each side. Planets are surrounded by their teams capital ships and on the ground, there are anti-orbital cannons ready to blast any possible attackers away. Once the whole galaxy has been occupied evenly by both teams, they strike.

You play as your own character with hundreds of people on your team at the same time as you. You go from planet to planet trying to take over the galaxy. There are two types of combat, ground combat, which is similar to the gameplay of Starsiege: Tribe's "Capture and Hold" missions. Then there are Orbital Battles. Up to 5 capital ships on each team fight each other with mac guns and automatic AA guns. They can launch waves of bombers and fighters to take out the ships a little faster.

To take over a planet one must stay in the capture zone for up to 6 minutes. This is 3 minutes to remove the other team's influence of the planet, and 3 minutes to make it yours. If the planet is unoccupied, there is no need to take 6 minutes, 3 will do.

The galaxies fate is in your hands.

]]> 27 Jan 2007 08:04:44 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 Fraxy is a space shooter with giant bosses. The best part being that you can build your own boss. Using hundreds of parts, you can create almost any kind of enemy you could think of. Giant lasers, vulcan turrets, suicide bombs, you name it. Fraxy is still being worked on, and new stuff is added almost weekly.

Download both the game, and the english patch.

]]> 27 May 2007 12:11:57 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 A port of Star Control II for modern computing platforms, with code released under the GNU GPL.

Latest stable version v0.6.2 here (17 January, 2007).

New features in v0.6:

• Netplay! You can now engage in Super Melee over the Internet.
  
• Key configuration is now entirely in-game.
  
• UQM now compiles and runs on 64-bit systems.
  

]]> 01 Dec 2006 10:01:46 Master of Orion II is like Civilization. Rather than take over the world, you focus on the galaxy, taking worlds instead of cities. Pick or create your own race, pursue technologies, employ strategic fleet deployments, and engage in extremely advanced diplomacy.

Various paths to victory.

]]> 02 Feb 2007 04:54:21 www.hyperbol.com
TS: Hyperbol is a game viewed Top-Down over a flat playing-field as you take control of a Ship that you customize in order to destroy your opponents. Game Types include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Spawn Capture, Attack/Defend Objectives, and more to be added later with a Map editor.
Your ship functions more like a Battleship, as it is stationary most of the time, a Turret that you can move occasionally across the map into strategically key positions, or simply to dodge incoming fire. The farther you move, the long you have to wait to move again. Or, you can customize your ship to recharge it's fuel rapidly if you wish to use a more active flighty Ship.
There are 6 Weapon modules that will produce the weapons you use. Your factory can hold up to 6 Mods total, so if you want more of 1 type, you have to forgo access to another. Having more then 1 will make production of that type faster, and allow you to hold more in your max stock. Each Mod will produce several different projectiles, for example the basic 'Ballistics' mod will give you access to Energy Bolts, Missiles, and Shrapnel Bombs. Also, once you have build a total of 6 Mods, you have the option to Upgrade 1 of them into a lv. 2 Super version. All the weapons made by this super Mod are either upgraded, or totally new versions of the weapon. As the above example, the Bolts do extra damage, the Missiles become MIRV Packs, and the Shrapnel Bombs become Shrapnel Wedges, which fires all it's shards in a cone instead of in all directions.

]]> 08 Jun 2007 09:11:09 Wing Commander II: Special Operations is a continuation from the storyline told in Wing Commander II.

"If you thought you could snatch a few Zs after that victory at K'tithrak Mang, you'd better look for another line of work!


The cats are restless and rebellion is brewing throughout Kilrathi slave worlds. As a show of force, the Emperor plans a brutal assault on the rebel populations. Millions of lives are in jeopardy until you and the Special Operations team can blunt the attack."





Having had great success with the Secret Missions distribution model, two expansion packs were planned out for Wing Commander II. Blair, Paladin and Hobbes were engaged in covert operations when they became entangled in the mutiny aboard the TCS Gettysburg. They meet up with ace pilot Jason Bondarevsky and begin to learn about the rival factions that have developed among the mutineers. To make matters worse, the Gettysburg was testing an experimental new bomber. The special ops team must defeat ruthless Kilrath and bring the rogue members of the Gettysburg crew to justice. Bondarevsky later goes on to become one of the main characters in several Wing Commander novels.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 27 May 2007 11:36:29 Wing Commander: Special Operations 2 is the second mission add-on pack for Wing Commander II."The Confederation's electronic grapevine is running amok with rumors that vital intelligence has been withheld from the High Command. Luckily, Special Operations has its own sources of information, and they say the waiting game just won't cut it any longer. Someone has to lead the way, and you're getting the call!"

Special Operations 2 brought Blair into contact with Maniac's Wild Eagles Squadron and their prototype Morningstar fighters. The special ops team had to also contend with mounting pressure from the traitorous Society of the Mandarins seeking to sell out the Confederation to the Kilrathi. Secrets were revealed and Blair engaged in a final showdown with Jazz Colson.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 27 May 2007 11:52:56 Warning Forever is a special shoot 'em up. Instead of flying around, dealing with hoards of enemies, and the occasional boss, it's just you, and the boss. And every time you beat the boss, it comes back, meaner than the time before.

]]> 04 Dec 2006 11:33:56 Orbiter is a free flight simulator that goes beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere. Launch the Space Shuttle from Kennedy Space Center to deploy a satellite, rendezvous with the International Space Station or take the futuristic Delta-glider for a tour through the solar system - the choice is yours.

But make no mistake, Orbiter is not a space shooter. The emphasis is firmly on realism, and the learning curve can be steep. Be prepared to invest some time and effort to brush up on your orbital mechanics background. Good starting points are JPL's Basics of Space Flight, and R. Braeunig's Rocket & Space Technology.

]]> 08 Dec 2006 03:46:00 This is a DEMO/Prototype!
It is very much unfinished. There is only one level and after you beat the boss it will go back to the title screen.

Axion is a 4 colour (greyscale) shoot'em up made for the Retro Remakes 4-colour TI calculator style competition.

Story

Thousands of years ago the Atlantians built a huge inter-dimensional portal with the intent of trapping a huge foe inside. The portal worked perfectly, but at the last minute the huge beast was able to pull their entire city in with it. Knowing the they were unable to save the city and that the beast would eventually be able to break free without anyone able to watch over it, they sent out their last hope, Axion.

Axion was a specially designed craft known as a "Dimension diver" which made it the only man-made creation that was able to seemlesly escape the pull of the triangular portal.

Thousands of years later after absorbing much of its surroundings including people, ships and planes, the beast was able to take control of its own prision, although it was still not quite powerful enough to escape entirely. Using all the energy it had absorbed over the many years, the beast took control of the portal and projected it into outer space using mankind's own orbiting satillites. The portal was now 50 times its original size, big enough to engulf the entire planet...and this was the plan. If the beast could absorb the entire planet, then it would have enough energy to break free from its Atlantian prision.

After detecting the huge power surge, Axion emerged out of the ocean and blasted off into outer space to stop the beast before it was too late.

]]> 13 Feb 2007 08:16:24 Released in 1991, Wing Commander 2 is a sci-fi space simulation that is a continuation of the storyline that was told in the original Wing Commander.






"Ten years ago, you were the Hero of Vega Sector, idol of millions - the starfighter pilot who single-handedly turned the tide of a major Kilrathi invasion. Then something went wrong.


You were disgraced, court-martialed and transferred to a backwater outpost. For years, your lightning-quick reflexes and instinctive dogfighting tactics went to waste while the Kilrathi killed your closest friends on the front lines.


But Mankind still needs a hero, now more than ever before. And you're still the best pilot in the Galaxy. You've got just one chance to prove yourself, just one chance to keep the Terran homeworlds from falling to the massed armada of the Empire of Kilrah."



Think you can handle it, flyboy?"





Again most of the game is spent flying missions in space for the Confederation in the continuing war effort against the fearsome Kilrathi Empire. When not flying missions, the player is also able to explore the "TCS Concordia" and talk to fellow crew-mates. A greater emphasis has been placed on storytelling, which gives the player a greater scope on the people fighting this war. The mood is darker than the original, mainly due to the fact that the Humans are in fact losing the war.


Wing Commander 2 bettered the original in every regard, from the updated graphics engine to the detailed script. It is considered an all-time classic within the gaming world.








Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 18 Feb 2007 11:05:29 One of the most rich and complex multiplayer environments available, EVE Online offers players the opportunity to inhabit a single-sharded world with a wider range of gameplay choices than most MMORPGs. Monthly fee.

A number of community created videos can be downloaded from the Community Videos section. The "Great Northern War (Timeline)" is highly recommended.

]]> 09 Dec 2006 09:27:34 Really Rather Good Battles In Space: Galactic Conflict 4320 - 4359 AD

Welcome to Really Rather Good Battles In Space - a space based real time strategy game for Windows and Linux.

The game has a website, complete with a discussion forum. You can visit it at:
http://rrgbis.sourceforge.net

]]> 08 Dec 2006 12:49:23 You must defend Sol and expand your army outward by taking nearby systems and killing any hostile presences.

This game was entered into and won the TheGameCreators nVidia compo.

]]> 04 May 2007 12:55:00 Over is an MMORTS set in a sci-fi environment where, as the commander of your space fleet, you will lead it during missions against the antagonist factions dwelling the galaxy. As the game progresses, you will increase your commander skills and expand your fleet by trading the earned points with new units.

]]> 01 Jan 2007 04:02:06 In this game, as the new employee of TetraCorp, it is your job to colonize asteroids and make them successful mining colonies. You start with one asteroid to mold into the shape you see fit. Then you must break out into the great unknown, colonizing nearby asteroids. Soon, you must sell your precious ore to the Federal Ore Transporter. Once you get enough ore, money, and time, you must create massive fleets of warships, for you are not alone. The Mauna will try to destroy you. However, the other races despise them as much as you. Negotiate peace treaties, Joint Combat treaties, and hire agents to sabotage the enemy. May the best man win.

]]> 24 Jan 2007 11:03:40 Galanz is a project I've been brainstorming over for quite some time now, it involves a Space Mercenary who is drawn to a planet by a disturbing message that has reached him (sound familiar?). Once he arrives, he sees that all traces of the natives have disapeared, the only things that inhabit the planet are strange monsters and the Robots created by the Natives. Galanz (The Main character in the game) goes out searching for any survivors, or clues to what has happened. Using his weaponry and his Psychic Abilities, he traverses the planet in order to discover just what is going on.

Influences are highly based on classics such as Metroid, Turrican, and the Andro-Synth sub-plot present in Star Control 2/Ur-Quan Masters.

The goal of the game is to basically find out what's going on. The "Galious" style gameplay is a reference to Knightmare 2: Maze of Galious, which was one of THE first Side Scrolling RPGs, complete with leveling and such. Of course, I'd like to go a little bit into more detail with this than what Galious did.

Since it's set to be like a NES game, there will be a restriction on the total buttons able to use, the current format it (in NES Controller format):

A - Shoot
B - Jump
Directional Pad - Move Left and Right, Aim Up and Down.
Start - Main Menu
Select - Use Psychic Ability

Psychic abilities won't be the usual "Fire Firebolt for X amount of P.P" but instead will be closer to actually changing the environment.

Can't jump over a huge wall? Flip gravity around. Can't toggle a switch? Go into E.S.P mode and flip it using your abilities. Oh snap, need to get the password, and the guy who might of had it is dead? Do a Mind Search on him, and find out his memories shortly before he met the wrong end of your gun.

This is the sorta thing I'm aiming for with this, not extremely complicated (mind sceens could just be cutsceens, and gravity for an object can easily be reversed), but fun and useful enough to warrant use.

However, I don't believe I can do this all by my own. As a Sprite/Traditional Artist or Designer, I will not be able to produce content fast enough alone, and coding is far from my strongest point. These are the current possistions available, if anyone is interested in helping out with this project, please PM me. Thanks for reading :D.

Needed!

Programmer - Average to Skilled Ability: Needs to be able to use Game Maker 6 or such, or another structure of coding that is compatible with Windows.

Music Composer - Average to Skilled ability: Needs to be able to produce catchy tunes that are not 10 second loops in the style of the NES chiptunes.

Sound Effects Engineer- Any skill level: Needs to be able to produce NES style sound effects (The Woosh Woosh noises and such).


I'll update this whenever I can, till then, see you later :D.

]]> 21 Mar 2007 05:50:21 Strange Attractors was created for a 'One Switch' competition, a competition where the goal is to create a game controlled with just one button.

By pressing the spacebar, you activate the gravity drive of your craft and create an attractive force between yourself and the other objects in the game. Your goal is to sling and bounce yourself from the bottom of the level through the portal at the top.

]]> 08 Feb 2007 04:30:44 First Encounters is the sequel to Frontier (1993), which itself was a sequel to the seminal 1984 game Elite. The game was created by David Braben’s company, Frontier Developments. Many fans of the game refer to it by the shortened title of FFE.

Like Frontier, First Encounters features realistic Newtonian physics and the ability to land on planets. It has graphics that are an improvement over Frontier (the main difference being Gouraud shading) and, as well as employing the same open-ended gameplay of its predecessors, it also features a storyline concerning an alien race called the Thargoids.

Like the other two Elite games, it has been re-released as shareware and can be freely downloaded from the Elite Club site.

Being a DOS game, First Encounters has difficulty running with Windows XP or Windows 2000 machines, although the official site does offer solutions to get the game running. A recreated game engine called JJFFE allows playing the game on Linux, Windows and DOS.

First Encounters plays much like its immediate predecessor Frontier: the game is a combination of trading, fighting and a variety of other activitiesâ€â€

]]> 03 Mar 2007 01:23:22 Set in the year 2654, Wing Commander tells a tale of mankind's struggle for survival in a ferocious war between the Human Confederation and the warmongering Kilrathi Empire, a fierce bi-pedal feline race.





"You're a starfighter pilot, the best of the best, but nothing in your training prepared you for action this hot. Deep space dogfights against Kilrathi aces are deadly, and the future of humanity is on the line each time you fly!


Wing Commander puts you in the middle of the most intense starship action you've ever experienced outside of a movie theatre. But in Wing Commander, you're the star!"





The majority of the game takes place within the cockpit of various space fighters. Depending on how well one performs while in action, the player may find themselves on the winning or losing path thus altering the plot accordingly. Medals and the respect of your wingmen are gained if performance is exemplary, in turn leading to a more effective attack wing. In between space-flight missions the player is free to roam the legendary carrier "TCS Tiger's Claw" and have conversations with their fellow crew mates, learning more about the horrors and triumphs of the bloody war that is now being fought.


When Wing Commander was released in 1990, the in-game graphics and space-combat engine were a step above all other products during that period. The game was even one of the first to use the new Sound Blaster for PC's, adding to the already cinematic feel of the game.


The strong script and characters which has been a staple through out the series are the primary reason why the Wing Commander has gained such a strong following over the years. That combined with movie-like presentation and strong gameplay has made the venerable Wing Commander a classic among gamers and critics.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 11 Feb 2007 07:47:45 EV Nova is the third game in the Escape Velocity series, and is by far the most ambitious installment to date. With a completely redesigned gaming engine, EV Nova thrusts you into a sprawling universe dominated by a myriad of warring factions, each sharing a common bond, but so philosophically different as to make conflict inevitable.

The remnants of the Colonial Council's utopian vision of a united galaxy are littered about like so many discarded dreams. The eccentric genius in Omata Kane, whose Hypergate system brought distant stars within reach, has all but been forgotten. Like a wave in the darkness of space, colonization flowed outwards from Earth, until discord and dissent against a growingly corrupt central government caused it to come crashing down.

Open rebellion caused the destruction of critical parts of the Hypergate system, severing entire systems from the umbilical cord of civilization. They were left adrift in the lonely void of space, forced to fend for themselves, truly strangers in strange lands. The collapse of a central government caused civilization to slide helplessly into a dark age of isolation. The few pockets of humanity that did survive developed in near solitude, clinging perilously to life like a tree desperately trying to gain root on a rocky cliff.

Time marched on in its relentless journey toward the future, and each of these civilizations slowly reconstructed their humanity... but in their isolation, a strange thing happened. They each followed markedly different paths in their evolution. As rediscovered technology finally allowed contact between these far-flung children of the Colonial Council to tentatively resume, they found that they had little in common. Indeed, rather than reunited brothers, they were strangers... or worse, adversaries.

It is into this maelstrom of territorial contention that you are thrust, like a pebble tumbling aimlessly between the tectonic fault lines that uncomfortably separate these divisions of humanity. Welcome to EV Nova. Will the pebble become an avalanche?

]]> 19 Jun 2007 07:43:37 Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger is the second sequel in the Sci-Fi Space Simulation series created by Chris Roberts.







"Professionally scripted and filmed in Hollywood, ORIGIN's multi-million dollar production combines the entertainment of film-making with the interactivity of computer gaming. The result is a spectacular spaceflight adventure.


Adrenaline, romance, danger -- Wing Commander III has all this and more. This sequel completes the turbulent chronicles of the Terran-Kilrathi war. The final showdown takes place on one of the homeworlds -- Earth or Kilrah. But only you can write the ending..."









Released in 1994, Wing Commander III was the first game to be marketed as a true "Interactive Movie". It was received with much critical-acclaim due to its high playability, state-of-the-art in-game graphics engine plus well scripted, produced and acted FMV sequences, all of which contributed to the games deep and absorbing atmosphere.


Wing Commander III was the first game in the series to use Full Motion Video as the primary story-telling device and is considered to be one of the best and successful examples of FMV use in a video game. The interactive element takes form during conversation cut-scenes where the player is asked to make a choice on how to proceed. This is done by either by giving a positive or negative response when prompted and this in turn affects the mood of the characters involved, altering theyre behaviour during missions and future conversations.


This was the final game in the Wing Commander series to deal with the Terran-Kilrathi conflict. As with the previous games, it is possible to play a winning or losing path, depending on the players performance during space-combat. The destruction of Earth or the Kilrathi's home planet of "Kilrah" is at the end of one of these two paths. However the series does continue with Wing Commander IV and Wing Commander: Prophecy.






Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 19 Feb 2007 09:11:53 Noctis is a unique space exploration game where you explore the universe in your space ship, the Stardrifter. While there is no set goal in the game, you can travel around as much as you want, cataloging celestial bodies, visiting planets and moons and even exploring them if they have landscape which can be landed on.

]]> 10 Feb 2007 02:32:07 Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space is a grand space opera that will take you from a down and out starship captain to an amazing intergalactic hero whose renown travels light speed ahead of you! Set in a randomly generated universe of endless possibilities, this single-player experience will let you explore new worlds, meet exotic aliens, discover black holes, witness the deaths of stars, encounter drifting space hulks that promise untold riches or untimely death, and much, much more! And all this happens in under thirty minutes or less!

Although quick to play, Weird Worlds boasts a deep, feature-rich system that ensures each session is as fresh as the first play. Players start off with their choice of one of three ships to explore the universe with, each ship completely customizable through the acquisition of new components, either via trade or encounters. The majority of the game takes place turn-based style on the gorgeously rendered star map (always newly generated each game), and uses a simple one-click system that even your grandmother can quickly master. When your starship encounters hostile aliens the action moves to real-time, and while players have dozens of weapons and tactics at their disposal, the combat system manages to provide this great depth while still maintaining the highly intuitive system of play found elsewhere in the game.

]]> 16 Jan 2007 04:23:53 Valkyrith: Sector Strike is a fast paced, multiplayer, space combat simulator which focuses heavily on dog fighting skills, ship customization, and teamwork to succeed and win.

The game is based in a universe where the majority of mankind has been wiped out by war, and those that have survived, are still at it. Living off of scraps, and with barely no new resources to work with, the remaining colonies fight among themselves to survive.

Game is currently being developed with TGE 1.5 with a goal of being released fall 2007.

]]> 27 Jan 2007 09:50:00 Have you ever dreamed to play Bomberman-like game with modern graphics and sound? Now you have a chance to do it with Mars Miner - a game that has all qualities of a classic time proved gameplay on a completely new level!

The hero finds himself on Mars. Now his primary objective is to stay alive and find his way back to Earth through an abandoned Martian mine and a laboratory. A variety of hideous and crafty monsters are lurking on the way. Each of them is extremely dangerous, but when they hunt together, they are a real hazard, owing to the unique AI.

Players who like dynamic games will enjoy playing Mars Miner. The game will be interesting to all categories of players, from beginners to experienced arcade players. Superior graphics together with excellent music background create a fascinating atmosphere. You'll want to get immersed in this world again and again.

An excellent Story mode and an almost unlimited Survival won't let you get bored!

]]> 17 Mar 2007 02:29:05 The Kilrathi Saga is a compilation that contains the first three Wing Commander games in a package that is playable in Windows. It is extremely rare and valuable...The Kilrathi Saga was a grand compilation of the initial Wing Commander trilogy and its four expansion packs. Dropaway cockpits, remastered audio and improved joystick options were among the list of improvements. The biggest selling point was native speed-limited support for Windows. Initial sales were low because many fans still readily had computers running DOS to play older Wing Commander games.




The game received a second printing in 1998, but many fans were still hesitant to rebuy games they already owned. By the turn of the century however, a huge shift from DOS to Windows had occurred and everyone was scrambling to get a copy. Although the July 2000 edition of PC Gamer included the Kilrathi Saga version of Wing Commander I on its cover disc, auction prices on eBay soared to well over $300 for the full set. Wing Commander fans struggled to find copies until 2005 and the improvement DOS emulation. Although Kilrathi Saga has exciting extras, minor glitches and the solid performance of the original Wing Commander games in DOSBox has relieved the intense price pressure on the game.

]]> 28 May 2007 09:26:51 Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox game console on November 9, 2004, the game is a direct sequel to the critically acclaimed blockbuster Halo: Combat Evolved. From the day of its initial release, Halo 2 has been the most popular video game on Xbox Live, even after the release of the Xbox 360. On June 20, 2006, more than a half-billion games of Halo 2 had been played on Xbox Live since its debut, and by October 30, 2006, this number was raised to four billion. Halo 2 is compatible with the Xbox 360, including its Xbox Live functionality.

]]> 19 Dec 2006 02:18:15 Introduction
Battleships Forever is a freeware tactical Real Time Strategy game that puts you in command of a small fleet of warships in space. Combat and damage mechanics are extremely detailed. Everything is simulated in game if possible. There are no abitrary "to hit chance" values in Battleships Forever. The game also features many innovative mechanics that you've never seen before. For example, the Cronus Battleship sports a Flux Shield generator that allows you to draw a defensive force shield around your ships in any shape you want. Another example are the Deflector modules that are used extensively through the game. These modules make a single section of a ship totally invulnerable to fire. This means that you will have to manoeuvre your ships to attack sections of the enemy ships not protected by Deflectors while keeping your own protected sections facing the enemy. Position is paramount!

Players will command picked fleets made up of Battleships, Destroyers and Patrol Craft. The completed game will include ten campaign missions and multiple skirmish modes.

Battleships Forever is inspired by and loosely based on Warning Forever by Hikoza.T.Ohkubo

]]> 17 Jun 2007 12:51:03 Wing Commander I: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade is the second mission add-on pack for Wing Commander I.





"The Secret Missions 2: Crusade, another exciting chapter in the saga of the Tiger's Claw! In this campaign, a huge Kilrathi fleet maneuvers toward a planet of peaceful, primitive natives. After a Kilrathi renegade defects with the crew of a small destroyer, you'll fly one of their fighterships in undercover missions.


In these new secret missions, you must discover the truth behind the Kilrathi "holy war" before the Warriors of Kilrah can destroy you and the Tiger's Claw!"





Wing Commander I was a huge success and Wing Commander II was in development during 1991. Origin used their experience with The Secret Missions to craft a second expansion pack, The Secret Missions 2: Crusade. WC2 was shaping up to be a huge story driven adventure, so the developers took this opportunity to establish a backstory with SM2. Characters such as Tolwyn, Thrakhath, Hobbes, Jazz and Doomsday were introduced. The TCS Austin appeared as a method for characters such as Angel to survive the impending doom facing the Tiger's Claw in the WC2 intro. In each Wing Commander game the character must face the potential death of wingmates, but in SM2 the first major scripted loss occurred when Bossman died. The tension and emotions were ratcheted up another level for this expansion, and the game created a great environment for Wing Commander II to launch into.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 27 May 2007 10:15:10 Startopia takes gamers to a once thriving galactic network of starships, space stations and planets left lifeless with redundant scars of the apocalypse. You will lead the way in rebuilding the network of space stations that once served the commerce and communication of the old empire - reuniting the surviving alien peoples under one banner.

This simulation gives you the opportunity to rebuild and successfully maintain a series of giant Torus space stations that are scattered across the galaxy, providing a suitable home for the many alien races that inhabit space, and perhaps turning a tidy profit for yourself in the process. Of course, there are plenty of other enterprising individuals out there with the same goals, not to mention the many hazards that exist in deep space.

]]> 25 May 2007 10:27:40 Homeworld's epic tale begins in the far reaches of the universe. You were the benign lords of a peaceful society located in the center of a lush spiral galaxy. For as long as anyone could remember, no one challenged your peaceful existence. But then came the conquerors, invading with the sole purpose of overtaking your world. Billions died, and the survivors were relocated to a cold, lifeless planet on the edge of the galaxy. Hundreds of years later, all knowledge of your previous existence has been lost. Only vague myths remain, until the discovery of an ancient tablet buried within the ruins of a half-destroyed craft in the great-banded desert. This Guidestone reawakened the knowledge of your ancestry, and set your race on the path home - coordinates leading straight into the heart of the galaxy. Sixty years ago, construction began on the giant Mothership that will carry millions of your people into deep space. Construction is now complete. Your journey to the Homeworld begins here...

]]> 14 Dec 2006 12:19:35 Homeworld: Cataclysm, developed by Barking Dog Studios (now Rockstar Vancouver), is the first official 'episode' within the Homeworld universe, taking you back to the setting of Homeworld roughly 15 years after the events of the original game ended. Improving upon the Homeworld interface, Cataclysm presents new features such as waypoints and sensor-manager attack commands to add a new dimension to the revolutionary combat and gameplay pioneered in Homeworld.

In the campaign, you begin by Cataclysm commanding a sect - or kiith - that has been marginalized after your people's victorious return to their homeworld of Hiigara. Traveling into uncharted space to repel an attack against another kiith, your fleet happens upon an alien probe that harbors an ancient evil. As events unravel, you will need to survive the onslaught of an enemy with terrifying abilities you can't match, fight off opportunistic Turanic Raiders, and deflect the firepower of Imperial loyalists bent on destroying you and reclaiming Hiigara.

Much as in Homeworld, gameplay revolves around a central command ship, but one that produces an entirely new class of fighting, resourcing and support craft with new technologies and weaponry. The new, robust multiplayer system supports up to eight combatants, each playing one of two very different sides with their own tactical options.

]]> 14 Dec 2006 12:46:54 Wing Commander: Prophecy was the last direct sequel in the Wing Commander franchise. It is a sci-fi combat flight simulator that took many new directions in its design and story, compared to the previous games in the series.

Just some of the new innovations were a new main character (Lance Casey instead of Christopher Blair, who was the main character in the previous three games), a new enemy (Nephilim), and a new game engine (VISION), amongst other changes.

]]> 04 Jan 2007 08:41:28 Whoever thought managing a space station in the middle of nowhere would be such an adventure? Outpost Kaloki is a light-hearted, comical 3D strategy / management game. Featuring gorgeous cartoon-style graphics and a whimsical storyline, Outpost Kaloki puts you in charge of new space station which you must grow into profitability.

Keep the princess happy, and keep your customers happier as you attract new and bizarre visitors to your deep-space lemonade stands, parks, and laboratories. Chat with a variety of genuinely strange alien creatures. Great fun for the whole family!

]]> 08 Dec 2006 12:06:08 Beyond the Red Line is a stand-alone total conversion for the award-winning Freespace 2 released by Volition and Interplay for the PC. It is based on the popular new tv-show Battlestar Galactica. No, not the one from the 70s.
The game is made by the fans, for the fans.

]]> 08 Jun 2007 02:05:54 Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar is the expansion pack for Stardock's award-winning hit strategy game, Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords. This expansion pack not only adds the usual content that expansion packs tend to do such as new opponents, new units and a new campaign. It also greatly expands the game play of Galactic Civilizations II. New features include asteroid belts on the map that can be mined for resources, unique planets that require special technologies to colonize, spies to conduct sabotage and destabilization (or used to protect your worlds from the same), new types of diplomatic treaties, an enhanced artificial intelligence engine, and much more!

]]> 24 Dec 2006 05:04:26 The Gamma Brothers spend their days working in a huge space station near Jupiter. No one works harder than Buzz and Zap. What could they possibly be working on? Something very important, no doubt.

The Gamma Brothers also understand the importance of not working. Every day at quitting time they hop into their commuter vehices for the long, difficult journey back to earth. Every day on their way home, they are attacked by ships and creatures of unknown origin. Every day, to and from work, they must survive many vicious and clever alien attacks!

It is up to YOU to guide the Gamma Brothers home. Prepare yourself for the ultimate space commute battle! After all, it is dinner time on earth, and the Gamma Brothers' families will not be pleased if you don't get Buzz and Zap home safely.

]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:41:00 Relive a childhood daydream of deep space intergalactic battle inspired by Herzog Zwei, Star control, SubSpace, Homeworld, and PARSEC47.

]]> 13 Dec 2006 05:42:12 Crimsonland is a fast paced 2D arcade shooter. Reminiscint of games like Smash TV, Crimsonland has you killing in 360 degrees. The graphics seem low tech at first but when you see things like the flamethrower they look great. The sound is entertaining and the controls are spot on and feel great.

]]> 09 Jan 2007 08:02:16 Freelancer is a space-based combat simulator/Extremely open-ended Role playing game. Spanning several star systems, and easily 100 hours of gameplay, the game was a marvel of its time. It has an excellent plotline, set in the same universe as Starlancer, and it will keep you engaged for quite awhile.

You play as a freelancer, or mercenary, out to make his way in the universe, and you eventually become entangled in a plot of galactic importance.

The controls are awkward at first, being one of the few mouse based games rather than WASD for control, but it quickly becomes intuitive.

One of the first non-MMORPG games to sport an online mode that could handle up to (in one case) 100 players in a persistant universe, the game is almost considered to be an MMORPG. It really is the NWN of Space RPG's.

]]> 19 Dec 2006 04:36:49 You pilot your ship through the dreaded "Maelstrom" asteroid belt -- suddenly your best friend thrusts towards you and fires, directly at your cockpit. You raise your shields just in time, and the battle is joined.

The deadliest stretch of space known to mankind has just gotten deadlier. Everywhere massive asteroids jostle for a chance to crush your ship, and deadly shinobi fighter patrols pursue you across the asteroid belt. But the deadliest of them all is your sister ship, assigned to you on patrol. The pilot, trained by your own Navy, battle hardened by months in the Maelstrom, is equipped with a twin of your own ship and intimate knowledge of your tactics.

The lovely Stratocaster R&R facility never sounded so good, but as you fire full thrusters to dodge the latest barrage you begin to think you'll never get home...

]]> 03 Jan 2007 02:46:07 Sins of a Solar Empire is an innovative real-time strategy game featuring seamless transition between epic strategy and tactical combat modes, initiating what is already becoming known as the RT4X sub-genre. A galaxy of intriguing aliens, powerful starships, and colossal planets comes to life with stunning 3D graphics, unparalleled sense of scale, and a cinematic musical score. Explore and conquer nearby planets and distant solar systems by applying brute force, cunning strategy, elegant diplomacy, economic mastery, and researched technology.

]]> 18 Feb 2007 06:10:30 Operation: Inner Space is one of those very special games. It's unfortunate that such a fine piece of code has been abandoned.

The main idea behind Inner Space is to travel through your computer in a space ship collecting Icons. Icons in game are taken straight from the files on your disk and are spent as the game's currency. Icons are used to buy upgrades for your ship, new weapons, and also to pay off the in-game police if you get arrested.

The game world itself is actually a space environment. The space is usually filled with rocks, and other hazards such as blocks that shoot fire, spinning fans, turrets, and others.

Virii are present in the game. Virii shoot lightning bolts which can infect icons floating in space. If an infected icon is picked up by your ship you will lose control briefly. A virus is also a tough hazard to destroy, but CPU ships, friendly or not, will often help you, and thank for you destroying one.

The AI in the game is well-done, each CPU ship in the game has its own personality and is assigned to a team. Your relations with the various teams in game and theres with eachother, will depend upon your actions. Each team has its own motive for being in Inner Space. The Enforcers are the police in the game and will attempt to arrest you or anyone that breaks the laws. If you resist arrest, the Enforcers will attempt to destroy your ship. In contrast, the Pirates are always out to destroy your ship so they can loot your goods, as well as cause trouble with the Enforcers.

The various in game laws can be broken, and without consenquence if an Enforcer is not present. Laws include things such as, looting a ship, attacking a fleeing ship, wreckless boosting, stealing a prize from a race winner, attacking an enforcer, and so on.

The game features various modes beyond the typical fly-and-collect-icons gameplay. You can engage in a duel with a rival in the arena, and race your ship against others in various tracks.

The goal of the game is not to collect all your icons, as with today's machines and the amount of data upon them it's not really feasable. Instead, you need to collect the four noble weapons from the Inner Demon and eventually enter the Demon's Gate using the noble weapons to defeat...

The games weapons are varied, besides your ships standard guns, you can make use of fireballs, snowballs, batterys, heat-seeker missles, handcuffs, donuts, protective pellets, dumb-fire missles, and many more. The noble weapons have the most powerful abilities, which are collected from random battles with the Inner Demon.

If you play the game at different times of the day, the enviroment will change. For example, the computer that greets you at the start of the game will display different messages, and if played during lunch, gas cans are replaced with food items.

The Amulance can be called in game, it's used to buy weapons, repair and refuel your ship, and play a practice battle against the Inner Demon. It can also save you from near death if you hail it when your ship is burning.

The game also features a ship editor in which you can customize a ship, and even import a graphic to make an original one. Inner Space includes a screensaver also. There are two-different shareware versions of the game, one gives you 30 days to play and then locks you out. Another, gives you 30 days to play and after the time period lets you only play as a specific ship from the Avengers. An in-game keystroke lets you assume control of a team member's ship however, so you can use this to get a better craft, even one you made in the editor.

Operation: Inner Space is a unique experience.

]]> 29 Mar 2007 10:16:47