News Archive - 2018

2018-12-31

And another year has come to an end. It was kind of black and white. Stressful, hectic but also quite productive and perhaps even revolutionary to an extent. We have recruited new members in our staff. We have re-thought some of our policies and conceived a new site model, which is possible to see the light in the year to come. We have received tons of contributions, particularly disk image files of all kinds and have gone past 3000 mark. And finally, we have advanced towards stream and hybrid images, which will find their place in the upcoming new version of TGOD. I'd like to thank everyone who has been with us and contributed immensely this year. Namely: Pheonix for his knowledge, enthusiasm and assistance, fuxxxyfloppy for a handful of good ideas and active participation in forum discussions, flyers80, escarioth, mikic for their enormous file contributions, and, of course, Mr Creosote for all the technical labour. Happy New 2019, everyone!

2018-12-25

TGOD crew wishes you all a...

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2018-12-16

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What is this? Bit of a strange format for a screenshot, isn't it? Considering what we've been covering so far, sure. Though it is actually the format of what may be the majority of active gaming these days.

Today, we're taking a first plunge into the area of modern-day mobile platforms. Not a Game Boy derivate, but what each and every one of us takes into their hands more often than any other device every day. Possibly the most evil platform ever created by mankind: Google's Android.

Andor's Trail comes with little baggage, but as expected in the roleplaying genre, it can eat up a large amount of time easily with its involved gameplay, sprawling world and many more things you should better discover for yourself.

2018-12-08

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vaultdweller1701 has been registered with us for almost three years, and now decided to become an active contributor. His review of SimTower summarizes the fascination with this game very well: the sandbox appeal of the original Sim City returned with this one. The seemingly simple balancing tasks which turn more and more complex as your (vertical) empire grows into new dimensions. Welcome, once again, to our website!

2018-11-24

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marinru takes us back to the beginnings of MS-Windows gaming. While not exactly a common game platform for many good reasons in its early days, it did find its niche in the development of fairly abstract, thinking man's games. Often freeware or shareware. Most commonly known to a wider audience through inclusion on large CD-based game collections. At least this was the immediate association I had when I saw those screenshots and read the review of Stellar Empires.

2018-11-17

The results for the 24th Interactive Fiction Competition are finally in. Who has won? Well, head right over to the article and have a look! ;)

And with that we conclude this year's coverage of the IFComp and return to our regular programme.

2018-11-15

The judging period for the 24th Interactive Fiction Competition is almost over. It is only a couple of hours before the ballots close and then we will have to wait for the results. Who is going to win? Will it be because of the writing? Or rather because of some interesting gimmick? It is really hard to say because there were so many games this year, with so many exceptional titles amongst them, that the bets are off.

To round things out I gathered some overall thoughts in my article, including (among other things) my personal top ten list, my guess at who is going to win and even some awards to the one or the other game that stood out to me.

What is there left to say? Well, a big thanks for reading of course! Expect some final comments when the results are in.

2018-11-13

Fresh from the press! An almost last minute review for the IFComp: Alias 'The Magpie' is yet another great game from this year's game pool which definitely deserves a recommendation.

2018-11-10

The IFComp is drawing to a close: Only six more days to cast your votes! So far I have given almost all of the games at least a short trial run and seriously played roughly more than half of them. Overall I am quite impressed with the quality of the games. Compared to the first couple of IFComps I took a look at there were no unplayable entries. Instead almost each one of them has its own charm, and there are actually so many outstanding titles I regret not being able to cover them all. Yes I know with 77 games this would be unrealistic anyway.

Therefore I have to do some cherry picking and for today I chose one of the games which in my opinion deserves to get a bit more attention. It is a very ambitious spy game full of interesting ideas and a clever story full of twists and secrets within secrets. So put on your trench coats and put on your sunglasses to find out the Truth in Six Silver Bullets.

2018-11-03

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Believe it or not, today's publication is actually a "good old" review itself. It dates back to 2010. For reasons I cannot quite piece together anymore, it has never been published. In a shared effort, Herr M. and me now finished editing the review. So finally, we are able to fill a glaring gap in our collection. Fallout, the sequel of which has already been on the site for some time, is widely regarded as one of the greatest classics of the roleplaying genre.

2018-10-27

One of the best things about the IFComp is that with so many games there is quite a bit of variety. From hardboiled detective to classic fantasy to space opera to conspiracy thriller. Think of any genre and chances are high you will find a gem to your liking. Still, it might be hard to decide which one to pick, so how about a suggestion?

Since autumn is setting in, with ever longer growing shadows while the sun getting paler and paler, a good old horror story might be just the right thing for one of those sombre evening. A thought like this brought me to today’s game and what can I say: While I had planned to give it a rest at least at midnight, it got to almost 2am until I had reached a very unsettling conclusion. It was exactly the right game for the right time, a gripping, dark bedtime story before going to sleep. And for the first time in decades I wondered whether there actually was a Bogeyman lurking in the darkness of my room…

2018-10-25

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Sim City 2000 – wow, that one was a revolution compared to the original! Although admittedly, it was a rather safe, conservative product from Maxis considering what they had tried to enrich their "Sim" line of games with in between. None of these spin-off games had become nearly as popular as the original Sim City, so this one took them back to their origins. This review concludes RetroBunny's little run. Or maybe not?

2018-10-24

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There goes that "most covered" title again, as Stunts is now up to its fourth review. You may guess by whom. With this level reached, we may need to think about an "overkill level" at which no further reviews for the same game should be accepted anymore. What do you think?

2018-10-23

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Yup, another review of The Lost Vikings. RetroBunny providing the third one makes this one of the most covered games on our website (together with few others). There may be a reason for this, don't you think?

2018-10-22

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RetroBunny continues by extending the coverage of a game which for some years used to be the world's best seller. Myst, of course, is generally well remembered. Though is it as good as everybody remembers it through their nostalgic rose-tinted glasses. Was it even this good back at the time it was new?

2018-10-21

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RetroBunny picks up the duty to take care of our visitors not so deeply interested in text adventures. For his next review, he jumped from an arcade style Game Boy classic to a 3D PC shooter: Descent. Indeed a game which still deserves all the attention it receives up to this day. In my personal, humble opinion, it has aged much, much better than almost all of its competition on the market at the time. Pity that other games became the model for all those imitations

2018-10-20

It is almost halftime at the IFComp and by now I have found some real pearls in the plethora of games. One of them is going to take centre stage today. It is a game of mathemagics or to be more precise: A puzzle game about creating and modifying numbers. And like the best of its kind it is easy to learn yet it offers quite a challenge thanks to its generous content and some nifty puzzles. It gets a definite recommendation on my part and details on the reasons why can be found in todays review of Junior Arithmancer.

PS: Do not forget to check out the ongoing IFComp article featuring mini reviews, now with a list of recommended games too! It gets updated on an almost daily basis.

2018-10-13

Today we take a closer look at another candidate from the IFComp. It is an unusual mech simulator which does not feature combat encounters but shows a more civil use for a steely colossus. There are some additional twists and influences from totally different genres, but going too much into them would be getting into spoiler territory. Let us just say that Terminal Interface for Models RCM301-303 might have some surprises for you in store.

2018-10-12

We've got a second review on the Game Boy Breakout-like game Alleyway by RetroBunny who has just joined us. Well done and welcome to TGOD!

2018-10-10

Here we go, fresh from the press: The first full review for one of the IFComp's entries. Flowers of Mysteria is a very traditional example for a text adventure. Maybe a bit too traditional? Just take a look at the review to find out!

2018-10-08

The 24th Interactive Fiction Competition has started! With more than 70 games to choose from, covering a wide variety of genres and scenarios there should be something for each and every one of our readers. No matter whether you prefer your games with more typing or more clicking involved, if you can stand to read at least a minimum of text, you should definitely give some of the games a try.

Just as a reminder: You can easily participate on the competition's webpages (links can be found in the article). All you have to do is rate at least 5 games. But if you are like me, you can go a step further and publish your thoughts on our site. Any kind of feedback and/or reviews are most certainly welcome!

2018-10-06

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–insert obvious double-entendre something else being "ample" thing here–

Now you know everything about Innocent Until Caught's tonality you need to. Easy, wasn't it? If it doesn't put you off immediately, you can read all the rest, about gameplay in particular, but also graphics etc., in our full review. If, after all that, you still don't have enough, you could play the game yourself. Or check back here for news on the sequel. There is a sequel? Just wait for it…

2018-09-29

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Silmarils – many of their games are known for incredible premises, atmospheric visuals and sound, genre-bending gameplay… If this is what you're looking for, Starblade – reviewed by ThyPersonalSnoop – may be right up your alley. Or it may also severely disappoint and frustrate you, since this company is also very well known for some quite screwy design decisions, implementation weaknesses etc.

2018-09-22

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There we are. We made it! All the way from part 1 to 8. This one, called Insel der Wunder, concludes the Schwert & Magie series. It is almost a bit sad, as this game is indeed by far the best of the whole bunch. If things had continued in this way, I'm sure nobody would have minded. Then again, it is usually better to go with a bang rather than slowly fading away into mediocrity; which likely would have happened, as mediocrity is where the series came from, after all. So anyway, from this island of wonders, we'll be moving on to different shores in the coming weeks.

2018-09-17

Hold on a sec, what's in that trash can? Oh wow, 3 game reviews! Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 by someone mahan1241, Sensible Soccer by carlostex and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade by some email adress serwar@gmail.com. This must be our lucky day! Now, jokes aside, guys. Never completing your submissions and ignoring PMs isn't very cool and next time if you don't react soon enough your reviews may be ditched, all the more likely if their quality is hardly a redeeming factor. That said, we would like to encourage everyone to at least provide better material if you expect us to assist you with things like screenshots.

2018-09-15

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You have enough of this historically irrelevant and German-only series? I can imagine! Though I'm not someone to leave a job half done. What I started, I will finish. Even if this particular instance doesn't make it easy to still see the good. Fear not, though: Unter Wasser!, part 7 and the subjective low point this far, already comes on the last compilation disk. Meaning after this one, there is just one more to go. And, to maybe tease next week's inevitable update a little, don't give up on this series yet ;)

2018-09-08

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Cool World as we all know nowadays, turned out to be quite an uncool place when it hit the silver screen. Those few German who went to see the film didn't have much of an excuse anyway, as this accompanying computer game – made by Ocean – was released before the movie was actually shown. Its quality should have been a warning to prospective viewers. Hm, maybe it was, and that is why nobody went to see the film?

2018-09-04

We have receved a 3rd review on the all-time epic Leisure Suit Larry (VGA remake) from our newcomer mammal93. He thinks the game is overall crude, vulgar, offensive, hilarious and.. short? Well, I would agree on all counts but the last one. I think the game length provided is more than enough for just one miserable night spent in Lost Wages. And, don't forget, this is only 1991...

2018-09-01

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Let's recap. Part 4 took place in a magician's castle. This one takes us to a magician's tower. Running a bit thin on ideas, aren't you? Where Schwert und Magie initially surprised with the wide thematic range found in its entries, things are becoming more and more generic gradually. Though still two more games to go after Der Turm des Todes. Expectations are slowly decreasing, to be honest…

2018-08-28

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Back to Monkey Island with you to have a taste of LeChuck's Revenge! Our relatively new member mattsbone has finally decided to share his experience of one of the greatest Lucas Arts classic adventures which surely needs little introduction today. But if you still don't know who Guybrush Threepwood is, then... we are coming for you! Har har har!

2018-08-25

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An appropriate picture setting the mood for classic horror. Could have been more effective if the house were more towering, especially compared to the rowboat the protagonist (presumably) arrives in. A large mansion/castle dwarfing the tiny, tiny player vessel, signifying the hopelessness of the mission. But anyway, it's effective enough. A conclusion probably also appropriate for the game, Schwert und Magie 5: Das Haus des Vampirs, itself, isn't it?

2018-08-18

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Yup, yup, believe it or not – the game we introduce today is actually available for sale in physical format. Players not familiar with the Spanish language had to wait a while, but three translations of Retro Wars Episode IV¼ have been finished by now. Even if one has to wonder about the quality of the German version, considering "Deutsch" is misspelt right there on the promotional artwork. Ahem. Anyway, this one comes from the same dedicated team which already brought us Else we get mad!, which, in spite of its limitations, was quite a fun game, so let's take a look – because after all, you have the choice of buying or just legally downloading it freely as well. Great move!

2018-08-16

A second review on Starflight is done by carlostex. He calls it a masterpiece and rates it 6 despite some of the technical flaws. He also believes this game served as a model for later titles such as Star Control or even modern day Mass Effect.

2018-08-11

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Believe it or not, the title screen actually fits this time! Schwert und Magie 4: Die Burg des Magiers features a castle as its main setting, there is an evil magician as main antagonist, a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued and an armed hero. Strictly speaking, no snakes, though that's forgiveable. Nevertheless, the nagging suspicion remains that this equivalence could be by chance rather than by plan…

2018-08-04

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Probably not completely surprisingly, we continue with Schwert und Magie 3: Das Piratenhaus. So after a fairy tale and Lovecraftian horror, we switch to pirate treasure hunting. Quite a diverse series, isn't it? Also, this one even lets you choose its display font. Although most choices, honestly speaking, are close to unreadable. A feature which was omitted again from subsequent installments. One series tradition which is carried on, at least, is the total dissociation of the title screen motif from the actual game.

2018-07-28

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Yup, yup… they're still making them. A brand new Asteroids clone released only this year. Didn't expect that, did you? At least outside the typical large platforms of today and without a commercial background. Golden Wing looks like a promising effort in the area of amateur freeware games. Let's dive right in!

2018-07-21

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Wait, wait! Didn't we just have this one already? Indeed, it is the same title screen and the two games can be found on the same disk; two stories bundled and sold as an inseparable set. Nevertheless, it is worth looking at each part individually as Schwert und Magie 2: Der unheimliche Tempel does some things a little differently. Apart from having its original, fresh story, of course.

2018-07-14

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A knight fighting a dragon, lightning strikes… all that for little money? Looks extremely promising and exciting, doesn't it? What more could you possibly ask for? OK, for sure it would be nice to at least have an idea what that wizard head is doing in this floating bubble there. Or why the dragon attracts lightning – is it a robot? Intriguing! You'll find it all out in Schwert und Magie 1: Das geheimnisvolle Kraut. Spoiler: no armed knight in armor or dragons appear in the game.

2018-07-07

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If you have a winning formula, why not follow up in the same manner? After our brief visit to Joan of Arc, we go back further in time. All the way to ancient Egypt, where – so the game wants us to believe – the current year was actually prefixed with a "minus". Because they already knew what the later Christians would do to the calendar, of course. Anyway, that funny little observation aside, Day of the Pharaoh retains the by then established, pleasant mixture of strategy and small action sequences.

2018-07-05

Another goodie from SB1988, which is another Sierra game. This is the second review on Torin's Passage, a game by Al Lowe, who is the author of Leisure Suit Larry series himself. Surprised? SB1988 says that the game is overall pretty good, but it skips on some juicy bits which made his experience incomplete. The rumor has it, it was planned as a series bridging all the gaps, but that, alas, was never meant to happen.

2018-07-01

One of our very few but loyal contributors SB1988 is back with yet another great review, this time on King's Quest 5: Absence Makes the Heart go Yonder!. We learn that this was Sierra's first VGA game released in more than one language and also as a CD-ROM edition with digitized speech pack alongside floppy release. Makes me wonder who the hell had a CD drive back in 1990 and how many people were aware of its existence even...

2018-06-30

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Those following this website for some time may have noticed I usually consider a game showing strong character a positive trait. And why not? Who needs tons of faceless, bland, completely interchangeable material? Hellowoon has lots of character. So full steam ahead!

2018-06-23

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Even years after its release, Defender of the Crown remained one of the most imitated games on the market. Joan of Arc is probably the closest of these copycat games, as – even though the setting is changed to the nation-creating moment of the French people – even its medieval knight movie theme is virtually identical. There are even some indicators that it may have been "inspired" by an original design document of the earlier game rather than the finished game itself. So you may argue that this is what DotC was actually meant to be.

2018-06-17

Whoa! Thought the record of more than 1 game review at a time is beaten? Not so fast. Our new undisputed champ everyfan has sent in the whole of 6 reviews, 3 of which are also new games on TGOD, hence 90 points instead of expected 60. Surprised? The new games thus are: 1830: Railroads & Robber Barons, The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Terminator. Reviews for existing games are: Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and The Last Express. Perfectly done, enjoy our disk image archive and welcome to TGOD!

2018-06-09

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When I'm in the mood for a certain type of game, my thirst is often not quenched by one game alone. So after last week's dive into a text/character-based open-ended world exploration game, here is yet another one. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead clearly wins in direct comparison. So you're in for a treat – I would actually go as far as calling it one of the best new games of the last five years! At least if you like ultra-complex role-playing.

2018-06-02

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You all remember Robur the Conqueror, The Difference Engine and Steamboy, don't you? If they indeed do ring a bell, Steam Sky may be for you. Though it could be argued that this game may actually be the polar opposite of Steamboy's style over substance approach. In case you're not familiar with any of the mentioned works, but you're open to modern-day "retro" styled games, you should try it out anyway. It's a game of huge potential. Not everything may be worked out perfectly yet, but you would miss something if you remained ignorant.

2018-05-29

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A small treat from TheBattleCat, which is obviously a Super Mario-go-ducky kind of remake. Originally entitled in dutch as Charlie de Eend it later became known as Charlie the Duck, which is how the former translates, in fact. TheBattleCat does admit it is a children's game, but he also believes it is more challenging than it looks. Anyone cares to validate that?

2018-05-26

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Hm, Myth Drannor is already in the title of Eye of the Beholder III. I launched the game voluntarily. So do I want to enter or run away? Side information: to even get here, I already had to play for many hours, fighting my way through a long-ish maze among other challenges. So, again, are you really sure you want to ask me that, game? It says a lot about this product as a whole, however. A huge, scary prologue before what should be the game proper even begins.

2018-05-24

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LostInSpace has been on an adventurous trip lately. Back in our world of today, he us now ready to report and tell us about what he learned about the Shard of Inovar. It was a journey which may have taken him 30 years. A true epic!? Or is it just that LostInSpace is not so a proficient magic user? Could have been related to the uncommon technical approach to handling player actions as well. In any case, he seems to have enjoyed it.

2018-05-21

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Our adventure addict and dedicated Sierra fan beranmuden is back with a brand new review on Police Quest II: The Vengeance! As usual, a very detailed and comprehensive work. Perhaps, nailing the rest of Sierra games is, indeed, only a matter of time for this enthusiast. Oh, and NEC PC-9801 anime-like port? Wow, that's wicked!

2018-05-19

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My childhood wasn't just computer games. I also loved playing board games! Sitting around the living room table with the whole family, but of course only after long discussions what to play. Setting the board up was already part of the fun, admiring the tangible, small objects. Some games, I think, we never really played to the end. That wasn't even the goal. It depended on the game. Scotland Yard was indeed one which we did follow through to the end each time. Even if Mister X always won. Every single time. But wait… although the name and even the typeface matches, this isn't the same game, is it? Still, I know it, we had this one sitting in our cupboard, too!

2018-05-12

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Warm up the TV? When he is already wearing pyjamas and she'll slip into a red bit of nothing? Is this one of these "spot the error" sort of challenges? If so, it's neither a very hard, nor a particularly funny one. In any case, the guy on the right takes it literally and has to pay for his naivety: his Altered Destiny dictates he has to spend the evening stumbling through mazes and meeting weird aliens instead of cuddling with his girlfriend. Serves him right, he should have known TV is bad for his health!

2018-05-05

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Welcome to the forest. A fabled land where nobody ever laughs. Since, you know, animals are all quite serious in their nature and talk in very roundabout, stilted ways. Because, you know, that's how it is. The humans may have given the animals the ability to talk and walk upright, but they didn't give them a sense of humor. Which seems to be a big deal in Inherit the Earth.

2018-04-30

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It's LostInSpace's turn again. As you can easily recognize, he has been moving in the point and click adventure genre. Alien Incident is a genre entry which virtually nobody has ever heard of. One reason may be its origin, having been produced by a Finnish software company. I mean, who has ever heard of Finnish software being used anywhere? Oh, wait…

2018-04-29

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Put on your sunglasses and the white suit! Phew… wait, maybe dust it off first. Done? Then let's go – Miami Vice is back and we're right in the middle of it. It is what we always dreamed of, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it? Oh well, maybe 30 years ago, it would have been. Though whether you believe it or not, in spite of coming from Ocean, this game can actually be seen as the seminal precursor to what has become one of the most commercially successful video game franchises by now. Now I've got you hooked, eh?

2018-04-28

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Space, monsters, smoking guns. You just can't get enough, can you? Welcome back to sanguinary martian inferno and once again prepare to meet your... Doom! A thrice celebrated FPS classic covered by a young newcomer TheBattleCat. Welcome!

2018-04-23

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Trugg is game #3 coming from casmith, and it isn't completely dissimilar to the previous two. This one comes with a custom gameplay video, though! On a related note, have you ever noticed how 3 is the exact number of game entries which many contributors have attributed to their name? Losing interest a bit too quickly, it seems.

2018-04-22

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…and the million dollar question is: who recognizes this movie poster? Not just the two protagonists, that's easy. Right, it is the movie with the colourful beach buggy! Not that anyone can tell the titles of those films apart. Unfortunately, one of the two idols pictured has died in the meantime. Posthumously, he now receives additional recognition through this brand new fighting game called Else We Get Mad!

2018-04-21

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casmith again, following up with a game which is not as pretty. Not even close. Yet, Micro! Deluxe is another puzzle game, a genre severely underrepresented on our site. Still plenty of empty space to fill there!

2018-04-20

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Sure, that's a cool title screen, isn't it? Can't you already imagine the thrill of being chased by a dinosaur? The adrenaline rush is coming? Then please don't be disappointed, because Stone Age isn't quite like that. Still, a good one if casmith is to be believed.

2018-04-17

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Moving on from my football update to somewhat more interesting kinds of sports, Grand Monster Slam also involves kicking a ball as its primary activity. Hm, no, correction. It is actually not a ball, but a rather round animal. So unfortunately, this is not a game which can claim for itself that no animals have been harmed during a play session… but just wait for the "Revenge of the Beloms" bonus level!

2018-04-14

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And next from Garnett Williams is anything but little known classic RPG by Broderbund The Dark Heart Of Uukrul. Detailed, comprehensive, enthusiastic. What else can I say? Oh, and congrats on your 50 points, you finally did it!

2018-04-14

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Newcomer Garnett Williams provides second and third opinions on a number of games at once: Paratrooper, Digger and Akalabeth: World of Doom. Quite a varied selection, wouldn't you think? Though the three have one thing in common: they all go back to the earliest age of commercial computer gaming. There is more to come.

2018-04-08

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Football, football, football! Like every European, I was a big fan of it as a kid. Only in my case, I lost interest when I grew up. Unlike many other people around me. Though this website is, to some degree, about things I knew growing up, of course. So football is at least an occasional topic around here. European Soccer Challenge is one of the many games which tried to cash in on the football hype. According to some other thematic websites, it is considered "rare". So let's unearth it.

2018-04-04

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If somebody comes along with the username contrafan, what is your guess which game he's going to cover? Why, Metal Gear, of course! Not kidding, that is indeed the first game he reviewed for our little website. Closely followed by Contra. Phew… Oh, and Super C (also known as Super Contra) as well. Three games in a day? And ultra-obscure versions of them as well? Seems like we have a real expert here – welcome!

2018-04-03

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…and he deserved it, the sucker! I'm giving this planet to my daughter as a present. And why not? Let's just hope she won't backstab me later, so I'll better be careful.

Starlord's strength lies in the permanent uncertainty. You may have just scored a major military victory, but it may turn into a Pyrrhic one. Not just due to the obvious reasons (e.g. having lost too many fighters), but also due to other, more subtle effects. Maybe you have angered a more powerful, highly influential friend, ally or direct superior of the lord you have just beaten on the battlefield. Meaning a vastly superior force may be on the way to your own home world as you are still bathing in the glory of destruction. These are considerations not governed by game rules, but enabled by them, as it happens in good game concepts. If only this one's implementation were more playable…

2018-03-24

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If I could only… jump, I would be able to finally get this stupid &"%! rune! It's a little sad when interface restrictions like that hold you up in games, isn't it? It is even more sad if this happens in 1996 should really have been up to a standard when it could enable players rather than obstruct them. Ring Cycle didn't actually anger and frustrate many people with issues like this one. For the simple reason that basically nobody has ever played it. Surely, beneath interface awkwardness, there is an amazing game to be found there, right?

2018-03-17

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You know what's really useful in real-time based games? A time compression function. To illustrate: swooosh, there go the ten years between 1985 and 1995, in just a couple of days! The Lords of Midnight are back, visiting a citadel this time. Or once again. We all know how it is when old acquaintances visit. It could go well and you immediately click again. Or it turns into an evening of awkward silence as there is really nothing linking you anymore. Or you spend your time looking at their botched facelift in total disbelief, failing to make your stare not too obvious.

2018-03-14

Strange how things can happen. After long silence we get two reviews from two different people on the same day with only one hour break in-between. And here is a rather ancient RPG game Akalabeth from Darknat and a strategy Attila from gennarsteam, which is the English version of Caesar game originally in German. No, not '92 Caesar by Impressions, but by some other dude who thought it would be very clever and original to use a reserved title in 1996. Can you believe that? Thanks a lot you guys and welcome to TGOD!

2018-03-10

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Here we go again, back in the lands of Midnight… no, wait, Icemark! May look somewhat familiar anyway. Oh, and although the game is called Doomdark's Revenge, there is absolutely no trace of the titular baddie. This is all so confusing! Ah, wait, but there is some dungeon crawling now. Amazing! And what is that? I've won the game? A random NPC killed the main baddie while I was just doing first baby steps? Huh? This should better be investigated.

2018-03-07

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This time, we're really going back to a game which undeniably belongs to the seminal classics of history: The Lords of Midnight! I know, I know, this is usually where most readers turn away; after all, you are rightly asking for games to be fun, not just "super important for history". Bear with me on this one. You may find it will be worth it – because historically important artifacts may also still have kept their value nowadays…

2018-03-04

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Hm, fair point made by Mr. CEO Dracula there. We may have been a little naive there. Ruling cyberspace is something only great minds can achieve. Like Jobe, for instance. Or a true immortal like himself? This isn't going to end well…

Or rather, it didn't even begin well? Back when I bought Bloodnet, I was really impressed by the mixture of horror and cyberpunk elements. Never got far in the game, though. LostInSpace will tell you exactly why.

2018-02-26

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It's amazing. Back when this site started (today, 18 long years ago…), this hobby was regarded as extremely weird. After all, the general opinion was, why waste time with ugly, boring old games when you can just play the latest 3D shooter? Nowadays, the whole "retro" thing is in full swing. It has even turned into a viable market again, for better or worse. Almost on the side (by now), there is also a dedicated community of enthusiasts who create new games in old style and for old systems in their spare time. Is it a golden age for people like us? Considering the annoyance of our valued hobby being reduced to a Pacman logo on a shirt in many cases, maybe not. Though there can still be a lot of "pure" enjoyment – as in Mine Cave!

2018-02-24

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Psycho Pinball, also known as "the pinball game with the evil clown". It was subject to a huge marketing campaign in the appropriate print magazines, featuring this rendered, freaky face. Which, honestly, may have given some wrong expectations as to what the game actually is. And how it plays. Which is not to say it's a bad game. Not at all. Just see for yourself.

2018-02-17

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Yes, Bazooka Sue is this stupid. Just in case you've been wondering. Oh, you haven't? Bad luck, you cannot escape now! Ironically, although our site is called The Good Old Days, we've always been dedicated to also keep the bad memories alive. Fuzzy memories through tose-tinted glasses? Sure, there were some great games in the past, but to find these, you had to wade through waves of crud. Crud which was even positively reviewed in the magazines of the time. Good thing nobody sees the need to bribe us anymore these days, so we can identify the real gems and explicitly warn you of the crop.

2018-02-15

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Death takes a holiday. Which is actually a bit of a problem, really. Think about overpopulation. Then think about overpopulation in a world not as large as ours, but actually one which is located on the back of a giant turtle travelling through space. Giant, but not that giant. You see? If not, let Discworld II: Missing Presumed…!? (believe it or not: we've got the original version, not the one retitled for the US) illustrate.

2018-02-11

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And the next thing we knew our shuttle was infested with bloodthirsty xenomorph-like creatures. What are we doing here, commander drathan? Guess now we have no other choice but to put on these heavy armor suits and fight for our lives in Space Hulk!

2018-02-09

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Oh boy, I haven't seen this one in a while! When I first saw this Pacman & Boulder Dash mutant I wasn't very much impressed and thought it's just one of those many obscure rejects. Now I realize, it's exactly games like this that make you shed a tear or two after a while. Behold, the legendary Supaplex and our new contributor drathan, who has also shared this disk image for the first time. Good job and welcome to TGOD!

2018-02-03

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Doc Brown gets Toonstruck! Like many B or C class actors, Christopher Lloyd was contracted to lend his name, voice and physical shape to a computer game production when the advent of the CD-ROM with its increased storage capacity allowed for digitized people to appear on screen. Which he did – surrounded by cartoon figures. Good thing he had already trained for this in an earlier movie…

2018-01-29

Hello. This is Vagabond speaking... not. I must say, today I've been born a certain time again, but I thought this Vagabond guy is not exactly what I am and I should better reincarnate into something more fitting. The thought has lingered for a couple of years now and finally the time has come to unleash it. And thanks to Mr Creosote, without him my quality rebirth wouldn't be possible. So long, Vagabond. Greetings...

2018-01-27

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Wild West – The Incredible Adventures of Donald Reddish. Yes, you have never heard of it. It is probably the rarest Adventure game to have come out in the 1990s. Huge thanks go out to fuxxxyfloppy for discovering a working disk set and sending it in! Of course, such a scoop has to be celebrated by giving the game full coverage. Maybe this humble review will help to spread the word about this game's existence.

2018-01-20

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The mid-1990s were a great time for the Adventure genre. Quantity-wise. Though the more choice there is, the harder it is to choose, isn't it? So here is some support (~20 years late) with that. The Gene Machine – The Great British Adventure did not exactly make it to the top of everybody's lists of games which should be remembered, even though it is in fact a very typical game of its time. So even if it may not be the best, you could learn a lot about those years by having a look.

2018-01-14

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Hold on! Why is there an anti-air missile system parading in front of the Roman emperor? Welcome to a world where even slaves have their rights laid out in a union-negotiated contract, where our hero wears a toga, but also sneakers and where you can place prank phone calls to the Praetorian Guard. Welcome to the real (?) Imperium Romanum!

2018-01-13

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jeffro11's next move is Brix, a puzzle board game featuring... bricks. And don't tell me you knew it! Looks like this game is an extremely evolved version of Puzznic, because now you can move around bricks and not puzznics. Eh? No, wait, folks... there is actually a little bit more to it!

2018-01-10

My apologies for a little delayed reaction. SB1988 comes back after a short break and shakes us with yet another flamboyant and extensive review on King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride. You definitely got the touch, dude! Incidentally, I happen to be one of those "haters" who don't really dig this new at the time cartoonish (or is it Dragon Lair-ish?) move with still dumber controls. I was never a big fan of icon system to begin with, but that sucker completely killed the experience for me. Now, it's for that very reason I never finished Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail!, it just seemed too dull and overinteractive. Still though, it is nice to know there are people who love Sierra regardless and can appreciate it from many different angles.

2018-01-07

Why wasn't I ever into RPGs? I don't know. Why almost everyone else loves them? Beats me. Perhaps, it requires an RPG mindset. Anyway, SB1988 presents us with a 3rd look on Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos in a very detailed, classy and literary fashion. Mind you, it's exactly reviews like this that people like to steal from other sources, like wiki, etc. Only this time "hoofs" gave you out, so checking wasn't necessary ;)

2018-01-06

Recently we took a look at the return of an adventure game legend, one of the few successful atempts at reliving that good old nostalgic moments. As you might remember overall we liked Thimbleweed Park, but there were a couple of things we could not quite stand about it, one of the main ones was the constant selfpraise. So, why not go back to the source of it and try to shed some light on the reasons why they padded themselves so much on their shoulders? Yes, today I am taking a look at The Secret Of Monkey Island

2018-01-03

It surprises me that even on days like these when people are supposed to keep on partying and celebrating holidays we get more than one contributor within a short time period. This is slightly anomalous for our practice, which makes me think, there is probably more to this global warming sucker than I thought...

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Anyway, whatever the season, we dearly welcome newcomers and their treats. guld here has brought us Crypto Cube, an obscure pre-AT educational game, which includes both review and a disk image. Thank you and welcome!

2018-01-01

Sorry for a little belated announcement. Celebration and all, you know *hick*. We wish you all a Happy New Year and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed in 2017. Particularly: derceto, troublemind, flyers80, fuxxxyfloppy, bjt, Chiochio, perfectnarcosis and others. And last but not the least, Mr Creosote (our great leader) has written 101 reviews this year which breaks his personal annual record! Congratulations!

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