Looting ships, sword fights, raids and exploration all rolled up into simple game mechanics that you can pick up in a matter of minutes. Many years later, Sid Meier re-made Pirates and improved on the basic mechanics of the original game. Here is a short description from mobygames.com:

As with the original, this is a blend of strategy, action and adventure. Pirates! Gold lets you play the role of a beginning buccaneer in the 17th century Spanish Main, in search of fame and fortune. Each town in this untamed raw region has different surprises and dangers.

How you acquire stature is up to you; you can make your living through honest trade and the search for hidden treasure, or you can be a little more daring and attack and plunder ships. As you can choose a specific skill to stand out in, the game can vary each time. Sword fighting is played out in side-view action sequences.

I had a very good time playing this game again. Ninja’s still rule though…

[Original Source: mobygames.com]

]]> http://vlifeblog.com/2009/08/oldies-game-profile-pirates-gold/feed/ 1 http://vlifeblog.com/2009/07/oldies-game-profile-indycar-racing/ http://vlifeblog.com/2009/07/oldies-game-profile-indycar-racing/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:35:01 +0000 PChan http://vlifeblog.com/?p=195

Back in the day, Papyrus was the king of the racing sim; long before Polyphony Digital and Grand Turismo. IndyCar was a game that I was never quite good at but it had enough assistance to help me play the game. I’ve never been a huge fan of the IndyCar racing series but this game is was a load of fun.

The graphics were amazing for 1993, I didn’t think anything could look more real. Of course, I was wrong. The game had the right amount of realism settings that I could turn off to make the experience as real or arcadie (sic) as possible. Here’s a little description from mobygames.com:

IndyCar Racing is Papyrus’ second racing game, four years after the release of Indianapolis 500. With an official license, all the real track names and designs are available (eight in total), with authentic sponsors and logos. Other features include multiple TV-type replays, a comprehensive garage and setup routine and breakaway parts when making contact with other cars. This is a pure open-wheel simulation, based on the American races, with realistic car handling and room for racing techniques based on grip, ideal racing lines, and throttle-to-brake interaction.

Playing this game for a few minutes I realize how much the Sim Racing genre has grown and how much this game paved the way for the Forza and GT series. Still time well spent.

[Original Source: mobygames.com]

So the original Battlezone was way before most of us. I think I was still too young to even know what a video game was. Heck, I didn’t even know there was an original Battlezone until I read the feature in PCGamer Magazine.  I think for 1998 it was a really innovative mix of strategy and shooter. One of the more memorable missions was when I had to drive my tank up a cliff and eject myself out into the enemy base to steal one of their tanks and use it against them. I never finished the game which is why I’m installing it again on one of my older machines. I hate not finishing games so I definitely don’t mind re-doing the missions again.

So here’s a short description from mobygames.com:

The history you knew is a lie. There was no Space Race.

The real story is simple… In 1950′s, American and Soviet scientists have discovered alien bio-metal that arrived via meteorites. The bio-metal can be quickly and efficiently be turned into amazing weapons and vehicles. Soon all the bio-metal has been “harvested”, but neither side have “enough”. So the space program is launched to gather MORE bio-metal from the other planets… And fight over the bio-metal deposits.

And now, you are in command of these advanced units. Can you stop the Soviet onslaught?

Battlezone is a first-person RTS where you both command your own vehicle as well as direct other units to fight with you or do other things. You send out harvesters to scavenge bio-metal scraps, which can be turned into units via your Recycler, Mobile Unit Factory, and/or Construction Rig. You then build offensive and/or defensive units that will help you accomplish your mission, all in first-person 3D.

The interface is very intuitive. Put crosshair on unit and hit “command” (defaults to “space”). You then get menu of that unit, with a default command already selected. If you want the default command, point crosshair to target and press “command” again. For example, if you want the tank to attack enemy tank, point at your tank, hit command, point at enemy tank, hit command again. You can issue goto commands the same way, as well as all the other types of commands with this simple and efficient command system.

You can bail out of vehicles that is almost destroyed. You can then use your rifle (with sniper mode) to take out the enemy pilot and hijack his vehicle for your own use. You can even order your own pilot to head back to base on foot so you can grab his vehicle.

You can’t expand forever as you’re limited by the number of pilots you have, the amount of bio-metal you have, and the number of thermal geysers you have access to. Thus, you have to balance speed, armor, and firepower when you decide what vehicles you should manufacture.

If you have time to play this oldie or see it in a bargain bin for $5 bucks. Pick it up and play it for a few minutes… though you probably won’t play for a few minutes since it’s a very good game!

[Original Source: mobygames.com]

Caesar II is set in the time of ancient Rome, and lets you try to be the next Caesar. You start with one province and have to build an efficient city. To do this you’ll have to manage the water supply properly, make sure the city is policed well, and provide adequate education, entertainment, baths, and temples (which also hold your money and can be robbed if you don’t have enough protection).

At some point, possibly more then once, you’ll have to defend your province from invading tribes that don’t really want you there. You also have to connect all the little villages in the province with roads and make some industry, like stone mining, grapes, etc. for which you can then create markets in your city.

When you have achieved the necessary requirements, you’ll be able to start all over again in a new and more challenging province. Do well enough and you can become the new Caesar.

One of the many PC games I used to play all the time when I was younger. I loved the mix of Simcity with a little bit of strategy game play. I remember getting quite annoyed at the computer constantly nagging me about more “plebs”. Oh memories…

If you were into the old city sim games, I urge you to get DOSBOX and find yourself a copy of this game. I think it still holds up pretty well even for today. The minute I started playing again, I got sucked back in and 2 hours seemed to go by like minutes. It is a bit confusing at first but you can always view a faq which should point you in the right direction. Enjoy this one!

[description by: mobygames.com]

I love classic games. I probably play more classic games than the more recent ones. Daggerfall is one of the few that I played like a mad man. It was the first game of it’s kind that I was interested in and one that I was well immersed in. The world was absolutely massive and the game had an almost unlimited amount of quests to do. I’ve probably played the game 300+ hours. Yes, now that I recall that I realize I’m rather a sad human being. Oh well, go download it and see for yourself.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/downloads_games.htm

[original source: kotaku.com]

Many have asked where I download my old games from so I just thought I’d post a link to http://gog.com. It has a very good catalogue and the games are either $9.99 or $5.99. Selections include Fallout 1&2, Tex Murphy and Megarace! Some of these games are a steal at these prices. I love taking a walk down memory lane with the games I grew up with on PC.

For all you Street Fighter 4 fans on the PC. SF4 is available on Steam for $39.99. I think it’s quite a steal considering I bought it for $69.99 + tax. I’m considering the purchase if the game plays well online.

Just came across this sweet looking game made by an ex-employee of Capcom. I love 2D fighters so I’m hoping to give this a try later. Just thought I’d share =).

Game can be downloaded here.

[original post: kotaku.com]