Hello fellow humans. We've got a plethora of out-of-this-world treats this week with a quintet of alien-themed gems. This marks our 400th game on the site (have you checked them all out?)! Don't panic with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Collection (1984-2010 Various), a four-game package including the classic Infocom text-adventure and the fanmade remake. Solve some pre-algebraic equations in Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery (1994 Davidson & Associates). Then have a game of intergalactic air hockey in Shufflepuck Cafe (1989 Brøderbund Software Inc). Filter fact from fiction in the educational CD-ROM all about aliens in Sightings: The UFO Encyclopedia (1997 Paramount Pictures). Lastly, shoot some alien bugs in the real-time-strategy Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy (2000 Blue Tongue Inc).
Click on the images below to head on over to the game page.
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Various (Compilation)
Windows / WinFrotz / DOS
Adventure-Interactive Fiction- Sci Fi-Comedy
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1994 Davidson & Associates
Windows 3.1
Edutainment-Point & Click-Adventure-Sci Fi
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1989 Brøderbund Software Inc
DOS / Amiga
Sport-Arcade-Air Hockey-Sci Fi
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1997 Paramount Pictures
Windows '95
Edutainment-Sci Fi-Aliens!
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2000 Blue Tongue Inc
Windows
Strategy-Real Time-Sci Fi-Insects!
Like this? Try These...
can i request some games LORD OF THE RINGS VOLUME 1 and 2 and A Fork in the Tale thanks and Knight Orc
ReplyDeleteYou can request anything, as far as I know, except for currently sold games. However, Biffman's request list is rather large, apparently, so perhaps one shouldn't rely on him for everything. For example, Knight Orc is an 80s DOS game which is very easy to run using DOSBox, or a DOSBox front-end like D-Fend Reloaded. The game can be downloaded from umpteen abandonware sites (e.g. myabandonware?), then dragged and dropped into D-Fend, where it is automatically set up. It couldn't be simpler. A Fork in the Tale is a more sensible request, as that is an early Windows game from the late 90s, hence harder to set up on modern systems. I don't know anything about the content, though.
ReplyDeleteI like getting requests, even if it may take a very long time til I get to them if at all. Discovering interesting games I had missed or forgotten about is one of the best things about doing this site. I'll add both LOTRs, Fork in the Tale & Knight Orc to the request list but as always, I can't guarantee anything. This site and YouTube channel is keeping me very busy during the lockdown even without the image error I just created for myself :P
DeleteHey Biffman.
DeleteI've tried not to bother you with requests, cos I know you are a busy man.
But since you like getting requests... I'd like to request some games please. ( :
- Midnight Nowhere
- Agapito's Crazy Adventure
- Armed & Delerious (AKA Dementia)
- Sherlock Holmes: Case Of The Serrated Scalpel
- Sherlock Holmes: Case Of The Rose Tattoo
- Conspiracies 1 & 2
- Martin Mystere
Hello! Most of those are on my radar. I have the Sherlock Holmes games working, though I've not played or tested them and Dementia is proving to be a bit of a bugger. I own Midnight Nowhere and Martin Mystere though I haven't played them since release. I've added them to the request list but as always I can't guarantee if or when I'll get to them.
DeleteGreat additions, Frodo! I understand the pleasure of hearing about obscure games now. I had honestly never heard of Agapito's, and only vaguely heard the name Dementia once. I would be delighted if any of these made it into the Collection Chamber.
DeleteI too have the two early 90s Sherlock games working. It's easy because of SCUMMVM, which I mentioned in the previous thread. More people should become familiar with it. All they need to do is download it from their website (it is only 37.4 MB in size), install it, place the games' data files in their game directory, browse from SCUMMVM to each game and select it, and then launch! You know how we always fret about how to run launcher files on modern systems? That's not an issue here, because you don't need any launcher files at all, only the game's data files!
This is a list of games compatible with the SCUMMVM engine:
https://www.scummvm.org/compatibility/
And these are the data files that are required for each game to run (note: no launchers!):
https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Datafiles
I forgot to mention that the data files of these two 90s Sherlock games can be found on several abandonware sites, such as myabandonware.
DeleteI believe one is a floppy game from 1992 and the other is a CD game from 1996, but the SCUMMVM team have made both equally compatible with their engine.
I know you like getting requests, which is why I started with: "You can request anything". "However", I was thinking about the interests of Anonymous as well as the interests of this site. Supposing Anonymous is truly desperate to play Knight Orc, or some other early DOS game, then he/she would be far better off following my simple steps rather than waiting for you to tackle it, possibly never. And supposing Anonymous is the type of person who can only speak up once, as many others called Anonymous are, then they would be better off using that single post to request things they can't easily run themselves, such as A Fork in the Tale.
ReplyDeleteSO, if you want to hear obscure suggestions, I've got some! Unlike the carefully selected list of 20 I suggested years ago, which included Amber, Ripper, Stupid Invaders and Byzantine, I make no guarantee of quality in the following list:
The Cassandra Galleries
Celtica
The C.H.A.O.S. Continuum
China: The Forbidden City
Connections
Crusader: A Conspiracy in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Cydonia - Mars: The First Manned Mission, aka Lightbringer
Golden Gate
The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin
Liath: World Spiral
Pilgrim: Faith as a Weapon
Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom
The Martian Chronicles
Ring: The Legend of the Nibelungen
Robot City
Sentient
Time Warrior: The Armageddon Device
Timescape: Journey to Pompeii
Treasure Hunter
Vikings
Voyeur II
Zeddas: Servant of Sheol
Zero Zone
Good list, James! I've made some preliminary moves on a good number of them like Celtica, China, Golden Gate, Liath, Qin, Robot City, Sentient, Timescape, Zeddas (and its two Japanese language sequels) and Zero Zone. I had issues trying to run Ring and Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin, but as I've said, I've only spent a small amount of time on each - others may run into errors too. Every now and then I try out a big batch just to see if it launches which helps deciding future choices.
Deletehello beefman. thank you for making these old games playable agane. You are awesome. id like to request Return Fire & Return Fire 2. ps. do you have a list of requested games posted on here that we could take a look at.
ReplyDeleteHello, I'll add those game to the list. You can find the link to it in the FAQ.
DeleteIt's so weird that I've been on this site for years and never knew about that list (although I see the first comment was on January 22nd, 2020, so it may only be a recent addition to the Chamber). I must be rather poor at following clues. That doesn't speak well of me as an adventure gamer! Need to sharpen up and be more observant...
ReplyDeleteEdit: No, wait! The archives show the first comment was made in Dec 2016! Damn, I really do need to be more observant.
ReplyDeletei'm surprised it isn't any bigger. its cool browsing through that list and seeing a bunch old windows 95 dos games on there. :)
DeleteThe request list was relatively recent, even though I've been personally collating it from the beginning (I also have loads more I want to add too). I was reticent to make it public as I didn't want people to confuse it for a promise. The FAQ's been there since 2016 and garnered a large ammount of comments, which is why I've archived them on their separate page. It got a bit unwieldly. Even now I can unintentionally overlook comments on occasion.
Delete