Day 3 of the Collection Chamber Christmas Countdown is already here, and today's game is a classic point-and-click adventure called Ween: The Prophecy(1992 Coktel Vision). Using ScummVM, the Scandinavian-inspired fantasy contains three versions; the definitive DOS version as well as the Amiga and Atari ST ports which differ slightly. Check out this doozy of a game after the jump.
I'm a bit hot-and-cold over tomorrow's game, but I'm sure it'll melt your heart regardless...
We're halfway through our Christmas Countdown, and we return to all that is pink with Pink Panther in Hokus Pokus Pink (1998 Wanderlust Entertainment), the sequel to Passport to Peril from a few days ago. The first one was a surprisingly hilarious time, so how does this slightly spooky follow up fare? Head on after the jump to find out - and stay tuned for more festive festivities in the days to come!
Day 2 of the Chamber Christmas Countdown and we're travelling around the world with fuchsia feline in Pink Panther's Passport to Peril (1996 Wanderlust Interactive, Inc). It's a surprisingly chucklesome point-and-click adventure for kids with some mean jokes and even meaner stereotypes. Enjoy!
Day 3 of the Christmas Countdown and we have a sequel! I recently reviewed Sherlock Holmes' first Lost Files, but now it's time for my take on The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo (1996 Mythos Software & Electronic Arts). It's another classic point-and-click adventure with digitised sprites and decent voice work. Give it a go by checking out the link after the jump.
The end of July is here, and so there is another quintet of games I managed to get working on Windows 10. There were a few stops and starts this time, with several projects having to be put aside due to bugs and crashes later in the game. I thought I managed to get the long-gestating Dark Side of the Moon working, but it constantly crashed on me when ringing the bell at the casino (you'll know if you've played it). Another was Liath: WorldSpiral before I found out some of the speech was all buggered. It looked like it could've been true of the original release, but there's so little information out there that isn't in Russian so I can't be sure. Alas neither was meant to be. Nor my punctualty it seems, as I've again merged two months of of games into one for the video round-up. You can check it out below if you want to see these games in action. Then, once you've done so, click on the links after the jump to read their full review and play them for yourselves. There's some doozies too, including the action-fest that is Esoteria: Techno-Assassin of the Future (1998 Mobeus Design & Kirin Entertainment), the puzzle-fest that is Jewels of the Oracle (1995 Discis Entertainment), the sports-fest that is Alien Olympics (1994 Dark Technologies Ltd & Mindscapre Inc), the loogie-fest that is Beavis & Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity (1995 Viacom New Media) and the IP theft of Zona 0 (1990 Topo Soft). Enjoy!
I may have bitten off more than I can chew with April's quintet of games edging into May. At least there's loads here to sink your teeth into, including three adventure games; The Beverly Hillbillies (1993 IntraCorp), Return to Ringworld (1994 Tsunami Media) and Hollywood Monsters(1997 Pendulo Studios). The last one has been translated into English from its original Spanish, with the Manual translation created by yours truly. On top of all that, there's the cinematic platformer on the Super Nintendo called Nosferatu (1994 SETA Corporation) and a collection of games based on Total Recall(1990-1991 Ocean Software & Acclaim Entertainment). Dig in!
There's only one update this month which coincided with my Top 10 Unexpected Movie Licences. Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's Revenge (1995, Motion Picture Corporation of America Interactive) got a manual and some DOSBox love, so check that out too if you haven't already.
VIDEO COMING SOON!
** EDIT: Real life has intervened so I will combining April's video with May's. Stay tuned for that!**
March marked the 6th anniversary of the Collection Chamber, and over 470 (not including compilations) games have been reviewed and made playable again! There's more to come, including this month's random quintet. Dylan Dog: The Murderers (1991-1992 Simulmondo) is a cinematic platformer based on the classic Italian comic series. Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2 (1992 Infocom) is a love letter to 50's sci-fi B-movies and big-breasted women with an insane amount of humour. The 1st one is also included. To get your racing fix on, try Maximum Roadkill (1996 Take-Two Interactive) for some sci-fi infused speed. Ringworld: Revenge of the Patriarch (1992 Tsunami Media) is a good-looking point-and-click adventure bsed on the works of Larry Niven. Lastly, Xargon (1994 Epic MegaGames) is a classic PC platformer - and one of the few that could possibly rival those on consoles.
There's one update this month, and if you've seen my Animaniacs ranking video you probably know about it. The Animaniacs Collection now has an additional game - River Adventure. It was too small a game to justify its own review so the new version has conveniently added it. Head on ove to that game's page for more info.
February's games are here and we start with the last remaining game in the Animani-verse with Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure (1999 SouthPeak Interactive). This one's a platformer, so read read on to see if it lives up to Konami's 16-bit classics. If you want something a little more serious, then check out the incredibly obscure Death by Dark Shadows (1994 William R. Fisher III), a dark and spooky cinematic platformer that has you play as a black panther. Following on from last month's educational adventure comes EcoQuest II: The Lost Secrets of the Rainforest (1993 Sierra On-Line) which sees you befriending an Amazonian bat as opposed to dolphin royalty. Still, I'm sure there's still enough litter picking to keep an average ex-con out of trouble. If you're a racing fan, why not try the first NASCAR Racing (1994 Papyrus Design Group)? It pits up to 38 stock cars against each other in an early polygonal crash-fest. Then, in a blatant move to be topical, there's Vaxine (1990 The Assembly Line) which has you throwing multicoloured balls around in the psychedelic brain of patient zero. I'm glad real-life vaccines don't work that way, otherwise we'd be screwed.
On top of all this, there are a couple of updates to mention too. Alice: An Interactive Museum (1991-94 Synergy Interactive Corp) and the cancelled WarCraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans (Blizzard Entertainment) have received new versions. Check out their pages for more details.
Watch the video round up below before checking them out yourself by following the links after the jump.
New year, old games. And there's a few stonkers here. There's more zany antics in Animaniacs: Splat Ball (1999 SouthPeak Interactive), a fantastic tryst with legend in Arthur's Knight: Tales of Chivalry (1999 Cryo Interactive), a rollercoaster design tool called Coaster (1993 Disney Interactive), an ecological adventure with EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (1991 Sierra On-Line) and some barbaric fist punches in Savage Warriors(1995 Mindscape Inc).
Alas, there are no updates. Or a video - yet. A few drunken Zoom parties laid to rest any illusions of punctuality. It's half done, covering all of December too, so expect it in the coming day(s).
I've played a fair few FMV games in my time and regardless of their overall quality, they all tend to share the same problem - a conflict between the game's design and the rigid nature of moviemaking. Published by Sierra in 1996, Coktel Vision's Urban Runner epitomises all that can go wrong when the two art forms collide.
Treat yourself to a plethora of retro gaming goodness this June on the Collection Chamber. Play some wacky minigolf in 3D Ultra MiniGolf (1997 Sierra On-Line), uncover a corrupt police force in the Amiga RPG Captive II: Liberation (1993 Mindscape) then solve some devious puzzles in The Island of Dr. Brain (1992 Sierra On-Line). There are more brain teasers to be found in Marble Drop (1997 Maxis) but if you want some action, try out the criminally underrated FPS Wrath of Earth (1995 Assix Software).
While in lockdown, I've visited a number of places throughout history without leaving the slight discomfort of my cheap gaming chair. From Ancient Rome to China's Garden of Perfect Brightness, the virtual holidays are a perfect way to satisfy any unrequited wanderlust. Recently, I travelled to Versailles circa 1685 thanks to a little game by Cryo Interactive Entertainment.
Occupy your quarantined mind with April's selection of games from the Collection Chamber. Flip some balls in a theme park in 3D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride (2000 Dynamix). Solve some science puzzles in The Castle of Dr. Brain (1991 Sierra On-Line). Enter a VR sporting tournament in Locus (1995 Zombie LLC). Cure infected minds in Plague: In the Maze of the Mind (1996 Microforum) then cure infected hard drives in Virus: The Game (1997 Kiddum Multimedia & Telstar Electronics). Head on in to check them out.
A man stumbles into a town at night on his way to a lively tavern. With his pithy one-liners and over-confident swagger, he's travelled a great distance with one ambition; to be a mighty pirate... I mean musketeer! Touche: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer (1995, Clipper Software & U.S.Gold) wears its inspiration on its sleeve but the change of location and overall plot does just enough to give it its own identity, and not be a shameless ripoff of The Secret of Monkey Island.
There are actually 12 games in September's monthly 5 if you include ports and compilations so it'll keep you busy as Autumn officially rolls in. First up is the 4th 3D Ultra Pinball game; the stock car themed 3D Ultra NASCAR Pinball. Next is the cyberpunk stylings of B.A.T. II: The Koshan Conspiracy, the bigger-budgeted sequel to last months adventure/RPG hybrid. The legendary developers at ORIGIN added some fantasy to their cyberpunk in the ahead-of-its-time FPS CyberMage: Darklight Awakening. Then travel back in time to a compilation of early Sierra graphical text adventures under the Hi-Res Adventures banner, including the official tie-in to The Dark Crystal film (damn, that Netflix prequel show was good!). Then, tend to a farm in another entry into Maxis' Sim series in the aptly titled SimFarm.
For us adventure gamers, the huge popularity of Myst is something of a catch-22. On the one hand, we had some amazing games that used the formula to great effect. On the other hand, it also spawned a huge number of quickly produced copycats that flooded the market that did nothing but sully the genre's name. Rocket Science's expensive 1996 effort, Obsidian, failed in the marketplace perhaps suffering from the expectation that it could be the latter. It is, in fact, the former and has since gained a following for being a shining example of what storytelling in video games can achieve.
The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth sure lives up to its title. Set in the post-apocalyptic world of Vlurxtrznbnaxl, this 1994 gem from Coktel Vision who created the Gobliiins series, amps up the craziness, unleashing a memorable adventure with a penchant for odd sounding syllables.
The evil green Borx are taking over the galaxy! Can Chewy and his pal Clint steal the plot device to save their world? Evidently not, as Clint is sucked into a wormhole and Chewy is captured by those slimy creatures. We're back in Point & Click adventure gaming territory with BlueBytes' 1995 game Chewy: ESC from F5...
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