New Scaratings

Here are a few screen shots:

..........

"Martian Gothic: Unification" (2000) is perhaps the best computer game I have ever played. However, after going to Windows 7, I have a problem. It will not play, and gives me an error message that says "This program can't start because d3drm.dll is missing from your computer."

Do any of you computer geeks out there have an idea how I can resolve this problem?

Here's some video of the game, with a guy commenting on it who uses a lot of "salty language". I don't think this is the PC version of the game, but it's pretty much the same:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuO1SL1fdb4

Here's some more video of the game, narrated by our potty-mouthed friend:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiuJ39Tn_9Q

This game has a lot of violence, and I can only recommend it for adults, who aren't worried about it setting off any mental disorders. It definitely is NOT for kids.

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"The game is afoot."

I just ran across a web site that offers free downloads of old abandoned computer games. Their list of games is 137 pages long with 11 games on each page.

Here's a link to it:

http://www.abandonia.com/en/game/all/Real+Time

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Abandonia.com:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonia

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"The game is afoot."

You might also want to check out Reloaded.org for freeware games that have vanished.

Here's a link to it:

http://www.reloaded.org/

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"The game is afoot."

"Murder in the Abbey" (2008) is a very slow moving game, with way too much back and forth, time consuming dialog, before you can move on to getting something done. However, it is a challenge for real gamers, especially if they don't resort to a walkthrough. It is imperative that you know how gameplay works, how to access your inventory, how to use the map, how to skip unecessay dialog, how to find the menu, and how to save/load games, before you begin. I just started the game today, and haven't gotten very far. I'm stuck in the kitchen trying to figure out how to get the soup out of the pot. I can't figure it out, even after doing what the walkthroughs tell me to do.

Here's a link to a video of the game's beginning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_85W8Vx4_w

Here's a link to where I am unable to get out of the kitchen with the soup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKzcJ8ZBJ_M

p.s In the unlikely event that anyone has, or ever does play this game, if you know how to get the soup out of the kitchen, please let me know how to do it. Thanks.

........................................................................

...................................................................... Goodnight I'm going to bed, after I get that damn soup.

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"The game is afoot."

"Risk, Gold Edition" (2002) includes classic "Risk" (1996), "Risk II" (2000), and throws in Sid Meier's "Civilization II" (1996). If you're a guy or gal, who used to play the old Parker Brothers (now a division of Hasbro) "Risk" (1959) board game, loved it, but can no longer find anyone else interested in playing the game, you might want to try playing it on your computer. I played it for a little while yesterday. It is very close to what I remember, and I think you might enjoy blasting your enemies to smithereens, conquering their countries, and ruling the World once again.

p.s. Little has changed. I still suck at the game, and led my armies to humilitating defeat through my bad strategy, and lousy luck on the roll of the dice.

Here's some video of how the game looks on the computer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrPqbXqNo90

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"The game is afoot."

I finally found the long lost original "Computer Games" thread on the "Free For All" forum.

Click on this to read it:

viewtopic.php?f=45&p=4258#p4258

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"The game is afoot."

I thought that I had already posted "Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004), but I couldn't find it, so here it is. (Perhaps again?)

This is a great game, and I highly recommend it. You get to help three orphaned children trying to outwit the evil Count Olaf, and his henchmen and henchwomen. It is an adventure game that requires a lot of problem solving, finding your way around, and some fighting, but NO silly puzzles or hidden object scenes. It will be somewhat challenging when you first play it, but as you start to get the hang of it, it becomes easier to figure out what you need to do.

Here are a few tips that might help you in the game:

1- Some things that you find, such as golden health restoring hearts and projectiles to fire at the bad guys, reappear about a minute after you have picked them up, and you can get them over and over again.

2- Load up on projectiles for firing at the bad guys, when possible. The most you can get of any of them is 999, and I would advise that you get them all up to 999 when you can. Replenish your supply of projectiles whenever possilbe, after you have depleted them.

3- In the multi-level horseradish factory, with the two female baddies, you're probably better off not trying to fight them. After you get the stuff you need, just try to run, climb, and jump your way out, trying to evade them and what they are throwing at you. (Either way, you will die a bunch of times, before you get it right.)

4- When you die it isn't the end of the world. The game will automatically reset to the beginning of the episode, where you got killed. (When you get killed and have to restart an episode, you will have to pick up all of the things you found before you got killed again.)

5- You must watch your health meter. Try to keep it at 100%, whenever possible. When it gets low, avoid contact with the baddies, run off, and find some health restoring golden hearts to get you back up to 100%. (Your health can drop off very quickly, when in close combat with the baddies. When it gets to zero, guess what...? YOU DIE...!)

6- There are hidden letters (of the alphabet) throughout the game that you collect. You do not want to miss any of them, because you will need them all later on, and I don't think you can go back to find letters that you missed in earlier episodes.

7- When fighting some of the baddies, you will need to use different projectiles. To switch the projectiles you are firing at them you need to hit the "Backspace" button on your keyboard, and a menu will pop up. Use your mouse to click on the projectile you want to use, and then click on the green check arrow at the top left of the menu. (When you are in this menu, gameplay is paused.)

8- There are also hidden golden eyeballs to collect along the way. Try to get as many as you can. All of them would be good. (These do not reappear after you have found them.)

.. ..

Here is some video from the beginning of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zKBskjYDSY

Here's some more video of the game a little farther along, but there's a long way still to go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCPYnedDiCo

p.s. Gameplay uses both the keyboard and the mouse on the PC version. Character movement is done on the "up - down - left - right" arrow keys. Aiming and firing your weapons and Violet's inventions are done on your mouse. (You will have both of your hands going at the same time quite often during the game.)

(Belated edit: I thought I had already posted this game, but looked for it too far back, and couldn't find it. So I assumed that I had only thought about posting it. I looked for it again this evening, and indeed the post is there. but I had no recollection of it being just one page back (29), which I never bothered to check. Even though this post is much better, the previous one is, the first one is worth looking at also.)

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"The game is afoot."

"Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun" (2007) is a great game for any of you, who think you are sleuths, to try out. Don't worry, there are no hidden object scenes or silly puzzles you need to solve to progress. You will need to find things and figure problems out though. The game is a little challenging, but a lot of fun to play. It will have you running all over the place as you try to solve the mystery. Great gamers should be able to struggle their way though it without having to consult a walkthrough, but if you get stuck, and can't figure out where to go, what to do, or what you might have missed, go ahead and take a peek at a walkthrough. I had to a number of times.

Be careful as you search, a number of things you need to find can be easily overlooked.

There are quite a few Agatha Christie computer games out there. I've played several of them, but I think this one is probably the best. I highly recommend this game.

Here is the game's trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Odzx8s4uY

Here is about ten minutes of video that shows some game play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkAPpA8PiKU

p.s. It's an "Adventure Company" game, and all of their games I have played have been very good.

(Belated edit: I believe that "Evil Under the Sun" has been gobbled up by "Big Fish Games".)

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"The game is afoot."

I'm hoping that "The Adventure Company" is still making computer games, even though I haven't seen a new one for quite a while. I've played a lot of them, and they all have been very good.

Here is a link to a list of their games:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_Company

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"The game is afoot."

The diversity of games for the PC that I see on store shelves seems to be declining. Not all that long ago I could walk into Best Buy, WalMart, and the rest and find a very wide selection of different types PC computer games. There used to be all sorts of them, but not anymore. I wonder if this is a change in our culture, a change in marketing stategies, a change in technology, or perhaps something else. When I see a shelf full of a gazillion stupid Slots games, and little else, at WalMart, I have to wonder WHY?

...........................................................................

........................................................................................."Goodnight I'm going to bed."

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"The game is afoot."

I think it's similar to the Netflix effect killing video stores. Far easier to download directly to your home computer or smartphone than to venture out to a store and buy a box. Sure, there's probably a few people still dialing for data, but how sophisticated do you suppose their game play will be? And those slots games probably represent what doesn't sell, since that's what's still sitting in the store

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/°v°\ • Every time Linux boots, a penguin gets its wings
I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I won't stop until I find out what
Why not downgrade Plutonium to a dwarf element?

I don't like downloading games. I like having the CD's in the box so I can easily load them onto new computers. I've had my hard drive crap out on me, and if I didn't have those games on CD's, I would have had a real problem reinstalling them, let alone trying to remember the names of the 250 or so games that I had lost. Another time I had to reformat my hard drive, because of a virus, and lost them all again, but having the CD's allowed me to get them back.

I'm thinking that seeing the retail stores seem to have significantly reduced the computer games they stock, that searching places like Amazon.com might be the place to go to look for the types of games that I like to play. I'm pretty sure that I can still buy them on CD's there.

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"The game is afoot."

"Amber: Journeys Beyond" (1996) was a great game that I played on Windows 95. Even though I doubt any of you, who have moved beyond Windows 95, will be able to ever play the game, it was a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it to anyone, who can find it, and get it to run on their computer.


.....

Here's some video of the beginning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTryRtJL ... ults_video

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"The game is afoot."

"Outcry" (2008) is a Russian computer game picked up by "The Adventure Company". It could be the most difficult game I have ever tried. I have started it twice, and could get virtually nowhere. As far as I have gotten, there have been no hints or clues as what to do. Resorting to a walkthough told me that the only way to get through this game would have been to switch back and forth between the game and the walkthrough, step-by-step, to be able to get anywhere.

Though it is challenging, it is too challenging. For the short distance I've gotten into it, it is has NOT been fun. The game has way too many long winded notes and messages you find, that you have to listen to, when what they have to convey could be done without all of the boring, unnecessary, flowery drivel.

I can only recommend this game to those, who think they can figure anything out, or to those, who are locked behind bars for life, with nothing to do but play this game until they die.

Here's some video of the game that I struggled and cheated my way through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQva3fQ4Auc

Here's some video of the game that I never got to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwNyHIV7rFQ

p.s. The game is also known as "Sublustrum".

p.p.s. Perhaps I gave up too soon on this game, and I should try it again. It might get better, if I try it a third time. However, if it does, whoever created the game sure as Hell has never been in sales, and has no idea how to get people interested in their product.

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"The game is afoot."

"Mystery Case Files: Shadow Lake" (2012) is a Big Fish game that I picked up today. I've only played it for a short time, but so far it's a good game. Technically it is a hidden object game, but don't write it off, because the hidden object lists of things to find are very different from the traditional boring scenes that most hidden object games subject you to. You have to hunt around a little to find all of the items on the list. (I don't think the game will have too many of these hidden object lists to complete.) Even though I haven't gotten very far into the game, I think it's one that I can recommend.

Here's one of the game's puzzles. Once you have found the missing wires, you have to connect all of the numbered plugs to another plug with the same number, and the wire must pass through the same number of unoccupied squares as the number on the plugs to connect them. You may not cross any of the wires. This is kind of tough, because there are many ways to connect the numbered plugs. However for any of you, who decide to play this game, I will give you a hint. The left and right sides are mirror images of each other, when you solve the puzzle.



Here's a link, with commentary, to the beginning of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Wa5Hz3DXU

This is a game that gives you a lot of clues, but they are not obvious. Be sure to check your notebook, where many of those clues are to be found.

Here are a couple of screen shots of places where you will go:

..........

(Belated edit: I finished the game tonight, and it is a little bit tricky. You have to backtrack a lot to progress. The ladder gets used three times, and you have to remember where you last left it. I had no problem with the early floating around photographs that you had to link to each other, but the later ones were a pain in the ass, with way too many of them bouncing off of each other all over the place, and refusing to attach to each other, so I gave up and ashamedly hit "skip" on them. Yeah, if I wanted to waste a lot of time, I could have matched them all up, but I didn't want to waste a lot of time.)

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"The game is afoot."

"Lighthouse: The Dark Being" (1996), which I briefly mentioned earlier, is one of best computer games I have ever played, and it deserves something more than a "just mentioned" post. I know it won't run on Windows 7, and I'm not sure if might run on Windows XP or not. However, if you have never played this game, and think you can get it to run on your computer, I strongly recommend it. I believe you can pick it up on the Internet for a song these days.

Here are a few screen shots:

..........

Here's a video of the beginning of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM4Iz72Cub8

Here's some video farther into the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXF2DF93CwA

Here's a little bit more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZUBvNht5yQ

What the heck, here's the ending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fheoIXkZl8

This was a Sierra game. They made some of the best computer games back then. The game is a lot of fun, but it sure isn't easy. It will test your problem solving skills to the max! If you can find it and get it to work on your PC, you will get your money's worth out of it, because I doubt any of you will be able to finish it in a week, and that might be more like a month. (That is unless you resort to walkthroughs.) What makes it even more challenging, is that the game has no hints or skips, and I don't think it even shows you hot spots. You are totally on your own with guessing, trial and error, a little bit of luck, and your wits.

When you get close to beating the game, go out and buy a bottle of Champagne, because you will feel like popping the cork once you rescue Amanda and her father from the Dark Being.

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"The game is afoot."

I picked up the "Flux Family Secrets" (2011) two pack on one CD today. It includes "The Ripple Effect" and "The Rabbit Hole". They are both hidden object, puzzle solving "Big Fish" games. Haven't really gotten into them yet, but they look like they might be pretty good.

Here's some video of "The Ripple Effect":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3C2cBvh6H0

Here's some video of "The Rabbit Hole":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyOljgNpaxY

After I've finished them, I'll let you know, if they are worth playing or not.

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"The game is afoot."

"National Geographic" has quite a few computer games out there. Most aren't bad, but don't rise to a level that need to be commented about on this thread. However, there is one that I must mention. The ""National Geographic, Traveler Italy, Spot it!" game is without a doubt the most difficult "find the differences between two pictures" game that I have ever played. The game has some new twists to finding the differences between two pictures. Every once in a while it will throw mirror image pictures at you, sometimes one picture will be in color and the other one in black & white, and worse yet a few of them combine both of these tricks. I strongly recommend it to any of you that think you're pretty good at this type of game, and I promise you that it will frustrate and humble you, especially if you play it in the timed mode.

Here's just one of many pictures that you will need to find differences in:



Here is a video with a very tiny bit of finding differences between two pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unWHVwDfOBA

p.s. It also includes a picture puzzle jumble unscrambling game, which is fun, but very easy.

p.p.s. On the same CD you also get another game, "Sudoku China", which I can guarantee you I will NEVER play.

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"The game is afoot."

"Mystery Case Files: Escape From Ravenhearst" (2011) is the third in the Big Fish "Ravenhearst" series. Technically it could be called a hidden object game, but it really isn't. Instead of having to find hidden objects in a room, it requires you to find things that "morph". (i.e. Something like a cane will change into an umbrella every minute or so.) This game is definitely NOT for beginners, and the well-seasoned will find it most difficult. Here is a partial list of things that make the game extremely hard to work your way through:

1- It has many hot spots that serve no function.

2- You never know when you have competed an area.

3- Not only are the puzzles very hard, you get no instructions as what you need to do to solve them.

4- There are dozens and dozens of different areas. A lot of backtracking is needed to either find something or to do something, but you are provided very few, if any, clues as to where you need to go, or what you need to find.

5- Many times in many places you need to input a code number to open something, activate something, or to gain access to a new area. That would not be a big problem, if the game didn't hide these numbers all over the place, and when you find one, you have to guess as to where you need to use it. (At one spot you have to find two different code numbers in different places, and have to get back to the place, where you need to use them very quickly, before the code numbers change.)

Despite "Escape From Ravenhearst" being an extremely difficult game, I will recommend it to any of you, who really like to be challenged.

Here's a link to some video from the beginning of the game, which is pretty easy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srUjqWsFz8

Here's a link to some more video a little bit farther into the game, as it starts to get a little bit harder :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGOOBetzw34

I completed the game this afternoon, with the help of consulting a walkthrough, when totally lost, as well as hitting "Skip" on a number of the puzzles.

p.s. I cheaped out and bought it on a two-pack CD with another Big Fish game. If you get the significantly more expensive "Collectors Edition", I believe it will provide you with a lot more help, when you get stuck.

p.p.s. This game is probably not appropriate for younger children, because of the many gory scenes it has, such as this one:

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"The game is afoot."

"Pearl Harbor: Defend the Fleet" (2001) is a switch from the type of computer games I've been talking about lately. There's no problem or puzzle solving. There are no hidden object scenes, or anything to find. You don't have to wander your way around a maze of rooms to do anything, and you don't have to worry about figuring secret codes or passwords out.

Hell, there's no time for any of that nonsense. You are at your station, manning your guns, and trying to save the fleet on the morning of December 7, 1941.

It is reminiscent of the old arcade games from the late 1980's, with the exception that you don't have to keep feeding quarters into a machine to get another chance to save the day after you lose. Basically, you are in a shooting gallery, where enemy aircraft are shooting at you and bombing the American Pacific Fleet. It gets worse, when the midget subs start sneaking in, and you have to blast them too. (You need to be careful not to shoot your own aircraft down, or sink your resupply barges.)

Old farts will have a lot of trouble with this game, because it requires quick reflexes as things relentlessly and rapidly come at you from all directions. Young bucks will probably do well playing the game, if they were willing to take a shot at a type of computer game that they probably have never encountered before.

Here are a few screen shots:




p.s. I suck at the game, but my friend, DHB, is pretty damn good at it. I have watched Dave make it to level 22 in the game, with a score over 33,000. If any of you ever try this game, let me know if you can do better than DHB on it.

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"The game is afoot."

TIAMAT,

It was quite a long time ago that you mentioned that you were going to try to find the old arcade game "Road Runner" to play on MAME. Did you ever find it...?

Cloudy

(The forgetful procrastinator.)

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"The game is afoot."

"Monkey Island: The Special Edition Collection" (2011) includes "The Secret of Monkey Island" (1990) and "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge" (1991) These were the first two "Monkey Island" games, which new computers will no longer play. They were such good games that Lucasarts decided to bring them back in a format that would install and play on today's versions of Windows. They greatly impoved the graphics and audio, and they added a hint button, which you can use simply by hitting the "H" on your keyboard, when you get stuck.

You can now help Guybrush Threepwood struggle his way through the goofy adventures that began the "Monkey Island" series...! The entire series is fun, funny, and a wee bit challenging.

The CD is a little expensive, but I think it's worth it, because these games are not ones that you will complete in a day. They will provide you with weeks of entertainment, and I think that the hours of game play they will provide you with, actually make them a bargain.

I highly recommend "Monkey Island: The Special Edition Collection". I think most gamers will really enjoy both of the games on the CD.

Here's some video of the new version of "The Secret of Monkey Island":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiI-ghzVyR0

Here's some video of the new version of "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge", with commentary from the geeks that created it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p0CyW27ghw

(Belated edit) I've finally made it from Melee Island to Monkey Island in the first game. If by some strange chance, any of you ever try this game, I will give you a tip to get Otis out of jail, so he can join your crew. You have to go to the Scum Bar, and collect all of the pewter mugs (5) lying around, after all the pirate patrons left. Then go back to the Scum Bar kitchen, and "use" one of the mugs on the barrel of grog. Once filled, the grog will soon start dissolving the mug, and you will never get back to the jail with it to use it on the jail cell lock, before the mug disintegrates. As you are heading back to the jail, with the dissolving mug, quickly depress the "Ctrl" button and the "I" key simultaneously, before the mug is gone. This will put both the action and inventory screens up there at the same time. Click on "use" on the action screen, and then click on the disintegrating mug on the inventory screen. Both screens will then disappear. Immediately, click on "I" to bring the inventory screen back up, and click on one of the four remaining new mugs to transfer the grog to. If you wait too long the old mug will melt down to a puddle of pewter with no grog, and you will have to start all over again. You will probably have to do the grog/mug switch at least two times to get it back to the jail. I was stuck on this for more than an hour, before through trial and error, I finally figured it out. None of the walkthroughs explained the actual steps you had to do to get this done as well as I just have.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


(Another belated edit) I finished "The Secret of Monkey Island", and began playing "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge", the second game on the CD. It's a great game and everything was going fine. I was at the point, where I only needed to close the elevator doors on LeChuck's beard to get the final piece to make his Voo Doo doll, when I decided to save the game, and go to bed, expecting to finish it the next day. The next day I had a bad surprise, which has nothing to do with the game or the CD it comes on. You cannot play these games without the CD in the drive, and suddenly my computer decided to not recognize either of my CD drives. Does anybody know what could have gone wrong with my computer, and how to fix it?



..................................................................................................................... PLEASE, I NEED HELP...!

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"The game is afoot."

"Tales of Monkey Island" (2009) is a series of four games that Telltale Games created to continue the "Monkey Island" series, with the blessings of "Lucasarts". The CD has all four new "Monkey Island" games on it, which include:

1- "Launch of the Screaming Narwhal"

2- "The Siege of Spinner Cay"

3- "Lair of the Leviathan"

4- "The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood"

Here are a few videos of the games:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rygOaL2zjng

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_9zp22D7HI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtVvrSh83QQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qzdoa5b6yM

I just got the CD in the mail today, and I still need your help, because I can't install the games with both of my CD drives refusing to recognize anything.



............................................... PLEASE, I STILL NEED YOUR HELP TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THANKS.

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"The game is afoot."

There is a new Nancy Drew game out there, "Nancy Drew: Ghost of Thornton Hall" (2013). This is the 28th game in the series. I haven't played it yet, but if it is as good as the others were, I think it's one to take a shot at.

I will say this again, the Nancy Drew games are NOT sissy games. They are quite challenging and a lot of fun to play, even though a girl is the protagonist. You have to be pretty sharp to solve the puzzles and problems, and figure your way to solving the mysteries that each game throws at you.

Here's the official trailer for the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ClvYZqgRI

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"The game is afoot."

"Quake" (1996) was the first in a series of shoot-em-up "Quake" games. Searching my moldy basement today, I discovered that I had two of them hiding down there. I've got the first and third ones in the series, and both loaded to Windows XP with no problem. I played the first one for a short while, and it looks pretty good. I'm thinking that they both might be fun.

Have any of you ever played any of the "Quake" games?

Here's some video of the first "Quake" game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTYy5nJ7yto

Here's some video of "Quake: Arena", third in the series, which I haven't gotten to yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU8yso4w1Ho

(Yeah, there's some violence here that you won't find in any Nancy Drew game.)

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"The game is afoot."