Games

Half-Life 25 Years

Posted on by Stian

Twenty-five years ago on November 19th, 1998, the classic video game Half-Life was released. Now on the 25th anniversary Valve Software have released a new update for the game with developer commentary, support for widescreen displays and updated multiplayer – including the ability to play as the crazy-looking Ivan the Space Biker. There’s also a new documentary about the making of the game, definitely worth watching if you’re interested.

Half-Life is back and better than ever. Alongside interviews with the original developers, the game is now available with the Uplink mini-campaign, Steam Deck support, updated graphics settings, new multiplayer maps, and bonus restored goodies.

However, for those instead wanting to play a true modern remake with greatly updated graphics I would recommend trying Black Mesa instead, it’s got most everything from the old game and a much needed rework of the final Xen chapter.

Source: Half-Life

10 Years of Emulation at Internet Archive

Posted on by Stian

A Quarter In, A Quarter-Million Out: 10 Years of Emulation at Internet Archive – Jason Scott on 10 years of “The Emularity” running at the Internet Archive:

10 years ago, the Internet Archive made an announcement: It was possible for anyone with a reasonably powerful computer running a modern browser to have software emulated, running as it did back when it was fresh and new, with a single click. Now, a decade later, we have surpassed 250,000 pieces of software running at the Archive and it might be a great time to reflect on how different the landscape has become since then.

Prince of Persia intro

Prince of Persia intro

Some of my favourites from the colletion:

Source: A Quarter In, A Quarter-Million Out: 10 Years of Emulation at Internet Archive

Return to Monkey Island

Posted on by Stian

Well, this was a pleasant surprise among all the horrible things going on in the world these days: A new Monkey Island game is coming this year! I just really hope this is not some very elaborate April Fools  joke… 😀

Announcing Return to Monkey Island, the long-awaited follow-up to the legendary Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge by Ron Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox in collaboration with Devolver Digital and Lucasfilm Games, coming 2022.

Source: Return to Monkey Island | Coming 2022

198X

Posted on by Stian

I backed this the moment I saw the trailer, I love that style of pixel art! 198X is on Kickstarter. Crossing my fingers it will be successful, and it looks pretty good so far.

198X is an arcade epic. A coming-of-age story told through multiple games and genres, worlds and characters. Experience the thrill of shooting, driving, jumping, fighting and role-playing – combined with emotional, cinematic storytelling. Welcome to the world of 198X – where a new life is just 1 credit away.

Luna

Posted on by Stian

This looks absolutely beautiful and relaxing, exactly the kind of game I need now to get my mind of all the other stuff constantly buzzing about.

Unscramble celestial puzzles and create miniature musical worlds. Re-awaken shadowy forests and bring life back to sparkling lakes. Discover hidden creatures, help the Bird reunite the fragmented Moon… and find its way home.

Luna is out now on Steam, Humble Bundle or direct from the developer.

Source: Luna

Cold Waters

Posted on by Stian

Cold Waters header image

Growing up as a kid in the 1980s, with the very real threat of imminent MAD hanging over our heads all the time, it was natural for me to start playing war-games focusing on the conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. I loved tactical and simulator games, especially the ones from Microprose, and one of my favorites was Red Storm Rising, based on the book by Tom Clancy.

I must have played hundred of hours of this game, and loved the tension and excitement of controlling a nuclear attack submarine, patrolling for Soviet surface groups or submarines, and having to sneakily avoid the inevitable counterattack after launching torpedoes or missiles at the enemy. It led to some very intense gaming moments.

Continue reading →

The Hi-Bit Era

Posted on by Stian

Very cool blog post from D-Pad Studio, the developers of the upcoming (and beautiful) Owl Boy on the recent trend of 8/16 bit pixel art aesthetic in games and the differences between the actual pixel art style, which was born out of necessity and hardware limitations, and the new stylistic “Hi-Bit” look.

While these games may be paying homage to the 16-bit era that started with the Super Nintendo (1990) and Sega Mega Drive (1988, a.k.a. Genesis), they’re working beyond the limitations of the tech in the 90s.

Some upcoming favourites: Rain World, The Last Night (awesome video below)

Source: D-Pad Studio – creators of Owlboy

Internet Archive – Amiga Software Collection

Posted on by Stian

The awesome people at Internet Archive have released a huge collection featuring thousands of emulated games, demos and applications from the Commodore Amiga home computer, running in the browser through the magic of emulation.

I’d still recommend a good emulator, like FS-UAE or WinUAE, to actually run these games without a lot of stuttering sound and hangs, as the in-browser emulation is not exactly optimal, but at least it works to showcase the vast number of great software that ran on the Amiga.

Amiga Juggler demo

Amiga Juggler demo

Link: Software Library: Amiga : Free Texts : Download & Streaming : Internet Archive