The Halloween List Pt. 2: Horror-Themed PC Games (1991-1993)

There have been so many horror or Halloween-themed games over the years that only a multi-part article can encompass their sheer volume.  In fact, horror-themed PC gaming has been going on for some time, beginning with text adventures and continuing with the action-adventures that we play today.  This series looks at those games (sorted by their release dates), and made before 2000, because after all, this is a blog about retrogaming!

Today is part two – 1991 though 1993…

Visit part one here: The Halloween List Pt. 1: Horror-Themed PC Games (1986-1990)

	Elvira II: Jaws of Cerberus (Accolade, Inc., 1991). A slightly darker sequel set in a horror film studio that has become the stomping grounds of a demon and its undead hordes.  Once again, Elvira is trapped inside, and once again, it’s up to you to help her escape.  Not as good as the first game, but still enjoyable!
	Elvira Arcade Game (Flair Software, 1991).  Playing Elvira in a platform side-scroller? The graphics are decent for its day, and at least Elvira is easily seen against the colorful backdrops of the two levels (yes, I typed that right: 2) of Fire and Ice.  This game exists as proof of the Elvira craze thatwas going on at the time.
	Alone in the Dark (Infogrames, 1992). One of the earliest graphic adventure survival horror games filled with creepy moments.  Why did the house’s former owner take his own life, and what is the source of the evil that has infested the Louisiana mansion, Delcarto? A deeper review can be found here:  Retro Game of the Week – Alone in the Dark (1992).
	Darkseed (Cyberdreams, Inc., 1992).  An adventure game based on H.R. Giger’s surreal art. The main character, Mike, falls asleep in his recently purchased house (for far too little of a purchase price).  After waking from a horrible dream, Mike discovers that something in the house has planted a seed of darkness (Darkseed, get it?) within his mind, and he has only three days to prevent it from hatching.  H.R. Giger’s work is always unsettling, but the sheer amount of bugs in the original release bordered on the horrific.
	Daughter of Serpents (Millennium Interactive, 1992).  An H.P. Lovecraft inspired adventure game, this time based in 1920’s Egypt.  Players can opt for different skillsets and professions, which alter how NPCs interact with them, though not the overall plotline.  This game is also known as The Scroll in its re-release.
	The Legacy: Realm of Terror (MicroProse Software, 1992). The other claimant to the title of earliest graphic adventure survival  horror game, but with a more RPG style of play.  The player is again stuck in a haunted mansion, filled with Cthulhian creatures, with escape the top priority.
	Waxworks (Accolade, Inc., 1992).  Originally slated to be Elvira III, this game uses the same game engine, but is not a game “starring” the lovely Cassandra Peterson.  It is, however, absolutely filled with horrific imagery.  Its story surrounds an ancient curse that manifests whenever a family has a set of twins, turning one “evil”  and the other “good.”  But who is who?
	Alien Carnage (Apogee Software, 1993).  Also known as Halloween Harry, this platform scroller follows Harry on his quest to rid the world of the aliens who are creating zombies out of humanity.  There’s nothing frightening about this game whatsoever, except, perhaps, that people purchased and loved it.
	Alone in the Dark 2 (Infogrames, 1993). Edward Carnby is back, this time searching another foreboding mansion for a missing little girl. And since this time the mansion has the title of “Hell’s Kitchen”, you know it’s not going to be an easy task. It’s survivor horror with a voodoo twist, and featuring an undead pirate that is nothing like LeChuck. (Gratuitous Monkey Island reference!)
	Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Psygnosis Limited, 1993). An adventure game based on the movie of the same name, with the player taking the role of Harker as he quests through the dark realm of Transylvania seeking to end the threat of the monstrous Count Dracula, once and for all.  The movie was fright-filled; the game is not.
	Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet (Infogrames, 1993).  A brilliant adventure game using the H.P. Lovecraft mythos, wherein the player is cast in the role of an astronomer investigating the return of Halley’s Comet and what it has to do with the weird happenings within the small hamlet of Illsmouth.
	Doom (id Software, 1993).  A scientific experiment gone wrong opens a gate to Hell on Mars, and it’s up to an unnamed Marine to clean up the mess.  This classic shooter game had some scary moments, and some fond gaming memories from those who played it when it came out.
	Dracula Unleashed (Viacom New Media, 1993).  Set in London in 1899, ten years after Dracula’s demise in Bram Stoker’s classic novel.  The game is another full-motion video with fairly minimal interaction, almost like playing an Endless Quest book on your computer.  Who’s the new master vampire in town, and how can they be stopped before they turn your girlfriend into just another bloodsucker?
	Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (Sierra On-Line, 1993).  This adventure game takes place in the dark side of New Orleans, with plenty of voodoo undertones, as the lead character must fulfill his destiny as one of the last Shadow Hunters, destined to stave off supernatural forces.  A moody atmosphere and Jane Jensen’s professionally written plot and dialog make this game a must-play event!
	Isle of the Dead (Merit Software, 1993).  As the only survivor of a South Pacific vacation gone horribly wrong, the player finds themselves on a deserted island.  Except the island really isn’t all that deserted, as it’s filled with various creatures, including a large contingent of zombies.  Definitely in the adventure/shooter genre.
	The 7th Guest (Trilobyte & Virgin Interactive, 1993).  One of the two early must-have CD-ROM games that created fueled the demand for CD technology, this is a puzzle game masquerading as a Full Motion Video adventure.  Not much gore, but there were some genuinely nasty surprises, as well as some very adult situations. Not for the kiddies! (Incidentally, this game is reviewed in greater depth here: magisterrex Retro Game of the Week – The 7th Guest (1993).
	Veil of Darkness (Strategic Simulations, Inc., 1993). A solid horror adventure game that has RPG overtones.  The premise is much like the Ravenloft series from TSR: a vampire lord has sealed off the borders of his kingdom and now the villagers are either feasted upon, driven mad, or turned into undead.  Or all three!  Some gore and lots of atmosphere make this a classic!

The Halloween List Pt. 1: Horror-Themed PC Games (1986-1990)

Every year someone puts out a Top 5 or Top 10 horror video game list that contains only the most recent additions to the genre, but somehow manage to miss the games that started it all.  Horror-themed PC gaming has been going on for some time, beginning with text adventures and continuing with the action-adventures that we play today.  Let’s look at those games (sorted by their release dates), and made before 2000, because after all, this is a blog about retrogaming!

Today is part one – 1986 though 1990…

Part Two can be found here: The Halloween List – Horror-Themed PC Games (1991-1993)

	Transylvania (Polarware, 1986).  A text adventure with optional static graphics set in the dark land of Transylvania.  Tasked with finding Princess Sabrina by King John the Good, the player faces several monstrous challenges, including finding a weapon capable of killing the werewolf that is an ever-present danger.
	Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins (Capcom USA, 1987).  This classic side-scrolling arcade game ended up on several platforms, including the PC.  Players take the role of Arthur, a knight on a quest to rescue the Princess from a Demon King.  Along the way Arthur must defeat a variety of creatures, including a few varieties of undead.
	The Lurking Horror (Infocom, Inc., 1987). An H.P. Lovecraft inspired text adventure (read: no graphics) game set in an empty university campus (G.U.E. Tech)…that’s not quite as empty as you’d like it to be.  Lots of puzzles and a constant creepy feeling that something is not quite right make this a great game. Great interactive fiction from the same writer of Spellbreaker and cowriter of the Zork series!
	Dracula In London (SDJ Enterprises, Ltd., 1988).  This is a solid adventure game that can also become a multiplayer board game.  Dracula has arrived in London, and six adventurers are hot on his tail.  Each character has their own special function, and if you play it as an adventure game, you access all six, or individually if played as the board game version. All inventory and creature locations randomly reset for the next game, so the gameplay is huge.  (Yes, the box art shown is for a later re-release!)
	Psycho (Box Office, Inc., 1988).   It seems that Norman Bates is the chief suspect in both a jewel heist and kidnapping, and a detective enters the Bates Motel to find solve the case.  If you’re touched by your opponents while in the mansion you fall asleep, and if you sleep for too long you’ll miss your four hour deadline to solve the mystery.  Don’t worry about talking to anyone in this action game; if it moves you might as well shoot it.  Did anyone actually see the movie before making this game?
	Uninvited (Icom Simulations, Inc., 1988). A graphic text adventure (which essentially meant that a static image with text descriptions) that saw the player waking up after a car crash to find their brother missing, and a nearby castle the only reasonable place to begin the search.  Unfortunately, the castle turns out to be the former abode of a wizard and is now teaming with the undead, which are decent-sized obstacles to locating your missing sibling.
	A Nightmare On Elm Street (Monarch Software, 1989).  In this game based on the movie of the same name, you play a character trapped in Freddy Krueger’s neighborhood, and needing to find four of your friends before Freddy carves them up.  The soul and power meters are interesting ways to make the nightmare scenario work, as is the constant torment from Freddy himself. Oh, and Westwood Studios were the actual programming team for this game!
	Beetlejuice: Skeletons in the Closet (Hi-Tech Expressions, 1990).  You play as Beetlejuice himself in a skeleton destroying arcade mashfest.  Lidia cleans up the skeletons with a vacuum cleaner (I’m not making this up!) and when she does Beetlejuice gets stronger.  Every so often a giant worm shows up and tries to kill you (all it takes is to touch you).  Lots of undead, but not much fear factor.
	The Hound of  Shadow (Electronic Arts, 1989).  In this interactive fiction game, the action takes place in London during the 1920’s as your character is being hunted by a supernatural being.  The good news is that your character can improve their skills during the game (somewhat like an RPG); the bad news is that there is a time limit to solve the mystery and defeat the Hound.
	Castlevania (Konami, Inc., 1990). Simon Belmont is a monster hunter who takes on the task of cleaning up the countryside of the monsters and undead that infest it, including Count Dracula himself.  This side-scroller was a classic NES game, but few realize that it was also released for the MS-DOS platform, too!
	Clive Barker’s Nightbreed: The Action Game (Ocean Software, 1990). Based on the movie of the same name (and based on Barker’s novel, Cabal), the player assumes the role of Boone as he searches for access to the city of Midian, and then to free the Breed.  Not all that scary, though, but on the list as it is a Clive Barker game.
	Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (Accolade, Inc., 1990). A graphic adventure/RPG hybrid with a first-person perspective where you must clean Elvira’s castle of the undead and other monsters that are preventing her from leaving her rooms.  A more detailed review of this game can be found here: Retro Game of the Week – Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1990).
	Horror Zombies From The Crypt (Millennium Interactive, 1990).  A rare platform horror-themed game, with the focus on helping Count Frederick Valdemar escape his castle before the army of undead (including vampires, zombies, and spectres) can find him.  Lots of traps, hidden doors, secret levels, and other surprises, but nothing like playing a Mario game.
	Hugo’s House of Horrors (Gray Design Studios, 1990). Hugo must rescue his girlfriend, Penelope, from a haunted house in an animated adventure game style.  Many puzzles need to be solved as you make your way through the house, and various enemies to be avoided or defeated. (Watch out for those vampire bats!)
	Night Hunter (UbiSoft Entertainment, 1990).  In a nifty twist, players get to take the role of Count Dracula as he attempts to escape the clutches of his straight-laced nemesis, Dr. Van Helsing and his band of vampire hunters. Dracula has various vampire abilities on his side, but weaknesses, too, such as a mortal weakness to sunlight, so he must return to his crypt by dawn.  Not very scary, though!
	Zombi (UbiSoft Entertainment, 1990). Four people are stuck on the roof of a shopping center after their helicopter runs out of fuel, with a zombie horde surrounding them looking to turn them into a tasty snack.  (Sound familiar?)  This is an adventure game, though, using a point-and-click interface to guide each character through the mall and to find (and use) a variety of inventory items along the way.

Doom’s Dawn: The Ten Best PC Games of 1993

It was the year that William Jefferson Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States; Czechoslovakia ceased to be a unified country in the Velvet Divorce; Jean Chrétien became the 20th Prime Minister of Canada with a massive majority; the Dallas Cowboys became the NFL champions in Super Bowl XXVII; Boris Yeltsin faced down an uprising in Russia; and the underdog Montreal Canadiens defeated the Wayne Gretzky led Los Angeles Kings to win the Stanley Cup.  It was also the year that id Software released one of the greatest PC games of all time: DOOM.  That year, of course, was 1993.

Computer games really started to hit their stride in the 90’s, and many of today’s game franchises have their roots in some classic games from this period.  The year 1993 had a bumper crop of excellent games, and it was hard to come up with a list that didn’t exclude some personal favorites.  Even their order placement was difficult!  If you disagree with the list – comment below!

1. DOOM, id Software.  Outstanding graphics, amazing sound effects and brilliant gameplay combined to make this game a runaway success, and made its creators icons in the gaming industry.  Add to that id Software’s ingenious shareware marketing strategy, and this game is easily the best game of 1993.

2. MASTER OF ORION, MicroProse Software. This strategy game set the gaming world on fire with deep gameplay.  It spawned several sequels and imitators, and cemented MicroProse’s reputation as a strategy game software giant.  If DOOM hadn’t been released that same year, M.O.O. would have been #1 on this list.

3. SIMCITY 2000, Maxis Software.  Will Wright scored a huge hit with the successor to his original hit, SimCity. The isolinear graphics and fun gameplay make this game a joy to play, even after all these years!

4. RETURN TO ZORK, Activision, Inc. & Infocom.  “Want some rye? ‘Course you do!” This eagerly awaited sequel to the Zork franchise did not disappoint.  Filled with Zorkesque humor and puzzle-based adventuring, this game is still a must-play for gamers.

5. MANIAC MANSION: DAY OF THE TENTACLE, LucasArts Entertainment. More crazy humor from the creators of Maniac Mansion, as the players raced throughout time to stop Dr. Fred’s creation, Purple Tentacle, from ruling the world.  With a premise like that, how could gamers go wrong?

6. THE 7^th GUEST, Trilobyte & Virgin Interactive.  CD technology was just coming to the mass market, and gamers really had no reason to upgrade – until the release of this game, that is.  The puzzles were fun, but the story was gruesomely entertaining.  A real hallmark of the CD Age.

7. SAM & MAX HIT THE ROAD, LucasArts Entertainment.  True to its comic roots, this adventure game was bizarre, light-hearted and completely fun.  Gamers enjoyed seeing just what crazy actions they could make Sam & Max do – and what happened when they did it!

8. GABRIEL KNIGHT: SINS OF THE FATHERS, Sierra On-Line.  What happens when you hire a novelist to design an adventure game for you?  An award-winning gaming experience, that’s what!  Jane Jensen created a world of horror and suspense, as players searched through the dark underbelly of New Orleans and delved into zombie folklore in their quest to solve the mystery.

9. WING COMMANDER: PRIVATEER, Origin Systems, Inc.   Although this game is set in the heroic Wing Commander universe, players chose to be a merchant, a pirate, or a mercenary, plying the space lanes looking for a quick profit.  Of course, waking up an ancient evil can put a huge damper on your profit margin and leads to all sorts of distractions.  Better not – whoops, well you’re in for it now!

10. PIRATES GOLD, MicroProse Software.  Pirates, ship-to-ship action, booty, Sid Meier…what’s not to like?  This was the “sequel” to Sid Meier’s Pirates!, with a blend of action, strategy, and adventure that was as interesting to play then as it is today.  How can anyone resist the call to be a buccaneer from the 17^th Century?  (If you can, turn in your gamer card – it’s all over.)

Retro Game of the Week – SimCity: The City Simulator (1989)

If there ever was a game that you weren’t really sure if you were playing a game or using an educational tool…but you didn’t care because it was so much fun, SimCity: The City Simulator was it.  Published by Maxis Software in 1989, SimCity was written by a young Will Wright (he of the incredibly addictive The Sims fame), and would go down as one of the most influential and popular games in gaming history.

Box front for the 1989 game, SimCity: The City Simulator

In SimCity, players had to construct an entire metropolis starting from nothing but a bulldozer and random terrain.  Along the way to full city status sims begin to populate your city and make demands.  They may need more housing or shopping centers; perhaps crime is rampant and a police station is needed; maybe frequent brown outs are creating a demand for a new power station; perhaps your sims are bored and want a stadium…and so on.  Meanwhile, the city needed just the right level of taxes to encourage growth, yet still pay for all those fire and police stations.  Random emergencies could wreak havoc on your city, with tornadoes devastated entire zones, earthquakes leveling buildings, airplanes crashing and resulting fires requiring immediate response.  If you guided your city with a steady hand, your tax coffers filled up and your sims considered you Simsville’s best Mayor ever.  If you failed to keep on top of the ever-changing developments within your city you could find yourself in the ranks of the unemployed.

Start screen for SimCity: The City Simulator

Although the core of the game was designed for open-ended gameplay, the game also included scenarios which revolved around achieving a specific goal within a certain time period.  These were based on both past situations as well as possible futures that urban planners had already had to solve or were in the process of planning for.  The past scenarios included dealing with crime-ridden and an economically-depressed Detroit in 1972; a post-earthquake San Francisco in 1906, and rebuilding Hamburg at the end of World War II (this one was only in the IBM PC, Amgia, and Atari ST version).  Future scenarios included Boston suffering a nuclear plant meltdown and Rio de Janeiro flooding from global warming.  There was even a fantastic scenario based upon the classic Godzilla movies, wherein the player had to rebuild Tokyo after an attack from the King of the Monsters.  Further scenarios were released in the SimCity Graphic Set 1: Ancient Cities and SimCity Graphic Set 2: Future Cities.

Tokyo Scenario in SimCity: The City Simulator

The path to SimCity’s initial release wasn’t an easy one.  Originally titled “Micropolis,” Will Wright, its creator, developed it for the Commodore 64, a platform he had previous success in with the now-classic, Raid on Bungling Bay.  By 1985 the game was ready to go, but he couldn’t find a dance partner willing to publish it, as the powers-that-be struggled with its open path gameplay and lack of winners versus losers.  He believed in the potential of what he had coded, so he partnered with Jeff Braun (a successful publisher of font packs for the Commodore Amiga) and founded Maxis Software in 1987, and sought the rights to publish his game with his own company.  After two more years of code changes and legal wrangling (which included cementing Broderbund Software as Maxis Software’s distribution agent), SimCity was brought before the gaming public.

SimCity: The City Simulator Macintosh screen

Interestingly, although Will Wright had originally coded Micropolis for the C64, the first platforms SimCity was released on were the Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga, followed by IBM PC (MS-DOS) and then the Commodore 64.  Eventually SimCity: The City Simulator would be ported to the Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Commodore Amiga CDTV, Amstrad CPC, and even the Super Nintendo.   The game was, of course, a smash hit, and garnered several gaming awards, including: Best Computer Strategy Game (Video Games & Computer Entertainment), Game of the Year (Computer Gaming World), Best Consumer Program (Software Publisher’s Association), and many, many more.  Its legacy is also well-recognized, earning a top ten position on the still-respected Computer Gaming World’s 150 Game of All Time list.

Box front for SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM

The legacy of SimCity is more than just accolades, as its incredible success motivated Maxis Software to publish many variations on the theme: SimAnt, SimIsle, SimCopter, SimLife, SimFarm, SimEarth, Streets of SimCity, SimTown, and SimSafari.  Maxis even picked up the publishing rights for two similar Japanese games, A-Train and Yoot Tower (which was renamed SimTower to take advantage of the sim-craze).  SimCity also spawned several sequels and remakes, including SimCity Classic (updated for Windows), SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM (which added FMV to the SimCity experience), SimCity 2000, SimCity 3000, SimCity 4, and SimCity Societies.  And, of course, there is a direct link between Will Wright’s SimCity: The City Simulator and his epic seller, The Sims (and all its subsequent sequels and expansion packs).  Clearly, SimCity had a huge impact on the gaming universe.

Box front for SimCity Classic (for Windows)

Sadly, Maxis Software did not last as an independent company.  Although Maxis had been partnered with Broderbund since its inception, by 1995 they hired their own sales team and launched their IPO, taking Maxis public for the first time.  Unfortunately, the buzz from SimCity 2000‘s success had long worn off, and the pressure to fulfill the stock analysts’ projections took its toll on the company.  Wright and the other designers were pressured to abide by a strict deadline in 1996, with Maxis’ management team demanding all four games in development by released.  The designers complied, but the games they published that year did not catch the gamerverse on fire (I’m looking at YOU, SimCopter), and the share price of the new company which had such an incredible history slide precipitously.   In 1997, Electronic Arts made $120 million stock offer that they couldn’t refuse, making Will Wright and Jeff Braun very wealthy young men.  For his part, Braun became the biggest shareholder of Electronic Arts, and gave him the ability to invest in a variety of technology companies.  As for Will Wright, the money afforded him the time to do what he most loved – and did best – in developing new games.  Thanks, Electronic Arts!

Maxis Software logo

If you’ve never played SimCity: The City Simulator, you’ve missed out on an integral piece of gaming history.  For a retro gamer, it’s still as fun as it always was, which is a sign of just how well it was crafted by Will Wright.  Between great gameplay and a long-lasting legacy, SimCity deserves to be on anyone’s best games of all time list.  Pick up a copy and see for yourself!

10 Years Ago – Great Video and PC Games Released in 2000

Ten years ago, in 2000, the world the world was entering a new millennium.  George W. Bush was elected President of the United States, while Vladimir Putin was elected President of Russia.  Foreshadowing the evils of what was to come, Al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the U.S.S. Cole.  On the brighter side, Pope John Paul II became the first pontiff to make an official papal visit to Israel, while the International Space Station welcomed its first crewmembers, officially marking the age of a persistent presence of mankind in space. Meanwhile, India welcomed newborn citizen number one billion, while US federal agents returned Elián González to his father in Cuba.  Theatres filled with people watching movies like X-MEN, Gladiator, and Cast Away. And perhaps as an official response for being on the losing side of the United States v. Microsoft antitrust ruling, Microsoft releases Windows ME to an unsuspecting public.

While world events unfolded, gamers still whittled their days away playing some classic games.  A few of the notable games released in North America in 2000 included:

• American McGee’s Alice (PC)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Ahm (PC)
• Banjo Tooie (Nintendo 64)
• Chrono Cross (PlayStation)
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC)
• Deus Ex (PC)
• Diablo II (PC)
• Escape From Monkey Island (PC)
• Final Fantasy IX (PlayStation)
• Icewind Dale (PC)
• MechWarrior 4: Vengeance (PC)
• Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64)
• Resident Evil: Codename Veronica (Dreamcast)
• Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast)
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo 64)
• The Operative: No One Lives Forever (PC)
• The Sims (PC)

Looking at that short list I’d say that PC gamers had more than enough gaming goodness to keep them occupied through the year!

X-MEN was one of the great movies of 2000.