Hack18.Play Contemporary Classics

Hack 18. Play Contemporary Classics

Find and play new games that feel old .

Retro gaming isn't just about playing old games. That is to say, what separates classic video games from contemporary titles isn't just their age. Game design as a whole has changed radically since the days of 2D shooters and point-and-click adventures , and to find new examples of those types of games on modern consoles is quite rare.

Luckily, there are quite a few game designers committed to the idea of creating new games using the design sense of a past age. What's more, quite a few of them are available for free. In this hack, I'll tell you about some web sites you can visit to download and play games that offer entirely new gameplay experiences. In large part, these aren't remakes or throwbacks to old classics, but original designs. Imagine it as an alternate reality where 3D never took off, but game design continued on.

Many (though not all) of the games described in this section are playable right in your web browser, using plug-in software such as Java or Flash. Be aware that while the sites described here are free of spyware, annoying pop-up windows , and other such bothersome things, there are quite a few sites offering free web-based gaming that will assault your computer with all sorts of unwanted things. Use your best judgment.

2.5.1. PopCap Games

One of the most successful web-based gaming sites, PopCap Games (http://www.popcap.com), has nurtured some original, simple designs to the heights of success. You've probably heard of one or two of its more famous offerings. Bejeweled is a puzzle game in which you match up gems of like colors, and Bookworm (shown in Figure 2-8) challenges you to make words out of a random screen full of Scrabble-style lettered tiles. But the site also offers about two dozen other games in a variety of genres, all featuring simple gameplay that anyone can get into.

Figure 2-8. Bookworm, an addictive and educational word game playable at PopCap Games

Every game is designed to be played right in your web browser (you'll have to download a free, safe Java runtime applet). If you're tired of playing online, PopCap offers free downloadable standalone versions of each game. If you want to upgrade to the super deluxe editions, you can buy them either as a download or shipped to you on CD. The site even offers versions of many of the games that will play on your PDA, whether Palm or Windows Mobile (Pocket PC).

2.5.2. Newgrounds

On the opposite end of the web-based gaming spectrum is Newgrounds (http://www.newgrounds.com). PopCap Games offers a concise selection of polished, professional, complete games. Newgrounds, on the other hand, is open to any budding Flash programmer who wishes to inflict his or her designs on the world. Thus, it can be a bit difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were. (Not to mention that the chaff, and some of the wheat even, can be pretty violent and/or pornographic.)

Newgrounds is becoming well-known these days for being the birthplace of the beautifully designed retro-throwback shooter Alien Hominid. This sidescrolling, hand-animated adventure is reminiscent of arcade classics like Metal Slug and Contra, but with a cartoon design and comic sensibilities. You can buy the full version of the game (shown in Figure 2-9) on the Play-Station 2 and GameCube, but you can still play the incredibly popular Flash prototype in the Games section of Newgrounds.

Figure 2-9. The console version of Alien Hominid

Other highlighted games on the site's gaming portal include Soulmech: Shinobu, a hack-and-slash ninja action game; Pimp's Quest, an adventure game with shooting and puzzles all centered around the difficult life of an innercity pimp; Trapped, a dungeon puzzle game with simple graphics that belie its clever design; and League Bowling, a Flash remake of a popular arcade bowling title. This, of course, is only scratching the surface of the many, varied submissions on Newgrounds. Be aware that most games aren't nearly as fully realized as Alien Hominid, though.

2.5.3. Orisinal

Orisinal (http://www.orisinal.com) is a page full of Flash games by artist and web designer Ferry Halim, who has designed Flash animation and games for such clients as Cartoon Network, SciFi Network, and Lifetime. What makes Orisinal so popular and fun is that not only are the games frequently based on original and clever designs, but the art design, music, and animation are all exceptionally beautiful.

One of the most popular titles is Pocketful of Stars (http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g2/stars.htm). I won't spoil the secret of its gameplay; it's something you have to experience for yourself. I also really enjoy the music and design of Cats (http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/cats.htm). Each game offers online high score tables, so you can compare yourself against the rest of the Internet.

2.5.4. Homestar Runner

Though Homestar Runner (http://www. homestarrunner .com) became an underground success based primarily on the strength of its hilarious and constantly updated Flash-based cartoon shorts starring an array of original characters, the site also boasts some fun and surprisingly detailed Flash games based on the characters .

Mark and Matt Chapman, the brothers who animate and voice nearly everything on the site, are old-school Nintendo fans who constantly drop references to classic gaming in their work. So it's not surprising that their games are all at once parodies and loving tributes to that era, complete with nostalgic opening sequences and throwback graphic styles. Some of the best are:

Population: Tire

Bounce a tire in the air and keep it up as long as you can for a high score. While it's up there, different targets will randomly appear that you can hit for point bonuses.

Peasant's Quest

A parody of/tribute to King's Quest, this lengthy adventure game pokes fun at the parser-based graphic adventures of yore, while being quite adept in the puzzles itself.

Stinko Man

NES players will appreciate the classic graphic effects and intentionally bad translation work (both on display in Figure 2-10) in this Mega Man-styled side-scrolling platform shooter.

Figure 2-10. Stinko Man, hero of badly transrated adventure

Trogdor!

A classic knight -fights-dragon story, as told from the point of view of the dragon. Stomp villagers and burninate their huts, but don't get sworded!

2.5.5. Point-and-Click Adventures

Hey, remember point-and-click adventures like King's Quest and Maniac Mansion? Wish that old genre hadn't shriveled up and died circa 1997? Well, as it turns out, it didn't! Fans of adventure games, people just like you, are churning out new ones every day using the incredible PC software Adventure Game Studio [Hack #80] .

But what if you don't want to make one, and would just like to play more 2D adventures with compelling stories and brain-destroying puzzles? If that sounds like you, head on over to the Games page on the project's official web site (http://www.bigbluecup.com/games.php) to checkout a vast array of titles created with the software. You don't need to download the AGS editor to play them; they're all standalone files. Browse through the AGS Awards section to see the games that have been honored for their achievements. Some of the more popular titles are:

The Adventures of Fatman

Once offered for sale as a commercial product (yes, you can do that with your AGS creations), Fatman is now freely downloadable. The comic adventures of an overweight superhero saving his city from the evil and hazardous Toxicman.

Apprentice

Actually a trilogy of titles starring lovable magician's apprentice Mortimer "Pibs" Pibsworth. Each installment is rather short, but put them all together and you've got a lengthy experience.

King's Quest I VGA

A graphically enhanced (oh boy, is it enhanced) accurate remake of the game that started the genre. In addition to the graphics, shown in all their glory in Figure 2-11, the remakes also feature optional downloads for full sound and voice acting. Also available is a similarly gussied-up remake of King's Quest II.

Figure 2-11. King's Quest I VGA

2.5.6. Hacking the Hack

If you're wondering whether anybody's taken up the challenge of making new games that run not on the PC but on retro video game consoles, there are indeed other hacksin this very book you are holding!that cover such things. Checkout "Create Your Own Atari 2600 Homebrew Games" [Hack #75] and "Put Your Homebrews on Cartridges" [Hack #78] for more on newly minted games for older hardware.