While all the other space exploration and combat games on 16-bit home computers flail around in their own mucky diapers, Frontier: Elite II makes a mockery of everything else in its class by not only being a staggering piece of programming, but also a damn fine, playable game too.
Tag Archives: polygons
Simulcra, Atari ST
Simulcra is a cool third-person 3D shooter set on a complex series of colourful courses. The game was developed by legendary coding team Graftgold and is one of their least well-known releases, but also one of their best.
Battle Zone, Arcade
Atari‘s 1980 hit Battle Zone was one of the first ever video games to use 3D polygonal vector graphics to represent the playfield.
It’s a tank game, and you’re basically hunting down tanks, flying saucers, and other baddies. Shooting them before they can shoot you.
A-10 Tank Killer, PC
Dynamix‘s 1989 combat flight sim, A-10 Tank Killer, is fast and fluid on the PC, making it one of the first serious combat flight sims to offer more than 20 frames a second to games-players. In the early days of combat flight sims: the games were battling against weaker machine specs and lower CPU cycles. When 386 and 486 type PCs entered the market (in 1989), and VGA graphics cards became affordable, only then did the genre finally have the power to be “fast” and “fluid”.
Alone In The Dark 2, PC
Alone In The Dark 2 is a suitably frantic, scary and chilling sequel to 1992’s Alone In The Dark.
Part two came out just over a year after the first game, in 1993, and French developer Infogrames made it bigger and more challenging than the first game.
Driller, Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 version of Incentive‘s classic Driller is surprisingly good, considering that the machine isn’t particularly suited to this kind of game.
Driller, PC
American publisher Epyx released UK hit game Driller onto US PC markets under the title of Space Station Oblivion in 1988.
There was no need for a title change really. Driller says it all.
Driller, Atari ST
Driller and Freescape started life on the ZX Spectrum in 1987 – performing miracles on Sir Clive’s humble little machine. Creating 3D worlds where previously there were none…
And, being more than just a graphics engine, Freescape (and Driller) lived on into the 16-bit realm, and beyond.
Driller, ZX Spectrum
Driller first appeared on the ZX Spectrum in 1987. This version is where it all began.
Driller‘s engine – called Freescape – was to go down in history as one of the first to make 3D gaming a real possibility.
Driller, Amstrad CPC
Driller was the very first Freescape game. A very important game for its time. It first came out in 1987.
It was one of the first ever games that allowed you to explore a full 3D environment, and Freescape was the engine that made it possible.
The King of Grabs 