apogee posts

The DRM-free web site GoG.com has added another game to its library of PC titles. This time it's the 2006 released Space Rangers 2 from Russian developer Elemental Games and publisher 1C Company. The space-based game which combined elemental of 4X space strategy games with RTS and space shooter elements, is now on sale for $9.99 at GoG.com

In addition, GoG.com sends over word that it will be holding a sale beginning Friday of all the games from Apogee Software, including Duke Nukem 3D. The games will be on sale for 20 percent each or all in one bundle for 50 percent off until Monday.

With the new rumors that Duke Nukem Forever has been revived over at Gearbox Software running around the interwebs lately, it's perhaps good timing that the DRM-free web site GoG.com has decided to put the last two PC Duke Nukem games on sale this weekend.

As part of their Apogee Pack sale, you can get Duke Nukem 3D and Duke Nukem Manhattan Project for 30 percent off their normal $5.99 price. However you can get both games along with three other classic Apogee titles (Rise of the Triad and both Blake Storm games) in one big bundle for just $14.95, a 50 percent saving, this weekend only. Come get some.

GoG.com is known for porting and selling classic PC games and getting them to work on modern Windows operating system. For the PC game download site's latest entry, they have gone all the way back to 1994 with the release of the top down action shooter Raptor: Call of the Shadows.

This title from developer Mountain King Studios (who released it when the developer was called Cygnus Studios) was originally released by Apogee. However the version that GoG.com has on its site is being called the "2010 edition" with improved graphics and support for higher resolutions. You can now purchase and download the 2010 edition or Raptor now for $5.99.

Games, it seems, don't die off . . they just stay in the fridge until someone thaws them out. Last week, we heard that a once canceled MMO, Gods and Heroes, was going back into production. Today we got word that another title that was once thought to be lost is making a comeback.

That game is Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure, a PC humor-themed action-adventure title that was first announced in 2006 by iBase Entertainment. The game was promoted as the return to gaming of Al Lowe, the creator of the original Leisure Suit Larry series. However only a few months later word came out that the game was being put on hold due to financial issues. Today it was announced that the game is being brought back by developer Icarus Studios, the makers of the MMO Fallen Earth, and publisher Apogee.

The press release makes no mention of the game's previous history or Al Lowe's involvement nor does it reveal a platform for the game. We hope to get more info on the title soon.

In 1996, Remedy Entertainment (currently working on Alan Wake) developed an addictive top down racing game called Death Rally. Now Death Rally is being re-released, ported to modern Windows platforms, and available in its entirety for free to download and play.

The point is simple: win races to earn money, use that money to buy upgrades, and put the money toward upgrades to knock opponents out to win more races.System requirements are shown after the jump.
Download Death Rally for Windows (42 MB)

3D Realms is now a much smaller company thanks to the shut down of the Duke Nukem Forever development team but its head man Scott Miller is still on the job. In a new an extensive interview on Gamasutra that looks back on Miller's entire career, he reveals that 3D Realms still has "11 or 12 projects in the works". Some of those projects are iPhone titles but Miller says, "We have some major games in production still. So we're fine."

Miller also reveals that the revived Apogee label, which will release an all new Duke Nukem game for handheld consoles, are "also going to reboot the Rise of the Triad franchise". First released in 1994, the original game, developed by Apogee/3D Realms, was one of the first successful first person shooter games after id Software started the genre with Wolfenstein 3D (indeed Rise of the Triad used id's Wolfenstein graphics engine). There's no word if this revival will come to the PC or in what kind of form but we have our fingers crossed.

In their fight over the fate of Duke Nukem Forever, Take Two Interactive has now revealed via new court records (uncovered by Shacknews) that Gearbox Software is (or rather was) the developer for Duke Begins, a third party Duke Nukem game that was previously revealed in a court filing by Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms/Apogee.

According to the court records, Duke Begins was part of an agreement between Take Two and 3D Realms in 2007 with Gearbox handling the actual development of the title. Take Two does admit that development of Duke Begins has "for the time being" been stopped but has denied that the game has been canceled entirely. One thing is for sure; this dispute will keep going for some time to come.

Dust off the time machine and step back. Apogee Software (a.k.a. 3D Realms) recently released eight classic games as freeware. Be aware that these games are no longer supported and may require software like DOSBox to get running, since some of these games date back to the early 90's. Otherwise, enjoy the free trip back in time.

Download Arctic Adventure Full Free Game (269 KB)
Download Beyond Titanic Full Free Game (430 KB)
Download Dark Ages Full Free Game (374 KB)
Download Kroz Full Free Game (4 MB)
Download Monuments of Mars Full Free Game (200 KB)
Download Pharaoh's Tomb Full Free Game (217 KB)
Supernova Full Free Game (756 KB)
Word Whiz Full Free Game (188 KB)

As PC game software gets older it technically loses its monetary value (although not necessarily its value in terms of gameplay). One of the older PC game developers and publishers is 3D Realms who once upon a time released games under their Apogee Software name.

This week 3D Realms released five of their older games on their site as freeware (they also re-released three others). You will have to get some emulation software to run these titles but you will get some bonafide PC game history when you do. One of these titles is Kroz which happens to be Apogee/3DRealms' first ever game. The text-adventure title was first released in 1987.

The library of games from Apogee on the GoG.com web site increased by one more today. The game download site made an unusual Thursday update by adding Blake Stone: Planet Strike, one of the earliest first person shooter titles and the sequel to Blake Stone:Aliens of Gold (already available at GoG.com).

Released in 1994 and developed by JAM Productions, the GoG.com version is now available to purchase and download for just $5.99. As with all of GoG.com's games Blake Stone: Planet Strike is completely free of any DRM set-up, GoG.com says this now completes the library of shooter games it will have from Apogee from their site.