microprose posts

With the exception of a few of their older games ported to downloadable console titles, Interplay hasn't actually released an all new game since 2004. The once mighty developer and publisher has been working for years to port the Fallout franchise into an MMO (an effort that's now in court with Fallout's current owners Bethesda Softworks). Now comes word that the publisher may have gotten a cash infusion to fund new game projects.

The Fallout fan site Duck and Cover have pointed to a new SEC listing from Interplay where the company says it sold a large amount of stock, as much as 10 percent, to both Microprose and its managing director Frederic Chesnais. According to the site, word from an Interplay investor called "Frymuchan" is that this development, " . . is very good news for stockholders. He claims the stock sale will allow Chesnais to fund new Interplay game projects. The games named are Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK. Oddly enough, Interplay listed those games two years ago as titles they were planning to develop as new sequels.

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

X-COM is one of those classics that every older PC gamer remembers with fond nostalgia. Despite its age, incompatibility with newer operating systems, and somewhat clunky interface, it's still one of the best games ever made. It had a sequel that was little more than cranked up difficulty and a new environment, but the real innovation and continuation comes with the appearance of the third game. X-COM Apocalypse is the second game from the original developers, and it's an improvement upon the original in every way. It may be polarizing, but it's impossible to deny that Apocalypse has the X-COM spirit and design sense behind it.

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

There's plenty of great games floating around in the 4x genre. Games like Civilization 4 or Galactic Civilizations 2 are incredibly engaging and time-consuming, leading to that "one more turn" affliction that most 4X fans are afflicted with. The Civilization series pioneered the ground-based 4X game, but another series defined the space 4X. Master of Orion is an incredibly influential and highly-regarded series for a reason, and the most enduring and popular of said series is Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares. While it's interface and graphics may seem a bit antiquated by today's standards, it set the bar for depth and humor in the 4X genre, and is easily a classic in any genre.

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

The company Simtek is probably best known for their amazing space strategy game Master of Orion. One of the first turn-based strategy games, it helped create the template for the 4X genre, along with other classics such as Civilization. However, Master of Orion is for another Boot Disk. This one is about their second, and only other, "Master of" game. Naturally, it's about Master of Magic, one of the best strategy games, fantasy or otherwise. Combining aspects of tactical squad-based gameplay, strategic overland management, and robust spell systems, it's a must play for any strategy fan, and both the gameplay and graphics hold up after a decade and a half.

Welcome to the new Boot Disk. Same delicious format, tangy new flavor! Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more.

There's a lot of strategy games available on the PC. So many that it can be hard to determine which one to play. From the classic turn-based gameplay of Civilization to the roaring explosions of Command & Conquer, there's just so many options for the budding strategist to choose from. None, though, will ever measure up to the inspired genius that is X-COM: UFO Defense. A combination real-time and turn-based macro-strategy game, X-COM: UFO Defense has stood the test of time to prove that being old does not mean being dated.

In February 2008 a new game publishing company announced its presence at GDC. Thriller Publishing, co-founded by MicroProse co-creator J.W. "Bill" Stealey along with other former MicroProse members, set itself up as a game publisher devoted to creating military and espionage games with the creative input of (still unnamed) New York Times best selling authors.

Since then there's been little info on what the company has been doing but that changed today with the announcement that Thriller Publishing was launching a new subsidiary, Thriller New Media. The new division is aiming to launch online military themed first person shooter games akin to similar titles like Combat Arms. The company will also be putting in a social networking site that will work alongside their games.

Big Download spoke on the phone with Thriller Publishing's PR head David Swofford (formerly the PR head at NCsoft) who told us that while the plan is to continue to develop their previously announced games with the unnamed big name prose authors. However, they have decided with this new division to launch online FPS action games in a shorter period of time. Swofford told us that a number of these types of games are already in development at Thriller New Media and that actual game announcements could be made around the time E3 begins in June.

Congratulations, soldier: you survived another week. It's Friday afternoon, and instead of going out partying with your friends, you're anxious to get home, sit down at your computer, and play some new games. Sounds fun! Too bad you're broke. Lucky for you, PC gaming has an impressive library of classic games that are available online for cheap. Hang out with us every Friday so we can take you on a guided tour of some of the greatest bargains available throughout the many tubes of the Internet.

Welcome to Virtual Bargain Bin, the cure for your weekend gaming woes. This week's classics: The id Super Pack, and X-COM: The Complete Pack

Mega Man 9 may be a console exclusive, but gamers' eagerness to re-embrace the glory days that favored substance over style is being felt across all platforms. After spending time with the blue bomber, we got to thinking: what PC series would we like to see resurrected in their previous forms? Not a sequel with a new engine, but a new entry in a series, new or old, that might benefit from the application of the technology that made it so successful in its day?

Collected here are 10 PC games we'd love to be born again in the same attire they wore when they were new to the party. After perusing our picks, consider what yours might be, and leave a Comment telling us about them. Next week, we'll tally up the 10 games with the most votes and feature them in a gallery of their own.

The Resurgence of Yesteryear

In its most recent issue, The Official Xbox Magazine revived a rumor that 2K Boston (Ken Levine's team, known for its work on BioShock) is working on a game that will reboot the X-Com franchise. Since OXM exclusively covers the Xbox 360, there was no word about a PC version. Nevetheless, X-Com is a PC franchise and since BioShock saw a PC release, we're hoping that we can safely assume the new X-Com will come our way too.

BioShock 2 is under development at the new 2K office in Marin, and that means Levine and friends are working on something unannounced. 2K bought the rights to X-Com last year.

If you're not up on your history, the X-Com games were highly acclaimed and popular tactical combat titles developed by legendary strategy developer MicroProse. MicroProse was originally founded by Sid Meier and also produced Pirates!, Civilization, and Master of Orion.

[Via Kotaku]