Microsoft Arcade

Last updated
Microsoft Arcade
Microsoft Return of Arcade cover.jpg
Return of Arcade cover art
Genre(s) Various
Developer(s) Microsoft
Publisher(s) Microsoft
Platform(s) Windows, Mac OS

Microsoft Arcade is a series of classic arcade game compilations released by Microsoft between 1993 and 2000.

Contents

Although the games included in these compilations were very similar to the original arcade games in both appearance and gameplay, they were newly written versions, not ports of the original arcade game code; these versions of the games were programmed specifically for Windows, with each game running in a small window (or in a large window with a border). Each game allowed certain customizations not available in the original arcade game, i.e. the number of lives and bonus levels. The Microsoft Help files included with the games contained history of the development of the original arcade versions of the games.

Microsoft Arcade

The first compilation was released in 1993 on a single 1.44MB floppy for both Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the Apple Macintosh. It contained versions of the following arcade games by Atari:

Microsoft Return of Arcade

Two follow up versions were released, including the arcade games from Namco. The first was Microsoft Return of Arcade, released in April 1996. [1] The compilation sold 335,176 copies in 1996 making it the 8th best-selling PC game that year. [2] This compilation contains:

In 2000, to celebrate Pac-Man 's 20th anniversary, Microsoft re-released Return of Arcade and added Ms. Pac-Man (as presented in Revenge of Arcade) to the roster of games. None of the other games from Revenge of Arcade were included. This updated package was called Microsoft Return of Arcade: Anniversary Edition.

Microsoft Revenge of Arcade

The second follow-up, released in 1998, was called Microsoft Revenge of Arcade and contained:

Officially, both of these follow-ups required Windows 95 or later, though the demo for Return of Arcade is a 16-bit program that requires only WinG to run in Windows 3.1. [3] This game will not work on 64-bit versions of Windows.

Next Generation criticized the PC version of the game, stating that that "(with the exception of Mrs. Pac-Man) all these games are sort of past their sell-by date, and you have an unmitigated disaster, callously cashing in on people's misremembered childhood memories." [4]

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1993 stated that Microsoft Arcade's adaptation of the five games was "nearly flawless". It favorably cited the many hints and strategies included in WinHelp files for the games, and the boss key. The magazine liked Battlezone the most out of the five games in Microsoft Arcade, but stated that "it's been done better since" by games like Spectre . Despite finding that the games were "made obsolete by technology", it predicted that Arcade would be very successful because of nostalgia, and wished that Microsoft would have updated the games with modern graphics and gameplay. [5] Microsoft Arcade was named the best computer arcade game of 1993 by Computer Games Strategy Plus . [6]

In the United States, Return of Arcade debuted in position 16 on PC Data's computer game sales rankings for April 1996. It rose to 10th place the following month, [7] and continued to chart in the top 10 through August, peaking at #5. [8] [9] [10] The game's streak in the top 20 held through November, [11] [12] [13] but ended with a fall from the charts in December. [14] According to PC Data, Return of Arcade was the eighth-best-selling computer game in the United States for 1996 overall, [15] after claiming 16th in the rankings for the first half of the year. [16] PC Data reported the game's sales at 335,176 units that year, which earned revenues of $9.5 million. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Neverhood</i> 1996 video game

The Neverhood is a 1996 point-and-click adventure video game developed by The Neverhood, Inc. and published by DreamWorks Interactive for Microsoft Windows. The game follows the adventure of a claymation character named Klaymen as he discovers his origins and his purpose in a world made entirely out of clay. When the game was originally released, it was unique in that all of its animation was done entirely in claymation, including all of the sets. The gameplay consists mostly of guiding the main character Klaymen around and solving puzzles to advance. Video sequences help advance the plot. In addition to being unique, The Neverhood aimed at being quirky and humorous, as is evident by the characters, the music, and the plot sequence. It received a sequel in 1998, Skullmonkeys, which was a platform game, abandoning the adventure format of the original.

<i>Civilization II</i> 1996 turn-based strategy video game

Sid Meier's Civilization II is a turn-based strategy video game in the Civilization series, developed and published by MicroProse. It was released in 1996 for PCs, and later ported to the PlayStation by Activision.

<i>Battlezone</i> (1980 video game) 1980 video game

Battlezone is a first-person shooter tank combat game released for arcades in November 1980 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a tank which is attacked by other tanks and missiles. Using a small radar scanner along with the terrain window, the player can locate enemies and obstacles around them in the barren landscape. Its innovative use of 3D graphics made it a huge hit, with approximately 15,000 cabinets sold.

<i>Battlezone</i> (1998 video game) 1998 video game

Battlezone is a first-person shooter real-time strategy video game, developed and published by Activision. It was released for Microsoft Windows in 1998. Aside from the name and presence of tanks, this game bears little resemblance to the original arcade game of the same name. Activision remade it into a hybrid of a tank simulation game, a first-person shooter and a real-time strategy game. In Battlezone the player is controlling everything on the battlefield from the first person view.

<i>Redneck Rampage</i> 1997 video game

Redneck Rampage is a 1997 first-person shooter game developed by Xatrix Entertainment and published by Interplay. The game is a first-person shooter with a variety of weapons and levels, and has a hillbilly theme, primarily taking place in a fictional Arkansas town. Many of the weapons and power-ups border on the nonsensical, and in some ways the game is a parody of both first-person shooter games and rural American life.

<i>Command & Conquer: Red Alert</i> 1996 video game

Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy video game in the Command & Conquer franchise, developed and published by Westwood Studios in 1996. The second game to bear the Command & Conquer title, Red Alert is the prequel to the original Command & Conquer of 1995, and takes place in the alternate early history of Command & Conquer when Allied Forces battle an aggressive Soviet Union for control over the European mainland.

Namco Museum is a series of video game compilations developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for home video game consoles. The first title in the series, Namco Museum Vol. 1, was released for the PlayStation in 1995. Entries in the series have been released for multiple platforms, including the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Xbox 360. the latest being Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2, released in 2020.

<i>Lords of the Realm II</i> 1996 video game

Lords of the Realm II is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line and developed by Impressions Games. It was first released for the PC in 1996, and is the second game in the Lords of the Realm series.

<i>Rama</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Rama is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1996. The game is based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama (1973) and Rama II (1989) and supports both DOS and Microsoft Windows. In 1998, a PlayStation version was released in Japan. It is the second Rama game to be produced. The interactive fiction game Rendezvous with Rama was released in 1984 by Telarium.

<i>Janes AH-64D Longbow</i> 1996 video game


AH-64D Longbow is a realistic combat flight simulator of the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter. Released on June 3, 1996, for the PC, this simulation was developed at Origin Systems. AH-64D Longbow was the second simulator released under the Jane's Combat Simulators line from Electronic Arts.

<i>Janes Longbow 2</i> 1997 video game

Longbow 2 is the sequel to Jane's AH-64D Longbow from Jane's Combat Simulations. The game was developed by Origin Systems with executive producer Andy Hollis on board, and released by Electronic Arts on November 13, 1997.

<i>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness</i> 1995 video game

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy real-time strategy computer game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows in 1995 and Mac OS in 1996 by Blizzard's parent, Davidson & Associates. A sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the game was met with positive reviews and won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996. In 1996, Blizzard released an expansion pack, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, for DOS and Mac OS, and a compilation, Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Battle.net edition, released in 1999, included Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, provided Blizzard's online gaming service, and replaced the MS-DOS version with a Windows one.

<i>Virtual Pool 2</i> 1997 video game

Virtual Pool 2 is a 3D, first-person sports simulation video game developed by Celeris and released by VR Sports on behalf of Interplay Productions in 1997. It is the third release of the Virtual Pool franchise of computer simulations of pool games developed by Celeris. VP2 is the second main series title in the Virtual Pool series, and would later be released alongside Virtual Pool 1.

<i>Andretti Racing</i> 1996 racing video game

Andretti Racing is a video game developed by American studios High Score Productions and Stormfront Studios and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996, and for Windows in 1997. The game's title refers to legendary racing drivers Mario Andretti and Michael Andretti.

<i>F1 Racing Simulation</i> 1997 video game

F1 Racing Simulation is a racing simulation game, developed for Microsoft Windows by Ubisoft in 1997. The game is based on the 1996 Formula One World Championship, and is the first of the Racing Simulation games made by Ubisoft, being the predecessor to Racing Simulation 2, which was released in 1998.

Battleground is a series of turn-based computer wargames developed and published by TalonSoft for Microsoft Windows between 1995 and 1999. Nine games were released in the series, each based on a different historical battle.

<i>Heavy Gear</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Heavy Gear is a 1997 computer game made for the Windows 95 operating system, based on the Heavy Gear role-playing game. A sequel, Heavy Gear II, was released in 1999.

<i>Links 386 Pro</i> 1992 video game

Links 386 Pro is a golf simulation sports game for MS-DOS released in 1992. It is part of the Links series, and was developed by Access Software as the follow-up to Links: The Challenge of Golf (1990). A Macintosh version, Links Pro, was released in 1994. An enhanced version called Links 386 CD was released for PC in 1995 that included audio comments by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait acting as the player's caddie, and an aerial flyby of each hole streamed from the game's CD-ROM. Re-branded versions of the game were also released for Microsoft Windows under the titles Microsoft Golf 2.0 (1994) and Microsoft Golf 3.0 (1996), part of the Microsoft Golf series.

<i>Lose Your Marbles</i> 1997 video game

Lose Your Marbles is a puzzle video game developed and published by SegaSoft and released for Microsoft Windows on August 19, 1997.

<i>Links LS 1998</i> 1997 sports video game

Links LS 1998 is a golf video game developed and published by Access Software. It is part of the Links video game series, following Links LS (1996). It was released in 1997, and is the first game in the series to be published for Microsoft Windows. The game was well received, and was followed by Links LS 1999.

References

  1. ↑ "GameSpot: Microsoft Return of Arcade at a Glance". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ Miller, Greg (3 March 1997). "Myst Opportunities : Game Makers Narrow Their Focus to Search for the Next Blockbuster". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "RGB Classic Games - Microsoft Return of Arcade". www.classicdosgames.com. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  4. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation . No. 48. Imagine Media. December 1998. p. 136.
  5. ↑ Harris, Neil (December 1993). "They Came from The Ancient Past". Computer Gaming World. pp. 180, 182. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Bauman, Steve (November 2000). "A Decade of Gaming; Award Winners of 1993". Computer Games Magazine (120): 58.
  7. ↑ GamerX (July 9, 1996). "May's top 20 games". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ GamerX (August 8, 1996). "June's top 30 games". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997.
  9. ↑ GamerX (August 23, 1996). "July's top 30 games". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997.
  10. ↑ GamerX (September 27, 1996). "August's top 30 games". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997.
  11. ↑ GamerX (October 29, 1996). "September's top 30 games". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997.
  12. ↑ GamerX (November 27, 1996). "October's top 30 games". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997.
  13. ↑ GamerX (January 10, 1997). "November's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on February 5, 1997.
  14. ↑ GamerX (February 3, 1997). "December's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on July 18, 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  15. ↑ Staff (February 26, 1997). "1996 PC Best Sellers". Next Generation . Archived from the original on June 6, 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  16. ↑ Yoshitake, Dawn (September 14, 1996). "A whole new ball game". News.com . Archived from the original on June 6, 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  17. ↑ Miller, Greg (March 3, 1997). "Myst Opportunities: Game Makers Narrow Their Focus to Search for the Next Blockbuster". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on May 18, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.