Ballyhoo (1986)
Genres:Adventure
Themes:Mystery
Game modes:Single player
Story:Ballyhoo is an interactive fiction computer game designed by Jeff O'Neill and published by Infocom in 1985. It was released for ten different 8 and 16-bit platforms, including MS-DOS, Atari ST, and Commodore 64. It is Infocom's nineteenth game.
With a circus-themed plot, the game's tagline was "Big-time suspense under the Big Top!"
The player's character is bedazzled by the spectacle of the circus and the mystery of the performer's life. After attending a show of Tomas Munrab's "The Travelling Circus That Time Forgot", the player loiters near the tents instead of rushing through the exit. Maybe some clowns will practice a new act, or perhaps at least one of the trapeze artists will trip...
Instead, the player overhears a strange conversation. The circus' owner has hired a drunken, inept detective to find his daughter Chelsea, who has been kidnapped. Munrab is convinced that it was an outside job; surely his loyal employees would never betray him like this!
As the player begins to investigate the abduction, it soon becomes clear that the circus workers don't appreciate the intrusion. Their reactions range from indifference to hostility to attempted murder. In order to unravel the mystery, the player engages in a series of actions straight out of a circus fan's dream: dressing up as a clown, walking the high wire, and taming lions.Show more
Vote to bring this game to GOG and help preserve it.13
FreelancerEight hundred years prior to the start of our story, bitter conflict divided all of mankind. A handful of colonists struck out on their own to begin anew - far away from the Earth and its turmoil. Several ships were launched with enough equipment and supplies to give the hundreds onboard a fighting chance - but since the area around far-off Sirius had never been surveyed, no one really knew what to expect. What they found was a new frontier of free-flowing natural resources, unexplored territories, great wonders and lurking dangers. Each ship, representing the clusters of people and their earthly place of origin, settled into different parts of the galaxy pre-selected by their ship-board computer to give them the best chance of survival.
Life was hard in the beginning, but over the 800 years the different colonies prospered and expanded their territories, claiming more and more systems for their own. Survival and propagation eventually led to growth and profit as each of the colonies developed specialties and fostered commerce. As the colonies grew and time passed their connections with their roots on Earth dwindled and they lost their memories of the conflicts of the past. Soon their attention was dominated by new, more immediate conflicts. Feelings of lost ancestral connection spurred anachronism in the look of the great cities, and created a somewhat distorted image of each colony's cultural heritage. In the ever-expanding outer edge of the territories, frontier lawlessness prevailed.
The Houses: Each shipboard colony that left Earth carried some memory of its origins in its name. The Liberty carried Americans, The Bretonia flew from The United Kingdom and surrounding territory, The Kusari from Asia, and the Rheinland launched with Germanic cargo.
As each ship settled and colonies began to expand, they knew little about each other and their advancing development. Finally, little by little, the individual colonies found each other and began to set up trade routes to link their systems for commerce and solidarity.
Today, with each colony firmly rooted in its respective corner of the galaxy, the colonies rely heavily on each other for trade and industry but also compete for resources and new territories in the Border Worlds. The colonies mandate member governments in "The New Alliance" within the Sirius sector. To control conflicts, each colony has forged alliances and treaties with others as they have grown. Competition remains fierce, however. Struggles rage for supremacy in business, commerce, resources, power and control. There can be tenuous peace between colonies' political agendas, but the grabs for holdings constantly unsettle the volatile frontier.Our Pick Top Trending Science fiction Sandbox
God of WarGod of War is an action-adventure hack-and-slash video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). Initially launched for the PlayStation 2, the game stands as the first instalment in the God of War series and the third in chronological order. Loosely inspired by Greek mythology, it unfolds in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central theme. The player takes on the role of Kratos, the protagonist, a Spartan warrior devoted to the Olympian gods. Tasked by the goddess Athena, Kratos is assigned to eliminate Ares, the God of War and Kratos' former mentor. Ares had deceitfully manipulated Kratos into killing his wife and daughter. As Ares attacks Athens fueled by hatred for Athena, Kratos embarks on a quest to locate Pandora's Box, the sole object capable of permanently stopping the vengeful god.Action Fantasy Historical
Fable IIISet 50 years after the events of Fable II, the continent of Albion (where the Fable series is set) is under the control of Logan, a tyrant king and the Hero's older brother[1]. The player's character, the "Hero", is forced into a quest to become a revolutionary leader to defeat Logan after he reveals his true personality to the Hero. Over the course of the first half of the game, the Hero will overthrow Logan and become ruler of Albion themselves. During the second half of the game, a strange force from Aurora, called The Darkness will threaten Albion and the player has to decide how to react to it.Open world Action Fantasy Comedy Sandbox
Cold FearIn a ferocious Arctic storm, distress signals are sent from a mysterious Russian whaler. As leading Coast Guard veteran Tom Hansen, you board to investigate — and discover unthinkable horrors lurking beneath the ship's bloodstained decks.Action Horror Survival
DuneDune is a 1992 video game, based upon Frank Herbert's science fiction novel of the same name. Developed by Cryo Interactive, is the first of the Dune computer games. Dune blended adventure with economic and military strategy, and is considered by many the most immersive Dune computer game. Loosely following the story of the novel, the game casts the player as Paul Atreides, with the ultimate goal of driving the Harkonnen from Planet Dune, while managing spice extraction, military, and later, ecology through the native Fremen tribes.
As the player progresses, his troops are equipped with weapons from "crysknives" to atomics, tap into Paul's latent psychic powers, and get acquainted with such characters from the book as Chani and Liet-Kynes.Top Science fiction
PrototypePrototype is the first of two games, and let's the user take control of Alex Mercer as he fights to stop the viral outbreak known as BLACKLIGHT throughout Manhattan. Alex is himself infected by the virus, which has given him special, mutant, abilities that will evolve with time and aid him in stopping the virus.Trending Open world Action Horror Stealth Sandbox Survival
Mass Effect TrilogyExperience all three award winning Mass Effect titles at an amazing value with the Mass Effect Trilogy.
As Commander Shepard, rise to become the galaxy’s most elite soldier and lead an all-out war to stop an ancient and ruthless enemy: the Reapers. With over 75 hours of content and more than 300 awards, one of gaming’s most acclaimed franchises is available for the first time in a premium foiled box set.
Heart-pounding action meets gripping interactive storytelling where you decide how your unique story unfolds. Assemble and lead your team aboard the SSV Normandy, the most advanced ship in the galaxy, and travel to distant and unexplored star systems. On your journey, meet a cast of intriguing characters each with their own story to tell. Wield devastating weapons and customize them with upgrades to create new and devastating attacks. All the thrilling action and your decisions culminate into a heroic battle against the greatest threat ever known.
The fate of the galaxy lies in your hands—how will you chose to fight for it?Action Science fiction
Rule of RoseRule of Rose is a survival horror game in which the player, who controls Jennifer, explores the game environments and furthers the plot by accomplishing tasks and experiencing cut-scenes while sporadically encountering enemies and bosses.
Taking place in England in 1930, Rule of Rose centers on Jennifer, a young woman who is led to an abandoned orphanage by a small boy.Horror Survival
Untitled Goose GameIt's a lovely morning in the village and you are a horrible goose.
Untitled Goose Game is a slapstick-stealth-sandbox, where you are a goose let loose on an unsuspecting village. Make your way around town, from peoples' back gardens to the high street shops to the village green, setting up pranks, stealing hats, honking a lot, and generally ruining everyone’s day.Action Comedy Stealth Sandbox Kids
Grand Theft AutoDrive dozens of varied vehicles around three of America's toughest cities.
Only the best will be able to tame the fastest cars. Only the smartest will know all the short-cuts and the whereabouts of the hottest wheels.
Only the toughest will be able to take on the world and finish the job like a professional...Open world Action Sandbox