Viridian Games

We’re wasting away again in RPG-a-ville.

This game has an interesting history…which I can’t talk about until someone guesses it. So, name and developer, please! If you win, I’ll let you try out my new machine that digitizes people and puts them inside the computer! You’ll be able to play the games as if you’re actually there! Don’t worry, the theory is perfectly sound…what could go wrong?

I told you it was going to be a bit more involved. These games are all quite recent (released within the last three to five years) and are all PC games. So, to make things harder, I’ve given you a whole bunch of games to identify and have shrunk the screenshots down to 400×300. On the other hand, I’ve grouped the nine games into three logical groups so in the end it shouldn’t be too hard to figure them out.

Enjoy! If you are the first person to name all nine games and their developers, I will name a kitten after you.

RTS Games:

FPS Games:

Strategy Games:

Point? No, I wasn’t really trying to make a point. Why do you ask?

Sorry I haven’t updated recently…I’ve been working hard both at work and at home, and also had the holiday over the weekend (which went well; we got a great view of the fireworks and all my kids loved them, though my littlest was covering her ears at first).

Just wanted to let you guys know that the next version of Planitia…will be multiplayer-enabled And I’m hoping to have it for you in a week or two.

Oh, and I will be doing something special for the 50th Name That Game! this week…I just don’t know what yet.

Oooh, one away from 50! The suspense is killing me…I hope it lasts!

In honor of the Spore Creature Creator (which I am still swooning over…when I can pry my children away from it) I present a much earlier game that also featured custom creature creation. Unfortunately, this game wasn’t well-received, at least partially because it was difficult to play - not only did it require your typical RTS base-building and unit herding, but you also had to build your creatures to successfully counter your enemy.

Name and developer, please! If you are correct, I’ll spare you when my army of genetically-enhanced super-mutants swarms the entire world!

This one is fascinating. I’d never heard of it until I read a recent article about the history of open-world gaming. This game was released in 1989 for the Amiga, Atari ST and the PC. It featured an open world with over thirty vehicles to use. Unfortunately most of the vehicles were difficult to use and it was also difficult to figure out exactly what you needed to do to win.

Name and developer, please!

This game was an unusual departure for the company that made it.

While both the art style and overal concept had promise, the game was simply way too complex to play without a strategy guide, and suffered from the fact that…well, there was no way to “win” the game, although there were several ways you could lose.

Name and developer, please! If you win, I’ll give you a pony. (Note: Pony not included.)

Oooh, we’re getting close to 50! Will Viridian do something special for the 50th Name That Game?!

Um, no. No, he probably won’t. Sorry.

ANYway, today’s game is a fairly generic RPG…one so generic that (gasp! shock! horror!) it didn’t grab me and I never got very far into it.

Name and developer, please! If you win, I’ll give you a No-Prize!

This game was kind of a big deal when it came out because of its use of semi-famous actors in its full-motion video, but the gameplay looked awful so I never gave it a shot.

Name and developer, please! Your reward will be to be cast as the lead in the next game I make that uses full-motion video!

This one will be easy.

This was one of my favorite RPGs. It’s light, fun, and doesn’t take a thousand hours to complete. I swear, when I hear some RPG designers touting the huge number of hours of gameplay their games allegedly have, I just don’t know where I’m going to find the strength…

Name and developer, please. If you win, your reward will be the satisfaction of knowing you are right!

And, with a sickening crunch of metal, we change gears again. I really need to get that transmission looked at.

This screenshot is from a game released during the heyday of graphic adventure games, and is considered very good - but it didn’t break through and become a classic like a lot of its peers did.

Name and developer, please! If you’re right, I’ll use the giant laser I’ve been building in my secret underground lair to write your name on the moon! Or rather, I’ll do the best I can…to be honest, it would be a big help if the first three letters in your name are “CHA”.