Blast From The Past - Retro Games Are Hot Again

Miss the brainlessly simple and extremely addictive games from the 80s? Find out which game developers feel the same. Dozens of teams are creating new games based on the old classics. Here are just a few of them.

Bugatro Gold
http://www.deprice.com/bugatrongold.htm

Bugatron Gold is a well-designed space-shooter game borrows ideas from classics such as Galaga. In Bugatron, you must eradicate the evil alien insects, which swoop and dive at your spaceship in a variety of formations. The polished graphics added to our enjoyment, and the sound effects are blasting cool.

Cosmo Bots
http://www.deprice.com/cosmobots.htm

Cosmo Bots takes its cue from the addictive classics Jezzball and Qix. However, that's where the similarity ends, because Cosmo Bots has different shapes for each level, 3D rendered graphics, digital sound, new enemies, and tons of power-ups. The free version features a full set of 50 levels to play, and does not require any special hardware.

Bricks Of Egypt
http://www.deprice.com/bricksofegypt.htm

At its core, Bricks of Egypt is an Arkanoid clone, but it goes beyond replicating the frequently imitated art of busting bricks to place a refreshing emphasis on creative level design. Sure, there's a ball and paddle, but Arcade Labs layers these familiar basics with Egyptian-themed power-ups, bonuses and special challenges (such as hitting the water drops to extinguish fire bricks or striking keys to unlock new areas on the screen).

Dropheads
http://www.deprice.com/dropheads.htm

Meet the Dropheads, hilarious and loveable characters with treasure on their mind. Help these strange little guys navigate the seas by matching them in groups of four or more. Then, watch them bounce off the screen. As you go, collect pieces of a treasure map and assemble them to find the hidden loot. And with two game modes, Arcade for those who like a fast pace and Strategy for those who like a relaxing diversion, there's something for everyone.

Star Defender
http://www.deprice.com/stardefender.htm

Star Defender is a vertical scrolling space shooter and a spectacular clone of Space Invaders. You are a test pilot flying the Tornado. Your spaceship is controlled by your mouse. The ship is limited to movement in the lower line of the play area. Star Defender possesses all of the classic features of the genre: professional and vibrant graphics, breathtaking gameplay and an original soundtrack.

Alpha Ball
http://www.deprice.com/alphaball.htm

Alpha Ball is a totally 3D entry into the Arkanoid/Breakout genre, featuring simple controls and addictive gameplay. Each level has built-in, completely 3D backward and upward functionality, with great graphics and effects. The application also features the new Suspend Game feature that lets you quit a game and return to it later. The program has 100 levels, with random level matching.

John Deprice loves retro games. His collection is publically available for free download at http://www.deprice.com/games.htm

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President-elect Barack Obama and his adviser Valerie Jarrett decide on lunch during a stop at Manny's Coffee Shop and Deli in Chicago, Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)AP - President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday outlined his plan to create 2.5 million jobs in coming years to rebuild roads and bridges and modernize schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars.



AP - The family of a college student who killed himself live on the Internet say they're horrified his life ended before a virtual audience, and infuriated that viewers of the live webcam or operators of the Web site that hosted it didn't act sooner to save him.

Barack Obama (R) and Hillary Clinton address supporters during a rally in Orlando, Florida in October 2008. Intense speculation flared Friday over reports that president-elect Barack Obama is weighing whether to name former Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton as a heavy-hitting secretary of state.(AFP/File/Emmanuel Dunand)AP - President-elect Barack Obama has moved with unusual speed to select officials for his administration, and senior Democratic officials say he intends to name Timothy Geithner as his treasury secretary as soon as Monday.



Former US President Jimmy Carter, former UN head Kofi Annan, and Graca Machel, wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, seen from left, during a news conference in Johannesburg, Staurday, Nov. 22, 2008. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says he and others have been refused entry to Zimbabwe for a humanitarian mission. Carter says he and other members of The Elders group were informed Friday night by former South African President Thabo Mbeki that efforts to secure travel visas had failed. The Elders group was formed by Nelson Mandela and includes former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Mandela's wife Graca Machel, an international advocate for women's and children's rights. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)AP - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Saturday that he and others planning a humanitarian mission in Zimbabwe had been refused entry to the impoverished African country.



In this Nov. 4, 2008 file photo, Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, acknowledges the crowd during an election night rally in Phoenix.  Oprah wants her, and so do Letterman and Leno. Fresh from her political defeat, Sarah Palin is juggling offers to write books, appear in films and sit on dozens of interview couches at a rate astonishing for any first-term governor, let alone a Hollywood star.    (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)AP - Oprah wants her, and so do Letterman and Leno. Fresh from her political defeat, Sarah Palin is juggling offers to write books, appear in films and sit on dozens of interview couches at a rate that would be astonishing for most Hollywood stars, let alone a first-term governor.



Actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, Alan Rosenberg, poses for a portrait in this March 17, 2003, file photo taken in Los Angeles. The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday Nov. 22, 2008 that contract talks with Hollywood studios has failed despite the help of a federal mediator and it will now ask its members to authorize a strike. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File)AP - The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday it will ask its members to authorize a strike after its first contract talks in four months with Hollywood studios failed despite the help of a federal mediator.



In this image provided by NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough (anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint) participates in the mission's second scheduled session of extravehicular activity Thursday Nov. 20, 2008 as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. (AP Photo/NASA)AP - Astronauts up on the international space station faced the longest and hardest spacewalk of their mission Saturday, a seven-hour-plus excursion to wrap up repair work on a gummed-up joint.



U.S. President George W. Bush listens during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Lima, Peru November 22, 2008. Both leaders are in Peru for the APEC Summit. This is Bush's final scheduled foreign trip of his presidency.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque          (PERU)AP - President George W. Bush, meeting at an economic summit in Peru with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, says that given the economic crisis, its more important than ever for the two neighbors to work together.



Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, left, speaks to the media during a news conference on  Friday, Nov. 21, 2008, at the Annapolis Basin Conference Center in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Gates was in Canada to participate in meetings of NATO's International Security Assistance Force to discuss the Regional Command South in Afghanistan. Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay is at right. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mike DembeckAP - Even in a global financial crisis, the world cannot afford to skimp on its obligations to Afghanistan, which wants to double the size of its army but will never be able to pay for it, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.



New York Knicks' Stephon Marbury sits on the bench as the Knicks take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 21, 2008, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck)AP - With two moves, the New York Knicks created salary space for a premier free agent and playing time for Stephon Marbury.



(From left) Senator Hillary Clinton, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Timothy F. Geithner, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, are seen in a combination file photo. (From left Craig Mitchelldyer, Andrea Comas, Keith Bedford/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama said on Saturday that he was crafting an aggressive, two-year stimulus plan to revive the troubled economy, warning that swift action was needed to prevent a deep slump and a spiral of falling prices.



Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan addresses a news conference in Nairobi, in this file photo from October 17, 2008, after receiving the report on Kenya's post election violence in 2007 from the Commission of Inquiry. (Antony Njuguna/Reuters)Reuters - Zimbabwe has barred former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and other prominent figures from visiting the country to assess the humanitarian crisis, the group said on Saturday.



Pedestrians walk past a Citibank branch in Singapore November 18, 2008. (Vivek Prakash/Reuters)Reuters - Citigroup Inc has begun talks with the U.S. government as its plummeting share price raises doubts about the bank's ability to survive, a person familiar with the matter said.



The crew of the Belize-flagged cargo ship MV Faina stand on the deck after a U.S. Navy request to check on their health and welfare off the coast of Somalia, November 9, 2008. (U.S. Navy/Mass communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - MOGADISHU (Reuters) Islamist militants in Somalia took steps on Saturday to attack pirates behind the world's biggest hijack and rescue the captured Saudi Arabian supertanker, an Islamist spokesman said.



Leaders of the U.S. automotive industry testify at a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington November 19, 2008. From left are General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner, Chrysler Chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli and Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)Reuters - Detroit automakers began work on turnaround plans demanded by Congress in return for $25 billion in aid as General Motors Corp said it would cut production more and give up two of its controversial corporate jets.



General Motors World Headquarters is seen along the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan, September 17, 2008. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)Reuters - The board of directors of embattled U.S. automaker General Motors Corp is considering "all options" including bankruptcy, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's website late on Friday.



Traders work in close quarters on the main trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange early in the trading session in New York City, November 21, 2008. (Mike Segar/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. stocks stormed higher in a late rally on Friday to cap another volatile week as investors welcomed reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his point person to combat the U.S. economic crisis, instilling confidence about the administration's ability to take action.



Reuters - The U.S. economy needs additional support measures of between $300 billion and $600 billion to help it withstand the financial crisis, U.S. billionaire investor George Soros was quoted as saying by a German weekly.

Al-Qaeda militant Rashid Rauf, seen here in 2006, was killed in a US missile attack in northwest Pakistan.(AFP/File/Farooq Naeem)AFP - The alleged Al-Qaeda mastermind of a 2006 transatlantic airplane bombing plot was killed in a US missile attack in northwest Pakistan early Saturday, officials said.



Former US president Jimmy Carter (left), ex-United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan (centre) and Graca Machel answer questions after they were refused visas and cancelled their trip to Zimbabwe. Carter has accused Zimbabwe's government of being AFP - Former US president Jimmy Carter accused Zimbabwe's government Saturday of being "immune" to the hardships of its people as he and ex-UN chief Kofi Annan were denied entry on a humanitarian mission.




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