LogFAQs > #948968554

I was trying to think of another way I could slice my top 100 list for another tease, but came up blank. Anyway, these are my last two mentions before I get started on the actual list. I think the others might need another day or two before we get started with the actual top 100 lists, but I'm ready.

HONORABLE MENTION: Challenge of the Ancient Empires! (MS-DOS, 1990)

This game was released as part of The Learning Company's line of edutainment products, although unlike the rest of the company's games, it has little or no educational value (the purported benefit was teaching "problem solving"). The game is a 2D puzzle platformer that involves exploring areas themed after ancient empires. Around 1990 or 1991, my dad somehow got his hands on several The Learning Company games, and this was one of them. Playing those games is one of my earliest video game experiences, and Ancient Empires was one of only a few that closely resemble a traditional game, and ended up being one of my favorites.

The game used a combination of basic MIDI for the music, and the PC speaker for sound effects. So it sounded pretty bad. But the soundtrack (based on classical music) is still something that I can readily recall at a moments notice. The game featured very basic platforming and some puzzles that mostly revolved around pulling switches or walking over buttons to operate mirrors and belts. Each level ends with a puzzle where you assemble a picture or something. I think I beat it once or twice, and I actually have a copy sitting somewhere on my computer (courtesy of my brother, shoutouts to him), but haven't played it since that time.

HONORABLE MENTION: Streets of SimCity (Microsoft Windows, 1997)

I want to preface this by saying that Streets of SimCity is not a good game. Despite this, I wanted to mention it because it is an incredible thing. It's a really neat idea: what if you could explore and race your SimCity 2000 levels in a car? And what if your car had guns? Unfortunately, for those who have played SimCity 2000, you will know that the geographical limitations of that game do not translate at all well to a driving game (there are two grades in the game: flat and 45%). It's a totally janky mess, but it's such an interesting mess! The levels operate as an open world where you can drive around, upgrade your car, and shoot things while participating in various race and deathmatch missions.

The game was kind of a parody and you could see a lot of the weird Maxis humor that ended up making its way into games like The Sims. You could listen to a number of radio stations with original music and it was all really goofy. But the actual gameplay was not so good. Better than SimCopter, which had a similar concept, but that's really not saying much at all. Still, I appreciate this game for trying something new and giving teenage me the ability to explore the cities that I built.

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At least your mother tipped well