gamesbriefs
Topic

Age of exploration

Ships, gold and the beginning of a single connected world.

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9:35

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror

Revolution Software · 1997

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror is a 1997 point-and-click adventure by Revolution Software. It runs on PC and PlayStation. Players guide George Stobbart—and briefly Nicole Collard—through hand-drawn 2D environments using a mouse or gamepad. Interaction relies on right-clicking for clues, branching dialogue for exposition, and collecting/combining objects to solve puzzles. A dynamic map unlocks new locations as the story progresses. It sold one million copies in the mid-1990s and was well received.

10:21

Civilization IV

Firaxis · 2005

Civilization IV is a 4X turn-based strategy game built on the Gamebryo engine. It uses the empire-building model: players construct, expand, exploit, and exterminate across a procedurally generated square grid map.

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11:06

1080° Snowboarding

Nintendo · 1998

1080° Snowboarding is a Nintendo 64 snowboarding game released in 1998. Players control one of five snowboarders in third-person across eight levels. Core gameplay splits between racing (Race, Time Attack, 2 Players, Match Race) and trick-based scoring (Trick Attack, Contest). Tricks — 24 standard and 5 secret — fall into grab or spin categories and require circular stick motions plus R, Z, and B inputs. Scoring rewards complexity, combos, and timing. Characters and boards have distinct stats affecting technique, speed, weight, balance, and edge control. The game emphasises realistic physics and responsive controls.

9:13

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

Intelligent Systems · 2003

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is a Game Boy Advance turn-based strategy game released in 2001 by Intelligent Systems. It refines the Wars series’ core loop with non-linear campaign progression, Super CO Powers, and terrain-specific objectives like capturing Black Cannons. It asks players to sequence actions across turns with precision, not flair. Its rigour is its strength—and its limit.

8:39

Alone in the Dark (1992 video game)

Infogrames · 1994

Alone in the Dark (1992) is a 3D horror adventure game set in 1920s Louisiana. The player selects Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood and begins trapped in the attic of the haunted Derceto mansion. Escape requires exploration, weight-managed inventory use, and puzzle-solving—some enemies demand ritual solutions; others must be avoided entirely. Fixed camera angles and mixed 2D/3D visuals create deliberate tension. It received international attention upon release.

10:46

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Capcom · 2007

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is a DS courtroom game built on three fixed actions — Press, Present, Perceive — and one hard constraint: you cannot move forward until you trigger the correct response. It works because every phase feeds the next. It falters because it offers no deviation from that feed.