Retro-Games Archives - Shadow Gaming

Slaying the Grout: Anachronox is the Best RPG You’ve Probably Never Finished

Release Date: June 27, 2001 Developer Name: Ion Storm Dallas You probably remember the name Ion Storm for two reasons: the masterpiece that was Deus Ex and the... let’s call…

Chris January 25, 2026

Retro-Games

Beyond Earth: Why Alpha Centauri Still Rules the Stars

Release Date: February 9, 1999 Developer: Firaxis Games When people talk about the "Golden Age" of strategy games, they usually point toward the late nineties. It was a time when…

Chris January 22, 2026

Retro-Games

The Great Schism: Exploring the Legacy of Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Release Date: August 21, 2001 Developer: Troika Games When discussing the golden age of Computer Role-Playing Games, few titles command as much reverence and cult fascination as the 2001 masterpiece…

Chris January 21, 2026

Retro-Games

Purple Hair, Lead Pipes, and Cyberpunk Dreams: Why We Still Miss Oni

Release Date: January 29, 2001 Developer: Bungie West (a specialized division of Bungie) Developed by Bungie West (a short-lived satellite office of the Halo creators), Oni is essentially what happens…

Chris January 20, 2026

Retro-Games

The Best Book You’ll Ever Play: A Deep Dive into Planescape: Torment

If you ask a certain breed of RPG fan to name the greatest story ever told in gaming, they won't point you toward the cinematic polish of The Last of…

Chris January 19, 2026

Retro-Games

The Legend of the Sword Coast: A Retrospective on Baldur’s Gate

Release Date: December 21, 1998 Developer: BioWare In the late 1990s, the western role-playing game was widely considered a dying breed. The market was saturated with shooters and real-time strategy…

Chris January 18, 2026

Retro-Games

Frost-Bitten Glory: A Deep Dive into the Frozen North of Icewind Dale II

Release Date: August 27, 2002 Developer: Black Isle Studios When we look back at the "Golden Age" of computer role-playing games (CRPGs), the names that dominate the conversation are usually…

Chris January 18, 2026

Retro-Games

Winter’s Heart: Why Icewind Dale Remains the Ultimate Tactical RPG

Release Date: June 29, 2000 Developer: Black Isle Studios In the pantheon of the "Greatest Hits" of the Infinity Engine era, Icewind Dale often finds itself cast in the long,…

Chris January 18, 2026

Retro-Games

Managing the Great Beyond: The Satirical Chaos of LucasArts’ Afterlife

Release Date: June 27, 1996 Developer: LucasArts In 1996, while the rest of the gaming world was preoccupied with the rise of 3D shooters and the burgeoning RPG craze, LucasArts…

Chris January 17, 2026

Retro-Games

The Glorious, Gritty, and Utterly Insane World of X-Piratez

If you’ve ever played the original 1994 X-COM: UFO Defense, you know the drill: Earth is being invaded, you’re the commander of a global defense force, and you spend your…

Chris January 12, 2026