3D Realms Returns After Five-Year Absence

[Brittany Vincent]

3D Realms Returns After Five-Year Absence


3D Realms is back in business, releasing a collection of classic titles with the 3D Realms Anthology.

After a five-year hiatus, 3D Realms [https://3drealms.com/] has returned to the world of the living with the announcement of its 3D Realms Anthology collection, featuring 32 games from its storied past.

The enviable collection is DRM-free and on sale [https://3drealms.com/catalog/3d-realms-anthology_50/] for $19.99 for the next 48 hours. Along with a freshly remastered soundtrack, it features several games PC gamers may recall from their past, like the Commander Keen series, Duke Nukem, and Shadow Warrior. The full list includes the following:

Arctic Adventure
Bio Menace
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold
Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy
Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons
Math Rescue
Monster Bash
Mystic Towers
Paganitzu
Monuments of Mars
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
Crystal Caves
Death Rally
Alien Carnage
Hocus Pocus
Major Stryker
Blake Stone: Planet Strike
Realms of Chaos
Pharaoh's Tomb
Word Rescue
Secret Agent
Raptor: Call of the Shadows
Terminal Velocity
Wacky Wheels
Stargunner
Shadow Warrior
Wolfenstein 3D
Rise of the Triad: Dark War
Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem 2
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project

Once a respected and recognizable name in the '90s, 3D Realms slowly faded into obscurity over the next decade or so before Interceptor Entertainment's acquisition, of course, until now.

With original members Scott Miller and Bryan Turner on board, the company has appointed CEO Mike Nielsen and vice president Frederik Schreiber, CEO of Interceptor Entertainment, to steer the ship in what will hopefully be a new and prosperous direction.

As of right now, the company has not announced any plans for additional projects or brand new games, but making their catalogue of classic games available to players without the need for PC optimization or complicated emulation is a pleasant surprise and a great way to make a comeback.

Source: 3D Realms [https://3drealms.com/news/3d_realms-is-back/]

Permalink

 

[Skeleon]

Ah yes, Commander Keen, Bio Menace, Wacky Wheels, these games I still remember and love to play. Apogee!

But I'm not going to pay a fucking 20 dollars for them. Especially not Bio Menace: While I love this trilogy, it was freeware not too long ago (it might still be in its non-jubilee edition, I guess). That's when I got it. Completely legally. And I actually own Wacky Wheels on CD. So, reduce the price and I might buy it just for old times' sake and for the soundtracks, I guess. But that price is insane.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

Ah yes, Commander Keen, Bio Menace, Wacky Wheels, these games I still remember and love to play. Apogee!

But I'm not going to pay a fucking 20 dollars for them. Especially not Bio Menace: While I love this trilogy, it was freeware not too long ago (it might still be in its non-jubilee edition, I guess). That's when I got it. Completely legally. And I actually own Wacky Wheels on CD. So, reduce the price and I might buy it just for old times' sake and for the soundtracks, I guess. But that price is insane.

Similar logic over here. I'm tempted to get this for Raptor and nothing else, but why would I pay $20 for that when I probably have a copy of it in my basement somewhere just out of arms reach.

 

[NLS]

Ah yes, Commander Keen, Bio Menace, Wacky Wheels, these games I still remember and love to play. Apogee!

But I'm not going to pay a fucking 20 dollars for them. Especially not Bio Menace: While I love this trilogy, it was freeware not too long ago (it might still be in its non-jubilee edition, I guess). That's when I got it. Completely legally. And I actually own Wacky Wheels on CD. So, reduce the price and I might buy it just for old times' sake and for the soundtracks, I guess. But that price is insane.

Similar logic over here. I'm tempted to get this for Raptor and nothing else, but why would I pay $20 for that when I probably have a copy of it in my basement somewhere just out of arms reach.

You can also get Raptor at GOG.com (http://www.gog.com/game/raptor_call_of_the_shadows_2010_edition). Especially handy if you suddenly discover that your computer no longer has a floppy drive, or that getting the old DOS version to work might be a hassle.

 

[nickpy]

A lot of these games are offered for free on the web as abandonware.

Just because they're available doesn't mean they're available legally. "Abandonware" is not actually a thing - copyright doesn't magically evaporate just because the original developer is no longer actively selling it. The only way copyright stops applying is if the copyright owner specifically places the work in the public domain, releases it under a suitably permissive license, or the copyright times out (which I believe is now author's lifetime + 70 years, or something equally ridiculous).

In any case, I think that $20 for thirty-two classic games, fully compatible-ified with new systems, is actually a really good deal. That's an average of 63 cents per game.

 

[Weresquirrel]

Looking at that list, there's only 5 games I didn't immediately recognise... It's clubbing me over the head with nostalgia... I think Monuments of Mars is the first game I ever actually played.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I'd pay for a throwback Commander Keen game, maybe a Metroidvania. I always loved 3d Realms games back in the day and prefer platformer Duke to the "edgy" Duke.
I'd enjoy the hell out of more platformers though... I still go back to the Bionic Commando HD Remake (not the 3d game, the remake of the NES version) because it feels modern yet retro and I'd pay good money for the same feel from some Keen or Duke. Old school...

 

[Brittany Vincent]

Looking at that list, there's only 5 games I didn't immediately recognise... It's clubbing me over the head with nostalgia... I think Monuments of Mars is the first game I ever actually played.

I don't have a lot of time these days to track down the games and download them, then fight with them to get them to run (where applicable). Back when I was younger and had less of a daily workload it would have been a deal I'd scoff at, but seeing them all collected in a handy package that I can pay a fee to unlock is lucrative to me. I imagine there are others who feel similarly.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

But.... Why? Honestly, what's the endgame here? They could have released this collection NOT under the 3D Realms name. And going forward, they could have kept making games NOT under the 3DR name. The only reason to carry on a dead name is that it carries clout, which 3DR no longer does. This isn't the nineties, your logo on the box is no longer enough, 3DRealms... This just seems like a stupid business decision, someone being nostalgic in a time that calls for pragmatism.

CAPTCHA: reach higher. Which is great advice. Dont be tied down to your past, 3DR, reach higher.

 

[RealRT]

This isn't actually that great of a deal. A lot of these games are offered for free on the web as abandonware. I know at least 5 of them are anyway. I guess it's nice to have them all in one place if you dont want to go scouring for them but meh.

Abandonware is just a fancy word for piracy. But the deal is not that great, yes.

 

[major_chaos]

This is basically my childhood in a box and most of these games are great anyway, so this is an instabuy for me.
also lolgamers finding reasons to complain about 32 games for 62 cents a pop.

 

[Covarr]

What's with all these Duke Nukem games? I thought Gearbox bought the rights to everything Duke Nukem? Or was that only to the franchise going forward and 3D Realms keeps the old ones?

P.S. Thanks

 

[Callate]

I'm confused. Did they ever, really go away? I mean, they were a floating corpse there for a significant time. They had some embarrassing legal shenanigans related to Duke Nukem Forever. Some of their games have been offered here and there, by GOG and others. They had that announcement about Bombshell six months back, which was generally greeted with responses ranging from "Huh?" to "Whatever."

...But I don't think their web site ever went dark. I'm not sure how this announcement in particular marks a "return from absence".

 

[RealRT]

What's with all these Duke Nukem games? I thought Gearbox bought the rights to everything Duke Nukem? Or was that only to the franchise going forward and 3D Realms keeps the old ones?

P.S. Thanks

Yes, they own the trademark and the character and rights to all future games, but the good ones still belong to 3D Realms.

 

[-Dragmire-]

Let's see... I know/remember...

Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy
Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons
Hocus Pocus
Raptor: Call of the Shadows
Duke Nukem 3D

Raptor was probably my favorite, I remember playing that one quite a bit. Not sure I'd play them again though, fun as they were.

Hmmm, this reminded me of another game I played around the same time, Zone 66. I wonder who made that one.

...

Epic!? Really? Huh, I had completely forgotten their older stuff over the years.

 

[Rituro]

Oh my goodness. That's about 90% of my childhood gaming fare all in one package. I thought Death Rally was given out for free by Rockstar not that long ago, though...? Ah well. Nostalgia trip, hooooooooooo!

 

[RicoADF]

This is semantics. I didn't know much about the term abandonware and I've used it incorrectly, but the point stands that a lot of these games are available for free legally. It sort of marginalizes this deal knowing this.

That's what Nickpy is trying to say, their NOT available for free legally. If your getting them for free it's piracy. Some of the games may have had free demos available but that's another matter.