Top 10 action games

From...

May 9, 2000
Web posted at: 11:07 a.m. EDT (1507 GMT)

by Linda L. Grubbs

(IDG) -- You didn't make it to The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 (the most popular gaming conference on the planet, held May 11 through May 13 in Los Angeles) but you're still a gamer. You can have tons of fun right from your desktop with this week's downloads. Check out the most popular computer action games in our library while the gamers at E3 fight over the Lara Croft impersonators.

Battle aliens from different planets in a 3D environment as Duke Nukem, hero from planet Earth. Make like Obi-Wan Kenobi and use a lightsaber to slay destroyer druids in Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace. Be a rabble-rouser and knock off menacing opponents with Quake III: Arena. Or fire up your Palm and try to collect an assortment of jewels with a shareware version of LodeRunner II.

Top 10 action games

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1. Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace: Is the force with you? Find out when you play this action adventure game based on the blockbuster movie. Take on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Amidala, or Captain Panaka and battle destroyer droids using lightsabers or droid stunners. During your quest, travel to Naboo, Mos Espa or the skyways of Coruscant. Included in this level-1 demo are dozens of challenging puzzles. The full version includes 10 additional levels.



2. Duke Nukem 3D: Save Los Angeles from aliens in the third installment of this first-person shooter series. Upon returning to Earth, our hero Duke finds himself up against an alien race. The game features sharp 3D graphics, a wealth of deadly weapons, and an endless supply of aliens to kill.



3. Half-Life: Opposing Force: Replete with all the 3D graphics and visceral action of the original, this follow-up to Half-Life returns you to the Black Mesa Research facility. But this time you're one of the soldiers you tried to kill in the previous version of the game. As a military specialist sent to eliminate Gordon Freeman, you discover a whole new threat: an alien species out to destroy the Earth. This game offers new single-player options, a ton of new weapons, and increased multiplayer features.



4. Microsoft Baseball 2001: First-rate graphics and cutting-edge simulation technology make this game one of the best in its class. It features more than 1200 players (with actual 1999 statistics) and 35 stadiums, including the new ones in Milwaukee, Houston, San Francisco, and Detroit. You can trade, sign, and manage players while also supervising their teams' finances over multiple seasons.



5. Tomb Raider III: Scour the globe from the Arctic to the South Pacific for lost meteor artifacts. This third installment of the popular adventure game saga is much less linear than previous versions: You can choose the order in which you play each of the four main levels. The levels themselves are also more open, with multiple routes.



6. Doom 95: Slay menacing monsters and ghastly ghouls in this action game classic. It features realistic graphics, a treasure trove of weaponry, and plenty of beastly adversaries.



7. Quake III: Arena: In this third installment of the Quake legacy, you must shoot your way out of a realistic 3D arena full of deadly obstacles and menacing opponents. You have to rely on your arsenal of high-tech weaponry to survive. Enhanced multiplayer network play and new weapons add to the fun.



8. 3D Dudes: Put up your dukes and battle against other dudes to become the last dude standing. Personalize your dude and work your way up from fighting with your hands and feet to using weapons.



9. LodeRunner II: Collect jewels and avoid menacing guards in this game for the Palm OS. This version adds more complex strategy options and a variety of new levels.



10. 3D Mars Mission: Save the Earth from imminent destruction in this four-level demo of an arcade shooter game. In the year 2009, a probe has been sent to Mars in the hope of discovering life forms. But the probe's radio waves are interpreted as hostile, and the Martians declare war. It's your mission to save the human race from extinction.

Thief II: The thinking person's shooter
April 25, 2000
Master your Fear for maximum Effect
March 7, 2000
Unreal Tournament: Unreal multiplayer action
December 14, 1999
Lara Croft returns to the Playstation for one Last Revelation
December 7, 1999
Tomorrow Never Dies leaves you shaken, if not stirred
December 2, 1999

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