Microsoft Resurrects Windows 95 Classic Hover! to Show-off WebGL Technologies
When Microsoft's Windows 95 was released a staggering 18-years-ago, I considered it to be exciting. While I was only 12-years-old, I had quite a bit of experience up to that point with Windows 3.x, and the general design improvements of 95 made the OS feel like a major improvement - it truly felt like "next-gen" computing at the time.
If Windows 95 didn't seem all-too-exciting to everyone, the CD-ROM packed a little bonus that helped make the experience just a wee bit better. It was a 3D game called Hover!, and at a time when Doom was one of the most popular 3D games around, you can probably understand why people were so quick to latch onto it.
The gameplay in Hover! was admittedly simple even for its time. You merely drove your hovercraft around trying to beat the computer AI in a modified game of capture-the-flag. Despite its simplicity, though, the game has gained a bit of a classic status, a game that many may remember fondly, even if they have no intention of playing it again.
Well, it appears that Microsoft hasn't been left oblivious about this, as when the time came to craft up a game to to show off WebGL technologies (sponsored by Internet Explorer), it decided to work with developer Dan Church to bring the game on over to the Web - but updated, of course. Fresher graphics, a cooler interface, and even a multiplier mode are ready to greet you.
As cool as this is, though, cooler still might be the fact that Microsoft has included an easter egg that allows you to revisit the classic Hover! amongst a faux Windows 95 desktop. At the main screen where you must choose between single or multiplayer, simply type in "bambi", and voila!
With this kind of classic being revived, how about we see a reboot of the Entertainment Pack, huh, Microsoft?