DOS games that still totally hold up today.

[mizushinzui]

I've been playing through a few of my old DOS favorites recently and was surprised by how many of them are still actually fun and engaging these days.

This got me to thinking, since I've had so much fun with it, are there other games out there that are actually still fun? there are probably a lot that swept under the radar and could be considered hidden gems, anyone got a few?

3 that spring to mind for me:


1. Tex Murphy - Mean Streets
A very engaging game that manages to make you feel like you're actually a PI taking on a case and trying to solve it. It's a bit obtuse with the driving mechanic and the waiting to go from place to place but if you can get around it or find the manual online it can be super fun. Especially if you like a game that needs you to take your own notes.

2. Loom
Most people who play DOS games probably know this one, it's a point and click from LucasArts with an amazing world. It has relatively few obtuse puzzles and once again requires you to write things down. Unfortunately it was supposed to be part 1 of a trilogy and the last 2 where never made so the ending is somewhat insubstantial. Also try to play the voiced version.

3. Beneath a Steel Sky
A Dystopian future point-n-click. The game has been around for a long time and has great characters, story and humor. You can also get it for free from GOG so it's really easy to find and play these days.

 

[broadbandmink]

I'd say UFO: Enemy Unknown and XCOM: Terror from the Deep are still nail-biters of the highest order if one can look past the dated graphics.

 

[Wary Wolf]

Too... Many... Favorites...

Commander Keen Series

Still holds a place in my pessimistic heart. In an era where the industry was basically a huge influx of platformers Keen I thought held significant challenge, whilst being accessible. Don't know what makes them special over all the rest of them. Maybe I'm just weird. Still have most of them on floppy o_0, but I reckon you can get a lot out of the shareware or freeware versions (1, 4 and 7)

Dune 2

Before command and conquer and by extension starcraft. There was Dune 2. And it was terrible. Clunky interface. Glitchy bugs. Laughable AI. Near useless infantry. And nothing like Dune 1. Which was a semi-decent adventure game with strategic elements. But it always wins for me because: 1. I am a massive Dune nerd. 2. Despite it's issues it's, you know. Fun.

Some modders have done some really awesome things with this though, and have made it more or less playable.

But if we're going to talk modders making a DOS game awesome... Yeah, you know where I'm going... Or at least you should...


STAR CONTROL II

See, back in the DOS era sequels tended to be better. I make jokes a lot about if I want to play a space game with fun combat, RPG elements, a wide open world filled with lore and back story, with a focus on exploration, resource gathering elements and the ability to nail a hot blue alien chick. I don't go for Mass Effect. I go for Star Control II. Because it is awesome. It is both humorous and has a decent storyline, where the main villains have significant depth, you feel like you are rewarded for investment in helping a species and has some extremely quotable dialogue.

This game has been modded under the title "Ur-Quan Masters" and is freeware. The amount of work put in is amazing and well worth your time. Take notes while playing. Yeah. Written. Notes. No journal screen for you.

It takes a bit to get into, but it happens to be one of the most fun little DOS games that I could recommend, and I'm sure other's would have put it down if I hadn't got in first.

It's also multiplayer.

 

[Bad Jim]

Doom and maybe Quake should get a mention. Not only did they define the genre, but they are actually pretty fun still. I think this is because they kept the games quite simple, so if you can look past the graphics you won't get hung up on clunky interfaces, which are the main stumbling block for old games imo.

Master of Orion 2. Space based 4X games still get compared to MOO2.

Civilization. The original. Yes it is still fun.

Cannon Fodder. A mouse controlled shooty game. The DOS version lacked the awesome music of the Amiga version, but is still fun to play.

Floor 13. An awesome game that is not, unfortunately, available outside abandonware sites afaik. You control a shady government organisation with the task of keeping the present government in power. You do this by reading the reports every day and then ordering smear campaigns, ransacking homes, or even assassination.

Turrican 2. The DOS version is fine. A classic metroid style platformer.

Sensible World of Soccer. Considered by many to be the best footy game ever. Even now.

Fallout. Generally considered inferior to Fallout 2, but that never had a DOS release. It is still a great RPG. Not every fan of Fallout 3/New Vegas will like it, but this is because the early games are a completely different type of game, not because they are bad.

Tomb Raider. For some reason none of the followups quite captured the original spirit. The second was too actiony, the third was nintendo hard etc. This is also the only DOS game. Not everyone will like the tank controls, but they are designed to facilitate the precise jumping you need to do, and it's awesome when you get the hang of it.

Worms. A fun party game that started on DOS. It's still fun now.

Populous 2. Loathe as I am to give Peter Molyneux praise, this is pretty fun. The first populous game was rather dull, but this added lots of effects giving you a lot of ways to kill your opponents guys. Unfortunately it still boils down, strategically speaking, to a contest of who can flatten land the fastest. But it is still fun in spite of this issue.

 

[mizushinzui]

Too... Many... Favorites...

Commander Keen Series

Still holds a place in my pessimistic heart. In an era where the industry was basically a huge influx of platformers Keen I thought held significant challenge, whilst being accessible. Don't know what makes them special over all the rest of them. Maybe I'm just weird. Still have most of them on floppy o_0, but I reckon you can get a lot out of the shareware or freeware versions (1, 4 and 7)

Ahh got admit I have a lot of love for that series, especially 4 which was the first one I played I think.

Doom and maybe Quake should get a mention. Not only did they define the genre, but they are actually pretty fun still. I think this is because they kept the games quite simple, so if you can look past the graphics you won't get hung up on clunky interfaces, which are the main stumbling block for old games imo.

Doom should get a mention just because it's mod scene made some insane things happen, not to mention the fact that there are lots of more modernized version that add WASD shooter controls. Personal favorite has to be brutal doom, its like taking doom and timesing it by 1000

Have also decided to give Floor 13 a go as it seems like the kind of game I could get lost into.

 

[09philj]

While Doom's colour palette can be headache inducing, and the limitations of the Quake engine mean anything more than ten metres away is a brown smudge, the satisfaction of blowing away hordes of nasty monsters with your shotgun is undeniable.

 

[F-I-D-O]

Doom
Doom 2
Star Wars: Dark Forces
(Hey, I like what I like)
XCom: UFO Defense is definitely still one of the best tactics games.

Ironically, I don't think Wolfenstein3D holds up too well because it's a very slow pace compared to the Doom series, with less weapon variety and more bland level design.

There are certainly others, but these games come up whenever I think of "Great" games anyway, so they certainly hold up despite their age.

 

[Leg End]

I'd say UFO: Enemy Unknown and XCOM: Terror from the Deep are still nail-biters of the highest order if one can look past the dated graphics.

I'll be that guy and throw in X-COM: Apocalypse if just for the good blend and choice between real-time and turn-based combat, though being a bit easier unless you're playing on the higher difficulties.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Anybody ever play Contraption Zach (or Zack)? Great isometric puzzle game.

 

[EyeReaper]

Quest for Glory is still the best point-n-click rpg hybrid I've ever played.

In fact, I'd even dare to say they're Sierra's best series.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

Daggerfall
Master of Magic
Tyrian 2000
The Incredible Machine series

Also if you're willing to mess around with GZdoom and WADS I highly reccomend pairing "OBLIGE"(doom level generator) with the DoomRPG mod and the DoomRL weapons mod. Then it stops being doom entirely and it actually becomes a first person roguelike with fully randomly generated levels, five classes, and a ton of brand new weapons.

 

[Slenn]

Wasteland 1 from 1986

I never actually played it until last summer when it came with Wasteland 2 on Steam. I did a full play of it, and it was just an amazing adventure. I could tell there was a lot of imagination put into the game.

 

[sky pies]

Commander Keen, and I think I remember Rise of the Triad being a strangely modern experience despite it's pixels... I think Metal Slug games were pretty great but I don't think they count?

 

[BreakfastMan]

There are definitely a lot of interesting DOS games with cool mechanics and shit... But my god, have the controls, interface, and general tech aged horribly (i.e. game speed and general playability tied to frame rate, like the old Test Drive games). I genuinely can't play a huge chunk of those games because I can't stand the controls and interface.

Still, there are some that do hold up well. The original Monkey Island is still perfectly playable nowadays. And I am always up for some good Theme Hospital. Many old FPSs like Blood and Doom are also still perfectly playable with a bit of control tweaking as well (I still go back to Blood and the first two Doom games about once a year).

 

[Zaltys]

Most of the ones that I think of have already been mentioned, but here's few more.

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, and Judgment Rites. Those are still pretty fun, and for some reason the humor always clicked with me. When I replayed it, I went around trying to shoot absolutely everything. Just to annoy Bones and Spock.

Covert Action. Spy games are rare, and this still seems fun for a couple of plays.

Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.

Day of the Tentacle.

Much of interactive fiction has aged well. I'd recommend Eric the Unready, Gateway 1 & 2, and Mind Forever Voyaging.

 

[Greymanelor]

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands

This one seems to get overlooked a lot when people talk about old D&D games. Very fun isometric RPG that takes place in the Dark Sun campaign setting. Has some bugs, a couple even game breakers if you can't get a patch, but over all the game holds up surprisingly well.

 

[LookingGlass]

I tried playing The Lost Vikings a couple of years ago when Blizzard re-released it for free on their store. It's still a great puzzle game, and the 2D graphics haven't aged so badly.

I'd be up for a sequel. Trine is the closest thing to it that I've come across (also a great series).

 

[Wary Wolf]

Hmm...

ZZT

Was a fun little 2D creativity toy, that has mountains of games created by users. Most of them are, like most user created content, a little... off. But don't let that stop you. There is some quality in there, and some useful tutorials to tell you how not to make horrible levels. Effectively described as Little Big Planet for the DOS age... But then, the DOS age had a game called Little Big Planet anyway, but whatever...

Might and Magic 4 and 5

Again, during this period the market was flooded with grid based, turn based RPGs. The Might and Magic series were probably the better ones, but that's just subjective opinion talking again. A lot of 'better' games of the type have already been mentioned, but a few other interesting distractions include Wizardry and the Dungeon Master games.

M&M 4 and 5 were effectively one game. Or to look in another way, 5 was basically and expansion pack to 4. With an extra game "Swords of Xeen" thrown in there for a bit of extra fun. M&M has some interesting parallels with Final Fantasy. M&M went full 3D at 6 and fans generally panned the series for it, and felt the series died then and there. 6-8 were still very solid games that probably don't deserve the flak they can get from the M&M 'purists'. 9 was ok. Then the series got a reboot recently with M&M X as an attempt to cater to the purists. They still hated it, so did I. Such is life.

Lost Eden

I've already mentioned Dune 1 as a sort of side, but Lost Eden was a game designed to be 'art', and yes Ok it looks a little dated today, it does still look and sound pretty good. Set in a time period where man and dinosaur lived together in quasi-harmony, you goal is to re-unite the lands and fight off the evil T-Rexes. Some interesting characterization, settings and world building, it might be worth a look if you can get your hands on it. The gameplay and strategy elements are more a side note. To quote a better man than I: "No, we're here to get our story on."

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Quest for Glory is still the best point-n-click rpg hybrid I've ever played.

In fact, I'd even dare to say they're Sierra's best series.

If they hadn't gone with that shitty 3D engine with QFGV I'd say it is one of the best series that still holds up across the board. But I'd be all for a 3rd person RPG adventure remake so long as they kept the humor, wit and overall writing level.

 

[NiGHTSJOD]

Screamer, Screamer 2 and Screamer Rally were great fun back then.