Abandonware DOS title

The most popular top down games

Top down games were very popular in the 80s and the 90s, when graphic cards were not capable of supporting 3D, and even when 3D started to become popular, 2D games continued to be easier to develop, at least in the infancy of 3D gaming. 2D game offered the player a viewpoint that helped keeping things easily under control (think about top down party-based RPGs or hex-based strategy games).
rambo3-1

Rambo 3

DOS19883.6/5 Ocean Software
winrisk-01

WinRisk

Windows 3.x19924.1/5
army-men-2-01

Army Men 2

Windows XP/98/951998protected4/5 The 3DO Company
axis-allies-iron-blitz-07

Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz

Windows XP/98/9519994.2/5 Wargaming West
phantasie_3-1

Phantasie 3: The Wrath of Nikademus

DOS19874.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
dark-reign-2-06

Dark Reign 2

Windows XP/98/952000protected4/5 Pandemic Studios
lawnmover-1

Lawn Mower

DOS19873.8/5
buckcountdown-04

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday

DOS1990protected4.2/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
timesoflore-4

Times of Lore

DOS19894.1/5 Origin Systems
Times of Lore is an abandoned action RPG designed by Chris Roberts, developed and released by Origin Systems in 1989 for DOS and many more 8 bit and 16 bit platforms. Compared to Ultima (the much more popular franchise also by Origin) Times of Lore is a washed down RPG, more similar to a NES game. In fact, Roberts was inspired by The Legend of Zelda.
laser-squad-07

Laser Squad

DOS19923.9/5 Target Games Limited
Laser Squad is an abandoned turn-based strategy/tactical game designed by Julian Gollop (the mind behind the X-COM series). Laser Squad was developed by Target Games Limited and released by MicroLeague Multimedia in 1992 for DOS and other 8-bit systems. Laser Squad is considered as a precursor of X-COM: Ufo Defense.
darklands-3

Darklands

DOSLinuxWindows XP/98/95Mac1992protected4/5 MicroProse Software
Darklands was a unique historical isometric RPG that mixed real historical data from medieval Germany during the 15th century with a touch of folklore and fantasy. Unfortunately it was also the only Microprose RPG of that kind and beauty. The original game box contained a huge manual with info on european folklore (including the live...
windwalker-1

Windwalker (Moebius 2)

DOS19892.8/5 Origin Systems
cdman2-1

CD-Man v2.0

DOS19924.1/5 Creative Dimensions
chessmaster-9000-01

Chessmaster 9000

Windows XP/98/95Mac2002protected4.2/5 UBI Soft
extremepinball-5

Extreme Pinball

DOS19954.2/5 Epic MegaGames
total-annihilation-kingdoms-02

Total Annihilation Kingdoms

Windows XP/98/951999protected4.1/5 Cavedog Entertainment
avalon-1

Avalon

DOS1998freeware3.9/5 MiG Outpost
ambush-at-sorinor-02

Ambush at Sorinor

DOS19933.7/5 Mindcraft Software
nightmareelmstreet-1

A Nightmare on Elm street

DOS19893.9/5 Westwood Studios
birthright-win-05

Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance

Windows XP/98/9519964.2/5 Synergistic Software
angband-03

Angband

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1992freeware4/5
adom1.1-05

Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM) v1.1

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1996freeware3.9/5
dungeon-crawl-dos-03

Dungeon Crawl

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1997freeware4/5
Dungeon Crawl (also known as Linley's Dungeon Crawl from the name of the original programmer: Linley Henzell) is a classic roguelike: an RPG with permadeath, procedural generation and high replayability. Dungeon Crawl was released on 1997 but it's not maintained anymore. The spiritual successr of Crawl is DCCS (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).
pinballdreams-5

Pinball Dreams

DOS1993protected4.1/5 Digital Illusions
battleisle1-1

Battle Isle

DOS1991protected3.7/5 Blue Byte Software
clash-of-steel-07

Clash of Steel

DOS1993protected3.9/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
2400ad-4

2400 A.D.

DOS19884/5 Origin Systems
mine-shaft-01

Mine Shaft

DOS19834.1/5 Sierra On-Line
tempest-2000-03

Tempest 2000

DOS1996remake4.1/5 Atari
nebulus-1

Nebulus

DOS19884.1/5 Hewson Consultants
Nebulus, also known as Tower Toppler in some regions, is a classic video game released in the 1980s. It was developed by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants. The game was initially released for various home computer systems, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, and others. It later saw ports to different platforms. Neb...