Top-down perspective

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).

Most popular top down games

Dune 2000

strategyWindows XP/98/95

PC-Man

actionDOS

Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate

rpgDOS

Top down games

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Gulf Strike

DOS19864.1/5 Microcomputer Games Inc.
Hack

DOS1984freeware3.8/5
Hard Nova

DOS19903.7/5 Malibu Interactive
Heavy Barrel

DOS19893.3/5 Data East
Heirs to the Throne

DOS19923.8/5 German Design Group
Heroes of Might and Magic

DOSWindows XP/98/951995protected4.2/5 New World Computing
Heroes of Might and Magic II

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protected4.2/5 New World Computing
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia

Windows XP/98/951999protected4.1/5 New World Computing
Hexxagon

DOS19934.1/5 Argo Games
Hexxagon 2

DOS19934.1/5 Argo Games
High Command: Europe 1939-45

DOS19924.2/5 Colorado Computer Creations
Highway Fighter

DOS19954/5 Safari Software
Highway Hunter

DOS19943.2/5 Safari Software
Hill Street Blues

DOS19914/5 Krisalis

Hill Street Blues is an old DOS "driving" game developed by Krisalis in 1991. The gameplay it's similar to a Grand Theft Auto clone (we're talking about GTA 1 or 2) in which you are the police and you have to apprehend criminals. Hill Street Blues is a rare example of game based on a TV series.
Hillsfar

DOS1989protected3.8/5 Westwood Studios
Homey D. Clown

DOS19933.5/5 Synergistic Software
House of Cards

DOS19893.3/5
ICON: Quest for the Ring

DOS19843.6/5 Macrocom
Ikari III: The Rescue

DOS19903.5/5 SNK Corporation
Ikari Warriors 2: Victory Road

DOS19883.5/5 SNK Corporation
Incursion

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac2007freeware3.8/5
Indenture

DOS1995remake4/5
Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures

Windows 3.xMac19964.1/5 LucasArts
Infiltrator

DOS19874.2/5 Chris Gray Enterprises
Infiltrator 2

DOS19884/5 Chris Gray Enterprises
International Soccer

DOS19943.9/5 Zeppelin Games
Into the Eagle's Nest

DOS19873.8/5 Pandora
Iron Cross

DOS19943.5/5 New World Computing
Iron Lord

DOS19903.4/5 UBI Soft
Ishido: The Way of the Stones

DOSMac19904/5 Publishing International