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).
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Face Off!

DOS1989 MindSpan
Face Off! is an abandoned hockey sports game developed by MindSpan (known for their Hardball series) and released by Gamestar in 1989 for DOS and also for Commodore 64. Face Off supports multiplayer in competitive or cooperative m...
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Action Fighter

DOS1989 Sega
Action Fighter (1989, DOS) is Sega’s way of saying, “Why choose between car chases and aerial dogfights when you can have both?” You start in a motorcycle, grab some power-ups, and suddenly you’re flying a ...
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John Madden Football

DOS1989 Electronic Arts
John Madden Football was the first of a series of american football sports games sponsored by the coach of the same name. The first John Madden Football is an abandoned game developed and released by Electronic Arts in 1988 for Ap...
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Alex Higgins World Snooker

DOS1986 Lindensoft
The title Alex Higgins World Snooker might imply world-class snooker. What it delivers is 1986 DOS ball physics that sometimes feel like they were modeled in an alternate dimension. But who needs realism when you have charm, right...
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Wayne Gretzky Hockey

DOS1989 Bethesda Softworks
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Motor City

DOS1994 Max Design
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Prophecy of the Shadow

DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Mah Jongg Solitaire

DOS1987 Arcanum Computing
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Tubular Worlds

DOS1994
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Fantasy Empires

DOS1993protected Silicon Knights
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Blue Angel 69

DOS1989NSFW
Caution: subtlety not included. Blue Angel 69, released in 1989 for DOS, is basically what happens when a programmer tries to mix erotic art with a tile-based puzzle game and ends up somewhere between genius and “please don&...
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Beyond Castle Wolfenstein

DOS1985 Muse Software
Before Doomguy started ripping and tearing, there was Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. A stealth game where sneaking is mandatory, disguises are fashionable, and stabbing Nazis is encouraged. It’s the sequel to Castle Wolfenstein,...
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Master of Orion 3

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2003protected Quicksilver Software
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No Greater Glory

DOSMac OS1991protected
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Azalta: Cult of the Raven

DOS1996
Azalta: Cult of the Raven is what happens when a lone developer says, “I can make an RPG better than Ultima!” and sort of does. Released in 1996, this DOS dungeon crawler features deep customization, open-ended quests,...
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Mageslayer

Windows XP/98/951997 Raven Software
Mageslayer is an action game developed by Raven Software and published by GT Interactive in 1997 for MS-DOS. It stands out as a top-down, hack-and-slash dungeon crawler inspired by games like Gauntlet, but with an original fantasy...
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Eight Ball Deluxe

DOSMac OS1993 Littlewing
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Gertrude's Secrets

DOS1982 The Learning Company
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Arcade Pool

DOS1994 Team 17
Arcade Pool (1994) is like playing a game of billiards in your best friend’s basement—if your best friend happened to be a DOS machine with a serious competitive streak. It’s shockingly addictive, with physics th...
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Gauntlet

DOS1986 Mindscape
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Clash of Steel

DOS1993protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Windwalker (Moebius 2)

DOS1989 Origin Systems
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Locomotion

DOS1992 Prestige Softwareentwicklung
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Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter

DOS1991 Pc globe
If Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego had a caffeinated younger cousin, it would be Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter. You race around the globe chasing clues, dodging rivals, and learning just enough geography to impress your ...
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Lords of Conquest

DOS1987 Eon Software
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A-Maze

DOS1989 New Era Software
If you’ve ever thought, “What if Pac-Man got lost in a modernist art gallery?”, then A-Maze is your oddly specific dream come true. Released in 1989 for DOS, this game is a labyrinthine puzzle fest where the grap...
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Kurtan

DOS1990 TbiliSoft
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Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes

DOS1990 Command Simulations
In Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes, you’re not just playing a wargame — you’re being handed a clipboard, a stack of orders, and a freezing cold battlefield in 1944. This 1990 DOS title lets you relive one of W...
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Astro Dodge

DOS1982 Digital Marketing Corporation
Astro Dodge (1982) is basically Frogger — in space. You control a tiny spacecraft tasked with dodging endless waves of meteors, space debris, and possibly your own questionable life choices. There’s no shooting, no exp...