Underdog games: underrated worth playing sorted by release date
In order to be an underdog, a game has to be "not well known" to the public (not now, nor at the time of its release) or underrated, but worth mentioning and playing for some reason. There are plenty of games that won the love of gamers against all odds; some of them even had a cult following. By the way, this keyword pays tribute to Sarinee Achavanuntakul, the owner of the first version of Home of the Underdogs, the site that started and popularized the abandonware concept.
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Snood
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1996freeware4.1/5
Strife
DOS1996protecteddemo4/5 Velocity
Strife from 1996 is a first-person shooter game developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Velocity, based on the Doom engine. It's often remembered for being one of the earlier games to blend first-person shooter gameplay with RPG elements, such as dialogue with NPCs, quests, and an overarching storyline.In Strife, players assume the role o...
Zeitgeist
Windows XP/98/9519963.6/5 Taito
Zeitgeist, also known as Jupiter Strike in North America, is a 3D space shooter developed by Taito and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation and Windows in 1996. Zeitgeist is a rail shooter: the player controls a spaceship that moves along a fixed path, with limited control over the ship's movement within...
Blood
DOS1997protected4.2/5 Monolith Productions
Redneck Rampage
DOS1997protected4/5 Xatrix Entertainment
Dink Smallwood
Windows XP/98/951998freeware4/5 Robinson Technologies
Dink Smallwood is an action role-playing video game developed by Robinson Technologies. It was first released in 1997 for Windows and later became freeware. The game was created by Seth Robinson, and it gained a cult following for its humor.The game's plot revolves around the titular character, Dink Smallwood, a pig farmer who embarks on an epic ad...
Dope Wars
Windows XP/98/9519984.2/5 Beermat Software
Dope Wars is a text-based simulation game that originated as a DOS program in the early 1980s, but gained popularity in its Windows version released in 1998. The game puts players in the role of a drug dealer navigating the underground economy of buying, selling, and transporting various illegal substances.In the Windows version of the game, player...
Wizard of Wor 98
DOS1998remake3.8/5
Star Trek: Birth of the Federation
Windows XP/98/9519993.8/5 MicroProse Software
Star Trek: Birth of the Federation is a turn-based strategy video game set in the Star Trek universe. The game was developed by MicroProse Software and published by Infogrames for Windows in 1999. Players take on the role of one of five major Star Trek races: the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Ca...
The Typing of the Dead
Windows XP/98/9519993.8/5 Smilebit
The Typing of the Dead is a distinctive video game, essentially a typing adaptation of the classic rail shooter arcade game, The House of the Dead. Initially debuting in 1999 as an arcade machine, it later became available on other platforms as well.In The Typing of the Dead, players wield a keyboard to dispatch approaching hordes of zombies and ot...
Aquanox
Windows XP/98/952001protected3.1/5 Massive Development
Auf Wiedersehen Monty
Windows XP/98/952001remake4/5
Ultra Mortal Kombat Vendetta
Windows XP/98/952001freeware4/5
Decker
Windows2002freeware3.5/5
Taipan for Windows
Windows XP/98/952002freeware3.5/5
1893: A World's Fair Mystery
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS20033.8/5
1893: A World's Fair Mystery is an interactive fiction game developed by the American studio Illuminated Lantern and released in 2002. Set during the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the game combines historical fiction with mystery-solving gameplay.In 1893: A World's Fair Mystery, players take on the role of a detective investigating ...