The best 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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Firezone

DOS1988 Arcadia Systems

X-Fighter

DOS1987 Wordworks Software

Dolphin Boating Simulator

DOS1988 Dolphine marine systems

ALF: The First Adventure

DOS1987 Box Office

Remember ALF? The sarcastic alien who really had it in for cats? Well, in ALF: The First Adventure, you get to live the dream—or nightmare—of controlling the furry menace himself. Released in 1987 for DOS, this Pac-Man...

Backgammon

DOS1986

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

DOS1989 Tynesoft Computer Software

Saddle up for an awkward mix of minigames that vaguely resemble rodeo events. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show tries to recreate the excitement of a 19th-century traveling circus but ends up feeling more like a 1980s office party whe...

First Expedition

DOS1988 Interstel Corporation

IBM 9-Hole Miniature Golf

DOS1983 SoftSide Magazine

Mortal Pong

DOS1995freeware

Pictionary: The Game of Quick Draw

DOS1989 Oxford Mobius

Pong Kombat

DOS1994freeware

Subbuteo

DOS1990 Goliath Games

Sword Quest 1: The Search

DOS1992

The Punisher

DOS1990 Paragon Software

Turbo Gomoku

DOS1985

Wembley Rugby League

DOS1996 Denton Designs

Lord of Destruction

DOS1994 Rebelsoft

Batalia

DOS1986 The Right Brothers

Batalia (1986) is what happens when war games and spreadsheet programs fall in love. This early DOS strategy title throws you into tactical battles with graphics that would struggle to impress a calculator. But don’t be fool...

Windwalker (Moebius 2)

DOS1989 Origin Systems

Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye

Windows 3.xMac OS1990 Activision

Crazy Nick's Software Picks: King Graham's Board Game Challenge

DOS1992 Sierra On-Line

Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles

DOS1988 Cases Computer Simulations

Final Frontier

DOS1989 Bubble Bus Software

Gremlins

DOS1984 Atari

Alien Olympics

DOS1994 Dark Technologies

Released in 1994, Alien Olympics answers the age-old question: “What if the Olympics were hosted by Martians on acid?” This wacky collection of mini-games has you competing in events like laser javelin and rocket racin...