Abandonware DOS retro gaming spotlight

FIFA Soccer 97: the best of the series?

FIFA Soccer 97 is a football video game developed and published by EA Sports as part of the FIFA series. Released in 1996 for various platforms, it was the fourth installment in the FIFA series and introduced several new features. FIFA 97 was the first in the series to use a polygonal 3D ...

From the arcades: Turbo OutRun

Zero Magazine: "On the ol' addictiveness and playability front, Turbo Outrun is absolutely brilliant. The little extras, like the turbo, make the game different from the usual racey ones and hitting turbo just as a police car reaches you, is fab. Okay, it's yet another drivey game. But it's ...

Zoo Tycoon: a zoo management simulation

Ever dreamed of running your own zoo without needing a shovel for elephant poop? Zoo Tycoon lets you do exactly that. Build the ultimate animal empire - until the lions escape, the penguins riot, and your guests storm out because the hot dog stand is too far from the Komodo ...

Into the past: classic Cyberpunk PC games that still shine

There’s something irresistible about old cyberpunk games. Before neon-drenched trailers and open-world mega-budgets, PC developers in the 90s (and a little beyond) were already hard at work building grimy, paranoid visions of the future. Sure, the pixels were chunky and the interfaces clunky, but the atmosphere? Unmistakable. These ...

Ultima 6 soundtrack added

In Ultima 6, you finally meet the Gargoyles, who aren’t the snarling monsters everyone assumed—they’re just misunderstood neighbors with a different perspective. Cue moral dilemmas and cross-cultural negotiations, sandwiched between dungeon crawls. The game introduces a slick new interface and bigger world to explore, one ...

Dungeons, Dragons and pixels: old games inspired by D&D

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a tabletop role-playing game (RPG) that blends storytelling, strategy, and chance. First published in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, it has since grown into one of the most popular and influential role-playing games in the world.Over the decades, Dungeons & Dragons ...

The Terminator: Future Shock

In 1997 PC Powerplay wrote: "The Terminator: Future Shock offers a new slant on the tried and tested Doom formula. The control system makes the game more involving and really draws you into the realistic game world Bethesda have created. The way the plot updates between stages when ...

1995 in retro gaming: from Command & Conquer to The Need for Speed

Thirty years ago, in 1995, monitors were bulky, the word “multimedia” was plastered onto anything that moved, and CD-ROMs promised “realistic” gaming experiences that often looked like low-budget school plays filmed on a camcorder. Windows 95 had just arrived with its legendary startup chime, and PC gaming was ...

The Sims: a masterpiece by Will Wright

The Sims, released in 2000, marked the beginning of the Sims series. Developed by In The Sims, players create and control virtual characters known as Sims. They can customize their Sims' appearance, personality traits, and aspirations, shaping their lives and interactions within the game world. Players are responsible for meeting their ...

The Typing of the Dead: kill them with your keyboard

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 ...

Bundesliga Manager Professional: German football

Before Football Manager made spreadsheets cool, there was Bundesliga Manager Professional, a game where managing a German football team involved more math than actual football. You buy players, tweak tactics, balance budgets, and occasionally scream at your 386 PC because SC Freiburg blew a 2-0 lead again.

Hidden Gems: Forgotten DOS RPGs (not) worth playing

Ultima, Wizardry, Fallout, and Might & Magic are among the most iconic old-school RPGs - titles every RPG fan has either played or at least heard of. However, many role-playing games released in the distant past never gained widespread popularity. Some of the RPGs uploaded today on Abandonware DOS are ...

Dune 2000: from the book to the screen

Dune 2000 is an abandoned science fiction classic real-time strategy game based on the popular Dune franchise. The Dune "universe" took form in the books of science fiction writer Frank Herbert and went on to include movies, TV series, comics, and of course video games. Dune 2000 is one of the finest ...

Pipe Mania: a liquid puzzle game

Pipe Mania (also known as Pipe Dream is a tile-matching (sort of) puzzle game about flowing liquids developed by The Assembly Line in 1989. You must build a path made of pipe pieces to let a green liquid (sewer goo?) flow. It's simple, original and addicting, that's why Pipe Mania was ...

One Must Fall 2097 soundtrack added

One Must Fall: 2097 is a fighting game released in 1994 by Epic MegaGames. Set in a futuristic world, the game features giant humanoid robots known as HARs (Human-Assisted Robots) controlled by human pilots. The storyline revolves around a tournament organized by the multinational corporation WAR (World Aeronautics and Robotics), where pilots ...