Abandonware DOS retro gaming spotlight

Abandonware action games: platformers, brawlers, arcades

Action video games are all about speed, fast moving and dexterity. The main action varies according to the kind of game, which can include jumping from platforms, running, beating up other human players or computer controlled adversaries, etc. If the action is focused on shooting adversaries, the game belongs to ...

System Shock 2: RPG shooter

System Shock 2 is a sci-fi first-person action role-playing game (RPG) developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios and released in 1999. System Shock 2 combines elements of first-person shooters with RPG mechanics.

Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures

After publishing a plethora of Gold Box titles, SSI decided to release a fantasy RPG based on the Forgotten Realms scenarios of Dungeons & Dragons where the player could create its own adventures. Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures (FRUA) is the ultimate Gold Box RPG and received praise from everyone who ...

CODiE Awards 1995: Doom 2, Nascar, Under a Killing Moon

In 1995 America Online granted access to the internet. The Oklahoma City bombing and the nervine gas attack in Japan happened. In 1995 Microsoft presented its own operating system Windows 1995 to the world.Some CODiE Awards winners made the history of video gaming. Doom 2 was an excellent sequel to one of the ...

Jagged Alliance 2: squad tactics at its best

Jagged Alliance 2 is a turn-based tactical role-playing strategy game developed by Sir-Tech and released in 1999 for Windows. It is the sequel to the original Jagged Alliance and has earned a reputation as one of the best games in the turn-based strategy genre. Set in the fictional country of Arulco, Jagged ...

King's Quest: Quest for the Crown

King's Quest: Quest for the Crown is the first game in the popular series of King's Quest. Developed by Sierra On-line, King's Quest is an early adventure game (one of the first animated adventures), a step up from the classic graphical interactive fiction of the time. The player can use ...

Block breakers: the Breakout legacy

Block breaker is a term often used to describe a type of video game that involves breaking or destroying blocks or bricks within the game environment. These games are typically characterized by a paddle or platform at the bottom of the screen that the player controls, and a wall of ...

Pharaoh: city building in ancient Egypt

Pharaoh is a city building strategy game that is part of a group of games that uses the same interface and the same gameplay style: Pharaoh, the Caesar series and Zeus. Here's a couple of excerpt from reviews of old video game magazines.

Duke Nukem 3D: the Duke is back

I have to admit something to you all. I liked Duke Nukem 3D more than Doom. There, I said it. I know some of your consider this an heresy, but that's the truth. Doom was a wonderful game, but Duke Nukem 3D had a strange appeal on me. I wasn't ...

GameSpy's 25 Favorite PC Games of the '90s

"The 1990s were landmark years for PC gaming, giving rise to three of the most deeply ingrained genres on the platform, and delivering memorable classics in the role-playing and adventure genres that the PC had long been known for. To celebrate this monumental decade we've put together some reflections ...

Raiden: from the arcades to DOS

Raiden is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and first released in arcades in 1990 and later for many home computers and consoles. Raiden follows the classic vertical scrolling shoot 'em up format. Players control a spaceship known as the R-9C "Red-Ray" and navigate vertically ...

Dungeons, Dragons and pixels: videogames inspired by D&D

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a tabletop role-playing game (RPG) that combines elements of storytelling, strategy, and chance. It was first published in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and has since become one of the most popular and influential role-playing games in the world. Dungeons & ...

The fourth King's Quest: The Perils of Rosella

King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella is an adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1988. It is the fourth installment in the popular King's Quest series created by Roberta Williams. The game was originally released for MS-DOS and Apple II computers and later ported to other platforms. ...

GameSpy Greatest PC Games of All Time: The '80s

This is a special feature of the popular (and old!) video games site GameSpy. These games were handpicked by the GameSpy staff to be part of the best PC games published in the 80s. GameSpy Online, often referred to as GameSpy, was a division of IGN Entertainment that provided a ...

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy is a fantasy/steampunk adventure video game developed by Virtual Studio and released by Microids in 1999 for Windows, Mac and Playstation platforms. Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy is an adventure video game developed by Microïds and released in 1999. The game was created by Benoî...

Seek and Destroy

Seek and Destroy was a shoot'em up published by the well known Epic Megagames in 1996 that tried to change the usual shoot'em up gameplay for the better. Instead of wave after wave of enemies to shoot down, you are given short missions to accomplish with your helicopter or your tank (...

The shareware business model

Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.Shareware games were released for free with limited ...

Dungeon Master: a RPG classic

Dungeon Master, released in 1987 by FTL for Atari ST and later for Amiga and DOS, is a classic dungeon-crawling role-playing game (RPG) that holds a special place in the hearts of many nostalgic gamers. Dungeon Master is considered the father of first-person, 3D, grid-based dungeon crawlers.

Abandonware DOS in 2023: demos, applications and we're on Patreon!

Greetings everyone! While 2023 may not have held any particular significance for Abandonware DOS, it marked a significant milestone in my personal life. After 18 years, my fiancée and I decided to share a home, and so far, everything is going smoothly. This shift means I now have more time ...

GDC Spotlight Awards - 1997

In 1997 Princess Diana died in a car crash, Hong Kong returned under China rule and the stock markets crashed (again). The first Harry Potter book is published in United Kingdom, scientists cloned the first sheep (Dolly) and Microsoft released Interet Explorer 4 (yes, four).Cinemas were full of people watching Titanic, ...