Abandonware DOS retro gaming spotlight

Interactive Achievement Awards - 1998

The Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs), now known as the D.I.C.E. Awards, are an annual ceremony that celebrates exceptional accomplishments in the video game industry. Established by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) in 1998, the IAAs recognize excellence across various aspects of gaming, including game design, ...

Do you remember the first Heroes of Might and Magic?

Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest, was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and later ported to Windows and the Macintosh. Developed by New World Computing and created by Jon Van Caneghem, the game is a turn-based strategy set in a fantasy universe that shares its lore with the Might ...

Atarisoft: Pac-Man, Defender, Donkey Kong, and more

Atarisoft was a brand created by Atari, Inc. in the early 1980s to sell video game cartridges and software for platforms other than Atari's own. This strategy was designed to expand Atari's market presence by bringing their popular game titles to rival systems, during a time when the home computer ...

Wizardry: a CRPG series

The Wizardry series holds a pivotal place in the history of computer role-playing games (CRPGs). Created by Sir-Tech, the franchise made its debut in 1981 with Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (developed by Andrew Greenberg and Robert Woodhead), a game that set the standard for many CRPGs to come ...

Electronic Games Arcade Awards - 1982

Electronic Games was the first magazine in the United States dedicated to the video game industry. It was published from October 15, 1981, until 1997 under various titles, including Computer Entertainment and Intelligent Gamer.The magazine is notable for hosting the first Game of the Year Award ceremony, known as the Arcade Awards. ...

Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition

Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition is a geopolitical strategy video game developed by Chris Crawford and released in 1988 as an updated version of his 1985 game Balance of Power. The game simulates the Cold War era, where players assume the role of either the President of the United States or the ...

Apogee: the shareware kings

Apogee Software was a key player in the early days of the PC gaming industry, making a significant impact as both a developer and publisher. Established in 1987 by Scott Miller and George Broussard, Apogee is widely credited with pioneering the shareware distribution model for video games. This innovative approach allowed ...

The History of CRPGs: Beneath Apple Manor

Beneath Apple Manor, created by Don Worth and released in 1978 for the Apple II, is a landmark in the history of computer role-playing games and particularly in roguelike genres. It's notable for being one of the earliest graphical RPGs available for home computers, predating many of the genre's most famous ...

Indiana Jones and the Last Videogame

Indiana Jones, the legendary archaeologist and adventurer, has appeared in numerous video games over the years, offering players the chance to dive into quests inspired by the famous film series created by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. One of the earliest games featuring the character was "Indiana Jones in the ...

Quarantine: blood on the road

Quarantine is a first-person vehicular combat video game released in 1994 for MS-DOS and later ported to the 3DO and PlayStation. Developed by Imagexcel and published by GameTek, it blends elements of driving, combat, and open-world exploration in a dystopian cyberpunk setting. Players take on the role of Drake Edgewater, ...

Electronic Games Arcade Awards - 1981

Electronic Games was a magazine published in the United States between the 1980s and the 1990s. It was one of the first computer magazines entirely dedicated to video games, and it wasn't that common in the early 80s.The Arcade Awards was perhaps the first "game of the year" type ...

Feelies: cool items included in the original box

Game feelies are physical items included with video games, especially prevalent during the era of boxed PC games, that enhance the immersive experience for players. These tangible extras provide additional context and lore, or simply serve as fun collectibles that deepen the connection to the game's world and storyline. Feelies ...

Violent sports: Panza Kick Boxing

Panza Kick Boxing is a video game released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, DOS, and ZX Spectrum platforms. Developed and published by Loriciel, the game is named after André Panza, a renowned French kickboxer. It aims to capture the essence of kickboxing in a digital ...

The History of adventure games: Zork

Zork is one of the earliest and most influential text-based adventure games in the history of video gaming. Zork was a pioneering work in the genre of interactive fiction.The game began as a project at MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science, where the developers created it on a DEC PDP-10 ...

Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPG)

JRPGs, or Japanese Role-Playing Games, are a subgenre of role-playing video games that originated in Japan. They are characterized by a distinct style of storytelling, gameplay mechanics, and visual aesthetics. JRPGs often place a heavy emphasis on narrative and character development. They frequently feature intricate plots, richly developed ...

Interactive Achievement Awards - 1997

The Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs), now known as the D.I.C.E. Awards, are an annual awards ceremony honoring outstanding achievements in the video game industry. The IAAs were established by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) in 1998 to recognize excellence in various categories within the gaming ...

Wizball in a world without colors

Wizball is a  shoot 'em up video game developed by Sensible Software and originally released for various home computer platforms in 1987. The game was published by Ocean Software. In Wizball, players control a wizard who rides a magical green ball. The wizard's mission is to restore color to ...

Circuit's Edge: a cyberpunk adventure-RPG

Circuit's Edge is a cyberpunk-themed role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom. It was released in 1990 for various platforms including DOS, Amiga, and Commodore 64. Set in a dystopian future, Circuit's Edge takes place in the fictional city of Rhoes Island, a dark and gritty urban landscape ...

The best DOS and Windows game designers of the past

During the formative years of the gaming industry, games were typically crafted by a compact team of programmers, with a central figure known as the "designer" spearheading the creative vision. Charged with conceptualizing the initial idea and mapping out the gameplay mechanics and content framework, the designer played a pivotal ...

Albion, by Blue Byte software

Albion is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by German studio Blue Byte Software. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and later for Amiga. Albion is notable for its blend of traditional RPG elements with a unique setting and storyline. The game takes place on the planet ...