Wolfenstein 3D DOS - 1992

 

While Doom is often thought of as the game that kick-started the popularity of the first-person-shooter genre, that honour belongs to Wolfenstein 3D. The first episode of the “grandfather of 3D shooters” was released in 1992 by shareware publisher Apogee Software. The full game was then released weeks later, going on to become both a critical and commercial success (selling over 200,000 copies by 1993).

The developers behind the game were id Software, led by programmers John Romero and John Carmack. Having developed a new 3D engine, they opted to remake the 1984 game Castle Wolfenstein. However due to the novelty of the new 3D engine they felt it would be necessary to make a simpler, faster paced game, and so Wolfenstein 3D was born.

The plot of the game focuses on William "BJ" Blazkowicz, an American spy, as he single-handedly takes on the Third Reich. In the opening episode he finds himself in captivity and must escape Castle Wolfenstein. From there on he must prevent a Nazi plot to create an army of undead mutants before attempting eliminate Adolf Hitler himself.

While revolutionary at the time of its release, by today’s standard the levels are simplistic in both design and appearance. There’s no map, the number of weapons are limited. Yet, the gameplay is fast and frantic and that exactly how it’s meant to be. Wolfenstein 3D was only ever about the shooting, and that it does very well, even after so many years

 

 

OutRun DOS - 1989

 

Another popular SEGA arcade game converted to the IBM-PC. This time it's SEGA's 1986 arcade hit OutRun, the classic bitmap racer. The original arcade game just rocks, so get yourself an emulator and play the real thing instead of this mediocre conversion.

The graphics are awful, music is PC speaker only - but it's playable and can be quite some fun! Just don't compare it with the original. ;) But a short question to the related music files below: Is Jason Brooke actually David Whittaker? Their music sure sounds very similar. Fortunately the PC conversion of the sequel, Turbo OutRun, is much, much better

 

 

 

 

Atari ST ROM

Download 2 MB

  

Space Harrier DOS - 1989

 

SEGA's arcade 3D shooter brought to the IBM-PC. The arcade game was fantastic for its time (1985) and mainly lived from its great graphics and sounds. Most conversions were unable to capture anything from it, and Space Harrier is no exception, although unique gameplay still makes it better than many games of that period.

Space Harrier is a shooter where you, as Space Harrier, must fly through the Land of Dragons to defeat the evil beings who would dare put the dragons in peril. You do this by flying straight at them with a big cannon, and what a cannon it is. Not only does it have unlimited ammo, but it appears to have a "happy face" on the back (two dots for eyes and a curved area for a smile).

Was this smile a happy nod to the game's beautiful graphics, explosions, and intense action? Before the days of first-person shooters where you could sneak up on your opponents, Space Harrier let you take control of a guy running and flying directly into other foes who used the same tactic, leading to some frenzied clashes and more than a few mid-air collisions. Although the checkered backgrounds make the world look more like a surreal painting than an alien planet, the fact that they constantly scroll straight at the player gives a sense of speed, which is often good as a warning when navigating dangerous areas with indestructible buildings. The double-checker levels like Ceiceil are especially gratifying when the ceiling drops down, checkers flash different colors on both floors, the scroll rate speeds up, and enemy Binzbeans fill the screen. Extra details like different poses when at different parts of the screen, explosive chain reactions when defeating the largest bosses, and stumbling over the low weeds in the first levels made the game something to behold. Then of course there were the levels where the local dragon Euria decided to thank Space Harrier for lending a hand. So how can this creature help a flying bazooka-man who has everything? Give him a ride, of course. By jumping atop the big fuzzy dragon in two bonus stages, you have the chance to demolish a variety of objects, some of them otherwise indestructible in the game. If you and Euria destroy enough, Harrier can get an extra life

 

Arkanoid DOS - 1987

 1987, the year Arkanoid was released on DOS, as well as Mac, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, PC-88 and PC-98. Made by Taito Corporation and published by Taito Software Inc., Imagine Software Ltd., this action game is available for free on this page

 

Law & Order: Criminal Intent Windows - 2005

In 2005, Mindscape (UK) Limited, Legacy Interactive Inc., Akella, XIDER, Mindscape Germany GmbH publishes Law & Order: Criminal Intent on Windows. This adventure game is now abandonware and is set in a detective / mystery, licensed title, puzzle elements, law enforcement and tv series themes

 

.

Argo Adventure Windows - 1998

 If you haven't played Argo Adventure or want to try this adventure video game, download it now for free! Published in 1998 by BBS Interactive Multimedia, Argo Adventure was an above-average puzzle elements title in its time

 

.

Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006

 

Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006

 

 In 2005, Akella, Merscom LLC, Blue Sky Interactive, NBG EDV Handels- und Verlags GmbH & Co. KG publishes Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006 on Windows. This simulation game is now abandonware and is set in a  train theme