The 100 Greatest MSDOS Games

By Tom Crossland

MS-DOS games encompassed the 1980s and 1990s and are regarded to be a golden era for home gaming. How could it not be a golden era with games like Doom, Quake, The Secret of Monkey Island, Star Wars: X-Wing, and so on? The DOS era left behind enough happy gaming memories to last a lifetime.

 

So let's go ahead now and explore the 100 greatest games of the beloved DOS era!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Nov 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9783755424963

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Copyright

© Copyright 2022 Tom Crossland

All Rights Reserved

Contents

Introduction

The 100 Greatest MSDOS Games

INTRODUCTION

DOS stands for Disk Operating System. MS-DOS games encompassed the 1980s and 1990s and are regarded to be a golden era for home gaming. How could it not be a golden era with games like Doom, Quake, The Secret of Monkey Island, Star Wars: X-Wing, and so on? The DOS era left behind enough happy gaming memories to last a lifetime. There were so many games in the DOS era that it would literally take years to play them all.

The depth and quality of the DOS era was astonishing - though perhaps not completely surprising in hindsight. The early 1990s in particular was a quantum leap for home gaming and established the foundations for everything to come in the following decades. Games were taken to a new level and Wolfenstein 3D and Doom established a new dominant genre in the form of the FPS game.

The alphabetical list which follows profiles 100 important and enjoyable MS-DOs games - which all clearly lodged in my memory. Now, such a list is obviously and unavoidably subjective. My list may look somewhat different from the list that you would have done (though I'm sure we would still have many common denominators). That's the fun of lists though. We all have slightly different perceptions and likes.

The strength of the DOS years is perfectly illustrated by mentioning some of the games which didn't make this book. In the end I found no room for Space Quest 3, Hard Drivin’, Scorched Earth, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Highway Hunter, Loom, Theme Park, Discworld, 1942: The Pacific Air War, Star Control II, and many others.

The games that ARE included in this book hopefully offer an eclectic mix. There are FPS games, sports games, racing games, strategy games, shoot 'em ups, beat 'em ups, platform games, and more besides. With any luck this book should supply you with a few gems which you haven't got around to playing yet. Let's go ahead now then and explore some of the (in my own humble opinion) greatest games of the beloved DOS era!

THE 100 GREATEST MSDOS GAMES

ABUSE (1996)

Label: Electronic Arts/Origin Systems, Designer: Duong Nguyen

Abuse is a side-scrolling platform shooter which offers plenty of blasting action and fun. The year is 2009 (which, lest we forget, was the far flung future when this game came out!) and you play as Nick Vrenna - a man falsely trapped inside a high security prison where some highly alarming genetic experiments have taken place. Suffice to safe, Nick will have to escape and this will involve a huge amount of shooting, running, climbing, and general platform shenanigans. There isn't much of a story in Abuse but it doesn't really matter in the slightest because the actual game is excellent. Who cares about the story in a platform shooter anyway?

A side-scrolling platform shooter sounds like old hat even for 1996 but Abuse confounds expectations with its fast pace and obstreperous all action approach. The game is well presented and quite detailed in terms of its graphics - although nothing completely amazing for the era. It is really the gameplay which makes Abuse really stand out from the pack when it comes to platform shooters. The action is fast, furious, and immersive and the scrolling and animations are fluid and satisfying. The game is also non-linear and has destructible walls which enable you to make progress in unconventional ways. Abuse used the classic keyboard/mouse control system and this was the perfect way to enjoy the mayhem and non-stop action this game supplies.

You begin the game with a laser weapon but you'll get more powerful weapons as the game progresses - including flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and even a lightsaber type weapon. The character you play has a futuristic suit which makes him (enjoyably) look rather like the alien in the Predator films. There aren't many enemy types in the game (which is a shame) but the enemies are aggressive and move at a rapid rate and this makes Abuse challenging and one of those games where you feel a genuine sense of achievement when you make good progress. Blasting your way out of a seemingly impossible situation when the enemies threaten to overwhelm you is always great fun.

The key to Abuse is the way that it takes a very standard, even derivative type of genre but then cranks this up to eleven (as Nigel Tufnell might say) in the action stakes. The game even has a level editor function which allows one to design new levels - though this was negated somewhat by the fact that the level editor was not exactly easy to use. There are various pick-ups and power-ups through the game and many obstacles to navigate like lava and turrets (which spew out lasers at an alarming rate).

Abuse is an absolute blast to play and one of the most immersive and challenging side-scrolling shooters from the DOS era of gaming. The explosions and weapon effects in the game are very good too - as are the sound FX. The music is also sensibly understated so as not to overwhelm the atmospheric sound effects created by doors opening and things being blasted to smithereens. The effects when the enemies explode are superbly done and there are many secrets to find as you race around these environments dodging enemies and blasting all in sight. The level design is very good too and of sufficient standard to stop the game from ever feeling too samey or repetitive.

Abuse was likened to a 2D version of Doom by some reviewers and you can sort of see where they are coming from given the futuristic setting and fast paced shooting action. Abuse is one of those games that probably never got the level of fame and acclaim it deserved. This was definitely a DOS era game that deserved a higher profile and more enduring love. If you like side-scrolling action games which aren't cartoonish or tongue-in-cheek then you should have a lot of fun with Abuse.

ALBION (1996)

Label: Blue Byte, Designer: Various

Albion is a RPG game from the team which produced Amberstar and Ambermoon. Though the title of this game leads one to expect a medieval or Dungeons & Dragons type adventure this is actually a science fiction game set in the future. In fact, the plot, given its ecological and anti-corporate subtext, is not a million miles away from the film Avatar. The year is 2230 and a ship named the Toronto arrives at a distant planet intent of exploiting the potential mineral resources. You play as Tom Driscoll, a shuttle pilot sent to take a brief look at the planet in anticipation of its plunder by these heartless corporate company men.

The planet is supposed to be a lifeless barren void but Tom crashes on the planet and learns that it is teeming with life and a mysterious form of magic. There are also Celtic humans from Earth who have baffingly ended up here and also a native race known as Iskai. Playing as Driscoll, you have to uncover the secrets and origins of this planet and prevent its exploitation. Given that the data indicated the planet was supposed to be lifeless there is clearly a conspiracy afoot and it will be up to you to get to the bottom of this conspiracy.

Albion is a beautifully presented game with plenty of colour and some wondrous static art. The actual graphics are excellent too and novel in the way that the game is largely 2D but switches to 3D when you explore certain areas or engage in combat. This is a rather novel idea and works really well in the game. The sci-fi trappings help the game avoid becoming another derivative fantasy RPG and the interface and controls are easy to get to grips with and never needlessly complicated. The characters in the game are memorable and all have their own personalities and the actual story is clever in the way that it provides the player with a motivation to keep exploring and uncovering secrets. What more motivation could you want than to foil the plans of a greedy corporation?

You'll be solving puzzles, avoiding traps, and doing a lot of exploration as you make progress. The backdrops are beautifully rendered and varied enough to avoid the game from ever becoming too samey. In fact, such is the weird alien detail of some of the backdrops you'll be curious to keep moving and see what is around the corner. You'll interact with a host of characters through the game and this is always fun and engaging. Albion was deservedly called one of the best games of the year in 1996 and has retained a cult following to this day. If you have a sweet tooth for vintage RPG games and science fiction then you should definitely give Albion a try if you haven't already done so.

ALIEN BREED (1991)

Label: Team 17, Designer: Rico Holmes

Alien Breed is a top down shooter much in the style of that old arcade classic Gauntlet. The game is an unashamed riff on the classic 1986 film sequel Aliens. You move around a sci-fi environment (the space station ISRC-4 to be precise) as a Space Marine shooting aliens (who are clearly patterned on the acid blooded creatures in the Alien franchise - you even get face-huggers too) and must complete each level before taking the lift down to the next one. You can purchase weapons using computer terminals and - as ever in these types of games - must make sure you blast everything in sight and don't get trapped in any tight spots. You'll need keys to open certain doors and must watch out for some traps - like doors that are electrified.

The designer of Alien Breed said he was inspired by Laser Squad and Paradroid more than anything when planning this game and you can plainly see their influence. Alien Breed was very popular and one can see why. The graphics are crisp and competent, the sound FX superb, and an immersive atmosphere of dread and danger is generated. As far as these top down shooters go this was one of the best from the early 1990s. Quibbles? Well, an unquantifiable number of people thought this game was too difficult. Ammunition is very limited at times and the pesky respawning aliens can test your patience. Be warned that Alien Breed is no walk in the park. It's definitely a good game though that most Amiga owners would have sampled at some point and most likely have good memories of.

Alien Breed became something of a franchise in the end with various sequels. It was only the third game Alien Breed: Tower Assault that got a DOS release though. Alien Breed: Tower Assault was released in 1994. Once again you are tasked with investigating a space colony infested with aliens and once again you must blast everything in sight while escaping from numerous levels. There isn't much new on offer in Alien Breed: Tower Assault - save for the ability to fire your weapon while moving backwards. Still, if you liked the previous games you should like this one just fine. As ever though it is difficult to the point of being annoying at times.

Strange but true - Alien Breed eventually got an FPS game called Alien Breed 3D on the Amiga. By now we'd had the Doom phenomenon and so companies were tripping up over themselves to latch onto the FPS genre. I suppose then you'd probably be within your rights to say that Alien Breed 3D was part of the cavalcade of Doom clones that arrived like a tidal wave in the mid to late nineties. Alien Breed 3D is a decent effort but the problem is that the Amiga just wasn't very good at FPS games. Compare games like Alien Breed 3D to the likes of Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. The difference is night and day. Alien Breed 3D seems horrendously blocky and primitive compared to classic PC FPS games of the era. The level design is good though and the game (mercifully) moves at a fast clip.

The sequel Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds is generally felt to have been an improvement though some players thought it was a bit too difficult.

ALIEN TRILOGY (1996)

Label: Acclaim Entertainment, Designer: Various

Alien Trilogy (which was ported to many systems) is an FPS game in which you play Ellen Ripley, the iconic heroine of the Alien franchise, investigating Xenomorph trouble in three locations from (respectively) Aliens, Alien³, and Alien). LV426, Fiorina Fury 161, and the derelict ship found by the Nostromo. As you might already have gathered, this game mashes up the first three Alien films for its story and doesn't strictly confine itself to any one single movie.

Alien Trilogy is probably not what you would call a great game and it would soon be surpassed by vastly superior FPS games based on the franchise but for us Alien series fans in 1996 this was a very big deal. We'd only experienced two Aliens games (one decent and one not so good) and an interesting if static strategy game based on Alien - all on the C64. There was also a forgettable run and gun game based on Alien 3 ported to various machines in the early 1990s and also some Alien themed arcade machines. To get an FPS game based on the Alien franchise though with motion trackers, pulse rifles, face-huggers, smart guns etc, well, that felt like Christmas.

Alien Trilogy is dated today and wasn't exactly state of the art even for 1996 (the year that the FPS game changer Quake was released) but it does have plenty of atmosphere and captures that flickering dimly lit monster festooned corridor aura of Aliens. You start off with a pistol (which is rather weak) but you soon get your hands on a shotgun which fires at a rapid rate and can put a Xenomorph down with three or four well placed shots. There are no Colonial Marines in the game as they've been killed and Newt is also absent. Ripley's only other companion is the android Bishop.

There are over twenty levels in the game and some boss fights against alien Queens (these boss fights are not tremendously challenging if truth be told). It isn't just face-huggers, alien dogs, and Xenomorphs you'll be battling in the game. You'll also have to fight soldiers from the duplicitous and sinister company Weyland-Yutani. If we know one thing about Weyland-Yutani it is that they are obsessed with getting their grubby mitts on an alien specimen and you will be expendable in such pursuits. The inclusion of these soldiers is welcome and gives the game more traditional FPS elements. The animations for the Weyland-Yutani soldiers are actually very good.

The weapons, as one expects of an FPS, become more powerful as you go along and you'll get a pulse rifle and flamethrower among other delights. You have a mapping system to guide you and a shoulder lamp to mitigate the gloom. You also have night goggles. The animation of the actual aliens