A slice of (retro) PC gaming

README.md

A bunch of classic and memorable (old) PC games. Some are very well known, other are more niche hidden games. They are all worth revisiting.

Here's the list, in no particular order. Mostly because this is a dump of a brainstorm of a list of PC games. I spend hours thinking about them, so I'd rather take note.

• Alley Cat (1983-1984, DOS, 1 player)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Very old game, back when video cards could only display four simultaneous colors on the screen.
• Jump 'n Bump (1998, DOS, 4 players)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Libregamewiki, Libre Games, web version
  • Single-screen platforming game with cutesy graphics but merciless bunnies.
  • Once the source-code was made available, it has been ported to many systems.
  • HopSquash! is a spiritual successor, available on Steam, and supports up to 8 local players.
• SkyRoads (1993, DOS, 1 player)
  • Official website, Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris, OpenRoads
  • 3D racing/platforming game where you pilot a space ship on space roads, and you have to jump to avoid obstacles.
• Wacky Wheels (1994, DOS, 2 players)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris
  • SNES gamers had Mario Kart. DOS gamers had Wacky Wheels.
  • Not to be confused with the terrible Wacky Wheels HD that was recently released.
• Lemmings (1991, many systems)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Better played with a mouse.
  • The Windows version has a level select dialog (instead of a password) and includes the levels from the first two games.
  • The Amiga version supports 2-player split-screen using two mice simultaneously.
• Tyrian (1995-1999, DOS and Windows, 2 players)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris, OpenTyrian
  • Before Epic MegaGames developed Unreal, it published this great shmup game.
• Liero (1998, DOS, 2 players)
  • Official website, Wikipedia, Libregamewiki, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Real-time (as opposed to turn-based) worms game. Fully destrutible terrain, and many different weapons. It takes some time to get used to the controls.
  • There is also OpenLieroX.
• Glider (1988, 1991, 1994; Mac OS Classic and Windows, 1 player)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Aerofoil, GitHub
  • Navigate a paper airplane game across several rooms of a house, full of obstacles.
• 3D Pinball: Space Cadet (1995, Windows)
  • Decompilation project, MobyGames, Lutris
  • That classic Windows pinball game, now available for modern systems.
• TetriNET (1997, Windows, 1 local player, 6 network players)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Before Tetris 99, we had TetriNET. Clear lines to send extra lines to your opponents. Collect items and use them either on yourself, or on an opponent.
  • There was also a variant called TetriFAST that didn't have the delay after placing a block.
• Hover! (1995, Windows, 1 player)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Microsoft included this 3D game hovercraft game in the Windows 95 installation CD-ROM. It's simple, but nostalgic to many.
• HoverRace (1996, Windows)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris, Steam, GitHub
  • Simple shareware hovercraft racing game. It was recently re-released on Steam, and the source-code is available. I think the original version only had 1 local player, but the recent version has 4 local players. Both versions had network multiplayer.

Desktop games. Well, games you probably play alongside your Office documents.

• Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection (2004, many systems)
  • Official homepage, Libregamewiki, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Many single-player puzzle games. Includes a good version of Minesweeper, that is guaranteed to be solvable by logic (no guessing required). Better than the original 16-bit Microsoft version, and incredibly better than whatever is that thing Microsoft is distributing nowadays.
• SkiFree (1991, Windows)
  • The Most Officialest SkiFree Home Page!, Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris, xkcd, explain xkcd, edge://surf
  • Tiny game, challenging, fun, and runs well even on extremely old machines.
• Microsoft Entertainment Pack (1990-1994, Windows and Game Boy Color)
  • Wikipedia, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Many action, puzzle and card games.
  • See also: List of games included with Windows
• PySol (1998, Linux and Windows)
  • Fan Club Edition, Libregamewiki, MobyGames, Lutris
  • Over 1200 solitaire card games.

Other obvious games:

• Prince of Persia (ported to many systems) and Prince of Persia 2
• id Software
  • Commander Keen
  • Wolfenstein 3D (and Spear of Destiny, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein) (and games from other companies, such as Super Noah's Ark 3-D, Rise of the Triad)
  • Doom and Doom II (and The Ultimate Doom, and Final Doom)
  • Heretic and Hexen
  • Quake (and Quake II, and Quake III)

Other huge lists of games:

• Libregameswiki
• /v/'s Recommended Games Wiki
• Open source DOS games

This is so nostalgic, my eyes run wide from this list! Alley Cat and SkyRoads are a complete break from childhood, how many hours were spent on them on old monitors. I don't understand how we used to play all this without normal graphics and get so much fun. Now remembering such things is like finding an old bonus or gift that lifts your mood for the whole day. It's like a cool excitement from the game when you look for interesting bonuses and check eligibility and wagering terms at AussCasinosAnalyzer.com/au, where everything is clearly written for a normal rest. By the way, where is Jazz Jackrabbit or Dangerous Dave on the list, they really aren't enough for a complete collection!