Mortal Kombat (1993): The Fighting Game That Created the ESRB
No fighting game in history caused as much controversy as Mortal Kombat. Released in arcades by Midway in 1992 and […]
Free DOS Game
Lemmings (1991): DMA Design’s Perfect Puzzle Formula
Few games have a concept as instantly compelling as Lemmings. Tiny creatures walk mindlessly toward certain death, and your only
Blood (1997): Monolith’s Gruesome, Underrated Build Engine Standout
By 1997 the Build engine had already given the world Duke Nukem 3D. Blood took the same technology and pointed
Shadow Warrior (1997), Free to Download: 3D Realms’ Ninja Answer to Duke Nukem
One More Trick Up the Build Engine’s Sleeve The Build engine had one more trick left after Duke Nukem 3D.
Stargunner (1996): Apogee’s Last Word on the DOS Shooter
By 1996, Apogee had shipped enough shooters to know exactly what worked, and exactly how to end an era on
Terminal Velocity (1995): 3D Realms’ Free Need-for-Speed in Space
Earth is under attack, alien empires are massing, and none of that matters nearly as much as how fast your
Descent (1994): The Free DOS Shooter That Threw Out Up and Down
Doom put you in 3D corridors but kept your feet on the floor. A few months later, Descent asked: why
Dune II (1992): The Game That Taught the RTS Genre How to Walk
What do StarCraft, Age of Empires, and Command & Conquer all have in common? Trace their base-building, resource-harvesting, real-time-combat DNA
Paganitzu (1991): Apogee’s Quietest, Cleverest Puzzle Game
Not every DOS classic was about shooting things. Paganitzu offered something different — an atmospheric puzzle-adventure set in ancient Aztec
Dangerous Dave (1990): John Romero’s Warm-Up Before id Software
Two years before Wolfenstein 3D, John Romero was still cutting his teeth on single-screen platformers for Softdisk — and Dangerous
Halloween Harry (1993): The Jetpack Shooter That Became Alien Carnage
A Jetpack, a Flamethrower, and an Alien Zombie Infestation A jetpack, a flamethrower, and an alien zombie infestation, Halloween Harry
Major Stryker (1993): Apogee’s First Triple-Parallax Shooter
Space shooters were a DOS staple, so by 1993 the bar for standing out was genuinely high. Major Stryker cleared