16 Great Oldskool PC Games

Posted on Saturday, October 28 2006 @ 21:37 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Here's a list of sixteen great oldschool computer games that were released between 1990 and 2000.

1. Baldur's Gate
The first part in the Baldur's Gate series was released in 1998. You started as a powerless orphan and you needed to examine the death of foster father Gorion as well as the iron crisis which caused metal to crumble. Battling to stay alive was also one of the objectives.



2. Command & Conquer: Red Alert
A RTS game released in 1996 by Westwood Studios. The game takes place in an alternative reality in which Allied Forces defend Europe against an aggressive Soviet Union.



3. Death Rally
A very cool racing game released in 1996 by Remedy. You start the game with $495 and a car called Vagabond. You must compete in deadly races where all cars are armed and win money by finishing top, collecting money bonuses or fulfilling missions.



4. Diablo
The first Diablo game was released in 1997 by Blizzard. It was one of the best-selling hack & slash role-playing games. The central goal in this game is to slay the demons summoned by Diablo and ultimately confront Diablo himself.



5. Duke Nukem 3d
Released in 1996 by 3D Realms. This ultra-cool game was a first-person shooter with a lot of humor.



6. Half-Life
This popular first-person shooter was released in 1998 by Valve. You played the character of Dr. Gordon Freeman and had to fight your way out of a research facility overrun by aliens and hostile soldiers.



7. Lemmings
The first version of Lemmings was released in 1991. It features lemmings which are small, green)-haired humanoid beings that mindlessly walk en masse into any danger in their path. You had to help them by giving them skills like climbing, building, blocking, ... to help them reach the other side of the screen.



8. Jazz Jackrabbit
Epic MegaGames released this game in 1994. It features a cool rabbit called Jazz Jackrabbit. Jazz is seen as a hybrid of Bugs Bunny, Sonic and Rambo.



9. Scorched Earth
A very basic but fun game that was released in 1991. The game could be played against nine other humans or computer-controlled tanks. It was a turn-based battle in a 2D terrain. Each player had to adjust the angle and power of his tank turret before each shot.



10. Sim City 2000
A city building game, released in 1993.



11. Starcraft
Blizzard released Starcraft in 1998, it was a RTS game in which players had to acquire minerals and Vespene gas. These resources were required to build units and buildings.



12. Stunts
A very fun racing/stunts game. Distinctive Software released it in 1990. One of the fun things about this game is that you could create your own stunt circuits. You had to complete them as fast as possible without crashing. These circuits often featured special track areas like loops, jumps over tall buildings, corkscrews, ...
Free download over here.



13. Warcraft
Another game from Blizzard, released in 1994. There were two races in this RTS game : orcs and humans.



14. Wolfenstein 3D
This was one of the first popular first person shooters, it was released in 1992 by id Software. In the game you were an American soldier and you had to escape from a Nazi stronghold.



15. Worms
The first version was released in 1994. The game had humorous cartoon-like animation and a varied arsenal of bizarre weapons. You controlled worms and needed to kill other teams in a deformable landscape.



16. Duke Nukem Forever
Uhh.. sorry. This game is still not released ;) It has been under development since 1997. 3D Realms originally planned to release the game in 1998 but it's still not available. Therefore it's also frequently referred to as Duke Nukem Fornever.

This list is definately not complete. Feel free to recommend oldschool games in the comment section!


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Monday, October 30 2006 @ 15:38 CET
I'd also nominate Descent. It was revolutionary with the full 360 degree movement, and it was great fun.



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 3:59 CET
what about dune 2 or dune 2000. Carmaggdon were you would race around and the more you killed the more points you would get.



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 8:05 CET
Well, what about DooM 1 ? :) it can can be included with wolf3d under 14th number ;)
And Quake 1.
And of course The Need For Speed !



  • Reply by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 11:43 CET

    Some games worth an honourable mention:

    Tomb Raider
    Resident Evil
    Turrican
    Final Fantasy
    Doom
    Quake
    Strike Series (Desert, Soviet etc)
    Shadow Of The Beast


Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 13:51 CET
***** you ass hole shove these games up your ass



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 12:17 CET
Well. my friends.

You count only action games.

PC action games.

what about monkey island, mansion maniac, dott, indiana jones, and all those games?.



  • Reply by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 14:16 CET

    That's the thing - opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. these are this guy (or girl)'s opinions, so deal with them. Saying "what about xxxx" will only lead to arguments involving someone's personal taste, and when you argue about taste, everyone loses.

    Don't be a loser.


Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 17:35 CET
Stonekeep, Cyberia 1 and 2, Descent 1 and 2 and 3, Grim Fandango, Erth 2150, Deus Ex, etc



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 19:45 CET
LOL! you forgot DOOM, and QUAKE! as well, that were good games!



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Wednesday, November 01 2006 @ 17:56 CET
Wasteland! One of the most addicting games ever created, and played on an 8086!



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Monday, November 06 2006 @ 15:36 CET
"Day of the Tentacle" should have some place there too!



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Monday, November 06 2006 @ 23:13 CET
Excellent list. With the exception of Death Rally and Baldurs Gate, I've enjoyed every title on your list very much. I've bought Baldurs Gate, but never found the time to play it.

Of course everyone has some personal favourites, which are not on the list. Here are mine: Magic Carpet I & II, Descent I - III, Quake II LMCTF.



Dont forget !!!!!
by Anonymous on Friday, January 18 2008 @ 0:40 CET
Fallout 1&2......3 coming soon
Jagged allinace 1&2 3 coming soon
Mech comander 1&2 2 is crashy and takes days to load.
deus ex 3 is coming too! i Cant wait



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Thursday, July 31 2008 @ 16:36 CEST
what about gunz?



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 20 2008 @ 13:51 CEST
dungeon keeper?



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Thursday, January 29 2009 @ 14:56 CET
dudes,

Jedi Knight and Jedi Knight 2:Dark Forces. Commandos, Thief: Dark Project and Omikron. My all time fav. was Magic Carpet 2. No one lives forever and Rogue Sqadron.
these were all good games

man, the f**ing 90s-2000s was the best time for games. since then its all been about graphics and the damn MMO's with a bunch of punk teens on there.

props for putting monkey island on there, thats a great game also.

peace



Re: 16 Great Oldskool PC Games
by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28 2010 @ 16:47 CEST
Ofcourse Doom and Quake, why arent these in the list.

And what about THPS2 and GTA2