Hidden Gems of the DOS/Windows PCs

[racketboy]

Ok, now that I've published the PS2 Hidden Gems guide, people have been asking me for both a Gameboy and a PC installment. I already have a Gameboy one underway, but I thought perhaps we should start brainstorming about a PC one.

Now since the platform goes back decades, this will be quite an undertaking. If we wanted to get all historical, we could focus on all the games over time that were under-appreciated, but I think we should try to stay relevant to today's gamer. Now this doesn't mean that the games need to be recent. As we all know, games can be quite old but still be relevant. Try to focus on that concept. They also don't have to be commercial games. Indie projects are perfectly fine for nominations as long as they can compete with the big boys.

Lemme know what you think of. If you want to write a few sentences of why you think the game is special, please do. I may just include it in the final guide just like I did with the PS2 guide.

Thanks!

[Bootaaay]

I'll nominate a few;

Simon the Sorcerer - the original Simon was a vastly overlooked point & click adventure by small UK studio Adventure Soft. It might not have been as notable as many of LucasArt's or Sierra's famous point & clicks, but Simon had a unique charm that made it stand out from the rest. The story sees a young computer geek (voiced by Chris Barrie of Red Dwarf fame) dragged into a fairybook world where he must rescue the wizard Calypso from the evil sorcerer Sordid.

Rise of the Triad - RotT started out life as a sequel to Wolfenstein 3D, but with iD's split from Apogee, Apogee lost the rights to the Wolf3D. As such, they scraped the nazi elements and slapped together some ridiculous story about a special forces team trying to take down some evil satanic Triads. With the removal of the Wolf3D licence, it was as if Apogee and the DIPS (developers of INCREDIBLE power) had also had their creative restraints removed too, and they embarked on a quest to make one of the most unique, innovative and enjoyable first person shooters of all time that was sadly ignored in the wake of iD's Doom. RotT was a real game of innovations, here's a list of some of things the team pioneered;

. Bullet Holes in the enviroment
. Capture the Triad - this is the very first instance of Capture the Flag style gameplay in an FPS game
. Destructable objects in the enviroment
. Dog Mode - turns the player into a dog
. Drunk Missile - fires 4 erratic missiles
. Excalibat - a glowing ethereal baseball bat of DOOM
. Flame Wall - fires a wall of flame
. Fog
. God Mode - not just a cheat, RotT's God Mode turns the player into a 9ft diety who fires balls of holy lightning that disintegrate enemies.
. Jump Pad's
. Level-over-level enviroments
. Panoramic Skies
. Simulated Dynamic Lighting
. Split Missile - when held, fires two missiles. When released, the missiles split into opposite directions.

[Ack]

Castle of the Winds - Released by Epic MegaGames in 1989 for Windows 3.1, this Rougelike RPG featured a simple interface, randomly generated dungeons, filled with secret passages, random monsters, and traps. Players gain levels by earning experience from killing monsters, learn magic spells, find more and more powerful magic items, have to consider weight and bulk limits to what they carry, and have to worry about keeping track of time(the longer you take, the harder the final boss). The plot was simple, the graphics looked like they were designed in MSPaint, and music was nonexistent. And yet some of the most die hard anti-RPG gamers I know love this title. It must be experienced(and is available for free on the Internet now).

[Hatta]

I'll put in a word for the VGA fan remake of QFG2. It was just completed a couple months ago, so it should be plenty relevant to todays gamer. QFG, is the most successful fusion of RPG and adventure gaming I've seen. There's a big world to explore, full of myth, humor and interesting characters. Nearly every puzzle has a different solution, depending on your character class. The graphics and music are simply amazing for a fan made production, they easily match or exceed other Sierra VGA games. Check it out for free:http://www.agdinteractive.com/index2.html

I'll have to think a while about more "hidden" gems. I can think of many gems, but not all of them are hidden.

[deathclaw]

I would like to see something like "The Best PC Games That Still Matter Today". I mean a lot of us are not so keen on PC gaming and could have missed some important games that "everybody should know". So not just the hidden gems. Anyway, I am looking forward to the topic! It is gonna be interesting, maybe one of the most interesting topics on Racketboy.. kinda off topic, but..I just love this site and am very happy every time you release a new article..keep up the good work!

[Hatta]

Would Homeworld qualify as a hidden gem? What about Freespace?

[Mozgus]

May Dog have mercy on your soul with this one. I don't think it's possible. PC gaming dates back too far, branches into too many territories, has too many development and distribution methods, and has probably the most sporadic opinionated fanbase ever.

[Hatta]

No kidding. The whole point of The Underdogs is to showcase these under appreciated gems, and it's huge. But I don't think that means we shouldn't try. Even a list of 20 or so must-play games that most haven't played, would be good reading, and good fodder for discussion. It doesn't have to be exhaustive.

BTW, I think the RotT suggestion is right on the mark.

[ott0bot]

The Neverhood!!!!!
My all time favorite PC game for many reasons. The claymation is superbly done, the puzzles are extremely clever, the music is amazing, and best of all it's absolutely hilarious. It's definatly the best point and click I've ever played and not enough people have experienced it's magic. A must play.

Grim Fandango would also be a great choice.

[racketboy]

No kidding. The whole point of The Underdogs is to showcase these under appreciated gems, and it's huge. But I don't think that means we shouldn't try. Even a list of 20 or so must-play games that most haven't played, would be good reading, and good fodder for discussion. It doesn't have to be exhaustive.

BTW, I think the RotT suggestion is right on the mark.

Oh, I wouldn't imaging trying to be exhaustive