The best old school rpgs/strategy games

[Master_Thief]

I've recently been surfing around for some old school games in the RPG and strategy genres. For some reason i've just suddenly had the desire to play old dos games. I've looked on websites such as [snip!] and have found some games of interest such as Lands of Lore and Castles 2 but nothing has really gripped me. Don't suppose somebody could suggest the best DOS-based stategy and RPG games that are available. Cheers.



No links to abandonware sites please. It's a grey legal area, and could potentially cause trouble for the org. Froggy.

[Bijo]

Command & Conquer for DOS :P

[econ21]

X-Com1/UFO Enemy Unknown is the one DOS game I still play - although thankfully, there is a Windows version (Gold?) you can use without too much pain.

SSI made some excellent strategy games. I liked the original Panzer General game; the DOS version was better than the Windows one, IMO. Also, Steel Panthers 1 and 2 - there are now free standalone major realism mods for Windows (SPWW2 and SPWAW). Age of Rifles was a great game - DOS again, I think. I really enjoyed playing the Napoleonic usermade scenarios that modders made for it. Those three games could take up several years of your gaming life (they did of mine).

I can't recall playing DOS RPGs - my first CRPG was Might and Magic VI, was it DOS? Probably not, although I can't get it to work on modern Windows. It's held up well - in some ways the pinnacle of the series. But to me, CRPGs really hit their stride with Fallout and Baldur's Gate which I believe were for Windows.

[TinCow]

For DOS strategy, try the BattleIsle/Historyline games by BlueByte. Not exactly the smartest AI in the world, but fun nonetheless.

[Whacker]

X-Com1/UFO Enemy Unknown is the one DOS game I still play - although thankfully, there is a Windows version (Gold?) you can use without too much pain.

I'm sure this was a good game, but I actually got started with XCOM2, and prefer that by a good margin. They can both run on Windows if you use Dosbox or VDMsound for the older version, or the loader/patch for the Gold Windows version. I just got done playing XCOM2 for awhile last month, it's a great game to dust off every few years for a stroll down memory lane.

But to me, CRPGs really hit their stride with Fallout and Baldur's Gate which I believe were for Windows.

Ahhhh.... In my most humble opinionated view, Fallout was/is the bar that all PC RPGs must live up to. It's also the #1 game on my personal "I ignored this when it was new and damn do I regret it now!" list. Someone got me to play it back in 2003 and I never looked back. If you're chomping at the bit, I'd say go for this. Some things to keep in mind if you do though; it's old, from 1997, and the graphics were considered "dated" even for then. It will run on both DOS and Windows, but you'll probably have to install it through the cmd prompt and then manually install the 1.1. patch to make it Windows compatible. I never had any problems running it at all, others have, so YMMV. It's going to feel old and clunky, but if you put forth the effort to get into the game and enjoy it, you'll be rewarded like very few other games can.

[Master_Thief]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be sure to check a few of those out. Off to bed though now. I'll post my opinions tomorrow if possible.

[Kekvit Irae]

Four words: Eye of the Beholder.
Or even an additional word: Eye of the Beholder 2.

[Veho Nex]

SSI made some excellent strategy games. I liked the original Panzer General game; the DOS version was better than the Windows one, IMO. Also, Steel Panthers 1 and 2 - there are now free standalone major realism mods for Windows (SPWW2 and SPWAW). Age of Rifles was a great game - DOS again, I think. I really enjoyed playing the Napoleonic usermade scenarios that modders made for it. Those three games could take up several years of your gaming life (they did of mine).

went and looked through my old dos games pile and found AoR but i can't ever remember playing it... It's a fantastic game once i got into it

ok back on topic

try a game called Space Empires I(or II)