8 Classic PC Games & How They Rocked The World
Do you remember playing the first classic PC games?
Way back when Flight Simulator was a DOS game, DOOM was considered shocking, and Myst was just starting to take the world by storm?
Here’s a list of the best. These are the classic PC games that rocked the world, broke tradition, started trends.
Because when you stop and think about it, you realize an entire generation was raised on these games — and you were probably one of them.
1. SimCity
SimCity was the brainchild of a Louisiana game developer named Will Wright, who was messing with a map editor in one of his favorite games when it hit him that he enjoyed making maps for the game way more than he enjoyed the game itself.
And so Wright decided to create SimCity, which has since been a startling success, sold countless copies, achieved critical acclaim and won dozens of awards.
The objective of SimCity is to build and maintain a city. Sometimes your city will be endangered by bad weather such as flooding and tornadoes, or damaged by fires, earthquakes and even attacks by monsters. It’s a classic.
The original SimCity can now be played online. You can also buy the Nintendo DS version here, or one of the newer versions such as SimCity 4 here.
2. Tetris
Everybody’s favorite falling bricks game was invented by a Russian in 1985. Needless to say, it rocked the world. Versions of Tetris have been created for every computer operating system and gaming console in the world.
In ‘07, IGN rated Tetris the second greatest video game of all-time, just behind Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. “It’s the puzzle game,” says IGN’s article. “Not a puzzle game, THE puzzle game.” Who would have thought that moving colored bricks around on a screen would be so addictive? Because once you start playing Tetris, it’s hard to stop.
You can play Tetris online free at FreeTetris.org.
3. Doom
Doom changed gaming in two ways. First, it offered awesome multiplayer support in ways no game had done before. Second, it was the first computer game to feature gruesome, shocking visuals as you blast mutants’ brains out with with massive guns.
Many other games followed Doom’s lead, and now blood and gore are commonplace in games — much to some people’s distaste. There’s no way to deny the incredible impact Doom — and it’s next-generation successor, Quake — has had on gaming.
Classic DOOM can be purchased for for GameBoy or for PCs. Also available: Doom II, and the new Doom III. And then there’s Quake.
4. Warcraft
Swords and sorcery. The violent “orc hordes” versus the humans. Long before “World of Warcraft” was released, the three original Warcraft games rocked the real-time strategy game world, becoming some of the most popular games of all time. Warcraft is still fun, even decades later, and it’s influence on the gaming industry has been remarkable.
The three Warcraft games laid the groundwork for something even greater: World of Warcraft. Sadly, many fans of the massively popular, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game probably aren’t very familiar with the classic PC games it’s based on.
WarCraft on Amazon.
5. Myst
The bestselling PC game of the 90s, Myst is widely considered the thing that made CD-ROM drives successful. And besides that, it was just fun. You start the game alone on the strange island with virtually no backstory and no clue what to do, and through a combination of patience, observation, and logical reasoning, you gradually figure it out.
Versions of Myst have been created for the Playstation Portable, Nintendo DS, and Pocket PC devices. There are four sequels, named Riven, Exile, Revelation, and Uru.
In 2003, UbiSoft released the 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on DVD, featuring Myst, Riven, and Exile.
6. Dune II
Based on Frank Herbert’s classic Dune trilogy, Dune II is considered the first RTS (real-time strategy game) ever, leading the way for popular modern games such as Age of Empires, Civilization, Warcraft, Supreme Commander and Empire Earth.
In addition to spawning a whole new genre of gaming, Dune II featured revolutionary sound — amazing voice work and soundtrack on fifteen year old technology.
You can download Dune II free at DuneII.com.
7. Flight Simulator
I’ve lost hundreds of hours of my life to this game, and I know I’m not alone. Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is one of the oldest, most classic PC games franchises out there — it was around long before even Windows hit the scene.
Back then, Microsoft was largely into making business software, so coming out with an airplane game was highly unusual. It was a good decision, though: Flight Simulator remains one of their most successful products. The latest version, Flight Simulator X, was released in late 2006.
8. Solitaire
This hugely addictive card game comes preloaded with every copy of Windows, and has caused great alarm in the business world because employees often waste huge amounts of time playing it while they’re supposed to be working.
“Suppose a business said everyone on the sales force was getting a free deck of cards so that when they get bored they can play solitaire. Not going to happen, right?” says Clifford Stoll, an author and systems analyst interviewed by TIME. “But if you give everyone on the sales force a $2,000 computer, you know they’re going to play some solitaire because it’s the second or third most common program run.”
In Windows, play Solitaire by clicking Start -> Programs -> Games -> Solitaire.
