Classic Video Games
What makes a video game a classic is a topic that can be debated much like classic cars, movies, and songs. The term classic can mean something different for everyone and doesn't necessarily mean the most popular or best reviewed. With the Classic Video Game section of About.com's Computer Action Games site I'm trying to provide resources to some older games and platforms that are obsolete and hard to find, as well as some popular favorites that can no longer be found in stores. The lists below are no means complete or comprehensive; rather, they are more of a work in progress. I frequently receive questions asking about old games, titles, where to buy/find them, etc. Each game list provides a list of games and links to game pages which include a brief description as well as any links where download or more information can be found.Please be sure to email me (compactiongames.guide@about.com) those old titles you'd like to see in the classic game lists(which will be up shortly.)
PC Classics
In the early days of the PC there were many different brand running all kinds of operating systems. IBM and IBM compatibles ran MS-DOS, but there were other PC makers who used their own operating system; Commodore, Apple, Tandy/Radio Shack, Atari just to name a few. Below is a list of some of the major types of PC gaming platforms from the dawn of the personal computer in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Included are also links to popular emulators that can run various programs intended for another computer/operating system other that the one you are running the emulator on.i.e. AppleWin is a Apple II emulator for a Windows PC. It allows you to emulate the old Apple II operating system on your Windows machine in order to run games such as Choplifter. Likewise there are DOS, Commodore, Atari and more emulators that run on both current Windows and Macintosh OS systems.
Windows/DOS Classic Video Games
Early DOS games were usually sold with the label "IBM PC AT/Compatibles" which usually meant anything that had an early Intel chip in it and ran Microsoft's MS-DOS. As IBM lot PC market dominance and Microsoft gained notoriety with Windows, game requirements/labels were soon changed name the operating system instead of the brand of computer. There are literally thousands of Windows and DOS classic video games since the debut of the IBM PC back in 1981. Some are text based games, and others have graphics that look like they could have been drawn by a 4 year old but they are all still classics. Many of these older DOS games can no longer be played on a Windows XP machine. With the emergence of the NTFS file system for large hard drives the games and programs are sometimes not compatible any more. There are however some good alternatives to get some of those old DOS games working, with the best being DOS Box, an emulator that simulates the old MS DOS environment and enables you to play your old favorites.Many classic DOS games are becoming harder and harder to find. You can still find the old popular titles on ebay such as the original Bard's Tale or Doom but many more can no longer be found for sale on ebay, by retailers or the publishers. These games in a somewhat state of flux are considered by many to be Abandonware. There are quite a few good abandonware websites that offer the games for download but the legality has been in question.
The Windows/DOS Classic Video Game list is by no means complete or comprehensive, it's more of a work in progress. I frequently receive questions asking about old games, where to find them, and other requests. Each game page includes a brief description and information as well as any possible links where more information or download links can be found.
*DOS Emulators:
DOS Box
DOSEMU
*Some old DOS games run on current windows machines so you may not necessarily need an emulator. It's best to try the game out first prior to using an emulator.
