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[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

So I've been watching far too many episodes of Lazy Game Reviews on YouTube of late and I decided that it was finally time that I built myself my own dedicated retro DOS/Win98 & Win XP gaming rig (dual boot) from new, old-stock parts off of eBay.

I finally finished my Pentium 4 build last weekend and I absolutely love it already; it's a beast. I wanted a gaming rig capable of playing everything from my personal PC gaming "golden era" through to the initial introduction of Windows XP (1985 - 2002) without resorting to emulation. And so far it's achieving exactly that. I also wanted something that could play DOS games with good period-correct sound support, as that was really important to me.

My build is now semi-complete (I still need to add a Voodoo 2 and to add a Roland MT-32). It's amazing and I've been playing a lot of my faves lately and getting an extreme nostaglia kick. But more importantly, I have been discovering some new games from the era for the first time (Captain Comic, Pharaoh's Tomb, Duke Nukem 2, Kings Quest 6, System Shock 2, Baldurs Gate 2... oh my).

Between 1985 and 2002, what were your personal favourite PC games and why? I want to add them to my gaming rig GAF. My newly-restored clicky Model M IBM keyboard and PS2 Microsoft Intelli-mouse are ready . This is a call to the dedicated hardcore PC gamers on the forum: Sell me on your favourite PC game from 1985 -> 2002. Please don't just list a bunch of games; those can be found anywhere on the net. I want to know why and how a game impressed you at the time of release (1985 to 2002). It doesn't have to be 90+ metacritic worthy, it just has to be important to you.

...And if you have your own dedicated retro gaming rig, post your pics of your build!

<insert Windows 98 bootup tune>

 

[Bl@de]

My recommendation: Gothic 1+2 from 2001/2002. The first games that convinced me how great 3D open world games can be. Branching quests, a living world (NPCs have their own schedules etc.), beautiful graphics, great humor (don't know how well it translates to other languages though) and overall two of the best RPGs of all time (it's not a coincidence that CD Projekt Red named Gothic 2 as one of their inspirations for world design in The Witcher 3). Combat was clunky and the game melted my PC back then, but it never stopped me from playing and loving those games. Great thing: Run on modern systems and still have an active mod community. But a vintage PC will not have the hardware for that, so it doesn't matter in that case.

 

[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

My recommendation: Gothic 1+2 from 2001/2002. The first games that convinced me how great 3D open world games can be. Branching quests, a living world (NPCs have their own schedules etc.), beautiful graphics, great humor (don't know how well it translates to other languages though) and overall two of the best RPGs of all time (it's not a coincidence that CD Projekt Red named Gothic 2 as one of their inspirations for world design in The Witcher 3). Combat was clunky and the game melted my PC back then, but it never stopped me from playing and loving those games. Great thing: Run on modern systems and still have an active mod community. But a vintage PC will not have the hardware for that, so it doesn't matter in that case.

Wow, I didn't know that. Oddly enough, an old mate -whose gaming knowledge I greatly respect- has similarly been a huge advocate for the Gothic games and yet I've completely passed them over previously. I think it's well past the time that I jumped in. I absolutely love hardcore PC RPGs. Should I start with Gothic 1 or 2?

 

[nowhat]

Between 1985 and 2002, what were your personal favourite PC games and why?

It was early 90s (93, I think?) that my father decided we need a PC at home. As I was the "computer guy" among my siblings, I was brought along to help pick the model.

The model we ended up getting was a glorious 486DX/33 with a whopping 4MB of RAM and hard drive of sorts (80MB? it was tiny at any rate). But on my insistence, we got the "multimedia upgrade". This basically meant a sound card (Pro AudioSpectrum 16 - it can't be bad, there's "Pro" in the name, right?), a single-speed CD-ROM drive and a pair of terrible speakers even by then standards. And naturally some "multimedia" demos on a CD, as was the norm. That wasn't what sold me.

It was the other CD that came with it. It had Wing Commander 2, which is brilliant, and I spent hours with it. But then there was the other game. Ultima Underworld. As someone who basically grew up with Ultima V, it was a dream come true. Ultima, in "3D"!!! It looks dated now for sure, but it came a year before Doom, and was in many ways more technologically advanced (one could look up/down for example). The controls feel dated today, but I think that's given.

So yeah, Ultima Underworld and the sequel, you should definitely play those. It's sad that the Exult-like project for Underworld was never completed.

 

[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

It was early 90s (93, I think?) that my father decided we need a PC at home. As I was the "computer guy" among my siblings, I was brought along to help pick the model.

The model we ended up getting was a glorious 486DX/33 with a whopping 4MB of RAM and hard drive of sorts (80MB? it was tiny at any rate). But on my insistence, we got the "multimedia upgrade". This basically meant a sound card (Pro AudioSpectrum 16 - it can't be bad, there's "Pro" in the name, right?), a single-speed CD-ROM drive and a pair of terrible speakers even by then standards. And naturally some "multimedia" demos on a CD, as was the norm. That wasn't what sold me.

It was the other CD that came with it. It had Wing Commander 2, which is brilliant, and I spent hours with it. But then there was the other game. Ultima Underworld. As someone who basically grew up with Ultima V, it was a dream come true. Ultima, in "3D"!!! It looks dated now for sure, but it came a year before Doom, and was in many ways more technologically advanced (one could look up/down for example). The controls feel dated today, but I think that's given.

So yeah, Ultima Underworld and the sequel, you should definitely play those. It's sad that the Exult-like project for Underworld was never completed.

Ultima Underworld is on my shame list. It's a game that I know that I'll love and absolutely need to play. I've seen gameplay videos and I know that it'll be right up my alley. Cheers for the reminder mate. My first PC was a (parent bought) 486 DX2 66. I owned an Amiga 2000 and C64 prior to that, so I was initially invested in the Commodore platforms as a pre-teen. But my new 486 blew me away at the time and that gave me some new tech to learn (which evolved into a skill set that formed the basis of my career). The 486 to Pentium 1 era holds a special place in my gaming heart. I hadn't discovered RPGs at that point so it's great to look back and catch up on the era and experience the games that I wasn't aware that I'd enjoy.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

It makes me sad how expensive old computers are these days, I wish our family never got rid of our old computers. As soon as I live in a place that can fit one I want to get a nice 386 or 486 and enjoy some legit retro goodness. Shame it will probably cost me as much as a PS4 Pro lol

 

[nowhat]

My first PC was a (parent bought) 486 DX2 66. I owned an Amiga 2000 and C64 prior to that, so I was initially invested in the Commodore platforms as a pre-teen. But my new 486 blew me away at the time and that gave me some new tech to learn (which evolved into a skill set that formed the basis of my career).

C128 here *virtual Commodore-owners fist bump*, never had an Amiga. And was rather jealous of my friends that had one, but no can do.

I can relate though. C128 offered some marginal advantages over C64 when it comes to some games (music in Ultima V was one of them), but the main difference to me was the built-in basic. It had features like sound (well, tone more like) playback, sprite editor and joystick events. And aside from playing, I spent hours working on my own "games". Which were terrible, of course, and followed no best practices of any kind (hey, basic). But when I eventually decided that as I spend so much time in front of a computer someone may as well pay me for it, and enrolled to uni to study CS, the foundation was there and it was really quick to pick up. Which is something I think kids these days are missing - the "tinkering"-bit in computers is gone.

...I'm starting to sound like I should also advice people to get off my lawn.

 

[Fatez]

Amiga 500 up to 4000. Best gaming "PC" in the 90's for me.

 

[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

Which is something I think kids these days are missing - the "tinkering"-bit in computers is gone.

I absolutely agree with this. Tinkering is an important IT skill. Just to get a game to work, I had to learn the core foundations of computing. I wasn't a bright kid, but goddamn, I would have walked a thousand miles (or read a thousand pages of tech manuals) just to play Bubble Bobble for five minutes on my Commodore 64 . My current game dev project is for the C64 actually (I wanted to learn assembly, so it was a good project to start). What an amazing piece of gaming hardware that was.

I'm envious that you owned a C128 mate. Hot damn. As a kid, my best friend's Dad had one and it permanently sat under a plastic dust-cover. We could only ever go into his room and unwrap it to play some games if we were "well behaved". LOL. I will add one to my collection one day. Currently, I only have a second gen C64 (white) at the moment but I'd like to add the beloved bread bin model and a C128 to my collection eventually. I didn't realise that the 128 offered some advantages/improvements to some C64 games. Now I need one, damnit wutnau .

It makes me sad how expensive old computers are these days, I wish our family never got rid of our old computers. As soon as I live in a place that can fit one I want to get a nice 386 or 486 and enjoy some legit retro goodness. Shame it will probably cost me as much as a PS4 Pro lol

I actually spent significantly more than the price of a PS4 Pro on my "new" retro gaming rig. To be fair, it has actually given me the same level of enjoyment that any modern console release has. Building a retro gaming rig is a fantastic (and sometimes frustrating) experience. I highly recommend it if your gaming budget fits. It re-engaged a lot of my old PC technical knowledge and made me remember how hilariously time consuming PC gaming of yore was (installed the wrong driver by accident? Hello perpetual blue screen of death).

Amiga 500 up to 4000. Best gaming "PC" in the 90's for me.

The Amiga will always be the greatest PC of all time to me. I only had an Amiga 2000 with a 20mb harddrive at the time but I always lusted after the A4000. I'd pay an obscene amount for an Amiga 4000 if I could find one these days.

 

[Senua]

I've always wanted to do this, don't really have the space for another desktop though.

 

[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

I've always wanted to do this, don't really have the space for another desktop though.

Space is definitely an issue for projects like this and it's why DOSBOX is normally the best option for most people!

In my situation, I'm the sole occupant of my house and it has a very large family room that I use as a dedicated man cave. I have effectively turned it into something that looks like a rejected set from the Matrix. I have CRTs and gaming rigs everywhere (organised chronologically). It's all good fun!

 

[Bl@de]

Wow, I didn't know that. Oddly enough, an old mate -whose gaming knowledge I greatly respect- has similarly been a huge advocate for the Gothic games and yet I've completely passed them over previously. I think it's well past the time that I jumped in. I absolutely love hardcore PC RPGs. Should I start with Gothic 1 or 2?

G2 is clearly a better and bigger game and has a better world. G1 has a better atmosphere but G2 continues directly after the ending of the first game. I started with G2 and a lot of things didn‘t make any sense until I played the first game.

If you have the time play both, but that‘s over 100 hours of gameplay. If you want to play one game play G2 and watch a recap of G1 to know the basic story and main characters. If you have too much time: Play both of them with different classes (changes a lot of the quests and gameplay).

 

[nowhat]

I didn't realise that the 128 offered some advantages/improvements to some C64 games. Now I need one, damnit wutnau .

Heh, while far be it from me to deter you from getting a C128, the games that took advantage of the power advantage were just a few. You think people decrying Pro versions of PS4 games is bad now? It was way, way worse back then. Aside from the aforementioned Ultima V having music in it (which did feature the first-ever rendition of "Stones", but I digress), I can't think of that many. Gunship or Stealth Fighter (both Microprose games, Apache and whatever that stealth plane is called, simulators) had "filled" (using that term very liberally here) polygons instead of just pure vector graphics. Some games had shorter loading times when starting in C128 mode. But really, the advantages were/are the ability to run CP/M and the more advanced basic. Neither of which are really a selling point nowadays.

 

[RokkanStoned]

A part of me wants to buy an PC running win 3.1 or windows 95 or even windows 98, to play around with and to bring into class for my pupils to give them a good perspective on generational perspectives on technology and a larger perspective on how the adolescent experience changes and will continue to change with technology.
Might a early windows xp gen computer, run several OSs as a partition?

 

[Darak]

Just last year I built a 486 and was surprised about how rare/expensive those machines are becoming. I had a Pentium 4 machine laying around but it had no ISA slots, so it was not really good for DOS (PCI cards have abysmal DOS compatibility and FM sound), except perhaps for late DOS releases such as Doom or Duke Nukem.

If you like RPGs you may like the earlier first-person blobbers, which were essentially big dungeon romps with barely any storytelling, but were still lots of fun. Eye of the Beholder II was amazing, and the animated intro still amazes me to this day. Lands of Lore, the spiritual successor, was also very good.

 

[Kenpachii]

give theme hospital a try, games is amazing.

 

[Krappadizzle]

I'm jealous of you OP. Very cool.

 

[n0razi]

Awesome

I dont think I could deal with the boot/load times on vintage (pre SSD) PCs

 

[Guileless]

Nice setup OP. You need to hang some Oasis posters up in that room to complete the effect.

My retro game recommendation is XWing vs. Tie Fighter. I believe Lucasarts released a version with 3d acceleration in the late 90s. Space combat is fun even if you don't like Star Wars.

 

[Ar¢tos]

The games I remember playing the most on PC in the 90s were Xenon 2, Nicky Boom, Lost Vikings, Supaplex, Lemmings, Ugh! and The Incredible Machine.
Gaming was so much more satisfactory in the 90s!

 

[MetalSlug]

You should try Little Big Adventure 2 on it.

 

[Spukc]

It makes me sad how expensive old computers are these days, I wish our family never got rid of our old computers. As soon as I live in a place that can fit one I want to get a nice 386 or 486 and enjoy some legit retro goodness. Shame it will probably cost me as much as a PS4 Pro lol

HAHAHAHA WHAT ?

 

[a multicultural team of v]

HAHAHAHA WHAT ?

Go to ebay and do a search for retro or vintage computer and be amazed at how much a dirty pc from 1991 goes for lol