Games worth playing, Vol. I -- 1977-1985

[Rincewind]

After replaying a few classic RPGs from the 90s recently, I've realised that I don't care about 3D and "realism" anymore and just prefer older, more abstract games with, you know, actual interesting gameplay (barring a few Codex-approved modern exceptions, such as ELEX, Shadow Tactics, Age of Decadence, etc). My plan first was to play the classic RPG series and Sierra adventures in chronological order that I missed as a kid (my entry points were Eye of the Beholder and Maniac Mansion). Long story short, after mining the Codex for recommendations for the past year or so, and perusing blogs such as the CRPG Addict, The Digital Antiquarian, Adventure Gamer's Guild, my list kept growing bigger and bigger, until I ended up with about 500 interesting looking games from the 1977 to 1997 period.

I thought I'd share this because it might be useful for others, and also because finding the best bug-free ports of these older titles can be quite a challenge. So if you see one of your favourites on the list and have some info to share about which port is the best, what patches to apply, any gotchas with emulators, etc. then don't hold yourself back, let me know. You can already see some of these notes next to a few games based on my own research. It's quite annoying when you hit a game-breaking bug 10-20 hours into a game, so any helpful tips are welcome.

So, here's the first ~120 games from the 1977-1985 period. I plan to create further threads later on for '86-'88, '87-'89, '90-'92, '93-'97, with roughly 100 games per each.

A couple of remarks:

• The list is supposed to include every good to great RPG and adventure game, including text adventures. I also have a limited interest in strategy/tactics games; a select few of these are included under the "Tactics" category.
• The vague "space trader/shooter" genre is another interest of mine, so all "space" games that are not straight adventures or RPGs belong there.
• I've also included some action/arcade adventures in the "Adventure" category (don't want to obsess over exact categorisations).
• Western games released on personal computers only, and strictly pre-Windows (so no consoles, no Italian plumbers with funny mustaches, and definitely no anime).
  • There will be a *single* exception to the above rule, as we'll see later on: Knights of Xentar from 1994 (well, I liked it as a horny adolescent).
• Release year is the date of the original release, not of that particular port.
• I have a bias towards playing games on the C64 or the Amiga.

By the way, big thanks to octavius, Deuce Traveler, Fowyr, Luzur, Zed Duke of Banville, Vault Dweller, MMXII and Crooked_Bee; a large number of games ended up on the list based on your recommendations.

Links to the other episodes:

Games worth playing, Vol. II -- 1986-1988
Games worth playing, Vol. III -- 1989-1990
Games worth playing, Vol. IV -- 1991-1992
Games worth playing, Vol. V -- 1993-1994
Games worth playing, Vol. VI -- 1995-1997


RPG

Spoiler

1979

• Dunjonquest: Morloc's Tower (Automated Simulations) [Atari 8-bit]
  Dunjonquest 3
  Or C64 port
  
  
• Dunjonquest: The Datestones of Ryn (Automated Simulations) [Atari 8-bit]
  Or C64 port
  
  
• Dunjonquest: The Temple of Apshai (Automated Simulations) [C64]
  Apshai trilogy 1
  Play original version, not the Trilogy

1980

• Akalabeth: World of Doom (Richard Garriott) [DOS]
  Play 1998 remake from Ultima Collection (free at GOG.com)
  Also known as Ultima 0
  
  
• Dunjonquest: Hellfire Warrior (Automated Simulations) [Atari 8-bit]
  Hellfire Warrior trilogy 1
  "True" sequel of The Temple of Apshai
  
  
• Rogue: The Adventure Game (Epyx) [Windows]
  Use Rogue Collection (play PC Rogue 1.48)
  https://github.com/mikeyk730/Rogue-Collection
  
  Or 1985 DOS version (Epyx rogue)

1981

• Dunjonquest: Sorcerer of Siva (Epyx) [Apple II]
• Dunjonquest: Upper Reaches of Apshai (Epyx) [C64]
  Apshai trilogy 2
  Play original version, not the Trilogy
  "The Temple of Apshai" is needed for this expansion
  
  
• Keys of Acheron, The (Automated Simulations) [Atari 8-bit]
  Hellfire Warrior trilogy 2
  "Hellfire Warrior" is needed for this expansion
  
  
• Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (Richard Garriott) [Apple IIgs]
  Play Apple IIgs remake (1994)
  
  
• Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (Sir-Tech) [SNES]
  English translated SNES version
  http://www.romhacking.net/translations/5711/
  
  Or on C128 in C64 mode for faster loading times

1982

• Danger in Drindisti (Epyx) [Atari 8-bit]
  Hellfire Warrior trilogy 3
  "Hellfire Warrior" is needed for this expansion
  
  
• Dungeons of Daggorath (Dynamicro) [TRS CoCo]
  Or play Windows remake
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/dungeons-of-daggorath/9nblggh4spb4
  
  
• Dunjonquest: Curse of Ra (Epyx) [C64]
  Apshai trilogy 3
  Play original version, not the Trilogy
  "The Temple of Apshai" is needed for this expansion
  
  
• Sword of Fargoal (Epyx) [C64]
• Telengard (Microcomputer Games) [C64]
• Tunnels of Doom (Texas Instruments) [TI-99]
• Ultima II: Revenge of the Enchantress (Sierra) [DOS]
  Upgraded DOS version
  https://exodus.voyd.net/projects/ultima2/
  
  
• Wizardry Scenario #2: The Knight of Diamonds (Sir-Tech) [SNES]
  English translated SNES version
  http://www.romhacking.net/translations/5711/
  
  Or on C128 in C64 mode for faster loading times

1983

• Dunjonquest: Gateway to Apshai (Westwood) [ColecoVision]
  Or C64
  
  
• Moria (Independent) [Amiga]
• Ultima III: Exodus (Origin) [C64]
  Ultima III Gold (C64) enhanced & bugfixed version
  https://paradroid.automac.se/u3/
  
  Or upgraded DOS version
  https://exodus.voyd.net/projects/ultima3/
  
  Or Mac remake
  https://www.lairware.com/ultima3/
  
  
• Wizardry Scenario 3: Legacy of Llylgamyn (Sir-Tech) [SNES]
  English translated SNES version
  http://www.romhacking.net/translations/5711/
  
  Or on C128 in C64 mode for faster loading times

1984

• Adventure Construction Set: Rivers of Light (Independent) [C64]
• Hack (Jay Fenlason) [DOS]
• Lords of Midnight (Beyond) [ZX Spectrum]
  Read accompanying novella first
  The unofficial old DOS port by Chris Wild has better controls
  
  
• Questron (SSI) [C64]
• Sword of Kadash (Dynamix) [C64]
• Zyll (IBM) [PC Booter]

1985

• Alternate Reality: The City (Paradise) [Atari 8-bit]
  Atari 8-bit original is the best version, but has very complex copy protection. C64 is second best, and 16-bit ports lack a lot of features. Make sure to use a 100% cracked copy or uncracked disk images.
  
  Uncracked Atari VAPI image (+info on emulator setup):
  http://www.atarimania.com/atari-vapi.html
  
  Alternative versions:
  100% C64 crack with REU support (single-floppy version): https://csdb.dk/release/?id=188491
  Uncracked original Amiga SPS image (nice graphics, but no environmental sounds and no animations)
  
  
• AutoDuel (Origin) [C64]
• Lords of Midnight 2: Doomdark's Revenge (Beyond) [ZX Spectrum]
• Mandragore (Infogrames) [C64]
  Try cartridge conversion
  
  
• Master of Magic, The (Mastertronic) [C64]
• Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony (Origin) [Amiga]
• Phantasie I: Jelnoa's Chapter (SSI) [Atari ST]
  Make sure to use a version that has only the first two overland areas explored
  Only 8-bit originals are bug-free (combat is easier on the 16-bit ports)
  
  
• Sorderon's Shadow (Beyond) [ZX Spectrum]
• Sword & Sorcery (PSS) [ZX Spectrum]
• Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale (Interplay) [Apple IIgs]
  All other ports are buggy
  
  
• Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (SSI) [C64]
  Ultima IV Remastered (C64)
  Use cartridge version for fast load times
  http://magervalp.github.io/2015/03/30/u4-remastered.html
  
  Or upgraded DOS version
  http://www.moongates.com/u4/upgrade/Upgrade.htm
  
  Has ScummVM support (only DOS)

Adventure

Spoiler

1977

• Adventure (William Crowther) [Interpreter]
  Play 350 point Z-Machine version
  https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=fft6pu91j85y4acv

1978

• Adventureland (TSR-80) [TRS-80]
  Scott Adams' Adventure #1
  
  There's a relatively faithful Inform port too
  https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=dy4ok8sdlut6ddj7
  
  All Scott Adams' adventures can be played in a browser:
  https://ifiction.org/games/index.php?cat=44

1979

• Count, The (Mad Hatter) [TRS-80]
  Scott Adams' Adventure #5
  
  There's a relatively faithful Inform port too
  https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=89qmjvv4cb0z93t5
  
  
• Eamon (Donald Brown) [DOS]
  Play Eamon Deluxe enhanced DOS conversion (contains all modules)
  http://www.eamonag.org/pages/eamondx.htm
  
  Or Eamon Remastered (web-based)
  https://eamon-remastered.com

1980

• Deathmaze 5000 (Med Systems) [TRS-80]
• Hi-Res Adventure #1: Mystery House (Sierra) [Apple II]
  Has ScummVM support
  
  
• Hi-Res Adventure #2: Wizard and the Princess (Sierra) [Apple II]
  Has ScummVM support
  
  
• Labyrinth (Med Systems) [TRS-80]
• Reality Ends (Med Systems) [TRS-80]
• Zork I: The Great Underground Empire (Infocom) [Interpreter]

1981

• Asylum (Med Systems) [TRS-80]
• Curse of Crowley Manor (Adventure International) [TRS-80]
• Cyborg (Sentient) [Macintosh]
• Earthquake - San Francisco 1906 (Adventure International) [Apple II]
• Institute, The (Med Systems) [C64]
  Try cartridge conversion
  
  
• Microworld (Med Systems) [TRS-80]
• Saigon: The Final Days (Adventure International) [TRS-80]
• Softporn (Sierra) [Atari 8-bit]
• Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz (Infocom) [Interpreter]

1982

• Asylum II (Med Systems) [C64]
• Deadline (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Hobbit, The (Melbourne House) [C64]
  Read novel first
  Use the 1987 two disk version (also known as "The Hobbit II"), which has music as well. Seems to work in hoxs64 only!
  https://csdb.dk/release/?id=101566
  
  
• Starcross (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Transylvania (Penguin) [Apple II]
• Zork III: The Dungeon Master (Infocom) [Interpreter]

1983

• Adventure in the 5th Dimension (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Enchanter (Infocom) [Interpreter]
  Enchanter trilogy 1
  
  
• Forbidden Quest (Pryority) [Macintosh]
• Infidel (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Planetfall (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Snowball (Level 9) [Amiga]
  Play "Silicon Dreams" (1986) version
  Silicon Dreams trilogy 1
  Has official HD installer
  
  
• Suspended (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Witness (Infocom) [Interpreter]

1984

• Amazon (Trillium) [Apple II]
• Automania (Mikro-Gen) [ZX Spectrum]
  Wally Week 1
  
  
• Below the Root (Dale Disharoon) [C64]
  Read "Green Sky Trilogy" from Zilpha Keatley Snyder first
  
  
• Cutthroats (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Dragonworld (Telarium) [C64]
• Fahrenheit 451 (Trillium) [C64]
  Or Macintosh version
  
  
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• King's Quest: Quest for the Crown (Sierra) [Apple IIgs]
  Play original AGI version
  Has ScummVM support
  
  
• Knight Lore (Ultimate Play the Game) [ZX Spectrum]
• Legacy (Challenger) [Macintosh]
• Lords of Time (Level 9) [C64]
  Play "Time and Magik: The Trilogy" (1989) version
  Time and Magik trilogy 1
  
  
• Pyjamarama (Mikro-Gen) [ZX Spectrum]
  Wally Week 2
  
  
• Quest, The (Penguin) [Macintosh]
• Return to Eden (Level 9) [Amiga]
  Play "Silicon Dreams" (1986) version
  Silicon Dreams trilogy 2
  Has official HD installer
  
  
• Seastalker (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Sherlock (Melbourne House) [ZX Spectrum]
• Skool Daze (Microsphere) [ZX Spectrum]
• Sorcerer (Infocom) [Interpreter]
  Enchanter trilogy 2
  
  
• Suspect (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Tir Na Nog (Gargoyle) [ZX Spectrum]
• Valkyre 17 (RamJam) [C64]
• Witch's Cauldron, The (Mikro-Gen) [ZX Spectrum]

1985

• A Mind Forever Voyaging (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Alice in Wonderland (Dale Disharoon) [C64]
• Alien 8 (Ultimate Play the Game) [ZX Spectrum]
• Borrowed Time (Interplay) [Amiga]
• Chimera (Firebird) [ZX Spectrum]
• Citadel (Superior) [BBC Micro]
• Dragonworld (Byros Preiss) [Macintosh]
• Dun Darach (Gargoyle) [ZX Spectrum]
• Déjà Vu: A Nightmare Comes True (ICOM) [Macintosh]
  Or the Amiga version
  
  
• Enchanted Scepters (Silicon Beach) [Macintosh]
  First World Builder adventure by its creator, Bill Appleton
  Predates "Déjà Vu: A Nightmare Comes True"
  
  
• Enigma Force (Denton) [C64]
  Enigma Force series 2
  
  
• Everyone's A Wally (The Life of Wally) (Mikro-Gen) [ZX Spectrum]
  Wally Week 3
  
  
• Fairlight (The Edge) [ZX Spectrum]
• Finders Keepers (Mastertronic) [ZX Spectrum]
  Magic Knight 1
  
  
• Fourth Protocol, The (Electronic Pencil) [C64]
• Futuria (William Demas) [Macintosh]
• Gateway (Pryority) [Macintosh]
• Herbert's Dummy Run (Mikro-Gen) [ZX Spectrum]
  Wally Week 4
  
  
• Highway Encounter (Vortex) [ZX Spectrum]
• King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne (Sierra) [Apple IIgs]
  Has ScummVM support
  
  
• Law of the West (Accolade) [C64]
• Marsport (Gargoyle) [ZX Spectrum]
• Mindshadow (Interplay) [Amiga]
  Has official HD installer
  
  
• Mindwheel (Synapse) [Apple II]
• Nine Princes in Amber (Telarium) [MSX]
  Or C64 version
  Read "Nine Princes in Amber" and "The Guns of Avalon" from Roger Zelazny first
  
  
• Pawn, The (Magnetic Scrolls) [Amiga]
  Has official HD installer
  
  
• Perry Mason: The Case of the Mandarin Murder (Telarium) [C64]
• Red Moon (Level 9) [C64]
  Play "Time and Magik: The Trilogy" (1989) version
  Time and Magik trilogy 2
  
  
• Runestone (Games Workshop) [ZX Spectrum]
• Scarabaeus (Andromeda) [C64]
  Invaders of the Lost Tomb
  https://csdb.dk/release/?id=140124
  
  
• Se-kaa of Assiah (Clive Wilson) [C64]
• Seas of Blood (Adventure International) [C64]
• Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, The (Level 9) [C64]
  Adrian Mole 1
  
  
• Shadowfire (Denton) [C64]
  Enigma Force series 1
  
  
• Spellbound (Mastertronic) [C64]
  Magic Knight 2
  
  
• Spellbreaker (Infocom) [Interpreter]
  Enchanter trilogy 3
  
  
• Three Weeks in Paradise (Mikro-Gen) [ZX Spectrum]
  Wally Week 5
  
  
• Utopia (William Demas) [Macintosh]
  Macintosh port of the TRS-80 game "Forbidden Planet - Part 1" (1981)
  
  
• Willow Pattern (Mr. Micro) [C64]
  Play enhanced Jolie Edition
  https://c64mark.itch.io/willow-pattern-adventure-jolie-edition
  
  
• Wishbringer (Infocom) [Interpreter]
• Worm in Paradise, The (Level 9) [Amiga]
  Play "Silicon Dreams" (1986) version
  Silicon Dreams trilogy 3
  Has official HD installer
  
  
• Zorro (Datasoft) [C64]

Tactics

Spoiler

1980

• Computer Ambush (SSI) [C64]
• Computer Bismarck (SSI) [Apple II]

1981

• Eastern Front (1941) (Chris Crawford) [Atari 8-bit]
• Southern Command (SSI) [Apple II]
• Starbase Hyperion (Quality) [Atari 8-bit]

1983

• Ant Attack (Quicksilva) [ZX Spectrum]
• Archon: The Light and the Dark (Free Fall) [Atari 8-bit]
  C64 and Amiga ports are also good
  
  
• Chaos: The Battle of Wizards (Julian Gollup) [ZX Spectrum]
• MULE (Ozark) [Atari 8-bit]
  Or C64 port

1984

• Alien (Concept) [ZX Spectrum]
• Archon II: Adept (Free Fall) [Atari 8-bit]
  Or Amiga version
  
  
• Seven Cities of Gold, The (Ozark) [Amiga]

1985

• Evil Crown, The (Concept) [C64]
• Kampfgruppe (SSI) [Amiga]

Space

Spoiler

1979

• Star Raiders (Atari) [Atari 8-bit]
  Use official cartridge version

1984

• 3D Starstrike (Realtime) [ZX Spectrum]
• Codename Mat (Micromega) [ZX Spectrum]
• Elite (Acornsoft) [NES]
  The 8-bit NES port is recommended by the game's creator.
  http://www.elitehomepage.org/nes/index.htm
  
  Next best are either the BBC Micro original, or the enhanced ZX Spectrum 128k port. Other ports have all sorts of bugs. On the BBC, the flicker-free hacked disk version is the one to play.
  https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22170
  
  The Acorn Archimedes port is the "most advanced"; it has filled vector graphics, other autonomous ships, and lots of other improvements, but it's basically a different game.
  
  Elite-A is another interesting mod that adds a tons of features (most notably a friend-or-foe identification system), extra ships, missions and equipment, but it's not quite the same game anymore.
  https://www.bbcelite.com/elite-a/
  
  Read novella that came with the original boxed version.
  http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/The_Dark_Wheel
  
  Original manual
  http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/The_Space_Traders_Flight_Training_Manual
  
  
• Starion (Melbourne House) [ZX Spectrum]
• Stellar 7 (Penguin) [C64]
• SunDog: Frozen Legacy (FTL) [Atari ST]

1985

• Tau Ceti: The Lost Star Colony (CRL) [ZX Spectrum]
  Tau Ceti series 1

 

[octavius]

Good show!
Some solid research there!

I have not much too add. In fact I think the list is rather too comprehensive; I'm not sure games like for example Questron and Ultima 0-2 are worth playing. They seem rather boring to me, but of course not having played them I can't know for sure.

Runestone (Games Workshop) [ZX Spectrum]

I finished this one back in the days, but with an emulator the curious mix of real time and step based movement resulted in all my characters being captured by the orcs in no time.

Elite (Acornsoft) [NES]
The 8-bit NES port is recommended by the game's creator.

Hmm...that's interesting. I burnt lots of rubber playing the Speccy version. It suffered from a limited selection of enemy craft, but the dogfights against the small Sidewinders and (IIRC) Krait were fantastic. The Amiga version with pink Thargoids didn't have quite the same feel to it.

 

[Rincewind]

I have not much too add. In fact I think the list is rather too comprehensive; I'm not sure games like for example Questron and Ultima 0-2 are worth playing. They seem rather boring to me, but of course not having played them I can't know for sure.

Yes, I tried to err on the side of comprehensiveness. You can always just skip a game if it doesn't grab you after a few hours (you really need to spend a bit of time with these older titles to give them a chance). Also, just researching things and assembling this list has been great fun and quite educational.

I've contemplated marking games as "essential", but that opens a whole can of worms. I suppose the list is more of a "union" of all games that have at least a few devout admirers.

Elite (Acornsoft) [NES]
The 8-bit NES port is recommended by the game's creator.

Hmm...that's interesting. I burnt lots of rubber playing the Speccy version. It suffered from a limited selection of enemy craft, but the dogfights against the small Sidewinders and (IIRC) Krait were fantastic. The Amiga version with pink Thargoids didn't have quite the same feel to it.

Yeah, the Speccy port is also recommended by the creator as one of the best ports. I found the Amiga port just garish overall, plus for me Elite = wireframe graphics. I'd argue it's a much better abstract experience that way.

 

[Curratum]

Do you genuinely think that in the year of our Lord 2021 any of those games is really, truly worth spending time with?

 

[Grauken]

The upgraded DOS versions of the early Ultima's are better than the C64 versions, and for Wizardry, either the PSX or SNES versions are vastly superior to the C64 versions

 

[Rincewind]

The upgraded DOS versions of the early Ultima's are better than the C64 versions, and for Wizardry, either the PSX or SNES versions are vastly superior to the C64 versions

Cheers, I will definitely want to play the ultra-prestigious enhanced cartridge version of Ultima IV on the C64, but for U2 and U3 the DOS versions actually seem better (especially because no cartridge conversions exist for those, and load times in disk games can be notoriously slow).

Wizardry definitely looks better on the SNES. I remember watching a few videos about the SNES versions, but they seemed like different games to me, plus I was quite put off by the constant background music. But if they're mechanically exactly the same, I think I'll take the improved gfx, plus in the worst case I can just turn the sound completely off...

Updated the list, thanks dude.

 

[A horse of course]

I'm not reading all that. Make a 30m-1hr video on each entry.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Do you genuinely think that in the year of our Lord 2021 any of those games is really, truly worth spending time with?

Out of the list and my limited knowledge of these, I would say the following are worthwhile to play today:
- Ultima I is a fun game that should only take a few hours. It's a quick time sink for those times you are stuck watching Christmas movies with the family, but have a laptop in your lap. Becoming a space ace makes th game worth while.
- Ultima IV will always have a special place in my heart, but I admit that you have to love lore, puzzles, and have an interest in philosophy or religion to really get something out of it. Copious notes or a walkthrough is necessary. Especially at the final puzzle.
- The first Wizardry is still fun today, but I went with a later version (PS1 I think) that had automapping. I didn't bother with 2 and 3 since the formula doesn't change much, and most fans of blobbers seem to all agree on this one.
- The first three Phantasie games also have a special place in my heart, and our local community has a current thread on the series right now. It's a good mix of exploration and party building. You have to love a series that lets you play as a troll, minotaur, goblin, and so on. You will have to take the occasional note or use a walkthrough to get through this one.
- I feel that most roguelikes still hold up well today, so Rogue, Moria, and Hack still hold up. They are nearly impossible to beat, but they can be played in short bursts and dying is part of the experience.
- I'm currently playing the GOG remake of the Bard's Tale I; graphically it is still very similar to when I played on the Atari XE, but now it has a better interface. I'm enjoying the experience.

I played some of the other games on this list, and have enjoyed them at the time, but don't have much desire to go back to them (Akalabeth, Sword of Fargoal, Ultima 2, Ultima 3, Questron, Lords of Midnight, the Apshai games). One of my first CRPGs was Temple of Apshai, but it's not something I feel like replaying today. I played AutoDuel a few years ago and enjoyed it. Not a high recommend, but fun enough if you like the concept of playing a death race 2D RPG. I tried to get the DOS version of Elite to work for me but couldn't get into the game and I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know the NES was the recommended version, and last night I had just purchased Elite: Dangerous since it was on sale, so I doubt I'll ever go back to the older versions.

Archon is also a short and fun game but only if you have a controller and like oddball chess derivatives, and I would play the Atari ST/XE or Amiga versions.

Rincewind , when you get to 1989 I highly recommend the often overlooked and rarely discussed fantasy wargame called Sword of Aragon. It's a hidden gem.

 

[Don Peste]

No links or screenshots?

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Nether Earth for ZX Spectrum, first RTS ever:

 

[Falksi]

Good to see Knight Lore made the cut.

No Citadel though? (released 1985)...........

 

[anvi]

I don't think I'd still play anything from that era but I did like some of them as a kid. There was a game called Alley Cat on pc which was really great.



I was fascinated/haunted by this Spectrum game, it was brutally hard and I was terrible at it. It will haunt my dreams forever:



Thexder. Who doesn't want to run around as a transforming robot and then turn into a jet fighter?!

 

[Grauken]

The upgraded DOS versions of the early Ultima's are better than the C64 versions, and for Wizardry, either the PSX or SNES versions are vastly superior to the C64 versions

Cheers, I will definitely want to play the ultra-prestigious enhanced cartridge version of Ultima IV on the C64, but for U2 and U3 the DOS versions actually seem better (especially because no cartridge conversions exist for those, and load times in disk games can be notoriously slow).

Wizardry definitely looks better on the SNES. I remember watching a few videos about the SNES versions, but they seemed like different games to me, plus I was quite put off by the constant background music. But if they're mechanically exactly the same, I think I'll take the improved gfx, plus in the worst case I can just turn the sound completely off...

Updated the list, thanks dude.

There's another good version of Ultima 3, arguably the best one >> https://www.lairware.com/ultima3/ (but its Mac)

Also the Utima 4 version on the Master System is pretty good >> https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Console_ports_of_Ultima_IV

 

[Binky]

Seconding Alien. Played the C64 version last year and it was a blast.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I haven't played many of these yet, but I have a few observations about the ones I have.
Elite's earlier versions are very rough to play if you've played just about anything released afterwards. I'm specifically complaining about having no friend-or-foe identification system. There's a mod for the BBC Micro version that adds it, and there's also the Archimedes version you mentioned.
Adventureland and The Count have versions done in Inform and a format of Adams own design that are pretty close to the originals. Running a TRS-80 emulator can be tricky, hence why I bring it up.

 

[Rincewind]

The first Wizardry is still fun today, but I went with a later version (PS1 I think) that had automapping. I didn't bother with 2 and 3 since the formula doesn't change much, and most fans of blobbers seem to all agree on this one.

Good thing I like to manually map *everything* then! Mapmaking is about 50% of the fun for me when playing grid-based dungeon crawlers, so even if the game has an automap, I just ignore it.

I tried to get the DOS version of Elite to work for me but couldn't get into the game and I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know the NES was the recommended version, and last night I had just purchased Elite: Dangerous since it was on sale, so I doubt I'll ever go back to the older versions.

The CGA DOS version is crap, and so is Elite Plus. Just forget about the PC ports. I also bought "Elite: Dangerous" about 3 years ago, played it non-stop for a week, then the whole online nature of it just scared the shit out of me and I never touched it since then. This was the first (and last) time when I went anywhere near an MMO type of game. The time-limits on the missions started to stress me out; all I could think of at work was that I *had to* finish my missions before 8pm after I get home, etc. Just no. It's a shame, because the whole flight model and presentation is quite good, I just wish they made it into a single-player game, and with a lot more content because it's a bit barebones.

Archon is also a short and fun game but only if you have a controller and like oddball chess derivatives, and I would play the Atari ST/XE or Amiga versions.
Rincewind , when you get to 1989 I highly recommend the often overlooked and rarely discussed fantasy wargame called Sword of Aragon. It's a hidden gem.

Yeah, I'm partial to the C64 version of Archon because I played it on the family TV as a kid, but the Amiga version also looks very good. Sword of Aragon is already on my list

anvi Cool games, but I never really liked pure arcades; that's not gonna change in my forties. Action-adventures with *some* arcade elements are fine, as long as the arcadey stuff is not the main thing to do in the game (and yeah, I know that "space combat" can be quite arcadey in all these "space" games... but that's different, because I say so ).

Good to see Knight Lore made the cut.
No Citadel though? (released 1985)...........

Added

Nether Earth for ZX Spectrum, first RTS ever:

Believe it or not, that was already on my list! It's quite obscure, I found it on some "Best 100 Speccy games" list or something.

There's another good version of Ultima 3, arguably the best one >> https://www.lairware.com/ultima3/ (but its Mac)

Also the Utima 4 version on the Master System is pretty good >> https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Console_ports_of_Ultima_IV

I'm quite hellbent on playing the C64 version as I have a serious emotional attachment to that machine. But I listed the Mac port as an option, nonetheless. The Sega port of U4 is a hard pass for me; the character sprites became too "cute" as it's usually the case with Japanese conversions, and most importantly, they converted the first-person dungeons to top-down view, which takes the fun out the exploration.

Elite's earlier versions are very rough to play if you've played just about anything released afterwards. I'm specifically complaining about having no friend-or-foe identification system. There's a mod for the BBC Micro version that adds it, and there's also the Archimedes version you mentioned.

Are you referring to the heavily modded Elite-A version? That adds the I.F.F. (Identification Friend or Foe) system. But I vaguely remember there was a way to identify ships somehow in the C64 version too. My problem with the Elite-A and the Archimedes versions is that they change so much that they're basically different games, and my intention is to experience these games as close to the original vision of their authors' as possible. That doesn't necessarily rule out certain ports with superior graphics (if done tastefully) or improved UIs (the Amiga version of Starflight is a good example), but changing fundamental game mechanics is too much for me.

The NES port was created by one of the original authors, Ian Bell, and it's a technological marvel. I'm a coder, so I get a hardon from these kind of things Quote from an interview with the guy:

My greatest published achievements technically would have to be fitting BBC Cassette Elite into 32K of RAM including the screen, and later the NES conversion of Elite that used a character mapped display and a single NES controller. The NES is my favourite published conversion and was not thought technically feasible until we'd done it.

Adventureland and The Count have versions done in Inform and a format of Adams own design that are pretty close to the originals. Running a TRS-80 emulator can be tricky, hence why I bring it up.

Cheers, I've had good luck with trs80gp myself. Being a programmer, half of the fun for me is learning a little bit about the history of these old machines and operating systems, so I don't mind struggling a bit with emulators. The big revelation about emulating the TRS-80 for me was when I realised I can just use the CMD versions of the games instead of the disk/tapes images, which are basically just memory dumps so they load instantaneously. Plus a lot of the TRS-80 games in my list have some sort of graphics as well and/or don't have interpreter ports, so I had to figure this out anyway.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

No links or screenshots?

http://hol.abime.net/ for anything released on the Amiga.

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale (Interplay) [Apple IIgs]

Surely The Bard's Tale should be played with the Amiga version for the superior graphics and sound!

 

[Rincewind]

No links or screenshots?

http://hol.abime.net/ for anything released on the Amiga.

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale (Interplay) [Apple IIgs]

Surely The Bard's Tale should be played with the Amiga version for the superior graphics and sound!

I'm a huge fan of the Amiga, and I definitely try to favour it (and the C64 ) as much as possible. However, note that we're talking about the 16-bit Apple IIgs port here, not the inferior 8-bit Apple II version. As far as I can tell, the Apple IIgs port is graphically identical to the Amiga version (including animations), and the music is actually vastly superior. Also, it's not heavily bugged as the Amiga version (as evidenced here and here), which makes it the only bug-free 16-bit port in existence (I hear the C64 originals are also bug-free). That's the reason why GOG apparently sells the Apple IIgs version of Bard's Tale I & II.

Bard's Tale I and II on the Apple IIgs





Bard's Tale I on the Amiga. Note how much worse the music is during character generation in "The Guild":



Awesome selection of animations, by the way! Stuff like this is one of the many reasons why I love these old games so much!

 

[Grauken]

I'm a huge fan of the Amiga, and I definitely try to favour it (and the C64 ) as much as possible. However, note that we're talking about the 16-bit Apple IIgs port here, not the inferior 8-bit Apple II version. As far as I can tell, the Apple IIgs port is graphically identical to the Amiga version (including animations), and the music is actually vastly superior. Also, it's not heavily bugged as the Amiga version (as evidenced here and here), which makes it the only bug-free 16-bit port in existence (I hear the C64 originals are also bug-free). That's the reason why GOG apparently sells the Apple IIgs version of Bard's Tale I & II.

Yeah, true. Same for Dragon Wars on AIIgs which is better than the Amiga version by a slight margin

 

[ValeVelKal]

As per my blog, I would add a few :

Strategy :
- Computer Ambush (1980, but you MUST avoid the Apple II version)
- Computer Bismarck (1980)
- Eastern Front 1941 (1981)
- Southern Command (1981)

Space :
- Starbase Hyperion (1980)

 

[Rincewind]

As per my blog, I would add a few :

Strategy :
- Computer Ambush (1980, but you MUST avoid the Apple II version)
- Computer Bismarck (1980)
- Eastern Front 1941 (1981)
- Southern Command (1981)

Space :
- Starbase Hyperion (1980)

I'm not the biggest wargamer, but the tactics category is quite lean anyway, so added them. Cheers!

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

as someone who grew up playing these games, today i could suggest to play one, maybe two of them, at best, mostly for the lol factor. if you think otherwise you need to see a specialist.

 

[Grauken]

The specialists are here and we tell you that these are good games to play

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Are you referring to the heavily modded Elite-A version? That adds the I.F.F. (Identification Friend or Foe) system. But I vaguely remember there was a way to identify ships somehow in the C64 version too. My problem with the Elite-A and the Archimedes versions is that they change so much that they're basically different games, and my intention is to experience these games as close to the original vision of their authors' as possible. That doesn't necessarily rule out certain ports with superior graphics (if done tastefully) or improved UIs (the Amiga version of Starflight is a good example), but changing fundamental game mechanics is too much for me.

Yeah, that's the one. I played the original BBC version and while the controls are a usual hill to climb over, not having an IFF system is a much bigger problem. Its one of those things that are basically in every space game afterward and going back to one without it feels like losing one of your senses. Speaking of other versions, there are two DOS ports of Elite, one close to the original and one called Elite Plus. I think the reason why there's a Plus version is that the original PC port of Elite was bad, but its been years since I played the DOS version.

Cheers, I've had good luck with trs80gp myself. Being a programmer, half of the fun for me is learning a little bit about the history of these old machines and operating systems, so I don't mind struggling a bit with emulators. The big revelation about emulating the TRS-80 for me was when I realised I can just use the CMD versions of the games instead of the disk/tapes images, which are basically just memory dumps so they load instantaneously. Plus a lot of the TRS-80 games in my list have some sort of graphics as well and/or don't have interpreter ports, so I had to figure this out anyway.

I got introduced to that not too long ago, and there's one emulator I found on the IFDB that works beautifully in DOS. Scott Adams games from the time are a real treat, which is why I brought it up, not everyone enjoys fiddling with emulators.
Actually, it occurs to me that many most of the early adventure games you have listed have some kind of modern port. There's this for Eamon, and ScummVM works with Adams and Sierra games. Only I think the Med Systems games don't have one. Oh, well.

 

[Grauken]

I got introduced to that not too long ago, and there's one emulator I found on the IFDB that works beautifully in DOS.

Which one was that?