10 Years of DOS Gaming - 1994

[@ReiverBlue1971]

Wonderful stuff. I became obsessed with System Shock, nigh on starved myself for 2 weeks so I could buy and extra 4mb ram and a quad speed CD-ROM drive so I could have the animated faces and actual audio logs

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Well it was a very special game, like anything else at the time. Same with first Deus Ex.

[@ReiverBlue1971]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames Definitely to both :)

[@vaddan]

Thanks to your videos, I made myself a list of interesting games for Amiga, Dos/Pc. Thank you very much 🙏

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Glad you like them! And thanks for watching! I release 2-3 a week on average, so there's always something around the corner. Including a Halloween special this coming week. :)

[@gamingtonight1526]

Alien Legacy and Reunion still are two of my favourite space games!

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Frontier for me all the way but it's a different genre altogether. For strategies, I agree, these are great.

[@gamingtonight1526]

​@@OldAndNewVideoGames 1994 was a classic year for great games. 1995 is my favourite, but 1994 comes close!

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

@@gamingtonight1526 It's hard to tell now as most companies have many foreign employees but back then many of the gaming greats came from Germany.

[@LuaanTi]

@@OldAndNewVideoGamesA big part of that was probably that the European market was generally more open to more complex, slower games and all that. The US market was by far the biggest (and single language :)), but it's also obvious enough that even at this point, games were mostly targeted and marketed towards kids (and especially boys). Even the games that broke from that mould (like Doom) still focused on quick, visceral action portioned into bite-sized chunks, rather than, say, the epic campaign of X-COM. Then again, you did see much the same in Hollywood vs. European cinema. It's not just the Germans, of course. The Brits and French have plenty to say about that. A lot of games from the smaller countries too, though of course it's harder to find reach and an international audience. Not to mention that the former Eastern Bloc countries had a pretty significant handicap in available hardware and software :). A lot of games had the depth, but had to do with text-only or painfully kid-like hand-drawn graphics :D But we still got gems like Reunion and Imperium Galactica (Hungary). It's hard to imagine games like Motor City or High Seas Trader being developed in the US. And when you dig into people like Sid Meier, who'd count as US developers, you find his parents were Dutch and Swiss, and he was exposed to a lot of European media (not to mention actually living there quite a bit)... and even he had to fight the US-based partners that games like Sim City or Railroad Tycoon could ever possibly work (Microprose mostly releasing fight simulators, of course). Then as today, it seems to be very hard to convince American publishers to support anything that could possibly be considered "boring" by an adolescent boy :D Talking? Cut it off! Reading? Oh boy, get rid of _all_ of that! Something that could be confused with work? Are you kidding? Actually making an effort that isn't all about twitch gameplay? When you analyse those European games, you see a lot of "features" that don't affect the gameplay much, or just require simple manual effort to deal with. But it's about the atmosphere, and yes, the long-running fun. It's like the difference between watching a movie (especially a US movie :D ) and reading a book. You're not rushing to the end, you're enjoying the scenery. The #1 rule in US game design seems to be "remove everything you can" (just like US movies focus most of their energy on the visual aspects and the rush). You lose something doing that. Not everything needs to have a big payoff; it just diminishes the impact. It's absolutely hilarious when you're the prophesized chosen one who will save the world... in an MMO... just like everyone else. Have a star :D Of course, back then, I had no idea there was such a divide. I only noticed a lot later that there weren't actually that many games I considered interesting from the US - though of course there's many brilliant designers like Sid Meier, Joe Ybarra or Warren Spector. Heck, I (as all of my friends) wasn't quite clear on the idea of games being _sold_ , really. Everyone just swapped disks :D It's funny that I never realized there's something fishy about having a disk with three different games made by completely different people and published by a different company. Though to be fair, there were also a lot of _legit_ stores that sold such disks (with games licensed from small game makers). It's sad that most of those smaller or outright local games didn't survive; there were quite a few surprisingly good games I still fondly remember decades later that I'll never have a chance to play again :'( Fortunately, today, it's easy for even very small developers to reach a significant audience and survive.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

@@LuaanTi I believe that German developers in late 80s and 90s made the best financial management types of games. Not that it was all types of games. That said, I generally agree with most of what you're saying, other than the simplification of US influence on gaming. I'd say that it's gigantic. Even more so, some of my most favourite games, old and new came from US. To be clear, I'm not saying that they make the best stuff either. I think it's more case by case, gaming studio by gaming studio basis. Especially today, when most of those big teams have offices and employees all over the World. Today, I would like to believe we're getting a step closer with each day, albeit extremely slowly and with roadblocks popping up constantly, to stop being citizens of various countries, towards becoming citizens of Earth. I know, naive, but it's what I hope for. Still, what I really care about here, and I judge from your words that you do to, that we get quality games and all have equal access and chance to play them. :)

[@KaiWipfler]

Very good summary and good input when going through exodos. Thanks!

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Glad it was helpful! I recently got Retro Exo (the same thing, it's either second name or they rebranded) and it's just magical!

[@andyawardian1868]

Thanx for your love about Ultima VIII: Pagan: It proofs my theory, that it IS indeed a great game - just not a good "Ultima". I played every game of the series and loved Ultima IV for it's unique concept. But I had a hard time to get into Ultima V, VI and especially VII... it didn't quite "click" in my mind and it was simply too much for me - the world was to big, to overwhelming, to complicated. And then there was Pagan: A complete new concept, with great graphics, a very haunting music and a great story. Yes, true: The combat and the jump-and-run-elements can be quite frustrating. Also true: The game world isn't nearly as complex as in Ultima VII. But as I said: It's not even an Ultima anymore. It's something completely else, something completely different. And that's WHY I love it, because there is no other game like it.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

See, thing is many people have a very big problem with change. It's not a bad thing inherently, it's actually natural. We get used to things, and we expect them to stay the same. But that not only thwarts innovation but also leaves us with, well, more of the same. And why my default instant reaction to change often is also adversary, I've taught myself to take a step back and for the moment ignore what came before. And I tell you, it allowed me not only to love many more games than I would've otherwise, but also movies, series and books. It's sometimes worth to look at something as a singular piece and not a part of something bigger, despite what the title may suggest. It's also a reason why I've made a video about Fallout 4. I love it as a game, but absolutely hate it as Fallout. :)

[@Shishkebarbarian]

1994!!! i was looking forward to this series of videos going further! What a great year, things are really ramping up! Hope you go further into the 90s and/or start a Windows series!

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

You, sir, just gave me an excellent idea. I may pick up the series where DOS one ended and carry it for the next 10 episodes as 10 Years of PC Gaming. Covering both, last few DOS games and those released on Windows. I mean I still have C64 to complete but I think that would work.

[@Shishkebarbarian]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames yesssss. You can even do like a 'pre-win98' video to cover the few good non+dos compatible win3.1 & win95 games. But '97 to like 2005 was a crazy good time in PC gaming

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

@@Shishkebarbarian Initially it was supposed to be Windows 1993-2002 but perhaps this will be a better choice. :)

[@Shishkebarbarian]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames just brainstorming. I remember the mid 90s windows games all had DOS versions for the most part and exclusives were very... Janky (would still be an interesting video with some of those lost to time titles, plus, MYST) But with '97 you started getting games like Total Annihilation, Curse of Monkey Island, Blade Runner, Quake 2, Interstate 76 etc that only worked in Windows and were truly "next Gen".

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

@@Shishkebarbarian Things were changing so fast back then, it was hard keeping up. Changes in the last few generations, ever since the graphics became very detailed have only felt like incremental changes, ray tracing, path tracing etc.

[@kaviolalainen]

Two games from this year not mentioned in the video but worth remembering in my opinion are Reunion and Battle Bugs. Both were high quality one-of-a-kind experiences, and very much the products of their time.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

You are correct, their both great games. And most likely victims of my first, second or third wave of skimming through the list of games to come up with a manageable number. If I made those then like I make C64's ones now, it wouldn't have been an issue. As I'm not as strict now, cause I don't aim for one long video but for few 20-25 games in length each week. It's easier for me to make, they release more often and I can have more games in them.

[@mendez704]

Amazing compilation! Love your channel and love DOS games!

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Thanks! Every DOS year had something to offer but obviously some where better than others.

[@Qba86]

One of the nice things about the early 90s was that some games back then could actually run quite decently on hardware that was below official system requirements. Colonization ran on my 286 without a problem, and if I remember correctly, my friend who owned a 386 PC with Trident graphics card was able to play Little Big Adventure.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

In some cases it's same today. I mean I can run some games on my Steam Deck that have no reason to run on such a low specced hardware at all. But they do quite well in fact. On the other hand, some games, like UFO Enemy Unknown would run decently on a weak machine for quite a while until you got far into the game. So, perhaps, it was something that the devs recommended back then feeling that as you progress within the game, requirements may grow. Which is kinda understandable for strategies of various kinds where you uncover more map (mechanics, etc.).

[@Qba86]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames With 286 machines, it may also have been an issue of using expanded/extended memory. Perhaps some developers preferred to mark games requiring more than 640 kB as needing a 386 CPU just in case. A bit like with some Amiga "AGA games" being just ECS games that needed more memory and/or a faster CPU. But that's just my guess.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

@@Qba86 Dungeon Keeper 2 on the Amiga comes to mind. Listed as needing AGA when in reality it only ever needed 2MB of RAM.

[@TeaAndFloppyDisks]

I feel compelled to give this video a double bacon like :) 🥓🥓 One because it's a great video and I really like the way you presented the games and the little tech history at the beginning too. And the second because there are quite a few games here that I've not only played, but which were most of my childhood at that time and which I still play to this day. :) Pinball Fantasies, Jazz Jackrabbit and One Must Fall 2097. I'm always glad to see these games, so thank you! :) Now, regarding some of the rest, Dragonsphere stood out to me because it looks and sounds very very similar to Return of the Phantom, which I've been playing recently. I see they were both made by Microprose. I do actually like the style. :) I have played Pinball Dreams II recently (as in, 5-6 years ago) and it was still ok. Not fantastic, but still decent.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Thank you! :) I used to do those longer intros, but people were dropping during them like flies, so... You know. xD MicroProse were some of the best devs of the 90s, and many of my absolute faves came from them. :)

[@TeaAndFloppyDisks]

@OldAndNewVideoGames Oh, I understand now why you stopped doing the intros. I do appreciate them, for what it's worth. :) MicroProse are still developing games it seems, albeit with different people. I hope they're keeping the old standards up. :)

[@Atlas_Redux]

Little Big Adventure is an all time favorite of mine. And it's getting a TRUE remake now, not the remaster/half-remakes we've had before.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Interesting. Is it going to be in full 3D?

[@Atlas_Redux]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames Yes, search for Little Big Adventure - Twinsen’s Quest. Can't link anything, YT keeps filtering out the comment. It's absolute pain making any comments on YT nowadays.

[@Atlas_Redux]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames It's full 3D, done in clean, sleek retro style. !"#%! KZbin. Even mentioning the full name of the game auto filters/deletes my comments. I give up. The game is listed on Steam already and there is gameplay videos and trailers of it.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

@@Atlas_Redux As most non-existent deities KZbin works in mysterious ways. ;)

[@Atlas_Redux]

@@OldAndNewVideoGames Hah XD

[@rayceeya8659]

The Tex Murphy games are some of my FAVORITES! I have all of them.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

I always had a soft spot for Under a Killing Moon :)

[@masseffect7442]

Well said about matrix, and any game chronology ater the 3rd starts to loose direction, god of war 4, halo 4...etc one game recomandation is RAMPART, and ecstatica is still way more scary than resifent evil or silent hill

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Rampart was not fun than I expected it to be. Ecstatica is a hidden gem. Cause why many people know about it, most probably only have a passing knowledge and never gave this brilliant game a chance.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

It's really weird that I see your second reply on email, and it's not here at all. Odd. Also, I don't think I've put Tie Fighter into the Obscure games list. Actually, I know I didn't. :/

[@ragimund5502]

'twas a good year.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

:)