The Grogheads Hot Tub Time Machine

[Jarhead0331]

Some recent forum discussions together with my own gaming activity lately has led me to this post. Let's use this space to talk about really old, but really fantastic games that still hold up and are enjoyable to play today. I'm talking about really old gems, most of which are not available on GoG and require Dosbox or some major tweaking to run on modern systems.

A perfect example is the game Toonces is playing now, Carrier Strike. Other examples are some games I'm playing, Rules of Engagement and the Star Fleet series, which includes Star Fleet I: The War Begins, Star Fleet II: Krellan Commander, and Star Legion. These are all extremely rich and rewarding titles, that have no peer in the modern gaming age, but which are REALLY old...archaic graphics, minimal sound, UIs from the dawn of time, etc.

So I'm still collecting my thoughts on these games and will post more about them when I can, but I figure I'd start this thread to get your old game juices flowing.

[ArizonaTank]

I still regularly play Combat Mission x1 series...  Steel Panthers gets some good play time from me as well.

Would really love to see an Age of Rifles remake.

[smittyohio]

Aces of the Pacific / Europe...  I'm hoping Task Force Admiral will supplant the former.    :D

[solops]

I wish I still had Kampfgruppe and Mech Brigade.

[Jarhead0331]

I wish I still had Kampfgruppe and Mech Brigade.

Your wish is my command.

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/kampfgruppe-bd

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/mech-brigade-bt

[twitter3]

I really enjoyed playing Aces of the Deep back in the mid 90's although I could never get my mike to work consistently as it had the option for voice commands.

[Vintage Dude]

I played all versions of Star Fleet Battles to death.
Aces of the Pacific/Europe were my first flight sims. I believe they were on floppy discs and I think that I still have them.

[bobarossa]

I continuted playing Grigsby's USAAF game on my Atari 800 for about 20 years after it was released.  I only wish Grigsby had created something somewhere between the great but limited gameplay of USAAF and the incredibly detailed and impossible to finish Bombing the Reich.

[Queeg]

Imperialism 2

[Anguille]

I've been lucky to find many of my old favorites on GOG (Master of Orion, Fields of Glory, Caesar 2, Indiana Jones and Atlantis) or even on steam (Task Force: 1942). Also have to say that i got my first pc pretty late (1993) when i was already 22.

Here are some games you won't find on GOG:

Robert E. Lee: Civil War which i haven't been able to run since Windows 98  :(.

and it's sequel: Civil War 2: Generals for which i keep a computer running on XP: While very similar, you can choose which day of the battle of Gettysburg you want to fight.

Some other rare games i keep on checking:

Far Gate: a unique space game with an amazing soundtrack.

Waterloo: Napoleon's last battle and Austerliz: Napoleon's greatest victory

[Yskonyn]

The first Warlords, pretty much all Ocean's work, HotRod and HotRod 2 and the Commander Keen games were absolute favorites of mine.
As well as the 'Strike' series on the Sega Megadrive (Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, Urban Strike, etc)

And Walls of Rome was a game I put in tons of hours!

[Jarhead0331]

Ok, guys...but are you still playing them today and do they hold up? That is really what I'm looking to talk about in is thread. Really old games that may no longer be sold at retail or supported on modern systems, but are worth seeking out and running through dosbox because no matter how dated they may look, they are just that good. This isn't just another nostalgia thread. We have so many great memories of old games and have been disappointed so often when revisiting them when released on Gog or steam. However, some of them are so good that they are still worth playing today and do not disappoint from how we remember them.

If you actively play any of these games, which ones and what makes them worth going through the trouble to run so many decades after their day?

[Dammit Carl!]

Not sure if this fits the criteria per se, but Starfleet Command - or more specifically the Orion Pirates version - has remained on my computers in one form or another over the years.

Love that it's based off of the Starfleet Battles boardgame and that it takes and captures the ebb and flow of that game but in a delicious visual format.

I'm a Star Trek fan for forever and to see the ships and the milieu I've grown up with still makes this old man giggle.

Now does it/would it fare well today?  I don't know, to be honest.  It's a niche game based off a niche game that can be "fiddly," in ways that may not be others' idea of fun.  Also, I'd say the graphics aren't that hot compared to today's offerings, but that is to be expected for something damn near thirteen or more years old at this point.  And I've no idea of the mulitplayer aspect of the game as that never was something I cared about with this title.

p.s. I know that GOG and Steam have Starfleet Command available, but if you skip on over to Dynaverse.net, they've got a store where you can get legit copies of SC 2, and SC 2 Orion Pirates, plus the people there have been attentive to this game for years, so plenty of mods and whatnot to play with.  I like the ship refit stuff as I can have my round nacelled Federation ships as God intended.

[bobarossa]

Imperialism 2

Still actively playing this one.  And the graphics hold up fairly well.  Only the animations of the units in battle suck. 

[ArizonaTank]

Imperialism 2

Still actively playing this one.  And the graphics hold up fairly well.  Only the animations of the units in battle suck.

+1 great game, still on HD...still played