Good obscure Pre-1995 PC games?

[BloatedGuppy]

Here's a few...

Dark Heart of Uukrul (1989) Great RPG - http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/106671-rpg-spotlight-12-the-dark-heart-of-uukrul.html

Fate: Gates of Dawn (1991) - Very good Wizardry like game on the Amiga

Bloodnet (1993) - Cool adventure game with RPG elements in a cyberpunk/gothic type setting.

Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan (1990) Solid RPG

Captive (1990) - A fun sci-fi Dungeon Master clone

Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Serrated Scalpel (1992)- Great adventure/detective game (much better than the more modern SH games by Frogware) The Case of the Rose Tatoo (1996) was also very good and made by the same devs.(Mythos Software)

Would you consider Phantasie or The Magic Candle to be obscure? Those are two others I thought of in answer to the OP's question.

I ask because you're like one of three guys on this forum who might actually have a clue WTF those games are...

 

[kibbitz2000]

Would you consider Phantasie or The Magic Candle to be obscure? Those are two others I thought of in answer to the OP's question.

I ask because you're like one of three guys on this forum who might actually have a clue WTF those games are...

Phantasie and The Magic Candle series is are relatively obscure, IMO. They generally don't get as much press as a lot of their rivals these days when people talk about games of long ago, though both series did get at least two more instalments.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

there was this little creepy puzzle/rpg game called Sanitarium that i really enjoyed back then. It got a bit silly the furhter you got into it, but if u can find it its worth checking out. May not be pre 95 but its pretty close to it.

 

[ke7eha]

A couple of good mac-exclusives from the era in question would fit the bill. They're Bungie's early games. Pathways Into Darkness is fun (albeit requiring a mac emulator to run on a PC) and the Marathon Trilogy is worth a play. Best part: Bungie released them for free a few years back.

 

[Hardsuit]

I don't know about obscure, BG, obviously not as known as stuff like the Ultimas, Wizardrys, Might & Magics, Bards Tales and D&D Gold Box games, but maybe on par with stuff like Betrayal at Krondor, Realms of Arkania and Darklands maybe ? What do you think ?
It's tough to say exactly how obscure something is sometimes, maybe just look at the sales figures, I guess.


Here's a few other RPGs, just to throw them out there..

Disciples of Steel (1993)
Albion (1995)
Amberstar (1992) & Ambermoon (1993)
Hard Nova (1990)
Knights of Legend (1989)
Escape from Hell (1990)

I acually just found my 5 1/4 disks in the original boxes for Hard Nova (1990)and Knights of Legend (1989). One I always liked was Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace...along with the 2 above.

 

[Djcian]

love the first game i ever played which was Zeliard(1887). probably like it more for the nostalgia but it was the first game i ever really got into as a kid and i still enjoy it. also liked the lost mind of dr brain(1994)

i'd also recommend the "Games You Might Not Have Tried: 16-bit" video by extra credits which recommends alot of old, obscure,unique games. http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/games-you-might-not-have-tried-16-bit perfect for what youre looking for if you haven't already seen it by following them on penny arcade since they left the escapist.

 

[infinity_turtles]

This came out in 1999, but the style of it makes me feel like it should be mentioned here. Hell, even it's Wikipedia entry calls it anachronistic. It had an iOS release last year and a GOG one this year, but it's still pretty damn obscure.

The game is "King of Dragon Pass". A... strategy construction/management simulation RPG? A fantasy game where you manage a Clan(And assuming you're successful eventually a Tribe and then Kingdom)of Nordic Barbarians.

 

[thespyisdead]

my contribution would have to be indiana jones and the fate of atlantis

 

[Icehearted]

Bioforge was pretty spiffy in it's day, and obviously fell into obscurity as almost nobody under 30 has ever heard of it. It's a pretty tough one to describe, but I remember it being visually impressive in it's day, fussy to get running (I think on a 486 at the time... don't quote me though), and confusing.

The Faery Tale Adventure was one I remember playing on the Genesis, but I believe it's available for the PC. I have next to no memory of that game, just recall enjoying it a lot. I know that's hardly a helpful endorsement, but I know I loved that game for good reason.

Finally, I don't know how famous these are, but a series EA ruined long before they were ruining fun on modern systems, Ultima, specifically Ultima 7pt.1 and 7pt.2. These games are frickin' amazing, really deep, really accessible, and richly detailed. I know the series has it's fans, mostly old farts like me, but if you're a younger player and you've never heard or tired, you should. Visually dated, but still one of the very best games of it's kind out there, bar none.

I may have to go back and have at these myself.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

There's always Castle Adventure.

 

[drthmik]

Rise of the Triad (ROTT); FPS, 3D Realms

This was a great FPS that pioneered a lot of things current gamers take for granted in FPSes but had the misfortune of being designed on an old style engine and was thus overshadowed by Doom II which came out about the same time.

Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe; Flight Sim/Combat, Lucasarts

WWII combat sim where you could fly missions as Allied or German air forces. focused mostly on the crazy (fun) Luftwaffe secret weapons, some of which were only in service for a very short time during the war and some only saw prototypes. Flying wings, rocket planes, jets, antiaircraft rockets and more. (I especially like the vertical rockets on the komet rocket plane, they fire when the shadow of a bomber hits light censers on top the plane, shooting the rockets up into the bomber's belly)
Also, everything is destructible, every building, factory, barn and haystack can be blown up.

Loom; Adventure game, Lucasarts

point and click adventure game about a weaver who used a musical distaff to weave and unweave the fabric of the universe, lots of fun

 

[Max_A_Buck]

Not sure if it was mentioned already, it is from 1997 but I remember Dark Earth fondly.

EDIT: I'll second Sanitarium.

 

[mooncalf]

Star Control 2 (1992) <<< Mass Effect was "inspired" by this game.

For a certain type of people, the "Mass Effect" is the uncontrollable urge to burst laughing and/or screaming at how much mass effect was "inspired" by SC2. IMO SC2 is the better game in all respects but that's just me.

Terminal Velocity is a very arcade-y sci-fi flight sim...

Speaking of spiritual successors, "Fury3" came out in 95 which is similar to Terminal Velocity, I remember with a certain Star-Wars-Emulating thrill the joy of diving into the tunnels of a giant structure to shoot it's guts out.

Nice lists, wish I had my old 'E2' magazine from '95 that i must've read a hundred times as a kid, that would have reminded me of the games I'd add. Take a look at a wiki and there are so many to choose from though, I'll select 3 that leap out at me...

Blackthorne (1994): Blizzard's 2D platformer about a shotgun-toting modern day hero flung like Bruce Campbell into a fantasy world populated by human slaves and their Orc masters.
Skyroads (1993): Something like a precursor to Audiosurf, strafe and hop your rocket racer along a 3d obstacle course with various boosts and hazards.
Traffic Department 2192 (1994): Top Down sci-fi shooter about a group of lesser law enforcement agents fighting against organized crime with a strong female protagonist and a pretty awesome story too.

Oh, and can anyone remind me of that RPG doom-like? STRIFE! Now I remember, never got to play it properly but it seemed pretty cool. Oh wait, looks like it was 1996, oh well.