Play This Now: DOSBox 0.72

Today was busy, and now I finally have a little time to update, right before I leave.

I've been on a bizarre old game kick lately, and so this week's Play This Now isn't going to highlight one game in particular but rather an application I've been using a lot of recently. DOSBox, in case you aren't aware and as you could probably guess, is a DOS emulator. Many years ago it would've seemed like such a silly concept, but since Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, decided to strip Windows of DOS functionality entirely after the introduction of XP, it's now necessary. Like Mount&Blade it is continuously being updated and improved, with so many classic titles now running at full compatibility. If your knowledge has been lost to time or you never were particularly DOS-savvy, you can make use of a handy front-end like DOSShell to make your retro life a little easier. Now you're ready to play so many of the non-Windows titles a certain site has to offer. Here's a few choice selections:

Strife - A relatively obscure and under-appreciated FPS masterpiece, for the time at least, that had gameplay elements you wouldn't see again until Deus Ex several years later. Mostly it got lost in the tidal wave that was Quake. I don't know why I'm sticking this here, because even though you can run it perfectly fine in DOSBox, it works even better with ZDoom.

System Shock - The forerunner to one of the greatest games of all time, the original might not have aged particularly gracefully, but it's still fun to see what it was like and how much it compares to the sequel. It is, however, a game that was in dire need of being able to edit the controls.

Crusader: No Remorse & Crusader: No Regret - A pair of atmospheric, isometric shooters that puts you in the bright red armor of an elite soldier with vengeance on his mind. The game also encourages you to shoot everything. It's another game where the controls definitely seem antiquated, but get your head around them and you've still got a pair of solid action games.

Quarantine & Quarantine 2: Road Warrior - Before Grand Theft Auto, before Carmageddon, even before Interstate '76, there was Quarantine. The non-linear post-apocalyptic auto-combat cab-driving action game(s) you've always wanted. Press E to eject your passengers.

Wasteland - Another grandfather to an epic franchise, Wasteland was the game that would later spawn the Fallout series. Still fun to play after all these years.

Blood - This shooter was the debut game for Monolith Productions, which established a mix of wanton violence and absurd humor that would sort of become the hallmark of their titles.

Now there's some entertainment.

-K.