Your Best 10 MS-Dos FPS Games

[Karnik]

As you already know, the early first person shooter games were created for MS-DOS, and over the years, starting from the first-born Ken's Labyrinth, various fps genres have been published; espionage (eg Wolfenstein), horror (eg Quake), science fiction (eg Dark Forces), fantasy (eg Witchaven) etc. The choice is quite large, but not that vast. What are your favourites? I ask you for ten if you can, in order of preference. This is my ranking;

1) Redneck Rampage;
2) Blood;
3) Shadow Warrior;
4) Duke Nukem 3d;
5) Hexen;
6) Quake 1/2
7) Doom 1/2;
8) Dark Forces;
9) Exhumed;
10) Wolfenstein;

With many of these it was possible to play additional episodes, custom maps, wads, mods, add-ons via a specific command line on ms-dos (today applications and emulators do this automatically). Nowdays I play them via Magic Dosbox apk on tablet or, for some titles, on the NDS console via specific ports. What are your favourites? Do you also play custom episodes or other famous megawads? Above all, where do you use them? On PC or console?
Thanks for your attention.
Yours truly.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

1) Strife.

2) Doom (both).

3) Wolfenstein 3D.

4) Quake.

5) Heretic.

6) Outlaws.

7) Dark Forces.

8) Spear of Destiny.

9) System Shock.

10) Corridor 7.

I mostly play them through sourceports, with the multiplayer action against bots breathing new life into Strife.

 

[bobobobo]

wolfenstein
alien trilogy
duke nukem 3d
chasm
heretic
blood
doom

I would only play wolf or alien these days, just vanilla versions in dosbox with tank controls, that way they feel like their own subgenre of FPS where they are unsurpassed. The rest of em tried too hard to be 3D so they are showing their age too much. Also want to give ps1 version of alien a try at some point with a controller, cause I really like strafing with shoulder buttons.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

10 best DOS FPS games... i'm not sure i can even name 10. So i'll name the ones i can actually think of.

DooM 1-2
Wolfenstein
(so far so good)
Quake 1-2
Duke Nukem
.
.
.

 

[Fusselrolle]

1. Blood
2. Doom (1 for map design, 2 for weapons and mods)
3. Shadow Warrior
4. Duke Nukem 3D
5. Blake Stone (best played with bstone today)
6. Terminator Skynet (idk, I just like the engine I guess)
7. System Shock (if that counts)
8. Descent 1/2 (if 6dof counts as first Person, my favorite game to test soundfonts)
9. Powerslave/Exhumed (Nightdive port preferable, dos version is more of a linear shooter from what I remember)
10. Quake

 

[Grumpy_Old_Man]

In no particular order:
Duke Nuken 3d
Blood
System Shock
Rise of the Triad
Hexen
Doom
Quake
Descent

 

[BinaryMessiah]

Outlaws for sure. My parents couldn't afford to buy games so I played the demo to death. I finally finished it last year. Fantastic game.

 

[Karnik]

Outlaws for sure. My parents couldn't afford to buy games so I played the demo to death. I finally finished it last year. Fantastic game.

Are you sure it's a ms dos game? Maybe win95? It's fine anyway. ?

 

[ThunderBoy]

Lotus III

I spent many hours with him

 

[Karnik]

I spent many hours with him

You meant "it", I think. It's not a dos First Person Shooter, but it's still very much appreciated. ?

 

[ThunderBoy]

You meant "it", I think. It's not a dos First Person Shooter, but it's still very much appreciated. ?

oh, sorry; I didn't read the "FPS" in the tittle

 

[Krazy Kat]

Eradicator​

System Shock 2​

Stonekeep​

Hexen​

Final Doom​

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

My heart says Doom/2/FD, but my head says Blood.

 

[RageBurner]

I've nothing to add, all the big hitters were already mentioned, really. So I'll be funny and mention William Shatner's Tekwar.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

I've nothing to add, all the big hitters were already mentioned, really. So I'll be funny and mention William Shatner's Tekwar.

View attachment 21669

"Well, you successfully recommended a game, but did you really have to kill so many people? The bodycount keeps rising!"

 

[RageBurner]

"Well, you successfully recommended a game, but did you really have to kill so many people? The bodycount keeps rising!"

You uncovered my nefarious plan of nefariousness. But let's be real for a second, the recommendation is worth it just for the super bland box art, don't you think? I can hardly think of many that are that uninspired.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

You uncovered my nefarious plan of nefariousness. But let's be real for a second, the recommendation is worth it just for the super bland box art, don't you think? I can hardly think of many that are that uninspired.

The artstyle screams "I can't believe Kirk's a guest fighter in the new Rise of the Robots!"

 

[RageBurner]

The artstyle screams "I can't believe Kirk's a guest fighter in the new Rise of the Robots!"

I was drinking water just now and your comment almost made me choke on it out of a burst of laugher hahah.

 

[MattyMatters]

Strife.
Quake.
Dark Forces.
System Shock.

Blood
Doom (1 for map design, 2 for weapons and mods)
Shadow Warrior
Duke Nukem 3D

Rise of the Triad
Hexen

Yep. I guess that's my list.

 

[thetwaz]

Are you sure it's a ms dos game? Maybe win95? It's fine anyway. ?

Outlaws for sure. My parents couldn't afford to buy games so I played the demo to death. I finally finished it last year. Fantastic game.

Outlaws was a Win 95 game for sure - though the engine (Jedi) was obviously developed for DOS. You also have to remember that there is a weird crossover period where there were a lot of games running DOS in Windows, and it may be Outlaws did a bit of this. Either way - it's awesome, and really fun for a quick blast through, or a longer play.

I've nothing to add, all the big hitters were already mentioned, really. So I'll be funny and mention William Shatner's Tekwar.

View attachment 21669

And I'll Mention Super Noah's Ark 3D!

I think for my Top 10, I'd go (purely on how much I have played them):
1. Dark Forces
2. Quake
3. Doom
4. Terminator: Future Shock
5. Duke 3D
6. Strife
7. Hexen
8. Heretic
9. Shadow Warrior
10. Blood

 

[petran79]

Realms of the Haunting
Daggerfall
Normality
Cybermage
Dungeon Keeper (it turns first person if you possess creatures)
Alien vs Predator 2

 

[Wirlog]

I had my first PC in 1995 and I vaguely remember having a shareware of an FPS where you start in a subway and people will freak out at you by just having a weapon on your hand.
It was a DOS game but I don't remember the name.

 

[Rawit]

@Wirlog that's Tekwar.

My list:
- Doom 1
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Doom 2
- Heretic
- Dark Forces
- Strife
- Blood
- Wolfenstein 3D
- Witchaven 2
- Quake

Been playing Quake coop lately. This game still has some excellent level design, fully exploring the engine's capabilities. But the lack of interaction with the environment like we got with Duke Nukem 3D makes it sometimes feel more boring and soulless.