More than 6,000 MS-DOS games to play from your browser

MS-DOS might be seen as a museum piece these days, but its games were extraordinary, and to be honest, they still are. As the years go by, finding those titles we grew up with becomes more complicated due to destroyed original media, many companies disappearing, and others refusing to re-release their classics. The number one alternative is to visit the Internet Archive collection, which started with just over 2,000 games in 2014, and its latest update brings it close to 7,000.

Think of a DOS game, one you could put above the rest. Hard, right? I basically grew up with DOS games, and some of the adventures that passed through my computer were wonderful. Prince of Persia, the first one I finished. Out of This World (Another World), from which I took a picture of the 'THE END' at the end. Alone in the Dark, celebrating my escape from the mansion for days. The graphic adventures from LucasFilm/LucasArts, Wolfenstein, the Doom series, Duke Nukem 3D and its LAN parties, Future Wars, which I finished like a coward using a giant map printed from a Micromanía magazine. Too many good memories to forget.

And they can come back, if you wish. On the other hand, if you never enjoyed an MS-DOS title, there is no better time than this. An Android phone has more than enough resources to run those games, but there's an even more direct option: your browser. That's right, the Internet Archive offers more than 6,000 MS-DOS games to play from your browser, without installing anything.

All the necessary elements load automatically, and sound is activated with a simple click on the speaker icon. The rest is a matter of learning the commands and starting to play, although there are certain exceptions. Many of these games have copy protections, and if they haven't been cracked previously, you'll need to search (start with the comments) and enter the data yourself. The last update added 2,500 additional games.

There are also technical details such as loading time. DOS games in CD-ROM format will take longer to load because you have to chew through hundreds of megabytes (instead of one or two 3.5-inch floppies). Others show some resistance to the emulated environment (or run at low speed), and it's recommended to download them for local execution with DOSBox or 'on bare metal' on a retro computer. That said, do you want to know where to start? I'm going to mention three titles (besides the ones I mentioned above), and I hope you'll follow me in the comments with your favorites:

Flashback

The year is 2142. Conrad B. Hart has lost his memory, and all he knows is that he must escape from a group of aliens who want him very dead. Conrad's ship crashes in the jungle, and there your adventure begins. Flashback is a kind of spiritual successor to Another World, with a similar mechanic, and much superior art. Difficult but addictive, I guarantee you'll come back for more until you reach the end.

Dune II

Maybe it's not the true father of real-time strategy, but we can't deny that Dune II took the concept and refined it to such an extent that almost all subsequent titles were inspired by its essence. Arrakis, Dune, desert planet. Three houses: Atreides, Harkonnen, and Ordos. Choose a house, harvest melange, annihilate your enemies. And remember that the Emperor is one of them. You are useful if you are loyal, but if you get too much power, his Sardaukar will appear on the horizon.

Quarantine

Do you think you've seen it all in the 'gig economy'? Think Uber abuses its drivers? You have no idea. In Quarantine you are a taxi driver trapped inside a city infected with a virus that turns people into murderous psychopaths. Your only option is to make quick money to arm your taxi to the teeth, and escape that hellish place. Crush, cut, blow things up. 'Apocalyptic GTA' in first person? You can't miss this.

Anyway, you have dozens of hours of entertainment ahead with just three games. Imagine what awaits you with over 6,000. Enjoy!

Official announcement: Click here

The complete collection: Click here