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Nostalgic about old software. Post pics of your favourites :-)
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Man, IrfanView, such a useful tool. I honestly don't remember what program used to open when you clicked on a JPEG in Win 95/98, or even XP. It's weird that Windows didn't have a simple image viewer for so long.
Before Roller Coaster Tycoon there was Theme Park on the Windows 95 and it was great.
Then, like modern EA they ruined the franchise with Theme Park World, although in the year 2000 my Dad upgraded my PC so I could play it, because at that point I didn't realise how pants it was to the Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise.
This was probably my first ever game that I owned myself. Until then I was playing on my Dad's Amiga CD32 and Game Gear, but in 95 he got me my own PC which I'll be eternally greatful for as it got me into not only computers, but games as well. I spent HOURS a day playing Lemmings and I was terrible at it, but god damn it was good.
With Lemmings, came Lemmings paintball which I enjoyed too despite it being a weird spinoff game. I'd really like to find a copy that plays on newer machines so I can actually finish it now I'm older.
Then, like modern EA they ruined the franchise with Theme Park World, although in the year 2000 my Dad upgraded my PC so I could play it, because at that point I didn't realise how pants it was to the Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise.
This was probably my first ever game that I owned myself. Until then I was playing on my Dad's Amiga CD32 and Game Gear, but in 95 he got me my own PC which I'll be eternally greatful for as it got me into not only computers, but games as well. I spent HOURS a day playing Lemmings and I was terrible at it, but god damn it was good.
With Lemmings, came Lemmings paintball which I enjoyed too despite it being a weird spinoff game. I'd really like to find a copy that plays on newer machines so I can actually finish it now I'm older.
This was from like 2010, hardly seems like it should fit, although it does feel super dated
I was a kid in the 80's so just played games. (Btw I love this thread and the people that reminded me of Kidpix!)
(I skipped Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem, Hexen, Heretic and some of the other super well known ones (although PoP and RA fall under that as well
))
Star goose:
(thought it was called space goose tbh)
Raptor: Call of Shadows:
For me this is stil the best shoot em up ever made!
Carmageddon:
Aladdin:
Blood:
No idea what this was called again (Simon the sorcerer or something?):
Jill of the jungle:
Needs no caption:
PoP:
Gods (this game was fucking awesome and impossible):
Blake stone: Aliens of gold (sorry tiny screenshot):
(tbh lot of 90's stuff in here but it's all awesome)
(I skipped Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem, Hexen, Heretic and some of the other super well known ones (although PoP and RA fall under that as well
))Star goose:
(thought it was called space goose tbh)
Raptor: Call of Shadows:
For me this is stil the best shoot em up ever made!
Carmageddon:
Aladdin:
Blood:
No idea what this was called again (Simon the sorcerer or something?):
Jill of the jungle:
Needs no caption:
PoP:
Gods (this game was fucking awesome and impossible):
Blake stone: Aliens of gold (sorry tiny screenshot):
(tbh lot of 90's stuff in here but it's all awesome)
KittenMaster
Member
Hocus Pocus. Played this quite a bit as a kid.
THAT'S IT! Haha totally forgot about that name, was a lot of fun!
Ohh and something unrelated and from the 90's but there's got to be some people who loved this game as much as I did:
I'm Spartacus
Member
No? First time I've heard of it.
A Fish Aficionado
I am going to make it through this year if it kills me
Oh man, this thread made me think of X-Copy Pro on Amiga (Not proud, but very nostalgic)
For some reason that got me thinking about the various music tracker programs I used to muck around with.
It was just so hypnotic watching modules scrolling and there was just so much music to explore, both on shareware disks and BBS.
Now I've downloaded a tracker program and I'm trolling through an Amiga module site that has, reportedly, over 136,000 modules . The second module I downloaded has the familiar synth, panflute and cheesy drum samples I remember.
For some reason that got me thinking about the various music tracker programs I used to muck around with.
It was just so hypnotic watching modules scrolling and there was just so much music to explore, both on shareware disks and BBS.
Now I've downloaded a tracker program and I'm trolling through an Amiga module site that has, reportedly, over 136,000 modules . The second module I downloaded has the familiar synth, panflute and cheesy drum samples I remember.
I'm pretty sure this games assets were literally made in MSPaint.
Encarta 2001
It was so ahead of its time.
I still remember spending hours and hours on its interactive articles as a child
Commander Keen (first one)
Screensavers are software, right?
Oh my god, ALL of these.
Plus, Dangerous Creatures:
Lion King activity centre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrJWCopbBWo
Nanosaur:
Glider Pro:
Jazz Jackrabbit 2:
Knit Your Own Porridge
Member
This guy
Fin Fin was like Kinect 0.1.
Woah, that takes me back! Sometimes he'd sing, or you'd see his family. It was really rather cute!
woopWOOP
Member
Another one still using Winamp2. Starts up immediately, hardly uses memory for useless bullshit, one of the first things I reinstall after formatting.
Also a bunch of 'RPG' movies with number battles and all that, before we found the RPG Maker 2000 translation and made crap projects with that
So awesome (and scary, that sound when a dog gets you is horrible).
Our first fancy PC had a Packard Bell Navigator. Not as easy to use as regular windows, but walking around the house and finding weird steampunk shit was awesome.
Oh hell yeah. Me and a friend made a crapton of movies, some for over an hour long.Windows 3D Movie Maker!
Also a bunch of 'RPG' movies with number battles and all that, before we found the RPG Maker 2000 translation and made crap projects with that
Oh, now this is nostalgic. My aunt's PC had this, but I never knew what kind of software this was supposed to be. Digging through their files and finding some random DOS games...Norton Commander
.. like this one!
So awesome (and scary, that sound when a dog gets you is horrible).Our first fancy PC had a Packard Bell Navigator. Not as easy to use as regular windows, but walking around the house and finding weird steampunk shit was awesome.
This isn't really a nostalgia trip for me as I could never work out what the hell it was supposed to be, but I owned 1 and 2 of this (game?) due to PC's in the UK back in the 90s being bundled with like 50 game disks.
Does anyone actually have a clue if this was good or not, because I could never tell.
Does anyone actually have a clue if this was good or not, because I could never tell.
Not a PC one, but still:
Montezuma's Revenge for the Atari. One of the earliest games I remember playing, and one of the few times my dad sat down with me to actually play a game. Quality father-son bonding time (and I was like 3 years old at the time).
As for PC software...
Castle of the Winds (I remember trying to play this one when we got our first PC back in the early 90s. I had no fucking idea how to play it, I barely knew english. Still had a bit of fun by randomly doing stuff)
Microsoft Scandisk (I'm sure the "automatically fix every error it finds" option ended up deleting a crucial part of my Windows 3.11 install. After running it after a fatal crash, I was unable to enter Windows - actually, DOS told me the "Win" command was invalid! :O)
MusicMatch Jukebox (I started using this before the famous logo/UI redesign that everybody remembers -the silver/blue one- and I kinda preferred it to Winamp for a while. I remember seeing this skin, but I don't remember if this was the default or not.)
MSN Explorer (I remember using this one when I went to a cyber-café (remember those?) to connect to the internet, back when we only had Dial-Up at home and was incredibly expensive. Good times.)
Titus the Fox (fucking shitty game, to be honest. Then again, hindsight is 20/20 and I liked it back then. Cool music too, even if kinda repetitive and grating after a while.)
Montezuma's Revenge for the Atari. One of the earliest games I remember playing, and one of the few times my dad sat down with me to actually play a game. Quality father-son bonding time (and I was like 3 years old at the time).
As for PC software...
Castle of the Winds (I remember trying to play this one when we got our first PC back in the early 90s. I had no fucking idea how to play it, I barely knew english. Still had a bit of fun by randomly doing stuff)
Microsoft Scandisk (I'm sure the "automatically fix every error it finds" option ended up deleting a crucial part of my Windows 3.11 install. After running it after a fatal crash, I was unable to enter Windows - actually, DOS told me the "Win" command was invalid! :O)
MusicMatch Jukebox (I started using this before the famous logo/UI redesign that everybody remembers -the silver/blue one- and I kinda preferred it to Winamp for a while. I remember seeing this skin, but I don't remember if this was the default or not.)
MSN Explorer (I remember using this one when I went to a cyber-café (remember those?) to connect to the internet, back when we only had Dial-Up at home and was incredibly expensive. Good times.)
Titus the Fox (fucking shitty game, to be honest. Then again, hindsight is 20/20 and I liked it back then. Cool music too, even if kinda repetitive and grating after a while.)
It was pretty amazing from a tech perspective, at the very least.
Was it a good franchise? Uh. Maybe. Really depends on what you wanted to get out of the games. It's a pretty cerebral experience. Gameplay itself is only serviceable, but the complex game mechanics do have a payoff if you can appreciate this kinda thing. The real joy lies in breeding and schooling your Norns - and that can become pretty involved. Kinda like a weird Sims spinoff, I guess? The AI can become quite impressive, all things considered. So... It really depends.
As a younger guy I hated the game, mostly for the creepy graphics. Losing my egg disk to a faulty drive didn't help, and disappointedly watching all my remaining Norns die to disease because they wouldn't stop playing with Gretchins was the last straw. Took more than a decade until I could appreciate it for what it was.
It's pretty cheap nowadays, and PCs easily have enough power to finally elevate these games above the sideshows they were back then. So just plunk it in and see if you can dig it.
iceblade997
Member
Encarta 97. Used to be so helpful for assignments haha.
Would open it up and just browse.
needs more blink 182
I feel like a not-so-stealth marketer for GOG right now.
Go buy your old games at GOG.com(TM)! Relive the nostalgia without having to fiddle with settings and compatibility! They're like steam, only for old games, and minus the DRM! No need for an online connection! Just buy a game and download an offline installer! If you want to, you can download a completely optional client software to check for updates and chat with friends! Frequent juicy sales! Cheap! Best value! Call now for our free plushie offer!
*plushie actually not free.
Go buy your old games at GOG.com(TM)! Relive the nostalgia without having to fiddle with settings and compatibility! They're like steam, only for old games, and minus the DRM! No need for an online connection! Just buy a game and download an offline installer! If you want to, you can download a completely optional client software to check for updates and chat with friends! Frequent juicy sales! Cheap! Best value! Call now for our free plushie offer!
*plushie actually not free.
Why are you missing it? Just spend six bucks and play it on your PC right now.
TapeDispenser1000
Member
I still use winamp
MrSaturn99
Member
GAF please!
Hey, I think I had that!
Still gets usage til this day
Holy shit, YES, Specifically v6.02. I've lost the actual registration, so I'm perpetually stuck in the trial version. Can't actually find a way to register it anymore either.
Starts up in 2 seconds, has all the tools I need. Photoshop was and is 100% bloatware in comparison for my purposes.
My contribution to the thread:
GetRight! From the good old days where 5MB files took 30 minutes to download and you had to check if the file server supported resuming.
Daniel Jackson
Member
The Dr. Halo post reminded me of another paint program, NeoPaint
It was pretty advanced for its time
It was pretty advanced for its time
radios shipping overview
Member
FUCK! I was just about to post Dr. Halo III myself!
I was so sure I was the only person who would ever remember it.
It was our second paint program on our second PC. (The one we ended up keeping) PC Paint was on our first and much better but this is the one I got to know better. It was always weird that it was a black canvas with white drawing by default but it worked. I read the manual for that front to back and drew birthday cakes all the time.
Damn, I think I remember this. I think it came with the first mouse my family ever bought. I remember it from the fill patterns specifically.
radios shipping overview
Member
I loved paint programs as a kid.
PC Paintbrush, which was the main competitor to Microsoft's Paint:
FastCAD
IBM BASICA
DOOM Setup utility
Trumpet WinSock
Ventura Publisher
PC Paintbrush, which was the main competitor to Microsoft's Paint:
FastCAD
IBM BASICA
DOOM Setup utility
Trumpet WinSock
Ventura Publisher
The old Gold Box AD&D games. I played Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure bonds on an Apple IIc.
They were just officially (and legally) released again.
Here is the story behind saving them from licensing limbo.
Available at gog.
They were just officially (and legally) released again.
Here is the story behind saving them from licensing limbo.
Available at gog.
Evo Shandor
Member
Great to see this getting referenced. The Fate of Atlantis was such a good game.
Nothing can beat the MMD3 skin for WinAmp.
When I was very young we had a black and white Macintosh but honestly most of my good memories come from 1999 onwards with stuff like All Seeing Eye or GameSpy searching for rooms to play CS, UT or Q3.
I think most people has posted all the popular stuff though, so there's not much to post besides games :/
When I was very young we had a black and white Macintosh but honestly most of my good memories come from 1999 onwards with stuff like All Seeing Eye or GameSpy searching for rooms to play CS, UT or Q3.
I think most people has posted all the popular stuff though, so there's not much to post besides games :/
For me it was the Last Crusade game. This was one of the first game I played on my first PC (an old XT computer with monochrome yellow/black monitor back in 1990). I learned a LOT of my basic english from that game lol.
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Also... ACDSee
SpookyFries
Member
I can't find any pictures of them but I miss those 500 in one DOS game CDs that you'd get at office max
Frosty Droid
Member
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear
...there's always Doorkickers, I suppose, but it's not the same.
...there's always Doorkickers, I suppose, but it's not the same.
I miss those, they were basically my only source of DOS/Windows games early on. A side effect is that I only ever had the shareware versions of things like Duke Nukem 2 and Jazz Jackrabbit. Never did play all of the 'episodes' in the full versions.
Also I remember these educational software CDs made by Dorling Kindersley.
My favourite was The Way Things Work 2, basically explained how machines work and basic scientific principles:
Lots of the science was explained using cartoons featuring mammoths:
Also I had a dinosaur one set in a somewhat dark and creepy museum (and an astronomy one, couldn't find pictures):
There was a section of the game where you were lowered down below ground and hunted for dinosaur bones. If you collected all the bones and assembled them the dinosaur could then be found roaming the museum randomly. Scary as hell when you're like 7 years old.
Had both of these on Windows 95.
For me it was the Last Crusade game. This was one of the first game I played on my first PC (an old XT computer with monochrome yellow/black monitor back in 1990). I learned a LOT of my basic english from that game lol.
Also... ACDSee
Those folder names doe..
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