Updated: October 11, 2010
Fancy playing old games? Sure. DOS was the golden age of gaming. It was the age that separate men from boys. When games were games, made hard and with soul and character and unplayable but by those who had the guts, time, love, dedication, passion, nerve, and skill to play. Developers did not suck up to the community with niceties. They released games that you played with whitehot marrow in your bones or not at all.
I've shown you many ways you could resurrect olden games on modern machines. There's DOSBox, the most important invention since antibiotics. You have no less than three (one, two, three) collections to read about and get acquainted with the best DOS games ever.
Then, I've written step-by-step guides on serial and IPX multiplayer modes in DOSBox. You also have a few detailed tutorials for individual games, like Transport Tycoon Deluxe and Little Big Adventure, explaining how to play them on modern systems, like Windows XP or even Windows 7; just head into my Old games section and have a long read.
But what about games themselves?
Aha! Many people no longer have their favorite oldies available. Lost, damaged beyond repair, kept on frail floppies that have long been eaten by roaches or rusted over with mold, saved on CDs that are now too scratched to read or salvage, saved on the hard disk on a computer you've thrown away five years ago. Not to worry. You got GOG.
Well, what would this GOG be?
GOG is there to make up for all the little blunders that prevent you from enjoying your favorite old games. The acronym stands for Good Old Games. It's a website selling old games, as simple as that. Here's an official quote from GOG About us page:
Feeling nostalgic about the good old days where gameplay reigned supreme? Longing to spend some long, passionate nights with your favorite games of yesteryear? We're proud to present GOG.com, the site where it's all about Good Old Games and the people that play them.
A few words about GOG
Excellent! So, this is what we want. Indeed, GOG specializes in old games and has more than 200 titles in their catalog. Games are offered for extremely affordable prices, available anywhere and everywhere in the world, DRM-free, and fully compatible with modern Windows systems. You get to install and re-install the games as many times as you possibly want. Can't be any fairer than that. Simple, instant downloads, hassle-free installations.
Furthermore, on GOG, you will find tons of legendary, critically acclaimed games that made the DOS gaming era what it is. Among tons of available titles in the collection, there's find Duke Nukem, Panzer General II, Phantasmagoria, Master of Orion, and many, many more superb games. You will also find some more recent games, too, created around the turn of the millennium. Hey, even the legendary Caesar III is available! To spice it all up, you don't just get to own games, you get new artwork, soundtrack, interviews, guides, walkthroughs, and more. This is a treasure trove.
GOG is expanding, with more titles being added all the time to the catalog. The website is growing in popularity and availability, making sure the timeless titles of the gaming world will never disappear. GOG is a beautiful time machine, back into the age when games came in big fat boxes full of difficult, challenging manuals, because in the real world, you had to walk first before you could run.
Conclusion
This article is more sort of a promotional brochure than a review. But I honestly think it's well deserved. GOG allows you to rekindle old gaming loves, which is most commendable. Furthermore, the site is stylish, simple and functional, with Steam-like interface. You get lots of great games for very decent prices, without any restrictions or limitations. What more could you ask for?
GOG is really a must for any DOS enthusiast. Head over to gog.com and create your account. I promise you, you won't be disappointed. The age of DOS gaming is back, and this means serious business!
Cheers.