Classic (DOS era) RPG recommendations please!

I've become increasingly jaded with modern RPG's (and PC games in general really) which is a problem because it's my preferred escape from a very busy reality. The Witcher 2 is a good example of a game which should be blowing my socks off but ultimately just winds up pissing me off with it's over-the-top-cut-scene-inserting, control-of-the-camera-stealing snazzy-ness.

So I've decided to get back to my roots and build the awesome 486 DOS machine that my awkward 17 year old self dreamt of but could never afford (dx4 100, 16mb RAM, decent VLB video, etc) and relive some of my favorites from that era - Dune 2, x-wing, syndicate, and DOOM of course.

And I've since evolved into an RPG player so I'd also like to play some of those old school classics that I must have missed - I've never played System Shock, for example.

If you guys have any suggestions then I'd love to hear them!

thanks.

I've never played System Shock, for example.

And that is a good start actually. Though I would not rule out the possibility that that the game has aged too much to be very fun for someone who is used to modern games. I found the controls to be rather clunky, but the game itself has more than a few strong points.
And after system shock, I would also recommend its sequel (even though I don't consider it an RPG, and it is not a DOS game). System shock 2 is just a really good game.

Ultima series, from 4 and forward should keep you interested for quite a while. I found the highlights of the series to be Ultima 5, 7 (part 1 & 2) & underworld 2. In Akalabeth & Ultima 1-3, you can see Richard Gariot Gariott try out a lot of things that later became staples in CRPGs, but sadly, the games themselves are just not that great.

And you also have Betrayal in Antara, which is a nice game, well worth checking out (most fans will probably tell you to start with Betrayal at Krondor, but as I have not played the game, I can't recommend it).

Realms of Arkania (3 in particular) is another great game series, offering a lot of deep character development, tactical combat and an interesting setting & story. Drakensang is set in the same world, and also worth playing (although Drakensang is a relatively recent game).

*edit* Also, make sure that you check out Lands of Lore. While this game is a bit of a dungeon crawler, it has a nice setting, and Patrick Stewart's voice acting really helps bring the king to life (has he ever done something bad?). Make sure that you get the CD version of this game.

Great DOS-Games:
Albion
Betrayal at Krondor
Darklands
Goldbox series
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager
Dungeon Master

*System Shock
*Lands of Lore
*Eye of the Beholder (especially 2).

And since you like other genres as well, you should also try the action/adventure hybrid games

*Strife (RPGish shooter in a science fantasy setting, nice artistic style)
*Shadowcaster (you play a shapechanger in a fantasy setting)
*Cybermage (science fantasy shooter with huge hardware hunger, a bucketful of bugs and interesting ideas).

Some oldies but goodies:

Wasteland(1988)
Dragon Wars(1989)

I can recommend the Eye of the Beholder trilogy.
I agree with Jaz that the 2nd game is the best of the series, but to get the most out of them one should play them in order with the same characters.

And even if EOB3 isn't as great as EOB2, it's still worth it. One of the main problems with EoB3 was the AESOP engine that was tremendously slow and choppy. If you can get the hands on the AESOP/32 version for EoB3 it's as fast as the first two games.

Hmm; there was this Threads a long time ago:

http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2298
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2299

Might be interesting for you to read.

I like Pools of Radiance back in the day for turn based combat and exploring. It was the first in the SSI's Gold Box games that all used the same engine and were based on AD&D rules and settings. And if you want to play a few good games that are not just RPG, try the first three Wing Commander Games.
LB

Oh… So many great ones.

System Shock goes without saying - as it's my favorite game. Though, I wouldn't call it an RPG. More like a cerebral shooter with a STRONG exploration element. The visuals look like vomit today, but in its heyday - it was simply astounding. I think it's better than System Shock 2 for a number of reasons. The first being the fantastic and open level design, the second being I prefer the plausible story and setting, and lastly I think the antagonist is among the greatest of all time - and it's handled better than in the sequel.

That said, you MUST play System Shock 2 as well, and it's much more modern and controls a lot better - plus it introduces some great RPG elements, and is definitely more of an RPG than the first game.

Both Ultima Underworlds are fantastic.

Summoner and Veil of Darkness were very popular, though I never really got into them myself.

BioForge is another favorite of mine, but again it's not really an RPG. It's just a game that will likely appeal to people who like games like System Shock.

People seem to have been excluding Ultima 8 - but I found that game to be quite good as well, and it was one of the first RPGs I played on the PC. I used to have an Amiga before that.

Anvil of Dawn and Stonekeep are both great games to try after you've played the best in the genre, which I agree is probably EotB2, Lands of Lore, Shadowcaster, and the old Dungeon Master. THE best is actually Black Crypt (in my opinion) - but it's not available on PC. You can, however, use WinUAE and get the Amiga version somewhere.

If I'm not mistaken, the original Fallout had a DOS version - and you naturally have to play that one as well. I even think the sequel ran in DOS.

I consider the Quest for Glory series RPGs - and they're perfect if you also enjoy traditional adventure games. I'd also strongly recommend the Kyrandia series, though they do lack RPG elements - but at least they're fantasy games.

Master of Magic - a 4X grand strategy game - has enough RPG elements to recommend as well, and it's on my personal top-3 list of games.

If you decide to play System Shock on modern computer with Win 7 or XP use this great package with enhanced graphics and mouselook

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=211.0

I would add at least these to the list

Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
Might&Magic 3-5

Good (similar) list at the Codex:

New and improved list of must play cRPGs

Stonekeep. A good RPG, imho. Was in some aspects cahead of its time, and its AI ist still good if measured agsinst other contemporary RPGS.

Where do you find a game where a combattant suddenly disappears (read : runs away) only to take a healing potion from a cache that he knows of and you don't ?

And the Wahooka-Song itself is just priceless.

Fantastic! Thanks very much for the ideas guys, I've got lots of fun ahead of me.

Sourcing the parts for the PC has been quite an adventure in its self - I resorted to paying the shipping from the U.S to Australia to get my hands on a decent motherboard. I should have it up and running in the next few weeks and then it's party time.

Thanks again.

By the way, this reminds me of the old machine that still stands somewhere here … It's an 386, I think, Microchannel architecture.

My great dream ist, however, to build myself a PC on which Windows98SE is able to run - but I just don't have the money for it right now …

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
My great dream ist, however, to build myself a PC on which Windows98SE is able to run - but I just don't have the money for it right now …

Yeah great idea, that will be my next project. I picked up a complete Win98 machine from an old dude recently for 20 bucks, including a nice big CRT, etc. It's just a celeron unfortunately but I think I have the bits lying around to beef it up.

So much to do, so little time…

I don't think anyone mentioned it, but wastelands is a must-play; Dark heart of uukrul is another great rpg, vastly underrated. There were also two oldie lord of the rings games that I used to enjoy a lot, despite not being a fan of the books. Other than that, there's the more obvious ones such as the ultima V, VI and VII and underworld, the gold box games, eye of the beholder, lands of lore etc..