5 Underappreciated PC Games

You know, I'm sure I've got something of a brand here, don't you think? Well, I can't trademark it but I can still write it and share it. What is 'it', you ask? Why, a list of five videogames that just don't get a lot of love anymore.

Let's get started.

Number 5: Age of Empires (1997)

Age of Empires is a strategy game that was developed by a company called Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft in 1997. There are a few different campaigns, with each one following a different civilization through history. There are four main entries to the series and a few spin-off titles and each one follows the same basic formula; build your civilization to its highest point.

Okay, so why is Age of Empires on the list? The game is still popular and the fanbase is still massive. Well...the first game game out in 1997, and while it's still popular, it feels like this game has been forgotten in the sea of real-time strategy games that followed and continue to follow its success.

Number 4: Shadow Warrior (1997)

I came so close to putting 1993's Doom at the No. 9 spot, but I figured this one actually qualifies more as underappreciated. You'll see what I mean. Shadow Warrior was developed by 3D Realms and published by a group called GT Interactive. It's a first-person shooter that follows a bodyguard named Lo Wang as he battles demonic creatures on the streets of a futuristic Japan.

The development cycle for this game started in 1994, you know what else came out in 1994? If you guessed, DOOM II: Hell on Earth, then congratulations! Here's a Noddy badge to add to your Geek and Nerd awards! All jokes aside, DOOM was a huge deal in 1993, and DOOM II did just as well in '94. Shadow Warrior is often called a DOOM clone as many of the visuals and story elements are strikingly similar. Still, the game deserves a lot more love than it gets.

Fun fact: My dad played this for the first time a few years ago and couldn't stop laughing at some of Lo Wang's dialogue.

Number 3: Reading Blaster (2000)

I don't have much to say about this one - mainly because it's one of the few educational games that I played as a kid. It's also one of the VERY few games that gave me nightmares and my memories aren't too great. The Reading Blaster series is a series of games that, as the name implies, teaches kids to read.

The stories, from what I gather, will vary from game to game, but this one was...weird. It starts out with a green lizard man setting off to rescue his favorite celebrity from the evil Doctor Dabble. To get to him, you have to complete a series of reading-based challenges throughout the game until you beat the bad guy. I, however, didn't even get that far because at Age 7, this game gave me horrible nightmares about falling through clouds because I took a wrong step!

Number 2: Aladdin (1993)

This 2D platformer was released in 1993, a year after the original Disney classic and was meant for handheld consoles, although, there was DOS (PC) release as well. As far as I recall, there isn't really a story, you're just navigating tricky platforming levels as Aladdin, Iago, or Abu collecting apples, gems, and hearts.

I think I mentioned this in a previous article a few years ago, but this was one of the earliest PC titles I played as a kid. It was challenging, even on its lowest difficulty - thanks, knife jugglers...*sigh*

Anyways, Aladdin has seemingly faded into obscurity which is beyond sad considering how much fun it was to play.

Number 1: Castle Explorer (1996)

Here's one I doubt anyone's heard of - or at least heard of in a while. Castle Explorer was released by DK Multimedia in 1996 as an educational title aimed at teaching some history to players. The game is played in first-person and the player is a page tasked by the King to gather information on a particular castle.

Exploration and puzzle-solving are the name of the game here, as certain NPCs will give you a puzzle or question and if you get it wrong...well...the guards are called and the game's up as you head for prison. One of the best parts about this game was that the original box set came with an actual castle map, booklet, and, best of all, a 3D puzzle of the castle in the game - including guards and props.

Sadly, as far as I can tell, Castle Explorer is out of print which is a damn shame because it was loads of fun to play.