Top-down perspective

Top down games were very popular in the 80s and the 90s, when graphic cards were not capable of supporting 3D, and even when 3D started to become popular, 2D games continued to be easier to develop, at least in the infancy of 3D gaming. 2D game offered the player a viewpoint that helped keeping things easily under control (think about top down party-based RPGs or hex-based strategy games).

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Joan of Arc

DOS1989 Chip

John Madden Football

DOS1989 Electronic Arts

John Madden Football was the first of a series of american football sports games sponsored by the coach of the same name. The first John Madden Football is an abandoned game developed and released by Electronic Arts in 1988 for Apple II and Commodore 64 and later released for DOS (in 1989). The Madden series became extremely popular and the sequels...

Jones in the Fast Lane

DOS1991 Sierra On-Line

Jones in the Fast Lane is the kind of game that you don't see often these days. It's a mix between a digital board game and a modern day life simulation. The goal of the game is to live the life of Jones, making choices about school, work, your home, etc. Graphics is a mix of cartonish and digitized characters, very reminishent of some of the best ...

Joyous Rebel

DOS1996freeware

Jurassic Park

DOS1993 Ocean Software

Kaiser

DOS1992

Kampfgruppe

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Kasparov's Gambit

DOS1993 Heuristic software

Keys to Maramon

DOS1990 Mindcraft Software

Keys to Maramon is a role-playing game developed by Mindcraft Software and released in 1990 for the Amiga, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64 platforms. The game is set in the same universe as the "Magic Candle" series, another popular RPG series by Mindcraft. The game is set in the fantasy town of Maramon, where the player must protect the town from waves o...

Khalaan

DOS1990 Chip

Kick off 2

DOS1990 Anco Software

King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table

DOS1994 MVP Software

King's Bounty

DOSMac OS1990 New World Computing

King’s Bounty is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements, originally released in 1990 by New World Computing. It was created by Jon Van Caneghem, also known for the Might and Magic series. This game is often regarded as the precursor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series, which shares many of its core mechanics and concepts. In Ki...

King's Table: The Legend of Ragnarok

DOS1993protected Imagitec Design

Kingdom of Kroz

DOS1988freeware Apogee Software

Kingdom of Kroz 2

DOS1990 Apogee Software

Kingdoms of Germany

DOS1994 Realism Entertainment

Knight Exchange

DOS1988 Softdisk Publishing

Knightmare

DOS1986 Konami

Knights of Legend

DOS1989 Origin Systems

Knights of Legend is a tactical role-playing game (RPG) released by Origin Systems in 1989 for MS-DOS, the Apple II, and the Commodore 64. Known for its complex gameplay and strategic depth, the game provides a turn-based combat experience that requires players to manage characters carefully and strategize battles with attention to detail. Set...

Knights of the Desert

DOS1983protected Tactical Design Group

Knights of Xentar

DOS1994NSFW MegaTech Software

Kurtan

DOS1990 TbiliSoft

L'Empereur

DOS1991 KOEI

La Colmena

DOS1992NSFW Opera Soft

La Grande Armee

DOS1991 SDJ Enterprises

Laser Squad

DOS1992 Target Games Limited

Laser Squad is an abandoned turn-based strategy/tactical game designed by Julian Gollop (the mind behind the X-COM series). Laser Squad was developed by Target Games Limited and released by MicroLeague Multimedia in 1992 for DOS and other 8-bit systems. Laser Squad is considered as a precursor of X-COM: Ufo Defense.