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Star Control II - Squadcast #7

R

Roc Gaude

Member
Continuing our "retrospective" series, we discuss the late, great Star Control II or otherwise known as the Ur-Quan Masters.

We also do some gabbin' about why TrackMania is brilliant, why they call him Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and why the "art of fluffing" made the Fallout series unforgettable.

3dbd0e8455ed45299968fd9d912ff7cb


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As always, if you'd like to join us in our wordy conversations, stop by our club page and tell 'em GAF sent ya.
 
S

Souther

Banned
Probably 1 of my favorite games back in the day...LAUNCH FIGHTERS!

Anyways...Why the hell hasn't this come out on XBL or PSN yet... This would be 1 of the funnest online games to play ever...Melee is ridiculously fun.
 
R

Roc Gaude

Member
Souther said:
Probably 1 of my favorite games back in the day...LAUNCH FIGHTERS!

Anyways...Why the hell hasn't this come out on XBL or PSN yet... This would be 1 of the funnest online games to play ever...Melee is ridiculously fun.
Click to expand...

Exactly. We actually discussed this issue towards the end of the show. I personnally think that a game like SC2 could easily do well as an iPhone ap. You can only play so many puzzlers. Of course, I'm sure there are hundereds of thousands who would disagree...my wife being one of them.
 
N

NEO Frog

Banned
They should put the Genesis version on Virtual Console! I had a lot of great times playing that multiplayer with my friends!
 
R

Roc Gaude

Member
NEO Frog said:
They should put the Genesis version on Virtual Console! I had a lot of great times playing that multiplayer with my friends!
Click to expand...

The Genesis version? Holy shit...I forgot about that. I think it was the OG Star Control, though. Pick below:

a58ed091d3b14f238cc878eb90c25623
 
HUELEN10

HUELEN10

Member
This thread brings a tear to my eyes. It makes me feel *SPICY*.

I remember when I first *SQUEEZED THE JUICE* with the Orz. Fun times.

This game is what really got me into hardcore gaming.
 
T

Tobor

Member
Star Control 2? The best game ever released on the 3DO. Star Control 1? The best game ever released for the Genesis(don't argue with me on this, I will cut you).

I would destroy this planet to play a new Star Control game by Toys For Bob.
 
blu

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Souther said:
Probably 1 of my favorite games back in the day...L-L-L-L-L-L-LAUNCH FIGHTERS!
Click to expand...
corrected for greater justice.

man, i love this game. i love its smell, i love its sound, i love its ariloulalee'lay.
 
blu

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
HUELEN10 said:
Hey man, let's play FRUNGY!
Click to expand...
i hear you there.

Open Source said:
The melee was a bit unbalanced. A Thraddash can take out an entire fleet.
Click to expand...
well, technically, any ship can take out an entire fleet. the whole fight mechanics of the game is one big rock-paper-scissors. the thraddash can be a tough cookie, i give you that, though. but you'd have to be good to pose a serious threat with it.
 
T

Tobor

Member
blu said:
i hear you there.


well, technically, any ship can take out an entire fleet. the whole fight mechanics of the game is one big rock-paper-scissors. the thraddash can be a tough cookie, i give you that, though. but you'd have to be good to pose a serious threat with it.
Click to expand...

Exactly, I could take a single Shofixti and...well...blow up.
 
Minsc

Minsc

Gold Member
Star Control 2's various background music for the races & exploring make the music to most other games these days seem as interesting as watching grass grow.

This is among the greatest games never to get a worthy sequel, just like x-com, master of magic/orion 2, and so many others.
 
blu

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Tobor said:
Exactly, I could take a single Shofixti and...well...blow up.
Click to expand...
that'd be one premature ejaculation there. shofixti don't just blow up - they drain blood like nobody's business, and they blow up on the last unlucky sucker from the enemy fleet. for giggles.
 
T

Tobor

Member
blu said:
that'd be one premature ejaculation there. shofixti don't just blow up - they drain blood like nobody's business, and they blow up on the last unlucky sucker from the enemy fleet. for giggles.
Click to expand...

No doubt. The Shofixti is the games master degree. There was an awesome map in Star Control 1 where you had a fleet of Shofixti versus 1 Urquan Dreadnaught. Pure awesome.
 
N

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
Roc Gaude said:
The Genesis version? Holy shit...I forgot about that. I think it was the OG Star Control, though. Pick below:
Click to expand...

both were great. Back in high school I remember a buddy of mine swore up and down the original Star Control was a commentary on Communist / Western values and conflicts at hte time. Of course, we all smoked a lot of pot back then too. Between Doom (93), Civilization (91) and StarCon2 (92) it was the golden age of PC games.

So sad about what Accolade did with Star Con 3. Didn't the guys who made 2 buy back the rights to the franchise though? I wonder if we'll ever see a real sequel.
 
N

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
Roc Gaude said:
Check the Ur-Quan Masters site for the status. The last action took place a year ago.
Click to expand...

What do you mean ? UQM was a community project, not affiliated with Toys for Bob at all outside of getting the source code from them. A quick check reveals Toys for Bob is now owned by ActiBlizz, after being bought by Activision a few years ago. Going to their homepage makes it look like they're really jonesing to make a true sequel to Star Control - http://www.toysforbob.com/ (it's flash so I can't copy / paste, but go to the "news" section). Let's just hope they're not part of Activision that is getting axed with the realignment they just announced.

edit: I see, you mean the info in the UQM about how the info on the Toys for Bob website begging Activision to let them make another Star Control is over a year old.
 
T

Tobor

Member
Deku said:
Holy shit Star Control II <3 in!

Platinum games is working on Infinite Line for the DS.

Spiritual successor perhaps.
Click to expand...

/JAW DROPS

What in the? How did I miss? /faints

(looks more like a spiritual successor to Elite, but still)

/re-faints
 
S

Souther

Banned
Now that i think about it...i have this game sitting around somewhere.

Maybe i should install it for old times sake...

I think one of my favorite ships was the Yehat Terminator or was it Avenger..can't recall perfectly...Loved those Gatling guns
 
R

Roc Gaude

Member
Beavertown said:
That DS game looks sweet.

You guys should check out Starscape for the PC. It's a nice little Star Control type game.
Click to expand...

The gameplay looks solid but those characters strike me as Second Life rejects. Yeesh!
 
rykomatsu

rykomatsu

Member
man....memories lol

one of the limited few western games i actually enjoyed. This and the original X-Com UFO Defense are in the top 10 games for my list :p
 
A

Althane

Member
Huh, oddly enough I just downloaded this and started playing it for the first time today. Seems like it'll be a great timesink for me!

The one problem I have though is in the OS X version, ship-to-ship combat goes about 10000000000 (Ect ect ect) x faster than the rest of the game. Makes it a bit difficult.
 
A

AlexM

Member
rykomatsu said:
man....memories lol

one of the limited few western games i actually enjoyed. This and the original X-Com UFO Defense are in the top 10 games for my list :p
Click to expand...

man unoftunalte even at 1% on dosbox the game goes way to fast on me. You hit the 1day time interval and tha game basically crashes.
 
vanguardian1

vanguardian1

poor, homeless and tasteless
I admit to being a bit ashamed to never having heard of this until a few years ago, even though I love these sorts of games. And for some reason, I still have yet to try it. Any information about the game so I can understand it a bit better?
 
R

Roc Gaude

Member
vanguardian1 said:
I admit to being a bit ashamed to never having heard of this until a few years ago, even though I love these sorts of games. And for some reason, I still have yet to try it. Any information about the game so I can understand it a bit better?
Click to expand...

It's a resource gathering/exploration sim that's set in space. You're tasked with re-building a Precursor ship to gather enough resources so that you can help the human race become strong enough to reclaim Earth from the Ur-Quan. Along the way, you'll meet wacky alien races, laugh your ass off, and fighting mini-battles with other spacecraft.

Surprisingly, we really don't spoil anything on the podcast. I think we were just too busy gushing over how cool it was.

As for those of you that are having speed issues with the game, are you playing the most recent downloadable version or the disk media version?
 
B

BobTheFork

Member
WILL LISTEN!!!!!!!

This the first game I ever got for PC, just after we got our first 386. My parents didn't know anything about it, they just picked it up at the store for me. The manual for that game made my head asplode. I was either too young to get it or it was too different from other games because I was awful. I could not for the life of me figure out where to go and what to do. I must have installed and deleted it 10 times over the next year because I would get mad, but every time I played it again I found out something new. Finding my first rainbow world was such a breakthrough; I could finally get enough fuel to get around.

It took my FOREVER to find the female Sofixti (name?), even with all the clues. I would stare at the map for hours trying to figure out what constellation looks like a snake that ate on elephant LOL. The really funny part it that there were two constellation that fit the description, and at the other one was the fucking SA-MATRA. I thought THAT was where I needed to go next; I had no clue it was the final boss. Beating that game alone with no help (even if it took years) was the most satisfying game finish EVER.
 
A

AlexM

Member
looks like I got something to listen to on monday morning. I'm still waiting to this day to hear the brothers say that they're working on the next true star control. They could not change the graphics at all and I would eb a happy man :)
 
N

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
platypotamus said:
I still don't understand this sentiment.
Click to expand...

The budget that Toys for Bob had for Star Con 2 was absurd. They ended up working for months with no pay to complete the game. Accolade came back and asked them to do 3 but only offered the same budget. Toys for Bob walked, so Accolade gave the franchise to another developer who made 3 which, while not a terrible game, is at best mediocre. A lot of people want to see Toys for Bob make a true sequel to 2, but who knows if that will ever happen.
 
K

Keio

For a Finer World
I'd love a graphical update to Star Control 2 retaining the same mechanics, it would be a great Arcade game with HD sprites.
 
P

platypotamus

Member
Nerevar said:
at best mediocre.
Click to expand...

See, I understand everything in your post except for this part. Star Control 3 was awesome and a worthy sequel.

Is it just kinda like the No Mutants Allowed folks having unrighteous anger about Fallout 3 here?
 
M

McBacon

SHOOTY McRAD DICK
Roc Gaude said:
We needed to give people more time to finish it becasue it's such a long game. We'll be recording the Okami episode on August 9th.
Click to expand...

Oky doke. Gives me more time to buy it :D
 
C

Chris Remo

Member
Nerevar said:
What do you mean ? UQM was a community project, not affiliated with Toys for Bob at all outside of getting the source code from them. A quick check reveals Toys for Bob is now owned by ActiBlizz, after being bought by Activision a few years ago. Going to their homepage makes it look like they're really jonesing to make a true sequel to Star Control - http://www.toysforbob.com/ (it's flash so I can't copy / paste, but go to the "news" section). Let's just hope they're not part of Activision that is getting axed with the realignment they just announced.
Click to expand...
They are. I did an interview with Paul Reiche about two years ago in which he said how badly they want to make a "true" Star Control III--they have lots of design ideas.

I wouldn't think they'd be axed as part of the Vivactard deal; it's not like Toys for Bob is new baggage or anything. If the company didn't want them around, they could have gotten rid of them at any time.
 
R

Roc Gaude

Member
Chris Remo said:
They are. I did an interview with Paul Reiche about two years ago in which he said how badly they want to make a "true" Star Control III--they have lots of design ideas.

I wouldn't think they'd be axed as part of the Vivactard deal; it's not like Toys for Bob is new baggage or anything. If the company didn't want them around, they could have gotten rid of them at any time.
Click to expand...

Glad you could drop by, Chris. Would you mind linking your interview? I'd love to read it.
 
N

NEO Frog

Banned
Roc Gaude said:
The Genesis version? Holy shit...I forgot about that. I think it was the OG Star Control, though. Pick below:

a58ed091d3b14f238cc878eb90c25623
Click to expand...
Yea, that was it! OMG I want that on Virtual Console! That was a game I picked up cause it was in the cheap stack and it blew me and my friends away!!!
 
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