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[MomoPufflet]

Alone in the Dark is pretty intense. It's archaic, but not totally unplayable like I expected. Maybe I'm weird, but I have an easier time playing it than I do going back to the old Resident Evils. I haven't had much time to think about why yet. The graphics give me a boner. Yeah, I have strange taste. I love the look of the game. I like how the pixelly 2D meshes perfectly with the pixelly 3D.

Stuff that's annoying:

• Not the fact that you have to double tap arrow keys to run, but the fact that you have to tap them NINJA FAST. Like, 2 taps in .000005ms or it won't work. It's tough and I'm on a mechanical keyboard with brown switches :lol
  
• Combat. Yeah. Mostly it's annoying because it's hard to tell where you are aiming. Some sort of visual cue would help a lot, in a perfect world. The overall slowness I can deal with. Shooting a gun is oddly satisfying, as is killing a monster.
  
• You can "push" some objects that have no reason to be pushed. I guess it adds to the immersion (odd to use that word in an old game like this) but it can be confusing when trying to actually solve puzzles. "Do I need to push this bookcase somewhere or is it just to look pretty?"
  
• I've only played for an hour or two, but there are a lot of monsters. At least 6? It ups the tension but it sort of undermines the underlying sense of dread. Maybe this is just how the game is and I had the wrong expectations. I will say that there are some good "gotcha" scares; good enough to make my heart jump.
  
• Some monsters are goofy looking, but still creepy because they're fucking relentless.
  
• Yeah, you have to change "stances" in the inventory menu. But this actually doesn't bother me that much. The menus are instantaneous unlike RE games, so it's quick once you do it a few times.

I really want to stick with this til the end so I can say that I played it-- we'll see how it goes. I might just be on the honeymoon right now.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Sierra adventure games on sale this weekend, FYI.

Will probably end up getting Space Quest and King's Quest 1-6; maybe Police Quest too.

 

[Lafazar]

Alone in the Dark is pretty intense. It's archaic, but not totally unplayable like I expected. Maybe I'm weird, but I have an easier time playing it than I do going back to the old Resident Evils. I haven't had much time to think about why yet. The graphics give me a boner. Yeah, I have strange taste. I love the look of the game. I like how the pixelly 2D meshes perfectly with the pixelly 3D.

Stuff that's annoying:

• Not the fact that you have to double tap arrow keys to run, but the fact that you have to tap them NINJA FAST. Like, 2 taps in .000005ms or it won't work. It's tough and I'm on a mechanical keyboard with brown switches :lol
  
• Combat. Yeah. Mostly it's annoying because it's hard to tell where you are aiming. Some sort of visual cue would help a lot, in a perfect world. The overall slowness I can deal with. Shooting a gun is oddly satisfying, as is killing a monster.
  
• You can "push" some objects that have no reason to be pushed. I guess it adds to the immersion (odd to use that word in an old game like this) but it can be confusing when trying to actually solve puzzles. "Do I need to push this bookcase somewhere or is it just to look pretty?"
  
• I've only played for an hour or two, but there are a lot of monsters. At least 6? It ups the tension but it sort of undermines the underlying sense of dread. Maybe this is just how the game is and I had the wrong expectations. I will say that there are some good "gotcha" scares; good enough to make my heart jump.
  
• Some monsters are goofy looking, but still creepy because they're fucking relentless.
  
• Yeah, you have to change "stances" in the inventory menu. But this actually doesn't bother me that much. The menus are instantaneous unlike RE games, so it's quick once you do it a few times.

I really want to stick with this til the end so I can say that I played it-- we'll see how it goes. I might just be on the honeymoon right now.

How quickly you need to doubletap the forward button depends on your dosbox cycles, so don't increase the number set by GOG (I believe they chose 11'000). You can also lower the cycles with CTRL+F11, but then the game itself will start to run slower, too. I suggest using a gamepad and mapping the buttons with xpadder or the CTRL+F1 function of DOSBox.

I just played through the whole game using nothing but melee, so you don't actually need the guns at all. They help a lot to avoid damage, though.

Pretty much anything you can push you need to push, except the small furniture like chairs. If you are talking about the bookcase and the chest in the starting area (puzzle spoiler):

Spoiler

pushing them in the correct place will prevent two monsters from entering.

The density of monsters is pretty high in the beginning, after that you can overcome a lot of monsters and obstacles with puzzles.

 

[peakish]

Sierra adventure games on sale this weekend, FYI.

I got myself King's Quest 1-3. Started on the first game and it's, er, basic to say the least I think I only ever played the first Leisure Suit Larry game in this style. Still, it's pretty entertaining to figure these puzzles out. Just got the Magic Mirror back, yay!

 

[Minsc]

I got myself King's Quest 1-3. Started on the first game and it's, er, basic to say the least I think I only ever played the first Leisure Suit Larry game in this style. Still, it's pretty entertaining to figure these puzzles out. Just got the Magic Mirror back, yay!

If you enjoy them and want to see a slightly more modern take on them, be sure to check out AGDI's remakes (free). Though props for playing through the original versions!

 

[peakish]

If you enjoy them and want to see a slightly more modern take on them, be sure to check out AGDI's remakes (free). Though props for playing through the original versions!

Wow, those look pretty awesome. Maybe I'll go for 100% completion in them sometime.

"Finished" the first game, got about 100/158. I like the mix of fairy tales present, though I sure don't know them all (Had to look up Rumplestiltskin and of course didn't figure out that I had to say it backwards, even with the clue in hand. Didn't cheat through the main quest at least, though it sure wasn't difficult). Maybe some stories are original to the game?

Are all KQ games based largely on fairy tales btw?

 

[Lissar]

Are all KQ games based largely on fairy tales btw?

There are a lot of references and characters present from fairy tales and mythology, yes. Although the later games don't rely so much on having actual knowledge of the tales to complete puzzles.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

With LucasArts jumping on, is there any chance we'll see a release of the old xwing games?

yeah. I think if lucasarts is on, at least tie fighter and its collector's cdrom version are guaranteed. x-wing alliance also seems to me like a lock for "bare minimum" line-up.

 

[peakish]

There are a lot of references and characters present from fairy tales and mythology, yes. Although the later games don't rely so much on having actual knowledge of the tales to complete puzzles.

Actually I'm more concerned about the series never really building an identity for itself if it's mostly a mix of other tales, than I am of not completing puzzles I'll hopefully find out soon enough though.

 

[Lissar]

Actually I'm more concerned about the series never really building an identity for itself if it's mostly a mix of other tales, than I am of not completing puzzles I'll hopefully find out soon enough though.

Ah, sorry! That is often a complaint of some people (that it is hard to figure out the puzzles without knowing everything in fairy tales and mythology) so I assumed that was it. It is also another complaint of people that they base so much in fairy tales and mythology. I never noticed it because I love that kind of stuff, but it always remains rather heavily steeped in that. Occasionally there is original stuff, but it never ventures too far from its fairy tale roots. Maybe in the 8th game, I don't know... never played that one.

 

[firehawk12]

Actually I'm more concerned about the series never really building an identity for itself if it's mostly a mix of other tales, than I am of not completing puzzles I'll hopefully find out soon enough though.

Keep in mind that these games were most of a "showcase" for graphics and later multimedia for the most part. That's not to say that they're not well written or whatnot, but the KQ games specifically had the "PC gaming is better than console gaming" spin to it.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

Star Control today!

http://www.facebook.com/gogcom/posts/10150165867197657

 

[mclem]

Star Control today!

http://www.facebook.com/gogcom/posts/10150165867197657

In principle, nice, but somewhat pales into comparison when put up against the sequels and Ur-quan masters.

I wonder if it'd be all three titles in one pack?

 

[Joseph Merrick]

oops. thought I wouldn't get quoted. hehe.

it's 1 & 2.

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/star_control_1_2

 

[Minsc]

Skip GOG's Star Control 2 and instead get the superior and free Ur-Quan Masters (with VA!) if you're at all interested in experiencing on of the more fun and unique games you'll play.

Sorry GOG, I warned you not to sell this one, won't get any help from me!

 

[mclem]

Yeah, it's unfortunate, since SC2 is a *very* good game - all-time classic level - but that's offset rather by the fact that there's an acknowledged, awesome and *free* modern remake.

SC1 is good, but nothing spectacular.

 

[mclem]

An odd little train of thought just crossed my mind:

I own SC1+2 from an odd little compilation I picked up in a US store a while back: Star Control 1+2, Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star and Gateway, the Legend text adventure.

That got me wondering where the rights currently lie for Legend's adventures? I'm rather fond of their output - played through Companions of Xanth, both Gateways and Eric the Unready, and rather liked them all. It's something I'd quite like to have a collection of; I've never tried the Spellcasting games, and I've no idea where my copy of Homeworld (as in Gateway 2, don't get your hopes up!) ended up.

(On a similar note, I'd love to see Magnetic Scrolls up there)


Edit: They're now owned by Atari! Now rummaging through the clues trying to find ones which might apply. "Feel like a hero" could well be Eric the Unready.

Edit2: Or Superhero League of Hoboken.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

picked up star controls easy regardless of having played ur-quan masters a lot. I've never owned copies of these.

and oh yeah. would love eric the unready.

throw in.. all of legend. spellcasting series, timequest, gateway, gateway 2, companions of xanth, superhero league of hoboken, death gate, mission critical, shannara and blackstone chronicles as well. hehehe. definitely wouldn't mind these on gog, haven't played nearly all of them.

 

[Versipellis]

throw in.. all of legend.
...
hehehe. definitely wouldn't mind these on gog, haven't played nearly all of them.

Don't forget Callahan's Crosstime Saloon.
I own and I've played all the adventures from Legend... they're so underrated!
I hope they'll end up on GOG, sooner or later. The more people get to know them (and some of their makers, like Steve Meretzky and Bob Bates), the better.

 

[mclem]

Which of them were based on licensed properties? That'd probably make quite a few a no-no, unfortunately, unless GoG worked extra-hard on tracking down the licenses. A shame, because Gateway at least seems to diverge in a pretty big way from the book; I'd regard it more as "A game set in the Gateway universe" rather than a literary adaptation.

Stripping out the licenses does reduce their output pretty significantly, but there's still a good few titles there.

 

[Versipellis]

Which of them were based on licensed properties?

Original franchises:
- Spellcasting (trilogy)
- Timequest
- Eric the Unready
- Superhero League of Hoboken
- Mission Critical

Licensed:
- Gateway 1 & 2
- Companions of Xanth
- Death Gate
- Shannara
- Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
- Blackstone Chronicles

 

[mclem]

From doing a bit of a paper trail, I think Atari might own Magnetic Scrolls' stuff, too. That's another source I'd love to see GoG mine. I wonder if they're in talks with any of the folks behind the likes of Magnetic?

Edit: Ah, it looks like Magnetic Scrolls games didn't follow the same path as the Rainbird rights:

The rights on the games are held by Magnetic Scrolls Ltd, which belongs to Anita Sinclair and Ken Gordon.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

Licensed:
- Gateway 1 & 2
- Companions of Xanth
- Death Gate
- Shannara
- Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
- Blackstone Chronicles

oh snap, that many? damn

 

[nexen]

While it makes no sense that GoG are selling an inferior version of a game you can get for free - I'm all for it on the idea that it may introduce more people to the wonder that is Star Control 2.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

While it makes no sense that GoG are selling an inferior version of a game you can get for free - I'm all for it on the idea that it may introduce more people to the wonder that is Star Control 2.

I wanted to buy it, so it made sense!

 

[nexen]

I wanted to buy it, so it made sense!

Can't argue with that. Even the inferior version is absolutely sublime. Revel in its excellence!

 

[Minsc]

Can't argue with that. Even the inferior version is absolutely sublime. Revel in its excellence!

Yea, I played the 'inferior' version back in the 90s myself... just when revisiting it with the well done VA and slick amount of easily configured options from Ur-Quan masters (which is essentially 100% the same game) made me pretty much have no desire to launch the DOS version ever again.

Edit: And I do have to *thank* mclem for his *fitting* use of asterisks. Excellent memory.

 

[epmode]

Don't forget Callahan's Crosstime Saloon.

Good game! I picked it up from Ebay a while back.

The voice acting is really impressive for a game that I hadn't even heard of until a year ago.

 

[nexen]

Yea, I played the 'inferior' version back in the 90s myself... just when revisiting it with the well done VA and slick amount of easily configured options from Ur-Quan masters (which is essentially 100% the same game) made me pretty much have no desire to launch the DOS version ever again.

Edit: And I do have to *thank* mclem for his *fitting* use of asterisks. Excellent memory.

To be honest I couldn't care less about the VA but the smooth scaling in melee mode is an extremely welcome upgrade.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Could we stop the mindless Monkey 4 bashing please? The "there was no Monkey 4" ultra-hilarious joke gets repeated in every single thread even tangentially related to the series. Monkey 4 is a well written game with good puzzles, perhaps even better puzzles than Monkey 3. Yes, it's ugly, has a little different tone than the rest of the series and - the greatest offense of all, apparently - doesn't fit with the established canon. So what, I ask, if it's still a very good game?

The graphics were ugly, the controls sucked, Guybrush looked like a twat, the puzzles weren't fun and the game just wasn't very good, especially not coming off MI3, which I still think is the best in the series (haven't played the post-MI4 games). Murray was cool though.

 

[nexen]

The graphics were ugly, the controls sucked, Guybrush looked like a twat, the puzzles weren't fun and the game just wasn't very good, especially not coming off MI3, which I still think is the best in the series (haven't played the post-MI4 games). Murray was cool though.

I kind of liked MI4. It was the worst of the series but I didn't think it was a bad game.
Murray is always cool. Even in Planescape.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

The graphics were ugly, the controls sucked, Guybrush looked like a twat, the puzzles weren't fun and the game just wasn't very good, especially not coming off MI3, which I still think is the best in the series (haven't played the post-MI4 games). Murray was cool though.

boom. I have to ask though, what's with the elephantman donaldduck?

 

[Rufus]

boom. I have to ask though, what's with the elephantman donaldduck?

Trollface Donald.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

oh yeah you're right. that makes more sense.

 

[Catshade]

Another 24-hour promo: Another World: 15th Anniversary Edition 60% off ($4)

 

[Fewr]

Is it worth the price?

 

[kurtrussell]

Is it worth the price?

Yes, if you can look past the dated graphics

 

[krYlon]

Yes, if you can look past the dated graphics

The graphics are beautiful. Still has some of the best art and 2d animation I have ever seen in a videogame.

 

[kurtrussell]

The graphics are beautiful. Still has some of the best art and 2d animation I have ever seen in a videogame.

I'd argue that the animation is indeed awesome, but the graphics (by today's standards) could be considered primitive.....

It's rotoscoped is it not?

 

[krYlon]

I'd argue that the animation is indeed awesome, but the graphics (by today's standards) could be considered primitive.....

It's rotoscoped is it not?

Yeah, I think it was rotoscoped, as were Prince of Persia and Flashback.

Maybe it's nostalgia speaking, but I still think the graphics look great and have aged really well.
Of course they lack detail, but because it's stylised it doesn't really matter.

 

[onken]

The graphics are beautiful. Still has some of the best art and 2d animation I have ever seen in a videogame.

Art, yes. Animation? Pushing it. Great game, though. Played it a gajillion times on the Mega Drive.

 

[Fewr]

Yes, if you can look past the dated graphics

I'm an anti-graphics whore, I think it looks good. I'm buying then, thanks.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

Maybe it's nostalgia speaking, but I still think the graphics look great and have aged really well.
Of course they lack detail, but because it's stylised it doesn't really matter.

the screenshots on gog are of the redone version though, I prefer the original graphics personally. seems like too much detail or what in the new version. too textured.

 

[Zizbuka]

Yeah, that's kind of sad. I'd buy RCT again in an instant but it's almost certainly not on the list.

Remember that whole Tycoon craze. I loved it. RCT, Zoo Tycoon, even some of the lower quality ones were good. Monopoly Tycoon was pretty good, and Sid Meier's Simgolf was great. Come on GOG, get Simgolf please.

 

[RustyO]

Thinking of picking up Commandos and/or Commandos 2 & 3 as I never played them in the past, but did enjoy Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive back in the day. (Fun fact: Finished the whole game in French, not my native tongue)

Both are available on GOG and Steam, both about the same price.

Anyone have any comments on them? Which would be the better purchase option? (I'm leaning towards GOG)

 

[Joseph Merrick]

not played the steam versions, but should work fine there as well. check the forums to see if anyone's had any problems running those versions maybe. dunno

played desperados 2 and helldorado btw? the weird 3d engine they have in those is pretty awesome, it looks and feels like the 2d. but it's 3d.. (uh yeah, haha) and can zoom in. it just looks really weird and cool. love both of those. their robin hood legend of sherwood game is also fantastic, too bad that hasn't got any sequels. all of these should be on download sites, maybe steam, are on gamersgate and gamesplanet at least.

 

[mclem]

And speaking of Desperados:

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/desperados_wanted_dead_or_alive - $5.99

 

[Sloane]

And speaking of Desperados:

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/desperados_wanted_dead_or_alive - $5.99

Sweet, Desperados and the original Commandos are my favorite, uh, real-time tactic games or whatever they are called.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

very nice.


"got the demo in a box of Kellog's"

hehe. yes, this happened

 

[Minsc]

Missed out on it entirely, but the screens from the listing look pretty nice, there aren't too many pre-rendered isometric westerns, should be fun.

Edit: Is it wrong that I think the 2001 original looks better than the 2006 sequel? How do the two play?