tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810790827382187932024-03-28T20:27:47.873-07:00Player NoneI write stuff about games and books and what not. Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.comBlogger645125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-8439992646508076842024-03-16T04:35:00.000-07:002024-03-16T04:35:06.155-07:00Agent A: A puzzle in disguise (2015)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2M4VMVQo8KD68TyZcUN9TPajpdtpfXeWyodtZrk2zm7GsF2WKsaWT1rddNDg3NbBgXIejJJkhAj7HQRz44sf1QkKdQp0xoYv-3-TLIgE345JLnr3exrgdhyfYn9_P3-2lRiDlWcZzAI3k6zjKyuwGoF7TIdW2AjLyTb7quxN11HBM6XIbwoBNdFT/s2560/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2018.13.58.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2M4VMVQo8KD68TyZcUN9TPajpdtpfXeWyodtZrk2zm7GsF2WKsaWT1rddNDg3NbBgXIejJJkhAj7HQRz44sf1QkKdQp0xoYv-3-TLIgE345JLnr3exrgdhyfYn9_P3-2lRiDlWcZzAI3k6zjKyuwGoF7TIdW2AjLyTb7quxN11HBM6XIbwoBNdFT/w640-h270/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2018.13.58.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i>Agent A: A puzzle in disguise (2015), developed and published by Yak & Co pty ltd.</i><br /><p></p><p>You, Agent A, are sent to capture an elusive enemy agent, Ruby La Rouge, a lethal adversary, who has been picking up other agents. As you are trailing the enemy agent, she manages to plant an explosive device on a cruise liner, killing your chief. </p><p>Continuing the chase, you finally find the luxurious hideout of Ruby La Rouge, and from here, the game actually begins. The first task, getting inside the house, is actually deceptively simple. After getting in, you are then presented with a gradually growing area, where you can move freely, solving all kinds of puzzles the fiendish Ruby La Rouge has, for some reason, decided to fill her house with.</p><p>Agent A is a charming-looking game, which also somewhat deceptively at first seems like a point-and-click game. Just like the rather nice<a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2024/02/puzzle-agent-1-2010-puzzle-agent-2-2011.html"> Puzzle Agent</a> games by Telltale, Agent A is a puzzle game, pure and simple.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4P1vPC3aemGX7HovsnzCDtqlJdHjeRRAsTthdYtsb-FMSASV-0-Ck6henjVakA5RZDALvOwAV_Eio4X3KB4h-BVbYO2eIZiuMizSQ5VMvgdYzG_gQ4zfXu30sAa1-fb4xWZjeC3sylZsRb7VjgIg_TAMVBwbL3uBWKhHTj30msKlpO0WMNleIGwb/s2560/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2017.17.26.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4P1vPC3aemGX7HovsnzCDtqlJdHjeRRAsTthdYtsb-FMSASV-0-Ck6henjVakA5RZDALvOwAV_Eio4X3KB4h-BVbYO2eIZiuMizSQ5VMvgdYzG_gQ4zfXu30sAa1-fb4xWZjeC3sylZsRb7VjgIg_TAMVBwbL3uBWKhHTj30msKlpO0WMNleIGwb/w640-h270/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2017.17.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Almost every room you find contains puzzles. If you can't solve or access those puzzles, then it means you haven't found something important you need, like a screwdriver to open a panel or some such item. So while the game has an inventory, I wouldn't call any of the puzzle inventory puzzles. You just ferry the right item to the right place and use it on the right thing. At times, you need to activate something in another room to activate a puzzle elsewhere.<p></p><p>Narratively, the game is divided into 4 chapters, but the game itself takes place on the island hideout of Agent A, with some rooms cut off during the process. This in turn is a good thing, as there is, towards the end, quite a bit of moving back and forth between different scenes in search of stuff you need to solve a puzzle elsewhere. As such, Agent A is a game that rewards tenacity what comes to exploring the world.</p><p>The puzzles themselves and their locations are telegraphed to the player very nicely. It's actually surprisingly obvious where the puzzles are in each scene. Also, what items you need to activate the puzzles is similarly logical, which is always a good thing.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5QafFp4hqmUDPioaZHqwsnQ0MiPB7FjEYCuN12_v54HRfFGzHLy-AFnTkHFhnSRiZIaC1-u-W4F2_76Cqt-KaCJLB2_dVAYlx-qedLsTientAFqJ1WYSGW7fTbiZBVACsCj7iHP_FplIqZoPa773Hd0WD-mWbAgsqSbEyp2dQDrc3mu5J69zH0Cf/s2560/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2017.17.54.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5QafFp4hqmUDPioaZHqwsnQ0MiPB7FjEYCuN12_v54HRfFGzHLy-AFnTkHFhnSRiZIaC1-u-W4F2_76Cqt-KaCJLB2_dVAYlx-qedLsTientAFqJ1WYSGW7fTbiZBVACsCj7iHP_FplIqZoPa773Hd0WD-mWbAgsqSbEyp2dQDrc3mu5J69zH0Cf/w640-h270/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2017.17.54.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>As for difficulty, I'd say Agent A is a fairly simple game. None of the puzzles are that difficult, and personally, I managed to go through the game in around 4 hours. Then again, I'm not new to puzzle games, so your mileage may vary. There isn't any in-game hint system, so if the few clues Agent A gives to you, or the clues you find from the environments aren't enough to help, you might need to turn to the internet for help. <br /><p></p><p>Agent A is a colorful, nice-looking, and fun little puzzle game. If you are partial to the genre, you could pick up much worse games. Agent A is sold on <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/agent_a_a_puzzle_in_disguise">GOG</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/801480/Agent_A_A_puzzle_in_disguise/">Steam</a>. It's also available for mobile devices and consoles. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA8jfPezyIjGZb8zY-zgdj6bTYaA-3WVh1-3B7CITbG35cWrfaz-0Hy2f8lHOwLj5g3iDm4fz3M11f10hI0FZ1u3Ywgr_9ZTqlKnBFkClIwAaucPP7u-nAIwsHpEKeTSZK36V1KOnQUd0x6vuC0-vdW44_CwRf-1hm-zyFGbDopHOMwVLnvakoRyU/s2560/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2017.15.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA8jfPezyIjGZb8zY-zgdj6bTYaA-3WVh1-3B7CITbG35cWrfaz-0Hy2f8lHOwLj5g3iDm4fz3M11f10hI0FZ1u3Ywgr_9ZTqlKnBFkClIwAaucPP7u-nAIwsHpEKeTSZK36V1KOnQUd0x6vuC0-vdW44_CwRf-1hm-zyFGbDopHOMwVLnvakoRyU/w640-h270/Agent%20A%2018.11.2022%2017.15.23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-59248530131809855842024-03-01T07:52:00.000-08:002024-03-01T08:01:18.912-08:00Arx Fatalis (2002)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYf4ggJJpiW663cY2P4J3DaZHDZzSFSfUqnHe2dhRV--QO1IJvuXhiuBFoPY1hIKmR0lg_0qy4_JLjcwEN7jCOtl_1SabyKK-djnMWE_i3Nhoa7Awyw8aAtozUmCbcdD6Hc_T_TueM3LoN8xeg6OPUzuG0yU_pyFWIPKzdb44Wqlm6dWyFOayBhuc/s1110/arx-fatalis.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYf4ggJJpiW663cY2P4J3DaZHDZzSFSfUqnHe2dhRV--QO1IJvuXhiuBFoPY1hIKmR0lg_0qy4_JLjcwEN7jCOtl_1SabyKK-djnMWE_i3Nhoa7Awyw8aAtozUmCbcdD6Hc_T_TueM3LoN8xeg6OPUzuG0yU_pyFWIPKzdb44Wqlm6dWyFOayBhuc/s320/arx-fatalis.jpg" width="231" /></a></i></div><i>Arx Fatalis (2002), designed and directed by Raphaƫl Colantonia, developed and published by Arkane Studios</i><br /><p></p><p>It has always been a bit puzzling to me, why so few games have tried to follow the path set by the Ultima Underworld games back in the early 1990's. Sure, immersive sim games do pop up now and then, but very few of them try to actually follow a similar path of creating a larger game environment, where you can move relatively freely, finding your way around the way your characters' abilities allow. Arx Fatalis is one of the very few games to do so.</p><p>Like in many other games, you begin the game with no memory of who you are and why you've been dragged into a goblin prison. The prisoner in the cell next to you urges you to find a way to escape, as he has been wounded and his cell seems to be rock solid. Obviously, you find a way out and manage to kill the guard as well. After you release the other prisoner, he gives you the name Am Shagar, which means without a name in a foreign tongue. With this name, you make your escape and finally arrive at a human fortress, which has been attacked.</p><p>The still-breathing commander pleads with you to find your way to the Kingdom of Arx. This task is made harder by the fact that the joining tunnels have collapsed. This requires a further explanation. Arx is underground. Decades ago, the sun of the world died, leaving the surface in the grasp of an eternal winter. This drove the people, humans, goblins, dwarfs, and trolls alike to seek shelter from the old mines, digging even deeper.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvJtSmso1N3CfZidoNBn1atDeIgQyz5MRb-r5FaiDeUnN47DkpEfFMAZueX9r-OLP8e71AnaaFsLUq5S7vAN2sIDrsMouPmk2RbBjCcqUtaEllGV72Gh67hv7mQm4ARG9vYNxYPrfArRU2GJDiUEricZEYXUScHuUj70hhzxQf2ykkfYC0R17CYns/s2560/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2025.10.2022%2021.19.46.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvJtSmso1N3CfZidoNBn1atDeIgQyz5MRb-r5FaiDeUnN47DkpEfFMAZueX9r-OLP8e71AnaaFsLUq5S7vAN2sIDrsMouPmk2RbBjCcqUtaEllGV72Gh67hv7mQm4ARG9vYNxYPrfArRU2GJDiUEricZEYXUScHuUj70hhzxQf2ykkfYC0R17CYns/w640-h270/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2025.10.2022%2021.19.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>After some tunnels, you finally find the city of Arx and inform the king of all that has happened. You get some money and a new quest and you also regain your memory. You aren't some common rube, but a Guardian sent to Arx to take care of an evil god, Akbaa who is trying to munch the soul of the world for power. The game isn't even halfway through, and you can find your way to the lair of the evil and destroy a meteor where the evil one is residing. And nothing much happens.<p></p><p>See, Akbaa has become too strong to be destroyed by merely breaking the rock that binds his spirit. You need to up your game and find some ancient relics to get rid of ol' Akby. And that's exactly what you do before you get to complete your mission.</p><p>As far story goes, the basics are just that, basic. While the world itself is quite interesting, the main story isn't any more special than the story in Ultima Underworld 1, just a bit more convoluted. Then again, the story could have been quite different, as originally Arx Fatalis was imagined as Ultima Underworld 3, but Arkane couldn't get the rights. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKdpRQJ9t3Q5PWXe_mn4ip6GvyJR2WfN_qnJIZO2eXfbrBcnF2wWxAW6RoH2QzNVW5HXS_EW4hRqob5FUBY4dDfJdlV4L1-HN7ti_JvN4JCQeEXXGebhQ5Qe9rv0vpe1tTELMjBSfSGQIYEPN5ibmCj9iEqkbri-AWiFXWT0a_g9UHd-y6XjpE3qA/s2560/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2026.10.2022%2022.04.16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKdpRQJ9t3Q5PWXe_mn4ip6GvyJR2WfN_qnJIZO2eXfbrBcnF2wWxAW6RoH2QzNVW5HXS_EW4hRqob5FUBY4dDfJdlV4L1-HN7ti_JvN4JCQeEXXGebhQ5Qe9rv0vpe1tTELMjBSfSGQIYEPN5ibmCj9iEqkbri-AWiFXWT0a_g9UHd-y6XjpE3qA/w640-h270/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2026.10.2022%2022.04.16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>As far as gameplay goes, Arx Fatalis is a pretty smooth experience. And if you install the fan-made <a href="https://arx-libertatis.org/">Arx Libertatis</a> patch, you get an even smoother experience with better resolution support. The higher resolutions do make the game look very, very nice and sharp.<p></p><p>Perhaps the most interesting gameplay mechanic is how the magic works. Instead of just reading scrolls, you actually have to draw the magic runes in the air. Before casting, you need to collect several runes. To cast a spell, you can then check your book for the spells as well as instructions on how to draw the runes. For speed casting, you can pre-cast a couple of spells for speedier use. The strength of the spells is determined by your magic skills. </p><p>Of course, if you do want to play as more of a pure mage, it's advisable to learn the runes quite well, as the game doesn't pause while casting. While the system is interesting, it's not the speediest system around.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUznFnKwePCcJXxP3l7DEo-YxVRsQhVzB4DenvMBNL_3QLNszAwdqh7CpaAL0pjOkdVxegmalhWGATnAN4BCFYWWTaxip3g_oJKd-_8p_C58_FbgBID-bOkizP97-XWVWsPdE98Xo6yTCX4si0i9GqlcadbC865-eCF6TzCNR2hKzm5IosjUuyeowm/s2560/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2024.10.2022%2019.06.02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUznFnKwePCcJXxP3l7DEo-YxVRsQhVzB4DenvMBNL_3QLNszAwdqh7CpaAL0pjOkdVxegmalhWGATnAN4BCFYWWTaxip3g_oJKd-_8p_C58_FbgBID-bOkizP97-XWVWsPdE98Xo6yTCX4si0i9GqlcadbC865-eCF6TzCNR2hKzm5IosjUuyeowm/w640-h270/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2024.10.2022%2019.06.02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Arx Fatalis is something of a hidden gem. It doesn't get quite the attention it deserves and while it's not as groundbreaking a game as the Ultima Underworld titles were, it is a solid entry to the immersive sim genre. <p></p><p>For those wanting to experience the grim world of Arx themselves, head to <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/arx_fatalis">GOG</a> or <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1700/Arx_Fatalis/">Steam</a> to get your copy of the game. Finalize the installation with Arx Libertis and be on your merry way. Its normal price tag is around 5 bucks or so, so it's not even that expensive of a game to try. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1KOkvkUM3LqB2Tia96gXmJQdJMX59i0hYcg0I6Bu67DKuDezV6bmzRH7eBnZT9t5ZjcbCaJz20Ly2QBfOwNmv0ss_xYyWMClshGOo675B6x8heM-91ncrDoeNJbHbW8Nzk6InkevHSHZZpaKbCXAeh7b3IVeZeg3RKy4hd7PJEWLisflfCXr1eMp/s2560/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2024.10.2022%2019.12.16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1KOkvkUM3LqB2Tia96gXmJQdJMX59i0hYcg0I6Bu67DKuDezV6bmzRH7eBnZT9t5ZjcbCaJz20Ly2QBfOwNmv0ss_xYyWMClshGOo675B6x8heM-91ncrDoeNJbHbW8Nzk6InkevHSHZZpaKbCXAeh7b3IVeZeg3RKy4hd7PJEWLisflfCXr1eMp/w640-h270/Arx%20Libertatis%201.2.1%2024.10.2022%2019.12.16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-9224620279367620972024-02-16T09:47:00.000-08:002024-02-16T09:47:54.508-08:00Puzzle Agent 1 (2010) Puzzle Agent 2 (2011)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIet280z8b9Womlkpwy85m3G7VS0ywWDmmqs-XNKTAWDPjhCSLXDxWEXsWSUbGJQHjDQ0YbmQA0di3H5piyegQRt_xcpnvfWc8loNu_5ziq9y9cVzNMIBGTF8D9zcW9DoEE73kweqMLWMZWJKt5JwQlCYAo6hTZzaRX8VSk46A0Umry64-LugbFkC3/s460/puzzle-agent.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIet280z8b9Womlkpwy85m3G7VS0ywWDmmqs-XNKTAWDPjhCSLXDxWEXsWSUbGJQHjDQ0YbmQA0di3H5piyegQRt_xcpnvfWc8loNu_5ziq9y9cVzNMIBGTF8D9zcW9DoEE73kweqMLWMZWJKt5JwQlCYAo6hTZzaRX8VSk46A0Umry64-LugbFkC3/w640-h300/puzzle-agent.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i>Puzzle Agent 1 (2010) Puzzle Agent 2 (2011), based on Grickle by Graham Annable, developed and published by Telltale Games</i><br /><p></p><p>I decided to do both of Telltale's Puzzle Agent games in one go, as while they are not episodic games as such, they are narratively connected, as the story that begins in the 1st game is concluded in the 2nd. And the 2nd doesn't really stand on its own, story-wise if you haven't played the 1st one.</p><p>Nelson Tethers is an agent in the FBI Puzzle Division. While solving puzzles, he falls asleep on his desk and sees a nightmare of an astronaut, who gives him a message: Scoggings. He wakes up on a phone call and is assigned to a case of checking out an eraser factory in Scoggings, Minnesota. The factory delivers all the erasers to the Whitehouse and the bureau needs Tethers to make sure, that the flow of the erasers won't be affected by whatever has been going on in there.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeNcdA8fhnQA0-O7Olu63N1W2FJ5zEjqzjpcZ8o1Qhmzz48a6Lz0vmrngdjrJRFSsffDfY9wjdHr1hFg8BXu9Sz3Zkfq3KkDM4OMM_TODAFzeJyo69D4NwIOLtaaof-tM-_DDkP6MLmJTk0yjzJr0cJPdmOyntKTYwC_BixT3Eex71H4ShHlEizkM/s1920/20221102222953_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeNcdA8fhnQA0-O7Olu63N1W2FJ5zEjqzjpcZ8o1Qhmzz48a6Lz0vmrngdjrJRFSsffDfY9wjdHr1hFg8BXu9Sz3Zkfq3KkDM4OMM_TODAFzeJyo69D4NwIOLtaaof-tM-_DDkP6MLmJTk0yjzJr0cJPdmOyntKTYwC_BixT3Eex71H4ShHlEizkM/w640-h360/20221102222953_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>When Nelson arrives at Scoggings, he finds that the factory has been shut down thanks to the disappearance of the factory foreman and that the locals aren't really helpful at all. Some seem even a bit hostile while others seem to just talk gibberish about local Hiden People, the gnomes who live in the forests around the small town.<p></p><p>In the end, Tethers does manage to get the factory up and running again, but the disappearance of the foreman is still left as a mystery and he can't get the gnomes out of his head. In the 2nd game, he returns to Scoggins to dig deeper into the case, only to find out there have been several other disappearances in the area before the foreman went missing.</p><p>Digging deeper, Nelson finds not only the truth about the gnomes, but of astronauts and the secret operations of the government itself. The truth is far more bizarre than you'd believe.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxPljFFeXGnx5VSrQRzjxVpCxAeluespXbNYgmiebchX2wfD2ox_xE-POvo6NCswi8IbASF9nx_dPspo3zYz3dhSyQfvxba_yiSXQnx1kWkFZNUV0XRRYKBPKjGSk1YggtnPo_YZQCkQ0r8nb4HN22MJTJEcnne9AOleIKsQwuUpfHa_axSNNyY9Y/s1920/20221107224318_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxPljFFeXGnx5VSrQRzjxVpCxAeluespXbNYgmiebchX2wfD2ox_xE-POvo6NCswi8IbASF9nx_dPspo3zYz3dhSyQfvxba_yiSXQnx1kWkFZNUV0XRRYKBPKjGSk1YggtnPo_YZQCkQ0r8nb4HN22MJTJEcnne9AOleIKsQwuUpfHa_axSNNyY9Y/w640-h360/20221107224318_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Both of the Puzzle Agent games are pretty much what their title tells they are: puzzle games. While the game is presented as a point-and-click adventure game, there are no inventory or discussion puzzles. There is a story, a rather humorous and well-written one, but the game progresses with Nelson cracking several different kinds of puzzles. These brain teasers are really the meat and potatoes of the game.<p></p><p>The puzzles consist of your typical math problems, jigsaw puzzles, mazes, and so on. You know, the kinds you generally find in a puzzle section of any magazine. So if you are expecting a more traditional adventure game, you might be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you want to play a funny and well-made game where solving different kinds of puzzles is the main thing, then both of the Puzzle Agent games can be well recommended.</p><p>Finding and solving the puzzles is pretty straightforward. At times, you find them by talking to people, where the puzzles are clearly marked as such in the dialogue tree. At times, they are on the locations, found by clicking on the objects on the screen. A click on the screen does a quick scan, revealing all the spots you can click, so you won't miss any puzzles. At times, the puzzles launch when you go to a specific map location.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGJiEXECTDlIcTDyGOmhOJ8mccJ8M6yiKKrcLEvEpQSUhB67bNGhb14WzC0MKngzgHIOFHv2-qf5eykJDvez_v7yOqRVML_UaMBN4Q_u5S0xbms_7mGZNwgRQuiScEBVzCRmnb9fIBezsvf_qiHCB8tti6lDbje2hLs5oHxApiBazzwpUGnlzoHED/s1920/20221108213606_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGJiEXECTDlIcTDyGOmhOJ8mccJ8M6yiKKrcLEvEpQSUhB67bNGhb14WzC0MKngzgHIOFHv2-qf5eykJDvez_v7yOqRVML_UaMBN4Q_u5S0xbms_7mGZNwgRQuiScEBVzCRmnb9fIBezsvf_qiHCB8tti6lDbje2hLs5oHxApiBazzwpUGnlzoHED/w640-h360/20221108213606_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>You can try solving the puzzles as many times as you want, but the more wrong answers you provide, the smaller the score you get as you spend too much taxpayer money. There's a hint system in the form of chewing gum. You can get three hints on every puzzle, but each hint will also lower your score. Of course, this scoring system is nothing more than personal bragging rights, there's no effect on the story no matter how badly you do in solving the puzzles.<p></p><p>Another thing worth mentioning is the atmosphere of the games. While they are leaning more towards comedy, there is this very nice Twin Peaks-like feeling over the games, oozing from the music, the story, and from the dialogue and sound effects. It's a whimsical, bizarre, and rewarding setting that keeps you hooked to the end. <br /></p><p>And that's pretty much it for the Puzzle Agent games. They both are well-made games that don't overstay their welcome. The puzzle difficulty ranges from easy to hard, depending on which kinds of puzzles you are good at. So, if you do enjoy a good puzzle, Puzzle Agent might be a good title to pick up.</p><p>You can get the games from <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/puzzle_agent">GOG</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/31270/Puzzle_Agent/">Steam</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwZGmJTh0Krx8hNVBlECqmS7wlTQkIJl67Pzk-uHot_2kdMgvUjgLMixJPdM-fahw_XTG0iHB0QucLsNNeUrt9HEZ6BsEABaWycshrw6g1PfZsBjqbrzJ53tM2OnwYQQDg6Z6vd3NBRaBnyuPwz8iMPFG60kY6PA_kWrT5Cd7oUxqBUTRkmOBS0mI/s1920/20221107182025_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwZGmJTh0Krx8hNVBlECqmS7wlTQkIJl67Pzk-uHot_2kdMgvUjgLMixJPdM-fahw_XTG0iHB0QucLsNNeUrt9HEZ6BsEABaWycshrw6g1PfZsBjqbrzJ53tM2OnwYQQDg6Z6vd3NBRaBnyuPwz8iMPFG60kY6PA_kWrT5Cd7oUxqBUTRkmOBS0mI/w640-h360/20221107182025_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-8159630895750570602024-02-01T09:08:00.000-08:002024-02-01T09:08:02.483-08:00The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles (2011) <p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBc5Jlg-40WTN4tbvxXOWMF2JcNm2waplDHOH7Fuc1bOvWr1P54IgEAoMMmLqtYhjh91rnQ8P8yUzh6uYveyyUOeONJZYhhehYkzE6aqTT9-Fj_W53A_3UKZPSMsKnOwda_7M097biqmASuOXmxwic29Lco11yCj-W6muybYeFw5jQjk14kPoguwuf/s616/the-book-of-unwritten-tales-the-critter-chronicles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBc5Jlg-40WTN4tbvxXOWMF2JcNm2waplDHOH7Fuc1bOvWr1P54IgEAoMMmLqtYhjh91rnQ8P8yUzh6uYveyyUOeONJZYhhehYkzE6aqTT9-Fj_W53A_3UKZPSMsKnOwda_7M097biqmASuOXmxwic29Lco11yCj-W6muybYeFw5jQjk14kPoguwuf/w640-h366/the-book-of-unwritten-tales-the-critter-chronicles.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i>The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles (2011), developed by KING Art, published by THQ Nordic</i><p></p><p>I guess The Critter Chronicles was more of a side project. Of course, it is a decent-length adventure game, but in comparison to the 1st Unwritten Tales game, it feels less ambitious and more condensed. It's shorter, it has only two playable characters and it has fewer locations, most of the game takes place in the Northlands, where Nate crash lands.</p><p>Let's rewind a bit. The Critter Chronicles takes place before the events of The Book of Unwritten Tales. Nate has just won himself an airship and the orc bounty hunter Zazi is chasing him, causing the ship to crash into the Northlands, where the Critter and his people are as well. We actually get to know Critter and his background a bit better, as it's revealed, that he is in fact an alien and his people's ship has crash-landed on the icy land as well.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXLdIvc3gOV7pDOiXj94Ky_Z7eJzO6yyI7ufTmEFjd6CM_rhTRXnL5MgLj5iaUFGdc2hHFHYdwwDilKqEyAEiJMnD_85rDXhNq-C-B6oq0rdLYfscYBXDSfGhNdLm9xEusWb1XdqLAhpjipdc6i8BqvXIVYp1t30m0dFIH2dR0QqTCA86WJtNJDkB/s1920/20220926164137_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXLdIvc3gOV7pDOiXj94Ky_Z7eJzO6yyI7ufTmEFjd6CM_rhTRXnL5MgLj5iaUFGdc2hHFHYdwwDilKqEyAEiJMnD_85rDXhNq-C-B6oq0rdLYfscYBXDSfGhNdLm9xEusWb1XdqLAhpjipdc6i8BqvXIVYp1t30m0dFIH2dR0QqTCA86WJtNJDkB/w640-h360/20220926164137_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Munkus has found the aliens as well. As they have technology beyond his understanding, he's obviously thinking they have some previously unseen magic. Needing help, the critters at first asked his help, but have now lost the heart of their ship to the toady wizard. They need that back. And Nate needs their help to repair his ship, so Nate and Critter need to work together so everyone can get what they want: Nate his ship repaired and Critter the heart of Layla, the daughter of his boss.<p></p><p>Just like in the first game, you'll meet zany characters, fantasy parodies, and jabs toward pop culture and sci-fi. If that's your jam, then the game might provide more than enough entertainment. Personally, I can't say I'm a huge fan of it, as I find it mostly a tad boring. And I don't really like Nate at all. He's just not a fun character.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYQbJeEM_H3lJv5QMGaq-03CLIbpPmB2WUANAe93114_AdvydY_-xRtcUYLTVQmoC1LFcywMS-Kqrzp7EqkWQorndtPAM-JrospYBqQok89wDs71MTiAMMw838T1-WreI-Iv_33evdKjDSTghYTky6hnmQaj46-EZCG_MCfT2rSCuqEntpEXUujhV/s1920/20220927185208_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYQbJeEM_H3lJv5QMGaq-03CLIbpPmB2WUANAe93114_AdvydY_-xRtcUYLTVQmoC1LFcywMS-Kqrzp7EqkWQorndtPAM-JrospYBqQok89wDs71MTiAMMw838T1-WreI-Iv_33evdKjDSTghYTky6hnmQaj46-EZCG_MCfT2rSCuqEntpEXUujhV/w640-h360/20220927185208_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Overall, The Critter Chronicles, just like its predecessor, is a pretty solid-looking game. The background art looks very nice and detailed and the character models are more than serviceable, at least when seen far away away. The music is good. The voice acting is more of a hit-and-miss, but then again, I didn't really find the humor great either, so that might have something to do with it.<p></p><p>The Book of Unwritten Tales is perhaps a tad too long game for its own good, The Critter Chronicles is much shorter, but it's also a blander experience. While I can somewhat recommend the 1st game, this one I just can't, unless you are a die-hard fan of the series.</p><p>Those interested can get the game from<a href="https://www.gog.com/game/the_book_of_unwritten_tales_critter_chronicles"> GOG</a> or<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/221830/The_Book_of_Unwritten_Tales_The_Critter_Chronicles/"> Steam</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDJGKuBLgR3tdZ8JmUdbUzjJjLhKry_Ox6I-0_ugC3fj--rjuTcum4jHNw--_oD4gkw6Mx_yqaAOeSnpLU6XfnA0igVueS2e_njs_M5RBqVSGtW6zO9hvsbB-2x1WOVW7cTBX25ZFsleC3tuZ3rfOZZsjcLqIGMFR3d5K7e5hgj8-JjCmX17L5S6z/s1920/20220928172915_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDJGKuBLgR3tdZ8JmUdbUzjJjLhKry_Ox6I-0_ugC3fj--rjuTcum4jHNw--_oD4gkw6Mx_yqaAOeSnpLU6XfnA0igVueS2e_njs_M5RBqVSGtW6zO9hvsbB-2x1WOVW7cTBX25ZFsleC3tuZ3rfOZZsjcLqIGMFR3d5K7e5hgj8-JjCmX17L5S6z/w640-h360/20220928172915_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-54625219511642654182023-12-17T01:32:00.000-08:002023-12-17T01:32:46.809-08:00The Book of Unwritten Tales (2009)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2KcJp93jpGdYIcCrBHwu5soMb2iT5h4zFwvZNryvskfyiXAo2Q5xq5w2jc7hbwuLcZ_Y1o27FkGqZIHC-ixO9cj03xrRGwx94b-cA3VrQMSLZf_8J_iaQaTXzaFypwesZZDAM9QP9vDlz_lFYMVS8-dn2QyXfH7fHjOSJtkhLrzO2RbkI2TvtBoC/s1120/the-book-of-unwritten-tales.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2KcJp93jpGdYIcCrBHwu5soMb2iT5h4zFwvZNryvskfyiXAo2Q5xq5w2jc7hbwuLcZ_Y1o27FkGqZIHC-ixO9cj03xrRGwx94b-cA3VrQMSLZf_8J_iaQaTXzaFypwesZZDAM9QP9vDlz_lFYMVS8-dn2QyXfH7fHjOSJtkhLrzO2RbkI2TvtBoC/s320/the-book-of-unwritten-tales.jpg" width="229" /></a></i></div><i>The Book of Unwritten Tales (2009), developed by King Art, published by THQ Nordic</i><p></p><p>In the fantasy world of Aventasia, a war is going on. We don't actually get to see the war, but we do hear a lot of talk about it and how the Army of Shadows is trying to breach the defenses of the Alliance of Free Races. </p><p>A gremlin archeologist MacGuffin has made a great discovery: a location of an ancient artefact that could surely change the war in one go. Obviously, the evil forces have heard of this as well and Munkus, the son of the evil queen Mortroga, captures the gremlin before he can pass the information to the archmage. Ivo, an elven princess, manages to free him, well sort of, and MacGuffin sends her to his abode to get a book leading to the artifact.</p><p>At the same time, a gnome Wilbur is thinking of adventures, when MacGuffin drops by, asking him to deliver an important ring to the archmage, then the archeologist is captured again. Wilbur, keen to be a hero, sets out to the human city and finds he has to become a mage before he can see the archmage. So does that and ends up freeing a smuggler Nate, and his friend Critter.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1DsMlHrQ6SILevLhgHisW7Ty1I8_4-Q8nmrVO2Ok8ImvYfoP0aB_aa4Fi0eLlTfvo3KMBifDFoKuZ_5k6qEgIWzmx3o5_Ub3isQFU2GQEkiHhfTSfre9Sj_5NilTSH0MjJHSywMAoq42d8mBEH6FRTJ6b4itUYZRDWN3cgxDlWYt_h1FXs83-cTr/s1726/The%20Book%20of%20Unwritten%20Tales%2010.9.2022%2020.51.42.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1726" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1DsMlHrQ6SILevLhgHisW7Ty1I8_4-Q8nmrVO2Ok8ImvYfoP0aB_aa4Fi0eLlTfvo3KMBifDFoKuZ_5k6qEgIWzmx3o5_Ub3isQFU2GQEkiHhfTSfre9Sj_5NilTSH0MjJHSywMAoq42d8mBEH6FRTJ6b4itUYZRDWN3cgxDlWYt_h1FXs83-cTr/w640-h400/The%20Book%20of%20Unwritten%20Tales%2010.9.2022%2020.51.42.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Long story short, Ivo, Wilbur, Nate, and Critter manage to get the artifact, free MacGuffin and end the war to a victory for the Alliance. Huzzah, and all that, even with the mandatory "maybe there's a new adventure ahead" (which there was).<p></p><p>By the end of the 00s, the adventure genre had begun to show some signs of not being as dead as some had claimed. Telltale had already gotten to season 2 of Sam and Max and many indie devs were pushing out pixel games one after another. Graphically speaking, The Book of Unwritten Tales is one of the better-looking games to arrive on the scene at the time. And perhaps one of the more ambitious ones, with a decent length, multiple playable characters, a lot of puzzles, some requiring the characters to work together, and so on.</p><p>The game itself is a fantasy parody. It takes nothing too seriously and the humor comes from, mostly, gently poking fun at fantasy tropes, like chosen ones, magical artifacts, barely seen evil entities, all kinds of creatures, and so on. A good deal of how much you'll like the game hangs solely on whether you find the game funny or not. If this is the style of comedy you like, you might enjoy it more than some other people do.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7jy3YjXwSVqXxB9t3WvO_RWUEA5Bos0Ggbz2z1BEuhgSd78-Buxr9UuWM0xwuCBVDtzm7P-31VoP6UGjZiwHZ4x2l-lLH_-Qut4sDFTtn6c9jbUKhq58hIRiaQzBZSzSU33EtEa2biaqTiAHv45KHIhcIvyUavLdhgXWlGYPxBcRBzNeCKNOjij2/s1726/The%20Book%20of%20Unwritten%20Tales%2023.9.2022%2017.40.38.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1726" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7jy3YjXwSVqXxB9t3WvO_RWUEA5Bos0Ggbz2z1BEuhgSd78-Buxr9UuWM0xwuCBVDtzm7P-31VoP6UGjZiwHZ4x2l-lLH_-Qut4sDFTtn6c9jbUKhq58hIRiaQzBZSzSU33EtEa2biaqTiAHv45KHIhcIvyUavLdhgXWlGYPxBcRBzNeCKNOjij2/w640-h400/The%20Book%20of%20Unwritten%20Tales%2023.9.2022%2017.40.38.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />That said, while I do find parts of the game fun, it does kind of stay out of its welcome towards the end. After reaching the shadow realms, the puzzles, as do the jokes, lose quite a bit of steam, turning the progression towards the anticlimactic story a bit of a chore. And then by the end, puzzles just aren't really as clever as the developers might have thought they were.<p></p><p>The Book of Unwritten Tales does have pretty solid production values though. The game looks absolutely fantastic and while the character models do leave some room for improvement, they are mostly pretty well done and animated. The voice acting is more than passable, but in some places, the English translation seems a bit iffy.</p><p>As such, The Book of Unwritten Tales might not offer anything new under the sun, but depending on your sense of comedy, it might offer an entertaining enough tale for at least one playthrough. And if you do like this, there's a sequel called The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 as well as a spinoff called The Critter Chronicles. </p><p>If you are so inclined, you can get the game from <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_book_of_unwritten_tales">GOG </a>and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/215160/The_Book_of_Unwritten_Tales/">Steam</a>. It's probably on other platforms as well. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2w2biOPLOUE7Jo8Y90wVmYvDKqi2ha2i76VZygLvtvxYpF39kWDexzizPFu1D-Lv4t7927yzCWRSkp_YBg6imiA1U1Sb2R68P4ttid3xsCi_hf6pbbx9P-MlhX1nBAAbfxcJNGXmkvx8qJ0eM0fksJrCfXqa1v1vCKwKsdIVxux6xtZtZHhJW3Ao0/s1726/The%20Book%20of%20Unwritten%20Tales%2025.9.2022%208.25.59.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1726" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2w2biOPLOUE7Jo8Y90wVmYvDKqi2ha2i76VZygLvtvxYpF39kWDexzizPFu1D-Lv4t7927yzCWRSkp_YBg6imiA1U1Sb2R68P4ttid3xsCi_hf6pbbx9P-MlhX1nBAAbfxcJNGXmkvx8qJ0eM0fksJrCfXqa1v1vCKwKsdIVxux6xtZtZHhJW3Ao0/w640-h400/The%20Book%20of%20Unwritten%20Tales%2025.9.2022%208.25.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-8362600459317087092023-12-01T12:04:00.000-08:002023-12-01T12:04:25.678-08:00The Next Big Thing (2011)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZancoU46YphQG1lqQI4hwASppI35Mgy796URYnGDjE3EE25o6P9mTnpD39XbyzeGFhynILEyhPwKW4sf_u2gRKnaHJnfIAqovED9xqWDh_JdunekkHDGtm9dmGc3HmMzDHpdEbJX7mIdM99Lsaj3wCWZdIrY1Xa8FuKV4CqZYoWAC7wwnwuSdltn/s1126/the-next-big-thing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZancoU46YphQG1lqQI4hwASppI35Mgy796URYnGDjE3EE25o6P9mTnpD39XbyzeGFhynILEyhPwKW4sf_u2gRKnaHJnfIAqovED9xqWDh_JdunekkHDGtm9dmGc3HmMzDHpdEbJX7mIdM99Lsaj3wCWZdIrY1Xa8FuKV4CqZYoWAC7wwnwuSdltn/s320/the-next-big-thing.jpg" width="227" /></a></i></div><i>The Next Big Thing (2011), developed by Pendulo Studios, published by Focus Home Entertainment</i><p></p><p>There's a very clear reason why I don't really like The Next Big Thing: it has an extremely flawed translation that makes most of the game's dialogue and jokes just weird and miss the target. I do believe, that the English translation for the game's script is somewhat quite literal translation from the original Spanish script and that the translator has just translated all the words, including Spanish idioms as they are, instead of trying to figure out their comparable English versions, thus rendering quite a big chunk of the dialogue incomprehensible.</p><p>This is actually the issue I have with all of Pendulo's comedic adventure games I've played. While they are mostly rather nice in terms of graphics and the gameplay is often pretty decent, the scripts are just a mess. Now, granted, I have not played the Spanish originals, as I don't understand a word of Spanish, so I can't really say how well the games work in their mother language. Maybe they are just as bad, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that the English versions a just a result of a botched translation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qr_IpiMZ04wGWRKwBqhO_uux8PhySoxkmOG0JupNj8-YpfIAb3csmGIsMglWTz3MpwznZtTJXl3WUEYsQdHNsZTO1J-tlKKkohAAs-NQMHa86vFcun3oxx95FPEWWI0mX6JCiBjpLr4huMXcMhgU67qkLS-Modl3YuKKPC6SWaz93o7gH-IH6w4K/s2560/20220513172701_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qr_IpiMZ04wGWRKwBqhO_uux8PhySoxkmOG0JupNj8-YpfIAb3csmGIsMglWTz3MpwznZtTJXl3WUEYsQdHNsZTO1J-tlKKkohAAs-NQMHa86vFcun3oxx95FPEWWI0mX6JCiBjpLr4huMXcMhgU67qkLS-Modl3YuKKPC6SWaz93o7gH-IH6w4K/w640-h270/20220513172701_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In an alternative 1950s America, monster movies are made by genuine monsters. Zombies, vampires, and mutated scientists are the real deal, who use their appearances to make horror entertainment for the masses. </p><p>Two reporters, a disinterested sportsman Dan, and an entertainment reporter Liz, are sent to check out the party at the horror movie studio MKO, where the aim is to get interviews from the monster actors and the studio big wig Fitzrandolph. The matters twist when Liz and Dan notice one of the monsters, Big Albert, sneaking into Fitzrandolph's office. Liz smells a propers scoop and heads to investigate.</p><p>The next morning, Dan finds out that Liz never made it back home, so he heads back to the studios, only to find out that there's indeed something rotten going on. Fitzrandolph is planning on going into politics and with the help of a brain chip, he is planning on controlling the monster actors and utilizing them in family-friendly movies, to make a better impression on the voting masses. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb_zrBygVGwSEO2H4imluqXWEYJ6ERUtqQqqQLU0qbgo4gYar3ifv0-BZS85gcTeYwnTj5CUDUsfMCfdKDn3Z1bJxqXF3372YmnghaFu-46qeqEF_J5LDCafc_I8jEurxbO4ZTrrisHtj4WJw76vkisYE5Wl3m-fDvHJZ3tdkYKnfmW-yIQP4yesz/s2560/20220513214039_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb_zrBygVGwSEO2H4imluqXWEYJ6ERUtqQqqQLU0qbgo4gYar3ifv0-BZS85gcTeYwnTj5CUDUsfMCfdKDn3Z1bJxqXF3372YmnghaFu-46qeqEF_J5LDCafc_I8jEurxbO4ZTrrisHtj4WJw76vkisYE5Wl3m-fDvHJZ3tdkYKnfmW-yIQP4yesz/w640-h270/20220513214039_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The game moves forward in a chapter format. Each chapter is played either as Dan or Liz. Dan's goal, in the beginning, is to find Liz, whereas Liz is trying to find evidence of Fitzpatrick's evil plans in terms of his Next Big Thing (title drop). In the rather anticlimactic end, they must find means of thwarting Fitzpatrick. </p><p>Like I said, I don't really care about The Next Big Thing that much, mostly because the script just doesn't work for me. I don't find the game funny or clever and the characters come out more as annoying than anything else. Other than that, it's a rather standard point-and-click fare, in all things good and bad. </p><p>I can't really recommend it, I can't really recommend any of Pendulo's adventure games. While they do have some good production values, it seems like those values trickled past the translation effort. </p><p>The Next Big Thing can be bought from <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_next_big_thing">GOG</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/58570/The_Next_BIG_Thing/">Steam</a>. I guess, if you are absolutely starved for some pointing and clicking, you could get it. It's often cheap enough, so it's not like you end up in ruination because of it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e1vAvBsHpIdUTKBrbLRIHS58lsaxrCLo6XsBHVCC6MlSbZGRlNrArsN-a8Wk3sItesZbRkMUQFIyXqR7MV3W10yn20X_L1bxo-nz74fWiuyV_IlrEg_ihA0sHoq13jPG-3C8ewy8vVtGFzYxRJGxR4c0InnptwGE2f58nWnKlGo90C-gzykA7YXL/s2560/20220514093850_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e1vAvBsHpIdUTKBrbLRIHS58lsaxrCLo6XsBHVCC6MlSbZGRlNrArsN-a8Wk3sItesZbRkMUQFIyXqR7MV3W10yn20X_L1bxo-nz74fWiuyV_IlrEg_ihA0sHoq13jPG-3C8ewy8vVtGFzYxRJGxR4c0InnptwGE2f58nWnKlGo90C-gzykA7YXL/w640-h270/20220514093850_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-84779314102581336222023-11-16T07:46:00.000-08:002023-11-16T07:46:50.847-08:00Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo (2021)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoGi2TZ49tuj99g9jMMkUfwfBQbgFtUisShYhHuwPM5UBC8c8ttAiPch7i-xPtmN_neP_Lfo4FubFAweP62pnY_qegwgBH2cAewg_dIU-HLoQ_hP3CDpljWTpsxTCwF6PYCEhFQees37zc5owBxL9Sxj7bmsXzQeAzrI2MZl9dUaXtgFNs3FXpvzr/s800/alfred-hitchcock-vertigo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoGi2TZ49tuj99g9jMMkUfwfBQbgFtUisShYhHuwPM5UBC8c8ttAiPch7i-xPtmN_neP_Lfo4FubFAweP62pnY_qegwgBH2cAewg_dIU-HLoQ_hP3CDpljWTpsxTCwF6PYCEhFQees37zc5owBxL9Sxj7bmsXzQeAzrI2MZl9dUaXtgFNs3FXpvzr/w640-h296/alfred-hitchcock-vertigo.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i> Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo (2021), developed by Pendulo Studios, published by Microids</i><br /><p></p><p>There are no reasons why this game should be called Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. It's not an adaptation of the movie nor it's an adaptation of the novel by Boileau and Narcejac either (not that I've read more than a synopsis of The Living and the Dead, but only similarities are thematic in nature, if even that). The same can be said about the movie as well, the similarities are merely thematical, and that in itself seems like a very poor reason to license an IP. Of course, licensing the master director's name was most likely an attempt to sell more copies of this game. However, if you ask me, not even the stylistic leaning towards the master director seems like a necessary reason to license his name and profile image to the title. Not even the name Vertigo warrants a license, as there are several other games with the same name and I doubt it is a brand in itself. <br /></p><p>So, if you are going into Vertigo thinking you'll see an adaptation of the movie starring James Stewart, you will be disappointed. </p><p>But, does the game manage to stand on its own feet then? Most of the time, yes. It does have its weaker parts and the story gets a bit convoluted towards the end, the very ending managing to leap proudly over the shark, kind of flattening what was shown before it. That said, it is an interesting enough game to warrant at least one play-through. Not that it has much gameplay, as Vertigo is first and foremost an interactive movie littered with some quick-time events in an attempt to inject at least a trifle of "gaming" into an otherwise story-heavy experience.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FZDlnfReYv3uDybova_rGl3M8Z3VCAwUDvLQjWxils6YE_jbVJV8hNrQCrDED_ZafyEn_ohCfsesi7jETB52B4wGEKv_OSLiSXN_-kxpYBqB-Zc05Gqjm52_3QBVOXR35bMDd6Q0PPNEQ3O32HE890EQ9Zxx7SSrUvS0zoTvC0G5bGYh13bThbBN/s2560/20220731180339_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FZDlnfReYv3uDybova_rGl3M8Z3VCAwUDvLQjWxils6YE_jbVJV8hNrQCrDED_ZafyEn_ohCfsesi7jETB52B4wGEKv_OSLiSXN_-kxpYBqB-Zc05Gqjm52_3QBVOXR35bMDd6Q0PPNEQ3O32HE890EQ9Zxx7SSrUvS0zoTvC0G5bGYh13bThbBN/w640-h270/20220731180339_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Depending on what you are looking for from a game, this lack of actual gameplay might be another strike for it. Personally, I don't see myself playing through Vertigo again, as there's really nothing much to play. And while the story was decent enough, it wasn't so good that I see myself picking it up again. If it was a movie, I'd give it a second go at some point, but as a game, it's not that gripping of an experience.<p></p><p>A writer Ed Miller wakes up on a dirt road, and his car has gone over a cliff. Then, in the haze, he sees his long-dead father standing on the edge of a bridge going over a deep ravine. He runs towards him, trying to stop the man from jumping, but he's there too late. Distraught, Ed steps on the edge, but just before he manages to jump, he's pulled back. Ed keeps sobbing, about how he has killed his girlfriend and baby daughter.</p><p>A bit later, dr. Loomis arrives to see Ed. She's a psychiatrist, hired to help Ed, who is now suffering from crippling vertigo, caused by the trauma. She also needs to find out, if Ed's girlfriend and daughter ever existed at all, or if it has all been just a figment of his imagination caused by deeper childhood trauma.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhlzdKyaOY6iVcpWoJr1kDVQKPVL6dAjA0-4-l2sM8EbvKKD3nve4QG2yDFRT9mCbU01gM52qLFx_17JYZ6pfa8qKfq8SneeCR1KON_dneE-YlqiFRKiGEE7kpJFRu0Iqt6mpTMVImlc0ei_Q2FHszHSERE7wBtcvfHTcwTTUWd5RqxrxHcOHV2KA/s2560/20220731181034_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhlzdKyaOY6iVcpWoJr1kDVQKPVL6dAjA0-4-l2sM8EbvKKD3nve4QG2yDFRT9mCbU01gM52qLFx_17JYZ6pfa8qKfq8SneeCR1KON_dneE-YlqiFRKiGEE7kpJFRu0Iqt6mpTMVImlc0ei_Q2FHszHSERE7wBtcvfHTcwTTUWd5RqxrxHcOHV2KA/w640-h270/20220731181034_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />At the same time, Sheriff Reyes finds a murdered farmer. The traces of the killer seem to point toward Ed, so he too has an interest in finding out if the writer is pretending his condition or if he really did kill the old man for some reason.<p></p><p>The story that plays out is shown, and played, from the point of view of several people, including, but not limited to, Ed, Loomis, and Reyes. It goes through several timelines, jumping back and forth in time until it finally arrives at its conclusions, which you as the player have some effect over. </p><p>As I stated, the story is interesting enough, filled with twists and turns. Loomis is patiently sieving through Ed's memories, cutting through his dreams and false memories in order to find the truth of the matter. But, the story also is a bit uneven, and especially from the midpoint, it does feel like the writers wrote themselves into a corner from where a clean escape was more or less impossible, as they had laid so many twists on their path, that restructuring the narrative would have messed things even more. So, while the story is interesting, it's also a bit clumsy as well, at times becoming unintentionally funny.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWlJ1PXCJR3XEsiTLKFCL_O1a9bgZxVvxDqDWyMHDcx6Kyy9iGZejeJN6tXQfsrpkrIs3fgIy-VJvcZX9YMNvr_HT6F658yO6LEOsEmYBtCHmUXZP0jwLw6J-hQvNLRP6sMkhV_aHmdliNVq1jNRrsS3fJT_Du-tw-8HLQW7-HfJk8Lp0EYYO2dcO/s2560/20220801212932_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWlJ1PXCJR3XEsiTLKFCL_O1a9bgZxVvxDqDWyMHDcx6Kyy9iGZejeJN6tXQfsrpkrIs3fgIy-VJvcZX9YMNvr_HT6F658yO6LEOsEmYBtCHmUXZP0jwLw6J-hQvNLRP6sMkhV_aHmdliNVq1jNRrsS3fJT_Du-tw-8HLQW7-HfJk8Lp0EYYO2dcO/w640-h270/20220801212932_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The gameplay is nothing special. Vertigo is, through and through, in all things good and bad, an interactive movie. So, some quick time events, moving the controller in the right direction or pushing the right button when prompted. Simply put, it's not a game you play because of superb gameplay, you endure the gameplay for the story. And in that, Vertigo does succeed well enough to warrant a single playthrough.<p></p><p>You can get Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo from <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/alfred_hitchcock_vertigo">GOG</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1449320/Alfred_Hitchcock__Vertigo/">Steam</a> for PC. It's also available for consoles and I'd figure consoles would be exactly the right platform to play this on. Somehow, sitting on a sofa, staring at a big screen TV feels more appropriate for this than a PC.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NpH4y3VSedu9mYYl8ScleGJUZERvHCkPeWtctEGxdsDsjsZs9bG6Ex9blnc8I3bo_Dk3TISBIZ2CZorClW5dqcI1aGyykzV8LCDbn6Qv9RL8pHWVAWWTfXuSkhG5SSO92A8X8AuZczflJ8q_CoK8tjS9PKuI4lP1q1Wk5uLAOBkDmaKo-6H9x8ty/s2560/20220804212123_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NpH4y3VSedu9mYYl8ScleGJUZERvHCkPeWtctEGxdsDsjsZs9bG6Ex9blnc8I3bo_Dk3TISBIZ2CZorClW5dqcI1aGyykzV8LCDbn6Qv9RL8pHWVAWWTfXuSkhG5SSO92A8X8AuZczflJ8q_CoK8tjS9PKuI4lP1q1Wk5uLAOBkDmaKo-6H9x8ty/w640-h270/20220804212123_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-90154829701199551502023-11-02T11:39:00.002-07:002023-11-02T11:39:22.164-07:00Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds (1993)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAdqlumY_uURaaee9swHekUZGSlELzZYhVHly7_9dkRIu6nDYZhEFmoU6jigeuA2EqpkzElTTBaOHK_dHEAS-GA44yYJ1VplWEuOM9EfJya7ZrEjZ84A1B4kX4-pTiFrzdgqbdWFdaNNjpubeuYCbWrLWz-_gpfkkTx7vdXhFmSsFij_YBPcS86z0/s1006/uw2_box.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAdqlumY_uURaaee9swHekUZGSlELzZYhVHly7_9dkRIu6nDYZhEFmoU6jigeuA2EqpkzElTTBaOHK_dHEAS-GA44yYJ1VplWEuOM9EfJya7ZrEjZ84A1B4kX4-pTiFrzdgqbdWFdaNNjpubeuYCbWrLWz-_gpfkkTx7vdXhFmSsFij_YBPcS86z0/s320/uw2_box.jpg" width="254" /></a></i></div><i>Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds (1993), desiged by Dough Church and Paul Neurath, developed by Looking Glass Technologies, published by Origin</i><p></p><p>A year after the events of Ultima VII: The Black Gate, Lord British decides to have a party to celebrate the defeat of the Guardian. Guest of honor are the Avatar and his companions. During the celebrations at the castle, Guardian makes his move, casting a huge blackrock sphere around it, thus trapping Avatar and everyone else unfortunate enough to have attended the party. </p><p>From the suggestion of the court mage, Avatar begins a search under the castle, from where a large gem is found. One of its sides shines and turns out the be a portal to another realm, which Guardian has conquered ages ago. Avatar finds, that there are several of these worlds, that are either under the heel of the Guardian or destroyed by him after trying to resist him. From each world, a small gem is found, which then can be used on the larger gem to weaken the blackrock shell. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDJuy7jMmL9YMrZ_9fyuIacmNJmWf14-7wn4ctWVyXhp3z-EO4jPTZ9H0V8kXLbrcOB15GcEz2UNhKrJ8rBHZ7QEMBKv49TEJMNLNOjSjCC9ggI8PPpy8xgj80Kj-lrs54ZMpEHKpGCEIRy9lSthMly-giSGS-pRDIG9-W5oUSsO8m16GhZ5HBnx2/s320/uw2hack_001.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDJuy7jMmL9YMrZ_9fyuIacmNJmWf14-7wn4ctWVyXhp3z-EO4jPTZ9H0V8kXLbrcOB15GcEz2UNhKrJ8rBHZ7QEMBKv49TEJMNLNOjSjCC9ggI8PPpy8xgj80Kj-lrs54ZMpEHKpGCEIRy9lSthMly-giSGS-pRDIG9-W5oUSsO8m16GhZ5HBnx2/w640-h400/uw2hack_001.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />From one of the worlds, Avatar finds a clue of a magic wand that can be used to detach the world from each other, as the gem is feeding energy to the blackrock through the gem. Other tools are found too, to help bring a final blow to the dark shell.<p></p><p>In the castle, things are not well, as a sudden murder takes place. As the other occupants are incompetent, it's up to Avatar to solve this little murder case as well. It's not like there are more pressing matters at hand.</p><p>When all the power channels have been cut and a surprise attack of Guardian's troops is thwarted, the court mage Nuystul can finally break the spell with the help of Avatar. As the blackrock shell crumbles down, the ruler of Britannia can again thank Avatar for a job well done. And state, that the rebuilding of Britannia must continue.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVmEYJtPdPPBH9ZvisofBNW43Uj5K_62uC2_3503cEP89G9g7VQhY2R_1OVB71FSsk474_jD0k8ab3C_GXq2diILTGdllhvpIpDl7rH-rUNZfAoYyG3-bfNLQM4VhYWIeIcUq1zM0WM27iryb8QbAmcjVUhh7e1ruN1EDTElkgmye4hjvhew2sMEG/s320/uw2hack_013.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVmEYJtPdPPBH9ZvisofBNW43Uj5K_62uC2_3503cEP89G9g7VQhY2R_1OVB71FSsk474_jD0k8ab3C_GXq2diILTGdllhvpIpDl7rH-rUNZfAoYyG3-bfNLQM4VhYWIeIcUq1zM0WM27iryb8QbAmcjVUhh7e1ruN1EDTElkgmye4hjvhew2sMEG/w640-h400/uw2hack_013.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />It's pretty amazing, that there's only around a year in between the 1st Ultima Underworld and its sequel. The engine has improved quite a bit, making the 1st person gameplay much smoother, faster, and overall a greatly improved experience. Even the game screen is a bit bigger and the several worlds Avatar goes through are more detailed and filled with helpful and dangerous creatures alike. Some places you can even go through without a need to fight at all if you are smooth enough of a talker or manage to find a solution around the fight.<p></p><p>It does need to be said, that some of the worlds are somewhat annoying, even gimmicky. Talorus, a world inhabited by energy beings is one such world. It's basically a collection of jump pads and conveyor belts and it's really a place, that doesn't really have rhyme or reason about it. Scintillus Academy, a huge maze for magic students, is just that, a maze with all kinds of different puzzles ranging from reasoning to just jumping around on platforms. Ethereal Void is just a more playable version of the void that was seen at the end of the 1st Underworld and is, overall, rather uninteresting place in both gameplay and graphical appearance.</p><p>But then, there are places like the Prison Tower, Killorn Keep, and Pits of Carnage, where you need your wits as well as your tongue in the right place. All these locations show that Underworld 2 is at its best when the locations are a good mix of NPCs you can talk with as well as fight with, depending on how you approach the matters. There is one pretty decent maze world, the tomb of Praecor Loth, a world filled with ghosts of the people who were once under the service of the king, who tried to defy the Guardian. The main emphasis here is to find a path through the trap-filled mausoleum that is what is left of the world. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9_klRFrd7zx2Tam3aahQ-EhlXitfuJNReg__igkHms-e9EQ3isC1zG-JurVjzNf_v9528kRTYRukseMzv9-lu9uuL6G9EjUsi5eMdrRXaiPtcVaww4yQAZB8MvM3z_pBI94fYxGAVRM4dvhgz7cPceis_DswagR3HzMQZIFU-nHaEDfjsww9Jktx/s320/uw2hack_016.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9_klRFrd7zx2Tam3aahQ-EhlXitfuJNReg__igkHms-e9EQ3isC1zG-JurVjzNf_v9528kRTYRukseMzv9-lu9uuL6G9EjUsi5eMdrRXaiPtcVaww4yQAZB8MvM3z_pBI94fYxGAVRM4dvhgz7cPceis_DswagR3HzMQZIFU-nHaEDfjsww9Jktx/w640-h400/uw2hack_016.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />The gameplay is much smoother as well, turning even smoother if you install a fan-made mouse look patch, which also turns other controls a bit more modern. Jumping is still a bit annoying, but even that feels much better than in the 1st game. <p></p><p>The character progression is a bit different this time around. In the 1st game, you could hone your skill by speaking the right mantra on Ankh altars. Here, you need to find a trainer who is willing to teach you. Many of these trainers are easy enough to find, as Lord British's castle has many occupants who know a thing or two about a thing or two. Combat, magic, and stealth skills are easy to learn there and other worlds have teachers as well.</p><p>Like in the 1st game, exploration is the key to everything. And talking. it's just as important to talk with people as it's to explore every location. If you've managed to find enough runes to cover spells like identify, you'll even get to know what kind of magical items you have. Also, a good lore level helps there as well, making it easier to spot those good items.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6JlK7eJDYTT0b4hDroyJOsA0_GRqHPUMdy_bS2Lh9zSosruo9KIAMEeQuyWJsBvtru-Rdt_M_sxfPreQOWai5U4E5yM_Lsyh9YdPCwnM1AePPGQISp-r4MfTJQJvDvNzWqYpRqft7Ja4o0z0L0jZoxTVbzS2bDjrb9l_jGRBatk92vRMszRWaQHm/s320/uw2hack_035.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6JlK7eJDYTT0b4hDroyJOsA0_GRqHPUMdy_bS2Lh9zSosruo9KIAMEeQuyWJsBvtru-Rdt_M_sxfPreQOWai5U4E5yM_Lsyh9YdPCwnM1AePPGQISp-r4MfTJQJvDvNzWqYpRqft7Ja4o0z0L0jZoxTVbzS2bDjrb9l_jGRBatk92vRMszRWaQHm/w640-h400/uw2hack_035.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Ultima Underworld 2 is a good example of how fast technology was already evolving in the early 90s. The 1st game is something of a miracle, given the hardware it was designed for, but the sequel manages to improve upon it greatly. In many ways it's a shame, there never was Underworld 3, as it would have surely been something truly special. I can only imagine what Looking Glass could have done with Thief engine, had they used it to create another Underworld title.<p></p><p>But, another Underworld was not to be. The next immersive simulator Looking Glass did was System Shock and after that, it seems their path with Origin was over and no other Underworld games were made, unless you count the poorly reviewed spiritual successor Underworld Ascendant which was Kickstarted in 2014. </p><p>Be it, however, the legacy, a rather mighty one at that, of Ultima Underworld games keeps on trucking. Even as they are, they are still surprisingly playable. You can purchase both games from <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/ultima_underworld_1_2">GOG</a> and I can't recommend them enough. Especially if you <a href="https://github.com/JohnGlassmyer/UltimaHacks">patch</a> them with mouse look. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmZ6eMRoOXaC0znBnHlhcgy3BCym348Xy0AlP-HfcVzvAvx7PrcMKNnbYiUcR_SGQkl98_COL8WwXlKQcTHPXAKWTsNyspr4HdemOAvpN-tm9hGmadm9p7sEb4Q-7Ab5Bmq5y9p3v5paNevTnul_oZEwn-4WZpZL8wWC6RisoUgLaWUQot-1kajZ2/s320/uw2hack_043.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmZ6eMRoOXaC0znBnHlhcgy3BCym348Xy0AlP-HfcVzvAvx7PrcMKNnbYiUcR_SGQkl98_COL8WwXlKQcTHPXAKWTsNyspr4HdemOAvpN-tm9hGmadm9p7sEb4Q-7Ab5Bmq5y9p3v5paNevTnul_oZEwn-4WZpZL8wWC6RisoUgLaWUQot-1kajZ2/w640-h400/uw2hack_043.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-31528169551205360292023-10-17T08:43:00.004-07:002023-10-17T08:43:52.394-07:00Amazon: Guardians of Eden (1992)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGnd1tiAtiYIMbdcbYNEi-j9YpOobhiOMPEjeI2qXAYzKb3IT17ePz5Hg1F6pkfSSRz0eAq5Chao_-Z_lsIq9FTFlKg0cxfuIpBVsYHY6SGOqWiWrWvcZglSqCTM4XKfd_lAbJojNqvpldMrQF85aWwoSFZqAwvarNoYFPNxqMygwACTV_DWaKm3E/s928/amazon-guardians-of-eden.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGnd1tiAtiYIMbdcbYNEi-j9YpOobhiOMPEjeI2qXAYzKb3IT17ePz5Hg1F6pkfSSRz0eAq5Chao_-Z_lsIq9FTFlKg0cxfuIpBVsYHY6SGOqWiWrWvcZglSqCTM4XKfd_lAbJojNqvpldMrQF85aWwoSFZqAwvarNoYFPNxqMygwACTV_DWaKm3E/s320/amazon-guardians-of-eden.jpg" width="276" /></a></i></div><i>Amazon: Guardians of Eden (1992), story by Chris Jones and Kevin L. Jones, developed and published by Access Software</i><p></p><p>As their last traditional point-and-click adventure before the release of Under the Killing Moon, Access Software took a plunge into the 1950s b-movies with Amazon: Guardians of Eden. Again, they used the same engine as with Martian Memorandum and Mean Streets, so the game shares many of the same flaws as those two, despite technically, Amazon is perhaps the best game made with it. It just is, that the game design leaves quite a bit of room for improvement.</p><p>Allen Roberts is on an expedition in the Amazon when his camp is attacked in the dark of the night. The story cuts back to the USA, where Allen's brother Jason is just arriving at work when his boss asks to see him. He is told of the attack and that Allen is dead. Shocked, the young man goes back home, where he finds a letter and a parcel from his big brother, where Allen asks for his help. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XTGNEA3if-IynZ4qT3quWdXhoU5cJRiFN2WDCib2WIdx4Bem9eFAErydB0vSC9UlmrdH0tA7mCRe4IFXxuRtf19atXQRPkP1ub1h2Wmkc9n_t2PUC9UhYgchueCLY6coniM9lyczzwL_hsF33OmKEQcCAdCOIh6-M_O_5kzIM7Xw05J3xCEF4aRq/s320/amazon_013.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XTGNEA3if-IynZ4qT3quWdXhoU5cJRiFN2WDCib2WIdx4Bem9eFAErydB0vSC9UlmrdH0tA7mCRe4IFXxuRtf19atXQRPkP1ub1h2Wmkc9n_t2PUC9UhYgchueCLY6coniM9lyczzwL_hsF33OmKEQcCAdCOIh6-M_O_5kzIM7Xw05J3xCEF4aRq/w640-h400/amazon_013.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Hopeful, Jason goes back to his office, from where he needs to find information on the exact location where Allen's expedition took place. After finding it, he books a ticket to South America, from where he needs to find Allen's contact person. This person is Maya, who takes Jason to his brother.<p></p><p>Long story short, Allen ends up dead after the local police get on their heels the look for the treasure they suspect Allen was after. Maya ends up leading Jason to the secret city of Amazons, where they are guarding the fountain of youth. </p><p>All this is told in the fashion of 1950s b-serials. The game is divided into 13 chapters, which all end in a proper cliffhanger moment. This in itself could be a fun little gimmick, if not for the uneven length of each chapter. Some of them take a long to solve because of multiple locations, and some are rather short affairs. But A for an effort.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaYRiM030q_1-STz5qCSoZo_idSxD8ScP5wVClBfW_duPWxBHMbs8i4W-cRrXxpGo3suga3yxiEuCV3IW94KbNB_IUvJIbt8CrIPM7YQCSOcRl0dr_QRDT0m_gocwIsh_ynbxixRU8wktRS9VjWqa7nkgQSUNtIuPeu-TZaFDB_Mqz0y6Q4vl2B9j/s320/amazon_008.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaYRiM030q_1-STz5qCSoZo_idSxD8ScP5wVClBfW_duPWxBHMbs8i4W-cRrXxpGo3suga3yxiEuCV3IW94KbNB_IUvJIbt8CrIPM7YQCSOcRl0dr_QRDT0m_gocwIsh_ynbxixRU8wktRS9VjWqa7nkgQSUNtIuPeu-TZaFDB_Mqz0y6Q4vl2B9j/w640-h400/amazon_008.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />If you do end up playing the game, it's very, very advisable to save often. Not only it is possible to die on many locations, there are quite a bit of puzzles revolving around pixel hunting. Generally speaking, when you do end up in a situation, where the solution was to pixel-hunt an item a couple of chapters back, the death screen does mention what chapter you might want to go back to, which is nice. There's also an in-game hint system, not quite the quality of what Access later did with their FMV Tex Murphy games, but a nice touch all in all. You can even decide the level of hints the system gives you, as an additional way of increasing difficulty. Of course, in this day and age, it might be just simpler to check out a walkthrough online, but those with patience can get far with the ingame system as well.<p></p><p>Interestingly enough, there's no maze in this game. Mazes are generally a crutch this kind of game utilizes to pad the length, but not this time around. Then again, to pad gameplay, there are some arcade sequences. Perhaps the most annoying bit in the game is a canoeing sequence, where you need to navigate a river, dodging rocks, and pick the right path from two possibilities. Thankfully, this isn't some randomized sequence, so you can get through it with trial and error and with a load of patience and game saves. </p><p>There are many timed events as well, where you are given only a couple of minutes to think of a solution to the problem at hand. What this really means is, that you end up dying a couple of times before you either figure it out or check a solution. At times, the timeframes are very strict, which just causes an annoying amount of reloading, especially if the solution is to interact with a specific pixel at the right time.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6C0chYRv-t1d8uEMIPlHkJNcmG_Oj5iekEdX6Qh_j_kfP0K2BRLouCs9mkWuY0yaXO7QZokcwPzeYClcSqD_gCQOECSDuyAqv1LjAYli62pUIuu-jKSl2M6XkHtOlr33JbhiLIHXfwNuKgpblo6ZUpbCzNKfW8BuHtZvP7NBgGZJEw77_EQGEK5R/s320/amazon_041.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6C0chYRv-t1d8uEMIPlHkJNcmG_Oj5iekEdX6Qh_j_kfP0K2BRLouCs9mkWuY0yaXO7QZokcwPzeYClcSqD_gCQOECSDuyAqv1LjAYli62pUIuu-jKSl2M6XkHtOlr33JbhiLIHXfwNuKgpblo6ZUpbCzNKfW8BuHtZvP7NBgGZJEw77_EQGEK5R/w640-h400/amazon_041.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br />Technically the engine Access used for their point-and-click games has improved a bit. It was still far away from the best engines of the era, but it does feel a lot less clunky, despite it's still a good idea to use the cursor keys to control walking and mouse for the interactions. The interactions can again be chosen with the function keys, but there's also a handy row of icons you can use. So, all in all, while the game does feel less clunky than Access Software's previous adventure titles, it does play more or less the same way.<p></p><p>There are a lot more FMV sequences as well, albeit heavily compressed and generally just short looping segments. The game is fully voiced though, at least as far as dialogue goes. The voices do suffer from heavy compression as well, so don't expect a high-quality listening experience. </p><p>Speaking of technical improvements, Amazon has support for high-resolution SVGA mode. Not that the game itself has alternative SVGA resolution art assets, but the engine just divides the screen in half and shows the game screen and the inventory screen side by side, while both of them are still in their original resolution, effectively just making you play the game on a smaller window, which isn't really doing any favors for the many sequences asking for pixel hunting. There's also an FMV library available through this mode, but the FMVs are shown in a tiny window. The mode is more or less useless and does come out as a bit poorly thought out last-minute gimmick for utilizing SVGA mode, which had been introduced only a couple of years prior to the release of the game and had already started to find its way to home computers. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEwFIOv5u8Yj6JDkzQcXGGYrKxG5GKjEh_DRuIcWAhCvI3EaGZ4i9i5hI6Rd3jrFzei-qj052rmpdxa4U76SQiWTDIblz9zVUNRUHlA2cQwRfjvJtEEZNRF0kI8BSGUE5rvVRiyZ2qHPZJyO0luZRAIDqfmtPPDpc7gtjDkGeoTaIkpB3tOF0aM3e/s640/amazon_011.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEwFIOv5u8Yj6JDkzQcXGGYrKxG5GKjEh_DRuIcWAhCvI3EaGZ4i9i5hI6Rd3jrFzei-qj052rmpdxa4U76SQiWTDIblz9zVUNRUHlA2cQwRfjvJtEEZNRF0kI8BSGUE5rvVRiyZ2qHPZJyO0luZRAIDqfmtPPDpc7gtjDkGeoTaIkpB3tOF0aM3e/w640-h400/amazon_011.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Technical and design woes aside, Amazon still is a far more playable game than Countdown for example. And it has its own charm, especially if you have a soft spot for 1950s-style pulp fiction. It's a bit of a silly story, just like most of these kinds of adventures are in any media, but <br /><p></p><p>Just like the previous Access Software point-and-click adventurers Amazon is more interesting as an idea than it is in execution. There's a solid, nice B-movie feel about it, but the overall design leaves a lot of room for improvement and thus, a proper remake could be a decent idea. Access did, after all, make a pretty decent remake of the first Tex Murphy game, Mean Streets, and turned it into a proper FMV title. So maybe, at some point, they could be intrigued in trying to remake Amazon as well.</p><p>After Amazon, Access Software dropped traditional adventure games altogether. Their next adventure was Under a Killing Moon, which still is among one of the best 1990s FMV titles. This new direction was the direction for their future adventure titles as well and it made Tex Murphy one of the better known adventure heroes of the time.</p><p>If you think you can stomach this kind of game, or if you just like the type of adventure it represents, it might be an enjoyable experience. You can buy it digitally though <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/amazon_guardians_of_eden">GOG</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsTlHpK_rTNI5s0J3mP4lJQXwcjPRqOHQrAbkGXSiAYaNwJ7uuOiYmS9K_PYTdSFqRhCQLvwz_7jGo-HwZXU1g9G6GHxIsOzeMBZ6SyG4uOQunfPQjPVNbGd0kVp9C8ZRXysgzloOejQzoQ9vKf8yACmWX3GzRRXfJDdAJaj_TXPa1JuXSBgS5gnz/s320/amazon_061.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsTlHpK_rTNI5s0J3mP4lJQXwcjPRqOHQrAbkGXSiAYaNwJ7uuOiYmS9K_PYTdSFqRhCQLvwz_7jGo-HwZXU1g9G6GHxIsOzeMBZ6SyG4uOQunfPQjPVNbGd0kVp9C8ZRXysgzloOejQzoQ9vKf8yACmWX3GzRRXfJDdAJaj_TXPa1JuXSBgS5gnz/w640-h400/amazon_061.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-18772482974758276982023-09-30T23:43:00.003-07:002023-09-30T23:43:36.840-07:00Countdown (1990)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD1wVw01tlZ85UB4wBS2yK_mUsJ4W3BhFJUsDffG0Y4SVCIdbhu4TMxMAl-NQd7kFX0ulcvrwAN6HXFUYNbDrA3aN4GpzBjzWK2ZLeSjXsv9wiXhMcWHuYAgh0Oufq87Siybrag4dacGKqH6JHQGGKk5YxO_D81qOJtRg6deU9tVbw_4RqbMH0xeZ/s1033/countdown.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD1wVw01tlZ85UB4wBS2yK_mUsJ4W3BhFJUsDffG0Y4SVCIdbhu4TMxMAl-NQd7kFX0ulcvrwAN6HXFUYNbDrA3aN4GpzBjzWK2ZLeSjXsv9wiXhMcWHuYAgh0Oufq87Siybrag4dacGKqH6JHQGGKk5YxO_D81qOJtRg6deU9tVbw_4RqbMH0xeZ/s320/countdown.jpg" width="248" /></a></i></div><i>Countdown (1990) created and designed by Brent Erickson and Chris Jones, developed and published by Access Software</i><br /><p></p><p>I'm tempted not to review Countdown as a game, as its box, and manual, product claim it as an Interactive Movie of intrigue, espionage, and suspense. But, here's the thing: it's not really an interactive movie, despite it has some cutscenes and it is a relatively story-driven game for its time. Countdown is, first and foremost, an adventure game done with a terrible adventure game engine, perhaps one of the worst adventure engines of the era it was made. </p><p>Countdown is a game Access developed in between the <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2021/04/mean-streets-1989.html">first</a> and <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2022/01/martian-memorandum-1991.html">second</a> Tex Murphy games, both of which were built on this same clunky, cracking engine. So if you have played either, especially Martian Memorandum, you already know how technically terrible the engine the game uses. It's a far cry from the fluency of what Sierra and Lucasfilm had going on in their respective engines at the time. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVXgy8337plAUuCFdCDInUp-V77nTdrvdnJaCLRk-fiFTJR4NnC4izebQRDiChaIYiSG16jF0aYzMqsDHwN_SqPvaWgkEQ1i_Ij_xAUjBG34tDMH4RQDwHnsAsfmMqHbYcyuIU3c1SxJOMDtvIWg73W899DjhED2HdTn2I24vPJ2AyGbSs0XVd6c1/s320/count_015.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVXgy8337plAUuCFdCDInUp-V77nTdrvdnJaCLRk-fiFTJR4NnC4izebQRDiChaIYiSG16jF0aYzMqsDHwN_SqPvaWgkEQ1i_Ij_xAUjBG34tDMH4RQDwHnsAsfmMqHbYcyuIU3c1SxJOMDtvIWg73W899DjhED2HdTn2I24vPJ2AyGbSs0XVd6c1/w640-h400/count_015.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />But it's not only the engine that makes Countdown a chore to play, it's the game design as well. See, the game is designed around a real-time clock, you can see the time ticking away on the top corner of the game screen. Some events in the story are tied on a clock, especially the big middle finger is the possibility of failing to get to the final phase of the game if you've taken too long on the journey. Besides, despite trying to claim to be an interactive movie, Countdown is filled with terrible, illogical puzzles, many of which don't really make sense as puzzles or with the core idea of an interactive movie. So yes, Countdown isn't an interactive movie, it's a poorly designed adventure game, with most of the bad adventure tropes of the time: dying without warnings, moonlogic puzzles, and dead ends. You name a flaw, Countdown has it.<p></p><p>The game can be controlled with a mouse or keyboard. As a mouse-driven game, it's something of a clunky point-and-click game. With a keyboard, it's a clunkier point-and-click game but with arrow key controls for the character. Actually, generally, it's better to control the game by using both. mouse and keyboard, as it just makes some of the puzzles easier, as you can navigate with the keys, while you have an inventory item ready to be used on your mouse. This is actually the only traditional point-and-click game I can think of that benefits from using dual controls at the same time.</p><p>This multicontrol system comes in handy especially when you are in a timed situation and need to move and interact with the scene quickly. That doesn't make the game easy though. Especially at the beginning of the game, you are forced to save and restore the game constantly while plotting the escape from the mental asylum. You get a top-down view of hallways but can see only a small area at a time. The only way you can tell if there's a guard outside of your view is to step forward. If there's a guard there, you'll die, so save and restore are your friends here. If you die, restore, wait for a couple of seconds, and move forward again. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQt2vKx7XtJzyY8yWNEDFrwX_YWwwfSzEn9tv1uwpa2K9Wi0twP3ijXMKsAU3qVvofwTjp0ZkabKZQrSDDsYZ4vovbqjjbrrCsszGSDe5izh28YxXm_ifCbRQRRunx6Df5AAlHEgVLIaTd8Mf0I6UpXPnulibI1PMvEynjG65h01W0AOgCPKgkQxr/s320/count_000.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQt2vKx7XtJzyY8yWNEDFrwX_YWwwfSzEn9tv1uwpa2K9Wi0twP3ijXMKsAU3qVvofwTjp0ZkabKZQrSDDsYZ4vovbqjjbrrCsszGSDe5izh28YxXm_ifCbRQRRunx6Df5AAlHEgVLIaTd8Mf0I6UpXPnulibI1PMvEynjG65h01W0AOgCPKgkQxr/w640-h400/count_000.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Also, some scenes are just easier to navigate with the keyboard, as the pathfinding with the mouse is nonexistent. Generally, though, that matters little, as you can interact in many scenes while staying put. Then again, in some scenes, you have to, for some reason, move close to the items you want to use or take. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for this, except for the game developers deciding that way from time to time. You know, just to shuffle the deck for the hell of it.<br /><p></p><p>By all counts, Countdown is a terribly designed game. It's flawed to the core and the gameplay is more often annoying than it's entertaining. I can't recommend it to anyone, really. There's not even a historical reason for playing it, as it doesn't do anything extraordinary you should personally experience. If you do want to give it a spin, I do recommend a walkthrough. That said, it does have something of an interesting story, revolving around amnesia and a CIA operative trying to stop a threat he only has small glimpses of in his memories. In many ways, Countdown could be a solid target for a remake, with an expanded story and more focus on the actual interactive movie idea Access was trying to sell the game as. </p><p>Mason Powers wakes up in a dirty room of a Turkish asylum, which he soon learns is called the Sanctuary, a place, where the CIA sends their operatives who have become a liability. Powers also finds out he is scheduled for a lobotomy. After getting out of his cell, he learns that he was sent there for the murder of his colleague, McBain. This triggers memories of an assassin wearing a mask shooting McBain while Powers jumped through a window to escape, only to end up getting hit by a car. After that, he was transferred to Sanctuary.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ABPN4hUGDQQX51BluierxYnVu6blTj5NQBEPKarGPR0YvVHeuRMdtrXfKcpY6IQw9zcQrgvaUvjZaR1Zvx2Jv0TJ0VeZlfYoOTdEPIBQNsTCNXKnVp9zffzzh06KFHY3ia_XfZF5waEMxNfVipDGv0n3dXawxLjCtUgYDsDJWsF6HGD30q0i8UPM/s320/count_018.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ABPN4hUGDQQX51BluierxYnVu6blTj5NQBEPKarGPR0YvVHeuRMdtrXfKcpY6IQw9zcQrgvaUvjZaR1Zvx2Jv0TJ0VeZlfYoOTdEPIBQNsTCNXKnVp9zffzzh06KFHY3ia_XfZF5waEMxNfVipDGv0n3dXawxLjCtUgYDsDJWsF6HGD30q0i8UPM/w640-h400/count_018.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />The trail takes Powers all over Europe until he finally finds out what is going on. There's going to be a terrorist attack against the president of the USA when he attends a summit in Paris. An assassin called Scorpio is planning to detonate a bomb in the area, taking the president and whoever is unlucky enough to live near the area.<p></p><p>As far as spy thriller stories go, Countdown has a pretty decent premise going on. It's just that the execution of the game is terribly lacking. As I said, it could serve as a solid base for a remake that would be a more proper interactive movie. Or even a better-designed adventure game for the matter.</p><p>If you for some reason want to play Countdown yourself, it's still sold in <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/countdown">GOG</a>. But I'd really recommend checking out a full playthrough of it from YouTube, it's less hassle that way. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk86WtHOu_EDaRr16Ph_G6zL3Bvzor2OOGmgg5FZDHRl_CeLXdSUHZglFWKBjoDQtnP4ZxKmLll4_6UYTa20tLn-23hmApFFZzDVauCzyMuQSXWjDcZa-T3NdM-4MdziN14Jse-TdNGZofSQkGkiL1kbNXtGTr9fW9ftz4LK0vAlBtmW3YBDX4lch/s320/count_059.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk86WtHOu_EDaRr16Ph_G6zL3Bvzor2OOGmgg5FZDHRl_CeLXdSUHZglFWKBjoDQtnP4ZxKmLll4_6UYTa20tLn-23hmApFFZzDVauCzyMuQSXWjDcZa-T3NdM-4MdziN14Jse-TdNGZofSQkGkiL1kbNXtGTr9fW9ftz4LK0vAlBtmW3YBDX4lch/w640-h400/count_059.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-67418381163231984952023-09-14T21:49:00.003-07:002023-09-14T21:49:38.118-07:00Assassin's Fate: Part 3 of Fitz and the Fool trilogy (Hobb, R., 2017)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgfUe8o_0rMTGrSGU3tdtyDaPwDy9F0GK-e7McPn1PM01PVctPAXksT9uTELAHM5DJtZ_LrgHnlnMbwmszCC_ZFAqtjlFv3Qn6E-SizXM5IOTy2qV421uG6DBqKScf6LwQ0c-vTOvPOhVRsdqUXGlbBmyxw4a-dBdAz-SdykUesF4Gh1GVN8bXPZPzKE/s500/assassins_fate.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgfUe8o_0rMTGrSGU3tdtyDaPwDy9F0GK-e7McPn1PM01PVctPAXksT9uTELAHM5DJtZ_LrgHnlnMbwmszCC_ZFAqtjlFv3Qn6E-SizXM5IOTy2qV421uG6DBqKScf6LwQ0c-vTOvPOhVRsdqUXGlbBmyxw4a-dBdAz-SdykUesF4Gh1GVN8bXPZPzKE/s320/assassins_fate.jpg" width="209" /></a></i></div><i>Assassin's Fate: Part 3 of Fitz and the Fool trilogy (2017), written by Robin Hobb</i><p></p><p>Since the end of Fool's Quest, we know one comforting thing FitzChivalry Farseer does not: his daughter Bee is alive. She has been captured by the vile Servants and ill-treated by the sadistic Dwalia, but she is alive, and in her mind, Wolf Father is trying to do his best to keep her safe. </p><p><b>The following chapters will contain spoilers.</b></p><p>Fitz and his companions are in the city of Kelsingara, seeking aid to get to Clarres, the city of the Servants, where he is planning to enact his revenge. While he himself does not care if he lives or dies through this ordeal, all he wants is to wreak havoc on those who took his daughter, he still knows his companions, Fool, Lant, Per, and Spark he'd prefer to continue their lives after. Unbeknownst to him, Dwalia's unskilled Skill use caused their portal trip to take longer, so they are actually trailing behind him. </p><p>The 1st half of the book portrays two parallel journeys to the faraway Clarres. Fitz is trying to find his way there, seeking out allies wherever he can, Bee is desperately trying to escape Dwalia. She manages to do that a couple of times, but these attempts always fail, as it looks like fate itself has dictated she needs to be in Clarres. She is beaten badly many times before the ill-fated journey ends, but every time she manages to harm Dwalia or some of the other Servants in some way is always a cause to celebrate.</p><p>During their journey on a liveship, a living ship made of sentient dragon shells, Fool reveals to Fitz that he has seen in dreams that Bee is alive. At first, Fitz does not dare to believe him, but then, when he is trying to thwart his mentor Chade's attempts to reel him in the Skill stream, he senses Bee but is forced to block her off, making the girl believe her father has abandoned her. But he hasn't and after Chade dies, making contacting Nettle easier, the rest of the Farseer family gets the information about Bee. But Bee knows nothing of this, thinking she has been abandoned, so she is now more determined than ever to help herself.</p><p>Both Fitz and Bee, arrive and Clarres relatively at the same time. Bee's arrival is different from what she thought when the four leaders of the Servants punish Dwalia for wasting their precious resources on a fool's errand: they don't think Bee is the one they have been looking for, but still, capture her in a high tower. She does, however, draw the first blood when one of the leaders of the internal striving four wants to question her with Dwalia. with the help of her budding Skill, and some fire, she manages to kill both of them, then returns to her cell and pretends like nothing has happened.</p><p>When Fitz finally gets to the castle, Bee has started her own machinations and set fire to its great libraries of centuries-collected dreams. Father and daughter finally catch up, but during their escape, Fitz is caught by an explosion and Fool carries Bee to safety, believing Fitz dead. Then they witness how the dragons act their vengeance on the castle and the city, destroying it.</p><p>Fitz isn't dead though. With the help of the spirit of Nighteyes and some silver liquid Skill he had been carrying, Fitz manages to free himself under the rubble and slink out. Happy, that his daughter has managed to escape, he then kills the last of the four, then slinks away to find a way home. Fitz uses a portal stone, but an unknown symbol whisks him somewhere else.</p><p>Bee on the other hand returns home, or Buckkeep at least, where her life completely changes as she is now a part of the royal family, a position that official status she dislikes just as much as her father. She must endure, and keep up appearances, that's what is told to her by everyone, even those who want nothing but the best for her. Just like Fitz, Bee longs for her long-gone freedom, knowing it has forever gone. </p><p>Months later Fitz finally emerges from the stone. He is at the rock quarry where King Verity once carved himself a stone dragon, into which he poured himself to protect the kingdom. Nighteyes in Fitz's mind tells him, that this is their final task now. There's no time to return home, Fitz needs to carve himself a dragon. While Fitz disagrees, he can feel himself being ill from a deadly parasite infestation caused by the Servant guard's poisoned dart.</p><p>Nighteyes leaps back to Bee's mind, telling her her father is still alive, but needs help to carve the rock, even with his silvery hands. she tells her sister and queen Kettricken and in the end, they all arrive to witness how sickly Fitz is pouring himself into the stone, desperately trying to complete it before he dies. They can do nothing else but provide him food, as the healers are sure he won't survive the infestation. </p><p>While carving the stone, pouring his memories into it, he tells his story to Bee, who writes it down. When the statue is complete, Fitz is unable to sink into it, as something is missing. Bee knows what's wrong: Fitz needs his prophet, his friend, and his beloved Fool to come with him. And so he does, after Bee tricks him into doing so and the assassins, the fool, and the wolf finally merge into the single being they were always supposed to be, becoming a wolf who will always protect those he loves. </p><p><b>End of spoilers</b></p><p>Assassin's Fate is a marvelous conclusion to the saga of Fitz, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry. An unlikely son, who became an unlikely hero. His attempts of trying to find peace and solace, the short years he managed to do so, and how he finally gave in to the seductive and addictive power of his birth magic by doing the only thing he could stay alive: pouring himself into a stone statue like his king Verity did so many years ago. A man who made many mistakes, most of which were direct results of the Fool, the White Prophet, coaxing him, pushing him to do the impossible in order to change the direction of the world and which ended up in the birth of Bee, the unlikely daughter who became an unwilling White Prophet and finally the destroyer of Clarres.</p><p>It's not a happy tale, nor an easy tale. It's a tale of a man who feels bad about his decisions, the constant guilt of having abandoned his oldest daughter, and how he feels terrible for not being a better father to his younger one. But it is a fantastic tale nonetheless, which ends in something of a bittersweet notion with his daughters having found their way, knowing that Fitz has now become complete. Bee might see the Fool as a conniving manipulator, who without pity used her father to do what was necessary from his point of view, not caring what it would do to his Catalyst, the pebble that can change the direction of the wheel of fate. She also knows that the Fool is a part of him and so when the time comes, Fitz, Nighteyes, and the Fool need to merge into one. </p><p>I do think this is a very fitting tale for a man, who never could quite accept the things he was forced to do, not only by others but by himself as well. He was loved more than he ever could accept, he never did think he was good enough for it. Despite all that, his story, with all the pain, ends in a notion of peace, with his daughters continuing their lives just as he does, in the form of a wolf that combines three souls, Nighteyes who was his closest companion, and the Fool, Beloved, his closest friend.</p><p>It is at times an infuriating story, filled with despair. But it is also a heroic and hopeful story, with Bee finding her own way and with Fitz doing his all to save her. And in the end, he gets the reward he has always longed for when he with Skill turns into the wolf he has always wanted to be, hunting forever with his pack. </p><p>If it's worth anything, I do think Fitz and the Fool is Robin Hobb's best trilogy entry for Hobb's Elderlings Saga. It's emotional and impactful, tying up loose ends of the massive tale in a very satisfying manner. And what's more, it does leave a room open for more, if she so chooses at some point. One can only imagine the adventures of Skillmaster Nettle and her sister Bee, an unwilling White Prophet capable of seeing all the possible paths, no matter how unlikely they are. </p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-67105460400133653272023-09-01T03:13:00.000-07:002023-09-01T03:13:02.498-07:00 Fool's Quest: part 2 of Fitz and the Fool (Hobb, R.. 2015)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYTNMJRIIlc58cqjG9FDe5f3qpG3k2BJLE9eO9iohioJeTYS8YmaJoPhpTBeLvaZ-faOs4LtcgRpY6ozPyKtaa4wE58dfYSZC-RXCf0-EI5N1vOgI2XUqiNQfJiXZFtSSCvvmpPOkcua6Dpiw_WuQ-oGXrrEEbdSwQnRnYLiO-KH7g4yperI1LQeXDqw/s500/fools_quest.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYTNMJRIIlc58cqjG9FDe5f3qpG3k2BJLE9eO9iohioJeTYS8YmaJoPhpTBeLvaZ-faOs4LtcgRpY6ozPyKtaa4wE58dfYSZC-RXCf0-EI5N1vOgI2XUqiNQfJiXZFtSSCvvmpPOkcua6Dpiw_WuQ-oGXrrEEbdSwQnRnYLiO-KH7g4yperI1LQeXDqw/s320/fools_quest.jpg" width="210" /></a></i></div><i>Fool's Quest: Part 2 of Fitz and the Fool (2015), written by Robin Hobb</i><p></p><p>During those short days, FitzChivalry Farseer is in the dark about the matters taking place in his new home Withywoods, and his life as one of the best-kept secrets of the royal family of Buckkeep is turned upside down. The sequel to Fool's Assassin begins almost immediately from where the 1st book of the trilogy ended. Fitz and the Fool have arrived at Buckkeep, but Fitz is well unaware of the fact that his young daughter Bee has just been captured during a violent attack on his home.</p><p><b>The following chapters contain spoilers, so skip them if you prefer reading the book. It's well recommended, as Fool's Quest doesn't disappoint as a sequel.</b></p><p>As it becomes evident Fool is too weak to be cured with Skill, Fitz decides to keep himself occupied by shopping presents for Bee and giving a helping hand to his mentor Chade in spying on the nobles who have come to Buckkeep for Winterfest. Fitz's self-loathing as a bad father comes to a sudden halt when he finds out that her older daughter Nettle is pregnant. This leads Queen Elliania to publically announce Nettle as the daughter of FitzChivalry and her future child as part of the royal family. Then, to everyone's surprise, Chade calls Fitz forward and the party of nobles hears that the bastard son of Prince Chivalry is still alive and well. And so, Fitz's long exile is finally over, no more hiding behind his own fabricated death and Buckkeep gets two new official members to the royal family.</p><p>Fitz doesn't get to bask in his newfound identity for long when the news finally arrives and he races back home through the stone pillars, only to find his house wrecked and the servants dumbfounded by a strong Skill command telling them to not see the damage or even remember anyone who died. He has difficulties in using his own Skill as well thanks to the overwhelming fog left by the attackers. Chade soon arrives after him and together they manage to clear the minds of people. Still, the kidnapped Bee and Shun are already days away, desperately trying to hide the fact that Bee is actually a girl, not the boy they think she is.</p><p>Chade and Fitz return to Buckkeep, where his fears are confirmed: the attackers were Servants, who once served the White Prophets, but now have seized control from them and bred them in order to create more prophecies of every possible future, a future which Fiz and Fool changed when they let Icefyre alive and allowed dragons to return. Now the royal family casts a wider net and news of a hidden ship finally arrives. Fitz leaves, against the wishes of his king, to meet the captors, but manages to get only Shun back as Bee has been taken through a portal stone. <br /></p><p>Now believing that Bee is dead, gone forever in the Skill stream because of takers untrained in Skill, there's nothing more left for Fitz but revenge. He abides by his time and plans to leave alone, but his new position prevents the secrecy as a prince needs a reason to leave. Still, after gathering clues, Fitz departs Buckkeep to the portal stone Bee was taken through. Just as he is about to go through it, two people tackle along with him, his young cousin Lant, son of Chade, and Per, his young servant who wants to help avenge Bee whom he had sworn loyalty. An even bigger surprise happens when they find out that Fool, despite being blind, has followed them with his companion, a young girl named Spark.</p><p>So, with his motley crew in tow, Fitz ends up in the city of Kelsingra, where the cliffhanger ending happens. He is looking to avenge Bee, but he is burnt out by Skill. But, not all is lost. Somewhere else, Bee finally comes out from the portal, some of her captures driven mad by the Skill stream some dead. The wolf father living in her mind tells her to run and run she does, with the screams of her captors ringing in her ears.</p><p><b>Spoilers end here</b></p><p>As far as the middle parts of bigger narratives go, I can say I like Fool's Quest far more than I liked the second book of the Tawny Man trilogy, <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2023/06/golden-fool-hobb-r-2002.html">Golden Fool</a>, which to me felt like lavish, yet well-written, groundwork for the inevitable finale. There's some of the same in Fool's Quest as well, but Fool's Quest keeps together better perhaps because it is such a deeply personal story for Fitz. This is about him desperately trying to rescue his daughter from an enemy he doesn't fully understand. </p><p>Fool's Assassin was more evenly divided into two narratives, Bee's and Fitz's. That decision alone helps quite a bit in Fool's Quest, as now we care about Bee even more, and we get a deeper insight into her, what kind of a person she is, and what she was going through as well. Fool's Quest has less of it, so now we can feel Fitz's anguish over Bee's fate.</p><p>Fool's Quest is a great sequel. It greatly nudges the story forward toward its conclusion, but it also nudges the world and its characters forward. As Fitz and the Fool is the final part of the Farseer saga, I can say I'm delighted that the ending of Fitz's tale is happening on such a high note. </p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-89930868773094105052023-08-14T22:34:00.002-07:002023-08-14T22:34:54.247-07:00Fool's Assassin: part 1 of Fitz and the Fool (Hobb, R. 2014)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmmJcA7h_LkzhApNv7Ni0EA3KRJ44N9sdAlQ4ZCHtUUQxb7SlQHHqQoi6QD03pAjC6lUCeTDaZ1XTSyyRDNZf83Jv6uNcJHaqcsno5aTWx4dPDg1TiVCZiXWJwBl_UXgrmnzpqf7Olg-iYS-Kq5GHFRKzwt2hFMd_h-dwn8hExRU9WHJfm4lIRBT2XmY/s1000/fools_assassin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="655" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmmJcA7h_LkzhApNv7Ni0EA3KRJ44N9sdAlQ4ZCHtUUQxb7SlQHHqQoi6QD03pAjC6lUCeTDaZ1XTSyyRDNZf83Jv6uNcJHaqcsno5aTWx4dPDg1TiVCZiXWJwBl_UXgrmnzpqf7Olg-iYS-Kq5GHFRKzwt2hFMd_h-dwn8hExRU9WHJfm4lIRBT2XmY/s320/fools_assassin.jpg" width="210" /></a></i></div><i>Fool's Assassin: part 1 of Fitz and the Fool (2014), written by Robin Hobb</i><p></p><p>Several years have passed since FitzChivalry Farseer, or Tom Badgerlock as he wants to be known, helped his cousin King Dutiful to help his spouse Elliania get rid of the other White Prophet that had demanded them to kill the ancient dragon Icefyre (as told in the <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2023/06/fools-errand-2001-hobb-r.html">Tawny Man</a>-trilogy). Fitz is now married to Molly, living a quieter life as the guardians of Withywoods for their daughter Nettle, who is now the Skill master of Buckkeep. </p><p><b>As a warning, there are major spoilers here, so be warned. It's better to read this book, as knowing too much of it could spoil it. And this is a book that should be read, not summarized. just jump over the next 5 paragraphs to avoid spoilers if you so desire.</b></p><p>As a surprise, Molly suddenly announces being pregnant. This is something they had thought impossible as she has gone through menopause. At first, Fitz is delighted but soon begins to suspect not all is right. When the time of supposed birth comes and goes, it is obvious to him and Nettle, that Molly has lost her mind. But finally, several years after her announced pregnancy she does give a birth to baby girl, a tiny babe whom everyone thinks will die soon. But to everyone's surprise, she does not and despite growing slowly, she does grow, despite being always smaller than her years. </p><p>For a long time, people, even Fitz, believe Bee to be mentally challenged, as she does not speak and just runs after her mother. Then, after Molly dies suddenly, she is forced to speak with her father as well and it's soon evident that she is far smarter than anyone has thought. Fitz is ever surprised to learn that she knows how to read and write as well, though by her mother.</p><p>Some time passes after the death of Molly when Bee and Fitz receive a message from a dying messenger. The woman gives her mysterious missive from Fool, a White Prophet friend of Ftiz's, asking him to look for his unknown son. This is all, with no other information leaving both Bee and Fitz in the dark of the matter beyond danger towards Fool as well.</p><p>A bit later, on the eve of Winterfest, Bee, and Fitz are on a market, where Bee sees a blind beggar. As Bee wants to be brave, she escorts the man securely over the street. As he hugs her, Fitz sees this and thinks something foul is going on and as he stabs him, it's revealed the dying man is Fool, but badly tortured. He decides to take Fool to Buckkeep for healing and sends Bee back home.</p><p>While Fool and Fitz are in Buckkeep, Withywoods is attacked. Several people are killed and Bee is captured by mysterious attackers. And this is where the book one ends.</p><p><b>Major spoilers end here</b></p><p>Fool's Assassin is a fantastic read. I can easily peg it as the best opening book in all of the Farseer saga. It's well-written, flows with ease, and has a very deep emotional core. This is strengthened further by its two narrators. </p><p>As usual, Fitz does a lot of the narration. After a while, Bee becomes the second main narrator and we get to see the situations from her perspective, from a view of a 9-years old girl, who is trying to make sense of things after the sudden passing of her mother. She's trying to navigate not only the world and other kids who see her as strange, but find out things about her father as well, whom she before was pained to be in contact with because of his overflowing emotions thanks to Skill and Wit. </p><p>These two perspectives are often quite different. They both are filled with sorrow because of the death of Molly, but Fitz is also burdened by having his duties to the throne, his responsibilities to Withywoods and people employed by him, and his knowledge of him having very little idea on how to actually rise a little girl like Bee. Fitz is constantly dragged in every direction and he is extremely aware of how this must be affecting Bee when it looks like he is ignoring her. </p><p>Bee on the other hand sees her small world changing faster than she'd like. New people, new emotions, the feelings of being ignored and treated as something different. Those all boil inside her, even jealousy of her father when Shun, a bastard noblewoman comes to live with them after Chade begs Fitz to take her in. Bee is a great character in her own right, adding a delicious second layer of narration to her father's voice. </p><p>All this narrative depth packs quite a punch. Despite the time span the book takes, it's quite simply breathtaking. I do not have enough words to praise it. </p><p>Here's a thing though. If you haven't read the previous books in the series, you might not get as much out of from it. Sure, the basic gist of what has happened before is explained when the need arises, but for the best impact, it would be wise to read the saga from the beginning starting with the Farseer trilogy, which tells how Fitz became what he is and the Tawny Man trilogy which tells how he finally ends where he is at the beginning of this story. </p><p>This said Fool's Assassin is quite a read and a page-turner at that. It ends in a very delicious cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more. If this is the pace Robb keeps up in the next two parts, this just might be the best trilogy in the series. </p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-86403033415831815322023-08-01T21:16:00.001-07:002023-08-01T21:16:56.133-07:00Return to Zork (1993)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOUtfoASZSi3fO1il7U4FWWlhqWDbvIIYKB9e9Je3YqJQuejzjATUbY5AwCEOe9M-FQj4TMArMxIid0gM7BvxmdhCKlY2rM_YLIuh9Lq73gNzHZfC2B9v0l85iCtZsFxaNelCTgrHdrq9LkV2V4JdKG8k6eskVS5IZfUdd3GleV4TiHgxnusILh-4/s800/return-to-zork.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOUtfoASZSi3fO1il7U4FWWlhqWDbvIIYKB9e9Je3YqJQuejzjATUbY5AwCEOe9M-FQj4TMArMxIid0gM7BvxmdhCKlY2rM_YLIuh9Lq73gNzHZfC2B9v0l85iCtZsFxaNelCTgrHdrq9LkV2V4JdKG8k6eskVS5IZfUdd3GleV4TiHgxnusILh-4/s320/return-to-zork.jpg" width="272" /></a></i></div><i>Return to Zork (1993), developed and published by Activision</i><br /><p></p><p>Zork: The Great Underground Empire (1980) is considered a classic, at least in the adventure genre. Even those who haven't played the game, know the phrase "<span><i>You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door."</i> or "<i>You are likely to be eaten by a grue</i>". Like many early text adventure games, Zork was at heart a treasure hunt game, where you explored the abandoned underground empire for loot. All the exploring and interaction were done via text. This was a stable for Infocom games, as while the other developers, like Sierra, were pushing out adventure games with graphics, they preferred the text form.</span></p><p><span>Come to the 1990s, text adventures were a passƩ. Even PC machines could now produce higher fidelity graphics with more than 16 colors and they had gained proper sound capabilities thanks to sound cards. Activision, who had bought Infocom in the late 1980s, wanted to publish a new Zork title, but it would have to be something entirely different. And that something different was a CD-Rom game with pre-rendered backgrounds and FMV cutscenes with real actors. The name of the game was aptly Return to Zork. For the fans of the series, it was a return to Zork that showed them the former text game in an entirely different form. The previous Zork title, Zork Zero (1989) some had had some graphics, but was still a text adventure. Return to Zork is a full-fledged point-and-click game.</span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn1U5E-2rsigqeCZJRt0YO-MYA0vkr1mrBEtiIOi8IVrEe46HayJTPjch2PTi9o97Ui1NWPYuFpKIPFyINOz1yAnnvQzPFfg6fjCMEP49vTlwQxb3v16dT1_PkF9mvVH5F6nHhGFTUQT7j0I89wN32gujxoYKa1gfhvpFIjPZUUOywhdfvs14OnwE/s320/madecd_060.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn1U5E-2rsigqeCZJRt0YO-MYA0vkr1mrBEtiIOi8IVrEe46HayJTPjch2PTi9o97Ui1NWPYuFpKIPFyINOz1yAnnvQzPFfg6fjCMEP49vTlwQxb3v16dT1_PkF9mvVH5F6nHhGFTUQT7j0I89wN32gujxoYKa1gfhvpFIjPZUUOywhdfvs14OnwE/w640-h400/madecd_060.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span><br />The story of Return to Zork begins at the front of the now-famous white house. You open a mailbox and receive a message that you've won a trip to a beautiful Valley of the Sparrows, but as soon as you learn of the news, something goes wrong. As you enter the valley, via magical means, the first thing you notice is, that it's not habited by sparrows but vultures. </span><p></p><p><span>As you venture forth, it becomes increasingly evident, that there's something wrong in the lands of Zork. Buildings and people have vanished and a great sense of dread and unease has grabbed the population. Formerly safe lands have turned into death traps and everyone is waiting for an impending doom to come by. </span></p><p><span>After some more rummaging and puzzle-solving behind you, the picture begins to turn clearer. Or as clear as it's possible in a world like Zork. Apparently, there's this evil being called Morpheus, who has been gaining more power from his prison behind the veil of illusion, that was cast to imprison him. Now, he is looking for revenge and is just about to achieve it and it is up to you to tackle him for good.</span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsaxihjIzK6w92i1I7araqSgzKGCovLjCG_zoDsDSqxbOKNCVGbG7m-dokPav5UHbVUKZLM8FHVh0xBsvrMxm6SDXSDoV7WLS8J78QqfVdABwl3iQ8_Zi00hLfAur0yDsXbaFQnbdHq-OX_y7FfA20q0FlskWnSH34lmEAQUldqueH0U6DeJrtQCG/s320/madecd_009.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsaxihjIzK6w92i1I7araqSgzKGCovLjCG_zoDsDSqxbOKNCVGbG7m-dokPav5UHbVUKZLM8FHVh0xBsvrMxm6SDXSDoV7WLS8J78QqfVdABwl3iQ8_Zi00hLfAur0yDsXbaFQnbdHq-OX_y7FfA20q0FlskWnSH34lmEAQUldqueH0U6DeJrtQCG/w640-h400/madecd_009.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span><br />Return to Zork is a 1st person point and click adventure. I hesitate to call it Myst-like, despite it having a similar presentation, as the puzzles in Zork are quite different and the puzzle design is overall closer to a traditional adventure game, down to the possibility to end in a walking dead situation. There are also quite a bit of different verbs on the context-sensitive action icon men. This makes the gameplay pretty interesting, as depending on what you are and where or what you are clicking on the screen, you get different interactions.</span><p></p><p><span>When you speak to people, you are also presented with a couple of different ways of speaking with them. You can alter your tone to be indifferent, friendly, questions or antagonistic, and depending on whom you talk with, this can lead to different kinds of responses. The many inhabitants can also be questioned about different items, photos, or even clips of dialogue that are constantly recorded by the ingame tape recorder. All of these can be puzzles as well.</span></p><p><span>At first, the progression is quite linear. You move from one area to another, solving puzzles on the way. But in the last half, a teleportation option opens up that allows you to move between previously isolated locations, making sure you should not able to hit any dead ends. At least I do believe, there are no dead ends in the game, despite it might seem like it has. You can die though, so if you make a really serious mistake, you'll know about it. Saving often is recommended. </span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMqBrGxI_4XaFtgY2fcWvU4lDRPC_Myj1lQ2POd29XMb6i1RsyF1sUoepPDX9wCIYNjqTu5Sw8T8cVMEiA7v0IY_Ect0mPDi4ODCLee06_GgZVn-aCDZx2OKR4Q53GSQbF7G7LA4BXQV8GY3Gc85OQBKKMlvqMNAfxd0hheQXwrbUv1YqiQw7p12F/s320/madecd_050.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMqBrGxI_4XaFtgY2fcWvU4lDRPC_Myj1lQ2POd29XMb6i1RsyF1sUoepPDX9wCIYNjqTu5Sw8T8cVMEiA7v0IY_Ect0mPDi4ODCLee06_GgZVn-aCDZx2OKR4Q53GSQbF7G7LA4BXQV8GY3Gc85OQBKKMlvqMNAfxd0hheQXwrbUv1YqiQw7p12F/w640-h400/madecd_050.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span><br />Return to Zork belongs to the small group of those early FMV games that utilized the technology actually well. It's not filled with unskippable, pointless FMVs just for the sake of having them, it's using them to tell the story. The game itself remembers to be a game instead of a vehicle for dozens of unneeded video clips. </span><p></p><p><span>Despite being one of the earliest FMV games, Return to Zork is technically a well-made game with some solid puzzles and even the story is interesting and fun enough in a style Zork plots tend to be. While it has seriousness in it, Zork still is more of a humorous and bizarre fantasy world, where anything is possible. </span></p><p><span>Return to Zork was quite a drastic departure, in terms of gameplay and presentation, from games that had come before it, initially some fans of the originals didn't quite warm up to it, despite largely it was seen as a good game in its own right. It did even win some adventure game of the year awards, despite having to compete with classics like <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2016/03/day-of-tentacle-remastered-remaster.html">Day of the Tentacle</a> and <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2019/07/gabriel-knight-sins-of-fathers-original.html">Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers</a>.</span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQP-0y6rWmVF-N7L04Th22-povMf5bOCnRlz4pXAkGt49WS-lKUuEuSEoxa-7yUPRW5b2w8zQAL8nCg5oW8SKNbD8WHd82fjkK7F09LRWcuY8DxlVPzCB-RRjN97l62rgxlenOcW38LwnR2uqZ57OCGidUy8H3hQNSX1tfrotVIccPupvtys8JlLtL/s320/madecd_026.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQP-0y6rWmVF-N7L04Th22-povMf5bOCnRlz4pXAkGt49WS-lKUuEuSEoxa-7yUPRW5b2w8zQAL8nCg5oW8SKNbD8WHd82fjkK7F09LRWcuY8DxlVPzCB-RRjN97l62rgxlenOcW38LwnR2uqZ57OCGidUy8H3hQNSX1tfrotVIccPupvtys8JlLtL/w640-h400/madecd_026.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span><br />After Return to Zork, Activision published two other FMV Zork titles, Nemesis and my personal favorite Grand Inquisitor. It wasn't all bad run in an FMV era for the old series that began as a tex adventure so many years earlier. And now, after Ken and Roberta Williams released their remake of <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2023/02/colossal-cave-2023.html">Colossal Cave</a>, it does make me wonder if it would be a good time for Zork to make a return as well. It would be nice to see more of a story-heavy text adventure brought back in a similar fashion.<br /></span><p></p><p><span>Return to Zork is quite readily available at a very reasonable price. You can get it for around 5 bucks from either <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/return_to_zork">GOG</a> or <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/585240/Return_to_Zork/">Steam</a>. It's also in sales often enough, so with some patience, you can get it cheaper. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVl7NckWSv8YjZfyA-iQZg0uuxW1rQYP5toZ_DH5dwf4XSgtvAZ_A2uFxONKyyMWZYlukovzYHJkzpm7I8GACs9a1hF8hLWxhnbJJacYAUcf737leYpdQy1PIcM9HM9TsG0d773B0aNrvWRWeesIyxDzjvXhDHAtxwWlqkt_a5qY0hntkfpWJDaInT/s320/madecd_058.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVl7NckWSv8YjZfyA-iQZg0uuxW1rQYP5toZ_DH5dwf4XSgtvAZ_A2uFxONKyyMWZYlukovzYHJkzpm7I8GACs9a1hF8hLWxhnbJJacYAUcf737leYpdQy1PIcM9HM9TsG0d773B0aNrvWRWeesIyxDzjvXhDHAtxwWlqkt_a5qY0hntkfpWJDaInT/w640-h400/madecd_058.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span><br /></span></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-36043661172212570112023-07-15T00:21:00.000-07:002023-07-15T00:21:27.398-07:00Maniac Mansion (1988)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjleLVJUSIP1dgoO4kzTWkcpQ9zDPDJHuklnGQHXEyo4hAFM9-SF6hGRWwl9YF-o1JydX6H6R_aek8Fev_k2ezKFV6VgjC3Cqsn0guzZ5Is-vpioxLVcrfP093sFHro316Z-p_AUDvgJgReMyiUblkUN89Yb9gKxnFwzmhKvLLUnssQYtBMgwdiqMw/s1020/996-maniac-mansion-dos-front-cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjleLVJUSIP1dgoO4kzTWkcpQ9zDPDJHuklnGQHXEyo4hAFM9-SF6hGRWwl9YF-o1JydX6H6R_aek8Fev_k2ezKFV6VgjC3Cqsn0guzZ5Is-vpioxLVcrfP093sFHro316Z-p_AUDvgJgReMyiUblkUN89Yb9gKxnFwzmhKvLLUnssQYtBMgwdiqMw/s320/996-maniac-mansion-dos-front-cover.jpg" width="251" /></a></i></div><i>Maniac Mansion (1988) created by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, developed and published by Lucasfilm Games</i><br /><p></p><p>Maniac Mansion wasn't the first game Lucasfilm Games developed, but it might have been the game that placed them on the map, at least as far as adventure gamers were concerned. Not only was it a good game in its own right, but it also brought in a more varied gameplay in terms of having 7 characters you could choose among 6 to accompany the hero Dave on his quest to rescue his girlfriend Sandy from the clutches of demented Dr. Fred and the purple meteor that is keeping him on his evil grasp. This possibility to play as different characters brought in alternative ways of completing the game, thus expanding the gameplay further than what typical adventure games could offer.</p><p>Then there's the rather snappy mouse-controlled UI with a verb menu, which meant, that you didn't have to try and guess what words the game devs wanted you to type in. Now, Maniac Mansion wasn't the first mouse-driven adventure game ever made, I do believe there were a handful of Apple computer games before it, but I do suspect it did bring this new control method to the eyes of a wider audience before Sierra managed to create their own iteration of it a couple of years later.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjZOhr4FqaTekk7eXkBFxZMntrRyoXapFXkjrqyQM0nYb6lD0uYo421U709ZILu8sFf4Ms_P9EBhwMi7Jy4Bg94_JJqkrLcqYZe7m1jcW0QUzUyU8AzuH0aT5h17whOmmfj-KZDSDOQvRi6TLBXqRjNmaHRebuWp-QRLBU-iFEiypS7OAo_kYzCdZ/s640/scummvm00008.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjZOhr4FqaTekk7eXkBFxZMntrRyoXapFXkjrqyQM0nYb6lD0uYo421U709ZILu8sFf4Ms_P9EBhwMi7Jy4Bg94_JJqkrLcqYZe7m1jcW0QUzUyU8AzuH0aT5h17whOmmfj-KZDSDOQvRi6TLBXqRjNmaHRebuWp-QRLBU-iFEiypS7OAo_kYzCdZ/w640-h480/scummvm00008.png" width="640" /></a></div>The story of Maniac Mansion is pretty simple. Sandy, Dave's girlfriend has gone missing and he has to gather a group of teens to the rescue. The other characters are the nerd Bernard (the only kid that found his way to the sequel, Day of the Tentacle), Sydney, and Razor, who both are musicians, an aspiring writer Wendy and a photographer Michael. Their interests are significant, as this has an effect on how you solve puzzles in the game. It should be possible to solve the game with all the combinations, but some might be a bit harder than others.<p></p><p>So, the kids enter the mansion with a simple goal in mind, to rescue Sandy. But the Edison family is not the only obstacle on their way, there's the evil purple meteor as well as the mutant tentacles (which also ended up in the Day of the Tentacle) that guard the mansion.</p><p>The main bulk of the puzzles are the same for any combo, but the methods for getting rid of the meteor and rescuing Sandy vary quite a bit from getting the meteor a book deal to informing the space police of its location. All in all, there should be at least 5 possible endings, depending on what you did and with whom you played. And it all is presented in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, as this is a b-horror movie parody after all.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolO5ANAWPcpMfGbkGDAhaNGupsp0B7-B4ZinuIcXwlQhMjb4ynQnJymjz7ub1gzwYriyUif0j8h-6bBcml0wa8gxOdoVIpbmevWeoRgrXEkWg0bTC8PQIhpJYL7HGiCvC4bwjQEAZ69jGX8ncNsEpbIehRMxxQSTNtgA_q_vvgCWwoBsMJS11w468/s640/scummvm00013.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolO5ANAWPcpMfGbkGDAhaNGupsp0B7-B4ZinuIcXwlQhMjb4ynQnJymjz7ub1gzwYriyUif0j8h-6bBcml0wa8gxOdoVIpbmevWeoRgrXEkWg0bTC8PQIhpJYL7HGiCvC4bwjQEAZ69jGX8ncNsEpbIehRMxxQSTNtgA_q_vvgCWwoBsMJS11w468/w640-h480/scummvm00013.png" width="640" /></a></div>Unlike in most other Lucasfilm adventure games, it's possible to die in Maniac Mansion. You can also lose the game if you take too much time rescuing Sandy. Yes, the game does run on a timer, but it's not tremendously strict or panic-inducing. There are a lot of timed events during the game as well, which means you do have to keep an eye on them. But again, I'm not sure if you can end up in a truly unwinnable situation. It might be possible if you end up with more than one kid dead.<p></p><p>As far as puzzles go, Maniac Mansion is on the harder side of Lucasfilm's adventures. It's not as unforgiving and moon logic-relying as Sierra games were, but it does take time and effort for first-time players. And, when you know the strengths of the characters, it's easy to find puzzles that could have been solved with some other characters you didn't choose. I do remember re-starting the game multiple times with different parties when I originally played it many, many years ago.</p><p>Maniac Mansion is one of those occasions, where it feels like that the creators hit a home run from the get-go. It might not be 100% perfect, but it is close. It really re-defined the whole adventure genre the same way Roberta and Ken Williams did in 1980 when they released the game that built Sierra, <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2017/08/hi-res-adventure-1-mystery-house-1980.html">Mystery House</a>. It paved the way for the games like Monkey Island, which brought in more leisurely gameplay, that didn't feel like it was actively fighting against the player the whole way through.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZJZBLHIfW0ZdCIMQRGlriiFlQ1CqcDB4PqXiTWVYwLPaI_FLXni7An4qJJ5JTvvXXuQ7_Ncx5o49k_z8ExNuEPvmwyvMUQcf8pNOF1zK795UUa5OI4VBZ3MPiGH-ZXgleZzK8VKi880TAO-8WHqXsNXhPBsBoVay97p2axb_zHLKnwtqr4t0Hm3V/s640/scummvm00016.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZJZBLHIfW0ZdCIMQRGlriiFlQ1CqcDB4PqXiTWVYwLPaI_FLXni7An4qJJ5JTvvXXuQ7_Ncx5o49k_z8ExNuEPvmwyvMUQcf8pNOF1zK795UUa5OI4VBZ3MPiGH-ZXgleZzK8VKi880TAO-8WHqXsNXhPBsBoVay97p2axb_zHLKnwtqr4t0Hm3V/w640-h480/scummvm00016.png" width="640" /></a></div>It's no wonder, that many people consider Maniac Mansion one of the most important games in the history of adventure games. It innovated a lot and improved upon many things that had come before it. And to top of it, it's also a very good game. <br /><p></p><p>There's really a lot to love about Maniac Mansion. The setting, the humor, the visuals, the gameplay, the puzzles, the re-play value. Even with the sparse writing, there is, the characters manage to come out as something of individuals, who need to help each other out from the debacle they are in. And, on top of it, it gave the name for Lucasfilm's adventure game engine SCUMM, which stands for Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion. <br /></p><p>It's a shame, there's no remastered version of Maniac Mansion. I mean an official one. There's a fan-made <a href="https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/401/">Deluxe</a> version, that shifts the game into a more colorful environment, but I'd love to see a remaster, where the game art would be based on the fantastic box art by Ken Macklin. A bit of expanded story wouldn't hurt either with added voice acting and a higher-quality soundtrack. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dRYMurm1y5kHkntkqk2R6Zww03KbpNVDrI5wFJHDVqfuYiDw1SM5_tcVKKnMODyqa1Dd3dTDxZqVSNhNQcs63Qk0ztN3ZYKxfihbcGDXdOMDOjIdDsirleMaiyb9sfm1HETSbFw-iOCtBKmeXzydL5atBvdtSLlGUBD_Zpip3CV138INlpmRFv3f/s640/scummvm00021.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dRYMurm1y5kHkntkqk2R6Zww03KbpNVDrI5wFJHDVqfuYiDw1SM5_tcVKKnMODyqa1Dd3dTDxZqVSNhNQcs63Qk0ztN3ZYKxfihbcGDXdOMDOjIdDsirleMaiyb9sfm1HETSbFw-iOCtBKmeXzydL5atBvdtSLlGUBD_Zpip3CV138INlpmRFv3f/w640-h480/scummvm00021.png" width="640" /></a></div>But anyhow, the game really is worth playing even as it is. While it is harder than most modern adventure games, it's not as hard as the worst offenders of the era it was made in. It does play more like a modern adventure, but it still is rooted in the time it was made, so it's by no means a cakewalk.<p></p><p>Maniac Mansion can be run on ScummVM (no surprise there), so if you already own it, you can play it with that. Or if you prefer getting a digital copy, you could grab one from <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/maniac_mansion">GOG</a> or <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/529890/Maniac_Mansion/">Steam</a>. Oh, and there's actually a TV series based on Maniac Mansion as well. I've never seen it myself, but I just thought it an interesting little factoid. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIydk2h4KWxqFS2z0Oj4LGYJBvcoMeHz7Du4GzZJPfaW-iCUNXZqu0pVuB-6cQTkPeNnyOD6K2YO8DBqKBlVLG-MD02h87AxjerZWnG-qO-4j94rJHjZj_903rxIDscCe96P67G6gol4mIYGogKJU49oFlMJohfgjmNtCF5R7ygAmKqppQTe6GYZ3k/s640/scummvm00024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIydk2h4KWxqFS2z0Oj4LGYJBvcoMeHz7Du4GzZJPfaW-iCUNXZqu0pVuB-6cQTkPeNnyOD6K2YO8DBqKBlVLG-MD02h87AxjerZWnG-qO-4j94rJHjZj_903rxIDscCe96P67G6gol4mIYGogKJU49oFlMJohfgjmNtCF5R7ygAmKqppQTe6GYZ3k/w640-h480/scummvm00024.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-86329898075708792222023-07-02T00:13:00.001-07:002023-07-02T00:13:04.849-07:00Fool's Fate (Hobb, R. 2003) <p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctI-Ub_XiLPXrbP16LJXgumiUW89Nudt68_rolbYjkuzVfR0YaShcZx6-siFb9XENJMA5Wh5CEQZU7V6yMCw12k8u5tbJlKmxOBEy0ZKCczZmo84WCFzoxcG6MpXr_fF-wBupijqqyf1ErkV_PYyH9Pd43-ugiHrQeWlf1A4k-TfT6Zfu0bwx1wnC/s1173/fools_fate.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="782" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctI-Ub_XiLPXrbP16LJXgumiUW89Nudt68_rolbYjkuzVfR0YaShcZx6-siFb9XENJMA5Wh5CEQZU7V6yMCw12k8u5tbJlKmxOBEy0ZKCczZmo84WCFzoxcG6MpXr_fF-wBupijqqyf1ErkV_PYyH9Pd43-ugiHrQeWlf1A4k-TfT6Zfu0bwx1wnC/s320/fools_fate.jpg" width="213" /></a></i></div><i>Fool's Fate, The Tawny Man: Book Three (2003), written by Robin Hobb</i><p></p><p>There is a sense of finality in the last entry of the Tawny Man trilogy. Plot lines, that were started way back in the Farseer trilogy are brought to a conclusion and this time around, much suffering FitzChivalry Farseer has his happy ending. Or at least as happy an ending a man, who pretended to be dead for everyone who loved him will get after a passage of a decade and a half.</p><p>Prince Dutiful intends to fulfil his pledge to his bride-to-be, Elliania. The young princess demanded him to bring the head of the dragon to her motherhouse and this is what he sets out to do. Chade and Fitz are still unsure what the reason behind the request is, but there seems to be no other way around the union that could ensure long-lasting peace. Fitz on the other hand is worried, that the newly found group of Prince's Skill users are not good enough. And the Wit group in the court causes some raised eyebrows as well. </p><p>On top of political problems, it seems that the cat is getting out of the bag in terms of Fitz's past catching up with him. People he chose to keep safe by keeping them in the dark are now circling around the castle, so it's only a question of time before they know that the humble fighter Tom Badgerlock is more than meets the eye. But there's no time to control any of it, as a boat ride to Aslevjal, the island dragon Icefyre awaits.</p><p>The people of the Out Islands are not really welcoming of a foreign prince, who is about to try and take one of their women out of her motherhouse. In their culture, women rule the homes, men are merely tolerated guests and marriages last as long as women see them fit to last. A princess leaving her motherhome is unheard of, as her children belong to the motherhouse. </p><p>No matter, the band ventures on and arrives at Aslevjal, only to find Fool waiting for them there. As he had told Fitz that the island was the place where he'd die, he tried to make sure that his dear friend would not end there, but there he is, nonetheless, fulfilling his prophecy, where he sees Fitz saving the dragon and ensuring that the beasts are not lost from the world forever. </p><p>In the end, the truth is finally revealed. The reason why Elliana demanded the head of the dragon is, that her mother and sister are held captive by the sadistic White Prophet, the Pale Woman who helped the islanders years ago in their war against the Duchies and forged the people into mindless beasts. There, on the island, she has tried for years to kill the dragon in order to set the world towards her future, her prophecy, wholly different from what Fool has prophecied. This would be the world without dragons and without the Fareers. She tries to force Fitz to do her bidding by torturing Fool, but he ends up helping Icefyre free, thus breaking her prophecy.</p><p>When Fitz finally returns to Buckskeep, he finds that his daughter Nettle now knows who he is. She's not happy that she's been lied to for years and Fitz feels this all rougher than ever, as he has been given back his old emotions he pushed inside a stone dragon years ago (in the Farseer trilogy). His emotions have returned thanks to Fool, who bargained with the dragon statue in order to make his Beloved whole again, in order to help him finally live his life with people, not apart from them. Dutiful is also happy to have a cousin of his own age. But this now means Fitz has yet another woman to appease, a situation not wholly unfamiliar to him.<br /></p><p>So, the happy ending then. It takes time, of course, for a fool of a man to mend what he once broke. But mend it he does, first with the only woman that he remembers calling him a son, Patience, his father's wife. 16 years have passed and the old woman is angry and happy to get her son back. And she is happy to have a granddaughter as well, Nettle. And then, even slowlier, Fitz mends his relationship with Molly after the death of her husband Burrich, his friend and the man who fostered him for Chivalry and who took it upon himself to take care of Molly and Nettle after they both thought Fitz dead.</p><p>And that, I reckon, is the happiest ending a man who lost a decade and a half because of his own stubbornness can ever get.</p><p>Is there perhaps even a feeling of an overabundance of happy endings? Perhaps there is. As I stated, there's a sense of finality in Fool's Fate. The Farseer trilogy ends with Fitz retreating to his own loneliness, together with his wolf Nighteyes. The Tawny Man trilogy sees him brought back to people who love him, faults and all. It's both a sweet and bittersweet ending for Fitz, albeit it needs to be said that it's not a complete end, as Robin Hobb did write a 3rd trilogy of FitzChivalry 2014-2017. That said, the way Hobb concludes The Tawny Man feels like it could have been the end, had she chosen so. Happily ever after and all that.</p><p>Personally, I did find the conclusion satisfactory. The ball that was set in motion in the Farseer trilogy feels now more complete. Despite the losses, Fitz now has his life back. Not as Fitz, not as the bastard king, but as Tom Badgerlock, at least for the public eye, whereas those who love him the most know who he is. And, as he himself said it, that's really the only thing he has ever cared about. <br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-73585888620937831682023-06-14T20:30:00.009-07:002023-06-15T11:33:18.508-07:00Golden Fool (Hobb, R., 2002)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDYPwIpHxtFoSlB8H8qVIUloEAjUv81keCsIyU6YPtcMWBJuh5mRcn8FTptmGbgVVa1Ev_Xf5ZwrIjnUbJ--CBPiq7-txhPweyhAoxK9vllwIDLWjM9bZbFCBqptTn7FM9VFxm4fnMX18fpRN_MQrm9FDYXRvJXcJVYS4gq5839VcEu6bFS0df1k9/s1200/the_golden_fool.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="755" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDYPwIpHxtFoSlB8H8qVIUloEAjUv81keCsIyU6YPtcMWBJuh5mRcn8FTptmGbgVVa1Ev_Xf5ZwrIjnUbJ--CBPiq7-txhPweyhAoxK9vllwIDLWjM9bZbFCBqptTn7FM9VFxm4fnMX18fpRN_MQrm9FDYXRvJXcJVYS4gq5839VcEu6bFS0df1k9/s320/the_golden_fool.jpg" width="201" /></a></i></div><i>Golden Fool, The Tawny Man: Book Two, written by Robin Hobb, 2002</i><p></p><p>Life is doing its best to heap up on Fitz when he is trying to keep as low a profile as he can in his new position as the man-servant of Lord Golden. Of course, being a servant is just a facade for the former assassins to be able to move in the Buckkeep cast unnoticed, but besides his newfound entanglement in the politics of the real, his personal life is serving problems as well. Not only does the looming engagement of Prince Dutiful and Elliana keep him and Chad occupied, but Fitz also has problems with his old friend Fool, his adopted son Hap and on top of that, he is still grieving the passing of his wolf companion Nighteyes. Not to mention his newfound secret position as the Skill master, who has to teach the principles of magic to the Prince. </p><p>As you'd expect from a middle part of a trilogy, the plot keeps thickening. While some old mysteries are solved, new ones are laid open for the inevitable conclusion. The Pieblad rebels, a violent group of Wit fielding people who tried to kidnap Dutiful in the 1st book, are still a looming threat and an obstacle in Kettricken's attempts of reconciling the relationships between normal people and those who can use animal magic. The engagement of the Prince and Elliana seems to be influenced by some mysterious force, that has plans of their own for the young couple. And Fitz is trying his best to keep Nettle, his daughter, out of the grasp of the schemes of the land. While he is a bastard, his daughter is a possible heir if something would happen to both Queen Kettricken and her son Prince Dutiful. He would prefer her to live her life in peace, but it isn't helping that she too has Skill. <br /></p><p>So, with this setup, the story of the Tawny Man trilogy flows on. While his personal issues are pressing on, three matters of state take precedence on Fitz's attention. The 1st is obviously the new betrothed-to-be, Elliana. The more Fitz and Chade spy on her and the islanders, the more mysterious the situation turns. Who exactly is the mysterious woman they refer to? Is the proposed marriage even binding? What is the end goal?</p><p>Then there's the Wit of the Prince. Dutiful is more than keen to learn more of the forbidden animal magic, but he also has the Skill. Chade and Fitz both agree, that learning Skill is more important and With should be left on the backside. It doesn't help that there's a low noble in the court who is also witted, but his family also had a hand in the Prince's kidnapping, so the question is, can he be trusted? </p><p>And lastly, the Pieblad rebels have been alarmingly silent, but Fitz knows they are around, lurking in the shadows. the question just is, what are they aiming to do, when are they going to do it, and for whom they are going to do it.</p><p>As with many middle parts, Golden Fool feels like a heavy setup for the conclusion of the trilogy. It seemingly ties up some plot points, while leaving room for more and adds some new players to the table, like openly witted members of the court who arrive after Kettricken makes clear, that the animosity will have to come to an end.</p><p>Fitz's Skill magic also grows, thanks to a near-death experience, during which he is healed by a ragtag Skill group he has gathered around the Prince. In fact, they do so good a job at healing him, that even the old scars he suffered from his childhood abuse and the Red Ship war melt away. This leads Fitz to alter his appearance with Skill, adding some scars and a broken nose, in order to look more like how he has for the past 15 years, but those are just superficial wounds anymore, internally he is almost a new man.</p><p>The finale kickoff is also set. Elliana challenges Durtiful to bring her the head of a frozen dragon. This ancient dragon is said to reside on one of the islands, so that's where the 3rd book will take us. Then there's also a question of a blue dragon, that has heard of the possible existence of another one. And with that, the path to the last book is somewhat clear.</p><p>While Gold Fool is a well-written book, it does idle a bit at times. It suffers from a 2nd part problem, where it is solving some things, but clearly saving others so that there would be enough intrigue in the last part. It also succumbs to overexplaining some aspects, which may come out as repetition and padding.</p><p>That said, Golden Fool offers a solid springboard for the finale. There are still some unknown aspects in the story, like the mysterious Woman and the dragons and so on, but otherwise, the gameboard is now set for the Fool's Fate.</p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-47912989379126368552023-06-01T00:56:00.000-07:002023-06-01T00:56:13.012-07:00Fool's Errand (2001, Hobb, R.)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uy9L8bMT6poBVsgXxorru5Dyhr7Ehqi9th1iPlmTXJBma93kLpO05xqWz7TQ_MiNnbT8KG6KMMZkfwQ1mapAbFeCtaWJ6FoWZFh7WlSz5daW1tFwb6ys1x0n9-l4UU-SMIg7Kti71eFLQF1bAAroqGprRzKdfcrkSsFQ9-M4CWHgBqnscTsHjX6b/s1246/fool_serrand.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uy9L8bMT6poBVsgXxorru5Dyhr7Ehqi9th1iPlmTXJBma93kLpO05xqWz7TQ_MiNnbT8KG6KMMZkfwQ1mapAbFeCtaWJ6FoWZFh7WlSz5daW1tFwb6ys1x0n9-l4UU-SMIg7Kti71eFLQF1bAAroqGprRzKdfcrkSsFQ9-M4CWHgBqnscTsHjX6b/s320/fool_serrand.jpg" width="205" /></a></i></div><i>Fool's Errand, The Tawny Man: Book One (2001), written by Robin Hobb</i><p></p><p>FitzChivalry Farseer, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry Farseer, has been living isolated life far away from the city of Buckkeep after the events chronicled in the <i>Farseer Trilogy</i> (1995-1997). For 15 years, he has kept himself away from the politics and schemes of his family, content in living a small life with his wolf companion Nighteyes and his adopted son Hap.</p><p>As Tom Badgerlock, Fitz has tried to heal himself of the mental and physical wounds he received during the war against the Red Ships. It has been a small and peaceful existence, but it finally comes to its end, when his friend, a wandering minstrel Starling, takes Hap to a summer fair at Buckkeep. At first, Fitz is visited by his old mentor Chade, who asks him to come and train the son of Queen Kettricken, Prince Dutiful. Fitz is now the only person he knows who can use Skill and as it is the hereditary magic running in the Farseer family, he wants him to teach it to Dutiful</p><p>Fitz declines. Later that summer, after Hap has gone to look for work in order to pay his apprenticeship, a hedge wizard Jinna visits Fitz. With this encounter, he learns his future is not yet done and that changes are coming. And then it finally arrives, when his old friend Fool, visits him. The former court jester is now known as Lord Golden, a rich foreign noble. This encounter finally ends with Fitz leaving his life to again enter into the politics of the Six Duchies.</p><p>Prince Dutiful has gone missing. Not wanting to alarm the nobles, Kettricken and Chade want Fitz to use his Skill and frown upon animal magic Wit to do anything it takes to find him. Fitz soon begins to suspect, that Dutiful is also Witted and that where ever he is, his new hunting cat and who gifted it to him are the keys.</p><p>As Ftiz digs deeper, he soon realizes, that he hasn't been as excluded from the royal family as he has thought. For years, he has shared some dreams with the young prince caused by their blood relationship and the ability to use Skill and Wit. He uses this bond to track him down and masquerading as the servant of Lord Golden, they go to free Dutiful from his captors, a rebellious group of Wit users, who are determined to revenge all the bad things that regular people have done to those who know Wit during decades of oppression.</p><p>In the end, Fitz now finds himself again in the service of the royal family. He full well knows, that dutiful needs to be trained in both Wit and Skill and there's no one else to do it but him. And so, he finds himself again living the life he thought he left behind. But this time around, he's not in the castle as Fitz, the bastard of the family, but as a humble servant Tom Badgerlock. He will do his teaching in secret, a situation that suits him just fine.<br /></p><p>So, while Fitz has returned to Buckkeep, this time around things are a bit different. As he is no longer officially a royal, his life in the castle is shrouded even more in smoke and mirrors. This position also gives him more freedom, as he's not bound by the more visible royal chains, albeit he is now bound by his duty and loyalty to the Queen and the Prince. He, and Fool, also need to keep up the appearance of a lord and his servant.</p><p>This is where the book one ends. The story here is given a satisfying conclusion, but future plot threads are left open and Fitz is given some respite to recover from his most recent ordeal that pushed him harder than anything he had done for the past 15 years.</p><p>The Farseer Trilogy is something of a modern fantasy masterpiece. The Tawny Man continues along this path, providing a well-written and interesting first part for the new trilogy. It does feel a tad overly padded at times and some of the resolutions do come out a bit too coincidental, but overall, there are far more pros than cons and Hobb does make the story flow with ease.</p><p>if you are a fan of the Farseer trilogy, you should find Fool's Erran a pleasant read. If you haven't read the Farseer, I'd recommend starting from there, as it does make the setting clearer, as, despite the time gap, this story is a direct continuation of it. Of course, you can always read it just as it is, but I do think you might get more out of it if you are familiar with the setting and the returning characters.<br /></p><p>As a side note, some of the adventures Fool speaks of take place in the Liveship Traders trilogy. As I haven't read that series, I can't comment much further on it, but some aspects of his history will probably make even more sense for those who have read it.</p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-13072385611871399892023-05-14T23:43:00.000-07:002023-05-14T23:43:00.452-07:00Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiYGDfeJSRTJkVJO7m2R-cxpfu8IvEZ9rhBw5-zVkClrGcvlbvlmTzTSXFznPiMJx8K4Jr3tsX9S5DJxinvx4lqGGP2L-gOws1CboRL-QNtKP-P_6PiQhUIT3sg4mKdhgiaZHOPh-zb3S5E30KQIOmT6QUZWd95mOdlQHRjR3PExSHXd3NPq_wiXj/s1024/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiYGDfeJSRTJkVJO7m2R-cxpfu8IvEZ9rhBw5-zVkClrGcvlbvlmTzTSXFznPiMJx8K4Jr3tsX9S5DJxinvx4lqGGP2L-gOws1CboRL-QNtKP-P_6PiQhUIT3sg4mKdhgiaZHOPh-zb3S5E30KQIOmT6QUZWd95mOdlQHRjR3PExSHXd3NPq_wiXj/s320/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.jpg" width="250" /></a></i></div><i>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), based on the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, designed by Noah Falstein, David Fox and Ron Gilbert, developed and published by Lucasfilm Games</i><p></p><p>There's no way around it. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is by far my least favorite Lucasfilm adventure game. While it does have some rather interesting things about it, like the possibility to solve puzzles in various ways, it's not, overall, very well designed nor a fun game to play. It's something of an underwhelming game adaptation of the movie.</p><p>If you haven't seen the movie, the story, in a nutshell, goes something like this: the father of Indiana Jones, Henry, an archeologist just as his son, goes missing. Indy soon finds out, that his father's disappearance is linked to Henry's lifelong quest of finding the Holy Grail and apparently, he has been close to finding it.</p><p>The trail takes Indy to Venice and then Germany, from where he finally finds his father, who has been captured by the Nazis who are also trailing the Grail in hopes of gaining immortality. Indy and Henry escape the Nazis and finally find their way to Iskenderun, where the Grail is hidden in a temple guarded by traps.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD__E5R-i8EV87bEgAcp9KQIVdoOe5vZKSbuxbpgdMDOefiOuXt0dEVekxW68Sz2zl-FHdIbpPtgY1jRRJfG2bxy38UYSd4n-Ot0-_Uol0shGxnJJHelzZ5Hglvf8HBUDGtjbOGcZHf3O9eYm2-CXYLg3JOn5jZjgtvUlE1Q-OtHZ7LF9a1UkPVLX/s640/scummvm00009.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD__E5R-i8EV87bEgAcp9KQIVdoOe5vZKSbuxbpgdMDOefiOuXt0dEVekxW68Sz2zl-FHdIbpPtgY1jRRJfG2bxy38UYSd4n-Ot0-_Uol0shGxnJJHelzZ5Hglvf8HBUDGtjbOGcZHf3O9eYm2-CXYLg3JOn5jZjgtvUlE1Q-OtHZ7LF9a1UkPVLX/w640-h400/scummvm00009.png" width="640" /></a></div>The villains of the tale end up there as well and shoot Henry in order to force Indy to go through the trials in hopes that the Grail will save his father's life. Indy solves the trials, finds the Grail, saves his father, and defeats the Nazis.<p></p><p>The game follows the basic story of the movie but omits a lot of scenes. Despite there are action scenes, it doesn't really utilize the scenes from the movie more than it inserts a possibility for Indy to use his fists to go through puzzles of which solutions the player has missed and it's possible to miss a lot, as many of alternative solutions are hidden behind hot spot hunting. </p><p>The way you solve the puzzles does have quite a big impact on how the story goes. For example, it's possible to miss some scenes that were in the movie, like the book burning in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler gives his signature for Indy. The escape from the Nazi castle can also be concluded in an almost complete stealthy manner. But, as stated, a lot of it hangs on you finding alternative solutions long before you meet them. And you can use one item to solve multiple puzzles, so, for example, if you use Mein Kampf, which you have to find relatively early in the game, to solve a puzzle in the Nazi castle, you can't use it again to solve another puzzle elsewhere down the road.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvjenODz3eanzy07K1TDNImCwpoJecHHIyRr82SRKonRJwd76YIWzICiHTcKkOaXAKcTvrKBTQj_Ak1DAtdc34wTuiSd0BiZ42HUsusJX8apVY7e7Qw8YoA38my_clk4qYaF-ZzcWGH4M5f42wAZyAEXke2fbgjEPmLTVE9z78AwoxiJQaARTUvGu/s640/scummvm00013.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvjenODz3eanzy07K1TDNImCwpoJecHHIyRr82SRKonRJwd76YIWzICiHTcKkOaXAKcTvrKBTQj_Ak1DAtdc34wTuiSd0BiZ42HUsusJX8apVY7e7Qw8YoA38my_clk4qYaF-ZzcWGH4M5f42wAZyAEXke2fbgjEPmLTVE9z78AwoxiJQaARTUvGu/w640-h400/scummvm00013.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />If you haven't found some other solutions along the way, you can always try to talk your way from some scenarios, but that can also lead to fistfights. The Nazi stronghold and escape from Germany really are the worst areas in the game, as they almost completely hang on having a foresight that comes only from playing the game multiple times. And the fistfights are not really that well made. You can train boxing at the beginning of the game, but when push comes to shove, it's hard to keep Indy healthy, and completing the game as a fist fighter is not as easy as it sounds.<p></p><p>The final stretch in escaping Germany has Indy and Henry either steal a bi-plane or take a Zeppelin. If you take the bi-plane, you need to shoot down enemy airplanes. The more you shoot them down, the further away you end up, which helps you with the number of checkpoints on the road. If you manage to shoot down all the planes, you get only 1 checkpoint, if you shoot down none, you get 7 and you have to either bamboozle your way through all of them or fight 7 Nazis. The Zeppelin adds an additional puzzle scene and ends up with Indy and Henry flying the place and shooting down the enemy planes. Either way, it's an annoying scenario and it would have been great if the Zeppelin route would have led to less clunky action scenes. </p><p>This kind of flexibility with the puzzles is really the best aspect of the Last Crusade. It's just a shame, the game itself kind of just feels very uninspired, especially coming after such games as Maniac Mansion and <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2020/01/zak-mckracken-and-alien-mindbenders-1988.html">Zak McKracken</a> (which I don't find a good game either, but it does feel more inspired). You can tell the team was trying a lot of stuff on the way, some of which were very innovative for the time, but the end result is just relatively bland.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEG6P2O-xruCsgUI9zKenH6hDTwJsB1ekEeLlFO2DTqZlVtSTYbCE5SCGg6cvvFcBvJg9wG0RunTJhs9qcjItZldCFgGSSGfAM2od676n4m91cq1XZsrx4AyMpJP3LsaVB8TxYoykuCCndWgPShR60KfHktR0brs_0vepLERieLK5b0VZKwYvCVmSG/s640/scummvm00029.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEG6P2O-xruCsgUI9zKenH6hDTwJsB1ekEeLlFO2DTqZlVtSTYbCE5SCGg6cvvFcBvJg9wG0RunTJhs9qcjItZldCFgGSSGfAM2od676n4m91cq1XZsrx4AyMpJP3LsaVB8TxYoykuCCndWgPShR60KfHktR0brs_0vepLERieLK5b0VZKwYvCVmSG/w640-h400/scummvm00029.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Graphically, The Last Crusade isn't that great either. It's not the ugliest game of the late 80s, but when compared to the high-resolution version of Maniac Mansion or Zak McKracken, it comes out as a rather crude-looking game in either EGA or VGA version. <p></p><p>Perhaps the best thing about the Last Crusade is, that it leads into the Fate of Atlantis, which is a far superior game. Many of the blocks that make Fate of Atlantis great were tested out here. But that's how the game really plays like, it feels like a lot of stuff is there just because a test bed was needed for it. </p><p>As I said, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my least favorite Lucasfilm adventure game. It's not the worst game ever made, but it just lacks that certain something that makes an old game feel like a classic. It is a better game than Zak McKracken, but Zak feels more like a classic whereas The Last Crusade does not. <br /></p><p>If you want to play The Last Crusade, you can get it from <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/indiana_jones_and_the_last_crusade">GOG</a> or<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/32310/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Last_Crusade/"> Steam</a>. But really, I'd recommend watching the movie, it's much more fun. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmP2bSqxlAdIn0DZOtKE_hjRo82U9h5542jb4Pwx0h0DFzlCNNwchL1UPDwuKgxDr74_jNc2VeYC1qRXaU2d7hspx2cbcDz_2sJM6W8VhjGPYxALZq5kQW2jmOe4ASyz1EgAK-9re56cPJQXhEpxkVZF-gyV3-vRrZkY-1POLbIiq7r3fwN5yrlqXq/s640/scummvm00035.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmP2bSqxlAdIn0DZOtKE_hjRo82U9h5542jb4Pwx0h0DFzlCNNwchL1UPDwuKgxDr74_jNc2VeYC1qRXaU2d7hspx2cbcDz_2sJM6W8VhjGPYxALZq5kQW2jmOe4ASyz1EgAK-9re56cPJQXhEpxkVZF-gyV3-vRrZkY-1POLbIiq7r3fwN5yrlqXq/w640-h400/scummvm00035.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-43157245778829089152023-05-01T06:16:00.003-07:002023-05-01T06:16:48.761-07:00BioShock 2: Remastered (2016, original 2010)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76O7RKhN6IbVWXyT_WEJmnqnIpBkvpeKdFCZaSoiaZvETzIE2Ma168egjikJ36KoCAigOwQAF0ZOBng5_-5uE7sBAf2l93hCFlKPPkv5B7w2YraUFm5ESP-8DPrU3KThtDr0h8oDuw2OP58uPIWJ20uDuk4SqekXk6435R1O_fHyVnOBuP1eyzPH-/s800/bioshock-2-remastered.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76O7RKhN6IbVWXyT_WEJmnqnIpBkvpeKdFCZaSoiaZvETzIE2Ma168egjikJ36KoCAigOwQAF0ZOBng5_-5uE7sBAf2l93hCFlKPPkv5B7w2YraUFm5ESP-8DPrU3KThtDr0h8oDuw2OP58uPIWJ20uDuk4SqekXk6435R1O_fHyVnOBuP1eyzPH-/w640-h360/bioshock-2-remastered.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i>BioShock 2: Remastered (2016, original 2010), directed by Jordan Thomas, written by Jordan Thomas, developed by 2K Australia, 2K Marin, Digital Extremes, published by 2K Games</i></div><div><br /></div><div>As BioShock was a hit game, it wasn't a big surprise, that there would be more of it. And as far as sequels go, BioShock 2 is rather literally more of the same as what was served in the 1st game. This time around, the game is an expansion of the final part of BioShock, where you get to play as a Big Daddy. So, while you get to insert your body full of plasmids, you also get to protect the ADAM gathering Little Sisters.</div><div><br /></div><div>New Year's Eve, 1958, Big Daddy, code-named Delta, is protecting his Little Sister when they are attacked. A woman called Sofia Lamb approaches him, tells him that the girl is, in fact, her daughter Eleanor and forces Delta to fire a bullet through his brain. </div><div><br /></div><div>A decade passes. Delta wakes up from a rejuvenation chamber and is instantly contacted by Eleanor. She has plodded behind her mother's back, who is now holding Rapture in her grasp. Sofia Lamb, a psychologist who is looking to create the perfect, unselfish voice for the people from her daughter, is keeping Eleanor caged. But little she knows, that Eleanor shares a deep bond with her former guardian just as she shares a bond with the Little Sisters, whom she had helped her to find Delta's body and rejuvenate him.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdBtGiLUKTrdNUCTB3PCOOd2rSfTpwPvW75hb1KY5BV9B8CM8qnPv76Av8HzvyaWeRwLonq8v_9Q4PChIkQokVUW25F12yPBaCXZabffg4EeOfZPnshl6ak2upI9apd_VAF18364g29AHL3tjaWwy03tlMbSaSfJ9x0SdkokCcuF7d7fRLhky0Dy_/s2560/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.13%20-%2017.42.04.87.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdBtGiLUKTrdNUCTB3PCOOd2rSfTpwPvW75hb1KY5BV9B8CM8qnPv76Av8HzvyaWeRwLonq8v_9Q4PChIkQokVUW25F12yPBaCXZabffg4EeOfZPnshl6ak2upI9apd_VAF18364g29AHL3tjaWwy03tlMbSaSfJ9x0SdkokCcuF7d7fRLhky0Dy_/w640-h270/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.13%20-%2017.42.04.87.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Eleanor is not the only one the help Delta, there's also Mr. Sinclair, an entrepreneur, who assists him on his way to Eleanor. Just like in the first game, you need to find your way through the levels filled with demented citizens of Rapture, armed to the teeth, with both firearms and plasmids bought with ADAM. You get all the familiar ones from the 1st game, like fire, electricity and hypnosis among other things.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a whole, BioShock 2 doesn't offer much in terms of novelty. The enemies are mostly the same from the 1st game, the only major differences are the Big Sisters, female versions of Big Daddies. Big Sisters are faster and more agile and generally attack you only after you've either rescued or drained every Little Sister on any given level, making them mini-boss battles. But, after you learn their weak spots, and are armed with plasmids, they become easier to dispose of. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's really nothing wrong in trying to serve more the same, as the gameplay itself is pretty solid. But on the other hand, BioShock 2 comes out as a bit of a bland experience. Not that Lamb is a bad villain, but because it offers very little anything new. And the side stories of BioShock 2 don't really manage to get to the same as the first game, which revolves around the destruction of utopia. In BioShock 2, the utopia has been dead for years and Rapture is now a place of predators, all kinds of predators, who even go above the surface from time to time to kidnap little girls to be the new Little Sisters. It's all a bit tiring in the worst horror sequel fashion.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs8Oe0j8jMkRQ80W4igSi4OM7rS0G7K1rfJTJZtokrh8yg_mD6dt3-2l761ysXgx4wuFWbgpm3lLOKvyQT98W4QBI45UHoAQzO9XVnd-i6hBu_Ljb-TcoOZ6BHAsiBVlTDcc2ruEiU1i3w6JJlP4pQuoWFGBY1r1LaSZbwzi86A072vzVufoRmkwA/s2560/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.13%20-%2018.32.11.92.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs8Oe0j8jMkRQ80W4igSi4OM7rS0G7K1rfJTJZtokrh8yg_mD6dt3-2l761ysXgx4wuFWbgpm3lLOKvyQT98W4QBI45UHoAQzO9XVnd-i6hBu_Ljb-TcoOZ6BHAsiBVlTDcc2ruEiU1i3w6JJlP4pQuoWFGBY1r1LaSZbwzi86A072vzVufoRmkwA/w640-h270/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.13%20-%2018.32.11.92.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The most originality BioShock 2 manages is the short segment in the latter part of the game, where you get to control a Little Sister for a while. This allows you to see Rapture from an entirely different point of view, as the Little Sisters don't see the underwater city as derelict it is, they see it as an ethereal place, clad in white curtains. During this scene, you need to find a Big sister suit for Eleanor, who becomes an ally you can call into battle with you.</div><div><br /></div><div>As it is in the first game, what you do with the Little Sisters has an effect on how the game ends. Eleanor, shielded as she is, learns from her actions, becoming either good, evil or something in between according to her actions. So, depending on what kind of ending you want, play accordingly.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's also a DLC episode for BioShock 2, a mini story revolving around Minerva's Den, the computer facility of Rapture meant for automating the underwater city. Again, you step in the shoes of a Big Daddy, Sigma, who is recruited by one of the Den's former builders, Charles Milton Porter, who was ruined by his former companion Reed Wahl, who is now using the Thinker, the supercomputer, as his own prediction machine.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm0mEHgBiq_wirrvWaJsHz7ZOp4JhCy2mfJ3W9BjmPp1_4Do9WUMmnSYMyR6AvYqwE9qXkTdoo7H-jBDLGz3Dbe2tV1rJH5dtO_XpJ-tLdizJV5s2p7CDdTtDl8zC5NLyb5X0egFiEi84WNrF8KjnROvWoafSEYd-G9zMxap6Vcu2W19jJdXXATO6/s2560/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.19%20-%2016.42.02.37.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm0mEHgBiq_wirrvWaJsHz7ZOp4JhCy2mfJ3W9BjmPp1_4Do9WUMmnSYMyR6AvYqwE9qXkTdoo7H-jBDLGz3Dbe2tV1rJH5dtO_XpJ-tLdizJV5s2p7CDdTtDl8zC5NLyb5X0egFiEi84WNrF8KjnROvWoafSEYd-G9zMxap6Vcu2W19jJdXXATO6/w640-h270/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.19%20-%2016.42.02.37.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another voice joining to guide Sigma is Doctor Brigid Tenenbaum. She has returned back to Rapture to help Porter as well as trying to find a way to stop Sofia Lamb, who is using the Little Sister for her own goals. </div><div><br /></div><div>BioShock 2 isn't a bad game. As I said, it does offer more of the same as the 1st game, but on the other hand, that's not necessarily a bad thing. And for its benefit, it doesn't try to pull out a similar curve ball as the 1st, as that could have just come out as tacky.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can get BioShock 2: Remastered from <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/bioshock_2_remastered">GOG</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/409720/BioShock_2_Remastered/">Steam</a> among other places. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI19J2zJMTb-aWEZzLQaVDYKV0uadEXldoJ-nl7-tx6hs28xa9GQbRDLa9493zzWCPfl8jJ0lc6u5pqbFWwL7kywpmiDcFJNJ03IPHJCJjHMrvwJ27WZ6er0TD4eZxdmOH88LdusGnQlWBlhGw1Q0WKM1qHJvG5aDlKJQX7UwuYDtB-4UjqbVw0_9N/s2560/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.19%20-%2018.29.32.97.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI19J2zJMTb-aWEZzLQaVDYKV0uadEXldoJ-nl7-tx6hs28xa9GQbRDLa9493zzWCPfl8jJ0lc6u5pqbFWwL7kywpmiDcFJNJ03IPHJCJjHMrvwJ27WZ6er0TD4eZxdmOH88LdusGnQlWBlhGw1Q0WKM1qHJvG5aDlKJQX7UwuYDtB-4UjqbVw0_9N/w640-h270/Bioshock%202%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.19%20-%2018.29.32.97.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-16632050375317709742023-04-16T07:14:00.000-07:002023-04-16T07:14:07.689-07:00Alien Incident (1996)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IpD_Zh7NkFWVqCxIt0XBpa4StFyFC5Ic0GxDfp2y7JSSC2O2LEAkdYLMHadqh-E4wm8j5yd6MiqV8GlC7yOt_CbR9W3oWJdrIjtgfj4mWQRncI7ChU_Gk4orcv41ucLegYIQyQ8w7tQr5vyf6lFmQKawzYu1bXouQBAZrdi5GWcO9aBv3NqKT47m/s998/alien-incident.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IpD_Zh7NkFWVqCxIt0XBpa4StFyFC5Ic0GxDfp2y7JSSC2O2LEAkdYLMHadqh-E4wm8j5yd6MiqV8GlC7yOt_CbR9W3oWJdrIjtgfj4mWQRncI7ChU_Gk4orcv41ucLegYIQyQ8w7tQr5vyf6lFmQKawzYu1bXouQBAZrdi5GWcO9aBv3NqKT47m/s320/alien-incident.jpg" width="257" /></a></i></div><i>Alien Incident (1996), developed by Housemarque, published by GameTek</i><br /><p></p><p>Alien Incident is the only point-and-click adventure Housemarque has produced to this date and as such, this clearly Lucasfilm-inspired title is something of an anomaly in their catalogue consisting mostly of action games. It's also one of the very few commercial adventure games produced in Finland. In fact, I can't really think of any other from the top of my head, though I'm certain there must be at least a handful besides Alien Incident.</p><p>On Halloween, Benjamin witnesses, how his scientist uncle is firing up his newest invention, a Wormhole Spawner, for the first time. Just as he turns the machine on, lightning strikes it, but a wormhole opens up, nonetheless. Little do Benjamin and his uncle realise, that the wormhole manages to end up on the way of an alien spaceship in chase of a mysterious entity, which both end up on Earth.</p><p>The aliens are, unsurprisingly, intrigued by the machine, so they capture Benjamin's uncle. They want him to re-create the wormhole so they can get back home. They aren't friendly though, as they mean to get the information by torture and have ill intentions towards the mysterious entity as well. It's now Benjamin's job to find the way to the spaceship to rescue his uncle.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmzeMV2txl8yXOrR4Z3bz13yv1LsdeZtCr4rLD7kdI71W2T-HfxoAD5nOGDfGjG0w0X45Y-C20Po5mE4mYTG6psOjec7y0l0oYszMh5dhbyhwLd_IEjNsZjWZ0i_kz9pByVB25G8tbNoUCyiUbkRWeVFf7zklJVOY08HeE5JBKXJ5Wcb1k-JZkIZ9/s320/animplay_000.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmzeMV2txl8yXOrR4Z3bz13yv1LsdeZtCr4rLD7kdI71W2T-HfxoAD5nOGDfGjG0w0X45Y-C20Po5mE4mYTG6psOjec7y0l0oYszMh5dhbyhwLd_IEjNsZjWZ0i_kz9pByVB25G8tbNoUCyiUbkRWeVFf7zklJVOY08HeE5JBKXJ5Wcb1k-JZkIZ9/w640-h400/animplay_000.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image is actually from the cinematic intro, which is very heavily compressed. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Narratively, Alien Incident is something of a pretty typical mid-90s adventure game. It's a tongue-in-cheek adventure game containing an even spread or more or less tired, even at the time, pop culture jabs. It doesn't really offer anything new in those terms but it isn't off-putting either. <br /><p></p><p>Technically speaking, Alien Incident is a bit of an uneven experience. While the UI works reasonably well, there's just something a tad unpolished about it, overall. At times, the hotspot detection seems off, though I don't know if that's a fault in the game or with incompatibility with DosBox. Also, the animation speed is frustratingly slow and even if the game itself isn't that long, you spend quite a bit of time walking between scenes. The slow movement speed makes this unnecessarily annoying. There are some neat tricks in the engine though, most noticeably the pretty decently done light effects, which allow the characters to fade in and out between darker and lighter areas of the screen. </p><p>Quite a few puzzles rely heavily on pixel hunting, so the issues with hotspot hunting are quite an obstacle at times. That said, the puzzles aren't really hard and the game is, all in all, rather easy. And short. If not for the seemingly mandatory maze section, the game would be even shorter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnRAawWZM4vVkGoe3G1NFFsYvyu87BVjyKJb-Qrpu0sWdKyCxtQH8e6QkPX5JEfjkHkMzh5MXwlPYXru7ncjSHkaBY5uPNN1uqFlVvobir9IQ-ZHKsbKRfZ-7iZXKR7c2PviEs4mAS0pD9z_llthAWhnTp2-lWb4Mu1OX-sBvGqPQ9OSCXo5PiEY_/s320/game_001.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnRAawWZM4vVkGoe3G1NFFsYvyu87BVjyKJb-Qrpu0sWdKyCxtQH8e6QkPX5JEfjkHkMzh5MXwlPYXru7ncjSHkaBY5uPNN1uqFlVvobir9IQ-ZHKsbKRfZ-7iZXKR7c2PviEs4mAS0pD9z_llthAWhnTp2-lWb4Mu1OX-sBvGqPQ9OSCXo5PiEY_/w640-h400/game_001.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many of the game locations just scream Lucasfilm games.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Otherwise, the UI itself is very simplified from what Lucasfilm offered. It's basically a two-button smart cursor system, with the left click performing an appropriate action and the right button acting as an examine command. The lower part of the screen is reserved for the inventory and the action text description display. These both are perfectly functional, but it has to be noted, that at times, the full action description text doesn't quite fit in the space reserved for it. <br /></p><p>Graphically, Alien Incident is in the middle of the road. It really doesn't manage to offer much in terms of originality and the graphical style, down to the sprite art, clearly owes a lot to Lucasfilm games. Some of the character sprites would seem right at home in a Lucasfilm game. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8YpaYAKI9B8P9sblQIDPd4Ns3CTbVQYkswCbI2oyDK92RU5CSigNVqQKMW7PmdJgPXaX11RAU4ZkGWft4-Wy0LJrD-NYakr6NCYxvU2aB5UMkLDQ2xEo2thGCSKoySmdU4DH98H7ShW8MGX2x1DejcxRX9jDHA-v3wR6BkpOE0krdCJp1WE1XKA_/s320/game_011.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8YpaYAKI9B8P9sblQIDPd4Ns3CTbVQYkswCbI2oyDK92RU5CSigNVqQKMW7PmdJgPXaX11RAU4ZkGWft4-Wy0LJrD-NYakr6NCYxvU2aB5UMkLDQ2xEo2thGCSKoySmdU4DH98H7ShW8MGX2x1DejcxRX9jDHA-v3wR6BkpOE0krdCJp1WE1XKA_/w640-h400/game_011.png" width="640" /></a></div>There's some voice acting in the intro, but overall the game is text-based. The music is mostly annoying and serves best turned off.<p></p><p>So, yeah, Alien Incident. It's pretty obvious why this game is now largely forgotten, perhaps even by the company that originally made it. While it is decent enough of a game, it's not anything really noteworthy either. </p><p>While the developer, Housemarque, is still around, the game itself isn't actively sold anywhere. I wouldn't call it a huge loss, by any means.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcCDyliKU5wQ3Gm6D6Ii_-k22MH1Fwkh6pWdpXWBKVwgLgvB4y6Pj69TMLLvtWCt17pr3LCsWUp1deIjPO6i6YtpGR06_jJFA7P_gtiH0DmYc-zByBHqnSqLQIWo4AGpRlZ9cF9Utv3R2J5iJRf_rKCVw9OHeEbfzjWcAA_umuC2ondy2dQNmRjkZ/s320/game_015.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcCDyliKU5wQ3Gm6D6Ii_-k22MH1Fwkh6pWdpXWBKVwgLgvB4y6Pj69TMLLvtWCt17pr3LCsWUp1deIjPO6i6YtpGR06_jJFA7P_gtiH0DmYc-zByBHqnSqLQIWo4AGpRlZ9cF9Utv3R2J5iJRf_rKCVw9OHeEbfzjWcAA_umuC2ondy2dQNmRjkZ/w640-h400/game_015.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-65016624923879331582023-04-01T00:00:00.001-07:002023-04-01T00:00:29.404-07:00BioShock (2007, remastered 2016)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKpv4Zl1Ud7N0x8bu0lYxSB7eiUPAYpWPMsu4tHfEmABELbPMssAp5Tinp2l0ZpCKQwhHqD7SFxDkqwA12E4YGl0EQ9UbuDWEtjzM-U4YnwDcwWTo1SujgZRz8U0NkEL8cbRQaiEe5SQyzjhY_6RDNEsbgYZQGA9Pqohhc3UY3Z9WrxeAxlmpAzpt/s1119/bioshock.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKpv4Zl1Ud7N0x8bu0lYxSB7eiUPAYpWPMsu4tHfEmABELbPMssAp5Tinp2l0ZpCKQwhHqD7SFxDkqwA12E4YGl0EQ9UbuDWEtjzM-U4YnwDcwWTo1SujgZRz8U0NkEL8cbRQaiEe5SQyzjhY_6RDNEsbgYZQGA9Pqohhc3UY3Z9WrxeAxlmpAzpt/s320/bioshock.jpg" width="229" /></a></i></div><i>BioShock (2007, remastered 2016), story by Ken Levine, developed by 2K Australia, 2K Boston, published by 2K Games</i><p></p><p>A man chooses, a slave obeys. Andrew Ryan, equipped with ego and his philosophical visions of a genuinely free, capitalistic society, decided to build his city of dreams beneath the waves of the ocean, away from the prying eyes of the world, that either insist that all should be equal, or things should be shared or that everyone is entitled to the produce of other man's sweat. His wealth, and the wealth of those living within his utopia, would be for those, who generated it, not for the parasites asking for handouts. Out of the laws and morals of the old world, Ryan's city, Rapture, grew prosperous in wealth and in science. </p><p>Yes, the truly free people started to steer further away from the morals of the old. Why should a plastic surgeon waste his time doing the same fixes time in and out for the people? Why would he not see his patients as his way of expressionism, turning them into something entirely different? Indeed, if there are no morals, no greater glory than profit and self-expression, then why not?`</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIkDVVSCu1oZu0ccadY5PJsVJeN51fRKcWkV4zLFV3AZS7RxA7Di79AqgK9xB2RhDWiocUaRDlv_WavhxAzJ3oSrMySgtMGqwXNcVfvd9lpjyW4S1kJbnc0-Yc9AeMYLzBzRFwdQdRpg6732wlXRFRLKParVZ3zFIZmNQziy2U1p7NPIjzeoXS6P3/s2560/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.04%20-%2021.18.32.70.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIkDVVSCu1oZu0ccadY5PJsVJeN51fRKcWkV4zLFV3AZS7RxA7Di79AqgK9xB2RhDWiocUaRDlv_WavhxAzJ3oSrMySgtMGqwXNcVfvd9lpjyW4S1kJbnc0-Yc9AeMYLzBzRFwdQdRpg6732wlXRFRLKParVZ3zFIZmNQziy2U1p7NPIjzeoXS6P3/w640-h270/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.04%20-%2021.18.32.70.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Years, decades, later after the birth of one man's paradise, a plane crashes into the sea. A single survivor swims to the surface, the only safe place in sight, a tall tower rising from the sea. Inside, he is greeted by Andrew Ryan's motto: No Gods, no Kings. Only Man. No other way in sight, the sole survivor enters a submarine, that takes him to the Rapture, where he is contacted by radio by a man calling himself Atlas, who tells him the lay of the land, how all in Rapture has gone to hell with people gone insane by modifications and a serum called ADAM, that can alter human genetics, giving them abilities, like telekinesis, lightning and fireballs. </p><p>Atlas tells a story of how his family is stranded in another submarine and how he'd love it if the survivor would help him. He asks, would you kindly help him. Would you kindly, indeed, walk into the hell hole that once was the art deco paradise of the free. No gods, no kings, only man.</p><p>Of course, the survivor has to inject himself with Plasmids, which grants him the powers, but he'll need more ADAM and here, even more, morality play comes in. See, ADAM is gathered by beings called Little Sisters, who, quite literally, are little girls infused with the genetics of a sea slug that was originally found as the source of ADAM. Protected by their hulking guardians, Big Daddies, the girls scrounge ADAM from the corpses littering Rapture, while the survivors do their most damn to capture the girls to suck all the ADAM from them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4Ju_LOQ4xnHIVjfURwbE_9KiCyvw66gl9np9-strixl5PiZKWB5dJ1wabqoHMqo57ssQ7zi6JxG8uBCrtlDAdcThLzkNWypeEom-hcDS1hyLoyxpWCbXrbpd86qggoxwTIG3tBPfWzT2SHqveoU4RUU2Q2TJr9qSLqPnbs4P5jqrb9v6W_X52XVW/s2560/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.04%20-%2021.28.02.73.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4Ju_LOQ4xnHIVjfURwbE_9KiCyvw66gl9np9-strixl5PiZKWB5dJ1wabqoHMqo57ssQ7zi6JxG8uBCrtlDAdcThLzkNWypeEom-hcDS1hyLoyxpWCbXrbpd86qggoxwTIG3tBPfWzT2SHqveoU4RUU2Q2TJr9qSLqPnbs4P5jqrb9v6W_X52XVW/w640-h270/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.04%20-%2021.28.02.73.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Atlas tells the survivor, that a girl must die for him to get the full dose. But, their creator, doctor Tenenbaum, suggests another way: he should free the girls and take less essence from them, thus leaving them alive. So, the question becomes: are you greedy and want it all or are you willing to wait for a bigger reward after a while?</p><p>After horrific sights, the survivor finally finds Andre Ryan, who tells him, that Atlas has played him. Would you kindly indeed, a secret trigger phrase, that makes the survivor do everything Atlas wants. And he wants Ryan dead, out of his way, so that he can take over the city, and all its wealth.</p><p>Ryan is now dead, but Atlas needs to die. He is too dangerous to be left alive. So, helped by Tenenbaum and the Little Sisters, the survivor does just that and kills Atlas. And, if he was good enough, he leaves the Rapture behind him, taking all the saved Little Sister with him, whom he then raises in peace, far away from the hell they were born in. For all the horrors he endured, the survivor, Jack, might gain a family as a reward.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTOAolZ_XnB_QPHrZkhq9tbwp_CjvQg1MhJdOYfmSvPUOSMLjKysn-7FmdwLdDQpsSTieTAxkoqQ13h-HT5_D4B3t2FFtWHJohlq46yLhAYgLgbAEUdloI0q5QL7fz2BczeT3DiZSNCDvccMCSuuUfD43qXLtyOpUOBsb9THlQXlN0vPWGXZel3hh/s2560/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.04%20-%2021.41.17.26.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTOAolZ_XnB_QPHrZkhq9tbwp_CjvQg1MhJdOYfmSvPUOSMLjKysn-7FmdwLdDQpsSTieTAxkoqQ13h-HT5_D4B3t2FFtWHJohlq46yLhAYgLgbAEUdloI0q5QL7fz2BczeT3DiZSNCDvccMCSuuUfD43qXLtyOpUOBsb9THlQXlN0vPWGXZel3hh/w640-h270/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.04%20-%2021.41.17.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>While BioShock could be chalked as just another FPS game, that would be doing it a disservice. It was among the first in the genre to bring a truly great story to the mix, accompanied by light RPG elements in the gameplay. Sure, there had been serious FPS games with plots before, but BioShock rises the bar by tying one story and gameplay mechanic into a morality question. This is, of course, the Little Sisters, whom you can either save or destroy: for faster progress, you can consume the ADAM from the little girls, thus killing them or you can choose to take the minimum, leaving them alive.</p><p>And the monsters you fight against? They are merely the poor people of Rapture, who have lost their minds. People, who were trapped under the sea, with no way out, with two megalomaniacs fighting for what they thought was theirs. The more you think of it, the worse you feel about killing the poor bastards standing in your way, but in the end, it's either you or them. And, at least you can choose to save the Little Sisters. That has to count for something. </p><p>Your arsenal is built from your standard machine guns, shotguns and the like, but those can be pimped up in terminals. They can gain more damage, speed and so on. But to really beef up, you need the Plasmids, which you can buy from the dispensers if you have enough ADAM. See, morality, do you want it all now or later. The Plasmids give you abilities, like fire and lightning, but also give you thicker skin, better hacking skills and so on. Like I said, light RPG elements, all in all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq2rmwP8-Gn3vhn_vJK5hqGqw7P0grsolD2rCnXV1GschhpFaWuydhnnfb2fDsMgMBr6bTnKMwww7rcmEYzuEBDFkjYLUqlZiP09wsyXFMeN28XSU5FpnUWxGZcT4ieg0w7_kY2c53pqdNYW69PNdRTHgSanWKsz8GgY9J6KC1xflH0RK3zwKdNWV/s2560/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.05%20-%2021.57.21.48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq2rmwP8-Gn3vhn_vJK5hqGqw7P0grsolD2rCnXV1GschhpFaWuydhnnfb2fDsMgMBr6bTnKMwww7rcmEYzuEBDFkjYLUqlZiP09wsyXFMeN28XSU5FpnUWxGZcT4ieg0w7_kY2c53pqdNYW69PNdRTHgSanWKsz8GgY9J6KC1xflH0RK3zwKdNWV/w640-h270/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.05%20-%2021.57.21.48.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>As an FPS game, BioShock has endured time quite nicely. Of course, its biggest story twist might have been spoiled for many people, even if they haven't played the game. Would you kindly is something of a famous phrase, but still, even if you know the story, it is a great one, told very well through radio conversations and data logs scattered all around Rapture. </p><p>While BioShock owes a lot to games that came before it, mainly System Shock and <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2015/10/great-games-deus-ex.html">Deus Ex</a>, it's not shadowed by them either. It stands tall on its own, bringing a great story and great design to the mix, offering a truly fascinating experience that people should still play. It's well worth it.</p><p>You can get BioShock Remastered from<a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/bioshock_remastered"> GOG </a>and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/409710/BioShock_Remastered/">Steam</a> among other places. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzgx61FdJyWviRudM6cgwHXuWKPdqPuayNZyzUXrwlUB2VzYz77IpuhxBLqnkyXHmDI8QVvETM88y7rOY2Twjm90DRrPGZb6FaBllKjE4TPZizoTgtOeVjEjrWKPat4dETZ4BrEjc-Q3scqCc7MCZ0EOcif_0bo9gzVglKuMbzTIDXxZzWA6LQy6_/s2560/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.08%20-%2021.53.57.94.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2560" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzgx61FdJyWviRudM6cgwHXuWKPdqPuayNZyzUXrwlUB2VzYz77IpuhxBLqnkyXHmDI8QVvETM88y7rOY2Twjm90DRrPGZb6FaBllKjE4TPZizoTgtOeVjEjrWKPat4dETZ4BrEjc-Q3scqCc7MCZ0EOcif_0bo9gzVglKuMbzTIDXxZzWA6LQy6_/w640-h270/BioShock%20Remastered%20Screenshot%202022.06.08%20-%2021.53.57.94.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-80623247507607887812023-03-18T00:24:00.000-07:002023-03-18T00:24:47.714-07:00Beyond a Steel Sky (2021)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3gIwclPRZ3Hk0ejoyAOm5kOPPVEbG52ZcYqwnW6_efPnpNg4qEZrObowvq_YZhL29RinS9PCYrhyNipqJBhej1ioTH1cHOcLi_t90VT8g_d3mJ9_D3LZx1bs0hCwA7DN6lLqdcbi_agGQ8MB8pS8ASCIxpWCXXEFnwNv8uZdjvHs_3mDts0pRK8S/s800/beyond-a-steel-sky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3gIwclPRZ3Hk0ejoyAOm5kOPPVEbG52ZcYqwnW6_efPnpNg4qEZrObowvq_YZhL29RinS9PCYrhyNipqJBhej1ioTH1cHOcLi_t90VT8g_d3mJ9_D3LZx1bs0hCwA7DN6lLqdcbi_agGQ8MB8pS8ASCIxpWCXXEFnwNv8uZdjvHs_3mDts0pRK8S/w640-h296/beyond-a-steel-sky.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i>Beyond a Steel Sky (2021), directed by Charles Cecil, story by Charles Cecil, Dave Gibbons, Neil Richards, Kevin Beimers, Nina Roussakoff, developed and published by Revolution Software</i><br /><p></p><p>In a perfect world, Beneath a Steel Sky would have sprung an adventure game series, but alas, Broken Sword ended up being a better option for Revolution Software. As the original came out in 1992, it looked for a long time, that no other games would ever be done for the series. Then, in 2021, a sequel did come out, mere 17 years later. Better later than never.</p><p>For a decade or so, Robert Foster has been living in the gap, the wastelands where the scraps of humanity dwell, far from the gigantic megacities like the Union City. Decades ago, Robert managed to escape from UC after he was kidnapped. The troubles begin again when a big dog-like vehicle manned by faceless androids attacks his home village and a little kid called Milo is taken. Robert promises the boy's parents to get him back and heads out after the vehicle. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQchpe_10qlixA1hfTywvq399AImoGtjgVZLmBbvW_HGwzz5_2MrjRK69SRM7F79eVn8e3cgmzQDJvAjVEK7RMAA5IjH4bWFcOfnw1z9OU5HN49eqNY5dIQdvzHU08N7OpKRrRLlPwrnW8MmB7vAd-DIr6JnuhqizSh0mHZGjSTavqQ1EUVpLcDAV/s2048/20220804224600_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQchpe_10qlixA1hfTywvq399AImoGtjgVZLmBbvW_HGwzz5_2MrjRK69SRM7F79eVn8e3cgmzQDJvAjVEK7RMAA5IjH4bWFcOfnw1z9OU5HN49eqNY5dIQdvzHU08N7OpKRrRLlPwrnW8MmB7vAd-DIr6JnuhqizSh0mHZGjSTavqQ1EUVpLcDAV/w640-h270/20220804224600_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Robert follows the tracks of the vehicle and ends up, again, in Union City. After getting in by using an ID chip of a dead man, Robert needs to find out what the cadaver he found had to do with the kidnapping and what is going on in the city. Joey, his robot friend, whom he left in charge, has left the city and while it looks seemingly a flourishing society, there's clearly something wrong under the surface.<p></p><p>Technically, a lot has changed from 1994 original. While Beyond a Steel Sky is still an adventure game, it's not a point-and-click game anymore. Away are the hand-drawn background images, as Union City is now shown in full 3D and the controls are now more akin to any 3rd-person adventure game, sans the action. </p><p>A good bulk of the puzzles utilize Robert's new, fancy scanner he can use to hack the logic commands of different devices all over the city. For example, he can use it to alter the behaviour of the many droids flying all over the city or get into forbidden places by making the door open when an unsanctioned person tries to open it. There are some more traditional puzzles as well, but those are a minority.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFeb250QSfEouNaDQLpzBgP_EToqiT7rFmdZmiGPBfHxCyJLxOiKXbi7uS9BYYrchIq55VCQNOx1GMC8Pff3yQ0G9uEgsuoY-hWj91g7SuYwTNgGqK2X_Xyo5o9J4wylA3eI9E0wB-jqEQe6YW8Yjdsp6EO_cOxBSbyoS7nnv5BtLTGVcNu3sY0LH/s2048/20220806002406_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFeb250QSfEouNaDQLpzBgP_EToqiT7rFmdZmiGPBfHxCyJLxOiKXbi7uS9BYYrchIq55VCQNOx1GMC8Pff3yQ0G9uEgsuoY-hWj91g7SuYwTNgGqK2X_Xyo5o9J4wylA3eI9E0wB-jqEQe6YW8Yjdsp6EO_cOxBSbyoS7nnv5BtLTGVcNu3sY0LH/w640-h270/20220806002406_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Robert soon gets company for his travels as well, after he finds an old logic board of Joey from a museum. Just like in the first game, this board can be inserted into suitable robot shells, allowing Joey to exist once again, this time in the state of moments before he was inserted into the android, which became the guardian of Union City. So instead of getting Joey that was influenced by his actions as the runner of the city, you get back the old Joey.<br /><p></p><p>Joey provides some additional commentary for the scenes as well as gives some hints on what you could do. On that note, there's also an internal hint system, but it's not quite as good as it could be. It's basically just a list of things you can do, each hint revealed in 30-second intervals. It's not a kind of intelligent system that was mastered decades ago by Tex Murphy games. It's more of a barebones system, that doesn't really keep tabs on what you do, so you usually have to slough through hints on things you've already done before you get an actual hint that helps you out.</p><p>The gameplay is, overall, what you'd expect from a modern 3rd-person adventure game. Beyond a Steel Sky isn't doing anything new or groundbreaking in those terms, but that's completely fine. There are some minor issues here and there like at times interactive points don't quite register despite you are in front of them and the movement feels a bit slow at places, but those are just small annoyances that don't really detract from the game itself.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQQ3oEZWLoDcbrpCidrkVsjiQviRKhvm-gL2M2perO91S9857cpL5IiAwTzGtd4frWbLrnjzx-a4EzNoelmrsY7N3BJLLBxGxooqNCZ9GdrsqxmLxI4tuKDuPO84MbwH9L01fisiZpzeEn1BolwCKtcPatXThzSy31sYCCt5IYGYVaMDJpRhz7IMm/s2048/20220806122419_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQQ3oEZWLoDcbrpCidrkVsjiQviRKhvm-gL2M2perO91S9857cpL5IiAwTzGtd4frWbLrnjzx-a4EzNoelmrsY7N3BJLLBxGxooqNCZ9GdrsqxmLxI4tuKDuPO84MbwH9L01fisiZpzeEn1BolwCKtcPatXThzSy31sYCCt5IYGYVaMDJpRhz7IMm/w640-h270/20220806122419_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The story is decent, though after you get to Union City, it does feel like it has some issues kicking in gear again. Luckily the ending manages to pick up the slack. Some of the voice acting is a bit iffy, but a good soundtrack greatly compensates for it. <p></p><p>So, while a lot has changed in terms of technology, Beyond a Steel Sky was a solid return to the world 1st created in 1994. While it has some blemishes here and there, it should provide fun enough or a sci-fi adventure for anyone interested. It's not as memorable as the first game, but it is fun for what it is.<br /></p><p>Beyond a Steel Sky can be bought for <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/beyond_a_steel_sky">GOG</a> and<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1146310/Beyond_a_Steel_Sky/"> Steam </a>for PC. It's also available for consoles, so there are plenty of options for playing it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJcIUksNfDxdV4wri4zCfI18w8Qze5ohzvoQEZxKG_0OE512mau_j9fFOh4tofPsEj1cRMwm9e7q8kLoCh3GvQ9S6Z6HQMA94Ydwokn8VskQYMrTNDW_WuGgL0G1qTTEd8iRFyzyqqI2ZWEcv78J8wxbnOYHqqOOKA1T6mGtecHx18OnVPdk-QZIZ/s2048/20220806204721_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJcIUksNfDxdV4wri4zCfI18w8Qze5ohzvoQEZxKG_0OE512mau_j9fFOh4tofPsEj1cRMwm9e7q8kLoCh3GvQ9S6Z6HQMA94Ydwokn8VskQYMrTNDW_WuGgL0G1qTTEd8iRFyzyqqI2ZWEcv78J8wxbnOYHqqOOKA1T6mGtecHx18OnVPdk-QZIZ/w640-h270/20220806204721_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-1871954781074487132023-02-28T21:53:00.001-08:002023-02-28T21:53:42.131-08:00Colossal Cave (2023)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OHYbXuS5MCT0dqkqkNVfZtp4aKEcjmbo2QswhlEEKftU8kqmUy4HQQVIz8-P1ZjGfNd9vTYmH_AA5wuMMENm39ZuxPoRTJ5Jlb9QIPdX1qjVjbvl8WcG3xT0v8zHCO6rva8UJUm3D2b5OqtfuRCPpUII9ZHcEz_1mrjupC6m4Q_8dgsKWw1Ko95v/s900/colossal_cave.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OHYbXuS5MCT0dqkqkNVfZtp4aKEcjmbo2QswhlEEKftU8kqmUy4HQQVIz8-P1ZjGfNd9vTYmH_AA5wuMMENm39ZuxPoRTJ5Jlb9QIPdX1qjVjbvl8WcG3xT0v8zHCO6rva8UJUm3D2b5OqtfuRCPpUII9ZHcEz_1mrjupC6m4Q_8dgsKWw1Ko95v/s320/colossal_cave.jpg" width="213" /></a></i></div><i>Colossal Cave (2023), based on Colossal Cave Adventure (1977) by Will Crowther and Don Woods, designed by Ken and Roberta Williams, developed and published by Cygnus Entertainment</i><p></p><p>There's a tremendous amount of history behind Colossal Cave. It was, in fact, originally called Colossal Cave Adventure when it was originally created by Will Crowther way back in 1976. This small text-based game was later expanded more by Don Woods and finally, in the 1980s it ended up in the hands of young Roberta Williams, for whom it gave a spark of creating games of her own. This she did with her husband Ken and the company they formed was no other than Sierra On-Line. Her first game was <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2017/08/hi-res-adventure-1-mystery-house-1980.html">Mystery House</a>, but her most famous one is <a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2017/07/kings-quest-1-quest-for-crown-original.html">King's Quest.</a></p><p>And Roberta Williams wasn't the only one who was inspired by Colossal Cave Adventure. In fact, the game loaned a name for the whole genre that was and still is, known as adventure games. They might be very different from the simple treasure hunt the originator was, but still for a good while in the 1980s, many of the games, including King's Quest, were just that, treasure hunts, until people started asking if there could be more, like story for example.</p><p>After Ken And Roberta left Sierra in the latter half of the 1990s, they withdrew from the games business, retiring to sail their boat all over the world. Cue forward a couple of decades and the covid caused the world to stop and Ken noticed that he was in a need of a project. First,<a href="https://playernone.blogspot.com/2020/10/not-all-fairy-tales-have-happy-endings.html"> he wrote a book</a> about his Sierra years (as a side note, Roberta Willams wrote a <a href="https://robertasbook.com/">book</a> as well but I've not read that one.). But the covid continued and he thought he'd finally check out what was going on in the business he left behind decades ago. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe5fn6OOgw-gDStaSmcC1reM5ZsWyLVhSsH-ZSEsZDnQ-O4o8BOwnn2-vdA94M02ezDgEJ4TWvJegmbZ43p3khLx96WbCZ5CvlOFHK25AElicrebTZFCMg8kmQRWvH6-g2A3v3AqjqsPhWIPWLHvcaYWj_CQHWkOed0ZKbFEoO8MPkA7xtGf1o-hO/s1920/2023-02-25_2144_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe5fn6OOgw-gDStaSmcC1reM5ZsWyLVhSsH-ZSEsZDnQ-O4o8BOwnn2-vdA94M02ezDgEJ4TWvJegmbZ43p3khLx96WbCZ5CvlOFHK25AElicrebTZFCMg8kmQRWvH6-g2A3v3AqjqsPhWIPWLHvcaYWj_CQHWkOed0ZKbFEoO8MPkA7xtGf1o-hO/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2144_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>After getting into Unity, he was mulling over a game he could do Roberta presented the idea of remaking the game that started their career. And here we are, in 2023, 47 years after the release of the original game, the couple who in so many ways contributed to the modern game industry has released a remake of a game that inspired them. The aim was to keep the design as close as possible to the original. In fact, it's so close, that if you look at walkthroughs of the original text game, you can get help on this 3D remake.<p></p><p>There's not much of a story in Colossal Cave. You are an adventurer, who enters Colossal Cave. It hides 15 treasures you need to find, but there are many obstacles on the way. Dark caverns, mazes, monsters, murderous dwarves and thieving pirates. And your inventory is limited as well, which means you have to figure out what items to take with you to get the treasures you intend to bring back to the surface.</p><p>The very first thing you see is an old well house. From there, you can find a couple of items you need later on in the caves, some sooner, some later. For the maximum score, you need to gather the treasures and bring them back to the well-house. But you also get points by simply locating them. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRr3s83GgiDK0gpqccL_P4RGt9SD2WnOXK9Y-zhexazqCu3FrFtIZRApjEtsRXVsVI5lnLRq91zjGc0OScjLuHgrFT8ibAgc8_UIaaBuBLff7NxlA2j_vWbiDQug0o0JvXr10ayVoRTpeEwlQCAfPsY-kQPovtkvkqd-g4Oe9_wM0sufUF4HfAfn8A/s1920/2023-02-25_2145_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRr3s83GgiDK0gpqccL_P4RGt9SD2WnOXK9Y-zhexazqCu3FrFtIZRApjEtsRXVsVI5lnLRq91zjGc0OScjLuHgrFT8ibAgc8_UIaaBuBLff7NxlA2j_vWbiDQug0o0JvXr10ayVoRTpeEwlQCAfPsY-kQPovtkvkqd-g4Oe9_wM0sufUF4HfAfn8A/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2145_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Really, the main goal of the game is to get the maximum 350 points. This is harder than it sounds. In the very beginning, the game asks if you want help. If you do, it docks you some points instantly, but taking the offered help is advised, especially if you are playing the game for the 1st time, as it makes the invaluable lantern last longer, making the experience more forgiving. After solving the game for the 1st time, you can then venture forth normally.<p></p><p>Another modern concession is the automap, which removes the need to map the game manually with pen and paper. Of course, you can still do that if you want. Hell, you can even use the old Colossal Cave Adventure maps to proceed in the game if you happen to have them around from when you played the original back in the 1970s. After completing the game, you can also choose to use the map you opened up during the previous game. This is a particularly nice feature.</p><p>Obviously, a lot has changed technically since the 1976 original mainframe version of the game. The biggest difference is, that instead of controlling the game via a text parser and seeing the game only as written passages, you can now see the whole world in 3D graphics. The game is wholly presented as a 1st person game, so you also move around with a standard WASD setup and use the mouse to interact with the world. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vRiWQkJkYF2iT1jvgvO04tBxGoZB9S-wFyE4-iXv8Lo3wtkngcy0XZJ8gKH3m5nNYS-M0it_eo3cBsHVTbGtCT_u89qGyseSfKmUDvzdSXUxGUPyiLDEekHUVRCkaB-sJal346ah0mtvnGJ7XJucrnyFVO9ZmmZq3XLXB1FBYlGv-HmhGxPIbgnz/s1920/2023-02-25_2147_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vRiWQkJkYF2iT1jvgvO04tBxGoZB9S-wFyE4-iXv8Lo3wtkngcy0XZJ8gKH3m5nNYS-M0it_eo3cBsHVTbGtCT_u89qGyseSfKmUDvzdSXUxGUPyiLDEekHUVRCkaB-sJal346ah0mtvnGJ7XJucrnyFVO9ZmmZq3XLXB1FBYlGv-HmhGxPIbgnz/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2147_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I can only assume, that this modern form makes the game far easier than it was in its original form. Especially navigating the mazes is a tedious experience in text games. In this new version, you just take a heading of your always visible compass and check your maps. <p></p><p>The puzzles are quite reasonable as well. There are a handful of puzzles that rely on randomization, like finding some of the magic words you need and some of the mazes are intentionally built to mess up your sense of direction. But, as it is, the modern presentation of these puzzles makes them far easier to approach, as for example the randomly found magic words can now be more easily stumbled upon while you just run around. And for the next gameplay, you know what to expect to find and where.</p><p>I expected that I'd dislike the game on the ground of it being based on such an archaic design. In 1976, computer games weren't really even in their infancy yet, so the design working this well on a modern iteration is really mesmerizing. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_SVkRClYoTLkFQ5YAASZ_wtJLyymJCjuSFHaFnQRXv0Dv7DwFOdBsrVgmAabMdpTO1YkswlKbDjN0VlSc1ev-ZK9oR6kTM6cJM6vmzDCxM6ANb2KtZgzNgJ6kHayIUjpamzg6VAnr-OrDQXoORYeWyzwxsfJ7wgL_oB2IZEWIXamNL_xh_ga3PrZ/s1920/2023-02-25_2147_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_SVkRClYoTLkFQ5YAASZ_wtJLyymJCjuSFHaFnQRXv0Dv7DwFOdBsrVgmAabMdpTO1YkswlKbDjN0VlSc1ev-ZK9oR6kTM6cJM6vmzDCxM6ANb2KtZgzNgJ6kHayIUjpamzg6VAnr-OrDQXoORYeWyzwxsfJ7wgL_oB2IZEWIXamNL_xh_ga3PrZ/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2147_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Graphically, Colossal Cave isn't a terrible-looking game, but you can tell it was a game made on a budget and by a smaller team. Most of the surroundings look very nice, but you can tell many of the characters you meet could have needed some additional work. Not only for design but for animation as well. This was never a game that was going to fight against AAA titles though and nothing about it looks horrendous.<p></p><p>Voice acting, what there is, is well done. Most of the voice work is on the shoulders of Jason Cryer, who is narrating the descriptions you had to read in the original game. He has a very nice voice that fits the game like a glove. There's some additional voice acting as well, but none of it is notable of the narrator.</p><p>Voice acting aside, the game is sadly rather silent. Sure enough, there are the voices you'd expect to hear in a cave, like footsteps on stone, howling find and dripping stalagmites, but as far as music goes, there's very little of it. There are some short tunes here and there, but a more proper ambient soundtrack would have been a nice addition. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7ElD4hwk1s_do0P4tZFxR1xW7CxtDfphzET85St3WFzcPPS1Hyvfp0GSQ7thkkGAirrHfWQdj88wPPTYQtdw2uKTvShozqpgdHp_JWNjO4j_muZKipHowLsLSgv9XI09rWOsX_0p7NLe4mZYlYZFf6b7mpc8ukvC_jRKWh2o26FTrfHHOphHWznm/s1920/2023-02-25_2152_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7ElD4hwk1s_do0P4tZFxR1xW7CxtDfphzET85St3WFzcPPS1Hyvfp0GSQ7thkkGAirrHfWQdj88wPPTYQtdw2uKTvShozqpgdHp_JWNjO4j_muZKipHowLsLSgv9XI09rWOsX_0p7NLe4mZYlYZFf6b7mpc8ukvC_jRKWh2o26FTrfHHOphHWznm/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2152_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>When comes to platforms, Ken and Roberta went all in with Colossal Cave 3D in their attempts of bringing it to modern audiences. It's available for consoles and virtual devices as well. As Roberta and ken themselves put it, they wanted to bring the game to new audiences and they've certainly done that. If this is something modern gamers are looking for is an entirely different matter, but as for game preservation goes, this is some great work.</p><p>Playing Colossal Cave does rise up an interesting question. The question of, what if some other classic tex adventures would be brought to modern platforms similarly. Say, like the classic games by <a href="https://www.mobygames.com/company/22/infocom-inc/">Infocom </a>or <a href="https://www.mobygames.com/company/50/magnetic-scrolls/">Magnetic Scroll</a> for example. History is filled with well-written text adventures that could be brought back in this manner. </p><p>Colossal Cave is, by all counts, a faithful recreation of one of the oldest text adventure games made. In that sense, many of its design aspects are rooted in history, but still, it is surprising how well the game plays even now. Many of its aspects may sound tedious, but none of it actually feels like bad or dated game design, which is really surprising. Even its reliance on trial and error works nicely, as it turns the whole experience into more of a metagame, where you play the game to learn its rules so you can beat it by knowing in advance how it plays.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUqfH2Sg1wOJvRzEu5Mq7KEqVvIoMRQbVUWGW9ZpdQh0z-kNyYfRvccLpSuNLjLQ-HU6YF4khGIHdZmoykh5mwYlJDA0fKIPwQw46CLa1LzIoS4S70QqmMlN181mg0z0wOGwbTGQrRIXrhGlcN5i5_pXK3KYrGe0Ll3iVeyG1oZiUnj8o6UMtchPg/s1920/2023-02-25_2210_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUqfH2Sg1wOJvRzEu5Mq7KEqVvIoMRQbVUWGW9ZpdQh0z-kNyYfRvccLpSuNLjLQ-HU6YF4khGIHdZmoykh5mwYlJDA0fKIPwQw46CLa1LzIoS4S70QqmMlN181mg0z0wOGwbTGQrRIXrhGlcN5i5_pXK3KYrGe0Ll3iVeyG1oZiUnj8o6UMtchPg/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2210_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>It's also refreshing in the sense, that Colossal Cave doesn't pretend to be something more than it is. At its core, it's a simple treasure hunt game and it doesn't try to hide that by attempts of padding with additional narrative. It's proudly what it is and it is doing its head held high. It might not be a game for everyone, but if you are willing to give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised, just like I was.<div><br /></div><div>Another bonus from this project is the knowledge, that even having been away from the games business for 2 decades, Ken and Roberta still have what it takes to create games. I have no idea if they'll continue tinkering in the games business. I do hope so, as there's still a place in this world for games designed by Roberta Williams.<br /><p></p><p>You can get Colossal Cave for consoles, VR and PC. The usual sources for PC players are <a href="https://www.gog.com/en/game/colossal_cave">GOG</a> and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2215540/Colossal_Cave/">Steam</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xwTXyWCnNqnbaJJYw77qhaVmEgYHmYw1erdde8f1ZDwBxZJug9uqOhjLXMqgzA1drUxpyHkSScQ39-kR3Xir2uYgTnUnhgET1gCLBktxk6W6XqqW1mW3UGSBfh2gT6E4dFqtygXY-WSSpd4wfQ3KMGNOSY9k1O8xRsfa-hkQVarFnd8bHULeWcvB/s1920/2023-02-25_2212_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xwTXyWCnNqnbaJJYw77qhaVmEgYHmYw1erdde8f1ZDwBxZJug9uqOhjLXMqgzA1drUxpyHkSScQ39-kR3Xir2uYgTnUnhgET1gCLBktxk6W6XqqW1mW3UGSBfh2gT6E4dFqtygXY-WSSpd4wfQ3KMGNOSY9k1O8xRsfa-hkQVarFnd8bHULeWcvB/w640-h360/2023-02-25_2212_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781079082738218793.post-32866444000002033072023-02-15T00:28:00.001-08:002023-02-15T00:28:18.137-08:00Tarzan the Untamed (1919-1920)<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8j4WDf5zRrhwYd2l_tSae4Jd9sW53NTiCkzt7-gUGjp4RZ8if3NvZwFYvDWSQ_dJt13suw8XwL_3qbnokOzV_KifLJgAtcCHPPruwtiCkh3qO3Z6_wU37CU-5DKLu5iCRa4isAM9D0IZsM2wlU6FS2NnNhv_3Y2Fh9_JoSsei1MJgyyAJwaMx4sc4/s600/tarzan-the-untamed-square-small.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="415" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8j4WDf5zRrhwYd2l_tSae4Jd9sW53NTiCkzt7-gUGjp4RZ8if3NvZwFYvDWSQ_dJt13suw8XwL_3qbnokOzV_KifLJgAtcCHPPruwtiCkh3qO3Z6_wU37CU-5DKLu5iCRa4isAM9D0IZsM2wlU6FS2NnNhv_3Y2Fh9_JoSsei1MJgyyAJwaMx4sc4/s320/tarzan-the-untamed-square-small.jpg" width="221" /></a></i></div><i>Tarzan the Untamed (written by E.A. Burroughs,1919)</i><br /><p></p><p>In 1917, the great war entered Africa. While Tarzan is away from his homestead, a group of German soldiers ransacks his home, killing everyone they find there. When Tarzan returns home, he finds his home burnt down and a burnt corpse of a woman in his bedroom. He recognizes the rings on her fingers: it's lady Jane, his wife.</p><p>With a red mist of revenge clouding his mind, Tarzan buries the bodies of Jae and his loyal Waziri warriors and then begins to trail the Germans, whom he wows to kill to the last man, despite not even that would be enough revenge the lost of his mate.</p><p>Days, Tarzan travels to the frontlines, trapping a man-eating lion to its den on the way. After causing some havoc in the German trenches, Tarzan finds his way to the British lines and spills them information on the German movements, then he promises to help the Brits break through the lines. After this, Tarzan begins moving around the German-occupied area in search of the rest of the soldiers who ransacked his home. He also stumbles upon a young German spy Bertha Kircher, whom he also intends to either kill or bring to Brits. Stalking her, Tarzan finds another man responsible for his wife's death, kills him, and brings back some important papers to the English.</p><p>As Tarzan has learned, not everyone he wants to kill is within his reach, he decides that he has done his part and intends to go to the big apes to sulk in peace, leaving the civilization behind him once again. He does this by reaching a great desert, in which he almost dies of starvation and thirst, but manages to get through to the other side, where he finds, to his surprise, a group of black soldiers who have deserted the German army. They have also captured Bertha Kircher, so her part in this tale isn't over yet either.</p><p>The leader of the soldiers, Usanga, makes a deal with a local cannibal tribe for some necessities, like goats and chickens. During the evening festivities, Bertha manages to escape and ends up witnessing far stranger festivities, in which Tarzan participates with the great apes. She, chased by a bit cat, ends up crashing that party and Tarzan is forced to claim her as his own in the eyes of the apes, so they would not shred her to pieces. A bit later, the party is crashed, by a British pilot Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick, who, with Tarzan is captured by the local tribe, and then rescued by Bertha with the help of the apes.</p><p>After the escape, Smith-Oldwick and Bertha decide to escape the place with the Brit's airplane. You'd think that's the end nearing, but no, they end up crashlanding into the desert, from which Tarzan again tries to rescue them, but this time around, they are captured by a lost civilization (white, of course), has tamed lions as its guard.</p><p>So, the duo is captured, and Tarzan heads out to the rescue. There's an interesting aspect about the lost civilization this time around: they all are insane. The reason why the people are utterly insane is the centuries-long inbreeding in the shut-out valley. Everyone around suffers from mental and physical defects and is extremely volatile for bursts of rage.</p><p>After Tarzan manages to get Smith-Oldwick and Bertha out of the city, they end up being attacked by their captures. Just about when they are about to get overrun, a squad of Brits who have been looking for their lost pilot, save the day. Here, we finally learn the truth, that Bertha wasn't a German spy at all, but a British intelligence service working undercover. Also as a predictable turn, Jane is alive, being held as a captive by the Germans, so that's a cliffhanger for the follow-up story, Tarzan the Terrible. <br /></p><p>Narratively, Tarzan the Untamed is a lot. Far too much, really, but that's more or less the result of it being a serial publication, where the story is pushed forwards with a cliffhanger story point in order to get the readers to pick up yet another issue. This does, however, make the whole seem a bit of a mess and overstuffed, especially now that Tarzan isn't the only protagonist of the tale. In a way, it could have been better had the 1st and second half of the book been published as separate novels, as they are a bit different in nature as well.</p><p>The 1st half of the story where Tarzan wreaks havoc among the German soldiers is some of the best Tarzan narratives Burroughs has written. After finding out that Jane is dead, he goes into absolute beast mode in his ruthless crusade against the huns. in the 2nd half, Tarzan is more of an aimless wanderer, who is pushed to stuff because of plot conveniences rather than by his own design. Also, the latter part is a bit more uncomfortable to read as well, as here the inherently racist ways Burroughs has described the native Africans in the previous novels flare up in earnest. It's not the more superficial conceding racism of the 1st half, but the more vicious pseudoscientific-type of racism, that is aiming to strip humanity from the natives.</p><p>The structural depreciation of the tale is overbearing towards the end. The story begins to lose its way the moment Tarzan decides to leave the war behind him, after which everything that happens begins to feel a bit too conveniently structured. Tarzan just keeps stumbling upon things because people he wants to protect keep popping there by the magic of narrative padding. And as it is the nature of serial tales, a certain amount of pages are needed, so Burroughs keeps adding padding to the point where the whole thing is bursting at its seams. What begins as a good base for a war tale, ends up being about Tarzan babysitting two Europeans out of their depth, no matter how brave they might be.</p><p>The final part taking place in the lost civilization comes out as almost a footnote. There are some things of intrigue about it and it is reasonably well fleshed out, but it still doesn't really feel that it is adding anything else beyond more bloat to the already bloated story.<br /></p><p>When the story finally ends, revealing its most obvious cliffhanger of Jane being alive, it feels like a relief. The overly long and overstuffed tale is finally over and those, who want more can head on to the sequel, where Tarzan hunts for Jane in an even more improbable setting.<br /></p>Tomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14191484799467472067noreply@blogger.com0