Omikron: The Nomad Soul

When I seen that Omikron had finally appeared, I literally fist pumped the air. Omikron for me highlights something unplaceable in games - something you can't explain clearly in words, nor put a finger on yourself. Yes, it has a rich and diverse world; yes, it's huge; yes, technically, at the time it was quite the masterpiece and still holds up well. But what is most important is that strange something it has. For me, it's an oddly genuine excitement - the kind you should only get from real life, and not just the best of video games. Omikron, above all else, is a genuinely unpredictable and indefinable classic - you live in this world. You don't play by game genre confinements or expectations. You get dropped into a troubled world with very little awareness, and in a metafictional sense, act just like that proverbial gamer - you do your very best. And sometimes, that's just not good enough for Omikron and it's twisty, turny world. Sometimes, the good guys just don't win. That man who came through time and space to ask you to possess his body to save the world? Yeah, he's dead in the gutter now. Chin up and move on - learn from those mistakes - there's a world to save.

Review: But not not for everyone. It's got elements of adventure game, FPS, even fighting games like Virtua Fighter, and it got so out-of-hand trying to be good at all these (and succeeded) I think they ran out of time before launch, and so it literally has no sound effects. But that's OK because the musical score (by Xavier Despas) is INCREDIBLE so you wouldn't even notice for half the game if you didn't read this review. Most of the game is third person adventure puzzle, it's a huge world, it's gorgeous, you'll have fun exploring it. Premise: you can change bodies in a futuristic world to try and find out what's plaguing a city. You talk to people, you pick up very few objects, you up your skills, you infiltrate complexes and descend through different worlds, all of which are incredible, visually, and MOSTLY reasonably challenging. I did have to consult a walkthrough to get through two points in the game, the "rooftops" and the final boss fight, but overall it was balanced. It's worth playing for the visuals alone, but if you want to finish it, get ready to lose 40 hours of your life on it, minimum.

My brother and I played this game together, as he was better at shooting and I was better at solving puzzles. We both loved this game and all I have left is one disk. 2013 reality - 1. Clunky graphics, as you can tell from the screenshots 2. I love David Bowie, so this was a plus for me, many people in 2013 don't know who he is (arg) - my fave song of all time is on this game. 3. Not as amazing as what is now out there, but still a great experience, especially if you like sci fi. Seriously, it's a great game environment and I would still struggle through the shooting areas, I still suck that bad at those type of games. 4. Depends on you, if you are looking for something new and shiny, this is not for you. If you are looking for immersive, interesting, and unique - then this is the game to play...just don't expect much in the graphics department - maybe there is some hi res patch out there or something. If so, I might grab this as well. Maybe I can get my brother or boyfriend to help me get past the shooting part... Overall, this is a great game.

Ambition. David Cage is an ambitious man. Trying to successfully come up with an engrossing story and gameplay like this using modern means would be quite the challenge for most AAA developers but Cage managed to do it in 1999. If GOG were a museum this classification-defying masterpiece would have its own room. There's a guilty pleasure in playing these "old" jewels maxed out graphically using modern hardware. This is specially enjoyable when the engine in question is as tightly coded as this one. The game doesn't even blink on my Radeon card. I played the demo back in the day but it is until now that I have the chance to experience again the world of O:TNS, now on my Full HD TV and maxed out of course.

This game is one of a kind. Its simply magnificent experience, although I admit that it had potential for so much more. I guess back then in 1999 they didn't had the resources to make it happen quite so as they imagined it. However, it doesn't really matter, because it has one of the most intense atmospheres of a sci-fi world. It is clunky at times, but what works best about this game is that it makes your imagination finish what the game itself didn't do. The world has a huge background story. It has nice ideas, actually, the save system is the best I have ever seen, and the body changing ability was phenomenal idea. It doesn't add too much strategic value to the game, however I enjoyed much more the nice puzzles, quests, story line, even the fighting system. Being able to shoot, fight, drive a car, change bodies, investigate crimes, meet demons, hack computers, buy weapons gives it a variety, and the fact that it is not well polished doesn't bother me. After all there are 4 big cities, but they are not an open world, you may walk around , but there is not much to be done. And you know - this is NOT an issue with this game ,since its main strong point is the main story and 3 or 4 side stuff to do. The philosophy of the Nomad Soul and the weak souls of the inhabitants was also an excellent spot-on metaphor. So, putting aside some bugs and general unfinished feeling , this is one of my favourite games for me! It proves that a good game is sometimes about general experience and making your imagination work on the background, and not so much on nice mechanics.