Rise of the Triad: Dark War

ROTT came out only to get over shadowed by quake and duke 3d. Tom Hall and the rest of dip gave us an multiplayer wolf 3d engine that incorpated doom game play with platformer elements. you basically get to be rambo with cartoon style humor included are all of the 3dr extras and you can peform the rocket jumb with one of the rocket launchers. before duke there was RoTT.

Yes, this is one damn fine shooter indeed. Back in the day, people complained about it being too limited in it's design (especially the 90 degree walls-issue, an inheritance from this game's younger brother Wolfenstein 3-D) but it was tons of fun to play and it really holds up quite well after all this time. Let's get the story out of the way first (copied from Apogee's catalog): "You are part of an elite group of operatives called HUNT (High-risk United Nations Taskforce), and you must stop a maniac cult leader from killing millions of people. While scouting a remote island, you are suddenly surrounded by enemy troops with guns blaring. In the distance you see your boat--your only chance to escape--explode into matchsticks. In front of you is a huge fortress monastery, and your only chance to stop the madness. You are equipped with awesome, high-tech weaponry like heat-seeking missiles, split missiles, and the Flamewall cannon, which leaves a trail of charred skeletons in its wake. You'll also find magical instruments and weapons so incredible they defy description." If that doesn't sound absolutely killer, I don't know what does. The game was designed by Tom Hall (of early-day id Software fame - think Commander Keen) and was originally intended to become a sequel to another Apogee classic: Wolfenstein 3-D. Some work was already done when id suddenly called the deal off and Apogee was left with a half-finished game. Then somebody got the fantastic idea that the work that had been done so far could be turned into another game. Enter ROTT. Enough backstory, on to the game itself. Now, the graphics are pretty damn good for it's day, about on par with Doom II (which was the most succesful shooter of the time) I would estimate. They are somewhat pixelated, yes, but still quite pretty to look at after all these years. Well, that's what I think anyway. The sound effects are absolutely hilarious as well as the bad guys you'll face. The music's nothing special, but not bad by any means. There's quite a few levels to explore in the 4 episodes that are included in the main game and if you're through playing those and still hungry for more, there's a good amount of additional levels that you can download from Apogee's website. The controls are smooth (meaning very responsive) and very customizable (yes, you can use WASD if you want). There's also an option to turn off the excessively gory graphics you'll see when you're mowing your enemies down using the more powerful firearms you'll encounter further along in the game (or in secret areas), so those who are easily offended can still play the game. Gameplay is generally much like Doom, except there's one awesome new element: the jump pads. These give the game a semi-3d feel that Doom lacked and make up for the 90 degree walls issue by far. It's just so much fun to jump around and over your enemies while blasting them to kingdom come and beyond. But be careful not to launch yourself out of the level and into oblivion! :-) There's also some great bonus items that will grant you both god mode (invincibility) and a very special dog mode feature you've never seen before and probably never will again either (you just have to see it to believe it). The game was also notable for it's interesting multiplayer features. It bears the distinction of being the first FPS to have a capture the flag mode (called Capture the Triad here, but it's same thing). All the other multiplayer modes that would be expected in a FPS from this era are available too (deathmatch, co-op, etc.) as well as some other unique ones that are more than worth checking out if you've got some friends who'd like to play this with you. As should be apparent by now, the game has an incredibly amusing sense of humor. It was obviously designed with the notion that the player should have a lot of FUN playing this game. And have a good laugh while at it. And it's almost impossible not to. The game doesn't take itself very seriously, which is a nice change from many shooters out there today. Back in 1995, when this way originally released, it wasn't given much of a chance due to the huge popularity of Doom and Descent, which is a real shame because it's quite a nice gem. While some of the criticisms that have been applied to this game are certainly valid (like the repetitive nature of the game, the 'mazy-ness' of parts of the levels or the 90 degree walls thing), it's at least good for a few hours of great fun and I can wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who missed out on it back in the day. Who knows, you might really like it. And it's only 5.99. So there's really no excuse... Get this now, I promise you won't regret it! And check out Apogee's website (http://www.apogee1.com) for some bonus materials like additional levels and more! (If you really need more convincing before buying, you can download the shareware/trial version from Apogee's website.)

its not the best graphics. but it was fun. the multiplayer was a blast. god mode, or dog mode, made you laugh. and i remember the first time i played i came up against the bad guys and shot it out with them and one guy died and the other after getting hit enough times quit shooting and dropped to his knees and begged me, please dont shoot me, dont kill me...please... i stopped 1: becuase it made me laugh so freaking hard that someone had put that bit of data in. and 2: because i was wondering if there was something that would happen if you did'nt kill the guy. after a few seconds of me laughing he fell over. i thought it was a moot point to hang. so started to carry on. next thing i know im getting shot in the back by this guy who had got back up. after that they we're dead no matter how much they begged.

ROTT is different than your typical Doom-clone fare. It's fast, filled with puzzles, enemies and rocket launchers. The game does have some Wolf3d feeling (it's based on very expanded W3D engine) with it's armed soldiers, maze-like levels and bit "gothic" graphic style. ROTT is enjoyable for almost anyone for the first two episodes (and the shareware one, which contains unique levels) - sadly, the 3rd and 4th (especially the latter) are heavier on tricky moving and damned switch puzzles, which kills much of the game's novelty and charm of fast, arcade-style 3d shooter done with tongue-in-cheek. Still, Rise does have lots of rocket launcher-based weapons (mmm, flamewall...), many enemies to encounter, big levels and very interesting boss levels, especially the last one, which is very tricky to say at least. In the end, Rise Of The Triad is a good game, but probably only for connasseurs of the genre - people used to more classical Doom clone may be frustrated. The GOG version contains the original four episodes (more than 30 levels), the shareware levels (10 maps), Extreme Rise Of The Triad (another 30 levels or so - very hard!), pack of 21 rejected maps, some multiplayer arenas and replica of tthe very first level of Wolfenstein 3d.

Rise of the Triad was originally slated to be a sequel to the well known Wolfenstein 3D- a fact that is evident based on the soldiers and MP40 sub machine gun that is still present in the game; the Wolf3D engine was enhanced to a point where it is no longer distinguishable in comparison to Wolfenstein 3D, but that doesn't really contribute to the game's entertainment value. Minds were changed- this game was not meant to be a sequel for Wolf3D- so, instead of being a Nazi killing fest, the plot was instead reworked into telling the stories of several characters in a organization known as H.U.N.T, who are sent to investigate suspicious activities on San Nicolas Island. They are met with hostility as their boat is destroyed, forcing them to fight their way out, while stopping the cult at the same time. ROTT has an atmosphere that is similar to Arcade and Platformers from the Apogee catalog- moving platforms, discrete traps placed in (somewhat) hidden locations, including numerous powerups and obstacles: a recognizable trait inserted into a lot of old-school FPS's- however, it doesn't pack the same punch as other memorable and well designed titles of the 90's. Level design in ROTT is nearly as interesting as its color palette (several shades of brown and gray, hooray), and the weapons are decent, but not anything incredibly memorable and interesting, which is important for this genre. Aside from this, some technical aspects are notable, including bullet holes, fog, panoramic skies and the like, but is also shackled from earlier limits set by the Wolf3D engine. In other words, you may find that you appreciate the old school charm that ROTT has- but this is really a taste that varies from person to person. As for me, my time will be spent elsewhere. Unless you REALLY love potted plants.