STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

This games strongest point is the non-linear level design and some fun environmental puzzles, in fact this game is noticeably more puzzle-oriented than other games of its generation (i.e. Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, etc), but it's not too hard and most of the puzzles are fair - I just beat the game for the first time in just under 6 hours, and I only looked up one puzzle that I couldn't figure out. And thankfully, there is almost no platforming (almost), which is the worst thing you could have in a mid-90s FPS game, and that of it which is in the game is not that bad. There's still plenty of combat, although enemy AI is a bit simplistic and the weapon arsenal is somewhat redundant (I finished the game using storm trooper blaster rifle 90% of the time), it is still quite a lot of fun to play and the weapons feel good and most of them have alternate fire mode. Being a mid-90s game without freelook support, Dark Forces' vertical aiming with PageUp and PageDown keys can be a bit clunky, but most of the time it's not a big a problem, and the game does have some vertical autoaim. Also I highly recommend checking the manual for basic controls before you play, to find out useful things such as flashlight - there are dark areas in the game, and there is no indication whatsoever that you even have a flashlight. The plot is decent for an action game, and the game has noticeably more of it than most shooters of its era, even if it comes mostly in the form of mission briefings. All in all it's both a solid mid-90s FPS and a solid Star Wars game.

If I'm a big of its sequels, I must admit that, until now, I never played Dark Forces (not even on PS1) and despite some flaws, it's still enjoyable. Yes the game has aged technically speaking but it terms of gameplay/ gunplay, the mechanics are simple : shoot first, ask questions later. Because when it comes to shooting, my advice is to avoid playing when you are not fully awake : enemies are numerous, coming from all sides, shooting you on sight, so be quick and aware of your surroundings ! Of course, the main problem is that, even if the screenplay has a good storyline with various objectives, the way to accomplish them is the same : blast your way through. The level design is interesting with a lot of levels outside even though you can be lost sometimes, mostly because you have to pay attention to details in the architecture in the levels (for example, I roamed around in the last level until I saw a small ledge that leads to a platform...). And if it's overall a straightforward game, the normal difficulty has some spikes that makes it quite tedious, like the mission 11 where you have to fight Jabba's pet (a dragon) with bare fist before picking up your gear that was stolen, or the mission in the Imperial City, flooded with enemies, which makes sense but can become annoying in terms of pace, action is good but solace to check your equipment too... So if you're not afraid of highly pixelated graphics and want almost non stop action with a good story in the Star Wars universe, this game is for you (and after that go the sequels !).

I'm not much of a Star Wars fan but I've always had a soft spot for this little gem. The midi music is wonderful, the atmosphere is pure Lucas and the new Force Engine (look it up on Google; not available here on GOG... yet) makes the game so much better. You get full mouselook, controller support and much-needed quicksaves. Sure, it makes an already easy game way easier, but when you're having this much fun, who cares?

The main criticism I have with Dark Forces is the obtuse puzzles, being almost as confusing as the ones from System Shock (1994). As far as the rest of the game goes, it's short compared to Doom or most Doom-likes (which works in its favor, the story is really good, and the enemy designs and little touches are good, too. I'd recommend using TFE and a guide if you want to play it, it helps a lot.

A childhood friend of mine recommended this game to me about 18 years ago (he was Polish and had all the stuff from his cousin) and it was just now that I finally had it and a system to play it. I played through the Linux package from GoG, just changed the controls to WSAD and horizontal mouselook without movement. I usually play those old Doom style games with game engine recreations in HD with HQ-Texture packs, but since the one for this game is still in alpha state, I went the retro route. The low resolution wasn't much of a problem since it still looks good enough in motion. The mission design as well as the weapon balancing is surprisingly good and although just like most games from this time quite hard, it is possible to beat it even if you're not the best gamer. A well designed FPS overall, it just lacks vertical mouselook and the possibility to deactivate auto-aim. Hopefully, someone will finish the game engine recreation someday, so I can play this again in HD widescreen and with proper aiming. I may have to add, that this was the first game ever that gave me motion sickness, maybe because of the combination of low resolution, set of colors and fov. I had to take rests. It hasn't aged too well and isn't for everyone but it's really not bad.