Crusader: No Remorse™

Ok, there's a lot to unpack here, so let's begin with the big question, would I recommend this one? nope, BUT I loved it, it took me 35 hours in "loose canno" difficulty, I had to spam those saves to make it through, but I really enjoyed it from start to finish, specially when I "mastered" the controls Letr's start with the good - Lots of weapons to play around - Lots of hidden loot to get - The music is nice - Tactical combat forces you learn the enemies and exploit their weaknesses (AKA the not so bright AI) - Each mission took me around 3 hours to complete, I wasn't expecting it to be so long - There are a lot of objects to destroy, even most of the doors can be blown open The bad - The controls are terrible, they are tank controls but somehow feel stiffer than they should, , ctrl,. alt and shift modify your movement, you can run, sidestep crouch and side roll but not roll forward or backwards, and somehow pressing control forward makes you jump (or you can use tab). the game uses what I think is a grid to determine your movbement, but sometimes it doesn't work quite well when you are trying to move diagonally and you can ruin your tactical approach. At the end the controls are gonna be your biggest threat, and forget about using your mouse to rotate your character, it's a nightmare - The graphics are old, I compare then to the original fallout, which can be an issue for a lot of people - The 2 last missions are hard, you'll encounter enemies with grenade launchers and lots of mechs with rocket launchers, at one point I entered a room with 3 mechs and was like "fuck it, let's run for it" which surprisinly worked (actually this could be a positive point, it made me think outside the box) - No description of your weapons or items in the game or manual, I don't know what's the use of the inhibitor - The game will take cheap shots at you, spawning enemies behind you If you are gonna play it, try first on easy mode while you get used to the controls

A lot of people struggle with the default controls, which is completely understandable. They’re clunky, convoluted, and overall uncomfortable… but thankfully, because Crusader runs on DOSBox, you can completely rebind the keys. In order to do this, press Ctrl-F1 while in game. This will bring up DOSBox’s Keymapper. If you wanted to change the walk forward button from the up-arrow key to “W”, for example, you simply click the “up-arrow” on the virtual keyboard, delete it by clicking the “Del” button on the virtual keyboard, click “Add”, now press “W” on your physical keyboard, and click “Save” to save changes. Because W is already bound to another function by default (cycle weapons), click on W on the virtual keyboard, and then click “Del”, and “Save”. Now close the mapper by clicking “Exit”. Now W will make The Silencer move forward without changing weapons! Do this for as many keys as you like. You can even map to a joystick or a gamepad if you like. If you want to revert to the default controls or mess something up and want to start all over, simply delete the “mapper” file in the game’s directory. I found that using keyboard and mouse was playable with the following setup; W to move forward, (with Num Lock on) A and D to roll left and right, X to crouch, S to search, and F to both interact and use selected item. I used the mouse for aiming and turning the Silencer, though keyboard only controls might be preferable to some. Pros: - You look kind of like Boba Fett! - Destructible environments - Fun, sandbox carnage - Cheesy FMVs - Lots of interactivity - Good pixel art and explosions(!) - Cool sci-fi aesthetic - Great level design - No handholding Cons: - Janky tank controls even for the time period - Sometimes camera will hide The Silencer or items on the ground. Highly recommended for patient retro gamers!

The two Crusader games were among my favourites back in the day. I played through them both multiple times, and always felt that it was a real shame a third instalment was never made to finish off the Silencer's story. For the time, Crusader has great graphics, audio and soundtrack. The destructible environments were a real novelty back then, and still offer more destruction than many shooters do today. The fact you play as a character with a strong resemblance to Bobba Fett is a nice touch, and there is a diverse array of weapons to dispatch your countless foes. In terms of difficulty, the game can be pretty tough on anything other than the easiest setting. There are no magically self-recharging health bars here, and ammo can be an issue if you're too trigger-happy. The better weapons (energy-based) also force you to compromise since energy is also required to power your shields. However, I rarely feel like the game is being "unfair" with bullet-sponge enemies or any of that nonsense. Enemies and defences simply become more numerous and better laid out, requiring a bit more thought and precision to defeat. However, talking of precision leads onto Crusaders one flaw, at least in my eyes. Controls. The developers have clearly tried to make the Silencer as mobile as was possible for the time, but the result is a control scheme that is decidedly "clunky" by more modern standards. That said, the game can be enjoyed via keyboard/mouse or controller, with a little setup and forgiveness! Should you buy these games? If you enjoyed them back in the day and want to relive the experience, certainly. If you are of the younger generations, want to see how games have evolved, and can put up with a fair bit of "clunkiness", give them a try. But if you have never played old games and expect them to live up to current standards, you will be disappointed. Note that both games should be played to get the full story, though No Regret has a few minor improvements ever No Remorse.

Awesome 'Red Alert' style cut scenes....check Large selection of meat exploding weapons...check Great game atmosphere ...check Fantastic control system...#$%k! Functional control system...#$%k! #$%k!! #$%k!!! Awful control system ruined it for me.

I had very, very fond memories of C:NR. Most of the time when I have fond memories of a game and decide to play it again, it doesn't hold up. This one is a rare exception. Sure, the control scheme is weird. The control scheme was weird in 1995, too. And yes, the FMV sequences are cringeworthy... but unless you were sleeping with one of the actors, the FMV sequences were cringeworthy in 1995, too. The important thing is, the gameplay is fun and fast-moving, the graphics hold up astonishingly well, and the controls are actually pretty damn effective once you get used to them again. Also, on a decent system the game launches in less than 10 seconds and saved games load in a flash. Oh, and don't forget to watch the newscasts on the TV in the Echo Base canteen after each mission. GOG, please bring on No Regret. And someone needs to revive this IP for the PC, pronto.