So I kinda want to like the game. Concept is mildly interesting - a VR (in lore) arena wave shooter with some light RPG elements. Graphics from a technical standpoint are a bit subpar even for the time but not terrible. Visual design is kinda drab. The enemies I've seen from my limited play are unmemorable but serve the purpose, gibbing them in a teleport is fun. Guns aren't all that satisfying or unique but are functional. You can dual wield a number of them too. Default settings - like slomo on enemies getting close and SOMERSAULTS on jump pads, are irritating as hell. Mouse acceleration and sensitivity are off the charts by default as well so change those immediately. Movement is clunky and slow but that wouldn't normally be a gamestopper for me. About the only thing worth salvaging from this is the soundtrack, a pretty good techno OST by MoozE (also involved in S.TA.L.K.E.R) with a banger of a progressive track in the form of Respawn Device. All of this wouldn't prevent me from carrying on with the game. I've seen worse in terms of mechanics and the concept should at least hold me for a few hours, and things could improve. The thing that makes me want to stop playing though, is when I die 6 or 7 times to different random clipping issues on the same level, that's when I quit because this game isn't worth that level of tolerance. It's not the kind of slavjank that saves itself by being fun or interesting enough to overcome the bugs. It's just a mediocre game that gets demoted to a bad game. Get on special if you're a collector but otherwise maybe consider going for something else.
It's a tolerable arcade shooter with pretty decent graphics for the time. However even without the X-Com baggage weighing it down with expectations, it has plenty of flaws. It's basic gameplay is load level, shoot aliens and their spawn beacons (transporters), maybe do a side objective, repeat. Occasionally it mixes it up with "rescue the civilians" or "survive on a platform" objectives but for the most part the formula is static. While blowing up aliens you collect "data" and search for various pickups such as new equipment/upgrades to research. Aliens frequently drop weapons (of which you can only hold one at a time), or powerups, and here lies my first complaint - some weapons are just flat out useless while others are absolutely "pick up now" kind of affairs, rendering a good portion of the arsenal useless and data spent on upgrading them wasted. One way to encourage replayability I guess but not my cuppa. However those weapons which are effective are satisfying to use even if ammo for them runs dry faster than beer during happy hour at a biker convention. Audio wise, the music is extremely repetitive but tolerable, but you're not losing anything by turning music off and running your own soundtrack. Gun sounds and alien sounds are also tolerable but nothing special. Voice acting is quite terrible and you may find your patron scientist's voice driving you a bit insane within a couple of missions. The environments have one or two moments where they impress you and there's some variety, but it quickly starts to blur in the mind and is wasted on the gameplay it supports. Overall graphics, especially with something like nglide and forced AA, isn't bad and might even hold up as a mobile game from a few years ago. Overall a mediocre shooter that probably would have gone to the bargain bin quickly even without disappointing X-Com fans. Not bad to play for a few hours but there are far better options out there for mindless alien blasting.
I got many hours out of this with my buddies and solo, it's one of those games that improved with every new expansion as well. It does get a bit formulaic once you've played enough but the combination of a relatively straightforward 4X strategy layer, with ship customisation that you could see in action in an RTS layer, was an excellent blend at the time and still is, while every species is different enough to change how you approach the game.
Emberheart have managed to touch my heart with both these remasters. I was always a bit more of a Crystal Caves fan as well. Just like Secret Agent, you get a fresh new palette, higher native rendering resolution, smoother animations, optional music, a level editor, a whole new episode (shall we call it Ultimate Crystal Caves?) and even achievements (meh). All while keeping the core experience firmly intact and faithful to origin. If you enjoyed the originals, I believe you'll love this. And enhancement and solid port to modern gaming platforms, and a great game for both kids and adults. Jut remember, do not shoot the air generators.
The Apogee platformers are some of my earliest memories of gaming, and while I'm still perfectly content playing the original DOS version this is a welcome revamp and upgrade. Music (which you can turn off), difficulty levels, smooth animations, a far broader colour palette, even a level editor. All welcome additions while keeping the core formula that made these games fun. My only minor niggle is I kind of prefer the original, low-frame animations but to many the new ones will likely seem far superior. Just my nostalgia getting in the way. Definitely keeping an eye out for more remasters from Emberheart, maybe they'll even do a better job of overhauling Raptor than the 2010 release.
I spent hundreds of hours on this as a child. The 3D models and wireframes of the mechs blew me away and the ways you could customise, build and design around your available mechs and missions was a whole new type of freedom compared to other TBS I had played at the time. Hell even now there aren't many games similar to Cyberstorm in degree of customisation and depth. In game battles involve height and terrain, crouching behind cover when appropriate, managing shield power and facing scouting out enemy forces and - if you're wise - practising divide and conquer to pit 8 or less warmachines against entire bases, or to protect your miner mechs as they scoop up much needed resources to further research and improve your force. Most missions involve combat but objectives are varied, and it's more about putting you in a variety of scenarios than anything else. Pilot skills are specialised and each Bioderm has it's own skill tree and other factors such as their tendency to dissolve into a pile of goop. You even grow a little attached and sigh softly as you recycle one past it's use-by date. Yes your pilots have use-by dates. If you didn't get by the somewhat rambly diatribe above, I think this is a superlative TBS and, while the resolution may be a bit eh by modern standards, the core mechanics have aged fine and will give you plenty of fun. I really shouldn't be spending even this much but it's very definitely good value for money. P.S. Alt + right-click on the derm portraits, when you're in the vats. If I remember right. Might be alt + left-click.
Project Warlock is clearly a game made with passion. It's a fast paced shooter in the vein of the pre-Doom greats like Wolfenstein 3D or Catacomb Abyss. It's moderately challenging, and chock-a-block with weird monsters, fun guns, interesting (although very mazelike) levels, optional magic, and a small but well balanced upgrade system which rewards exploration and trying different things. Graphically, the game won't appeal to some, as it's a highly pixelated, cartoon sprite look deliberately similar to it's inspirations. The framerate however is far more modern, and there are many modern touches like reflective surfaces or realtime lighting effect. There are also a number of custom shaders available in-game to tailor the look and feel, although I mostly don't use these. In terms of audio, the FX are serviceable and identifiable but not spectacular. The occasional voice lines from the titular warlock (mostly "You motherf....s" when he dies) fit in pretty well. The soundtrack is the standout here, although it works best with the game and isn't quite as good by itself as an OST collector might prefer. In terms of mechanical gameplay, controls are simple and responsive, aiming is easy due to large hitboxes and minimal input lag, and weapons and spells feel largely balanced to the enemies you'll encounter. Protip: Get the quad shottie upgrade, flame weapons not so useful. Overall, an excellent game with a modicum of replayability, held back from 5 stars only because I think they missed a major opportunity to include some form of level editor and browser - these would have extended the game's playability tremendously, considering the relative simplicity of building levels would (hopefully) bring in many rookie mapmakers. However the devs appear responsive to feedback, even if it takes a little while to implement, so I'm hoping for good news on that front. Maybe in PW2?
Fantasy General kicked off my love of turn based strategy when I was a child. Sure I tried Panzer General but it just didn't click, not in the way Fantasy General did. With great gameplay depth, strong soundtrack and visuals, and a highly intuitive interface (note I learnt how to play this at 5 or 6 years old), Fantasy General pulled me in and kept me in the TBS genre. This and Cyberstorm were my TBS go-to's for years and even now I feel they hold up very strongly outside of the limitations imposed by the much smaller screens and lower specs of the time. Some of the highlights of the game: Awesome things: - Amazing soundtrack - Wide unit variety with progression and items - A 5 island campaign with a strong difficulty curve - A clear and unique art style with plenty of details to take in - Multiple characters to play as, each bringing unique armies, abilities and drawbacks as a general The only real issue I've ever had with the game is the massive difficulty spike past the first two islands. I'm happy enough to challenge myself with that now, but those who are new to the genre might find it an unwelcome splash of cold water after the comparatively easy first two campaigns. Overall, 5 stars and I'd give it 6 if I could.
A little bit unstable, but the fact it's working at all is quite amazing, and working well more amazing still. Runs fine, controls are smooth, I think it does a lot with 640x480 resolution as well. The audio is surprisingly crisp and perfectly designed, matching the atmosphere in and out of the races. Track variety is solid, ranging from desert to jungle to ice world to mining facilities. If you played and loved the game originally, get this now. If you haven't played podracer before and, like racing games such asWipeout more than NFS, well worth a play. You'll forget about the pixels immediately.
Lost a star due to uncompetitive price on GoG. For those who've played the original game(s): If you enjoyed Battlezone '98 you'll enjoy the redux. They've been very faithful to the original , mostly focusing on modernising and optimising the engine as opposed to revamping the whole game. This does mean a couple complaints I've had since the 90s are still there: - Controls will feel very wonky until you've adjusted sensitivity to your liking. Never hugely liked the momentum on turns, even if it does help differentiate your units. - Controls are also very early-3D style. You've got WASD, but you've also got oddities like E for jump and Space for use as default. - Some controls are also not included in the options menu, such as I for Info. It's included in the tutorials and early missions but it's still an oversight. - Bad pathfinding and AI in general - Lack of command options (e.g. no Attack Move) - An occasionally stupidly high difficulty curve. For those who haven't played the original: Do you like RTS? Do you like FPS? Do you enjoy campy sci-fi stories about alien metals and the Cold War? Do you like games such as Savage, or Nuclear Dawn, which combine genres into new games? You'll probably love Battlezone then. It's clunky, it's campy (a plus for me), but the core gameplay is solidly enjoyable and the story keeps you interested enough to try the next mission, assuming the prospect of blowing up more space tanks doesn't already do that. Graphically speaking it's competent by modern standards, with nicely revamped textures, models, terrain and particle effects. Audio's a bit hit and miss in terms of VA, but otherwise good enough. The gameplay is the biggest adjustment for most, but once you've done the 10 min odd tutorial and played the first mission or two it feels quite natural. A flawed classic, but a classic nonetheless. I've picked up Combat Commander too, which I never played the original of. More of the same, but now with actual aliens.
