So, this is Time Commando. I first read about this game in a PC Magazine in 1996 and it had a rather mixed review and also it was highly recommended to have a fast CD-ROM drive.. like 7x Speed. I was a huge fan of Action adventures like Alone in the Dark or Ecstatica- and this game just looked rad back in the days. The story resembles somehow Matrix. An important military computer has been infected with a virus and you have to wipe it out completely by travelling through all simulated epochs. The impressive thing on this game is how combat and weapons change as time progresses. You start with clubs in stoneage, progress to swords in middle age aso. Also the music fits to each time zones. Anyways... we live in soon 2020... THE TIME THIS GAME TAKES PLACE!!!! :) How does it hold up? Please consider these points. Graphics: It used to be awesome on a 14" CRT in 640x480. Now, while the sprites are somewhat ok, the pre rendered backgrounds look horrible and sometimes you have a hard time finding out where to look up for hidden objects or you just die by falling off a cliff. Technics: Be aware that it is a 3rd person action adventure... and from 1996... even nowadays these types of games suffer of weird camera angles and it was way worse back then. Also, the background is prerendered and scrolls automatically. So, if you miss picking up items or entering hidden rooms you cant go back, they're lost. The controls are clunky, you can jump quickly sideways and back but NOT to the front. A front jump takes like 5 seconds so it's not useable for an attack. Then, the difficulty. I played it through in 1996 so I thought... well start with medium... but even this is so hard that I restarted with very easy. Final thoughts: My resumé is that if you are an early 90s gamer- then you may like it because you know the flaws, which honestly almost all games back then had. This game certainly didnt age very well but it's still fun for those that know the time it was developed.
I really enjoy playing this game- especially with a xbox 360 controller. The racing is fun arcade style, there is an career mode where you race, win money and invest it to tune your car or buy new cars and last car standing demolition. The crashes... lots of them with a damage system. Anyway, one thing that bothers me is that some parts of this game really remind me of early 90s racers and that is... the fact that all that damage doesnt seem to affect the cars physics? Also its next to impossible to bump other cars out of your way- it seems they are glued together if you try to give them a bump. Then again, the other drivers make their own faults, too. Even leading cars- which is really funny. I love and hate this game xD
I remember like it was yesterday when I copied my Savegame of HOF onto a 3,5" Floppy because I was stuck at almost the END(The part where to repair....)!! It was my Packard Bell 486DX2 66MHz. I always wanted to continue from the point on.. and I still have the Disk.... so I got in on GOG but of course I couldn't use the Savegame since well.... no Floppy Diskdrive anymore :D Anyway, played it from the beginning and still I can tell that this Kyrandia is on one level as Lucas Arts Adventures. The Game is hilarious, the characters are funny and cute. Yes, you _can_ die but actually at one point you clearly get a sense on what situation can get dangerous for your heroine. What this game makes unique is the beautiful setting in a magical picturesque environment and also the controls: You have a vessel and have to find recipes for magic spells which you occasionally have to use to solve puzzles. I think this is a great feature which I absolutely love! If you're a lover of classic 8 Bit Adventures- then you absolutely HAVE to play it!!
