I can recount my gaming history back to the days of meticulously typing code, line by line into a Commodore 64. The journey since then has included so many memorable experiences, from Thief to Dishonoured and Ultima to Skyrim, plus countless classics in between. Somehow I missed System Shock 2 and was beginning to think I would be destined to always wonder what might have been. Thankyou GOG I wonder no more. Not since I first played Doom have I been so jumpy playing a game. This game may be from another era and certainly looks dated in that sense but I somehow imagine that even "in the day" it did not need to rely on flashy graphics for a thrill. From the first encounter my imagination was running wild, where every change in music and every turn of a corridor scream caution. The audio tapes are every bit as atmospheric as the Bioshock clones a decade later but somehow I more connected to the story they tell. The ever invisible menace, be it real or imagined shows perfect clarity of design not seen in games these days. I have not yet completed the game so I look forward to what it might still throw at me but it certainly proves that good design, be that level, story, character (or an intangible atmospheric something??) go a long way towards making a classic game. My new copy of Far Cry 3 will be put on hold for some time, I may or may not return to that later, seems I have been system shocked.
Having spent time with the Beta I can vouch for the simple pleasures of this game. This is a game that is indie to its very core and in this instance that is a very good thing. A game that feels so fresh and yet is very much rooted in the grand old age of games like Elite. This is not my usual genre of gaming so I am pleased to report that I have found the game extraordinarily accessible and was able to jump into it with next to no hand holding. If anyone thinks the inviting nature of the interface must hide an overly simple and basic game than again I can report that this game manages to maintain a complexity that left me at least, satisfied with my successes without the hair pulling factor. The game will have you almost from the outset teetering on round after round of nail biting action. Along with the almost impossible to resist "just one more round" it is the perfect recipe for many enjoyable gaming hours, and possibly a few late nights. Having said that the accessible nature also makes it the perfect pitch for the casual time killing 10 Min pop - just be careful those 10 will soon become hours..
More than a decade on, few games can live up to the almighty title that was/is Deus Ex. This was a game that broke all boundaries as to what a game could be and in many ways it has never been matched, let alone surpassed. There are many reasons why there can only be one Deus Ex, the market for one has emerged with a streamlined gamer thrill approach, a must for gamers who have have less time and more competition for their dollar than ever before. Deus Ex is a game of pure choice and no hand-holding is allowed..a far cry from the on rails shooters that scream for the mass market of multi platform, multi aged, multi sexed gamer of 2012. In many ways the moment DX landed its time was already past and whilst there have been many pretenders since none have come close, most have never tried. Invisible War was born into this new landscape, forget that it was already the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time, this was a game born in a new age and it was always going to be a different beast but that does not mean it is not worth your time. DXIW is true to the RPG roots of it predecessor, yes the are cut back to a more bare bones approach. In some instances this would be called cutting the fat and in some ways it does a good job of taking the more tiresome aspects of inventory and stat management out of the players hands. DXIW also reduces the number of paths and choices though in many ways the choices left have (at least in part) more meaningful consequences than the original. One thing DXIW does very well is stay true to the literature of DX, and one can become equally lost in a mix of PK Dick / Orwellian type escapism. The game is not pretty by standards of the day but nor was the original ground breaking when it was released in that regard. It still maintains enough of a visual feast to transport you to its futuristic setting. In closing DXIW is no DX, but then again it never claims to be. DXIW does offer choice and it does offer story that provided this gamer with multiple playthroughs over the years. Will we be playing this game in 10 years time? Not sure...Will we be playing its forebear in another 10? Yes I think so. DXIW is not a classic like the original but it is a game that can and should be enjoyed for what it is, an interesting, entertaining continuation of gaming history. I do only hope that with the span of years that have passed since this game was released to loud and largely negative criticism - because it was not DX all over again - it can now be enjoyed for what it is and not what the market claimed it should have been.
I still remember when I first played Zork 1 and started to realise almost instantly just what gaming could do. This game opened up channels to endless worlds for me that would see me eventually leave the Great Underground Empire, and travel to Morrowind, San Andreas and the far reaches of Mass Effect's galactic empire. It took me from my first battle with an angry Troll and crazed Wizard, to fights against a power mad Jon Irenicus, a demonic Diablo and a loco Anna Navare. I may have left the lands of Zork a nameless adventurer and treasure hunter but I went on to find fame as JC Denton and Codename 47. Zork was a simply a revelation to me and Infocom's dungeons have remained far more vivid to me than many grand 3d vista's of modern games. This is in part because Infocom were masters of instilling a real sense of place and character in thier games. I still remember my first trip to the gates of Hades, and my utter joy at realising that I could with a few items and words used in the right sequence seemingly have real consequence on this digital landscape. I sure as hell remember the very real fear of finding myself trapped deep underground without any light and only that most terrible of companions a Grue! I recall the endless hours of carefully drawn and redrawn maps that may seem so archaic to many a gamer now, but added a real sense of accomplishment when playing these games. Zork part taught me to read and think and along with Infocoms many other treasures inspired in me a love of gaming that has never died. Without Zork I would never have laughed with Guybrush and Manny Calavera, I would never have known Fallout's vision of a Post Apocalyptic Earth and I may never have shed real tears with The Nameless One. Zork hooked me on gaming and the trip has been wild ever since, but I have never forgotten my first my love. This game spoke back to me, it often knew if I was fooling around and at those times it spoke with derision. Sure this ode to Zork is part nostalgia, but I have to emplore anyone who has not played these games to do so. Partly because games of this era are histroically important to gaming, but mostly because they can, and do provide great entertainment still. Even if one has to scratch a little under the surface...just make sure you bring your lamp!
This game is a perfect example of why I love GOG, an addictive game from yesteryear that stole many hours of my youth and is in my humble opinion, as good an example that I can think of, of a game that is just about having fun really. Theme Hospital, like may of the great games from Bullfrog, never takes itself seriously and in being foremost a game of fun, somehow always eclipses/ed (for me at least) any of the other theme styled genre games out there. The cartoon style graphics suit this game so well that I cannot imagine any cause to update them that would add anything to this gem. Equally so the cute audio effects. This is one game that in many ways still works today, because it had everything right to begin with. Well I should add that it was not (and is not still) without a few flaws, a few bugs here and there and at least for me when I originally played this, some interesting difficulty spikes. Still they never bothered me then and they still don't now - In fact this is one game I can just jump into and have fun without really taking too much notice of what I am supposed to be doing anway. Best of all though this is a game that if it were not for GOG, would have just remained a fond memory. Unlike some of the other fine pieces of gaming art available here, it is not a game I would have desperately hunted down and faffed about running on modern architecture, but it is a game I am glad to have back in my collection...for the times I just want to have some carefree gaming.
