Absolutely essential adventure game with an amazing story and (mostly) logical puzzle design. Just be warned that GOG's description for this game has some significant spoilers. This one is best approached knowing as little as possible. Like others have said there are some pops in the audio that can be mitigated somewhat with tweaks to sound settings, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get rid of them completely. Eventually I got used to it, but it's worth pointing out. Overall I greatly enjoyed this game, and highly recommend it even if you're new to the series like me.
The original Shadow Warrior is great, and along with Duke 3D and Blood (and now Ion Maiden) it’s among the best retro FPSs to feature the legendary Build engine. Highly recommended for fans of retro FPS action… But this port, while not terrible, has some technical issues that prevent it from being the best way to play this classic title. For one, there is some very noticeable input lag on the mouse when using vsync or a frame rate limiter. There’s also persistent micro stutter, which makes the action appear far choppier than the DOS original. On the other hand, with vsync off, you get constant screen tearing. I’ve tried it with multiple rigs and setups and there’s simply no reliable way to get this version running the way it’s supposed to. It also features a few bugs that aren’t present in the original DOS version. Honestly, you’re probably better off getting the free DOS version and just playing it via DOSBox (with the bmouse mod for full mouselook) or if you want a modernized version, use a source port like BuildGDX. Either way you’ll get a superior version, that also happens to be free.
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!
Which is a shame, as Unreal Tournament is easily one of the greatest FPSs ever made, and my personal favorite arena shooter. Excellent weapons, fast movement, great level design, graphics that have aged surprisingly well, mod support, and a phenomenal soundtrack. What more do you need? Get it before it’s gone!
