Draugen is competently made, using the unreal engine to portray the Norwegian countryside. For me, the historical setting in Norway was a huge plus for this game. It's as short as the length indicators on gog would suggest and gameplay/world interaction is rather limited, which decreases replayability further. This is kind of a walking sim which will have you walk and explore through an interesting plot with a great and dense atmosphere. I liked the character interactions, but the dialogue system felt a bit like it doesn't have any impact whatsoever most of the time. And gameplay thus really does feel like you're on a rail. Draugen is alright for what it is but don't expect any miracles and keep in mind it's a very short game. Kind of like a feature film to walk through and find out what thing you're allowed to click on. I would've wished for more interactions or more exploration.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this sequel. The graphics are beautiful and the plot is thought-provoking, but not overbearing. The puzzles are more on the easy side and can almost always be solved with a bit of thinking and some trial and error. Hence I'd recommend it especially to people who are new to the genre. A hint-system is also included. The "hacking" mechanic is working great and it's a lot of fun to play around with it and see how much mischief you can cause. They're relying a lot on it in this game, but fortunately not quite too much (although sometimes it feels like they're getting close to using it too much). Tonally, this game is MUCH more coherent than the original. I felt the game was a bit heavy-handed in its references to the first game, but that's okay, I guess. I can say that I have not run into any problems or glitches at all.
Includes the original game version from ~1996 which, despite its low screen resolution, does hold up very well. It's a very pleasant adventure game which is driven by an engaging plot and loads of dialogues between the characters. So that means that you can barely get stuck, as you advance mostly through careful oberservation and dialogues. Features an exciting plot and beautiful animations and cutscenes. It's also a surprisingly long game. The director's cut version adds some new scenes and puzzles, but quickly falls flat - it's technically not well executed and there's loads of clipping errors between the sprites, missing animations and bad puzzle design in the new parts. The added plot also falls disappointingly short, even though it does start out interestingly. The new and old art styles do not always match and the new 3d rendered sprites stick out like a sore thumb and clash heavily with the original sprites. The originals, on the other hand, are somehow lacking some of their original animations and often look rather mushy. The director's cut also makes some minor changes in some cutscenes for example and does take away some of the player agency (as in: options) in a few scenes. I did enjoy the new clicky type puzzles, but they are going somewhat overboard with it in later parts of the game. Overall, I would strongly recommend playing the original version. The director's cut itself is a bit of a letdown, even though there are some nice ideas in it. As for the original: I can absolutely recommend this game. Very enjoyable.
The idea to this game was pretty cool, but the gameplay itself is quite lacking. For one, you're mostly running down a straight path with not much choice. Then, you're fighting the same old two or three enemies again and again and again and again and again. It gets boring quickly. Lastly, the weapons do not offer satisfying feedback. It's a shame because the setting and locations are kind of fresh, especially in terms of warhammer 40k. But don't fool yourself. The gameplay is so dull you'll be struggling to press on with this game.
I think Dark Forces has aged pretty well, all things considered. It was a solid "doom clone" to begin with and if you like doom chances are you won't dislike Dark Forces either. Just don't let yourself get disencouraged by the sewer level or the concussion rifles later on in the game. There's some pretty cool stuff in this game and the designers made EXCELLENT use of assets from the original movies. In contrast to doom, you can look up and down, crouch and jump. Most weapons also offer a secondary fire mode and there's some neat little gimmicks like wearable gasmasks, night sight or a head lamp. DF Features the classic labyrinth style game design and will have you look for keys, switches and even passwords. Some of the levels can be a bit tricky to figure out, but they're all well designed and feature some cool star wars locations. This is a pure shooting game. Designers back then had not yet thought about adding force powers or even a light sabre. You'll have to look for that in Dark Forces 2. There's no multiplayer either, neither deathmatching nor coop-play. This is strictly a singeplayer game. Playability on modern systems: Dosbox should do fine, but there's also been a port released recently. It's called the Force engine and works like a treat, adding comfy features like a nice old mouselook, absolutely improving the gameplay experience. I think it even lets you include mods and further planned features will include editors of all sorts.
Rebel Assault 1 was a technological revolution and paed the way for CD-Roms in pc gaming. The game itself, though technologically very impressive, has always been very wobbly and kind of so-so. The controls are awfully oversensitive and the video technology behind it all is now hopelessly underwhelming. I do not think Rebel Assault 1 has retained much of its appeal. It's only interesting for nostalgic or historical reasons. Take it from me. I used to marvel and adore that game all throughout the 90s. That's all gone now. Rebel Assault 2 has fared quite a bit better in my opinion. It's got way more options and punched up the quality of the FMV-stuff. More than part 1 it's like a small little star wars movie in its own right. Controls are a little bit better and more flexible than in part 1. Gameplay has been slightly improved too, as you can now duck into cover during the third person shooty bits, for instance. With the aid of the included difficulty editor you can actually make this game as (un)challenging as you want and improve your gameplay experience for each level and many, many variables. Rebel Assault part 1 is also historically interesting because it was the first time they dug out old props from the movies and started filming new scenes by themselves, wheras part 1 mainly just took existing scenes from the original films and kind of put some drawn or rendered scenes in between or dubbed them over. TLDR: Rebel Assault 1 has lost its appeal entirely. Rebel Assault 2 is actually quite okay and is actually enjoyable, but still a railshooter. I've got no idea how you'd react to both these games without any nostalgia.
The remastered version of this game is absolutely stunning and beautiful. It still includes the original version of maniac mansion too, so you're basically getting two games for the price of one) I always liked dott more than the monkey island games and the same seems to go for the remaster. The graphics are beautifully enhanced and do not look as, well, alien? and weird as on the monkey island remasters, though that's just my opinion. As with the remasters of Full Throttle and Grim Fandango, some audio commentaries from the developers are available on certain screens. Some are really interesting and offer cool insights into the making of the game. Offers everything which the original had and more. But also lets you switch back and enjoy it as it was. Wholeheartedly recommended for adventure game fans.
This is easily the best indiana jones game to date and even a strong contender for one of the best lucasarts adventures too. Features vibrant, beautifully pixeled VGA graphics and it comes even with a talkie option. Not voiced by mr Ford though, as far as I am aware. One of the unique points about this game is that it offers you three paths to solve the game. Each one altering some scenes and adding distinct new ways until the endgame. Compared to other adventure games, the puzzles can feel a bit dry, as the game is not as whacky or humourous as many of its counterparts. They are neatly varied though, offering some okayish mini games to mix things up. None of them are really awful, so that's a win in my book. It is a very well crafted and re-playable game and easily one of the best adventure games from back in the day. It is no doubt worlds ahead of its predecessor. Apart from the aforementioned paths, this game is also unique in its cineastic way of presentation and its plot, well worthy of a true indiana jones film. You'll feel like you're really playing through a proper film they never made. And if you dread the many fist fights from the last crusade game, you can either pick another path or use the easy punch to pull you through (except against Arnold). I'm on my third playthough now and I would wholeheartedly recommend this game to any adventure game fan. I'd guess that some indy fans might prefer more action-oriented games like the later tomb-raider-likes. This game does offer an action-oriented path, but let's be frank: adventure games excel more in terms of their dialogues and puzzles.
If elite force 1 was a tv series, elite force 2 would have been the motion picture. Technically, it's much better and I really liked how they included many new ways of actually using the tricorders in game or the dialogue options. Those are some great improvements on the gameplay if you ask me! Both the character models as well as the level geometry also do look much better than in elite force 1. In terms of gameplay, it's not even a step back but more of the same for the most part: You're running down narrative tunnels - as in: There are not even several possible paths to choose from. There's always only one path ahead. You'll walk from one cutscene to another or until x enemies literally just spawn right in front of you. You shoot them, maybe get another cutscene and continue down the tunnel until you hit the next cutscene/spawnpoint. I didn't like that in Elite Force 1, but I don't think it's forgiveable in Elite Force 2 anymore. It's like you're in a theme park, going through the haunted house. Could have just as well played a fully fledged railshooter. Sometimes you now have to shoot several waves of enemies or push buttons on a timer. I don't think it's very exciting and not even the welcome addition of the small logical puzzles on the tricorder can save it. It's just not a very engaging or interesting game imo. On top of it all the whole voyager thing is no longer in the game. No starship voyager, no original cast. Except for Tuvok and Sir Patrick. Instead of voyager you're now on the enterprise e. Several levels seem pretty cool - like for instance USS Dallas. But it's still mostly the same old uninteresting narrative tunnel gameplay. I would not recommend this game unless you're a die-hard fan of the late TNG movies or the first game.
One of the good old run and gun games Apogee used to pump out in the 90s. The game tends to be a bit mean at times, but it's not unbeatable. Nice, quick pace and good controls. It's simple, schlocky, good - especially when available for free. Features glorious EGA graphics and top-notch adlib sound effects AND music (all at the same time!). Recommended for fans of DOS platformer games.
