Rayman 2 is a solid 3d platformer, great memories. but i completely forgot how akward it is to play with keyboard even back then. to get it working on modern systems you must use Ray2Fix patche otherwise the game will not boot up at all. download Ray2Fix patch for fixing the graphics, frame rate and making the game playable and also fixes the controller support options which had a bug in the original release. i do not recommend playing with the keyboard, it's mapped so akwardly to play and no mouse support (which in 1999 it's embarrassing), and there's no options to change it within the menu, you can however change it manually from the directory but it's a bit complicated, thankfully the controller option is mapped better and plays similar to PlayStation analog controller. after getting it patched and playing with the controller, it's a much better experience.
I love the oddworld franchise, growing up with the PS1 games, the later one were exclusive to Xbox for years, so i never played them until many years later. Anyway on pc playing with keyboard is something i have to get use to, there a joystick controller option, but it will not work with the d-pad only analog which is annoying. the only real issue i have with the game is the cutscenes don't run properly, very choppy 10 -15fps which is unacceptable. there's a way to fix this, you have to download ddwrapper: http://bitpatch.com/ddwrapper.html extract it anywhere you want, the files you need are the "ddraw.dll" and "aqrit.cfg" then open the aqrit.cfg file and you have to change it RealDDrawPath = AUTO BltMirror = 0 BltNoTearing = 1 ColorFix = 0 DisableHighDpiScaling = 0 FakeVsync = 1 FakeVsyncInterval = 14 ForceBltNoTearing = 0 ForceDirectDrawEmulation = 1 NoVideoMemory = 0 SingleProcAffinity = 1 ShowFPS = 0 save it, then put or copy the "ddraw.dll" and "aqrit.cfg" file to the main oddworld directory. now the game cutscenes will run smoothly with no issues. ENJOY!!!
I LOVE THIS GAME, "Z" or "ZED" from 1996 is bitmap brothers best game in my opinion, pure fun RTS, that does its own thing and not copy "Command & Conquer" like many others did at the time. the plot is about two metal-head (no pun intended) robot dudes named brad and allan driving a supply ship in space to their commander zod, already behind schedule landing their ship in some planet while the two robot factions are at war, you’re mission is to wipe them out completely. It relies heavy on quick thinking and timing, despite being an RTS at its core and also combines elements like capture the flag and enemies vehicles as a strategy key. This game is pure fun and difficult later on. Sadly this version is the 2011 remake for iOS/Android, not the DOS or WIN95 version. Setup for touch screen in mind, it means not only visually it looks a bit off, and also gameplay and sound wise. It does look like a butchered easier version. Better off just look for the dos version or win95 version (there's a patch for win95 version for modern systems but it needs some digging/setup to do it).
There's has been a lot of old-school style FPS made by indie devs in the last decade, but most have a common problem, despite clearly being made with passion and love for the genre, there kind of lacking an identity due to how much similar it is to its inspiration (mostly "Doom", "Quake" and "Half-life") to the point that it's stuck in its shadow then standing on its own. So far it's one the best old school fps I have played in a while, it does feels like i went back in time to 1997 with this one, something I rarely feel about retro-style games. Clearly inspired by "Quake" with pride, but it also remind me a lot of "Chasm: The Rift", a pretty good quake clone for it's time that I played a lot growing up. Anyway HROT is really GOOD!!! The dark soviet 1986 setting, gothic horror atmosphere, cool lighting effects and arsenal of weapons. Highly recommended
I love Flashback, one of my favorite games growing up and i still love this game. I love cinematic platform genre games such as "Prince of Persia", "Another World", "Oddworld". Flashback feels like what if "Total Recall", "Blade Runner" and "Aliens" into a blender, you get this epic labor of love, cool sci-fi action/adventure game. I played few versions of "Flashback": MS-DOS, Sega Genesis, Sega CD and 3DO. despite my nostalgia for the MS-DOS version, the Sega CD version is my favorite version, despite they change the original rotoscoped animated cutscenes to outdated 90's CGI FMV, the game has level music! not just background ambience like all the other versions and voice acting!. Something that even the powerful 3DO doesn’t have which is head scratching. when i heard that Flashback i getting another remaster i was a bit skeptical since flashback remake from 2013 is hot garbage. this port made by a small team as Microids and despite they did some OK games, they're most well-known for acquiring dead IP'S and remastering them on modern consoles to mixed results as far as I know. they could have done something amazing for flashback, making the best version possible, taking the best from both worlds adding level music and voice acting, add exclusive levels or even dlc, but nope all we got is a Sega genesis port with some "new" features, almost all of them are your typical retro style options for old games that gets remastered: ugly filter's, scan lines, crt tube effect and bloom, who in their right mind put bloom effects in a remaster!?, of course i turn all of them off and believe it or not this remaster has technical issues as well (at least on PC) in this day in age. the only positives are the “rewind” feature that make the game less frustrating. but overall just play any other version of this game, The Sega CD is the best way to play it in my opinion.
