STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

DF was amongst the first games on CD-Rom along with Rebel Assault 1. I had it bundled with a CD-Rom player, soundcard and speakers. This game came as a breath of fresh air for FPS players who were used to Doom. In DF, there is an interesting plot with twists and each level is set in a unique setting with unique textures. Variety was striking in every respect: situations, enemies, weapons, settings, level design, musics... and you never get bored. It even features a duel with an iconic figure from Star Wars. Developers managed to make a masterpiece out of a small engine. They made an excellent use of the Star Wars material, which accounts for a huge part of the success of the game, but they went beyond and introduced new elements that are really interesting: the character Kyle Katarn, Dark Troopers, the Arc Hammer... The major flaw is the impossibility to save during the game, which can be very frustrating as final levels are quite long. Best DF in the series and one of the best shooters, for me.

I originally played this game back in the 90's and recently re-played it for nostalgia sake. I loved it then and I still love it now. Sure, it's not going to stack up against a modern AAA title. But for an "old school" shooter, it's hard to beat. Pros: +Mostly great level design. +Some impressive set-pieces. +Has an engaging story (a rarity for shooters of that time). +Great Midi soundtrack and sound effects. +Voice acting....in 1995! (Seriously, there's no excuse for a game made today not to have this.) +Lots of fun weapons to play with that are actually useful in different situations. Cons: -A few levels can get really confusing and maze-like. They could have done a better job of steering you towards the next objective in those cases. -Even on easy, the jump in difficulty in fighting a Phase 2 Dark Trooper vs any other enemy is pretty big. They are supposed to be the toughest enemies, but they are REALLY tough compared to everything else and can take your health down to nothing in seconds. It feels a bit excessive. -Landmines. I hate the landmines and you will too. -Character controls feel a little floaty. When you lift up a movement key, you keep going a bit; almost like you're on ice. As other reviews mentioned, unless you're looking for a true "old school" experience, you're going to want to download the Force Engine. It's a source port for this game similar to what GZ Doom is for Doom. It gives you modern FPS controls like WASD movement and mouse-look. In my opinion, it's a must have. Other than that, I'd say that this game is perfect considering its age. It's one of the best Star Wars games ever made; up there with Jedi Outcast and TIE Fighter. It's also a stand out in a sea of Doom clones that were popular around that time. If you're a Star Wars fan or just a fan of old shooters, you should give this a try.

This is the only game to out-do TIE Fighter for iMUSE music. Not only does it adapt to what's happening, with strong memorable themes that help deliver just the right tension, then seamlessly escalate into adrenaline overdrive when the action kicks in, but the scores themselves are incredible. The intro music starts off as the classic John Williams theme, but then it morphs into a sinister and haunting theme that sets the tone of the game before you even get to the menus! Once you get going, the first level music delivers an incredible feel right from the get go, with a heart pounding take on John Williams' original scores with the dynamic enhancement of the iMUSE system being used to full effect. It just builds until you hit the final and most epic score - The Arc Hammer. I just sat at the beginning of the level listening to it when I first got to the Arc Hammer level; It is just mind-blowingly good and I get spine tingles everytime I hear that opening riff. In my opinion surpasses even John Williams. It is *that* good. But for the sake of your ears use a good SoundFont or at least GUS emulation in DOS Box; The OPL FM just doesn't do the music justice!!! It is my fervent hope that Tommy covers the music from this game in at least one of his Video Games Live gigs - Having the music played by a proper orchestra would bring out the full potential of the scores and surely give eargasms to all present!

I find it extremely hard to understand earlier user review saying this game is not as good as it was anymore because new games are so much better. Keep playing new games then, don't look back. Every game creates it's own reality. I just started replaying Dark Forces and for me the immersion is as good as it was the first time decades ago, I'm enjoying every moment of it. I recommend getting some HW to support General MIDI/wavetable sounds for best experience :)

I missed the game when it was released and I finally managed to play it after 25 years. I have to say the game easily stood the test of time. It is visually very rich game with non-linear level design and spot on sound design. Weapons look also awesome. The resolution is low but the graphic itself is very appealing and there were no other FPS games in '95 except Teminator Future Shock that could really match the game in this aspect. The only bad level is the sewer level plus there are few places where you can get lost, namely the prison level. You can use cheat and easily skip these levels if you want. The rest of the levels are fun to explore and quite easy to navigate. The first level where you steal the Death Star plans and the last level where you fight the best Dark Troopers are probably the best of them. Once you have finished a level you can always replay it on a different difficulty. The game is not really hard even on hard difficulty. Before you play the game make sure you set the controls in a setup via dosbox. It is easy to do and it will make the game much more accessible for the most. There is also gas mask and flashlight binded somewhere on F1-F12 keys. You'll need to use it only once or twice in the entire game but it is must!