Discworld 2! (Discworld : Missing Presumed...?)

jaykhunter

I remember playing Discworld 1 on the PC to death (every summer for a good while) and loving it (despite some really reaching puzzle solutions), and I remember renting Discworld 2 on the PS1, and enjoying that too.

Some time later (early 2000s) I bought Discworld 2 on the PC from eBay, only to find out I couldn't get the little bastard to work on my XP PC. I tried it again and still couldn't get it to work....Even with a tutorial...So I ended up downloading another version which touted that it was really easy to install and play. And by God, it works!

A little Backstory :
Discworld : Missing Presumed...? is a fantasy point-and-click game, centered about a sarcastic, spineless, lowly Wizard, Rincewind. This game is the 2nd in a series of 3 games (I don't count the Colour of Magic 'text' adventure). The art style is bright and cartoony, the writing funny and accessible, and the puzzles are usually quite far-fetched. Having not read Terry Pratchet's Reaper Man, Moving Pictures and Lords and Ladies, I couldn't garner any immediate answers to puzzles. It's a game centered around talking to people and solving off-beat puzzles. The game was on the PC (1996) and later ported to the PSX and Saturn (1997).

Plot:
The dead are not staying dead. Not in a zombie kind of way, but rather they're just still around. Why? Because Death had taken a holiday. It's up to you to find him and coerce him back into his job.

Gameplay:
This is a point and click game, where you interact with various characters to solve puzzles. For example, you need 5 things for a potion. You go to the store, the storekeeper needs beeswax to make a candle, one of your items. So you must find a way to distract the bee-keeper and get wax from the beehive. There's no time limit, or action scenes. Just a simple P&C adventure. The main parts of the gameplay is figuring out obscure puzzles, and listening to the enormous amount of snarky dialogue (which can be fast-forwarded) and progressing the story.

Although the scenes are beautifully drawn, you can't walk everywhere. Underneath the bonnet are some strict invisible walls.

Anyway, the review!


First things first. WOW. There is a huge difference in quality from PC to PS1.

PS1


Not too bad for 1997, eh?

Now, the PC version


Now I understand why PCfags (lol) are always banging on about how great PC gaming is! :pac::pac::pac:

Anyway, I really have to say, I still remember quite a bit of how to solve puzzles and that cuts down frustration, but I find I still have to go to the walkthrough, (whenever I start trying to add random items to people, etc) some of the puzzle are just plain bullsh-t.

Example of a puzzle :

Like you're supposed to go to Uri Geller with metal croquet hoops, he turns them into a Pyramid, the shape of which fast forwards time for a particular machine.... (!) and a big f-ck you too! :p:p

In general though the writing is still top notch. My only complaints is that we don't really have a great showing for "Cut me own Throat Dibbler", and Rincewind gives out far too quickly about random quests - something you do alot. I realise it's a joke but it also conforms to it.



The main voice is Eric Idle, but I have to say I really miss Tony Robinson. I love his voice (Baldrick from Blackadder). In general though there is a lot of dialogue to sit through, but I found it quite entertaining.

The art style is lovely and some of the scenes are quite well done, but with the art style and point-and-click, nothing really stands out. I miss key items and even half of a street or room! I guess I had more patience first time round.

There are 4 Acts, but I reckon the first would really take ages before you get an idea about how the game wants you to think.

Anyway, I'd recommend giving this game a play-through (PM me if you need the XP fix) but have a walkthrough at hand :D I'd also recommend going to this HINT PAGE before just banging through the walkthrough.

Oh, and if you go through the Elven portal in and out a few times, you get an easter egg! You talk to Rincewind from Discworld 1 game

CiDeRmAn

I have Discworld 2 in my collection, very nice it is too!
The differences between the PC and console are inevitable, given the capabilities the consoles had at the time, no HD, remember!
But, at least you didn't have to arse around with the console to get something to work, the PC could be a devil to get things working on, even after the onset of Windows95 and DirectX.

The game itself was a bit of a pig, only the license saving it, along with the aforementioned Eric Idle, the puzzles were indeed far far to hard and obtuse.
A pity then that the DOTT template wasn't followed a little closer.

Also, another problem on consoles is one of control, and the fact that these games simply run properly with a mouse and no amount of analog stick use is going to make moving that onscreen arrow easy.

Hopefully we may see more discworld games in the future, perhaps an Oblivion style affair.

Kevster

Hey,

Where did you download Discworld II from? I have Discworld I on the PC and regard it as one of my most prized games. I love it so much. Eric Idle doers the voice for Rincewind in Discworld I, doesn't he? Tony Robinson plays some other character in it... ...I can't recall who though.

Kevin

jaykhunter

DOTT? Completely agree CiderMan. Using analogue controls instead of a mouse for point and click is ridiculous! That's my main problem with PCs and why i only ever play oldschool games on it; PCs are notoriously fickle and just plain moody...plus I don't want to have to upgrade my PC every 6 months

Playing through Discworld made me think, I wonder why they never thought to invent games like Professor Layton in the 16-bit genre. It's only marginally helped by stylus control; it could've easily been a SNES game.

Oh, at the risk of hijacking my own thread, if you have any suggestions for other great point-and-click games, I'm all ears

That's right Kev, Eric Idle (from Monty Python) does the voice; I think it's superb! A really recognisable voice. Tony Robinson is "Cut me own throat" Dibbler/the beggar who cuts his own limbs off in the 1st game; fantastic performance/writing Unfortunately he didn't do this game

CiDeRmAn

Well, there's nothing stopping the powers that be converting most of the SCUMM based games over to the DS, love to see Indiana and the Fate of Atlantis, The Dig and Full Throttle converted, not to mention the 2 PS discworld games, there were a whole bunch of Star Trek games made too.
As for a new title, am I the only one who believes a BlackAdder point and click adventure would be extremely cool, especially if it had the original voice actors in!

Malice

I didn't realise there was a Discworld 2. I always thought the only sequel was Discworld Noir.

I will definitely have to look this one up as I loved Discworld 1. As others have said, the voice acting was great and at the time it really added a lot to the gaming experience.

CiDeRmAn

Nope, Discworld, Discworld II and Discwork Noir, not to mention a text based adventure on the Spectrum based on The Colour Of Magic, not a lot of people know that,
so, here it is, together with an emu to get you started, beware the awesomeness of Spectrum graphics!!!!
http://www.lspace.org/games/discworld/index.html

Kevster

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Well, there's nothing stopping the powers that be converting most of the SCUMM based games over to the DS, love to see Indiana and the Fate of Atlantis, The Dig and Full Throttle converted, not to mention the 2 PS discworld games, there were a whole bunch of Star Trek games made too.

Any reason why you mention that particular Indiana Jones game? I have the entire series from that Indiana Jones collection, and that one was by far the best of the lot

o1s1n

Because it uses the SCUMM engine?

97i9y3941

it was on the saturn aswell wasnt it,i remember reading aswell,they werent sure if the playstation could handle it,these where early days folks so the video quality was bound be bad,contrast of broken sword*another fine rpg i may add* and its smooth video but awful loading times...

Kevster

hmm, is that any similar to the SNOT engine? :P

o1s1n

Fred83 wrote: »

it was on the saturn aswell wasnt it,i remember reading aswell,they werent sure if the playstation could handle it,these where early days folks so the video quality was bound be bad,contrast of broken sword*another fine rpg i may add* and its smooth video but awful loading times...

It's a shame as I never did get to play it. Played Broken Sword though. Which I got stuck on at the goat part in Ireland

Kevster wrote: »

hmm, is that any similar to the SNOT engine? :P

Yep. They both derive from the PUKE engine. Before that, videogames were all just S***.

...

Kevster

o1s1n wrote: »

It's a shame as I never did get to play it. Played Broken Sword though. Which I got stuck on at the goat part in Ireland
...

I got stuck at that bit too, but I think that 'everyone' did. Broken Sword II was much easier. I completed it with out the help of a damn walkthrough.

Sofiztikated

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on just a gosh dang second.

Discworld Noir? Why haven't I been told about this? (Actually thats a blatent lie, I did know about it, I just plain old forgot about it!)

Does anyone know where I could aquire such a game? And the older ones too if they're going a-begging. XP-a-riffic please.

Heh, did anyone get the number of that donkey cart?

Malice

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on just a gosh dang second.

Discworld Noir? Why haven't I been told about this? (Actually thats a blatent lie, I did know about it, I just plain old forgot about it!)

Does anyone know where I could aquire such a game? And the older ones too if they're going a-begging. XP-a-riffic please.

As far as I recall Discworld Noir works under Windows XP. I bought a copy of it as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and the computer it was used on was running either XP or Windows 2000, I can't remember which.

zero19

Hmm i was thinking about this the other day only played a demo for the playstation but loved it, how much is it going for on ebay for PS1? Yes PS1 lol

Nichololas

Malice_ wrote: »

As far as I recall Discworld Noir works under Windows XP. I bought a copy of it as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and the computer it was used on was running either XP or Windows 2000, I can't remember which.

I could never get Noir to work under XP. I played the demo I had for it about 5 times instead.. :-/

c - 13

Enlil_Nick wrote: »

I could never get Noir to work under XP. I played the demo I had for it about 5 times instead.. :-/

I had problems with it under XP as well. The game would run but the textures were all over the place and it wouldnt allow me to save.

I used to love missing: presumed ... Found it bloody hard though. Then again i'm crap at all point and click.

corblimey

Count me amongt the ignorant who didn't know there was a sequal to Discworld. Loved the first game and got unaccountably thrilled when I finally 'opened' the Shades, was it?

As for DOTT, I have to admit that I called the number for the tipline in the back of the manual. I got a free book in the post that gave hints and walkthroughs. This was before the likes of gamefaqs and all that, so it was the only way I could figure out one particular puzzle. I believe it was how to get the horse's teeth...

Ah, the good old days of PC adventuring, me with my 210meg hard-drive only able to play one game at a time. Good times, good times

WellyJ

The SVN version of SCUMMVM plays Discworld 1 and 2. Both run perfectly from my experience.

Sofiztikated

Can confirm the ScummVM wuns both 1 & 2 perfectly.

Deadly. Just what I need, more TimeSuck™ games.