Son Of General Retro Discussion

Retr0gamer · 21-12-2011 03:31PM

I don't need to play Quake again. I'm not talking about the greater architectural nature of the levels, it's definitely better than build engine levels. It's more that the levels really didn't resemble anything and had not sense of purpse. For example:

Quake

Another brown corridor

Duke 3D:

XBW72.comm_revs.duke3--article_image.jpg

A bar

There's a lot more detail in allowed in Duke 3D so places resemble what they are meant to be. It's crude but it gets the job done. It wasn't until Half-Life or System Shock 2 where I'd be wandering around a science facility that looked and felt like a science facility and not a series of brown interconnected corridors.

As for Dark Forces, how dare you! It was much better than a Doom mod. Did you play the PC version or the PS1 version because the PS1 version had the size of the open areas greatly reduced and was much more restrictive with only tight corridors. Dark Forces engine was very close to the Build engine in that it could do massive open environments, had destructible walls and could also do room over room effects. Thought it was much more advanced than Doom and a great game.

As for the sequels. I really enjoyed Jedi Knight especially when it was one of the very first games to have 3D card support and I was the first of my friends with a 3D card so it looked amazing. Went back to play the expansion pack that I got cheap on steam. My rose tinted specs were removed instantly. It's really aged badly to the point that it's not fun at all.

I never liked the Quake 3 engine sequels by Raven either. They got good reviews but I found they were really generic FPS games with a star wars skin.

CiDeRmAn · 21-12-2011 04:12PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I don't need to play Quake again. I'm not talking about the greater architectural nature of the levels, it's definitely better than build engine levels. It's more that the levels really didn't resemble anything and had not sense of purpse. For example:

Quake

Another brown corridor

Duke 3D:

A bar

Hey man, I just googled Dark Souls and I got a shed load of brown images!
image search for Dark Souls

In Quake it was a dark and gloomy castle.
There are only so many colours that are going to be appropriate there.
I reckon when Crown and Dulux make up there paint charts especially for dark and gloomy castles there is a certain absence of pinks, mauves, emerald greens and all those other colours associated more with dodgy bathrooms from the 80's.

A sense of purpose?
In Quake?
To get to the end of the level without getting gibbed mostly!!
But then at least it tried to get away from coloured key cards, a thing that Duke 3D explicitly leaves as a major mechanic!

There's a lot more detail in allowed in Duke 3D so places resemble what they are meant to be. It's crude but it gets the job done.

And they can keep it!
I didn't like the thing really at all.
I know I'm being completely subjective but I was completely left cold by the bulk of the game.

It wasn't until Half-Life or System Shock 2 where I'd be wandering around a science facility that looked and felt like a science facility

Couldn't agree more.

As for Dark Forces, how dare you!

It's pants!
And not nice Agent Provocateur pants, but big grey, old Primark/Pennys pants!

It was much better than a Doom mod. Did you play the PC version or the PS1 version because the PS1 version had the size of the open areas greatly reduced and was much more restrictive with only tight corridors. Dark Forces engine was very close to the Build engine in that it could do massive open environments, had destructible walls and could also do room over room effects. Thought it was much more advanced than Doom and a great game.

And it was pants, see previous comment!
I played, and still have somewhere, the PC version, I didn't like it then either.

As for the sequels. I really enjoyed Jedi Knight especially when it was one of the very first games to have 3D card support and I was the first of my friends with a 3D card so it looked amazing. Went back to play the expansion pack that I got cheap on steam. My rose tinted specs were removed instantly. It's really aged badly to the point that it's not fun at all.

I never liked the Quake 3 engine sequels by Raven either. They got good reviews but I found they were really generic FPS games with a star wars skin.

I'm with you there, found the immediate sequel fun at the time but lost it's lustre big time in hindsight.
And the later sequels were awful, wasted the time installing the demos and then uninstalling them shortly after.

If we are talking FPS I did enjoy Hexen 2 back in the day, using the Quake engine.
I liked it's predecessors as well, Heretic and Hexen on the PC.

Retr0gamer · 21-12-2011 04:34PM

Quake still had the Silver and Gold keys iirc.

Never liked Ravens games after Heretic and Hexen although I didn't play Heretic and Hexen 2. Recently got Singularity in the steam sale and heard it's a lot better than their previous games and also that the latest wolfenstein wasn't bad either. We'll see.

Myrddin · 21-12-2011 04:53PM

A visual description of this discussion

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy · 21-12-2011 04:58PM

EnterNow wrote: »

A visual description of this discussion

http://i40.tinypic.com/k2z1gl.jpg

just give it a beard, same thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlp0ssW6iu0

DinoRex · 21-12-2011 05:06PM

I only liked the first episode of Duke 3D as well.

Was always hugely impressed that I was actually able to download all that back in the day.

But I remember a friend bought the full game and I got a copy off him and I distinctly remember being thankful I hadn't forked out for the thing.

I think Prey was a much better update on the kind of game that Duke was. And was in production for just about as long.

CiDeRmAn · 21-12-2011 05:10PM

DinoRex wrote: »

I only liked the first episode of Duke 3D as well.

Was always hugely impressed that I was actually able to download all that back in the day.

But I remember a friend bought the full game and I got a copy off him and I distinctly remember being thankful I hadn't forked out for the thing.

I think Prey was a much better update on the kind of game that Duke was. And was in production for just about as long.

Well said, I really liked Prey and it pre-empted the central conceit of Portal as well!
I bought it when it came out on the 360 and really enjoyed it.
I think it goes for 7 euro preowned at the mo, well worth having, certainly streets ahead of anything Raven has released on the next gen consoles.

I look so much cooler in the pic, thanks Enternow! (the cheques in the post!)
And Retr0, you will never outrun that photo, ever!

Myrddin · 21-12-2011 05:23PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

And Retr0, you will never outrun that photo, ever!

Once it's on Google Images yer f**ked

DinoRex · 21-12-2011 06:04PM

pdbhp · 21-12-2011 07:54PM

All PS Vita launch issues aside sweet vid for Katamari:D

pdbhp · 21-12-2011 07:55PM

All PS Vita launch issues aside sweet vid for Katamari:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFxSa5sBMbg

Sparks43 · 21-12-2011 08:01PM

WbfsSync is the greatest thing since sliced bread

Even better then Mince Pies and xmas Pudding with Brandy Butter

That is all:D

Doge · 21-12-2011 09:09PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Sure the shareware episode was fantastic with some of the best level design ever. However epsiode 2 is a bit crap and it picks up in episode 3 but it never reaches the heights of the first episode. The fourth episode added to later editions was a bit better.

I think in episode 2 it's the setting / storyline that restricts the level design.

I think they did a great job on the design of the space stations and lunar bases,

but at the end of the day, thats all they were......space stations.

Nothing like the diversity of natural landscapes and urban architecture of Earth.

And I think this is one reason why Duke Nukem Forever was a fail also,

setting the game in Las Vegas really restricted it imo,
and the storyline was very weak, the worst part of the story for me is when you meet the president.

Duke3D had a very subtle storyline if any (aliens have invaded earth in the future) and it told that story solely in terms of level progression which was great, you never knew what was coming next.

Duke3D brought us all the way from the Earth's Surface, to the Earth's crust and beyond, it felt so unlimited.

And was certainly a hell of a lot more of an adventure.

I'm an absolute fanatic of Duke 3D, it is my favourite FPS of all time,
I have seriously love for it, so I might struggle to criticise episode 2 and 3.

I think if they were very like Episode 1, people would criticize it the game for being too samey samey.

I have a lot of favourite levels from those episodes, I think I need to replay them again just to to compare them to the first EP.

The amount of detail and references in that game even give games today a run for their money, especially with all the secret places and levels.

Simple things like being able to walk over a blood spattered corpse, and see your bloody footprints is just one example,
and there's so many games which lack that even today, especially Duke Nukem Forever.

Being able to see blood slide down a wall was awesome also!

The action in duke3D is responsible for me having some form of gaming ADHD today, I prefer action games where I can get a quick fix, and be stimulated all the way through.

The flow of action in the game for me will always be far superior to Blood and Shadow Warrior, and I have often lost the motivation to play on in those games.

Especially with Blood, i found the visual style and atmosphere of the game extremely bland (too brown and grey!) and depressing, which is probably what was intended, but rapes my motivation of playing it through.

I loved the additional features of the build engine in Shadow Warrior, like all the alternative fire modes for example,

But I found a lot of the levels a bit too long winded or something.

Pyongyang · 21-12-2011 10:21PM

Does anyone use the Marvel app on iPad? There's a few cheeky sales going on right now (comics for 99c). Any good? Worth a hoof?

Pyongyang · 21-12-2011 10:50PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQc5TIin9S0

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy · 21-12-2011 11:08PM

Pyongyang wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQc5TIin9S0

is it too late to ring Santa?

Retr0gamer · 21-12-2011 11:48PM

I was also pleasantly surprised by Prey. Really didn't expect much but it really delivered. Not an amazing game but very solid with great ideas.

johnny_ultimate · 22-12-2011 12:03AM

Yeah Prey was solidly enjoyable.

Just played some Child of Eden. Last level is level of the decade. Swoon.

Doge · 22-12-2011 12:05AM

Speaking of Duke3D, check out this standalone eduke32 mod,

Sonic The Hedgehog 3D:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vggTAq4UmNQ

You can download it here, and do not need duke3D to play it:

http://sonic3d.ru/en/downloads/category/3-current

Steve X2 · 22-12-2011 12:06AM

Just had a go this morning on the PS VITA for a good few mins.

The thing is actually smaller than I thought. It always looked big in the pictures as it was been held my a dainty Japanese hand. It's only a bit bigger than the PSP and feels very nice in my hands which are on the larger size. The game cards themselves are tiny, a good bit smaller than DS/3DS carts and smaller than an SD card(I think, only had the card in my hand for a few seconds). The new memory cards they have are very small but larger than a micro sd card (kids are gonna lose these things).

The one thing I didn't expect was that the cases for the games would be so cool. They're like mini bluray cases and I really like the look and feel of them. I can see a bunch of them sitting on my shelf at home looking pretty

I might cave in and buy one later today, I'm not sure what to do :rolleyes:

But that screen is a thing of beauty and just the right size and res for a mobile console. And the games, well you've all seen the videos and they just look great. I might try get a quick demo again later on today but gotta go do some sort of work thingy now.

.

Doge · 22-12-2011 12:09AM

o1s1n wrote: »

The Sonic cart seems to be the same as dumped ones. I'm more interested in dumping the Daze Before Christmas and Zero Tolerance carts. The Zero Tolerance especially seeing as it's completely undumped, radically different to the final version and probably of historical importance seeing as it's one of the first proper FPS console games.

You seriously have to throw up a gameplay video of that Zero Tolerance prototype! :eek:

Would love to play with your dump too if you ever squeeze one out!

Steve X2 · 22-12-2011 12:54AM

iMAME is out in the apple app store for iPhone and iPad.
It only has a few crappy games included but grab it quick before it gets pulled as there is a way to load more roms onto it even on non jailbroken devices.

http://toucharcade.com/2011/12/21/get-it-before-its-gone-imame-hits-the-app-store/

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=485639079&mt=8

.

DinoRex · 22-12-2011 01:42AM

Zelda Timeline revealed:

http://kotaku.com/5869993/this-might-actually-be-the-official-zelda-timeline

(No mention of the CDi games...)

Retr0gamer · 22-12-2011 01:58AM

We've 3 splits now? I call ridiculous fan fiction.

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy · 22-12-2011 02:04AM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

We've 3 splits now? I call ridiculous fan fiction.

tumblr_ls6xlq8PPe1qj09wuo1_500.gif?t=1322672251

Retr0gamer · 22-12-2011 02:05AM

Atlus are the kings of trolling.

Every clue they gave about their next project pointed towards Growlanser 4 which everyone wanted. Turns out it was Gungir.

Then an hour later they announce the clue for their NEXT game saying it will start with 'G'

johnny_ultimate · 22-12-2011 02:10AM

Yeah got a good chuckle out of tonight's Atlus Faithful newsletter.

And no new clue til 2012! Lulz.

Sparks43 · 22-12-2011 02:40AM

DinoRex wrote: »

Zelda Timeline revealed:

http://kotaku.com/5869993/this-might-actually-be-the-official-zelda-timeline

(No mention of the CDi games...)

I'm calling Pulp Fiction on this tbh

valleyoftheunos · 22-12-2011 08:55AM

Steve SI wrote: »

Just had a go this morning on the PS VITA for a good few mins.

The thing is actually smaller than I thought. It always looked big in the pictures as it was been held my a dainty Japanese hand. It's only a bit bigger than the PSP and feels very nice in my hands which are on the larger size. The game cards themselves are tiny, a good bit smaller than DS/3DS carts and smaller than an SD card(I think, only had the card in my hand for a few seconds). The new memory cards they have are very small but larger than a micro sd card (kids are gonna lose these things).

The one thing I didn't expect was that the cases for the games would be so cool. They're like mini bluray cases and I really like the look and feel of them. I can see a bunch of them sitting on my shelf at home looking pretty

I might cave in and buy one later today, I'm not sure what to do :rolleyes:

But that screen is a thing of beauty and just the right size and res for a mobile console. And the games, well you've all seen the videos and they just look great. I might try get a quick demo again later on today but gotta go do some sort of work thingy now.

.

where did you try it?

Myrddin · 22-12-2011 09:11AM

DinoRex wrote: »

Zelda Timeline revealed:

http://kotaku.com/5869993/this-might-actually-be-the-official-zelda-timeline

(No mention of the CDi games...)

Then it can't be cannon, still, it'll please the kiddies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHIP9UtkQDQ

Son Of General Retro Discussion

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