Exploring Mountains of Abandonware: Four Freebies and One For Purchase
I've got loads of respect for true-blue PC gamers. Heck, two of my favorite people in the world (Gameosaurus Rex and Gamegnathus) still have high-end PCs and continue to partake in great PC gaming experiences.
Once upon a time, I had a machine that was on par with the consumer high-end. It was from 1994 to 1997. Ever since then, I've been below the curve and have generally put consoles and handhelds in higher esteem than my rotting PC(s).
But during those glory days, I played some fantastic games. And I'd like to use this opportunity to tell you about five in particular that, as far as I can tell, fall into the category of "abandonware," where the copyrights have either been voluntarily revoked or else have become so vague that it's safe to freely download them without any pain of conscience.
MENZOBERRANZAN
Released: 1994
Developer: DreamForge Intertainment
Publisher: SSI
link to download (google)
In an early episode of Jurassic Radio, I'm sure I brought up what I see as the holy trinity of old D&D RPGs. There were dozens of them, and they definitely varied in quality. But the three from DreamForge really left a huge impression on me. There were two titles in the Ravenloft universe: RAVENLOFT: STRAHD'S POSSESSION and RAVENLOFT: STONE PROPHET. Sandwiched between these two releases was a Forgotten Realms title: MENZOBERRANZAN.
All three games operate as a first-person real-time Action RPG, where you have a party and you click on the appropriate enemy in range over and over to have your party members (up to 4) attack. In Menzoberranzan, your direction of travel is quite different from the two Ravenloft games. You see, in Menzoberranzan, you see an opening cut scene fighting a dragon on a snow-covered mountain, and then the game starts at a small town on the surface. Your party (starting at just two people) is chased underground. Along the way you meet the ever-popular Drizzt Do'Urden and other characters who will join the party. And you travel down, down, down, (occassionally up), and finally to the Menzoberranzan, the "City of Spiders," a home of the Drow people (including Drizzt).
I think new players to this game would be surprised to see just how colorful the depths of the earth can be. I have fond memories of this game's graphics, primitive as they are.
Menzoberranzan offers multiple endings, all depending on your choices in the final hour(s) of the game in the underground city for which the game is titled. As you travel through the layers of the earth, you'll encounter many puzzles, difficult passages to navigate, and some very interesting characters. Like many PC games of this era, it can be buggy, and as far as I know it's never been patched (even by fans). The rule is to save often and always create new saves (a crash during a save overwrite leaves you with nothing).
Also, check out YouTube user Elanarae for some Let's Play videos of this game!
SHIVERS
Released: 1995
Developer/Publisher: Sierra
link to download (google)
I know we have at least one frequent reader who remembers this game as fondly as I do. Taking cues from games like MYST and THE 7TH GUEST, SHIVERS is a puzzle-solving point-and-click adventure. The setting is an abandoned museum where the museum's curator and two teens mysteriously vanished over a decade ago. You play the role of a curious teen who, alongside your friends, decide to break in to the old museum to see if you can solve the mystery. You get separated from your friends, and for the entirety of the game, you'll be unraveling the mystery and capturing evil spirits.
Yeah, that's right. You're not alone in this museum. Though most of this crazy museum is portrayed in-game as still images (which, I would argue, are still beautiful in their own right), there are about a dozen spirits from some ancient civilization that can be found in a few set locations throughout the museum, and they appear as these colorful, cartoony-animated 2D blobs (often with eyes and mouth). If you have your sound on, you can usually hear some strange noise associated with them. And that's important, because the true goal of the game is to find two pieces (top and bottom) to each sacred jar that used to hold these spirits. Once a jar is completed, holding it out and making contact with the corresponding spirit will seal the spirit. If you don't have the right jar out and you are approached by one of these spirits, you can actually lose health. Lose enough health and you die. Health bars aren't very common in P&Cs, which is part of this game's charm. The challenging puzzles, many of which are single-screen "game puzzle" affairs (anyone who remembers that accursed pinball machine knows what I'm talking about), is also a big attractor.
The final part of the game's charm is its powerful mix of factual cultural history, "conspiracy theory" history (example: aliens helped build ancient structures around the world including Egyptian pyramid and Stonehenge), and fiction written particularly for the game. There's plenty of audio and video interlaced into the game, but even just reading the text on the display panels next to a museum exhibit is quite interesting. The player will run into some crazy, creepy, and even downright terrifying areas of the museum (the "Man's Inhumanity To Man" exhibit always scared me).
I should also note that the soundtrack, by Guy Whitmore, was awesome. This game had great music.
HERETIC
Released: 1994
Developer: Raven Software
Publisher: id Software
link to download (google)
Though many gamers are quick to remember the sprawling levels and "hub zones" of HEXEN, many forget the original game from Raven Software that would lead to the creation of Hexen. That game was HERETIC. Based on the DOOM engine, Heretic took place in a dark medieval fantasy world. Its weapons were pretty much carbon copies of the Doom weaponry (in terms of effect) though they had a medieval style to them. An inventory system was added, the ability to look up and down was added (remember when you couldn't do that in Doom and would get angry?), and they even added the ability to fly.
Most FPS games are set in a time frame that is modern or futuristic, hence fitting the "shooter" in the genre name. But medieval/magic-based shooters are a horse of a different color, and to me, Heretic was the one that paved the way. The environments were awesome, the levels were scaled larger than those in Doom, and the boss fights were straight up crazy.
Both Heretic and Hexen would go on to have their own sequels, but the original Heretic has long been my favorite to return to. I know there's a huge community of fan-based levels for Doom (series) and Quake (series), but not so much for the Raven Software games (Heretic/Hexen). To me, that's fine. the original level design is enough to keep challenging me to this day.
THE ELDER SCROLLS: ARENA
Released: 1994
Developer/Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
link to download (Elder Scrolls official site)
I think during the early days of the Jurassic Radio podcast I talked about this game so much that it got "pantheon'd" for our top five / top three segments. And that was entirely my fault. To this day I can't stop talking about the game.
Why? I have no idea. The game was buggy as all get-out at the time of its release, and it remains buggy to this day (even with some patches applied). Bethesda made THE ELDER SCROLLS: ARENA (the first game in the long-running series which currently runs up to THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION) a free-to-download title from their own website in 2004. But it comes with a word of caution: paraphrased, they say the game is rudimentary and is also likely to crash on you.
Yet, I've gone back to this game once every 2 or 3 years, even though I'm not a huge Morrowind or Oblivion fan. Arena calls to me despite its super-ugly graphics and cheesy MIDI music, despite the stupid riddles and the frequent freezing/crashing. I guess I like the game because it was the first game of its time to be so thoroughly open, and as a result, so thoroughly exploitable.
The first time I learned I could create my own spells, some of which with dungeon-altering capabilities (remove walls, create stairwells, etc), my mind was blown. When a friend showed me how to cheat the spell system by designing an insanely powerful AoE spell that cost almost no mp, I was hooked. There would be no stopping my battle mage.
Robbing houses and palaces was also plenty of fun.
If you're willing to take a risk on a glitch-filled adventure with DOSbox and/or you want to see the foundation for what has become a defining experience in computer RPGs, get this game.
STONEKEEP
Released: 1995
Developer/Publisher: Interplay
link to purchase (good old games)
Well, I *thought* this game would have been abandoned, considering Interplay died ages ago. But it looks like the copyright holders actually got STONEKEEP listed on GOG. In digging up info, I also learned that Black Isle had been working on a sequel to this game until 2001 and then canceled the project, and that Alpine Studios intends to release a sequel for WiiWare later this year. I guess I didn't realize how well-loved and well-remembered this game was by the industry.
Anyway, this is another first-person real-time Action RPG. You control the disembodied soul of the protagonist, Drake, but instead of having free-roaming motion (like in the DreamForge games), all movement is tile-based. You walk square to square, defeating enemies, pressing buttons and pulling switches, and collecting loot. Your path takes you through a descent into deeper and deeper underground realms (I guess I have "a type" when it comes to these kinds of games; this is sounding strikingly similar to Menzoberranzan). Along the way, you must collect orbs representing the planets of our solar system, some of which have special magical effects that can help Drake.
(It's worth noting that two of the planets can be easily missed by skipping the Faerie Realm, a place whose entrance is part of a cryptic puzzle that also inconveniently contains a glitch. Patches and save states were released in the '90s for gamers, myself included, to gain access to the realm. If you move on without doing the Faerie Realm quests, you will reach a "point of no return" where you're at the last boss without all the planets and cannot win.)
The game had tons of voice acting (for its time), lots of fun and interesting characters, some cool FMV sequences, and it sticks out in my mind as one of the hardest PC RPGs I ever beat. I'm certainly interested in the WiiWare sequel.
My "Imaginary Sequels" Wishlist
Okay, so I haven't played any games this week, sans more FINAL FANTASY VII and some NO MORE HEROES (in preparation for Jurassic Radio's next "Winning Time" segment). So I have no reviews whatsoever.
Instead, I'd like to share with you, dearest reader, a wishlist I've kept in my mind for years.
It's the "imaginary sequels" wishlist.
You know? Games that are so awesome that they deserve a sequel, but will never get them? I want sequels, or continuations to series that have for all intents and purposes died.
Before sharing the list with you, I know the cautionary tale, so I'll recount it here so you don't have to. There have been plenty of great games/franchises that have died due to sequel-milking that ruined the quality of the title. Examples? I'd argue that one need look no further than the Game Arts franchises Lunar and Grandia. GRANDIA III was, in my opinion, a bust. And that DS game, LUNAR DRAGON SONG, was a bust by every known standard.
But there is still that part of me that hopes beyond hope that a company will randomly decide to resurrect a game franchise and maintain the quality of the original. Here we go!
Christian Ambivalence Regarding Games (and Me) – Two Articles For the Price of One!
The title of this article should be interpreted as "Christian ambivalence regarding games, and Christian ambivalence regarding Patrick 'Gameodactyl' Gann." Because apparently, I'm not cool enough for the other Jesus-worshiping folks.
Some background: I went to a "Christian" college. I worked at a "Christian" summer camp. I had assumed, for a good long part of my formative years, that I would work in one capacity or another with a "Christian" organization as a career for the rest of my life. This was a bad assumption. Maybe I'm just not clean-cut enough, or the competition is really tough -- or maybe, just maybe, the "Christian" world is just as cut-throat and full of bullshit as the rest of the world. The oft-proclaimed grace of Jesus Christ doesn't seem to pervade the occupational affairs of "Christian" organizations. The critique of Gandhi and Nietzche about the religion, that idolizing the life and work of Jesus Christ doesn't seem to make Christians better people by any stretch of the imagination, certainly holds true based on my experiences.
I have applied to work many, many places in the last three years. Christian schools, Christian colleges, churches, youth groups, missions groups, and yes, Christian publications. I have had more, and felt more, rejection from these places than anywhere else. And these rejections are most often the ones that suck the most: either they completely ignore you, or they give you some bullshit excuse as to why they won't hire you. Now, if you're the one giving them money, that's one thing. But if they're to give you money, so you can, you know, raise a good family, well you better have some inside connections and look like an absolute saint, otherwise you have no chance.
The pain of rejection came most recently, and most painfully, from a particular Christian publication.
Gnathus' Top Five: Live shows of the decade
My biggest hobby, besides video games obviously, is music. I play a few instruments, I've been in a few bands, and I go to lots of shows. And in all my musical discussions over the years with friends and as a member of Asylum at Penn State and as a moderator at musicianforums.com, I found that I had a slightly different opinion of what makes a band great live. I feel that, for most people, the music makes the band. And because they love the music, they love the band when they see them live. This was true for me when I started out listening to music and going to shows.
My first show was Jimmie's Chicken Shack. I hadn't heard of them, but being part of a crowd as it became more and more excited during the set was thrilling, and I thought that it would be even better with bands I knew. And for a while it was. Over the next year I drove all over Pa and Jersey chasing bands.
But over time, I realized that most of my favorite moments were coming from opening bands I'd never heard of and from bands whose music I didn't care for. When I went to see Guttermouth, it was Authority Zero's CD I took home. When Big D and the Kids Table and Mustard Plug shared headlining duties, it was the Plug that I preferred, even though I find their music boring. And the River City Rebels make dismissible punk with horns music, but demand the audience's attention. The surprise is so much more satisfying than a sure thing, and that's why my favorite live bands all came from an unexpected place.
Obviously this isn't a perfect list. I never got to see the Suicide Machines outside of Warped Tour, and I still haven't seen Gogol Bordello or Mischief Brew. And I'm pretty sure I caught World/Inferno Friendship Society on an off night. So this list of great bands probably applies only to me, and only to the moments I saw these bands. But I hope you learn something anyway.
Rex's Top Five: Favorite TV seasons of the decade
We embraced James Poniewozik's "consistency is overrated" philosophy pretty enthusiastically this week when counting down our favorite games of the year, and though the idea fairly applies to interactive entertainment, it's perhaps best employed where it began -- with television.
TV and the miniseries are my favorite storytelling mediums, bar none. Gaming narratives are maturing, sure, and I really should be reading more books, but letting a sophisticated yarn play out over 6, 13 or 100 episodes breathes unnaturally involving life into something that never would fit in a two-hour movie.
I've wrestled somewhat with how to pick my top television programming of the decade. Do I pick shows that began and ended between 2000 and 2009? And even then, do I choose the whole show or individual seasons? Should I make separate lists for dramas and comedies? What about shows that I appreciate emotionally but reject intellectually? And need I have seen the entire run of a show -- or to distinctly remember it and understand its impact -- to fix it to a place in history?
Then I snap out of it, because the whole exercise is silly. I just want to recommend some great TV, and since I started watching it seriously in 2002, this decade is as good a place to start as any. Without further preamble, my favorite seasons of television from the aughts:
Gameodactyl's Top Five: Arranged Game Music Of The Decade
Everyone on the 'net is rockin' the "aught" lists. And rightfully so. It's the end of a decade, and it was a decade full of all sorts of wild, crazy, awesome, and less-than-awesome stuff.
One of my favorite hobbies as an avid audiophile and Gameodactyl is game music. You know, the soundtracks to games? I buy the things. I buy them en masse. And in Japan, they make such a big deal out of it that they often release arranged albums to complement the original soundtrack. It doesn't get much more awesome than that.
So, to prove that no one on teh IntarWebz can get more niche than the Gameodactyl, I now present to you my five favorite game music arranged albums from the past decade. Check it out!
Let It Snow! Gameodactyl's Top Ten Winter/Snow Zones in Gaming
It's December, and in our hometown, we've already seen some snow. This always gets me excited to do one thing: play games with snow in them.
Okay, so that might not be my all-time favorite thing to do during the winter months, but it ranks pretty high. If you feel the same way, keep reading.
Today, we're going to take a look at ten games that feature winter-themed zones. Many games tend to have ice- or snow-based areas, and while many of them can become infuriatingly difficult (lack of friction = ouch!), others hold in my mind as mysterious, intriguing, and beautiful.
10. FINAL FANTASY XI -- Valdeaunia
I know I'm likely the only person within a 30 mile radius of my house that actively plays this game. But when you stop to consider I've put over 120 days (that's 24-hour days, so 2800 hours or so) into this game, one can only assume that I've spent more time in Valdeaunia alone than I have in any other individual game. Valdeaunia is the far-northern tip of the Quon continent, and includes the zones Xarcabard, Castle Zvahl, and Uleguerand Range (added for the Chains of Promathia expansion). When FFXI was first released seven years ago, Valdeaunia was an "endgame" zone. As the level cap increased, it faded into obscurity for awhile. Then, with the introduction of the Dynamis event and Uleguerand Range, it became prime-time endgame fun yet again!
Uleguerand Range, in particular, is the most interesting landscape. It's essentially a huge mountain with tunnels and caves. There's a free-fall spot where you have to line up at the right place to hit the cave entrance you want in an insanely tall wall. There are aggressive monsters everywhere that can easily take down most level 75 solo players. And let's not forget Jormungand, the world serpent (pictured).