O tempora – Page 6

O tempora: Icewind Dale II

12/07/2019 12/07/2019

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

After my recent replay of the forgettable (and honestly deserving to be forgotten) Icewind Dale in the Enhanced Edition version, it was time to play the last Infinity Engine game that I’ve never actually played before – the Icewind Dale II (in the Complete version as it’s sold on GOG). Due to its source code being lost, an Enhanced Edition of this game might never happen. And that’s actually a bit of a shame.

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O tempora: Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition

06/07/2019 27/08/2019

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

Of all the Infinity Engine-based games that I’ve played (I’m to play Icewind Dale 2 next for the first time, but otherwise all of them) Icewind Dale was the only one that I had barely any memories of. I remembered playing it, remember it being obnoxiously high on combat and not much else, but otherwise, I couldn’t remember anything else. Now that I’ve replayed the game in the Enhanced Edition version (with the expansion and the add-on to the expansion I’ve not played before included), I understand why it was so.

Thoughts on: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

04/06/2019 28/06/2019

When Final Fantasy X was released back in 2001 I was very new to the series. I had only recently gotten a PlayStation 1 of my own and was busy catching up with all the cool titles I’ve missed on that platform. When I finally got my first chance to play the game properly years later, I didn’t like it at all. The tone, the characters, the setting – it all just didn’t click with me and I decided to move straight into XII. Almost another decade later I decided to give this game a proper chance. And since Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster version I’ve got on PC also had the direct sequel of the game and a bunch of complimentary stuff, I decided to give them a go as well. This was… something.

Happy about: Blood: Fresh Supply

13/05/2019 28/06/2019

In the mid to late 90s I didn’t have a “modern” PC, so a lot of games were experienced at friends’ places. And somehow, despite loving Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, everyone in my circle was far more into Build Engine games. Duke Nukem 3D was the obvious choice, but we also played Shadow Warrior, Redneck Rampage, Witchaven and, of course, Blood. Every game in this list was unique, going for a specific mood, using the engine capabilities to create something memorable. And Blood, the first project of Monolith Productions, was going for horror. Back than, it was a dark, yet extremely stylish and explosive FPS with all the best Build features. Lots of scenery could explode, levels could change based on player input and despite having a rather horizontally-focused design, levels could have a lot of vertical depth as well.

Today… Well, despite being available for a while on GOG in its most complete official release (One Unit Whole Blood), I was waiting for a good engine port of the game, which could introduce at least some of modern quality of life features. For the longest, BloodXL looked most promising, but then the project went quiet. Thankfully, Nightdive Studios, who has already proven themselves in reviving classic FPS titles, announced their take on the project. And Blood: Fresh Supply is the result. For all intents and purposes, the game is as good as it was back in 97, making this an “o tempora” category post, yet the additional features are so good that Blood can be enjoyed as a completely fresh FPS, without the need for a lot of tinkering.

In love with: killer7 (on PC)

14/03/2019 28/06/2019

Writing about something like killer7 new PC port is a bit weird. On one hand, this is very much a revisit of a game from 2005, originally on GameCube and PlayStation 2, that I have played (though never finished) back in the day. Making this a bit of a retrospective post, like my O tempora series. Yet at the same time, this new PC port of the game, despite not bringing big changes, can play so much differently, that it’s hard not to approach it as if it was a new game entirely. So I will try to look at the game from both perspectives – as a replay of a cult classic game from 14 years ago, and as a completely new title you might’ve never heard before and might want to check out. May the lord smile and the devil have mercy.

O tempora: Scratches: Director’s Cut

21/12/2018 28/06/2019

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

Scratches was originally released in 2006 (with updated Director’s Cut being available since 2007) at just the right time. By that point both adventure games and horror titles not focusing on action became somewhat rare, and a change was yet to come. It was far from being the first attempt at a screen-by-screen transition first person view game (like Myst) that focused on horror, but unlike a lot of its competition it was really well made and told a simple, yet genuinely engaging story. Returning to this game 12 years later certainly feels interesting.

Revisiting Mass Effect

04/09/2018 28/06/2019

Yes, it has been more than 10 years already, hard to believe as it may be, since Mass Effect was originally released. First exclusively on Xbox 360, then, half a year later on PC (PS3 version didn’t come until 2012, though). Despite BioWare setting a new example, a new milestone in how to make story driven RPGs with almost every game prior to this one, it was Mass Effect specifically that became a template for so many games to follow. A cinematic, character and story driven, action and dialogue focused RPG that tried to please varied audience on different platforms without compromising on its values. A game so fresh, yet so distinctively BioWare.

Playing it today on PC it’s easy to see why it was loved and why other games tried to copy it. Also easy to notice things that hasn’t aged well or were not good in the first place.

O tempora: System Shock 2

21/01/2018 13/05/2023

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

This has been a long time coming. I’ve attempted to play System Shock 2 ever since 2001, when I first got my own modern (for the time) PC. And even back then, just few years after the game release, it already worked with issues. After that for the longest all games on this in-house game engine made by Looking Glass Studios, along with the Thief 1 and 2, were borderline unplayable on most PCs. Until one day a mysterious person (often believed to be one of the ex-Looking Glass employees), released an updated version of the source code of the engine, which made things work again. Ever since then, all 3 games on the Dark Engine have been receiving updates and fixes making games not just playable again, but often better than they were originally. And several years since I had a chance to replay all the Thief titles and a year and a half since I’ve first experienced the innovative undying beauty of the original System Shock, I finally had the chance to finish System Shock 2. And I can sum up my experience in a very short review: Wow…

For more in-depth analysis, read on. :)

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O tempora: Command & Conquer series, as a story

31/12/2017 28/06/2019

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

People who read me for a while now know that I tend to preface my strategy game post with clearly outlining that I absolutely irredeemably suck at those. Yet, there are several franchises that I love, even if I play on easiest difficulties or outright cheat while playing them, just for the sake of their stories, their worlds, the music the style and everything that isn’t gameplay I just fail to be interested in. And for a while I planned to revisit one of the most influential and creative franchises that are no longer with us, because EA. Anyway, I just wanted to take a look at how the series evolved in style and story, with few mentions of gameplay, through its 3 separate sub-series with One Vision, One Purpose.

Thoughts on: Silence, Full Throttle Remastered and Tiny Echo

22/11/2017 22/11/2017

It’s time for some pointing and clicking. I decided to give a shot to a sequel to a game that was pretty popular and a remaster of an old classic, but in between them, a tiny little adventure decided to give me an extra hour of adventuring. Let me tell you what I think of Silence, Full Throttle Remastered and Tiny Echo.