The Forgotten PC Games 05.06.08: Keeping You Busy With A Game From Four Different Genres
Posted by Chris Vicari on 05.06.2008
Are you bored with your current PC games? Are you desperately waiting for a specific release but not sure what to do with yourself in the meantime? Look no further. The Forgotten Games Recommendation Column can help you curb boredom with a healthy dose of gaming classics. No, these aren't games for the ancient 486 but games which came out only years ago. It's time for a little education and who knows, you may find yourself enjoying these games more.
Introductions
Since this is my first column post for 411mania, let me first introduce myself. My name is Chris Vicari and I'm currently pursuing my Masters in Writing at Rowan University. I've been playing video games for about 18 years now and I hope to eventually combine my two loves of writing and gaming to write game reviews professionally. I'm writing this column for the same reason we all play games, to have fun.
The Column
This column focuses on phenomenal PC games which were overshadowed by bigger releases or simply ones no one really remembers anymore. I'm not talking about old, retro games from the early 90s either, many of these games were released only a few years ago yet nobody's heard of them. This column hopes to shed some light on these forgotten greats while also providing some entertaining reading material as well. Most if not all of these games can still be purchased if you know where to look and they still function on Windows XP and even Vista.
The column will also have a different theme every week. One week may feature an assortment of FPS or strategy games while another week could showcase games with good storylines or memorable characters. There is a lot to work with here.
This week will focus on a forgotten game from the many different genres.
Strategy
Released back in 2000, Sacrifice is hailed as one of the best strategy games of our time and is the brainchild of Shiny Entertainment, creators of the also-famous Earthworm Jim series and the also-unknown game Giants: Citizen Kabuto. Applauded for its originality, witty humor, sound & graphical prowess and fun, Sacrifice should be in every gamer's library. It's one of my favorite strategy games of all time and it's up there with the likes of Myth: Fallen Lords, Myth 2: Soulblighter, and XCOM: UFO Defense. To say it's simply good is an understatement. It's a breath of fresh air in the endless choking fog of samey and turtle up then conquer strategy games but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who's heard of it. Thankfully Sacrifice is still supported by the community and is continuously updated with new maps, patches and content to this day.
Synopsis
Sacrifice is a real-time strategy/action hybrid game where you play the role of a powerful wizard. He can cast spells, summon units and wreak all-out havoc on the countryside. The spells and their effects are simply stunning and are some of the best I have ever seen. While you get the typical coma-inducing spell repertoire such as the heals and fireballs, Sacrifice kicks it into high gear letting the player create volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes or even summon Death himself earning you the ire of every metalhead known to man. Like the game's spells, Sacrifice's individual units are also quite unique and fun to watch as they battle it out on the map. Sacrifice also ships with full multiplayer support along with a robust map editor called Scapex, extending replayability considerably.
The volcano is one of many powerful spells to help turn the tide of battle.
In the single player campaign, the story follows a wandering wizard named Eldred who, along with his imp Zyzyx, recounts the events of the past making the campaign itself one giant flashback. The core objective of Sacrifice is to desecrate your enemies' altar but to do that you must sacrifice one of your minions in the process. Through the course of the 10-mission campaign, players can choose to align with five different gods; Charnel god of Death, James god of Earth, Pyro god of Fire, Stratos god of Air and Persephone goddess of Life. It may sound dull but the gods interact with each other during mission briefings in comical fashion. In one scene Persephone tells Charnel that killing everyone isn't always the answer whereupon Charnel remarks that torture has its merits too. Depending on the god you choose, each mission allows you to summon a different unit and cast a different spell. After the mission is completed, you can opt to serve a different god giving your spellbook and unit makeup a little variety.
How's it different?
On paper Sacrifice sounds like any other game with wizards, spells, and monsters but I'm very pleased to say that it doesn't handle like your typical strategy game. Instead of the standard top-down view most strategy games follow, Sacrifice plays in the third-person perspective putting you right in the action. It's also pleasing to note that there isn't base building of any kind. Your wizard is a walking factory and units can be summoned in the field at will using souls; the game's resources. While buildings can be created, they can only be placed on specific locations of the map ala Battle for Middle Earth, the first one to be specific. As mentioned before, the spell effects are tremendous and it's nice tearing the battleground a new asshole as the bodies of the dead litter the field.
In closing, for the love of the gods get this game!
First-Person Shooter
Oh, and the first one too
Ladies and gentlemen I give you Cate Archer, a covert operative for the Brits and the protagonist in the award-winning No One Lives Forever series (NOLF). First released in 2000 and the sequel in 2002 by Monolith Productions, both games have received multiple Game of the Year awards and are shining examples of the first-person shooter genre. Paying homage to James Bond and Austin Powers, the NOLF series is an extremely enjoyable, fun and humorous experience.
Synopsis
The NOLF series isn't your usual FPS and features a nice blend of shooting and stealth gameplay similar to Escape from Butcher Bay and the Thief series. It's up to the player to decide how they are going to complete the objectives be it quick and quiet or loud and nasty. In both games Archer works for UNITY, a secret organization that protects the free world, which sends her on missions to various locales to stop the terrorist organization H.A.R.M. Archer has many different methods at her disposal for combating her enemies. She can shoot her way through or make use of the many gadgets in the game; a novel feature of the series. Gadgets range from the typical to the outright wacky like the lock pick, a body removing spray and even a mechanical poodle for guard distractions.
The game may not look great compared to today's standards but who cares? The game still rocks.
So why is it so great?
Quality. The NOLF series looks and sounds great and still holds up to this day. Both games are extremely humorous, don't take themselves too seriously, and never get old. Despite the fact that the story in NOLF2 is similar to the first, it's told in very creative ways through cutscenes teeming with visual gags and the dialogue between H.A.R.M's henchmen spices things up nicely as well. Monolith definitely scored big here, now if only they'd make Blood 3.
If you're looking for a fun and enjoyable series that strays away from its super-serious cousins, then No One Lives Forever 1 and 2 are right for you.
Role Playing Games
This piece of RPG art and widely-accepted classic raised the bar for RPG games everywhere when it first came onto the scene back in 1999. Developed by the now defunct Black Isle Studios, creators of wonderful gems like the Fallout and Icewind Dale series, Planescape: Torment is the perfect blend of storytelling, character development, action, and combat. Inducted into Gamespy's "Hall of Fame" and Gamespot's "Greatest Games of All Time" list, this must-have title is sadly a little rare these days, fetching astronomical prices at various online retailers but it's definitely worth the financial hit.
Synopsis
Planescape: Torment is an RPG based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Planescape campaign and takes places in various planes of existence. You play the role of The Nameless One, your amnesic yet immortal hero who quests to remember everything they forgot while also solving the mysteries of the realm. There's a lot more to it than that but the Planescape world, lore and story is practically the size of a Tolkien novel making it impossible to write about all of it.
If you're at all familiar with the Baldur's Gate series, you'll feel right at home in Torment. Battles are fought in realtime but can be paused at any moment giving the player time to strategize and prepare. The protagonist can recruit other would-be heroes and has the choice of the typical RPG flair from mages and healers to warriors. Party and character interaction is a lot of fun and actually quite intuitive as its enjoyable to be the nice, level-headed character or the asshat who flings insults at everyone. Fairly unique to gaming, Torment also features a system called consensus reality. Basically it means that if enough of the ingame population believes in something, it begins to exist. The religious can finally rejoice. Jokes aside, it's a lot of fun to manipulate the world by lying to half the populace.
Yes, one of the heroes you can recruit is a floating skull
The greatest ever?
Planescape: Torment in my opinion is damn-near perfect. It's definitely one of the top RPGs we have ever had the privilege of playing. Torment's enriching gameplay, style and story are all grade "A" quality. It is your duty as a gamer to play this game before it's even harder to locate.
Simulation
Oh yea, definitely one of the best simulation series ever created. First released in 1998 and then the sequel in 1999, the FreeSpace series is a definitive example of everything you want out of a space combat simulation game. Volition Inc., creators of the Red Faction series along with these two games, really pulled out all the stops to provide an immersive, enjoyable and engrossing experience. FreeSpace delivers on all fronts and combines everything which made the Wing Commander and Tie Fighter series great and improves upon them with beautiful visuals, an engaging storyline and epic space battles between dozens of ships from small fighters to capital class monstrosities.
It is pleasing to note that in 2002 Volition released the source code for FreeSpace 2 letting the community do whatever they want to the game and making it free to download. Now dubbed the FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project by the modding community, FreeSpace 2 has received numerous graphical tweaks and upgrades along with various changes to the game itself. The campaign from the original has also been modded over letting you experience the magic that started it all.
Pardon the sub-par music but this video really shows off the graphic improvements thanks to the Source Code Project.
- Movie created by Nightmist
You can find the completely overhauled FreeSpace 2 game at www.fsoinstaller.com. FSO stands for FreeSpace Open and the installer downloads everything you need to play the game.
As the name suggests, FreeSpace is set completely in space and takes place in the future when man has discovered subspace travel and wages war against hostile alien forces. In the first FreeSpace game, you are a pilot in the Galactic Terran Alliance who fights during the fourteenth year of the war against the Vasudan Empire. Over the course of the campaign, a third race is introduced called the Shivans and the Terrans and Vasudans ally together to combat this new threat. Playing a similar role in the sequel but 32 years later, you fight for the now-solidified Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance (GTVA) and once again combat the Shivans along with suppressing a rebellion within the GTVA.
If you've played any other space simulation game out there, you'll feel right at home in the FreeSpace universe. The missions are intense and a lot of fun. Battles are rarely fought alone and you usually fight alongside several wingmen and even larger ships and gunboats. Thankfully the AI is competent and can be counted on to get the job done.
So which game is better?
With the introduction of new ships, eerie battles in nebulae, beam technology for capitals along with numerous graphical improvements to boot, FreeSpace 2 looks, feels and plays much better than its predecessor. Freespace 2 also greatly improves upon the lackluster multiplayer in the first game with accurate player statistics, ranks and a new mode called SquadWar which allows players to fight in a persistent galaxy for territory.
You owe it to yourself to experience one of the greatest space simulation games ever created.
Get it, play it, love it.
Stay tuned next week for even more gaming greats you may never heard of.
