Ben X

The Big FPS Playthrough MISSION COMPLETE

Recommended Posts

Oh man, can't wait to hear what you think. SS2 holds up pretty well I think, it has some old game things to deal with(controls, graphics, feel etc.) but the gameplay at a high level makes up for it. I might put it on as well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm trying to avoid mods where possible. I've done a little of the training, and so far the controls are... manageable (pretty much the same as Thief, this also being a Looking Glass game). The graphics actually look pretty nice so far, possibly because the game has been fiddled with to allow modern resolutions so it's all nice and sharp, plus it's all unpopulated, shiny, clean settings so far, no NPCs or natural textures to ugly the place up.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Jesus, I'm on the first level and they're throwing shitloads of enemies at me that I have no chance of beating. Fuck you, Looking Glass Studios for your underpowered player characters and overpowered enemies. Am I supposed to time my swings to block theirs? It's incredibly difficult if so.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You're supposed to dance in and out of range, timing it so that you step in as their swing has missed you (if you're talking about the zombies). If you're wrenching them. Otherwise, headshots and sneaking.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's zombies. Okay, I'll try dancing. Still pretty damn tough when there are two of them, though.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's been quite some time since I played through but I think I almost never had to take on more than 1 zombie at a time in the early game, mostly by virtue of being sneaky. But any concrete advice is going to be filtered through a mist of time & nostalgia.

 

I'd be disappointed if this doesn't work out for you Ben, I have very fond memories of Shock 2.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nope, they have two at a time backing me into a corner as soon as I go to the med bay which is where I need to go and they spawn about 8 in a row. Like Bjorn, I'm flaming out. I can't be bothered with a game that makes you methodically go through every step of picking things up, equipping them, using them, but then also has super-tough combat to deal with.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, I remembered to RTFM and found out that there are cameras that get set off which triggers an alarm you need to go turn off. The problem is, there is zero way of avoiding it to do the shit I need to do so it's not really a very fun system.

 

I gave it another go and just got to the next level where the psychic weapon chimps and turrets turn up, both very annoying, and there doesn't seem to be any security points to turn off alarms in this bit.

 

Also, the save system doesn't seem to work - it loses my save-game if I quit out, and reverts it to an autosave point (here, the start of the level with minimal health).

 

So yeah, that's enough of this game.

 

Next: Gunman Chronicles! (if it works)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, maybe I'll come back to it another time but I was finding it very irritating.

 

I got Gunman Chronicles working via Steam (using this http://www.nextdimension.org/gunmantosteam/) and it's pretty fun. I'm a cowboy in space shooting dinosaurs in aztec-y alien temples - can't argue with that. For a mod, the presentation's pretty good, although the training and story drag a little occasionally. Lots of cool setpieces and fun weapon settings, though. The only trouble is it's pretty difficult. I got myself to a boss fight (with a giant brontosaurus) with only 19% health and there's no way I'm managing that, so I might have to hope there's an autosave from earlier on. It turns out crocodiles weaving their way across the floor towards you is terrifying.

 

You can see the Half-Life influence very clearly (not surprising as it's a HL mod gone commercial) - a tram-ride opening and lots of gruesome NPC deaths. It feels quite Unreal-y too, although it hasn't managed the epic feel of that game yet.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't know - I have the disc from back when it was released on budget - but I'm guessing the only way would be second-hand disc. I think there's a petition to get Valve to re-release it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sad to hear Thief(s) didn't work out, but I totally understand. I have started and stopped playing Thief: Gold several times, at bonehoard, at the wizard's mansion, and I don't think I ever finished the Gold version, even though the first two Thieves are some of my favourite games. I have fonder memories of Thief II.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Shame Shock didn't work out - it's kind of interesting to me that I happily played through Shock 2 multiple times and count it as one of my favourite games of all time, but quite Thief for exactly the same reasons Ben did.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had to go back and start Gunman Chronicles again on easy because it was insanely tough, but I'm now racing through it and having fun. It has a very enjoyable B-movie-romp feel to it, bouncing from one dire situation to another like a Republic serial hero. I just got through an 'insane AI' level which had a nice 2001 feel. Not as bodyshock creepy as SS2 but lots of cool enemy designs and boss fights where you generally have to either avoid and escape or figure out a puzzle, Plus a nice twist where you join forces with the AI and suddenly all her drones help you against the alien forces. Feels very Valve. The only issues are that it crashed occasionally and it's pretty damn long - I could have done with that AI level being half the length. I'm now back to dino-planet, fighting evil space cowboys, but hopefully they'll change it up again soon.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember being pretty young and buying Gunman Chronicles when it came out, and just assuming it was made by the same people as Half Life. I don't think Valve actually had anything to do with it though (aside from making the engine)? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've also never heard of Gunman Chronicles - some quick Googling suggests that it started out as a Quake mod, and was ported to GoldSrc as part of a commercial release. It sounds pretty awesome from what's been written about it, I'm sad it seems to be unobtainable after the fact!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I played Gunman Chronicles around about when it was released, I don't remember it being a very long game but I guess game lengths are perceived differently when you're a teenager. I really enjoyed it at the time, it's no classic but it was a lot of fun.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember Gunman Chronicles! I played it at the time, and I might even still have a physical copy at home.

 

I think it was most notable for having some very cool customisable weapons. Like there was a gun where you could mix coloured chemicals in different quantities to achieve different levels of sticky/bouncy/explosive results. Lots of alt-fire modes and stuff like that. FPS games don't often do this kind of thing anymore, but at the time it seemed incredibly ambitious, especially for what was effectively a very polished Half Life mod.

 

It's probably the first example I can think of of a mod gaining the support of a publisher and receiving a stand-alone release? Valve were, I think, still under the wing of Sierra at the time, but it's cool to see that they've continued this tradition with stuff like Half Life: Source and Alien Swarm - and, of course, Counterstrike...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I haven't encountered any guns that require chemical mixing, but they do have multiple sliders - detonate on impact/timed/cluster etc

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now