Another World Windows

[edweird]

Don't get me wrong, Heart of Darkness is a great game! I just find the premise\setting\main-character-designs and even music to be in a direction that is less to my tastes. All the elements support each other well, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with them, but they're very cliche, obviously in an attempt to make the game more accessible (which annoys me even more because other aspects of the game clearly demonstrate the creative artistry behind it). If a film were to be made with the same or similar characters and setting, for example, I wouldn't be interested in seeing it.

It's interesting to compare the two games in that sense. Another World gives you a rich setting but a completely wordless protagonist (much like Half-Life). This gives you the oportunity to impose your own feelings on the game, to really put yourself into the character's shoes. Heart of Darkness, on the other hand, tells all - you're constantly told what your character is thinking or feeling in cutscenes for instance, reminding you that it's someone else's story, and not yours, and it's a story that I can't really settle into. In Another World, your motivation is pure survival, which anyone can relate to. In Heart of Darkness, you're a kid determined to travel to an alternate universe, to fight through the deadly hoards and get your unimaginatively named dog back. I just can't emotionally invest in the character, or the quest. It might have interested me when I was a lot younger.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the game enough to stick it through to the end, but the elements I didn't like about it constantly distracted me from the elements I did like. It still gets my thumbs up though, it clearly has genuine artistry behind it.

[schepton]

Awesome game, but I have a question. I can't take any screenshots with this game, does anyone know why?

I've tried using FRAPS and Wisdomsoft Screen Hunter 4.0.

[Oath]

Awesome game, but I have a question. I can't take any screenshots with this game, does anyone know why?

I've tried using FRAPS and Wisdomsoft Screen Hunter 4.0.

Not that I can guarantee that it will work for this, but if you have an ATI card I would say that ATI Tray Tools will help. It's been able to capture everything I've tried so far, but keep in mind that I don't have Another World. Otherwise, no idea, and I don't know of an equivalent for nVidia cards if that's the problem.

[edweird]

Pressing F11 takes a screenshot and puts a .bmp in your game directory.

[schepton]

Pressing F11 takes a screenshot and puts a .bmp in your game directory.

Thanks, it works great.

On another note. Can I purchase this game living in the U.S.?

[miffy495]

Well, Moosferatu's under-name-location thing says michigan, and he seems to be getting along fine. I have had no problem here in Canada, and the policy to the two countries is usually identical.

[ThunderPeel2001]

I just realized that when you look out the window in the tower towards the beginning of the game you see the bird creature <snip>

Well spotted! I've never noticed that before!! I thought it was a flag or something.

One thing that's a shame about this new version: The menus you have to navigate before you're allowed to play! The original game just "started". You were "there", and it kind of took you by surprise (back in the early 90's anyway).

Something else I've just realised: Nearly ALL the graphics were vector... including 99% of the backgrounds!!! WOW! Pretty impressive! (Just play it in HIRES without "enhanced backgrounds" turned on to see for yourself.) Oddly, even in this new version, FSAA doesn't seem work at all

As a side note: Heart of Darkness (the SegaCD only "sequel") was not designed by Eric Chahi and did not feature vector graphics... as it took too long to make them. I haven't played it, but I hear it's exceptionally difficult.

I've just remembered: One of Idle Thumb's first ever articles was a review of Another World, too: http://www.idlethumbs.net/display.php?id=13 Some valid comments!

[DanJW]

As a side note: Heart of Darkness (the SegaCD only "sequel") was not designed by Eric Chahi and did not feature vector graphics... as it took too long to make them. I haven't played it, but I hear it's exceptionally difficult.

I think you're getting confused between Heart of Darkness (not a sequal but the same type of game) and Heart of the Alien, which was a true sequal. Both have a reputation for being very very difficult, but I'm unsure which one Mr Chahi was involved in.

[Moosferatu]

He did Heart of Darkness. I don't believe he wanted a sequal to Another World.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Sorry, I DID mean "Heart of the Alien", but what I recall is that Chahi wasn't all that involved with it and wasn't a fan of what they did with Another World. I'll try and find a reference.

I remember being put off by the change in graphics though, the lack of vectors made everything seem sluggish and not as smooth in comparison with Another World.

Found a reference:

E-BOREDOM: Did you originally have a sequel in mind when creating Out of This World?

ERIC CHAHI: Not at all. This sequel was decided from the pressure of Interplay. I never had the initiative to do a sequel. So instead of a real sequel, I thought it would be much more interesting to replay the game from the alien's point of view.

E-BOREDOM:Heart of the Alien has a very controversial ending, causing some fans on the Internet to be in an uproar. Was the ending always intended to be so bittersweet?

ERIC CHAHI: Well I prefer the ending of the first game. I wanted it to be uncertain regarding the hero destiny, is he alive ? Heart of the Alien lifted the veil too much. Personally, I'm not happy with the sequel. Hopefully, this has been released only on Sega CD.

http://eboredom.20m.com/features/interviews/chahi.html

I guess that's what I was thinking of.

[hermes]

I got Heart of the Alien to work on an emulator some years ago. It's great! And very much in line with Another World. I don't remember it being really difficult - if you can play through Another World, this one is similar. You play as your alien mate, and you have a whip of fire - weeee. I can strongly recommend it to all Another World fans...

[Erkki]

This classic has now made it onto Steam. There''s a Windows and Mac version I think. I couldn't resist buying although I already had the 15th anniversary edition.

[tegan]

I always admire this forum's willingness to find and post in eight-year-old abandoned threads rather than make new ones.

[Erkki]

That wasn't even the oldest Another World thread, but it seemed the most fitting Some very old threads are locked for some reason (I guess database efficiency or something).

[syntheticgerbil]

I will probably buy the 25th anniversary one on PS4 whenever I get one. One thing that did bother me was the little rough parts in the vectors that showed up in HD resolutions and those are supposed to all be fixed this time.

I wish I could confirm if all of the extras like the scanned design documents and documentary carry over to this new one, because I might put my 15th Anniversary one on eBay if that's the case.

[Bjorn]

I always admire this forum's willingness to find and post in eight-year-old abandoned threads rather than make new ones.

 

It was really weird when I first started hanging out here, but now I find it one of the more charming parts of the forums.

[syntheticgerbil]

I just assume something someone said in 2006 is just as relevant today if someone were to start playing it.

 

Nothing annoys me more than Gamefaqs where their threads expire in 60 days. It's not a good place for a conversation, but I sometimes want to answer someone's question that was ignored a couple of years ago for a more obscure game so that the info is there.