Aaaargh!

I know, I know... I'm a terrible person. I promised that Eric The Unready review looooong time ago. And as you can see, there's no Eric The Unready review in sight. The thing is, I'm playing other games, which are very addictive, so I can't find the time to replay Eric The Unready and bring you a fresh review. Well, why don't I review some of those games I'm currently playing, you might ask. Because, these are all well-known games and not very old - Football Manager 2007, NBA Live 2006, Arcanum (well, that one's a bit older, I admit), FarCry and Half-Life 2. I will try to come up with some ideas and I hope my blog won't die in the meantime. Did you know that Norman Jewison is not Jewish?

I am back!

Okay, this is just a quick note so you don't think I died or something. I had all kinds of trouble last few weeks and was unable to update my blog. Fortunately, it's all finished now. Next time we're going to review one brilliant and totally underrated adventure game called ERIC THE UNREADY. It will be reviewed in a few days, because I want to play it once more :-) See you then!

Vampyr: Talisman of Invocation

And now I'm going to shamelesly recommend a game that I haven't finished. Actually, I've even played only a small part of it.

Vampyr: Talisman of Invocation is a very old (made in 1990) FRP that no one had ever heard about. Which is a shame, because the game is extremely interesting. I am not much of a RPG person - mostly when I start playing such game I either get bored soon, or stop playing because everything is too complicated. Notable exceptions are Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Wars and this game.

So, what is this game about? Well, mostly about things all RPG/FRP's should be about - slaying infinite hordes of various monsters and doing all kinds of quests. At the beginning of the game you have a chance to create your character, pick his/her race, name and distribute points to various skills. As the game progresses you will earn more experience points, which you will (again) distribute to the skills of your choice. Basically, you move through a large (I mean REALLY large, even by today's standards) world of Quilinor. When you're on the open, you will often be attacked by the aforementioned hordes of monsters. But fortunately, there are plenty of cities and other places in Quilinor where you can take a rest, buy a new weapon, armour, have a drink and stuff like that. Unfortunately, I played this game when I was very young and I ran into a problem I couldn't solve, so I stopped playing. The quest was about finding a few King's men who have gone missing. If I remember correctly, I found them, but when I got back to the King his dialogue haven't changed - he was giving me the same task again. I tried to play this game later, but the computers got too fast in the meantime, so the game's technically unplayable if you don't use one of those slow-your-computer programs and I've always been to stupid to find out how to use them properly.

Anyway, back to the game. As I said, the world of Quilinor, where the game takes place, is quite large. And it's also rich with characters, both friendly and unfriendly. When you're in a city, you can go to a pub and talk to adventurers you find there and they will often give you information about different parts of Quilinor, monsters and similar stuff. Also, the world is not only large, but also, how should I say... "alive". For example, it contains cities, rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, all with their own types of enemies. When you're in a city, as mentioned before, you can talk to people, buy and sell weapons, and other normal stuff. However, nothing prevents you from starting a fight with anyone you find. If you attack, say, a tough barbarian, he will probably kick your ass. If you attack a barkeeper, or a merchant, or fool, or someone like that, you will beat the up in no time, but this will draw the attention of the city guards who will be happy to do the same to you. However, this doesn't have to be the end of you. If you have a high climbing rating, you can try to run away from the guards, climb the city wall and escape. Another interesting thing to try is to maximize your pickpocketing skills at the very beginning and then trying to rob everyone you run into. If you have a high pick pocket skill, you will mostly be successful in stealing, meaning you will get lots of money, with pretty small probability to get cought. However, if you DO get caught, you will have to deal with the city guards (again). These are some nice things related only to those two skills. Knowing that there are many other skills (picking locks, finding secret passages, etc.) you can easily see that you can do many, many different things in this game, and it's hardly going to get boring.

I will say only a few things about weaponry and then finish this short review. At the very beginning the only weapon you have is some crappy dagger. As you beat more and more opponents, you will get more money to get new weapons and you can also take the possessions (including weapons and armour) from the defeated enemy. As with other things, the weapons are done very nicely. Not only you have tons of different kinds of weapons, varying in strength. The interesting thing is that the more fights you have, the more damaged your weapon is. So don't be surprised when your precious Longsword +3 breaks in the middle of a dangerous fight. So always have another weapon prepared.

You can see by the things I described that the authors took the game design very seriously. All those details, possibilities, large playing space etc. can mean only one thing - this is nothing short of a fantastic game and if you like RPG even a little bit, you shouldn't miss it. Even if you are used to modern games that take 100 cd's each and can be played in resolutions like 100000x100000. This game is completely turn-based, the graphics are so archaic that all characters are represented by small cards that move around over uninteresting backgrounds, etc. And it RULES! It takes less than half a megabyte on your hard disk when unpacked. I don't think I remember 1/2 megabyte being used so brilliantly, except in Prince of Persia. Ah, good old days...

I promise I will finish now, I just thought it would be fair to mention the authors of this great game: Those are guys named Brian Weston and Victor Shao. Of course, I don't know where are they now. This seems to be their only game. You can even meet them in this game - when you die, your game is not finished. You get transfered to Heaven and there among the angels you can find the two programmers. Don't start a fight with them, they will eat you for breakfast.

Ecstatica

Back in 1994, when people were still making good games, two programmers from Psygnosis (Alain Maindron and Andrew Spencer) made a game so bizarre and unusual that it was packed with controversy even before it was officialy released. You see, the actual game title was "Ečstatica" (you can easily see that if you look at the cover):

"Č" is a letter from Serbian (and Croatian) alphabet, and I'm not sure it appears anywhere else. Were those guys just joking, or it was a mistake, I have no idea. Anyway, you obviously have a game called "Ečstatica". Of course, the bizarreness only started there.

First of all, what is Ecstatica (we will ommit the "č" from now on) ? Well, it is something that can't be easily qualified. Probably the most accurate description would be that it is a parody on survival horror games. One problem with that definition is that survival horror didn't exist at that time. It started two years later, with Resident Evil. But, Ecstatica was inspired (NOT heavily inspired) by survival horror's grandparent - the legendary Alone In The Dark.

So, what is the game about? The plot is generic and involves a guy who ends up in a seemengly deserted Northern European village in 928 AD. The "seemingly deserted" means that there aren't many people there, but if you're looking for monsters - that's your kinda place. It appears that something horrible happened in the village - some dark spell was released, resulting in the village being overcrowded with monsters and generally not a very nice place to live. Your job is to beat (or run away from, whichever you prefer) the monsters, rescue a girl named Ecstatica (who's kind of responsible for the whole mess) and beat the chief monster. Sounds easy?

As long as story is concerned, they totally tried to stay away from one while making this game. Apart from the story written in the manual (you can find it easy on the Net), not only there aren't any plot twists, plot developments or anything even remotely related to plot, the game completely lacks even in dialogue. You will meet a few characters who will tell you a few words, mainly as hints for some puzzles, but talking is not what you're supposed to do in this game. Even worse, descriptions of the objects are not an option. So, you can look at something for two days not knowing what the hell it is. You may consider this fact as a downside, but I think it was a deliberate decision by two cunning gamemakers.

The similarities between this game and Alone In The Dark begin (and end) with sort of a Lovecraftian atmosphere, fixed camera angles and the fact that the characters are in 3D. What is different is (apart from the already established fact that Ecstatica is not trying to be a horror game) the following: 1) While Alone In The Dark was made using the 3D characers over 2D backgrounds, in Ecstatica everything is in 3D. 2) The characters were made using a revolutionary spheroid technique (not repeated since, if I recall correctly) resulting in a brilliantly smooth animation that completely rivals today's games. Of course, those nasty creators only used that great animation to add to the game's humour, but when you look at the way those characters move and fight, you simply can't believe the game was made more than 10 years ago. Compare with Alone In The Dark, where Edward Carnby walked like he swallowed a pogo stick. Ecstatica's animation achievement can be compared to what Prince of Persia did in 2D world a few years before.

Here is you finding a werewolf beating the crap out of someone:

As I mentioned, the spheroid technique was used to add to the game's humour. The characters have a totally cartoony appearance, especially the hero. It's hard not to laugh seeing him walking, looking around in fear or tripping over a stone. Even the fights are totally cartoonish. And the backgrounds are made in bright colours, in spite of the sinister spell that's taken over the village. During the fights there's very little blood, the character that loses the battle simply falls down (again, brilliantly animated). So, what we have here is a nice little game that all family can enjoy, right?

WRONG! In fact, Ecstatica is probably one of the most offensive games that ever appeared. Well, that is if you're (unlike me) easily offended. Probably the better description is that the game uses the weirdest black humor that some people will find totally inappropriate. First of all, there are some gruesome images of impaled naked people. Second, at one moment you will be chased by a nude fairy or something, and you'll have to beat her up. Third, at one moment you will be chased by a fat witch wanting to make sweet love to you. Then, at one point you will have to steal a relic from a monastery, resulting in you being attacked by the monks, resulting in them being killed by you. Also, you will meet a bear that drinks and breaks winds and in one of the most bizarre moments in the history of gaming, your character will for no obvious reason stop to pee by the side of a path. Those weird moments are supplemented by great humor throughout the game. You will have the opportunity to turn into various creatures during the game, accessing places you normally can't, you will ride a broom, wear such a heavy armour that you can't walk normally and will eventually fall and won't get up no matter how hard you try, and at the end, when you beat the final Demon, the hero will be so delighted that he'll start dancing. It's such a funny scene you have to see it. Some of the best parts of the game come when you are killed, when you have short animations of monsters making jokes.

There are various enemies throughout the game, a werewolf, a minotaur, a witch, some ugly small creatures, armours and other stuff. Even in "dark" dungeons, the game is well lit and retains the cartoonish feel, totally different from the gruesome scenes that occasionally happen. So basically, as mentioned before, Ecstatica is a parody of survival horror genre, the one that hadn't existed at the time that game was made. How nice is that?

However, the game actually makes fun even of regular adventure games (!). How come? Well, remember when you play an adventure game, and you have all sorts of weird items in your inventory and you think "Gee, where do I use THIS particular item?" and in the end it all falls in place, you find a place for every item and solve the game? Well, not here. First of all, the inventory doesn't even exist here. You can carry only two objects (one in each hand) and it is generally desirable to have a weapon at least in one hand. Also, the game totally shatters the established adventure concept that says "for every item there exists a place where that item is to be used". You will find many completely useless items that will only draw your attention the way, and if we remember that you can carry only two of them at the time, it's easy to see that you won't get anywhere if your playing philosophy is "find a place to use something I already have". Not to mention that the game often teases you - for example, you discover that you can climb through a fireplace, and you're excited about revealing a new location, only to find out that you end up on the roof and then falling down. When I played the game, I was stuck for days because I thought "Dammit, this key MUST be of use somewhere!". Then I got tired of that and thought "Hmmm, let's see how we can enter that monastery..." After that, I finished the game very soon and found out that most of those items that made me bang my head on the wall are nothing but red herrings. So, the game actually simulates the real-life situations - you have to think about your corrent goals and how to achieve them, not about the items in your inventory. Because, as in real life, they can be useless. This is a great, great concept, and I don't remember seeing it again after this game (kinda like the spheroid animation). Too bad.

Another objection people often make about this game is that it is rather short. That's true, but I don't think the length of the game should be considered when talking about the quality. It would be like a novel is better than a short story by default, just because it's longer.

To finally bring this long and boring review to an end, this game gets all the recommendation it can get. It is a completely forgotten gem. Try to find it somewhere and play it, you won't be disappointed. And after all, it is a shame to miss all those original feature that it brought into the gaming world.

I don't know what happened to Andrew Spencer and Alain Maindron later. It seems that Maindron has worked on Arx Fatalis, but that's about that. There's a sequel to this game, Ecstatica 2. I haven't played, but I don't think it's as good as this one. Not only they removed the "č" from the title, they also cleaned up the content, so there's no more violence, nudity, farting bear and similar things. Booooooriiiing! However, I will try to find that game and play it. Someday. Peace to you all.

Doom 4

I just surfed the Web a bit to find out if they are making Doom 4 already. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem so. I think there will definitely be Doom 4, but if they keep the pace of the previous sequels, we can expect it in like 30 years or so. I don't want that to happen. I want Doom 4 NOW!

You see, Doom 3 was a fantastic game. And a terribly underrated one. Everyone was bitching about that damn duct tape and darkness and narrow hallways and everything and they were like "That's totally unreal! How the hell can such a mean tough futuristic soldier not be able to use a gun AND a flashlight simultaneously? Why is that damn facility such a dark place in spite of game taking place in distant future?" And all kinds of similar crap. Excuse me? Since when FPS games were about "reality"? I don't remember anyone whining about Gordon Freeman carrying 6 or 7 different kinds of weapons, switching between them in seconds and killing tons of high trained enemy soldiers without much effort. Those people totally missed such an obvious point of Doom 3 - it's to make you destroy your mouse/keyboard/whatever while shooting like a maniac at various disgusting monsters. And at the same time, to scare you to death, if it's all possible. And it is. True, Doom 3 is nothing like its great prequels, it's totally dark, no huge open spaces and such things, but it contains some epic encounters with hordes of demons from Hell, especially on the hardest level. You really can't afford to miss that game. Is there a greater satisfaction than taking a chainsaw and driving it into that zombie freak that's trying to attack you from the dark corner of the room and watching his blood splashing over you like from a fountain or something? This game will give you tons of such satisfying moments. When you're pissed off at someone, play Doom 3 and imagine them at your gunpoint. Hmmm, there should probably be an option to import your own skins and put them on enemies...

Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a Doom 3 review, you get the point anyway: I liked Doom 3 EXTREMELY and I think a sequel would be great. However, it should be made to look more like the first two games. The mix of FPS and survival horror was a very successful experiment that gave a great atmosphere, but repeating it would be a bit... redundant ;-) On the other hand, with today's super-powerful graphic cards and engines and things like that, and fantastic ideas and level design of the first two Doom games, the fourth part of the series could be a masterpiece. Let's hope for it. I truly hope the Doom franchise won't suffer the terrible fate of games like Leisure Suit Larry: Lust In Space. John Carmack, we will let you own our socks if you make Doom 4!

Welcome!

Welcome! Those of you who have been following Dragon's Vampire regularly may remember (I love this contruction, don't I?) that I grew increasingly unsatisfied with that blog over the years. So, I decided to create a better and more good blog. Yes, I know "more good" actually means "better", I was making a joke. See, aren't I a funny person? Or should I say "Am I not a funny person?" ? This English language is confusing.Anyway, on to the point. This blog is going to be solely dedicated to computer games. Why? Well, why not? If you don't like it, you can... you already know. So, computer games then. I will mostly write about older games. One reason is that they are better than the new ones. The other reason is that I play them more. So basically, I will write about what I play at the moment and similar things, but I will try to review some newer games, post some news, etc. If something grabs my attention. Like, say, Ken and Roberta Williams returning to Sierra. Which will happen never. But it's used as an example. I will also try to draw your attention to some forgotten, but still great, games. So, expect reviews of ERIC THE UNREADY and ECSTATICA pretty soon.I will also write about my games. Yes, a do a bit of game designing. Last few months I couldn't find much time for that due to studying obligations, but fortunately that's coming to an end. Basically, there is a nice amateur adventure game called Chainsaw Wedding that just waits for me to write a few lines of dialogue and it will be released. After that, I may try to find a team to work on another game.Anyway, I couldn't wait till tomorrow to start this beautiful blog (and it's 2 AM now). Well, technically, "till tomorrow" would mean to wait like 22 hours, but you get my meaning. My main concern at the very beginning was to find a name that will challenge the silliness of "Dragon's Vampire". After some time, I think I found it. Harvest Doom Foundation sounds melodic and refreshing and of course it's completely nonsensical. Just the way I like it! Now I have to work on the design a bit. I'm so excited! I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose... ooops, ignore that.