The Dig, Full Throttle; Hunter in Darkness, Hadean Lands, Spider & Web (replay), Shrapnel (replay)
I played stuff! Two old LucasArts point-and-clicks on the SCUMM emulator on ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
relia's computer and a few IF games. The limitations of the subject box in a DW entry meant I had to tinker with the titles of the IF games a little, which makes my organizational skin crawl -- sorry, Andrew Plotkin, I swear I know how to write the names of your games, there were technical difficulties.
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The Dig: I now better understand why Rel was so insistent I play this, because it was the one that stuck with me. It's weird, very eerie, and hard to describe without spoiling it, but the 90s graphics hold up remarkably beautifully and it plays host to some of the most immersive environments I've seen in a computer game, old or new. I had a few dreams about it afterward. Steven Spielberg and Orson Scott Card were involved in the making of it, which I'm sure explains some of the epic qualities. The gameplay itself was fun with the exception of two puzzles that were really counter-intuitive and some tiresome wandering-around-the-map-figuring-out-what-to-do stages, and the plot certainly copped out a little at the climax/ending in favor of tidiness, but it wasn't that big a deal -- also, Ludger Brink is my boyfriend, if he changes his mind I'm the first in line! Baby, I'm still free! Take a chance on Boston Low!
Full Throttle: This on the other hand was just sheer unadulterated fucking awesome, of the kind you expect from LucasArts. If I type the words "near-future post-apocalyptic hijink-laden biker gang adventures" and that doesn't interest you at all, this game probably isn't for you. Otherwise, it's hilarious and also Cavefish, and mink farm. It played host to some pretty neat puzzles that played to ingenuity and lateral problem-solving rather than pixel-hunting or grinding, but had some interface problems that led to pixel-hunting and frustration anyway. Still worth it. Best ending to an adventure game I have ever seen.
~
Hunter, in Darkness: Andrew Plotkin is one of my two favorite IF writers (the other being Emily Short) so I'm sort of lazily picking my way through his games, hoping I don't run out anytime soon. Alas, I'm on the very verge of running out. Anyway, I could say Hunter, in Darkness is a cave crawl, but really it's an atmospheric mindfuck that punishes you for thinking too conventionally. It's short. If you figure it out, anyway.
Hadean Lands (trailer): Hadean Lands is apparently gonna be Zarf/Andrew Plotkin's newest game, so he released a trailer scene for it. Uh, without spoiling, this is going to be awesome. Go look.
Spider and Web (replay): Same writer, pretty much one of my top 5 favorite IF games (along with Shrapnel, Bronze, Savoir-Faire, and Aunts and Butlers probably) with the cleverest setup of any of them. All games lose something on replay, of course, but this one was fun to see unfold from the beginning if you know what the plot is to begin with -- there's a lot to appreciate. Also, this is the game #1 most likely to make you feel like a badass as you play. Longish, difficult.
Shrapnel (replay): Ah, Adam Cadre. His games are hit-and-miss with me, but there's no question the man is brilliant and an IF pioneer and I also highly recommend his media reviews at adamcadre.ac. Shrapnel is pretty much as hit as hit can get without being battery under the law. The mindfuck on replay is never comparable to the first go-round mindfuck, but I'm not sure anything is. Shortish, easy, story-based.
I'm also kind of picking my way through Varicella and The King of Shreds and Patches, but the former's not always the best at telling me what I want to accomplish and the latter got me stuck in a boat permanently on account of a programming bug the first time I tried to play it, so I'm unmotivated.
relia's computer and a few IF games. The limitations of the subject box in a DW entry meant I had to tinker with the titles of the IF games a little, which makes my organizational skin crawl -- sorry, Andrew Plotkin, I swear I know how to write the names of your games, there were technical difficulties.The Dig: I now better understand why Rel was so insistent I play this, because it was the one that stuck with me. It's weird, very eerie, and hard to describe without spoiling it, but the 90s graphics hold up remarkably beautifully and it plays host to some of the most immersive environments I've seen in a computer game, old or new. I had a few dreams about it afterward. Steven Spielberg and Orson Scott Card were involved in the making of it, which I'm sure explains some of the epic qualities. The gameplay itself was fun with the exception of two puzzles that were really counter-intuitive and some tiresome wandering-around-the-map-figuring-out-what-to-do stages, and the plot certainly copped out a little at the climax/ending in favor of tidiness, but it wasn't that big a deal -- also, Ludger Brink is my boyfriend, if he changes his mind I'm the first in line! Baby, I'm still free! Take a chance on Boston Low!
Full Throttle: This on the other hand was just sheer unadulterated fucking awesome, of the kind you expect from LucasArts. If I type the words "near-future post-apocalyptic hijink-laden biker gang adventures" and that doesn't interest you at all, this game probably isn't for you. Otherwise, it's hilarious and also Cavefish, and mink farm. It played host to some pretty neat puzzles that played to ingenuity and lateral problem-solving rather than pixel-hunting or grinding, but had some interface problems that led to pixel-hunting and frustration anyway. Still worth it. Best ending to an adventure game I have ever seen.
Hunter, in Darkness: Andrew Plotkin is one of my two favorite IF writers (the other being Emily Short) so I'm sort of lazily picking my way through his games, hoping I don't run out anytime soon. Alas, I'm on the very verge of running out. Anyway, I could say Hunter, in Darkness is a cave crawl, but really it's an atmospheric mindfuck that punishes you for thinking too conventionally. It's short. If you figure it out, anyway.
Hadean Lands (trailer): Hadean Lands is apparently gonna be Zarf/Andrew Plotkin's newest game, so he released a trailer scene for it. Uh, without spoiling, this is going to be awesome. Go look.
Spider and Web (replay): Same writer, pretty much one of my top 5 favorite IF games (along with Shrapnel, Bronze, Savoir-Faire, and Aunts and Butlers probably) with the cleverest setup of any of them. All games lose something on replay, of course, but this one was fun to see unfold from the beginning if you know what the plot is to begin with -- there's a lot to appreciate. Also, this is the game #1 most likely to make you feel like a badass as you play. Longish, difficult.
Shrapnel (replay): Ah, Adam Cadre. His games are hit-and-miss with me, but there's no question the man is brilliant and an IF pioneer and I also highly recommend his media reviews at adamcadre.ac. Shrapnel is pretty much as hit as hit can get without being battery under the law. The mindfuck on replay is never comparable to the first go-round mindfuck, but I'm not sure anything is. Shortish, easy, story-based.
I'm also kind of picking my way through Varicella and The King of Shreds and Patches, but the former's not always the best at telling me what I want to accomplish and the latter got me stuck in a boat permanently on account of a programming bug the first time I tried to play it, so I'm unmotivated.