CaptBluBlu
1991
When I decided to revisit this game it was almost solely for one reason. I scanned my eyes across the shelf of Mega Drive games and when I saw the cartridge I had what I can only describe as an auditory flashback! The main menu screen has a theme song that goes harder than any sports game expected!
During the rocking music in that particular Mega Drive sound style, you can choose to play a simple match or in a tournament and choose your team. I played the European version of the game, so no NHL teams were available to me. Instead, generic international teams were the roster I could choose from. It had to be fair a pretty large roster of nations to choose from, if the world only includes Europe or North America...
Of course, I had to choose my home nation of Sweden and enter the tournament. First match up; Hungary. I have to get used to the controllers and gameplay and that takes most of my attention during the game.
The gameplay is a lot simpler than I remember it to be, but then again I was a child back then when I first played it. The controls are pretty easy to learn even without any tutorial from the game. No, instead the true challenge in the beginning turns out to be the rules of hockey itself. I did not remember the icing rule and again and again I drew the referee's wrath.
Luckily I managed to pass the Hungarians in the tournament. Next up was the Germans. Something that shined with its absence was the music. During the actual matches, there was no music. Only chunky sound effects of the puck hitting various things, monotone crowds, and the "oof" of tackling players. At least there was some music between the periods.
The Germans take a beating and I'm continuing my way toward that pixelated World Cup. The games become harder to win. The other nations are more aggressive. Fortunately, the controls allow me to easily pass between the players and everything on the screen looks readable with its graphics when the camera flies around to follow the puck. I took the opportunity to play this game on an old CRT and the spritework looks good.
Eventually, I made it to the semi-finals. Meeting the Canadians. Uh oh... I tried to gain the initiative but the opposition dominated the ice rink. I lost, but fortunately, there was a way to start from here again. Dirty tactics had to be employed. The Swedes gave out tackelings and soon the penalty booth looked like a Swedish embassy. Fights broke out on the ice. For some reason it seems to be an important part of ice hockey culture so of course there are fighting mechanics. Punch and back away. The very essence of combat.
I never managed to defeat the Canadians. But perhaps I got something better. The confirmation that the best part of a hockey match is the music between play,
During the rocking music in that particular Mega Drive sound style, you can choose to play a simple match or in a tournament and choose your team. I played the European version of the game, so no NHL teams were available to me. Instead, generic international teams were the roster I could choose from. It had to be fair a pretty large roster of nations to choose from, if the world only includes Europe or North America...
Of course, I had to choose my home nation of Sweden and enter the tournament. First match up; Hungary. I have to get used to the controllers and gameplay and that takes most of my attention during the game.
The gameplay is a lot simpler than I remember it to be, but then again I was a child back then when I first played it. The controls are pretty easy to learn even without any tutorial from the game. No, instead the true challenge in the beginning turns out to be the rules of hockey itself. I did not remember the icing rule and again and again I drew the referee's wrath.
Luckily I managed to pass the Hungarians in the tournament. Next up was the Germans. Something that shined with its absence was the music. During the actual matches, there was no music. Only chunky sound effects of the puck hitting various things, monotone crowds, and the "oof" of tackling players. At least there was some music between the periods.
The Germans take a beating and I'm continuing my way toward that pixelated World Cup. The games become harder to win. The other nations are more aggressive. Fortunately, the controls allow me to easily pass between the players and everything on the screen looks readable with its graphics when the camera flies around to follow the puck. I took the opportunity to play this game on an old CRT and the spritework looks good.
Eventually, I made it to the semi-finals. Meeting the Canadians. Uh oh... I tried to gain the initiative but the opposition dominated the ice rink. I lost, but fortunately, there was a way to start from here again. Dirty tactics had to be employed. The Swedes gave out tackelings and soon the penalty booth looked like a Swedish embassy. Fights broke out on the ice. For some reason it seems to be an important part of ice hockey culture so of course there are fighting mechanics. Punch and back away. The very essence of combat.
I never managed to defeat the Canadians. But perhaps I got something better. The confirmation that the best part of a hockey match is the music between play,
2016
Can good intentions redeem a game's experience? If so then this game did not. Vintage VR is as the name tells you, a VR game about looking at images used in stereoscopic devices to simulate the depths of the field. This technique was used hundreds of years ago and in its most basic form, not unlike a VR headset used in the modern day. The idea is pretty cool for a nerd like me.
So, to get this out of the way. This is not really a game. This is a virtual museum with no real objective other than the experience. So I did not come in with those expectations and you should not either. Coincidentally, my master's degree studies were about virtual museums so I feel that I can review this with some expertise for once.
I used the Valve Index VR headset and the game still works as intended despite its age. This is not true for all VR virtual museums because they often go unsupported after release and the new controllers are not added. Here I suspect that the controllers are so simple that it won't ever become a problem. The game is basically one room with a projector screen on one wall and an assortment of vintage items in what looks to be a wealthy family's living room during the turn of the 19th century.
Here comes the elephant in the room. The stereoscopic images are projected on this screen in the room. You actually never use one of these stereoscopic devices in the game and therefore the images on the projector screen are all pretty flat. This makes the experience to be a series of old photos as flat as a table. There should really have been a mode where you as the user get to see only the photos from a fixed point because these are not made to be viewed from different angles with things in the periphery vision. The very core of this game is flawed in its execution.
Other than that the information from the hundreds of photos is incredibly sparse. I get that many of these pictures probably never came with much information other than a single sentence of what they depicted. But this VR museum really needed a curator or narrator voice giving some sort of story or info about what was depicted. Or what about giving a more in-depth breakdown of how these devices used to work? It's history, popularity, etc. Tell me why these are culturally important and why I should care when I use them.
The amount of pictures shown is very generous, over 700 of them. But some are not the best quality. No doubt due to their age of when scanned. Some images are very interesting though and they gave me this Victorian-era explorer vibe.
All in all, this VR museum experience was very lacking. Not much to be interacted with, the very core of showing these pictures was failing to the point of being flat and didn't give much worth to learning. I spent less than in hour in it and all I got was a disappointment.
I asked in the beginning if good intentions could redeem a game's experience. Sadly I have to say no. This idea is a really good one for a virtual museum but this was underdeveloped, even for a free game.
So, to get this out of the way. This is not really a game. This is a virtual museum with no real objective other than the experience. So I did not come in with those expectations and you should not either. Coincidentally, my master's degree studies were about virtual museums so I feel that I can review this with some expertise for once.
I used the Valve Index VR headset and the game still works as intended despite its age. This is not true for all VR virtual museums because they often go unsupported after release and the new controllers are not added. Here I suspect that the controllers are so simple that it won't ever become a problem. The game is basically one room with a projector screen on one wall and an assortment of vintage items in what looks to be a wealthy family's living room during the turn of the 19th century.
Here comes the elephant in the room. The stereoscopic images are projected on this screen in the room. You actually never use one of these stereoscopic devices in the game and therefore the images on the projector screen are all pretty flat. This makes the experience to be a series of old photos as flat as a table. There should really have been a mode where you as the user get to see only the photos from a fixed point because these are not made to be viewed from different angles with things in the periphery vision. The very core of this game is flawed in its execution.
Other than that the information from the hundreds of photos is incredibly sparse. I get that many of these pictures probably never came with much information other than a single sentence of what they depicted. But this VR museum really needed a curator or narrator voice giving some sort of story or info about what was depicted. Or what about giving a more in-depth breakdown of how these devices used to work? It's history, popularity, etc. Tell me why these are culturally important and why I should care when I use them.
The amount of pictures shown is very generous, over 700 of them. But some are not the best quality. No doubt due to their age of when scanned. Some images are very interesting though and they gave me this Victorian-era explorer vibe.
All in all, this VR museum experience was very lacking. Not much to be interacted with, the very core of showing these pictures was failing to the point of being flat and didn't give much worth to learning. I spent less than in hour in it and all I got was a disappointment.
I asked in the beginning if good intentions could redeem a game's experience. Sadly I have to say no. This idea is a really good one for a virtual museum but this was underdeveloped, even for a free game.
Notice! Since this game to my knowledge was only available in Swedish I made the decision to write this review in Swedish too.
Mysteriet på Greveholm är ett spel som baserades på julkalendern med samma namn. Jag tycker att den julkalendern 1996 var den bästa och jag kommer ihåg att jag vägrade att missa en enda episod den december. Den kombinerar en engagerande berättelse med en cool miljö där en familj hyr ett hemsökt slott under julen utan att veta om det. Tittaren upptäcker det mystiska hemligheterna samtidigt som familjen i serien. De lyckades att både blanda humor och lite solkigheter och otäcka moment i samma paket utan att gå över gränsen för vad ett barn klarar av.
När ett spel om Mysteriet på Greveholm kom ut året efter så blev det en självklarhet att detta behövde spelas. Om jag minns rätt så var det ett spel som till och med skolan köpte in. Spelet är ett point-and-click äventyr med flera liknelser till det klassiska spelet Myst. Spelaren interagerar med världen ur första pesons perspektiv genom en serie fasta kameravinklar i en förrenderad 3D värld. Till skillnad från Myst dock kan spelaren direkt interagera med sin omgivning och plocka upp föremål och spara dem för att senare placera dem någon annanstans (eller kombinera två föremål för att senare placera dem.) Detta leder till en rad olika logiska pussel eller minispel som i sin tur ofta leder till ett viktigt föremål eller låser upp ett nytt rum att utforska.
Pusslen som spelaren ställs inför är inte allt för svåra, dock vill jag tillägga att de var svårare som ett barn. Men även då borde inte svårighetsgraden vara något som gör spelet ospelbart om man kan lösa enkla logiska problem och klockan. Dessa är de pusslen som är uppenbara, men spelet har dock en del som inte är det och även nu som vuxen kunde vara jobbig att klura ut på grund av sin natur. Flera uppgifter som spelet vill att man skall klura ut har inte någon egentlig koppling till varandra eller någon ledtråd att man skall lösa dem. Inte mer än att man är fast och kommer inte vidare för att en dörr är låst. Som tur är dessa relativt få i spelet och kan lösas genom att vilt klicka på alla objekt som finns i synhåll. Kanske det handlar om att ha en synvinkel och ögonmått?
Presentationen genom spelets gång är i min mening fantastisk och kittlar den där nostalgidelen av min hjärna som kommer ihåg 90-tals grafik. Modellerna är med dagens mått ganska enkla och texturerna är också ganska platta. Det är ingen hemlighet att idag är grafik mycket mer detaljerad och verklig. Men det är där det finns en charm. Den 3D som är där är ändå förrenderad så den ser fortfarande bättre ut än mycket annan 3D i spel på den tiden. Den lite overkliga stilen ser idag stilistisk ut och hjälper med att skapa en surrealistisk stämning där allt ser relativt normalt ut, fast ändå inte helt riktigt. Det har också lagts till en hel del easter eggs genom concept art, bonus 3D modeller och kalenderbilder som är strödd på olika ställen i slottet för att hittas.
Musiken känns igen från julkalendern men den lyckas att passa in även här och förhöjer stämningen när den samarbetar till grafiken. Ofta leder de tomma och övergivna rummen med en lugn och lite mystisk musik till en kuslig känsla i flera av rummen. Jag tror att detta inte är ett spel som är väldigt ohyggligt för ett barn men jag kan också se att spelet kan upplevas lite otäckt ibland.
Jag tycker att spelet Mysteriet på Greveholm är en riktig svensk klassiker och var på sin tid en väldigt bra introduktion till barn för långsammare och immersiva äventyrsspel. Det är ett spel som inte är för långt heller. Som vuxen, nu när jag testade selet igen, tog det mig ungefär en och en halv timma at spela genom. Jag måste erkänna att jag kom ihåg vissa av lösningarna från när jag var barn och spelade. Jag skulle rekommendera det idag också om det inte var så himla svårt att få fungerande på moderna datorer. Jag spelade detta spel på en Windows 98 laptop nu och de är inte längre så vanliga eller praktiska att ha hemma. Men om du har nostalgi för spelet, eller bara nyfiken på svensk spelhistoria, så skulle jag absolut testa spelet om du har en gammal dator tillgänglig.
Mysteriet på Greveholm är ett spel som baserades på julkalendern med samma namn. Jag tycker att den julkalendern 1996 var den bästa och jag kommer ihåg att jag vägrade att missa en enda episod den december. Den kombinerar en engagerande berättelse med en cool miljö där en familj hyr ett hemsökt slott under julen utan att veta om det. Tittaren upptäcker det mystiska hemligheterna samtidigt som familjen i serien. De lyckades att både blanda humor och lite solkigheter och otäcka moment i samma paket utan att gå över gränsen för vad ett barn klarar av.
När ett spel om Mysteriet på Greveholm kom ut året efter så blev det en självklarhet att detta behövde spelas. Om jag minns rätt så var det ett spel som till och med skolan köpte in. Spelet är ett point-and-click äventyr med flera liknelser till det klassiska spelet Myst. Spelaren interagerar med världen ur första pesons perspektiv genom en serie fasta kameravinklar i en förrenderad 3D värld. Till skillnad från Myst dock kan spelaren direkt interagera med sin omgivning och plocka upp föremål och spara dem för att senare placera dem någon annanstans (eller kombinera två föremål för att senare placera dem.) Detta leder till en rad olika logiska pussel eller minispel som i sin tur ofta leder till ett viktigt föremål eller låser upp ett nytt rum att utforska.
Pusslen som spelaren ställs inför är inte allt för svåra, dock vill jag tillägga att de var svårare som ett barn. Men även då borde inte svårighetsgraden vara något som gör spelet ospelbart om man kan lösa enkla logiska problem och klockan. Dessa är de pusslen som är uppenbara, men spelet har dock en del som inte är det och även nu som vuxen kunde vara jobbig att klura ut på grund av sin natur. Flera uppgifter som spelet vill att man skall klura ut har inte någon egentlig koppling till varandra eller någon ledtråd att man skall lösa dem. Inte mer än att man är fast och kommer inte vidare för att en dörr är låst. Som tur är dessa relativt få i spelet och kan lösas genom att vilt klicka på alla objekt som finns i synhåll. Kanske det handlar om att ha en synvinkel och ögonmått?
Presentationen genom spelets gång är i min mening fantastisk och kittlar den där nostalgidelen av min hjärna som kommer ihåg 90-tals grafik. Modellerna är med dagens mått ganska enkla och texturerna är också ganska platta. Det är ingen hemlighet att idag är grafik mycket mer detaljerad och verklig. Men det är där det finns en charm. Den 3D som är där är ändå förrenderad så den ser fortfarande bättre ut än mycket annan 3D i spel på den tiden. Den lite overkliga stilen ser idag stilistisk ut och hjälper med att skapa en surrealistisk stämning där allt ser relativt normalt ut, fast ändå inte helt riktigt. Det har också lagts till en hel del easter eggs genom concept art, bonus 3D modeller och kalenderbilder som är strödd på olika ställen i slottet för att hittas.
Musiken känns igen från julkalendern men den lyckas att passa in även här och förhöjer stämningen när den samarbetar till grafiken. Ofta leder de tomma och övergivna rummen med en lugn och lite mystisk musik till en kuslig känsla i flera av rummen. Jag tror att detta inte är ett spel som är väldigt ohyggligt för ett barn men jag kan också se att spelet kan upplevas lite otäckt ibland.
Jag tycker att spelet Mysteriet på Greveholm är en riktig svensk klassiker och var på sin tid en väldigt bra introduktion till barn för långsammare och immersiva äventyrsspel. Det är ett spel som inte är för långt heller. Som vuxen, nu när jag testade selet igen, tog det mig ungefär en och en halv timma at spela genom. Jag måste erkänna att jag kom ihåg vissa av lösningarna från när jag var barn och spelade. Jag skulle rekommendera det idag också om det inte var så himla svårt att få fungerande på moderna datorer. Jag spelade detta spel på en Windows 98 laptop nu och de är inte längre så vanliga eller praktiska att ha hemma. Men om du har nostalgi för spelet, eller bara nyfiken på svensk spelhistoria, så skulle jag absolut testa spelet om du har en gammal dator tillgänglig.
1995
Hover! is a game that many growing up in the 90s have played if their home had a computer, and if that computer was a Windows 95. This has given the game a legacy and a nostalgic celebrity status. I find these types of games hard to review since they have some sort of extra attribute to take into consideration when revisiting them.
To me, this game was for a long time a hazy memory, a game that I remember playing at a friend's house or one of the school's computers. But being that young I didn't remember the name, just the look and the gameplay. Several games were like that and some still are. It was not until I was in my teens and on the internet that I came across this game again and learned its name.
For this revisit of an old childhood memory, I had the fortune to have old and contemporary hardware to play it on. An IBM laptop from the time to be specific. I also tried to play it on a modern computer and it worked fine except for the fact that its resolution was locked and therefore very tiny on a modern monitor. It didn't matter to me this time though since I always try to play on hardware as intended for its time.
Hover! is an arcade-style capture-the-flag game that takes place between two teams in an arena. The objective for the player is to capture the other team's flags before they do so to you and do so for as many levels in a row as possible to collect a high score.
The game is not very large, only around 16 MB, and most of it I suspect went to the photo textures that were used in the game. Because the game is not very feature-rich. It has three different types of arenas; a castle, a sewer, and a neon carnival-like eye exam of an arena. These three arenas are then cycled with increasing difficulty.
Spread over the arena are spawn points where the flags appear at the start of the level, floor tiles with traps, and floating spheres with buffs and debuffs. These, I discovered, can be surprisingly hard to get or avoid since the low resolution that the game is forced into makes the sphere's icons hard to read when traveling fast. And you will be traveling fast.
The control of the hovercar is expectedly floaty and the faster you travel, the harder it will be to turn without some serious drifting occuring. Since the hovercars are also acting like bumper cars, they will bounce hard off the walls or other players when traveling fast.
During play, the difficulty of the game rises by making the game more asymmetrical in its play rules. For every couple of levels or so, the game adds more flags to collect, from three to eventually six. At the same time, it also adds members to the enemy team. Eventually, it divided into two subgroups seekers who hunt for your flags and defenders who hunt for you. This makes the game go from very easy to unfair very quickly. Later levels get more dependent on favorable flag locations and random luck that they spawn in a place you can reach without a power-up. I argue this because when the flags are in favorable positions, the enemy team doesn't have a chance. Luckily, if you lose a level you can start from that one again but without collected items and points.
So how do I conclude my thoughts on this revisit? Well, it was a trip. Using an old computer like a Windows 95-operated one is always a fun nostalgic trip for me and I did enjoy playing this game again for the short time that I did. I managed to beat this game in about an hour when restarting from lost levels.
The graphics are cozy chunky sprites for a 3D style that is an acquired taste nowadays. The walls are scaled-down photo textures and there is nothing wrong with that. It kind of reminds me of that old labyrinth screensaver that was on the same system. Those who remember will know what I'm talking about.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough content to play this for a longer while to me. The game is probably not made to be played for long sessions and is happy to be the short but fun experience that it is. I played until level 16, the last level before the game started to repeat and I felt happy with stopping there.
As it stands when revisiting the game it felt like a fun but honestly a very average experience. The polish is just not there and several assets are noticeable stock assets. I will probably revisit Hover! in the future, but for now, I am content with letting this rest for a while.
To me, this game was for a long time a hazy memory, a game that I remember playing at a friend's house or one of the school's computers. But being that young I didn't remember the name, just the look and the gameplay. Several games were like that and some still are. It was not until I was in my teens and on the internet that I came across this game again and learned its name.
For this revisit of an old childhood memory, I had the fortune to have old and contemporary hardware to play it on. An IBM laptop from the time to be specific. I also tried to play it on a modern computer and it worked fine except for the fact that its resolution was locked and therefore very tiny on a modern monitor. It didn't matter to me this time though since I always try to play on hardware as intended for its time.
Hover! is an arcade-style capture-the-flag game that takes place between two teams in an arena. The objective for the player is to capture the other team's flags before they do so to you and do so for as many levels in a row as possible to collect a high score.
The game is not very large, only around 16 MB, and most of it I suspect went to the photo textures that were used in the game. Because the game is not very feature-rich. It has three different types of arenas; a castle, a sewer, and a neon carnival-like eye exam of an arena. These three arenas are then cycled with increasing difficulty.
Spread over the arena are spawn points where the flags appear at the start of the level, floor tiles with traps, and floating spheres with buffs and debuffs. These, I discovered, can be surprisingly hard to get or avoid since the low resolution that the game is forced into makes the sphere's icons hard to read when traveling fast. And you will be traveling fast.
The control of the hovercar is expectedly floaty and the faster you travel, the harder it will be to turn without some serious drifting occuring. Since the hovercars are also acting like bumper cars, they will bounce hard off the walls or other players when traveling fast.
During play, the difficulty of the game rises by making the game more asymmetrical in its play rules. For every couple of levels or so, the game adds more flags to collect, from three to eventually six. At the same time, it also adds members to the enemy team. Eventually, it divided into two subgroups seekers who hunt for your flags and defenders who hunt for you. This makes the game go from very easy to unfair very quickly. Later levels get more dependent on favorable flag locations and random luck that they spawn in a place you can reach without a power-up. I argue this because when the flags are in favorable positions, the enemy team doesn't have a chance. Luckily, if you lose a level you can start from that one again but without collected items and points.
So how do I conclude my thoughts on this revisit? Well, it was a trip. Using an old computer like a Windows 95-operated one is always a fun nostalgic trip for me and I did enjoy playing this game again for the short time that I did. I managed to beat this game in about an hour when restarting from lost levels.
The graphics are cozy chunky sprites for a 3D style that is an acquired taste nowadays. The walls are scaled-down photo textures and there is nothing wrong with that. It kind of reminds me of that old labyrinth screensaver that was on the same system. Those who remember will know what I'm talking about.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough content to play this for a longer while to me. The game is probably not made to be played for long sessions and is happy to be the short but fun experience that it is. I played until level 16, the last level before the game started to repeat and I felt happy with stopping there.
As it stands when revisiting the game it felt like a fun but honestly a very average experience. The polish is just not there and several assets are noticeable stock assets. I will probably revisit Hover! in the future, but for now, I am content with letting this rest for a while.
This review is a continuation of the review given to Diablo 2. The details about this replay session are given in more detail. But to summarize; This playthrough was made in multiplayer mode where I played as the amazon class and the friend played as a necromancer.
Back to deal with some unfinished business as this game brings a single new act to the narrative. As before, the story didn't feel very important to the experience and served more as a backdrop than anything. Get out into the fray, slay more minions, and focus on improving your character for the last fight in the end.
As stated, this expansion only gives one more act to the game and therefore is much shorter than the base game. We managed to get through it in about 4 and a half hours. To be fair, it did feel like this act was the longest of all the five acts that the expanded game offered, but it still felt a little lacking.
This of course was because we played the original game with the expansion already installed, something that almost new players will do. The new act is only half the expansion and the impact of the rest is easily missed because of that.
The expansion offered two new character classes; assassin and druid. The assassin acted as a melee, dart-throwing, and trap expert while the druid could transform into an animal and summon them. Unfortunately, I don't much enjoy playing in any of those classes and thus it didn't make an impact in this playthrough.
New quality-of-life improvements were also introduced, such as the ability to carry two sets of weapons and the ability to switch between them on the fly. New more powerful gear was also introduced and it was needed when encountering new and more powerful enemies.
The game's new environments are mostly a frozen wasteland and icy caves. In my opinion, the least visually interesting setting in all of the five acts. It does deviate at times into sub-areas of hellish areas. But it is reused assets from the base game.
At this point in the game, the inventory space is painfully small and the stash is full of items that you are too afraid to sell because you want to use them later, but of course, never do.
The fighting and character building are still as fun as the base game and I never had a dull moment as the amazon. My necromancer friend did after a point complain about his large mob of skeletons doing much of the gaming for them. This game is much a game that you have to go all into your chosen build. Having already used the only respect allowed they were stuck using a build that they didn't really enjoy.
For the final boss, the second verse is the same as the first. A slogging match due to our builds not being optimal for that type of enemy. Most noticeable in how area-of-effect attacks melt through the necromancer's summons. But determination and most of our money's worth in potions won the day, rewarding us with an abrupt ending.
This expansion's campaign did not bring much to the table but I would still say that I recommend this expansion. I even say that it is a mandatory addition when playing it today. I did play Diablo 2 back in the day before the expansion and I would not do that again if I had an option. The base game and the expansion go together, like Diablo and Baal.
Back to deal with some unfinished business as this game brings a single new act to the narrative. As before, the story didn't feel very important to the experience and served more as a backdrop than anything. Get out into the fray, slay more minions, and focus on improving your character for the last fight in the end.
As stated, this expansion only gives one more act to the game and therefore is much shorter than the base game. We managed to get through it in about 4 and a half hours. To be fair, it did feel like this act was the longest of all the five acts that the expanded game offered, but it still felt a little lacking.
This of course was because we played the original game with the expansion already installed, something that almost new players will do. The new act is only half the expansion and the impact of the rest is easily missed because of that.
The expansion offered two new character classes; assassin and druid. The assassin acted as a melee, dart-throwing, and trap expert while the druid could transform into an animal and summon them. Unfortunately, I don't much enjoy playing in any of those classes and thus it didn't make an impact in this playthrough.
New quality-of-life improvements were also introduced, such as the ability to carry two sets of weapons and the ability to switch between them on the fly. New more powerful gear was also introduced and it was needed when encountering new and more powerful enemies.
The game's new environments are mostly a frozen wasteland and icy caves. In my opinion, the least visually interesting setting in all of the five acts. It does deviate at times into sub-areas of hellish areas. But it is reused assets from the base game.
At this point in the game, the inventory space is painfully small and the stash is full of items that you are too afraid to sell because you want to use them later, but of course, never do.
The fighting and character building are still as fun as the base game and I never had a dull moment as the amazon. My necromancer friend did after a point complain about his large mob of skeletons doing much of the gaming for them. This game is much a game that you have to go all into your chosen build. Having already used the only respect allowed they were stuck using a build that they didn't really enjoy.
For the final boss, the second verse is the same as the first. A slogging match due to our builds not being optimal for that type of enemy. Most noticeable in how area-of-effect attacks melt through the necromancer's summons. But determination and most of our money's worth in potions won the day, rewarding us with an abrupt ending.
This expansion's campaign did not bring much to the table but I would still say that I recommend this expansion. I even say that it is a mandatory addition when playing it today. I did play Diablo 2 back in the day before the expansion and I would not do that again if I had an option. The base game and the expansion go together, like Diablo and Baal.
2000
Diablo 2 is an isometric RPG that I decided to revisit after years since the last time I played it. I played it quite a lot when I was a kid and tried out the many different classes. But it wasn't until my teens that I knew enough English to actually play through it.
For context for the rest of the review, I replayed the game this time in multiplayer and with the expansion "Lord of Destruction" installed. I was pleasantly surprised that, at the time of this review, connecting to others in multiplayer is still as easy as it ever was. Using the expansion for this playthrough was also a nice addition because of the life of quality features and extra items available. So much so that for any future replay I would always install the expansion.
This playthrough was made with me playing as the amazon class, focusing on spears and javelins, and my friend playing as the necromancer, specializing in re-animating skeletons.
The game does not wait for action to happen and is as easy to learn and get into as a player. What can be harder for a player, especially a new one, is the many options one can build their character. It gives the impression that each character has more viable builds than it actually has. The game's biggest flaw in my opinion is how locked the different classes are to certain weapons and skills to be efficent in late game. Not a fatal flaw but I personally prefer more free options in character building. That is why I enjoy playing the amazon class for its options of using both ranged and some melee tactics.
The game is divided into 4 acts and we managed to do one per session of about four hours before feeling tired of the game. There is a simple and very addicting game loop but can feel repetitive after a while if played for too long in one session.
The isometric graphic style shows the intriguing environments and vast array of NPCs. The mood is dark, and dreary and complements the fantastic music. It really draws you into the experience. Even if you focus more on the said experience than the story behind it. The story is more of a catalyst to get the game going than the game driving the story forward, at least in this playthrough. Perhaps it was due to the multiplayer sessions distracting from the story.
Throughout the game, it never felt too hard and we rarely felt like the game was challenging. In the beginning, we even felt like we were over-leveled. We mostly focused on drinking potions, fighting mobs returning to town, and selling items from our far too-small inventory.
This changed in the third act though and we started to get in trouble with the higher leveled enemies. As an amazon, I felt like I could get easily overwhelmed by mobs as the amazon lacked good splash damage attacks at that point. The necromancer friend who had focused on creating their own mob of minions now started to face troubles from enemies who had area-of-effect attacks. This problem lasted all the way to the final boss and became a slogging match.
I did thoroughly enjoy the game from the first act to the last. There was never a boring moment and even if a bit constraining, I loved micromanaging the details in my character's build. The gaming experience of this game is just as good as when I played it when I was a kid and I will play it again at some point. I don't know if a replay would be in this original version or the remastered version "Diablo 2: Resurrected" released in 2021.
This game is a classic and one of the greatest when it comes to older RPGs. If you enjoy an aesthetic and lootheavy character-building RPG, then I recommend at least one try of this game.
For context for the rest of the review, I replayed the game this time in multiplayer and with the expansion "Lord of Destruction" installed. I was pleasantly surprised that, at the time of this review, connecting to others in multiplayer is still as easy as it ever was. Using the expansion for this playthrough was also a nice addition because of the life of quality features and extra items available. So much so that for any future replay I would always install the expansion.
This playthrough was made with me playing as the amazon class, focusing on spears and javelins, and my friend playing as the necromancer, specializing in re-animating skeletons.
The game does not wait for action to happen and is as easy to learn and get into as a player. What can be harder for a player, especially a new one, is the many options one can build their character. It gives the impression that each character has more viable builds than it actually has. The game's biggest flaw in my opinion is how locked the different classes are to certain weapons and skills to be efficent in late game. Not a fatal flaw but I personally prefer more free options in character building. That is why I enjoy playing the amazon class for its options of using both ranged and some melee tactics.
The game is divided into 4 acts and we managed to do one per session of about four hours before feeling tired of the game. There is a simple and very addicting game loop but can feel repetitive after a while if played for too long in one session.
The isometric graphic style shows the intriguing environments and vast array of NPCs. The mood is dark, and dreary and complements the fantastic music. It really draws you into the experience. Even if you focus more on the said experience than the story behind it. The story is more of a catalyst to get the game going than the game driving the story forward, at least in this playthrough. Perhaps it was due to the multiplayer sessions distracting from the story.
Throughout the game, it never felt too hard and we rarely felt like the game was challenging. In the beginning, we even felt like we were over-leveled. We mostly focused on drinking potions, fighting mobs returning to town, and selling items from our far too-small inventory.
This changed in the third act though and we started to get in trouble with the higher leveled enemies. As an amazon, I felt like I could get easily overwhelmed by mobs as the amazon lacked good splash damage attacks at that point. The necromancer friend who had focused on creating their own mob of minions now started to face troubles from enemies who had area-of-effect attacks. This problem lasted all the way to the final boss and became a slogging match.
I did thoroughly enjoy the game from the first act to the last. There was never a boring moment and even if a bit constraining, I loved micromanaging the details in my character's build. The gaming experience of this game is just as good as when I played it when I was a kid and I will play it again at some point. I don't know if a replay would be in this original version or the remastered version "Diablo 2: Resurrected" released in 2021.
This game is a classic and one of the greatest when it comes to older RPGs. If you enjoy an aesthetic and lootheavy character-building RPG, then I recommend at least one try of this game.
1994
This classic edutainment game from 1994, holds a special place in the hearts of many who grew up with it. The game plays like an activity center, interactive encyclopedia, and multimedia player. All very relevant and forward-thinking concepts before the age of online encyclopedias like Wikipedia. It even contains a Wolfenstein 3D-like game where the player shoots viruses and cancer inside the body of a patient.
It's undeniably a blast from the past, offering fond memories of when edutainment games were all the rage. Back then I played this at school and at home (the fact that I willingly played edutainment games at home might say something about me).
I played one of the later releases for Windows 95 in Swedish with better music and some feature changes compared to the American DOS version. Just the upgrade in music enhanced the experience a lot for me.
Unfortunately though, despite the dear place this game has within my heart, I can't make myself give it a high rating. The activity center-style of the presentation feels unengaging and the simplistic games combined with clunky controls hardly warranted much gameplay time when I revisited this as an adult. Even the info was hard to trust since the facts might be outdated after 30 years.
This brings us to an important question; should reviews consider the context of a game's release? 3D Body Adventure had glowing reviews when it first hit the market. However today, where some older games manage to maintain their appeal, this one, unfortunately, shows its age.
3D Body Adventure is a testament to the edutainment genre's past, serving as a valuable learning tool for its original intended audience. That, along with its contemporary success can never be taken away from it. Its nostalgic charm can be a delightful trip down memory lane, but its limitations and outdated elements make it a less engaging choice for an adult audience seeking entertainment after 30 years of time has eroded its primary educational value.
It's undeniably a blast from the past, offering fond memories of when edutainment games were all the rage. Back then I played this at school and at home (the fact that I willingly played edutainment games at home might say something about me).
I played one of the later releases for Windows 95 in Swedish with better music and some feature changes compared to the American DOS version. Just the upgrade in music enhanced the experience a lot for me.
Unfortunately though, despite the dear place this game has within my heart, I can't make myself give it a high rating. The activity center-style of the presentation feels unengaging and the simplistic games combined with clunky controls hardly warranted much gameplay time when I revisited this as an adult. Even the info was hard to trust since the facts might be outdated after 30 years.
This brings us to an important question; should reviews consider the context of a game's release? 3D Body Adventure had glowing reviews when it first hit the market. However today, where some older games manage to maintain their appeal, this one, unfortunately, shows its age.
3D Body Adventure is a testament to the edutainment genre's past, serving as a valuable learning tool for its original intended audience. That, along with its contemporary success can never be taken away from it. Its nostalgic charm can be a delightful trip down memory lane, but its limitations and outdated elements make it a less engaging choice for an adult audience seeking entertainment after 30 years of time has eroded its primary educational value.