the first person shooter game thread (eew fps)

[Blinge]

The first thing i'd have to rethink about nightmare is playing it at all, cause i'm quite decided on never doing that.

Against Thee Wickedly was a real good time pistol start jesus.

Working my way slowly through Plutonia on UV now, normal plays. Caged was tough, man.

[BIL]

REGARDING "THE ULTIMATE DOOM," NOT DOOM II, FINAL DOOM, OR USER-MADE CONTENT:

Nightmare is a different experience, but I don't rate it much. I wanted more satisfying combat than UV+Fast Monsters, and NM does the opposite. Killing anything not directly blocking you is a waste of time and ammo, only giving enemies (living and dead) time to close in. It feels almost like a vehicular combat game. Even if I KILL EM ALL they'll just respawn until I drain the level of ammo. What do you want me to use then, harsh language? Imma make like a tree and fuck off.

I was never able to broach the subject without triggering mah boi Obscura (SEE BIG GREEN TEXT ABOVE, YOU CUTE FUCK (■｀W´■)), but in this regard I suggest Brutal DOOM. Yes, its meme/gore content commands a retarded fanbase. I suggest disabling taunts immediately. WRT fatalities, they're daft, but they do genuinely contribute (big HP restore for risky bare-handed kills)

More importantly, its enemy aggression and volatility make Ultimate DOOM exciting again, while the shattering carnage restores that long-lost ULTRA VIOLENCE. I don't mean the "lmao he say huge guts" goobery, I turn that dumb shit off. I'm talking the hard truth that pointblank buckshot will turn a man's asshole into ravioli.

That sad lone Cacodemon guarding a key can now abruptly lunge and eat you alive. Those assclown zombiemen who *pap* off a round or two before collapsing into infighting can now Alex J. Murphy the unwary with vicious mag dumps. Imps that once ambled in your direction occasionally firing will now relentlessly leap and claw if you let them get close. Barons can defeat circle strafe with their spreadshot, forcing you to dodge more broadly than you may like. Cyberdemons' offset shots likewise. It's more chaotic and punishing but still unmistakably DOOM.

Yeah, you do need to take cover from zombie hitscan (technically now lightning-fast projectiles, ie bullets) now and then. But you always did, technically. 5% health? No ammo? Zombies a mile across open ground? It's 1993 and your ass is taking cover, son. Mine was anyway! Doin no-saves from before I could bust, noobs. (I was viscerally disgusted by a noob friend quicksaving after each and every kill in Wolf3D ). They're just non-comatose on the trigger now. Consider killing them en masse with a nice rocket or grenade. Like any good zako (cf Metal Slug), they remain puny and squashable by attentive players, but can now cause stinging upsets if ignored.

I recommend playing Thy Flesh Consumed (E4) on at least Ultra Violence, then after you've cleared it once, Black Metal. For a good three years running that was one of my favourite casual "1CCs" to unwind with. Has a decidedly Slug-esque continuity... build up caches of valuable ammo, expend 'em with extreme prejudice on priority targets, making do with your bread/butter ballistics elsewhere.

Also, at least in the most current version as of two years ago, Enemy Respawn is intriguingly broken by the mod's body destruction mechanic. 95% of kills won't revive, but occasionally, you'll have a random corpse erupt to life, or open a door to be greeted by something you killed five minutes ago, or find yourself between an impromptu pincer in Episode 2's tight, winding mazes. It's tensely entertaining, and entirely better than the vanilla DOOM respawn. It's also toggled via Settings, regardless of difficulty level, so you can always nix it if desired.

Finally, consider getting to grips with DOOM Builder. It's an easy program to use, with enemy/item placement a simple matter of drag/drop. I like to shitcan the Invulnerability spheres that can trivialise swathes of TFC (I turn 'em into Soulspheres instead, so you're still rewarded without being totally off the hook)

As noted above in massive green text, this recommendation applies to nothing beyond the OG DOOM's four eps. From DOOM II onward, BD's altered balance may cause a shitshow. Likewise for any decent user-made map, the best of whose monster usage is lightyears beyond anything in the three official releases. This is strictly referring to the always charming but now relatively toothless original game.

[Udderdude]

I mean .. there's always -skill 4 -fast. Doesn't even require mods.

[BIL]

Isn't that just UV +fast monsters though >_>

BITD I'd set it to UV +fast, then IDCLEV to a stage, use IDDQ+IDSPISPOPD and tear around the map waking everybody up, then return to the entrance, disable cheats and save. SOMEWHAT MORE INTERESTING

I tell you though... being left standing there like a jerkoff, hearing grunts and groans from the next room, and walking in on monsters infighting themselves to pieces (as usually occurs without very careful execution of the wakeup pass) was like kicking in the front door to find your Dad plowing your pastor on the kitchen table.

THAT ASS BELONG 2 ME (■｀W´■)

[scrilla4rella]

any love for the STALKER series?

New PC player here.
One of the first FPSs that took hook since I ascended (j/k ) has been Call of Chernobyl. Obviously I'm late to the party but I fired it up with a very basic near-vanilla stability mod (ZRR 1.07) and was instantly sucked in. This game world lives on in your head when not playing. Haunting atmosphere and tense shooting. Having to work yourself up like a dog from nothing in the beginning was fun.

However, I was feeling the STALKER SoC storyline meh. The text is ... not good, will prob play with a localization mod next time.

After playing a few other titles I started up STALKER Clear Sky. Had to wrestle with the poor optimization but was having fun after that. Looking forward to playing the third game in the series eventually.

[Marc]

One of those games I've wanted to play forever. Got one of them running (barely) on my old desktop years ago, what I played was amazing.

Think I might be due another playthorugh of Deux Ex sometime soon as well.

[Mortificator]

It's an FPS! It's a Metroid game! It's both!?

I replayed Prime 1 on GameCube, and excellent game I have little new to say about. I hadn't spent time with the sequels, since I was pretty sure there was a decline in quality, but it's been well over a decade now so let's give them a whirl on Trilogy. A low-budget all-purpose title screen replaces those of the original three releases and you get dumped straight in after making your selection. Since Prime 3 seemed the more different game then Prime 1, I skipped ahead to that.

We all know motion control was the Wii's gimmick, and boy is it a gimmick here. The opening bit on Samus's ship has you moving the remote every which way to manipulate various devices before you can even take a step. You come across many control panels in the game and some of them are activated by scanning as in Prime 1, some by a palm sensor, some by pulling the remote toward you and twisting it 90 degrees and pushing it forward, some by tilting the remote up and down like a lever, some by shaking the nunchuk to attach your grapple and then either adding or draining energy, some by turning on your X-ray visor so you can see a PIN in invisible ink and type it in. It's a lot of meaningless fluff just to press an 'On' switch.

I have to say that looking and aiming feel very good (with sensitivity set on advanced), yet combat doesn't improve overall. Beam-switching is gone and missiles are pathetically weak. You soon get the ability to chug your own e-tanks to enter a Hyper mode, and you're power's so ludicrously boosted that fighting outside of it is a waste of time. Enemies that would take 60 beam shots to kill normally go down after 3 Hyper taps. Most of your health loss therefore comes from self-cannibalization rather than enemy action.

[Blinge]

Why the hell would you skip 2.
.. wait, 2 is the only one I've played. I enjoyed that a lot, but god damn I spent a lot of time tapping the A button.

Oh I forgot to say, I finished Doom Plutonia on UV. Man, that put hairs on my chest o_o
not pistol starts, and save scumming like a cheap whore.

[BIL]

Oh I forgot to say, I finished Doom Plutonia on UV. Man, that put hairs on my chest o_o

Good (｀ω´メ)

not pistol starts

Eh. (｀ω´メ) Never saw the appeal. I am from an arcade background of "haw haw! you shoulda took me out, but you didn't, and now I got this massive brillo pad nutsack I'm gonna rub on your bitchass face!"

and save scumming like a cheap whore.

Per stage is aight. (｀ω´メ) PER KILL though is shamefur, DISGRACEFUR, Obscura's casket hitting RPMs high enough to tear spacetime and cause DOOM irl!

[Blinge]

It was more like 4-5 times a stage

Per stage is a looong fucking time! Room full of revenants and Mancubi actually takes a while to dispatch, I don't wanna do it all again every time

I'm not as bad as my boy Fence playing Doom64. A wall opens behind him and he gets popped by a sargeant, loses a SMALL AMOUNT OF HEALTH. Says "no" and loads his quicksave.

[BIL]

A wall opens behind him and he gets popped by a sargeant, loses a SMALL AMOUNT OF HEALTH. Says "no" and loads his quicksave.

This was my buddy BITD, every time a body hit the floor, flawless F6+Y muscle memory.

A few times a stage I get though, particularly with how monster closet happy Plutonia/TNT can get. Even DOOM II, tbh. Never mind PWADs. I remember trying to one-save Scythe's last regular map and in hindsight it was a pretty stupid thing to do. Shoulda worked backward to that from a couple of quicksaves. Everything up to that point was doable but that map is rather a spike.

[orange808]

Sure, MP3:Corruption has some unnecessary motion stuff, but the core game is solid. Hypermode drains energy, so you can't use it all the time; there are times it is convenient to deal with bullet sponge enemies or handle pirates with shields (when pulling their shields is inconvenient). You also have the option to avoid it entirely.

The advanced aiming mode is fantastic and it's the closest thing to mouse and keyboard shooting I've experienced. In fact, I like it better, because I can move using an analog stick. It feels effortless--like the Dishonored series on the PC. The Conduit series and Red Steel 2 also had good controls and feel, but MP3 pairs its controls with a great game. Prime 3 also introduce screw attack in 3d. It's marvelous and long overdue.

Unpopular opinion: Among the Prime games, I prefer Metroid Prime 3--despite some boring waggle. Once mastered, controlling Samus in Prime 3 is absolutely effortless. MP3 has a "lock on" option that I rarely use or need. (I hate lock on, by the way. Lock on is a crutch for bad game/control design.)

That leads me to another point. Why was waggle okay in Half Life Alyx? I don't get it. That shit is waggle, but it rarely gets called out. The entire game feels like a gimmick to me. It was still fun, but it was definitely a gimmick and it wasn't a Half Life game.

The devs say reloading guns is "interesting". Is it really? That's what we usually call waggle. It's waggle. It's a gimmick. It gets in the way of running and gunning.

Using the tool to solve the same boring wires in the wall or orb puzzles feels gimmicky as fuck. Refusing to show stats using a HUD and making me look at my hand is also unnecessary. At least they got changing guns right with a simple gesture selection. "Immersion" usually means waggle. I don't enjoy fiddling around with holsters in Arizona Sunshine.

Picking things up with the gloves is interesting. It's waggle, but it's good waggle.

On the other hand, the convoluted waggle reload process (and motion controls still aren't 100%) doesn't add value; it's a gimmick. It gets in the way of run and gun: something that's painfully missing from most of Half Life Alyx. Unlike Metroid Prime 3's effortless locomotion, HL:A is trapped by VRs weaknesses. The hardware forces gamers to struggle: managing a physical boundary versus in game locomotion. Your body tells you to move to a space, but you always have to think about how to get there--and you're always trying to stay in the center of your physical play area to use cover. That gets in the way of running and gunning.

MP3 brings back the screw attack. HL:A deletes the crowbar. Thanks to the gimmick of VR, players can't see walls and obstacles. To save controllers and property from destruction, melee is removed. How many sacrifices must be made to put on a game on this gimmick VR gaming platform?

Thanks to motion sickness, platforming is almost entirely removed. There's almost always one way (and only one way) through an area. Yawn.

And, of course, moving about is a pain, so HL:A nerfs the gun play. It's a first person shooter without intense action. Most of the intensity comes from fighting the controls and waggling. That's a strong contrast to Superhot VR. That game was cleverly designed for VR's limitations. I physically move and I don't have to constantly think about where I am standing in my play area. There is no waggle. Because I can move and use weapons effortlessly, Superhot VR can throw enemies and bullets at me. Because SH:VR only uses physical locomotion and the game's bullet time mechanic slows things down, there is no motion sickness.

For gimmicks and waggle, Half Life Alyx reigns supreme.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

(I hate lock on, by the way. Lock on is a crutch for bad game/control design.)

I was about to post in agreement, that auto lock on for all weapons (aside from ones specifically balanced around having homing) in a FPS is a bit lame and feels too easy. Thinking about it more I'm on the fence. It's an acceptable accessibility option to put in an easy mode like how Casual Automatic difficulty does it.

When I played Perfect Dark for the N64 I saw that lock-on was enabled by default, where the cursor goes for body shots (and lock-on aggressiveness is tied to difficulty I think). In a game where headshots do way more damage it felt like it got in the way at times, but the N64's controls and the game's framerate weren't ideal for a precise FPS, so I kinda understand why it's there.

I would feel weird playing a FPS where you auto lock with all weapons on PC with mouse controls, but on a console game where the controller generally doesn't have the same responsiveness I guess I can understand why a developer will include some degree of lock-on in games.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Awww man, now I really miss Wiimote controls for FPS games more than ever. Metroid Prime Trilogy was indeed one that had genuinely great games attached, though most games that had it also implemented it well - the immersion elevating an otherwise mediocre title. I really enjoyed Conduit 2 though, but it's so short it's basically 1/3rd of a game.

[XoPachi]

I miss BlackLight Retribution.
Jesus Christ I loved that damn game...
Closest to it was that Ghost in the Shell game. I fiended on that until they for some bizarre reason nerfed the fuck out of the game's speed. :l

[Mortificator]

Hypermode drains energy, so you can't use it all the time; there are times it is convenient to deal with bullet sponge enemies or handle pirates with shields (when pulling their shields is inconvenient). You also have the option to avoid it entirely.

I don't think you do. Bosses have spots that can only be damaged by hyper attacks... and, by necessity, they now shed health so the player can go grayscale vision and not get stuck in an endless loop. Health in general is so frequent that it rarely makes sense to be hyper-chaste and have every fight with normal enemies drag on.

The cadence of maximizing hyper is annoying too. You should fire a few shots after activating it, then make no attacks for 10 seconds or so until the auto charge kicks in, then you can regularly fire until kicked out of it by the hard time limit. Or mash the button to end it if the enemies are already dead and you need to use the map or visor or open any door other than the basic blue ones, all things you're locked out of while in it for some reason.

I'm not liking the segmented world design and unavoidable transitions as you have to use your ship to travel from map to map (or blow up a door, or haul cargo). And the maps themselves... SkyTown's some platforms connected by rails, with nothing to do while riding them but shoot the telegraphed barrier that occasionally pops up. I got so sick of the backtracking there. When a game gives you a remote-controlled spaceship and makes you complete inane tasks with it to progress, it feels especially dumb that Samus can't just have it pick her up and drop her off at these open places and skip all that.

[orange808]

Hypermode drains energy, so you can't use it all the time; there are times it is convenient to deal with bullet sponge enemies or handle pirates with shields (when pulling their shields is inconvenient). You also have the option to avoid it entirely.

I don't think you do. Bosses have spots that can only be damaged by hyper attacks... and, by necessity, they now shed health so the player can go grayscale vision and not get stuck in an endless loop. Health in general is so frequent that it rarely makes sense to be hyper-chaste and have every fight with normal enemies drag on.

The cadence of maximizing hyper is annoying too. You should fire a few shots after activating it, then make no attacks for 10 seconds or so until the auto charge kicks in, then you can regularly fire until kicked out of it by the hard time limit. Or mash the button to end it if the enemies are already dead and you need to use the map or visor or open any door other than the basic blue ones, all things you're locked out of while in it for some reason.

Yes. The are situations where hypermode is used and it is unavoidable, but they are few and far between. In general, though, you don't need it.

The behavior of the hypermode is story and narrative driven. I never really worried about it, but it is a case of the game designer's narrative dictating game play.

Also, you can avoid plenty of overload episodes by dodging phason grenades from space pirates. The controls allow for seamless simultaneous movement, jumping, and gunning.

This may or may not be your view: but, I have read plenty of criticism from some players that complain about hypermode as "overpowered" (cause they be so "gud") and simultaneously complain about venting. I don't get it. I know from experience; people that are "gud" (yours truly is) aren't getting hit with phason grenades very often. Thanks to the absolutely lovely controls, I can rapid fire rounds into a target without ever sitting still--and I only use lock on in a few boss battles. (Lock on actually reduces your ability to be effective against a crowd)

I'm not liking the segmented world design and unavoidable transitions as you have to use your ship to travel from map to map (or blow up a door, or haul cargo). And the maps themselves... SkyTown's some platforms connected by rails, with nothing to do while riding them but shoot the telegraphed barrier that occasionally pops up. I got so sick of the backtracking there. When a game gives you a remote-controlled spaceship and makes you complete inane tasks with it to progress, it feels especially dumb that Samus can't just have it pick her up and drop her off at these open places and skip all that.

I enjoyed the segmented worlds.

I hate Skytown ziplines. Yes, that sucks. Worst thing in the game.

I didn't mind the backtracking, but this is a "Metroidvania". My complaint with Skytown was losing a platform. The game is definitely story driven. Hollow Knight is the game that crossed lines for me when it comes to frustrating Metroidvania game design. I think MP3 is pretty tame, but YMMV.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Here's a neat website from someone with melee-only walkthroughs of System Shock 2 and Deus-Ex, complete with fancy pictures:

https://tnt.shodan.ca/

I found it a very amusing read, enjoyed their writing style and strategies. Posting this here because it's interesting, and because it's not being properly indexed on search engines (I was a tad upset when I couldn't find it yesterday, thought it had been lost forever, but then found a link to it on another SS2 forum).

[BIL]

Daww!



Doing my usual Wednesday-evening ACA pickup on Japanese PSN, was surprised to see Quake for PS4 on there. On XB1 and Switch too apparently, can't vouch for 'em though. Includes both of the OG expansions (Scourge+Dissolution), plus two more recent ones I've not played. Conversion seems technically well-regarded, and I have an irrational fondness for console versions of pre-2000s id games played via gamepad - only intensified by NTSCJ releases with daft names like CLAW OF EISENFAUST (Claw of Iron Fist?). So I nabbed it and spent all night clearing out Episodes 1 and 2 on Nightmare.

Still the best gibs ever

Spoiler

Pure irrationality. I still have all this stuff on Windows CD-ROM, MINT IN BOX YO could happily pirate it up FO FREE with mo better tweaks. I blame growing up with 32X DOOM, Zero Tolerance, and a 286 that could just about run Wolf3D w/PC Speaker at 15fps in the second-smallest window. That shit left a mark ;3

BIG CAVEAT THO :O KBM is technically supported - game recognises both via USB without issue, rebind menu is nice and thorough, too - but they've yet to implement +mouselook. So this is more of a novelty for stricken fools, like me. It's Quake on a gamepad, and therefore is a bit floppy and soft versus the laser precision of WASD+mlook. That aside, it's good Gamepad Quake. Super smooth 60fps with the interpolated animation I'd expect of modern ports.

I hope they sort out proper KBM, so I can reach the ultimate folly of hooking up PC hardware to play Quake on the same machine as Gradius and Devil May Cry. PC-quality Quake on my suitcase console of choice may be just the thing to exorcise those 90s demons.

[BrianC]

PC Steam version of Quake updated too to be more in line with recent console versions and now includes the music tracks.

[BIL]

I really hope they sort out +mlook. It's a tale old as time forever retold, that id stuff is best played on PC - missing my custom "don't switch the current gun under any circumstances ever" flag - but this is admirably close to being a worthwhile stand-in. Still a fun time for what it is. Gamepad Quake is a completely different entity from KBM Quake, just how it is. I do like the "recenter view" button for vertical sniping (set angle of attack, maneuver as required to keep zeroed, then recenter and get on with your day - resist the urge to stay locked onto targets in realtime while moving, easy as breathing with KBM fine motor control, horribly inefficient on thumbpad).

It's like SLOW AND SEXY vs COCKY RIM, two classic 90s cuts but only one still has the power - or the will - to appal. Pad pros can rip Nightmare in half, but KBM lets noobs like me bounce up and down rubbing my nuts in the level designer's face (ROVINGLY ). WTB Super Metroid RocketWallJump.

[Obiwanshinobi]

New PC player here.

Then I have to recommend XIII (if on PC) and Star Wars: Republic Commando (if without quicksave/quickload) to you. Since I'm not really much of an FPS player, but those two so did it for me. That I can't think of any other FPS which would do something quite like either isn't saying much as - again - I'm not a connoisseur. I just don't think those two made quite the impact they deserved to make.

I'd like to know about console-only FPS-ers anybody thinks should be remembered, if only due to virtue of not being completely awful whilst NOT being on PC at all.

[Marc]

I'd say the Saturn version of Powerslave/Exhumed. Yes, technically it appeared on PS1 and PC, but it was different, and nowhere near as good. That the new version is some sort of bastard mix of the two worries me.

Other than that.... are there any? Oh, I tried a Killzone once. It sucked.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Oh, I did not mention the more obvious ones like TimeSplitters, Call of Duty 3, various Medal of Honor titles, Goldeneye or Killzone indeed. Although I'm curious about the latter's PS3 port which - on paper - seems like the proper version of a game miscarried on PS2.
I'm still hoping to learn about any OUTSTANDING FPS for Wii - Red Steel 2 wasn't one (to actually play) - and for GBA (certainly could do better than its official Doom port).
Since on Wii in particular I seem to enjoy lesser talked about games best (read "nothing developed by Nintendo-owned studios"), and even multiplatform titles on GBA can starkly differ from their "big" counterparts, I feel their libraries keep some secrets still. Likewise, Wii's got a history of recycling previous-gen titles - from Project Zero/Fatal Frame, through PC point & click adventures, to Sniper Elite and Rogue Trooper - not unlike about every gen systems recycle previous gen, but then - Wii's peculiar in this regard as its "natural" point & click potential practically begged for a console FPS like no other before it. Well, at least we've got some exclusive gun games decently ported...

I should finally get around to playing Water Warfare and Onslaught on mine. Trouble is - at this point it would take resorting to piracy, that I'm sort of burnt out on.

Zero Tolerance

Any good (by its time pseudo-3D FPP standards, at least)? I just found it listed here.

[BIL]

Ahhh, yes. Quake PS4 got a big update with KBM plus MLOOK enabled. Loving it. I think Xbox got it too, possibly Switch. My boyhood dream of PC-quality id on basic bitch console is now a reality.

Zero Tolerance

Any good (by its time pseudo-3D FPP standards, at least)? I just found it listed here.

Sorry for the late reply! Honestly no, Zero Tolerance wasn't much, even at the time. I was a frustrated FPS fan stuck on a 386 with no sound card, so DOOM was just a shadow of its true self. ZT promised a console alternative, but in hindsight, it can't hold a candle to even Wolf3D. Where that game's simple, lightning-quick action has aged gracefully, ZT was only ever stilted, slow and crude.

I did play ZT to completion - games were a pain to get hold of where I grew up, and it did at least offer a fairly long campaign. It has some neat mechanics, like Duke3D-esque explosives, and at one point, you're sniped at from across rooftops. Really can't recommend it as anything but a curio, though.

One thing I always remember is, enemies won't spot you unless you look at them. Weird.

My next and final stopgap, before I got a job and acquired a DOOM/Quake-friendly PC, was 32X DOOM. Which in hindsight wasn't much better than ZT, compared to the real thing... but at least approximated Keyboard DOOM. Shoulda got Stellar Assault, the other good 32X game (already had Virtua Racing Deluxe).

[Obiwanshinobi]

One thing I always remember is, enemies won't spot you unless you look at them. Weird.

This, at least, is the kind of thing I visit these Forums for. Thanks!

[BIL]

This looks kinda interesting. Siren, DOOM II Total Conversion that looks like DOOM 3's aesthetic with the OG engine's action. I know you angry FPS bois get heated WRT TEH SCENE, pls no bully ur ol friend biru :3

[drauch]

I've been watching this one for quite a while but haven't tried it yet. Looks pretty rad to me. There's so many dope lookin' 'classic' FPS in the works that I've been holding out until they're finished so I don't get blue-balls.

[dojo_b]

Warning fellow Quake 1 newbs: the latest edition on PC has Aim Assist enabled by default, or at least mine did for singleplayer w/ controller. Realized that was a thing 3/4 thru the campaign. I'm not against being coddled, but I'd like to at least choose when and how! (E.g., I knew I was getting hand-held a little by the newly added DOOM '16-style weapon-select wheel and its bullet time, but I made peace with that on its merits---beautiful stuff.)

[Ed Oscuro]

Recently played 'legendary" Xbox 360 (and PS3) dinosaurs-in-the-bermuda-triangle FPS, "Jurassic The Hunted." It's by Cauldron Interactive and is uncomfortably like an asset flip. It has the same feeling as Soldier of Fortune: Payback. I'll have to dig into Secret Service, their Cabela's games, etc. but it's generally not really that great. I shoulda saved up for Pete Jacky's Ding Dong the legendary Ubisoft game, all said. Quality game moment: Early in the game, after the first setpiece battle with a mounted gun, you hop up over an old steamship and look out over the side. The game's framerate took an absolute nosedive into seconds-per-frame territory for a while.

Also cleared out Wrath: Aeon of Ruin again, the Quake engine game stuck in Early Access, without using any of the save methods aside autosave, and no items (except when absolutely necessary, i.e. a few breathing apparatuses). Pretty challenging game played this way, even brutal at points, but trivialized by memorization unfortunately. I realize that I wish for a bit more varied bestiary, more weapon options, faster weapon switching, and more effective enemies - not exactly smarter, but hanging up on the geometry is the bane of Quake enemies whereas DOOM's enemies will hunt players down with ease across the 2D map. Wrath's got a pretty decent kick, but I think it's a substantial step down from, say, Blood, and possibly also lesser than Game Formerly Known As Ion Maiden, The One With The Stupid Soap Bottle Joke, as far as gameplay goes. Much prefer the setting though. Too many icicles - I must find and kill them all!

Classic gamers take note: BUILD engine games mostly seem to run brilliantly in the Raze Engine, by the GZDOOM team. Aside from some games it doesn't support (like Ion Maiden, which works in EDuke) it is now my default choice.

Still haven't jumped on the Quake rerelease train, even though the new episode looks good and I like the sound of many improvements. Still salty about being asked to pay repeatedly for a game I bought back in '97, but what can you do?