Pseudo 3D games.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:16 pm

So I'm currently trying to unravel the mysteries of pseudo 3d. Can people help me find some screens from 3D dungeon crawlers and the like. Games like Phantasy Star I and Dungeon Master are good examples.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:22 pm

SSI did plenty (well, there can never be enough) of these - Eye of the Beholder 1-3, Dungeon Hack etc. A whole bunch of their classic games was released in the AD&D Silver Archives pack in the mid-90s, which was one of the greatest gaming deals I ever got.

Also, iD has made something of a return to a more straightforward semi-action-based dungeon crawl without the stats and leveling focus of the SSI games. DOOM RPG should be like this, and certainly the Orcs & Elves games are. My major problem with these games is that they're very straightforward (to the point of being simplistic) and O&E on the DS also felt too short.

SuperGrafx · Post by **SuperGrafx** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:28 pm

Definitely check out SILENT DEBUGGERS for the TG16/PCE...it's a shining example of the genre done right.

Otherwise, check out Wizardry, Bard's Tale, and games like Golgo 13 and Ultima III which feature some sub-stages set in pseudo 3D levels.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:34 pm

Not a dungeon crawl, but Castelian uses psuedo 3d very heavily.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:51 pm

Hired Guns on Amiga. Best game ever on this genre.

Stormwatch · Post by **Stormwatch** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:56 pm

Look at Sega's arcades. Petty much everything on the X board, Y board, System 32, Multi 32, Out Run board, and Space Harrier board, is pseudo-3D.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:26 pm

I would've mentioned those if they were dungeon crawlers

On that note, are there any psuedo-3D arcade games that can be called dungeon crawlers? Something like a more open Dark Seal or Dungeon Magic, like Devil World/Dark Adventure or Gauntlet except in 3D (obviously discounting the 3D Gauntlet games).

There's Xybots, maybe...not heavy on stats but it's a fun little game regardless.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:32 pm

I was thinking games that you can only move and turn in 4 directions and were early games. Hehe perhaps more basic 3D games than your "advanced" engines like doom.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:38 pm

So, Xybots, if we're talking about arcade games. If you look at old computer systems, there's also 3D Monster Maze (and Maze War before that in the early 1970s).

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:44 pm

Then you want "Blaster", the sequel to Robotron 2084.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:14 pm

Shatterhand wrote:Hired Guns on Amiga. Best game ever on this genre.

Hired Fucking Guns

http://hol.abime.net/715

This game is awesome.

lgb · Post by **lgb** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:38 pm

I like these games. Ultima Underworld is probably one of my favorites.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:07 am

3rd vote for Hired Guns.

As far as other Amiga software is concerned, I also enjoyed Captive and Captive 2 : Liberation. Ambermoon was also a pretty sweet RPG, but that actually had a wolf-type 3d view similar to Ultima Underworld.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:03 am

Liberation seemed to be excellent too, but my Amiga wasn't beefy enough to run it properly.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:57 am

Zebra Airforce wrote:Not a dungeon crawl, but Castelian uses psuedo 3d very heavily.

I played this game on my brick gameboy. Never knew what the heck was with it. There were invisible platforms and got killed all the time. That's all I can remember.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:06 am

Arena & Daggerfall
Realms of Arkania Trilogy
Strife
Albion

Too many others really but these were some of the last pseudo-3D sprite-based FP RPGs... You could even say Diablo and its clones are pseudo-3D due to the pre-rendered CGI look.

Stormwatch · Post by **Stormwatch** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:41 am

Diablo? No. It has the horizontal and vertical axes, but no depth axis. Pseudo-3D is about mimicking all of them without using actual 3D (polygons or voxels).

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:48 am

Does battlezone count?

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:52 am

All depends on your definition of pseudo-3D. That's what the pre-rendering does, though. Many people used to comment on Killer Instinct's psuedo-3D look due to its rendered 3D graphics.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:41 am

Blaster (didn't know about this one)
Ultima Underworld
Arena & Daggerfall

Pixel_Outlaw wrote:I was thinking games that you can only move and turn in 4 directions and were early games.

Hired Guns looks pretty cool.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:14 am

Zaxxon?

rolins · Post by **rolins** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:28 am

Last Armageddon has a few stages in psuedo-3D while Psy-O-Blade only has one.

Last Armageddon for the PC-8801
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3BhdNImG3I0

Psy-O-Blade for the PC-8801
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-ExXaUYdUSU

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:18 pm

Oohh, Psy-O-Blade ... how I wished this was released in english in some format (Or maybe a fan-translation).

Strife

Ooh, thanks! I've been trying to rememeber the name of this game for a while now. It's the most ambitious game made with the Doom engine.

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:02 pm

Hah, Castelian/Nebulus! Good one, that's inventive pseudo-3d.

There are millions of these?

Shin Megami Tensei (S.Famicom)
Xenomorph (Amiga, interesting scifi/horror adventure)
Snatcher
Black Crypt (Amiga)
Knightmare (Amiga)
...

+ hordes of sprite-scaling games:

Space Harrier I-II + clones, Galaxy Force I-II etc. especially Bad Company (Amiga), kick-ass music and game!
Outrun and all the clones...

Shatterhand wrote:Hired Guns on Amiga. Best game ever on this genre.

Could very well be. Coolest music, characters, multi-player puzzles...

JoshF · Post by **JoshF** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:04 pm

Double Dragon

rolins · Post by **rolins** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:06 pm

Shocky wrote: Space Harrier I-II + clones, Galaxy Force I-II etc. especially Bad Company (Amiga), kick-ass music and game!
Outrun and all the clones...

That reminds me, there's also Slipheed and Star Cruiser.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:12 pm

There's also Star Cruiser II on the PC98/FMT. There's actually an English beta (partial translation?) of Star Cruiser for the SG somewhere...

Mortificator · Post by **Mortificator** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:20 pm

I dare anyone to get more old-school than Akalabeth.

Shocky wrote:Hah, Castelian/Nebulus! Good one, that's inventive pseudo-3d.

Yo Tower Toppler fans REPRESENT.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:25 pm

Akalabeth = super funs. Was lucky enough to get it on the Ultima Collection when that was out (and even that's worth money nowadays).

Post by **Shatterhand** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:39 pm

UnscathedFlyingObject wrote:
Zebra Airforce wrote:Not a dungeon crawl, but Castelian uses psuedo 3d very heavily.

I played this game on my brick gameboy. Never knew what the heck was with it. There were invisible platforms and got killed all the time. That's all I can remember.

I also have this on my Gameboy for ages, but had never played it properly. Last saturday I had to wait like a couple of hours for something when I was out of home, so I gave this a go.

Man, this is the most frustrating game ever. If you are feeling masochist, go for it. I got REAL close to beat the 1st level, but gave up on frustration after a hour.

shmups.system11.org

Pseudo 3D games.

Pseudo 3D games.

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