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Hitman: Blood Money, first released in 2006 by Eidos, is considered by many to be the best Hitman game ever made. After the first few games played around with novel ideas and concepts to mixed success, Blood Money honed in on the formulae of specific, small and dense environments filled with ‘accidental’ scripted opportunities to murder your target. Gone are the long and slow walking through the linear levels of Silent Assassin. You no longer have the weird and confusing systems of Codename: 47, where you only sometimes had to think outside the box. What we get here is a more focused experience - 12 playgrounds puzzle murders.
But in focusing on these specifics, has Blood Money left behind something meaningful from the previous games? And while it built the groundwork for what the modern games would become, does it execute on it with the same finesse? Has Hitman: Blood Money truly stood the test of time, or does it just play like an awkward middle child?
Hitman: Blood Money is ostensibly a more gritty game than the first two - but is this actually the case? Does the gameplay end up pushing the overall tone towards something less serious and slightly more goofy, or does the darker story portrayed in cutscenes keep it grounded?
On this episode, we discuss:
StoryLevel Design
How does the level design of Blood Money craft and guide the overall experience? How does it use visual direction to create a sense of place, and does it compare favourably to the levels earlier in the series?Execution(s)
How enjoyable is it to discover and execute the various scripted deaths on every level? Are these fun puzzles to figure out through trial and error, or does this lead to a sense of frustration as you wait around with no idea what to do?We answer these questions and many more on the 118th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Hitman: Blood Money OST - Jesper Kyd
Is Hitman: Blood Money truly the best Hitman game? Just how good are the modern hitman games, should we play them? What’s your favourite level?
Come let us know what you think or recommend us a new game on our community discord server!
If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!
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Final Fantasy VII is a landmark title not only for the JRPG genre, but for all video games. First released in 1997 and developed by Square, it took the format of the previous games and brought them to life with 3D models and environments. Featuring an ambitious and creative setting, a complicated plot with intrigue and a seemingly deep and engaging combat system, the game seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Critics and fans alike adored the game to pieces, and even today there are legion's of players who will cite Final Fantasy VII as their favourite game of all time.
But how has time truly treated this once overwhelmingly impressive title? Our ability to construct graphical setpieces goes far beyond what was possible in 1997. Combat systems have come a long way, developed into something far more sophisticated. And are the characteristics and story really as impressive as they were when the game first released?
Has Final Fantasy VII truly stood the test of time?On this week’s episode, we discuss:
Final Fantasy VII’s cinematic set pieces fuse and random battles, cutscenes, in-game cutscenes, exploration, minigames and music in a continuous flow. Is this a compelling way to do story telling, or does it just come across as quaint?The characters of Final Fantasy VII are notoriously underwritten, with their dialogue being just flat out bad and uninteresting, or is there something special lurking underneath?The combat present is a complicated mix of summons, magic, materia, mazes and random encounters. How does it all stack up when you put it all together?We answer these questions and many, many more on the 117th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Musicc: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Final Fantasy VII OST: Nobuo Uematsu
How did our thoughts on FF7 stack up to your own personal experience? Is FF7 the best final fantasy game, or does it rank middle of the road? What JRPG should we tackle next?
Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
Support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Rain World is a game that was released to very mixed reviews. With a whopping 59 on Metacritic, it was panned for its controls, difficulty, tedium and general obtuseness. But take a gander at the community reviews and you get a very different picture.
The thing is, Rain World can at times be all the things that its critics hate so much that they give it a lower score than your generic AAA Ubisoft game that comes out every 6 months. It controls nothing like Mario. It kills you frequently and uncaringly. Its checkpointing and karma systems do force you towards a kind of repetition, and its refusal to explain anything does mean you have to experiment to understand the world in front of you.
But does a different philosophical approach to game design really deserve this kind of heat? Is Rain World’s expectation that you learn by doing, instead of gradually ramping up difficulty with careful tutorializing, really that bad? Is it, perhaps, that the very thing many critics loathe about the game, exactly what makes Rainworld truly shine?
On this special 116th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast, we play the cult classic Rain World, and do our best to cut to the heart of what it’s all about.
On this episode, we discuss:
What is the fundamental gameplay loop of Rain World actually like? Rain World is a game that resists easy definition or explanation, shrouded in mystery and misunderstandings. We break down what our experiences of actually playing the game was, from start to finish.How well do Rain World’s many systems gel together? Are the Karma Gates that bar your progress from region to region an essential part of this system, or do they sometimes force the player into a cycle of tedious repetition?What did we think of Rain World’s story? How does Rain World deliver its lore to the player, and was there perhaps a more effective way to get the details of the story across?We answer these questions and many more on the 116th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Rain World OST: James Therrien
What were your experiences like playing Rain World? Did you like how the story was delivered or was it just too much? What modern game should we play next? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!
The Ancients of Rainworld’s solution to everything
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It's that time of year again! For most of our episodes, our format is identical - we play a game, then discuss and review it. Once a year, however, we take a break from the format at christmas time for our Mailbag episodes. These are some of our favourite episodes to do - we take a break from the norm for some offbeat discussion about games both old and new.
Thank you to everyone who submitted questions on our discord server. As always, having you all to listen is exactly what makes the show worthwhile and we’re very grateful for your support.
So please, grab a cup of cocoa and relax as we answer those burning questions that are on everyone’s minds!
On this episode, we discuss:
What are Pat and James’ top 5 favourite games of all time?What is an opinion on video games that you have always wanted to defend but that nobody has ever asked about?Has doing the podcast changed your opinions in any significant way?We answer these questions and many more on the 115th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
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If you have any more questions or have suggestions for games for us to play, please swing by our community discord server!
If you would like to support the show monetarily, we have a Buy Me a Coffee page!
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Ensemble Studios blew the world away with Age of Empires way back in 1997. It took a different approach to the RTS formulae than Westwood or Blizzard, and was rewarded heavily for it. Being able to advance your entire civilization's technology level was a heady drug, and balancing the varied needs of your economy with a well rounded army was strategically engaging. After releasing a sequel and pumping out a couple of expansions they decided to try to add something genuinely new to the formulae.
So just a few years later, in 2002, we got the spinoff Age of Mythology. It was extremely well received on release - while the teching to later ages was still there, Age of Mythology expanded the role of heroes, added more factional diversity, had a wide range of mythical units to complement your army, and even added god powers that could make or break the tide of battle. It seemed to just be Age of Empires++, a more fun and flavoured take on what made everything in the original great.
But does adding mythical units with no active abilities compare to the caster units in Starcraft? Does the extreme focus on macroing an economy up with its slower pace combat make the game tedious? Does Age of Mythology truly stand side by side with the other RTS giants, or is it fated to become a forgotten spinoff, just one game to litter the RTS graveyard?
On this episode, we discuss:
Age of Mythology doubles down on the economic focus of Ensemble Studio games, adding faith as an additional resource alongside food, wood and gold. Is it fun trying to optimise your economy, or does this come at the cost of more high octane battles?Many RTS campaigns suffer the issue of every mission boiling down to building a max population army, then attack moving into the enemy, destroying everything in your wake. Does Age of Mythology succumb to this problem, or does it have a solution?How enjoyable is the combat of Age of Myhology? Do the autocasting abilities of myth units and heroes allow for your to micro them effectively? Does the relatively low lethality of units make fights exciting?We answer these questions and many more on the 114th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Age of Mythology OST: Stephen Rippy, Kevin Mcmullan
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Pat guested on the Nostalgia Goggles Podcast to review and discuss Starcraft!
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Is Age of Mythology better than Age of Empires 2, or just different? Are there modern RTS games that you have played that have eclipsed Starcraft 2 or Warcraft 3? Which RTS game should we play next? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
Next episode we’re doing our annual mailbag, so if you have any questions we’d love if you’d drop by!
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If you enjoy the show and want to support us monetarily, please check out our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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Blood, first released in 1997 by Monolith Studios, was the middle child of the big three Build Engine games, sandwiched in between Duke 3D and Shadow Warrior. Its combination of gory horror-inspired visuals combined with action filled FPS gameplay was a huge hit at the time of release, but has slowly faded in many people’s memories. Both Quake and Half Life loom larger in most people’s memories than Blood, and the question must be asked: why?
Is there a good reason that Blood has become one of the dark horses of the boomer FPS genre, known mainly to connoisseurs of the genre? Or has the quality of 2.5D shooters been massively overstated?
On this episode, we discuss:
Weapons
Blood has a quirky roster of weapons, including a flare gun as pistol, an aerosol can with a lighter, and a voodoo doll sniper. Are these weapons just silly gimmicks, or do they all serve their purpose as part of your arsenal?Level Design
Bloods level design is, for the most part, compact and filled with secrets joining levels together. Does this create a coherent sense of place, or does the abundance of tunnels just turn the level into an awkward mess?Aesthetics and Presentation
Blood’s story is very barebones, but is filled to the brim with references to 80s and early 90s horror films. Can a reverence for a genre of film carry an aesthetic, or is this just a case of Borderlands syndrome where its all references and no substance?We answer these questions and many more on the 113th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Blood OST: Daniel Bernstein, Guy Whitmore
Retro Hangover Duke 3D podcast featuring Pat!
Does Blood truly have the best shotgun in any video game?
Are there any boomer shooters which you think are better than Blood?
What modern game best captures what Blood is all about?
Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!To support the show monetarily, check out our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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Metal Gear Solid 2 was easily the most hotly anticipated game for the Playstation 2. The first game had blown everyone away, and the jaw-dropping graphics of previews combined with the quality of the animation in cutscenes seemed almost too good to be true.
Luckily for fans everywhere, MGS 2 appeared to live up to its wild expectations, getting almost universally glowing reviews. It seemed that MGS 2 had expanded upon the first game in every single way, including having an even more convoluted story. But for all its praise, there were hints of critique and backlash around the edges if you looked hard enough. The change of protagonist definitely pissed a lot of people off, and opinion was divided over whether the ending was brilliant or just a self indulgent mess of ideas awkwardly stapled together.
So is Metal Gear Solid 2 still a game worth playing today? Or are there flaws in this acclaimed classic that have been long forgotten?
On this episode we discuss:
Gameplay.
In what ways has the core mechanics of sneaking around a complex changed from Metal Gear Solid 1 to 2? Are these differences meaningful in changing how you engage with the game, or are they just surface level changes with murdering enemies at range with a silenced pistol still being the best approach?
Characterisation.
One of the most memorable parts of the original Metal Gear Solid was its wacky roster of villains, all with their own questionably fantastical super powers. Does MGS 2 continue this proud tradition, or are the enemy bosses in the game lacklustre in comparison?
Story.
To call Metal Gear Solid 2’s story complicated is a massive understatement. To what degree does it manage to hold together its threads of conspiracy, philosophy and free will? Does it all come together in a cohesive whole, or is it just a load of nonsense?
We answer these questions and many more on the 112th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Metal Gear Solid 2 OST: Harry Gregson-Williams, Norihiko Hibino
What was your favourite part of Metal Gear Solid 2? Does Fortune get as much hate as she deserves, or should she get even more? Which stealth game should we play next? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 was a staple of many people’s PC desktop screens back in the early 2000s. Nestled in between the big hitters like Warcraft 3 and Diablo 2 you would find this odd game that straddled the line between simulation and video game. Developed by Infogrames Interactive, it saw Chris Sawyer continue the work he put into the first game, with more rides and tools to tweak your park to whatever specifications you desired.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 features over a hundred attractions, a plethora of themes and a roller coaster physics system that is completely ludicrous in terms of detail. But in the pursuit of building a sandbox sim, did Chris Sawyer forget to add a compelling video game to the mix? Or is this just ultimately an empty and lifeless recreation of rides going round in circles for all eternity?
On this episode, we discuss:
Intrinsic Rewards.
Does Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 do enough to incentivise the player with extrinsic gameplay rewards? Are the intrinsic rewards of seeing your park grow and come together enough to make the game a worthwhile use of your time?UI/UX.
How good is the UI for managing your park and specifically for building roller coasters? How well does the game teach the player how best to run their park?Visuals.
How good does the game look? Is there more to the low pixel graphics that meets the eye, and what’s the difference between a new untouched park and one that has grown to completion?We answer these questions and many more on the 111lth episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 OST: Allister Brimble
Do you know how to build the mighty roller coasters that we struggled so much with? Are there actually that many differences between the first three games, or are they all essentially identical? What other management style games would you like to see us play? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server
If you’d like to support the show monetarily, please check out our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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It feels like Metal Gear Solid barely needs an introduction. First released in 1998 for the playstation, it launched Hideo Kojima into the western spotlight and has been credited as a foundational game in the stealth genre. It combined a cinematic presentation with a larger than life cast of villains that somehow never broke through how seriously the game seemed to take itself. There was an attention to detail here that blew people’s minds upon release, not only in the level of interactivity but also the many easter eggs and secrets scattered throughout the game.
But for all its critical acclaim, and its renowned legacy, is Metal Gear Solid still a fun game to play today? Every single entry in the series innovated in a big way, and Metal Gear Solid was the first 3D title to come out. Were pundits at the time just wowed by what was essentially a glorified tech demo, or is Metal Gear Solid still a worthy title to play to this day?
On this episode we discuss:
Stealth
Metal Gear Solid is credited for the revitalisation and popularization of the stealth genre. But just how good is the stealth gameplay here really? Is it as good as the later games in the series, and how does it hold up in comparison to its contemporaries like Thief?
Story
The Metal Gear Solid series is famous for its batshit insane storytelling, wacky villains and twists and turns. How well does the first game execute on its story, and how does it use cutscenes and codec calls to reveal character’s personalities and philosophies?
Action
Metal Gear Solid isn’t just a stealth game, and features a heavy dose of action particularly towards the end of the game. How well realised are the action setpieces compared to the stealth?
We answer these questions and many more on the 110th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Metal Gear Solid OST: Maki Kirioka, Kazuki Muraoka, Togo Project
Which Metal Gear game is your favourite? Are the original Metal Gear 1 and 2 worth playing today? Do you prefer to play the game with or without the radar? Come let us know what you think, and recommend us games to play on our community discord server!
You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee page.
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In the 90’s turn based strategy and tactics games were everywhere, but by the turn of the millennium the RTS genre was stealing its thunder. So it was a surprise to most when in 2001 Advance Wars seemingly came out of nowhere and presented a tight and refined dose of tactics to the Western world. Its jovial and enthusiastic tone won over a lot of people, but what really stood out was just how robust its systems seemed to be, promising deep tactical options far beyond what first met the eye.
Advance Wars seemingly ticked all the right boxes. It appealed to newcomers and veterans alike, it had a charming presentation, and it seemed balanced enough to make its multiplayer battles something worth pursuing. Why is it then, that we’ve seen no more Advance Wars games in over a decade? Why did games of its ilk seemingly die out in the mainstream, relegated to indie spin offs like War Groove? Does Advance Wars have something special about it worth playing all these years later, or does its stripped back design make it an ultimately boring and lackluster experience?
On this episode, we discuss:
Advance Wars shies away from the horrors of war with its story and aesthetic, with beautifully drawn sprites and a narrative that is more about squabbling friends than armies clashing to the death. Does this work in the game’s favour, or is it impossible to tell a war story without getting into the awful realities of violence?
Aesthetics and PresentationUI and Learning Curve
Advance Wars has a very clean UI, and gives the player a lot of information at their fingertips to make the best decisions. Does this make the game too easy to the point where it plays itself, or does this clarity of information let the player learn the relative strengths of units at a rapid pace?Strategy and Balance
Just how well balanced is Advanced Wars, and does it really matter? To what degree to you get to delve into the full strategic possibilities on show here within the playtime of Advance War’s campaign?We answer these questions and many more on the 109th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Advance Wars OST: Taishi Senda
You can check out the competitive online Advance Wars community (AWBW) here!
Is the new game+ of Advance Wars really as brutally difficult as its reputation suggests? In what way do the sequels change the core gameplay (if they change it at all?) Which faction leader is the best? Come let us know what you think, or recommend us a game to play on our community discord server!
You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page!
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Power fantasies are the norm for video games. We play them to blow off steam, to escape into another world where we can let our worries drop away. But Pulse Entertainment wanted to do things a little differently when they developed Bad Mojo in 1996. They wanted to put the player in the little brown shell of a cockroach.
You play as Roger Samms, who, on the verge of embezzling a million dollars, gets transformed into a roach. You crawl around the disgusting tenancy where you live, feebly pushing small objects in an attempt to get back to your real self. Your options are limited, and the world is a very scary place with spiders, cats and deadly poison everywhere you go.
Does Bad Mojo, with its undeniably gross aesthetic and limited perspective bring it all together into a cohesive video game? Or is this just a buggy mess?
On this episode, we discuss:
Aesthetics.
Bad Mojo has a very unique look and feel, thanks in large part to its 3D scanning of dead animals. Has its visual design held up to this day?
Story.
This game comes from the glory days of the FMV sequence, long before professional actors had become commonplace in the gaming world. Does the amateurish acting here hurt the immersiveness of Bad Mojo, or does it just give it a different feel?
Controls.
Bad Mojo has an extremely simple control scheme, with you only controlling the roach with the directional arrow keys. Does this limit the possible depth of puzzle design, or is this a case of simpler being better?
We answer all these questions and many more on the 108th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Bad Mojo OST: Xorcist
Have you played any other games where you’re absolutely tiny in a regular world? Are there any other games out there which share something similar to Bad Mojo’s aesthetic? Is this the worst voice acting you’ve ever heard? Let us know what you think on our community discord server!
You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me A Coffee page!
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Luigi’s Mansion was the cornerstone of the Nintendo Gamecube’s launch in 2001. It sold more copies than any other launch title, received positive critical acclaim, and occupied prime place in every promo gaming machine in gaming and electronic shops everywhere. The game promised a charming take on a haunted mansion, quite unlike Resident Evil that had come before it.
You take control of Luigi, searching for Mario after he goes missing when he supposedly wins a free mansion. You don’t have much to help you in your quest to find Mario in this haunted mansion - a flashlight and a vacuum cleaner and what little wits you can gather are all Luigi has to arm himself against the many ghosts that occupy its walls. It's a tried and true blend of action, adventure, and puzzle solving, but wrapped up in a very unique way.
But is Luigi’s Mansion still a compelling title to play all these years later? Does the simplicity of the formulae grow stale even with its short run time? And can we really do a G-rated take on ghosts and still find it interesting?
On this episode, we discuss:
Controls.
Luigi’s mansion has a fixed camera in the tradition of survival horror games, but gives us a weird blend of regular and tank controls. Does this control scheme work in a game where the action can be far more frantic than slowly shooting zombies in the head?Puzzles.
Luigi’s Mansion’s ghosts are not willing to be compressed into paintings without putting up a bit of resistance first. How enjoyable is it to solve the puzzle of what these gallery ghosts require?Atmosphere.
Is Luigi’s Mansion, by its refusal to engage with the more horrifying elements of ghosts, shooting itself in the foot? Was there a lack of narrative punch to the identities and personalities of the ghosts because of the G rated theme?We answer these questions and many more on the 107th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Luigi’s Mansion OST: Kazumi Totaka
Do the later Luigi’s Mansion games build on the gameplay of the first to produce a deeper and more compelling experience? Did you enjoy catching the 50 Boos more than we did? Is there an R rated take on this genre, and if so, where can we play it?
Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!If you’d like to support the show, please check out our Buy me a Coffee page!
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Unreal was the Crysis of its time. It pushed PCs to their absolute limits, with its advanced shader effects and enormous levels. It featured AI that was far beyond the stilted and simplistic enemies that people were used to. It built an alien world that managed to straddle the line between the more abstract early era shooter and what the build engine games were doing. And it was all wrapped up in a succinct 10 hour campaign, that eschewed genre staples like door keys and fodder enemies. Unreal seemed to represent a true evolution of the FPS genre.
But unfortunately for Unreal, there was another FPS that was released in 1998. And that was Half Life. Half Life went on to become the dominant FPS in a way not seen since Doom, and Unreal’s legacy would lie more in its ongoing arena multiplayer than its initial single player efforts.
But does Unreal actually deserve to be forgotten? Was there something magical and unique about its design that elevated it above its boomer shooter peers? Or was it instead ultimately just a shallow tech showcase, with no real substance beneath all of its glitter?
On this episode, we discuss:
Aesthetics.
On the surface, from a modern perspective, Unreal looks kind of ugly, with its low-res stretched textures. But it combines this with a haunting OST, varied level design and a color palette that brings its scenes to life. Is the famed atmosphere of Unreal as alien and immersive as it is claimed to be?Level Design.
Unreal has a curious blend of massive open ended architecture fused with ultimately linear level design. Does getting rid of key doors in favour of switches lead to the player getting lost in the maze, or is there something deeper and more clever at work here?Combat.
Unreal boasts some very advanced AI for its primary enemy combatant: The Skaarj. They dodge roll your rocket blasts, maintain distance against close range weapons, and are generally a massive nuisance to deal with. But the number of enemies you actually fight at once is low, and the game is even lower on enemy variety. Just how fun is the combat gameplay of Unreal?We answer these questions and many more on the 106th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Unreal OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8hkDjVYXQY&t
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Is there more to the combat of Unreal than we’re giving it credit for? Are there any mods which improve the fundamental Unreal experience? What is it about the level design that’s so special, and are there any other games that have built upon it? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
If you’re enjoying the show, you can support us on our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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When Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers first released in 1993, it was not a crack commercial hit. It did however instantly earn itself widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its dark and disturbing story, foreboding atmosphere, and incredible voice acting. The game brought the setting of 90’s Louisiana to life, with all the colonial baggage and real life voodoo history integrated into every little crevice of its world.
But can Gabriel Knight truly get over the ultimate sin of being a point and click adventure game? Can voodoo be taken seriously after Monkey Island spent so much time satirising the concept? Is this game as scary or intense all these years later? Or has the passage of time left the narrative of Gabriel Knight without any bite?
On this episode, we discuss:
Aesthetics.
We played two different versions of Gabriel Knight - the original, and the 2014 remake. Is one of these clearly better than the other, or do they each have their strengths and weaknesses?
Story.
How does the narrative unravel in Gabriel Knight? Is having a slow burn story a good way to keep the player invested? How does structuring the game into days affect how the story is told?
Gameplay.
How logical are Gabriel Knight’s puzzles? Does having the game split into days affect the clarity of what you’re meant to accomplish each day? Does the game avoid the fundamental issues that Pat and James have with the genre?
We answer these questions and many more on the 105th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
GK 1993 OST: Robert Holmes
GK 2014 OST: Robert Holmes
Are our critiques of the point and click adventure game puzzles valid? What do the sequels change or improve from the original? Is there a different adventure game out there that we should try? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
You can support the show on our Buy me a Coffee page!
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Arkane Studios was founded with a dream: to create a sequel to the highly revered grandfather of immersive sims Ultima Underworld. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t quite secure the rights to the IP, and instead decided to make a game that was evocative of the original in every way. Enter Arx Fatalis, a game that was released to widespread critical acclaim, but unfortunately for Arkane suffered commercially. It wasn’t until the far more action orientated release of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic that Arkane started to see more widespread appeal.
But did the original Arx Fatalis deserve to go under the radar? It features an unusual magic system where players have to inscribe runes on their screen to create spells. Its level design is a complicated web of caverns layered on top of one another with secrets galore connecting them together. And its quest design is almost puzzle-like in structure, requiring players to have their wits about them to actually progress through the game. Does this all add up to a dream game for immersive sim purists, or is it just a messy and janky homage to a much greater game?
On this episode, we discuss:
Level Design.
How easy is it to navigate the labyrinthian caverns that make up most of the world of Arx Fatalis? Is it easy to get lost in the web, or are objectives always clear despite the lack of quest markers?
Combat.
How enjoyable is the combat in Arx Fatalis? How does melee combat stack up against other first person fantasy RPGs like Skyrim? Does spellcasting give you a different approach to combat like in Dark Messiah?
Puzzles.
Arx Fatalis features some fairly involved puzzles in its dungeons, like the crypt or mysterious Hall of Illusions. How well are these puzzles integrated into the regular gameplay and interface? Does the game make full use of your utility spellcasting options to create the most interesting puzzles possible?
We answer these questions and many more on the 104th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Arx Fatalis OST: Kemal Amarasingham, Simon Amarasingham
Arx Fatalis Libertatis Mod
Join the conversation and recommend us games to play on our community discord server!
You can support the show on our Buy me a Coffee Page!
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Puzzles are like crack cocaine for their very special audience. Whether it be a crossword, a logic problem, or even a riddle, unravelling them shoots a heavy dose of endorphins directly to the brain. It is therefore no surprise that Professor Layton and the Curious Village was such a resounding success upon release, taking advantage of the portability of the 3DS before smartphones were a given for the general populace.
Combining a charming and relaxed atmosphere with an onslaught of different puzzle types, it was so successful that not only did it have many, many sequels, it even had a spinoff with Ace Attorney. People fell in love with everything the game had to offer, right down to its devious trickery.
But has this formula of puzzles with a light story attached truly stood the test of time? Is this better or worse than the point and click adventure games that defined the puzzle genre in the 90s? Or is Professor Layton just a dull and repetitive ripoff of Sherlock Holmes?
On this episode, we discuss:
Story.
How compelling is the story that exists in the webbing in between all of the puzzles? Does its light and charming tone suit the seemingly dark mysteries that surround the curious village?Puzzles.
What did we think of the puzzles in the game? Is there enough variety in puzzle types? Can you logically push through most puzzles? Are the ‘gotcha’ puzzles that require lateral thinking unfair, or an essential part of the Layton experience?Hints.
Is it possible to get stuck and unable to progress when things get too hard? Are the hints that are available to the player reasonable without giving too much away?We answer these questions and many more on the 103rd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Professor Layton OST: Tomohito Nishiura
Is there more to the story of Professor Layton and the Curious Village than we thought? Is there another game in the series that is an absolute must play? Which was your favourite puzzle? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us on our Buy Me a Coffee Page!
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Relic Entertainment has a long history of innovating in the RTS space. Both Company of Heroes and Dawn of War are much beloved and respected titles that could hold their heads high even when compared to other goliaths like Warcraft, Red Alert or Age of Empires. But in many ways it was their very first game as a company that pushed the conventions in a weirder direction than anything else. This debut title was called Homeworld.
Homeworld is an RTS set in true three dimensional space, with fleets of ships able to attack from any direction. It features a unique yet bizarrely suited control scheme and UI to fit this space, with orientation being determined around units rather than a fixed camera. Its broader gameplay structure has you keep resources and ships between missions, rather than resetting to base building with each new map. And while its story has a simple premise, it has a lot more dedicated lore around the edges than most games released at the time.
But does strange and bizarre and innovative necessarily translate to an enjoyable experience today? RTS games are close to dead nowadays as is - does throwing all these conventions out the window even make sense? Is Homeworld a unique and underappreciated classic, or has it been forgotten for a reason?
On this episode, we discuss:
The Kushan fleet is a professional military force. They speak in clipped tones, don’t disobey orders, and keep their emotions in check. Does Homeworld suffer from its lack of characterisation and cultural identity, or are they simply acting like a sophisticated navy should?
Story.Macro Strategy.
Homeworld’s strategic imperatives are driven by the decision to have the campaign be a single continuous journey, with resources and ships carrying over from mission to mission. Does this create a tense and immersive experience as you closely monitor your losses? Does this force you down a narrower strategic path?Fleet Composition.
To what degree do you need to balance the various ship types in order to create a balanced and effective fleet? Is there a meaningful difference between different ship classes? How important is it to micromanage your forces?We answer these questions and many more on the 102nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Homeworld OST: Paul Ruskay
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We played with the Homeworld Splendor Mod. Highly recommended, since the game probably won’t even work without it!
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Is using salvage drones as much as we did truly the optimal strategy? Did you get more use out of cloaking and mine laying? Does Homeworld 2 do anything to address our criticisms of the first game? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!
If you’d like to support the show, please check out our Buy Me a Coffee page!
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Before Todd Howard’s promises about the climbability of mountains was Peter Molyneux and Fable, a game which promised a level of interactivity never seen before in an RPG. Have children (that could continue your legacy when you died), plant a tree and see it grow, and dynamic rivalries with other heroes - Fable was going to have it all.
Instead we got something far simpler in scope and ambition. There were hints or shadows of something more grandiose, properties could be bought, reputation existed, and you could fart in people’s faces. But for all that it seemed to miss on its promises, Fable was still a widely beloved title when it released in 2004. People loved its childlike sense of charm and wonder, and the freedom with which you could customise your character.
So where, then, does the truth lie? Is Fable a game that’s fantastic precisely because of its limited scope, letting it focus down on the fun? Or is it’s mish-mash of seemingly novel mechanics at odds with how shallow they are, both in and of themselves and how they interact with others?
On this episode, we discuss:
Story.
Fable’s story is a lighthearted and at times comedic retelling of a generic hero’s journey. To what degree is this a sincere attempt to tell a story, and do its satirical elements clash with its rather menacing villains?
Systems.
Fable lets you immediately put skill points into anything from the very beginning of your journey. Is this flat levelling structure better or worse than the far more common skill trees common to action RPGS?
Fluff.
Fable 1 has many different mechanical systems that are wrapped around the core gameplay - marriage, property ownership, reputation and gestures (to name a few). Do these systems integrate well together and add to the depth of the worldbuilding, or are they simply funny and ultimately irrelevant novelties?
We answer these questions and many more on the 101st episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Fable OST: Russel Shaw, Danny Elfman
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Thanks once again to everyone who has taken the time to listen to us discuss these great games.
If you haven’t already, come say hi on our Discord Server’s text chat and let us know if there are any great titles you think we should play. Anything 15 years or older and under 20 Hours long is always seriously considered :)
And if you would like to support the show then you can do so on our
Buy Me a Coffee page. -
The original Pathologic has long been regarded as a cult classic. Obtuse, frustrating, boring and unfriendly, it nonetheless captured people’s imaginations with its densely woven storytelling and mystical dialogue. It was a game that came at the art form from a completely different direction from what everyone else was doing, but was ultimately limited by its fairly simple gameplay.
Pathologic 2 aimed to solve the gameplay problem. Ice Pick Lodge, with a wagon full of kickstarter money, wanted to refine the spirit of the first game and realise their dream of death and suffering. Combat, looting, infection, trading, potion making, the UI and much much more have all been expanded upon dramatically to give the player too much to do, and not enough time to do it.
But did all these radical changes to the gameplay come at the cost of the story? Is only having the Haruspex playthrough instead of all 3 characters still a meaningful experience? Has Pathologic 2 achieved everything that the first game was striving for?
Join us on our special 100th episode of Retro Spectives Podcast as we discuss a game that refused to bend to progress, and instead carved its own path through the gaming landscape
On this episode, we discuss:
Story.
How has the story of Pathologic 2 changed, and is it for the better?
The dialogue is more grounded and the politics de-emphasised in favour of more intimate character moments.
Does this make the game more immersive, or has something ephemeral been lost along the way?Gameplay.
How does the gameplay of Pathologic 2 actually work?
We dig deep to wrap our minds around every part of this game's complex web of systems.Suffering.
Is there meaning to be found in humanity's struggles for survival?
Or does this game's portrayal of suffering pale in comparison to the agony of looting those same park bins once again?We answer these questions and many more on th1 100th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Pathologic 2 OST: Vasily Kashnikov, Theodor Bastard
A big thank you to everyone who has stuck with us through 100 episodes of reviewing and discussing classic games. The whole reason doing this podcast is fun is because you’re there listening, and both Pat and James deeply appreciate you for it. If you haven’t done so already, we’d love it if you'd swing by and say hi on our community discord server.
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When we started this podcast nearly 4 years ago, we did so with a clear goal in mind. We wanted to play, review and critique games of the past from a perspective free of nostalgia. As the gaming industry grew, games changed, for both better and worse - and it is worthwhile to examine all those creaky and dust covered titles to see what has been forgotten. Sometimes mechanics truly are outdated, sometimes modern games have done it better - but not always. And discovering when an old game offers something unique because of what they supposedly lack has been an incredible experience.
Over these 4 years we have slowly gathered a community of listeners that has similar feelings, or can at least appreciate this perspective. We are forever grateful for you listening to our show, for sending us tweets and for conversing on our discord server. The least we can do is give back to you with an opportunity to ask questions of us once a year, not just about old games but about anything.
So welcome one and all to our reprisal of the Mailbag episode, with M4ILB4G. Grab a beverage and settle in as we answer our discord listener’s burning questions. And while you’re at it, make sure to drop by and join our discord server if you haven’t already. There’s no Retro Spectives without you, and we appreciate you all deeply.
On this episode, we discuss:
Remakes and remasters.
Are they an exciting way to re-experience classics of the past? Do they provide a way for new players to get into old games they wouldn’t have otherwise? Or are they soulless cash grabs, stifling creativity and pushing the original games out of the spotlight?Re-living games for the first time.
If we had the opportunity to play any game or series blind again, which one would it be? What kind of experience is best suited to experiencing something fresh for the first time?Making a game of our own.
If we could develop or write our own video game, what would we do and how would we do it? Are there any lessons you’ve learned from doing the pod that you would be eager to integrate into the game?We answer these questions and many, many more on the 99.5th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K
Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another
Medivo from Jazz Jackrabbit:
River of Despair from The Binding of Isaac: Jonathan Evans, Matthias Nicol Bossi, Ridiculon
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