News roundup part 2

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:59 pm

[Community -> Update]

Two more minor bits of news, courtesy of Briosafreak. Firstly, <a href="http://www.pcformat.co.uk/">PC Format</a> list their top science fiction games of all time (issue 169, Christmas 2004). Those games are, in no particular order, Halo, Homeworld, Beneath a Steel Sky and Fallout. The accompanying quote:<blockquote>Simultaneously nasty, hillarious and perverse, Fallout`s post-apocaÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â§yptic, mutant-beset world remains a breath of fresh roleplaying air.</blockquote>I guess it's nice to see Fallout listed as a classic again.
 
 The second newsbit is that <a href="http://rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php ... >according to this thread on RPG Codex</a>, german magazine Gamestar gave away Fallout 2 on its DVD in its Christmas issue. I wonder who they had to license that from - I can't imagine Interplay wanting to give away a game for free.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 6:11 pm

It just seems strange really - I mean, BASS, Fallout, Homeworld and Halo in the same list? Sure they're all quite similar. After all, they all are Post-apocalyptic RPGs.
Yeah, yeah, it was a sci-fi list, I know. But still. Can't you make a teeny-weeny bit more accurate list, that's all I'm asking, PC Format? Oh shite, your magazine sucks anyway.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:38 am

Well, it's british.

Blargh · Post by **Blargh** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:45 am

I find it quite sad that Halo is on their list. Homeworld less so. No bearing, their misguided decisions matter not.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:22 am

Where the fuck is SS2?

Blargh · Post by **Blargh** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:17 am

S4ur0n27 wrote:Where the fuck is SS2?

Exactly ! Fucking tossers. They have no credibility, no dignity, no sense. Out of the window.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:33 am

Halo wasn't particularly interesting sci-fi. Aliens attack the Earth--wowee. Homeworld is slightly more interesting, but Christ, it's just Battlestar Galactica all over again. I can't speak for BASS, but Fallout and System Shock 2 are really great because aside from being terrific games, they're just good sci-fi. Fallout is juicy post-apoc stuff that explores evolution and how science can fuck things over if handled by the wrong people (the latter theme being downright central to much of SF). SS2 is a particularly interesting examination of natural fleshy stuff versus mechanical electrical stuff and is really compelling (though I think the conclusion the game presents is that both are fairly distressing, which works, too). Halo and Homeworld are pretty damn shallow in comparison. Homeworld 2's plot is especially vapid and hell, downright nonsensical at times.

Subhuman · Post by **Subhuman** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:42 am

Homeworld was a piece of fucking genius, and deserves to be on the list for its gameplay alone. No other real-time strategy game had even attempted a fully-3D play environment. And not only did Homeworld set the bar, it had one of the most intuitive interfaces in the genre.

The effectiveness of its plot is debatable, but the list isn't about which games had the best stories.

Blargh · Post by **Blargh** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:47 am

'Where the fuck did I get that pistol from ? I haven't even carried one since Engineering !' - Goggles.

That's possibly the most striking aspect of SS2's conclusion as I remember it. A very disappointing finale. Ah well.

Stainless · Post by **Stainless** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:22 pm

BASS was fantastic. Halo shouldn't be given the light of day on that list. Homeworld is more of a so-so/fair enough vote though.

'Where the fuck did I get that pistol from ? I haven't even carried one since Engineering !' - Goggles.

Heh. As soon as I found the assault rifle and switched it to single shot, that pissy little thing become obsolete. It was hard enough to keep ammo for the assault rifle, let alone a pistol too.

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:10 pm

I think there's a sequel in the works to BASS, which should be interesting.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:16 pm

BASS was fairly interesting, but as most adventuring games of that time, it doesn't offer much in terms of gameplay. Clicking hot spots and trying to guess which item works on that specific hotspot (and in what order). It gets kinda boring after a while. But as said, the setting and the story in BASS was enjoyable at least.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:07 pm

I kept my pistol loaded with armor piercing rounds for cameras and cyborgs and kept my assault rifle loaded with standard bullets. My shotgun generally had anti personnel shells for when a rumbler was getting in my face.

Subhuman · Post by **Subhuman** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:31 pm

Uggh. The Rumblers still give me nightmares.

The really sad thing is that I still haven't finished SS2. I need a better 3D card for my PC, which I'm not even using anymore now that I have a Mac.