Old-ass games.

Tobias · *explodes* Age: 38 Gender: Joined: 17 Jan 2003

I've missed this place, and it's gameage, which was a great thing that I loved to chat about all the time. Now, still being one of the only wack-job nerds out there that still doesn't have a next gen system, or currently enthralled in an MMO of some sort, I figured that I'd take some time to reflect on some little gems that have kept me happy in my times of budget-friendly gaming.

For those of you that are wondering the technology that I'm playing with, I haven't made it passed the Xbox 360, the Gamecube or the PS2 and I still heavily rely on the world of emulated gameplay. I still play my old-ass systems with reckless abandon, and have a good time doing it as well (though I get ridiculed out work for my lack of new-age systemage).

But enough of this: recently, i whipped out one of my favorite older games that operated through MS DOS.

GAME: Ascendancy
DEVELOPER: The Logic Factory

Now, you can still find this game online for free, provided you download DosBox, or some other program to run DOS games if you have a better computer that thinks DOS is a pansy, but nevertheless, I popped this little bugger in (and by popped in, I had to do the above) and took a ride down memory lane.

Now I'm a sucker for strategy games, especially games that allow me to take my time and make a decision. This game wasn't afraid to ask you to take your time making your moves as it relied on a Day-counter that led to the development of planetary buildings; research chains; population growth and intergalactic travel. This engine allows the player to be nit-picky about what they do: If you don't like something that you have begun development, all you need to do is not hit the "Advance Days" button, go back and fix whatever it is that you goofed up (silly little moo-cow) and then decide if it's the best possible path for your race.

Speaking of race, did I mention that you have somewhere in the ballpark of 21 races that all have a special ability (ie: perfect invasion %, ability to research developments instantly, galactic farsight, etc.) Not to mention that each race also has it's own ship schemes and styles. The only lack was that the races weren't very much different in that respect, and all of them had the same research chain, meaning that the development of every race was the same.

This leads to one of the flaws of the game: Despite it's intricacies, it's still a bit cookie-cutter. Each race had the same research/tech tree, the same equipment that they could get, and the same strengthed ships. Now, granted, The Logic Factory decided to go with a route of making a huge amount of playable races, rather than 4 of 5 detailed races with their own developmental trees (or a bit of a slower Warcraft style game). This led to issues in my gameplaying as the ability to find a set path to kick alien ass, which worked every time, since the AI wasn't necessarily hostile when it should have been.

Finally, though, there is a little bit of intergalactic battle (for being a game of conquering the galaxy...did I forget to mention that as the win condition?) in small interstellar skirmishes that you can have between your ships or between ship and planet. This is executed on a turn-by-turn basis, which allows for careful decision making and tactful advances/defends.

All in all, the game is fun...it just seems about five-million times easier then I could remember when I was younger. It also seems so much more cookie cutter than I last remembered it, and with games like Warcraft III, Starcraft, or even a game like Dawn of War, which is a bit more cookie-cutter than the other aformentioned games, it still ends up being a simple, game. Simple, but still fun, nonetheless.

*explodes*

Ming · DOOM! Gender: Joined: 13 Jan 2003

XBOX 360 is a next-gen system and I can attest to the fact that you do not own one.

Tobias · *explodes* Age: 38 Gender: Joined: 17 Jan 2003

Terin · Huzzah! Gender: Joined: 27 Oct 2003

*gets the defibulator ready* CLEAR!

Osiris and I have been jamming on some old school games, Life Force, Castlvania, and some crazy 3D stuff for the Turbo Graphix I never knew existed lol. But seriously I'm getting retro.

Razer · 4934 5157 5662 5658 Gender: Joined: 07 Oct 2002

Life Force...this was one of my fave shooters back in the day. Go get'em, Terin!

Shino · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 9:41 am Post subject:

Terin... look for the Salamander Collection on PSP.
Pretty nice collection of shmups including Life Force if I remember correctly.

Akuko · Chosen of Bast Age: 45 Gender: Joined: 03 Mar 2006

Forgot how difficult, if nigh impossible, the super nintendo version of Star Wars was.... Thank you Wii, for reminding me why games and game systems evolve...LOL

Stingdragon · Lollipop Gender: Joined: 13 Dec 2005

I played through Sonic 4 episode one in an afternoon not long ago.

Reminded me of how much fun we had with the old Sonic games before he began to talk...
Even if I know all of them by heart I can still play and enjoy them greatly. The new one? Eeh... Something was missing.

Shinigami Banchou · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:01 pm Post subject:

i have really wanted to break out Planescape Torment again but it wont run on my linux laptop and my other one needs a power cable Sad

but to this day i think it is still one of the best pc rpgs hands down. the story is so epic, the characters well done and well fleshed out. the system is kind of clunky but once you get use to it it isnt too bad. best of all you can now get it from good old games for 10 bucks unlike before when you had to offer up your first born (assuming you could find the old witch hut in the forest that actually had a copy)