Beginning with this one, all Forgotten Classics will have a brief synopsis of the plot, enough so you get what it’s about, not so much that it ruins the game. If there’s demand, I’ll provide them for the earlier ones too (except Phoenix, which is just kill all the stuff you can before you die).
The Journeyman Project
Presto Studios (1994 for Turbo Version)
PC
Time Travel Adventure
Synopsis: Your character, Agent 5, works for the Temporal Security Annex, an organization designed to prevent nasty things happening in the past. Invariably, something goes wrong and you have to fix it.
Why it should be remembered: Games based on time travel generally fail miserably, either making the time travel unnecessary or strictly controlled. JP forces you to jump around quite a bit, collecting pieces in one time that are critical in another. The story is remarkably well done. The interface is quite simple and requires little work to understand it.
Why it’s forgotten: Although there have been multiple sequels, JP was initially a strictly Macintosh release. There was a time when gamers used Macs; that time has passed. Many complained the game felt empty, with few other people. The technical requirements were also quite high for the time. Ultimately, it was another Myst-like game that was thoroughly supplanted by Myst, which even I admit is the better game, albeit grudgingly. It can also be a bit difficult at times.
Overall rating: B+. The best game you’ll probably never get a chance to play. Gabriel Knight (another candidate) is the other. Serious compatibility issues with Windows XP and greater; I’ve never had much luck getting it to work. If anybody has, please share with the class so this wonderful game can be experienced by all. If it worked today, it’d be an A+.
Cranking these out today! One more after this, then a break, while I think up more for the coming days (hey, Kevin won’t be around to post).
The 7th Guest
Trilobite (1993)
PC
Horror Adventure
Why it should be remembered: The first game ever to be sold strictly on CD; almost entirely full motion video. Predates Myst (which is ineligible for review as the game is still widely available in many formats).
Why it’s forgotten: Trilobite (notice a bit of a pattern here?) only really made two successful games: this one and the sequel 11th Hour (which I never finished or don’t remember finishing; the first one is better in any regard). The game is also very adult-oriented; it’s legitimate scary at times and there are steamy scenes of another nature. Most adults weren’t hardcore gamers at this time. I played it as a teenager, although a few years after the release.
Overall rating: B-. There’s not much replay value, and you can solve any puzzle but the last with the hint book at the very beginning. It’s visually stunning, even today, and it’s worth a look because of the atmosphere and story. However, I got it for free (local library used to loan PC games), and I can’t honestly say I’d pay to own it.
Anachronox
ION Storm (2001)
PC
Role playing game
Why it should be remembered: One of the wittiest games I’ve played. Very dark humor, for the most part, with a wonderful story and cast of characters. The music is so engaging that I actually burned most of the songs onto a CD.
Why it’s forgotten: Two words: ION Storm. ION Storm made very successful games, among them the greatest PC game of all time (according to me). However, every game they made had huge delays and invariably ended up disappointing (helllllooooo Daikatana!) most fans. Anachronox also starts off a bit slowly, which can deter the casual gamer.
Overall rating: A+. It’s #5 on my all-time list of games. Click on the link above for more info!
Thief: The Dark Project
Looking Glass Studios (1998)
PC
First Person Shooter Sneaker
Why it should be remembered: Revolutionized first person shooters by forcing you to rely on stealth. Fascinating story, spawned a whole series, most of which suffered from not being the first one.
Why it’s forgotten: Looking Glass made really high quality games for a very brief time before closing, like the Ultima Underworld series, the Thief series, numerous flight simulators, and the System Shock series. I truly think the gaming world suffered after it closed. Most of the titles were fairly innovative, which is a good route for a smaller gaming company to go these days. Thief was also really difficult (the manual claimed there was no easy setting because if you need an easy setting, find another game) and inexplicably featured annoying levels with zombies.
Overall rating: C+. The game is memorable because it’s innovative. The zombie levels drove me absolutely nuts; I never finished the game because of it. The AI is also quite stupid at times.
Phoenix
Taito (1980)
Atari 2600
Arcade Shooter
Why it should be remembered: The first real challenge to Space Invaders, in my estimation. The birds move much more randomly, and the mothership boss is a treat. Even better, some of them take more than one hit to kill!
Why it’s forgotten: Despite being republished in 2005 for various systems, it’s been since overshadowed by every game that came out after it. Plus, there are probably people reading this post who have never owned an Atari 2600.
Overall rating: B-. To a little kid in the late eighties, this was the height of awesome. I’m not sure it’d hold up well today for a hardcore gamer, although it might for the more casual gamers. It’s just hard to find these days.
GUN
Activision (2005)
PC
First Person Shooter
Why it should be remembered: One of the very few modern games to take place in the Old West. Absolutely phenomenal voice cast (Thomas Jane, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Skerrit, Lance Henriksen), with a somewhat corny but still interesting story.
Why it’s forgotten: Graphics aren’t very exciting. The game is very short, and like many games, promised more than it could deliver.
Overall rating: B+. The game is somewhat unstable and crashes without warning, but it’s worth picking up, if for no other reason than the atmosphere and tremendous acting. Think Grand Theft Auto with horses and far fewer people (and rocket launchers… it is the Old West!)
In light of my highly successful Reviews you can use [tm]! series, I’m adding a new one: Forgotten Classics. I’ll briefly profile classic video/computer games in a simple format:
Title
Publisher (Year)
Platform I played it on
Genre
Why it should be remembered
Why it’s forgotten
Overall rating
The idea is to get you to play older games you may have but have since ignored or discover new games that you’d never heard of. I openly accept any and all recommendations.
Here are the general criteria:
1. The game must be at least three years old.
2. If the game is widely available (i.e. at Wal-Mart, Target, or your favorite big box retailer), it’s not eligible (sorry Starcraft).
3. If a sports franchise is still active, it cannot qualify (therefore, no Madden, but High Heat would be okay).
4. I have to have played it.
If it’s already been in a Review you can use! I’ll link to it, but I’m going to avoid such games wherever possible, since most of them aren’t old enough.
First one is coming soon!
Very entertaining Super Bowl. I know it’s a cliche, but the Saints wanted it more and proved it (or at least Sean Payton did). The Saints acted like there was no tomorrow by gambling (the onside kick at the start of the half was one of the most brilliant calls I’ve ever seen); the Colts seemed surprisingly restrained. Maybe they forgot the Super Bowl is the last game of the season. I picked the Saints and I’m glad I did, but I have the sneaking suspicion the better team didn’t necessarily win. The better coach did, but I’m not sure the better team did.