Hey folks,
Over the last few years, there has been a push to bring back "old school" FPS game design, primarily in the indie space though supported by a slew of remasters of older FPS titles. We have reached a heavy saturation point for these, and the results have certainly been varied, but when it hits right, it hits right. Have you been playing them? And if so, what are your favorites to check out, or what hidden gems have you discovered in the flood worth seeking?
For my own opinions, I'll come up with a list. Note these are my current opinions and mine alone.
Worth checking out:
A.W.O.L.
Amid Evil (and The Black Labyrinth expansion)
Arkos
Arthurian Legends
Cultic
Dusk
Forgive Me Father
Hands of Necromancy
Hedon
Ion Fury
Prodeus
Project Warlock
REKKR: Sunken Land
Shrine
Shrine II
Strafe
Vomitoreum
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Zortch
And here we have the ones I don't consider worth checking out, either because they were buggy, rudimentary, bland, or just not good.
Meh:
Apocryph
Hatchpunk
Hellbound
Hellbreaker
Midnight Ultra
Monument
Perilous Warp
Wholesome Slaughter
I decided it best to put Remasters in their own list. I consider these worth playing and would recommend checking out most of them...except for Shadow Warrior.
Remasters:
Blood: Fresh Supply
Chasm: The Rift
Doom 64
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
PowerSlave Exhumed
Quake
Quake II
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition
Shadow Warrior Classic Redux
Strife
There are other titles that I believe would appeal, but that's up to the individual. Games like Chex Quest HD, Berserk Mode, The Citadel, or Chop Goblins may be worth checking out if you're hungry for more. And if you really love your System Shocks, go look into Spirits of Xanadu for a low-budget thrill.
Boomer Shooters
Re: Boomer Shooters
For the most part it's been the usual suspects that come up when this revival has been discussed. Dusk, Amid Evil, Hedon, etc. I've found the ones that don't get much attention are on the lower end of the quality/polish spectrum, so while you might have some fun with it they aren't really worth going to other people "you totally need to try this".
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Boomer Shooters
Well, if you're more into Serious Sam and Painkiller (especially Painkiller), there is another game on Steam that might catch your interest: Bloodhound!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1926270/Bloodhound/
The game consists of you jumping into rooms and fighting off whatever horde of demonic critters spawn or taking down bosses that are varied and interesting, much moreso than simple strafing to win.
I'm probably about 3/4 of the way through already, and there are hits and misses with the game. There is definite jank, and the devs have a bad habit of hiding some nasty enemies right around corners. But perhaps worst is that the early round of weapons feel lackluster and generic.
Once you get a little ways in, however, your arsenal is effectively replaced with higher tier versions of the earlier gear, including dual sawed-off shotguns with a grappling hook attachment, a flamethrowing chainsaw, and a minigun whose alternate fire is to pull out a second minigun. With more varied enemy types thrown in, late game is way better than early game Bloodhound.
We'll see how I feel once I sink a little more time into it, but it's not a long game by any means. The dev even believes an initial run on Normal difficulty can be done in under five hours.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1926270/Bloodhound/
The game consists of you jumping into rooms and fighting off whatever horde of demonic critters spawn or taking down bosses that are varied and interesting, much moreso than simple strafing to win.
I'm probably about 3/4 of the way through already, and there are hits and misses with the game. There is definite jank, and the devs have a bad habit of hiding some nasty enemies right around corners. But perhaps worst is that the early round of weapons feel lackluster and generic.
Once you get a little ways in, however, your arsenal is effectively replaced with higher tier versions of the earlier gear, including dual sawed-off shotguns with a grappling hook attachment, a flamethrowing chainsaw, and a minigun whose alternate fire is to pull out a second minigun. With more varied enemy types thrown in, late game is way better than early game Bloodhound.
We'll see how I feel once I sink a little more time into it, but it's not a long game by any means. The dev even believes an initial run on Normal difficulty can be done in under five hours.
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Raging Justice
- Next-Gen
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- Joined: Sun May 30, 2021 2:11 pm
Re: Boomer Shooters
There's a few I've been tempted to try out. I'm not a big shooter guy, but I like any type of game with a focus on simpler design i.e. retro.
For me, gaming is mostly a way to chill and relax these days so the simpler, the better
For me, gaming is mostly a way to chill and relax these days so the simpler, the better
Re: Boomer Shooters
Well, if hack and slash is more your thing, and games like Hexen and Witchaven interested you more than Doom, there is Arthurian Legends!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/658890/Arthurian_Legends/
Saxons, demons, beasts, and the undead now plague Albion, bringing their foul old religion with them, killing all who get in their way, and worst yet, keeping you from your ale! There's only one thing to do in this situation: kicketh their asses!
Yeah, if you like bad takes on Old English while throwing axes and poison knives, chucking incendiary grenades, and generally hacking and stabbing your enemies to death, Arthurian Legends has quite a bit to offer. There is a nice shield system for parrying and knocking foes back (complete with wear and tear), though you can also use a knife, crossbow, or your bare hand to fend off whatever gets in your way. You find magic relics and armors to bolster your defenses, acquire runes for spells, or can even drop caltrops and bear traps to catch your foes and lay the smacketh downeth upon them.
Most of your melee weapons have durability for ammo, though you always have your fists, and your trusting hunting axe is there for you even with you smash your spiked club over some Saxon berserker's skull. Heck, you can even kick the decapitated heads of your enemies into other enemies to take them down. Add in unlockable arenas, a horde mode, a New Game+ mode, and apparently even a hidden Diablo-inspired roguelike minigame, and there is a stupid amount of content here.
I've now played through the first two chapters of the base game and conquered three of the four arenas, and I'm having a great time!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/658890/Arthurian_Legends/
Saxons, demons, beasts, and the undead now plague Albion, bringing their foul old religion with them, killing all who get in their way, and worst yet, keeping you from your ale! There's only one thing to do in this situation: kicketh their asses!
Yeah, if you like bad takes on Old English while throwing axes and poison knives, chucking incendiary grenades, and generally hacking and stabbing your enemies to death, Arthurian Legends has quite a bit to offer. There is a nice shield system for parrying and knocking foes back (complete with wear and tear), though you can also use a knife, crossbow, or your bare hand to fend off whatever gets in your way. You find magic relics and armors to bolster your defenses, acquire runes for spells, or can even drop caltrops and bear traps to catch your foes and lay the smacketh downeth upon them.
Most of your melee weapons have durability for ammo, though you always have your fists, and your trusting hunting axe is there for you even with you smash your spiked club over some Saxon berserker's skull. Heck, you can even kick the decapitated heads of your enemies into other enemies to take them down. Add in unlockable arenas, a horde mode, a New Game+ mode, and apparently even a hidden Diablo-inspired roguelike minigame, and there is a stupid amount of content here.
I've now played through the first two chapters of the base game and conquered three of the four arenas, and I'm having a great time!
Re: Boomer Shooters
I played the demo to Cultic the other day. It was really good and is definitely on my must-play list.