Together Retro: FMV Frenzy

[J T]

So I decided to install another FMV game that I have had lying around for awhile called Temujin. It's an FMV puzzle game from South Peak Interactive that came out in 1997. I have this one on CD with the manual still in tact. The manual has some of that hyped up marketing that surrounded FMV at the time. Here's a sample of what I mean:
"Through the magic of your computer -- and Video Reality technology -- you are the central character in this story. As you immerse yourself in the Stevenson Museum -- and its many rooms, halls and passageways -- you'll be drawn into a world of mystery, darkness and intrigue."
Haha. This stuff makes me laugh. I love how the marketers are talking about how "magic" their technology is. This stuff makes me a little nostalgic though. It always brings me back to being in a mall and walking through a Software Etc. store checking out the latest oversized PC game boxes and watching demos on monitors.

Here's a screenshot from the opening video sequence:


As you can see, the game has some pretty nice looking costuming. It starts off looking like it's going to be a pretty cool game as you watch this ceremony at the funeral of Genghis Khan where these two magical women cast opposing spells over the spirit of Temujin. But the opening leads to harsh anti-climax as the gameplay begins. You are suddenly in an empty art museum in modern (1990s) time. You can move throughout the museum with that "Video Reality" technology and click on famous paintings to find out their title, who they were painted by, and when. I've never been slapped so hard with boring gameplay immediately after getting hyped by the opening cinematic. Oof! Awkward transition.

To their credit, 'video reality' technology did allow you to move around in FMV environments, which is interesting. It's the kind of thing where you scroll across panoramic photos, then when you hit the end of it, your cursor turns into a "turn arrow" icon and you will get a little video of first-person 90 degree rotation. Or you press "forward" and get a little animation of moving forward to the next segment. It's better than games that do blink turns and stuff like that, but it's a bit unnatural, especially since so much of the game is looking at artwork, but it's often poorly framed from your forced vantage point and you can't zoom in or out. Not to mention, the visuals are so badly compressed that you lose a lot of the splendor of the original art.

As I explored the museum further, I started to find voicemails, letters, and various little clues, but I really have no context for what the hell happened. I started with this badass mongolian curse being cast and started to think this game would have some cool asian fantasy elements.... but now I'm looking at Rembrandts and Picassos. Huh? I guess eventually the Mongolian artifacts will be in the museum, but I'm not sure I want to find out more. We'll see. I probably should have stuck with Lands of Lore 2 like I originally planned. haha. I'll probably go back to that.

[Sarge]

To be fair, some of this stuff almost did seem like magic back then. There is still stuff that floors me today, too. I'm struck by the ubiquity of devices that can play video anywhere now. I remember being super-impressed with my portable Archos AV500 PVR that I used to use for such purposes years ago, and now even the cheapest piece of junk tablet or phone can do YouTube or Netflix or whatever.

I also remember getting my first computer and being floored by the encyclopedia CD-ROM it came with. Having all that information at your fingertips, without a giant encyclopedia set? Madness!

[Michi]

Woo Hoo! April FMV month!

Like Ack, I'm playing Phantasmagoria. Just finished Chapter 1 (of 7). So far, nothing really scary yet, just your typical point-and-click. But I suspect things will start slowly ramping up soon. It did take me a couple tries to figure out how the game wants me to thoroughly examine things, but I think I've got the gist now.

I just installed the game and got started, so I am still only in chapter 1. I've found matches and a fire poker, but beyond a little exploring to get my bearings, I was focused on just testing to ensure everything works. I also took a few minutes to understand how the game wants me to interact, and I'm still not sure on using items because I haven't had a reason to that I have found yet. I look forward to exploring more of the game.

I do wish there were subtitles though.

I haven't had any trouble understanding anyone yet, but boy, if you wish there were subtitles now just wait till you hit Ch. 3. Also, to use an item just drag it out of the inventory and hover it over something. It'll turn red if you can use it and won't change color if you can't. So, for instance, when you get a key, drag it from the inventory to the door and Adrienne will automatically try to use it on the door. Other items, I've found, she'll just use automatically (like money.)

Anyway, I've just started Ch. 4 and the creepiness (and campiness) is starting to pick up. I look forward to seeing where this is going.

[Sarge]

Cross-posted from Hardcore Retro Gaming:



Took down Shinobi Legions. This game actually ends up fun in spots, but then it goes and squanders it in two of its stages, the mine cart level (of course!) and the missile silo (the last one). The former ends up quite difficult to survive, with ninjas popping up from everywhere, and you have to watch how much you jump around or you plummet to your doom. The last stage might be worse, though, as you're having to navigate through a missile tunnel-type area. There are safe spots to hide from the warheads as they come at you, but if you touch them from the front, you're dead right then and there. A couple of the spots are really difficult to navigate to those safe spaces; in particular, a few that you need to double-jump up to will often give you a very small windows to get in and not bang your head on the overhang, yet still get up and pull the double-jump in time before the missile pins you against the wall. (In fact, the missile doesn't explode in this instance, it just crushes you. Yay!)



Still, if you get through all that, you face the last boss, which tends to be somewhat ridiculous. Well, at least if you try to take him legit. Instead, I cowered in the corner and blocked all his attacks, getting my shots in when I could. The goal is to collect six orbs off of him, which makes it a bit different than other boss fights. Crouching in the corner neatly takes care of this, as your openings will have him right on top of you, and you'll automatically collect the orb. He pulls several supers during the battle. The floating energy feathers (?) aren't so bad if you've played a lot of action games, and at first I thought the Gradius-like fire dragon was really tough, but it turns out a well-timed double jump can just clear it if you find yourself on the wrong side of the screen. So just rinse and repeat, and victory! I pulled it off on the last life and a single block of health, so cuttin' it real fine there. Lord knows I didn't want to do the stage again...



If you've played other Shinobi games, this one departs from them a bit. There's less focus on the kunai, and more on the sword this time. In fact, I rarely even touched the kunai. You can block with your sword, you've got a few combos (that can get you in hot water, honestly), and even reflect enemy projectiles back at them. There are a few more moves here than your usual 2D platformer. The double-jump also makes its return, and it is as finicky as ever. A couple of spots will require some running double-jumps. Those areas aren't so fun, honestly.



Graphics are digitized actors, and they look... eh. About like you'd expect from the era. I've seen worse, I've seen better. At least in this case, the controls don't really seem to be impacted compared to other, more sketchy games like Batman Forever. The cutscenes are pure cheese. Low budget, Power Ranger-esque stuff, although maybe even worse since most of the effects are likely rendered with sprite artwork overlain on the FMV. Still, I guess it gives something to laugh at a bit.



The soundtrack didn't make much of an impact on me. I heard that the European version actually replaced the music with something more akin to Revenge of Shinobi. Maybe that's a bit better.

Anyway, final verdict: decent, so 6.0. I wanted to rate it a little higher, but those crappy cheap stages really brought it down in my estimation.

[Ack]

Thanks, Michi. I just wrapped up Chapter 1 of Phantasmagoria, and I think I am getting the hang of things. It's interesting to me just how much stuff seems to be hidden around, like the strange nightmare of hands grabbing you if you lay on a certain bed or the fortune teller machine. There are many nice little touches, and at times the house reminds me a lot of the mansion from 7th Guest.

Also, I wondered how they could afford a house of this size. Then I noticed our hero is driving a BMW.

[noiseredux]

My favorite memory of 7th Guest is going through the folders and just listening to the fucked up wav files.

[BogusMeatFactory]

My favorite memory of 7th Guest is going through the folders and just listening to the fucked up wav files.

I remember being a kid and my mom's coworker letting us borrow 7th guest saying, "Oh you liked Myst?! It can't even COMPARE to the 7th guest!"

As a little kid I watched my older brother get to the part where the ghosts have sex.... It was awkward.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I started up Double Switch tonight, and...whoa...is it bad. The gameplay, in which you trap people breaking into an apartment complex, is really bad. Corey Haim, though, looks very 1990s, but really adds to the production. I am actually appreciating his performance, and he makes everyone else in th game look like an amateur (which, undoubtedly, they were).

[noiseredux]

Yeah Corey was good in that. Gameplay is very Night Trap.

[Sarge]

Did y'all know that NBA Jam and NBA Jam T.E. on SNES has FMV? It's true! The halftime show has some clips for the former, and the latter has some on a tiny little TV screen during the end credits. The more you know.



I played the superior PC version of T.E. back in the day, though.