Crusader: No Remorse first impressions--WOW!!!
Rob Jellinghaus
(at Best, as of about 3:40 AM California time) to post about this game. I
guess many other people are still playing it....
Yes, it shipped, and I picked it up at Software Etc. this afternoon. Usual
Origin packaging, very good documentation and atmospheric filler. You are
an ultimate soldier rebelling against the hegemony that trained you,
working for the resistance now. And the only way to survive is to leave
people in pools of blood everywhere you go. (Look for the mention of
Shodan in the background information....)
This game is sort of like Relentless crossed with Syndicate. The view is
overhead and isometric, and the graphics are all lush, down-to-the-pixel-
detailed SVGA. Don't buy this game unless you have at least a 486/66 with
8MB RAM and VLB video. And if you do have that kind of machine, and you
like action games, BUY THIS GAME.
I've been playing for four hours, on the third difficulty level (out of
four), and it's a very intense experience. You don't know what's beyond a
door until you open it. Your character moves really fluidly, especially
once you learn to avoid hanging him up on corners. And every damn piece of
furniture can blow up. Steam shoots from broken pipes (or from exhaust
tubes controlled by valves that you can open--guards LOVE superheated steam
in their face!), explosions weaken grates so much that guards fall through
into the water, toxic waste barrels detonate and turn innocent workers into
shrieking pillars of flame, and major compound fireballs convert whole
rooms into twisted metal.
Oh yes, did I mention the detonator packs? Put one down, walk away, and
press the button. Blam. I took out two servomech robots with one of
these--ran in and dropped it, ran out before they could shoot me too much,
and then blew it. Worked real good. Also, land mines. My favorite is
probably the spider mines--drop one and steer it remotely, walk it right up
to a guard's feet, KABOOM!!!
Of course there are lots of things to watch out for. Cameras on the walls
will trigger alarms if they see you, so you'd better shoot them out first.
Auto-guns will do likewise, plus they shoot you. Though if the alarm does
go off and you get tired of the hordes of guards teleporting in as
reinforcements, you may find a computer terminal to shut off the alarm
system. Funny how people tend to leave themselves logged in when they've
just been unexpectedly vaporized.
Your main character is really smoothly animated, and you can control him
with about three different sets of keys plus the mouse. Once you get the
hang of it, it's amazingly easy to make him leap through a doorway, roll
under cover of some boxes, and start shooting from a kneeling position.
Contrary to rumors in Strategy Plus, you cannot see your character's little
fingers curl around whatever he's manipulating, nor does every bullet leave
a mark on the wall--but the most important things, the character's fluidity
of motion and the overall liveness of the environment, are there in spades.
The animation is _fast_ (at least on my 32-megs-memory Stealth 64 P90), as
is moving around the base, especially if you have a large disk cache--the
game uses it to perfection.
Story? Oh yeah, story! Well, I've only gotten to the second video clip
(wherein you get an ID card from a sweaty-palmed undercover rebel
scientist) so I don't know how well the plot holds together. I do know,
though, that what with all the remote-controlled robots, laser beam traps,
exposed high-voltage machinery, security camera terminals, and healing
stations (be careful you don't wreck 'em in the pyrotechnic brouhaha), I've
got plenty to keep me busy. I've had maybe three crashes in the first four
hours of gaming, but the quick-save option is so convenient (and quick!--no
more Ultima VIII-like minute-long saves) that recovery is painless.
This game is a live one, folks. I smell a hit in the making. If you are
an action fiend, and/or if you liked Syndicate, you are all over this one.
Sound is great, execution is really good. Now will someone please tell me
how to jump (yes, uh-oh, jumping is a game element) onto the hoverpad near
the beginning of level 2, where you create a force bridge after killing
some guards with the 'Roaming Susan' servomech?
I don't want to stop playing, but I've got to get some sleep... hope some
other people can stay up all night, as this game deserves!
(I wrote this offline and then found my ISP was hosed when I went to post
it, so this is going out five hours late. Oh well, it's still one of the
first messages. And I can DEFINITELY say this is a hot game, because I
actually dreamed about it last night....)
Rob Jellinghaus ro...@unreal.com http://www.best.com/~robj
Philipp Ott
ro...@unreal.com (Rob Jellinghaus) wrote:
>I can't believe I am the very first person on comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
>(at Best, as of about 3:40 AM California time) to post about this game. I
>guess many other people are still playing it....
>
>Yes, it shipped, and I picked it up at Software Etc. this afternoon. Usual
>Origin packaging, very good documentation and atmospheric filler. You are
>an ultimate soldier rebelling against the hegemony that trained you,
>working for the resistance now. And the only way to survive is to leave
>people in pools of blood everywhere you go. (Look for the mention of
>Shodan in the background information....)
[...]
>(I wrote this offline and then found my ISP was hosed when I went to post
>it, so this is going out five hours late. Oh well, it's still one of the
>first messages. And I can DEFINITELY say this is a hot game, because I
>actually dreamed about it last night....)
Thanks for the info. Will pay a visit to my local shop this afternoon ;-)
mfg Philipp
PS. What did you dream? Being the hero or one of the poor guards, facing a spider mine
crawling slowly to your feet?
JEFF DALLACQUA
title(I haven't been able to say that about many Origin games lately).
How's the music? I hear it's tracker music, and supposedly pretty good.
Is GUS support included(if Origin messed up GUS support on a game that
has tracker music, I'm going to scream). Thanks!
David Tracy
make a good game anymore If ID programmed it for them. I don't see how
origin stays in business. My store has sold 11 copies of crusaders and 7
of them have come back. <They don't like it> The graphics or OK and the
sound is pretty good. But the game play sucks DONKEY DICKS! Go get C&C.
Origin is famous for there games requiring mega-computers only to give
you a
game that sucks!.................................................
Furious
So what you are saying is....don't buy this game? :^)
MikeNewt
> The graphics or OK and the
>sound is pretty good. But the game play sucks DONKEY DICKS! Go get C&C.
>Origin is famous for there games requiring mega-computers only to give
>you a game that sucks!.................................................
I have to STRONGLY disagree.
Crusader is EXCELLENT, and even playable on my 486/50! Get C&C? Yes
for strategy, but for action, Crusader brings in a lot of very interesting
options. I love the way the game plays...
- Mike "Newt" C.
Email: Mike.Co...@outdoor.com, KBN...@Prodigy.com
Mike...@AOL.Com, Mike_Co...@MSN.COM
BD
sucks. I have a 486-100 20megs of ram and this game runs
great. The only thing they could improve on is to add joystick
support. The animation like explosions and and movement is
perfectly smooth.
Christipher Tew
The music is quite good. It's basically hardcore techno @ 180+ BPM. Good
music for committing violence. ;) The music, I think, is played straight
from the CD (this is possibly the best current solution for music. It gives
the GenMIDI folks and the FM folks great music).
Origin is working on a GUS patch. Scream, bitte.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<.sig> This is a .sig and is only a .sig. If it was not a .sig and, say, a .exe, your computer would currently be exploding.
This .sig features no cool ASCII art.
Christopher A. Tew <-<chri...@eden.com>->
All rights reserved for VIP parking.
"1,2,3,4,5,6,7...Oswald was a fag." -The Usual Suspects
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Skeksis
> My store
??? With such a professional attitude and equally professional use of
language I wonder how 'your' store stays in business.
Skeksis
Skeksis
>I have to STRONGLY disagree.
> Crusader is EXCELLENT, and even playable on my 486/50! Get C&C? Yes
>for strategy, but for action, Crusader brings in a lot of very interesting
>options. I love the way the game plays...
A tad jerky on my 486 dx2 66 (there seems to be a problem with the system
so...) but lots of fun. This is the first Origin game that I have really
liked.
Skeksis
Skeksis
>The music is quite good
Hmmm...it sounds scratchy on my system. I wonder if there is a problem with
the speakers...
Skeksis
kevin lightburn
his store. And I'd return the game TOO just to piss him off.
Kevin
Jim S
>VERY steep requirements though; I'd say a P75 minimum, and 8 megs is the
>BARE minimum for RAM. I had to make a boot disk from scratch. And it also
>recommends a 4X CD-ROM Drive. I have a 2X and it took about 10 minutes
>(well, maybe 5) to laod up the game while it swapped files.
>But it's a keeper, for sure.
Please note that this load time was due to the use of minimum install.
Once I went to full install, the load time was maybe 30 seconds.
This is a VERY fun game. This is the sort of game that makes me wonder
what all the fuss over ABUSE was about. I guess it was the level-editor
and stuff. But as far as the WOW factor, no contest.
--
Jim S. <ji...@inlink.com>
"What you're chewing on's the truth and that's the
hardest thing to wash down with a glass of lemonade."
- Andy Partridge, XTC
Evan
>Jim S <ji...@inlink.com> wrote:
>
>>VERY steep requirements though; I'd say a P75 minimum, and 8 megs is the
>>BARE minimum for RAM. I had to make a boot disk from scratch. And it also
>>recommends a 4X CD-ROM Drive. I have a 2X and it took about 10 minutes
>>(well, maybe 5) to laod up the game while it swapped files.
>>But it's a keeper, for sure.
>
>Please note that this load time was due to the use of minimum install.
>Once I went to full install, the load time was maybe 30 seconds.
>This is a VERY fun game. This is the sort of game that makes me wonder
>what all the fuss over ABUSE was about. I guess it was the level-editor
>and stuff. But as far as the WOW factor, no contest.
That's exactly what I was thinking. I mean,
Abuse is impressive, but there's only so much fun one can
have with a side-scroller. I'm just getting started with
Crusader, but wow!! I had only played 5 minutes when I set
a guard on fire by shooting a nearby barrel....that's quite
a sight to see.
--Evan
Aaron Daniel Thompson
In a previous article, MWA...@prodigy.com (David Tracy) says:
>Well..Crusaders SUCKS!!! The man jump's frames and poor origin couldn't
>make a good game anymore If ID programmed it for them. I don't see how
>origin stays in business. My store has sold 11 copies of crusaders and 7
>of them have come back. <They don't like it> The graphics or OK and the
>sound is pretty good. But the game play sucks DONKEY DICKS! Go get C&C.
>Origin is famous for there games requiring mega-computers only to give
>you a
> game that sucks!.................................................
>
I agree 1000% man, Origin is f*cked. I bet even Ultima IX will suck.
Origin couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag. The animation
in Crusader is, well, awful.
-Aaron
--
| Support the War |
| Against Christianity |
_|_ _|_
| |
Evan
You guys are trying to be funny, right?? Exactly
what brand of 386 are you trying to run it on? This is one
of the best-looking games I've seen this year. If you're
kidding, well, never mind....
--Evan
Apurva Bhatt
me drooling. However, with a 386, 4Megs ram, I can't do much about
that. I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to give me a
tast of the game by giving me some general info about the game: Is it a
side scroller (doesn't sound like it) or a 3-D first person perspective type?
Can you have multiple levels (a la dark forces)? Modem play? Look up/down?
Sloped walls/ceilings/floors? If I can't play it, at least I can imagine!
Thanx much in advance!
--Apurva
Skeksis
>what all the fuss over ABUSE was about. I guess it was the level-editor
Now we need a level editor for Crusader. :) I do not get enough sleep now!
:)
>and stuff. But as far as the WOW factor, no contest.
I agree! What a great game. I have not been a fan of Origin releases up
until now but this one shows someone smart was sitting in the contract talks
to get this one.
Skeksis
Skeksis
>side scroller (doesn't sound like it) or a 3-D first person perspective type?
Neither, it is a 45 degree perspective, somewhat akin to Twinson's Adventure
or the old Zaxxon.
>Can you have multiple levels (a la dark forces)? Modem play? Look up/down?
The action takes place on multiple levels that are accessed by lifts and
elevators. The difference is that the lifts are just platforms that take the
on-screen character to different catwalk levels in the same level while the
elevators take the character from floor to floor.
>Sloped walls/ceilings/floors?
Sorry, no. Everything is pretty angular to accomdate the 45 degree
perspective. That does not mean that there are not a lot of irregular shapped
objects though, and just about anything in the game can be a fair target.
Skeksis
MikeNewt
>I agree 1000% man, Origin is f*cked. I bet even Ultima IX will suck with
my >386/16.
>Origin couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag if they did not
push the
> limit of technology. The animation in Crusader is, well, awful good.
With the video working full speed at full screen on my 486/50 and the
animation going smooth during the game I cannot see how you consider the
animation bad. There is SO many ways things can blow up in this game.
Variety, and its FUN!
What exactly has OSI done to make it bad, in your humble opinion. I'd
like to know-- in the meantime its back to the silencer...
--Mike "Newt" C. New Smyrna Beach, FL
James Wall
> >
> >I agree 1000% man, Origin is f*cked. I bet even Ultima IX will suck.
> >Origin couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag. The animation
> >in Crusader is, well, awful.
> Then don't complain or buy it.
Cool. Remind me to forget about telling you how much Outpost sucks.
It'd be your bad luck if you actually bought it ... but at least the
newsgroup would be lemon fresh.
[-------------------tear along dotted line-------------------]
[alp...@hunterlink.net.au - Newcastle, Australia]
[user friendly propaganda - tested on americans]
[mcdondalds for thought - plastic for food]
[8 out of 9 wimmin' - preferred it]
Evan
>john...@aol.com (JohnPacer) wrote:
>
>> >
>> >I agree 1000% man, Origin is f*cked. I bet even Ultima IX will suck.
>> >Origin couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag. The animation
>> >in Crusader is, well, awful.
>
>> Then don't complain or buy it.
>
>Cool. Remind me to forget about telling you how much Outpost sucks.
>It'd be your bad luck if you actually bought it ... but at least the
>newsgroup would be lemon fresh.
Outpost? Somebody's still complaining about
Outpost? Just let it die...besides what the hell does that
have to do with Crusader? Don't answer--it's a completely
different game. Period. Now go at least try Crusader.
--Evan
JohnPacer
alp...@hunterlink.net.au (James Wall) writes:
>ohnp...@aol.com (JohnPacer) wrote:
>
>> >
>> >I agree 1000% man, Origin is f*cked. I bet even Ultima IX will suck.
>> >Origin couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag. The
animation
>> >in Crusader is, well, awful.
>
>> Then don't complain or buy it.
>
>Cool. Remind me to forget about telling you how much Outpost sucks.
>It'd be your bad luck if you actually bought it ... but at least the
>newsgroup would be lemon fresh.
I did buy Outpost, but I returned it. Sitting here whining won't change a
damn thing. they don't listen to us. You have to hit them where it hurts.
Return the game, or read reviews and don't buy it.
Kay-Yut Chen
: me drooling. However, with a 386, 4Megs ram, I can't do much about
: that. I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to give me a
: tast of the game by giving me some general info about the game: Is it a
: Can you have multiple levels (a la dark forces)? Modem play? Look up/down?
: Sloped walls/ceilings/floors? If I can't play it, at least I can imagine!
: Thanx much in advance!
It is a 3/4 perspective action game. 3/4 perspective means that you look at
the game environment in a slanted, forced 3D perspective like in Ultima 8.
It is not a first person game and you character is in the game screen just
like the NPCs.
Since the perspective is fixed, it means that there is no pixalization of
what you are looking at. So all the characters, machines, animations,
explosions looks very good. I would say it looks better than DOOM or other
3D games. SVGA helps quite a bit too.
The game is structured in missions. Each mission consist of navigating
a large area (can be multiple levels) and achieve some goals like blowing
up a computer or rescue some prisoners. This structure is reminisent of
Dark Forces.
It has a bit of role-playing elements (very limited) in the game too.
Namely, you carry your inventory over to the next mission and you can
buy newer weapons after each mission. The selection of merchandise
increased when you finish more missions.
I hope this will give u some idea what the game is like.
--
=====================================================================
| A Traveler between dimensions | |
+ ------------------------------+ |
| |
| In the Kingdom of Drakkar, I am known as <Narius the Mentalist> |
| To the denizens of Britainnia, my name is <Seldon the Avatar> |
| The Terran Confederation pilots call me <One the Cat Slayer> |
| |
| <<Kay-Yut Chen>> |
| |
=====================================================================
Phaze
>an...@detroit.freenet.org (Aaron Daniel Thompson) wrote:
>
>>
>>In a previous article, MWA...@prodigy.com (David Tracy) says:
>>
>>>Well..Crusaders SUCKS!!! The man jump's frames and poor origin couldn't
>>>make a good game anymore If ID programmed it for them. I don't see how
>>>origin stays in business. My store has sold 11 copies of crusaders and 7
>>>of them have come back. <They don't like it> The graphics or OK and the
>>>sound is pretty good. But the game play sucks DONKEY DICKS! Go get C&C.
>>>Origin is famous for there games requiring mega-computers only to give
>>>you a
>>> game that sucks!.................................................
>>>
>>
>>
>>Origin couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag. The animation
>>in Crusader is, well, awful.
>
>what brand of 386 are you trying to run it on? This is one
>of the best-looking games I've seen this year. If you're
>kidding, well, never mind....
You give those guys WAAAAY too much credit by saying they might be
trying to be funny. They probably didn't like the way the game was
shrinkwrapped, so decided not to get it. And even if they did buy it,
they couldn't run it on their 12mhz 286s.
-Phaze
--
"I like my women like I like my coffee...
strong, bitter, and hand-picked by some guy in Colombia." -me