[jdavid]

in reply to: How Far Did We Get in January? #8290

I don’t think I started to feel fatigued by the game until the final three levels. Usually, real-time strategy wears me out pretty fast, as I’m a turn-based 4x “stan” for life. 🙂 Maybe it’s because the combat is so simple compared to the greats of the RTS genre.

Still, the last three levels left me ready to quit. Earlier levels didn’t really prepare you for the strategies you’d need in those levels, so it almost felt unfair. I mean, before 18, I hadn’t bothered with sacrificing nor scavenging, things that became necessary at the end. Perhaps if they’d eased those concepts in over the course of the game, others wouldn’t have found it so repetitive, while those of us who were enjoying the leisurely pace wouldn’t have felt blindsided by the final levels.

Still, I haven’t had this much fun revisiting a favorite from the DOS era for a long time. So glad I joined in with the fun. Now on to Empire.

[jdavid]

in reply to: How Far Did We Get in January? #8286

TigerQuoll, there’s not much that’s more “DOS games” than what you described!

[jdavid]

in reply to: Thumbs down #8239

Here’s another positive reaction to playing this beloved game again. I didn’t get a chance to play it on initial release, as I never gave my aging 486 dx2 66 a chance on it. But, by the time its first anniversary of release hit, I was already hooked, having finally graduated to a Pentium system.

My only qualm with Dungeon Keeper, like so many of the Molyneux/Bullfrog/Lionhead strategy games, is that I always hated the “level” based progression. I hated that I could never feel attached to any creation in a Molyneux game, because once the level goals are met, it’s time to start again from scratch. I’d much rather have had a dungeon (or realm, hospital, theme park, etc., etc., etc.) that I could keep making better and more my own over time, something like a Simcity city or a Civilization empire. The Movies, I think, is the only Molyneux sim-style game that doesn’t uproot all your previous work every time you hit a milestone.

Still, doesn’t mean Molyneux didn’t eat up about as much of my time as Wright and Meier did, and Dungeon Keeper certainly holds a large share of that. Definitely one of my favorites of all time!

[jdavid]

in reply to: Holiday Hare 94′ / 95′ #7740

I made special ANSI screens for my BBS hyping both these releases, which were available for download on my system. BBS SysOps usually made an effort to “decorate” for Christmas, at least in my local-calling area. Stuff like the Jazz and Lemmings Christmas releases were great subject matter for some ANSI art to liven things up.

[jdavid]

in reply to: Jazz comic / manual scan #7715

Very cool. I don’t think I ever saw this, having only ever played the shareware episode of the game. They took a pretty meta approach to the humor, with the Andrew Dice Clay, Ninja Turtles, and Sonic references.

But, what’s the deal with the White Album joke? I don’t remember anything particularly rabbit-oriented on that album (though it’s surprisingly flush with many other anthropomorphized or metaphorical animals). I’m assuming it’s a joke suggesting the villain could have become like Charles Manson, who infamously claimed the White Album (“Helter Skelter” in particular) inspired his and his followers’ murder spree.

As for the “reality TV,” I think the “Married with Chinchillas” line is a reference to the American sitcom Married with Children, which was popular at the time. While not reality TV, the intent of the joke was probably the same. While MwC is beloved and respected now, mainly for outstanding performances by its cast, I think many critics at the time saw it as something “sleazy” or “cheap.”

Thanks so much for sharing. Seeing the manual really put me in the mood to finally finish these games for the first time!