tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post9033768969309940555..comments2024-03-18T21:14:09.798-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Windwalker: Won (with Final Rating)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30734602878232082302023-11-16T00:45:15.225-05:002023-11-16T00:45:15.225-05:00RE: Entering Astral Gate
If you enter visible, th...RE: Entering Astral Gate<br /><br />If you enter visible, the guy spots you immediately and banishes or kills you. So, you had to use the invisibility to enter unseen. Then, the problem IIRC was the astral plane hallways had water floors. So, you had to levitate or use water walking. I think there was lava floors too, which needed levitation. You had to sneak through the halls to the main platform. Since invis and levitate were both eating your mana, you had to use whatever thing replenishes that a few times. So, you had to be really prepared. Once you made it to the main platform, you had to avoid him and two demons if I recall. You couldn't attack them or him or you'd just get banished or killed. Instead, you had to take some object off an alter. Then sneak back out. This trapped him in the astral plane forever. blahblahblacksheepnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4726664619113832362022-12-28T09:45:15.490-05:002022-12-28T09:45:15.490-05:00Been almost 8 more years, so time to reply I guess...Been almost 8 more years, so time to reply I guess lol. While I check your blog a few times a week, I rarely look back in my old comments here.<br /><br />No, you didn't ruin my memories, all good ;), I just have really good memories of this game and time. While my family was dirt poor, and I only got a C64 in the early 90's, it was my window to an amazing world, and I got hold of any CRPG's for it that I could. <br /><br />Ultima IV, V and VI (yes, I completed VI on the C64 lol), the Goldbox games, the Doherty brothers games (Legacy of the Ancients and Questron 2 being the first CRPG's I ever completed), Wasteland, Phantasie, Demon's Winter, Magic Candle and of course, Windwalker. Absolute magical memories on my trusty old second hand breadbox.<br /><br />Windwalker was a very different experience back then, and had a fairy tale like quality to it, along with a young guy's interest in the "Mystical East", martial arts, and the era of Karate Kid. The graphics were great on the 64 and really put me in the right mood for the experience. <br /><br />I was merely saying I was sad at the time that you didn't see what I saw when I played it, years ago. Very silly of me. I think your blog is a treasure, and I love reading your entries, and seeing how all the games I played (and didn't play) are filtered through today's lens. <br /><br />So thank you for doing what you are doing, and remember to consult I Ching, the Book of Change each morning when you wake up, fellow disciple ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76587405426407797832017-07-15T18:05:28.735-04:002017-07-15T18:05:28.735-04:00Thanks. Part of me always wondered about that.Thanks. Part of me always wondered about that.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61579250949911193592017-07-08T08:14:28.749-04:002017-07-08T08:14:28.749-04:00Kinda late to the show, but I just finished this a...Kinda late to the show, but I just finished this and if you enter the portal the alchemist just claims he's all-powerful and kills you: http://i.imgur.com/lLILlHG.pngCRPG Bookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10218041029874438142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8454815692403558672016-05-13T23:42:47.560-04:002016-05-13T23:42:47.560-04:00Dennis, thanks so much for commenting. It really i...Dennis, thanks so much for commenting. It really is hard to replicate or even envision conditions of the era, and I really appreciate when someone comes along to give some first-person insights as to how things were. I agree that from a certain perspective, without decades of other games in between, some elements of <i>Windwalker</i> were probably amazing.<br /><br />Only a few posts later, I start finding some of your more negative reviews, so I'm sorry I suggested you were such a Pollyanna in this one. I also criticized you a bit in the context of <i>The Savage Empire</i>, but there have been others along the way in which I highlighted our points of agreement.<br /><br />If you feel like commenting on anything else, I'm curious what you might have to say about your "dual reviews" with Scorpia that I discussed in the context of <i>Eye of the Beholder</i>. What led to CGW feeling like it had to have multiple perspectives on the same games?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-15783763036236639702016-05-13T10:02:21.213-04:002016-05-13T10:02:21.213-04:00Hi. I'm Dennis. I actually did dislike a few...Hi. I'm Dennis. I actually did dislike a few of the games I reviewed back then--most notoriously Lightspeed, which MicroProse apparently had been pushing as the next big thing, and which I panned as a CGW reviewer on some big electronic BBS back in the day. That it once was ranked the 46th worst game of all time speaks to my opinion of that game.<br /><br />I did love Windwalker, which was a sequel to Moebius, and I still remember them both fondly. But my impression was that Johnny Wilson tried to match games to reviewers for a number of reasons, including that he was a big proponent of the still very new field, was appreciative of what it represented, and generally was an optimistic person. I for one in the 1980s was delighted that computer games existed at all, for only a few years earlier "computer games" consisted of ASCII marks on printed paper. <br /><br />Johnny never once suggested I should provide a positive review, though. His only rule was that reviewers had to finish the games before the reviews were written--which in retrospect was refreshing compared to so much of what passes for reviews these days. <br /><br />CGW paid so poorly, too, though, that any suggestion a reviewer would shill for a game is laughable--not that you suggest here I ever did. Maybe we just represent antonyms in gaming preferences.<br /><br />Also, it's probably difficult for gamers today to understand the zeitgeist at the time--games only had been published for a short time, and many of the conventions we expect these days were decades even from experimentation. We didn't expect as much from games back then. That games simply had graphics was such a major boost from what we'd known previously that we were willing to accept other types of shortcomings--because we didn't know any better.<br /><br />As for why there never was a third game, my understanding is that Sierra's relationship with Origin ended around that time; this may have been one of the last games Sierra published for Origin, so licensing issues may have been involved. <br /><br />In any event, the release of Might and Magic a few years earlier (while this game still was in development) utterly transformed the computer gaming industry--which also may have led to the release of this (and many other games) before they were ready.<br /><br />I haven't reviewed games for many years; however, based on what you say, at least I served one purpose as a reviewer: if I liked something, you could be reasonably certain that you wouldn't. So there's always that.Dennis (former CGW reviewer)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86090848219954413392015-03-27T16:34:21.104-04:002015-03-27T16:34:21.104-04:00Well, now I feel sad. I don't mean to ruin any...Well, now I feel sad. I don't mean to ruin anyone's memories, just offer my own perspective on how a game feels and plays today.<br /><br />You seem to have read my reviews of this game and BR as wholly negative, and I didn't intend that. I'd call them "mixed."CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46554597866389276972015-03-24T09:51:28.421-04:002015-03-24T09:51:28.421-04:00I felt sad reading through this. I quite enjoyed t...I felt sad reading through this. I quite enjoyed the game back in the old days on my C64, finishing it after many, many hours of play.<br /><br />I entered the astral gate, but the necromancer cast a spell at me on the other side, so things didn't turn out so well. And since it took so long to load the Astral plane on the C64, and I was so near the end of the game, I didn't bother trying again.<br /><br />A couple of years ago I actually emailed Mr Malone and he seemed like a very friendly guy. I told him I enjoyed Windwalker when I was younger, and he seemed quite pleased with that. I am guessing he didn't have too many of those mails.<br /><br />Oh well. It is a pity you didn't like the game, but if we all liked the same things, it would be an incredibly boring place to live. I am glad to see we at least share the same taste in liking the Goldbox games (though I enjoyed Buck Rogers quite a bit too).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55561660301101052452013-08-21T13:47:36.568-04:002013-08-21T13:47:36.568-04:00Sadly it just has an option for what you look like...Sadly it just has an option for what you look like. It comes with two default options, one male, one female, and it is one of the only games where the female wears more cloths and is equally over-muscled. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-965749023470372722013-08-21T08:18:39.680-04:002013-08-21T08:18:39.680-04:00My curiosity as to his reaction is more to see if ...My curiosity as to his reaction is more to see if he matured out of that level of narcissism or tells us some story behind why the marketing guys thought yea that's what we want, or if what we are seeing is just his personality representing itself in the medium.<br /><br />If he really is that self involved then it might do him some good to hear that, no he isn't really the light and the way and we are not weeping in gratitude for his sharing of wisdom. UbAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447678457902055799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29262218051126015892013-08-20T11:21:05.495-04:002013-08-20T11:21:05.495-04:00He hasn't responded to my e-mail, but it would...He hasn't responded to my e-mail, but it would be interesting to hear his perspective. I have trouble with harsh criticism myself, and I'd probably be hurt if someone wrote things like I've written about my own works. On the other hand, I can't imagine getting too upset about criticism on something I wrote 25 years ago. I'd probably agree with most of it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67018881660226387412013-08-20T10:11:03.373-04:002013-08-20T10:11:03.373-04:00I wonder if the author will show up and comment, a...I wonder if the author will show up and comment, and how he would respond to the pretentiousness we make fun of in this game. Would he just shrug it off as yea the 80's were a different time and cocaine is a hell of a drug. Or would he flip out as you dare to suggest he is not as cool as he very obviously is by the photo on the back of the game.UbAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447678457902055799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10234494191043068322013-08-18T21:14:33.807-04:002013-08-18T21:14:33.807-04:00Nah, it's different. Sword of the Samurai is a...Nah, it's different. Sword of the Samurai is an action-adventure set in actual medieval Japan. Windwalker is an action-RPG set in some pseudo-Oriental themed fantasy setting.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10979766423762298772013-08-18T21:09:21.217-04:002013-08-18T21:09:21.217-04:00Ah... the 80's... When it doesn't matter d...Ah... the 80's... When it doesn't matter during summer to wear black leather jackets and a heat-retaining mullet set with stinky Brylcreem...<br /><br />For Castle of the Winds, it would be hilarious to use the entire tileset from Ultima V... and using the Avatar as your avatar. Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61180556907126001452013-08-17T14:56:08.747-04:002013-08-17T14:56:08.747-04:00Sure, but none of these games--western or eastern-...Sure, but none of these games--western or eastern--are really trying to recreate history; they're using historical and traditional themes to tell a story that should appeal to modern gamers.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81492451261542970892013-08-17T07:52:37.337-04:002013-08-17T07:52:37.337-04:00That is true; you can always advance the main plot...That is true; you can always advance the main plot, but the number of side plots was limited.<br /><br />Darklands is one of those games screaming for an "Enhanced Edition", modernizing the graphics and interface, and adding to the questing (with a journal to help you keep track of the quest details as well), but keeping the same character development depth, economy, and randomness of quest details.Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13431741012966569454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79861412727804258832013-08-17T05:21:41.255-04:002013-08-17T05:21:41.255-04:00Pity you didn't stick with sword of the samur...Pity you didn't stick with sword of the samurai, seems remarkably similar (but much much better)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14692688959500672822013-08-17T01:53:41.153-04:002013-08-17T01:53:41.153-04:00Yes, the ramdomness of quests (and starting town) ...Yes, the ramdomness of quests (and starting town) is good, since you never know where your travels will lead you, but it is let down somewhat by the fact that you can only have finite number of quests open at a time. Not sure about the excact number, but it was quite low.PetrusOctavianusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-21632364110346509452013-08-17T00:57:50.291-04:002013-08-17T00:57:50.291-04:00Which reviewer was that? There were two sites that...Which reviewer was that? There were two sites that give it an 8/10, which is pretty screwed up, doubly so since there were no screenshots on the site that weren't from the press material, nor indeed anything showing they'd actually played the game. However, most of the reviews I saw were in the 2-3/10 range, pointing out that it did have some interesting asymmetric multiplayer ideas and other such.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-17764840845576429012013-08-16T22:46:01.353-04:002013-08-16T22:46:01.353-04:00Aliens: Colonel Marines is a good case study, univ...Aliens: Colonel Marines is a good case study, universally panned as an absolute stinker, studios and publishers fighting over who was to blame for the disaster, and yet it still managed to get 45 on Metacritic. The reviewer that described it as "Half-cooked, bereft of ideas and technically despicable, this would-be triple-A production is an overblown movie tie-in to a flick you wouldn't want to see." still gave it a 40.Mikrakovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02359946565373258773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-56041460880923157072013-08-16T22:29:47.252-04:002013-08-16T22:29:47.252-04:00I don't think so. I mean, big publishers do wh...I don't think so. I mean, big publishers do what they can to suppress bad reviews, but it wasn't publishers who attacked Eurogamer for giving Uncharted 3 an 8/10. Here is one of my favourite takes on it, by comedy group Loading Ready Run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRMsArAqc6Q&feature=player_embedded&t=174<br /><br />Also, while looking for this I found the following TVTropes page: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EightPointEight<br /><br />Which lead me to this Penny Arcade comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/6/13/ which I was smart enough to open in the same window, thus letting me escape TVtropes. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5242374764458761192013-08-16T21:40:49.451-04:002013-08-16T21:40:49.451-04:00Guess because games are bigger money makers than m...Guess because games are bigger money makers than movies are these days. The big publishers are like the mob.Blacbraunnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74417723041539211352013-08-16T21:38:40.313-04:002013-08-16T21:38:40.313-04:00I think that game audiences are just a lot younger...I think that game audiences are just a lot younger, and people form a lot more personal attachments then they do to movies. I think this is a problem, but I can see how it evolved: A lot of game sites started as a bunch of teenage guys writing things and putting them online, even a lot of the big sites today. They often had a brash, silly, often offensive attitude (Anyone remember Gamespy before it sold out? Heck, check out some of the reviewers at Game Informer today). That means this snobby, literary culture that surrounds movies never evolved. <br /><br />Also gamers have this weird, passionate thing about expressing their opinion. <br /><br />Evidence: Dragon's Crown, and incredibly controversial action RPG prompted this Jimquisition: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/7859-Dragons-Frown<br /><br />Also, I don't think number reviews help things; Penny Arcade put this up after Aliens: Colonial Marines came out: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/02/13 <br /><br />I actually like that Ars Technica doesn't use numbers, as they don't think you can accurately boil a game down to a number. Suppose I give a Mario game a 8 and then I give a Mass Effect game a 9: Does that mean the Mass Effect game is better? How do you compare an action RPG and a platformer anyway? They want a) to not be in metacritic, as that influences developer pay, and b) they wrote a three page article going over what parts are fun and what aren't, and what type of fun the game is or isn't, if they could put everything in a number, they wouldn't write three pages. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85515055234959286702013-08-16T21:20:18.466-04:002013-08-16T21:20:18.466-04:00The creator has agreed to give the game away for f...The creator has agreed to give the game away for free: His webpage is down now, but you can get it and the game from Archive.org: http://web.archive.org/web/20110717071146/http://www.exmsft.com/~ricks/<br /><br />I emailed him once, and he seemed like a really nice guy, who was very amused that people were still playing his game a zillion years later. I understand he gave the source code to a select couple of people to help them build remakes of it. I don't think any of them got very far though, as they were trying to make things exactly the same, but modern, whereas I think first you get a playable game, then worry about if it is exactly the same with every bug intact. <br /><br />Man, I don't get why people hate the 80s aesthetic. I love it. Man, I want to look like Knight Rider, or MacGyver, or even Mel Gibson in the first Mad Max movie. People weren't scared to look COOL then, they didn't have to be ironic or worry if a leather jacket was cliche; they just did it. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73306896936289637422013-08-16T21:11:09.526-04:002013-08-16T21:11:09.526-04:00I don't think it has really changed, they stil...I don't think it has really changed, they still seem to give overly positive reviews for games. You will notice that on metacritic for a movie to be green (i.e. considered good) it has to have a score above 60, but for games it is 75. I'm not quite sure why it is that movie critics seem to be "allowed" to give 1 star ratings that perhaps go against popular opinion, but if a game reviewer gave say GTA5 a 1 star review they would be hung, drawn and quartered. Mikrakovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02359946565373258773noreply@blogger.com