Writing Throwback: Pharaoh

Yet another 14 year old review. Take a deep breath, this is the last one.

Review

We cannot get enough of God simulations can we, here is Impressions Games latest shot at the title. Pharaoh is set in ancient Egypt, making the game unique as you now solely control what was known to be a very creative race. It uses the Caesar 3 game engine, so with a solid foundation and a good idea, has Pharaoh come out leader of the pack?

First, don't do what I did when I saw this game. "Game, Manual, Map, Install, Yada, Yada, Yada..." because you will be in for a rude shock. It was not that easy. The Pharaoh installation starts, and you think, I might have a look at the chunky manual. The manual is 270 pages, no problems, most of it will be the history of Egypt, sorry my friend only 31 pages are. So you play the game and after fifteen minutes you are lost, stuck in the middle of the game and now realise you have to read the manual.

Wait that is good because games do not usually require that. After reading the manual, you start to understand how complex the game is. It has the standard fare, grow food, harvest food, build and fight, but it also has a lot more strategy inside. There are tasks to achieve in each mission, and you also have to rule the city, controlling almost everything. You also have to plan your city, not to avoid losing battles but to win against the elements.

For example, your city starts on the Nile River, 3200 BC. As you are so close to the river, it affects you through the seasons. Once a year the river floods and when it recedes it leaves the fields rich with nutrients thus helping your crops. The problem is, just as it did back then; the Nile sometimes doesn't flood or floods too much, starving the crops of the nutrients or destroying your food supply. Planning is important here because when food becomes scarce, people get angry or starve.

There are many buildings to create as well from food production, manufacturing and storage to mines for employment and homes for the masses. Throughout the game, you will receive missions were you have to do such things like getting the populace to like you or quench un-employment. At the end of the missions, you get measured on things such as your food harvest, leadership, crime, employment and all these factors can affect each other and also the outcome of the mission. You will also have to deal with gods as they can make or break a game for you.

Within the game, there are five gods:

• Ra, the god of the kingdom
• Seth, god of destruction
• Osiris, god of the land
• Ptah, god of industry
• Bast, goddess of homes and the people

All these gods can affect the game so you must build monuments, worship, celebrate and pray for your gods. If not prepare to feel their wrath as Osiris can influence the floods and the lands nutrients when it comes to the harvesting season for your crops. Ra makes everyone in the kingdom like or dislike you and can make your job easier.

Pharaoh also has tutorials to teach you how to play. With such things as resource management, building and running the city being covered it does pay to go through them. Once up and running the game is good. Graphically it is well done, with an Egyptian feel to the menus, right down to the buildings and people. It is also complex that makes it challenging, but is also refreshing as you feel compelled to play the game. Be prepared to think though as it is not as straight forward as destroying the enemy. You will have to work with the other kingdoms as you are all trying to achieve the same goal, make Egypt the greatest kingdom in the world.

There is one problem with Pharaoh though, lack of interest. I do not mean the story as Egypt can be quite interesting, and it does follow the history carefully. The problem is that it can be a bit hard to get into at first. I played it and wasn't impressed so was unmotivated to continue. I then took another stab after reading the manual and then it became a great game. There is much depth to this game; it is not just a rehashed Caesar 3, but you have to work for it. Stick with it, and you will be rewarded, those who do not won't know what they have missed.

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Writing Throwback: Half-Life: Opposing Force

Second last old review, again 14 years old. Hold on to your butts.

Review

Do you like first person shooters? I do not, or should I say did not. I remember when Quake and Unreal all came out, I could not stand those games. Then along came Half-Life by Valve Software. I played it and played it and played it; I was hooked. Then I found out Sierra was releasing an official add-on for Half-Life called Opposing Force. Gearbox Software made this add-on, but the question remained, is it any good?

This time around you play as the marines from Half-Life. You are Corporal Adrian Shepherd sent to the Black Mesa Research Facility to eliminate Gordon Freeman. Unfortunately, you get separated from your unit due to attacking aliens but it was for the best as almost all of the remaining marines were killed, so things are looking up. As such your mission has been aborted, your new mission is to get out alive using any means possible and if by chance you still find Freeman, kill him.

The reversal of characters makes this game interesting. You still go through some of the old places Freeman went through but this time you may arrive earlier, later or even at the same time as Freeman. The difference though is that you also get to go to some places Freeman was not allowed entrance to. Because of that you get a little more alien interaction as your travels take you deeper into Black Mesa.

As you move through the game this time, you will notice a few new things like weapons. How does a combat knife, wrench, pistol with laser site, sniper rifle, and a new machine gun sound? They do not change the game much, but more weapons can be handy. You also have new talents like climbing and swinging on a rope. It is tricky at first, but it does add to the game. This is a feature I think we will see used better though in the future.

You also can control marines the same way as the guards in Half-Life. This time though they have skills, like an engineer who can open locked doors and the medic who will heal you. They will also open fire when a hostile situation arises which is quite a bit as you are not alone. There are the original aliens plus a few new ones as you are seated deeper in Black Mesa like the pit drone — a fast little creature that shoots at you. There is also the shock trooper — a more advanced version of the head crab human — and some big guys which I will let you see for yourself.

Graphically it is almost identical to Half-Life (it is an add-on remember, not a new game) with the exception of the new weapons. This time your protection is the PCV vest which replaces you HEV suit, so the on-screen display is different. The question remains, is it a worthy purchase and the answer is yes. If you remember that this is an add-on, not a full game then you will enjoy it. If you loved Half-Life though you will love this as well.

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Writing Throwback: GP 500

Here is another old review I wrote over 14 years ago. Man is this short, and bad.

Review

Have you ridden a motorcycle? I have not but know people who have; both said this game is realistic. Who am I to argue? I knew a little about bikes, but I walked away with a lot more. I wanted one. So was I impressed? Yes.

GP 500 simulates the real world motorcycle Grand Prix 500 series. It features such riders as Michael Doohan, Max Biaggi and Alex Criville. So the riders are real but what about the tracks? Well, I cannot say they are realistic because I have not been on the tracks for real. However, they say they modelled the tracks approximately and from what I have seen compared to watching it on the television I think they are spot on visually speaking.

What does the game let you do? Play with a bike, from fiddling with the engine, gears, and tyres to just about everything in between. It plays well too; I love to crash, and this game lets you crash big time. Fiddling with the options let you control things like both brakes independently so you can apply just the front or rear. Doing that opens up a whole new game as you can dive into corners with more precision, and it feels like you are in control of the bike.

This game also features all the courses you know and love like Spain, Holland and Australia. The in-game sound is good too, with the crowd noises fading in and out while going past. Artificial intelligence is good too; they will not just sit behind you but will change racing lines to jump on you when enter a corner too hot and leave you behind.

The graphics in the game are crisp — I ran it on a Pentium III 450 with 128MB of RAM and a Riva TNT2 — and they are fluid. The crashes could be more realistic as the rider stays rigid, but I guess the point is not to crash. I like how you have the choice to choose which team to race for, and the different bikes also feel distinctive.

Is this game a worthy purchase? Yes. I do not know what it is about GP 500, but it is addictive. I prefer four-wheel racing, but this game made me want to play it. Overall very solid and if you love bikes, you will love this even too.

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Writing Throwback: Asheron's Call Review

Here is an old review I wrote over 14 years ago. It's a little repetitive, short, and badly written. However, it is what is and did the job at the time. Maybe that's why that site no longer exists?

Review

MMOG, heard of it? That is massive multiplayer online game. Moreover, what is that you ask, well in a word Asheron's Call. Asheron's Call is a role-playing game with a twist; it is played solely on the Internet. What that means is that you do not play against the computer or challenge a few friends, but instead thrust into a vast world that sometimes can contain up to 1800 people at once. Now we understand MMOG I will tell you a bit more about Asheron's Call.

Asheron's Call places you in a complete world with shops, dungeons, enemies and real life players. You start by creating your character where you get to choose things like race, appearance, class and what skills you have. The character creation is very easy to use but also gives you many options so each person can be a little bit different. From there, you are dropped into the world of Dereth.

So what can you do? Well, almost anything. You can explore, fight, trade, build your experience or just do nothing. This is what makes Asheron's Call fun as you get to choose what you do. Add in the interaction with the other players and you have a unique and exciting game. You can elect to go solo or band with other adventurers by either joining an allegiance or creating your own. You can make up your adventures or just help people that are new to the game.

The world of Dereth is quite large. Running from one end to the other could take a few hours, and I am talking real time here. You just don't realise how big it is until you explore. Along the way are numerous monsters that you can slay to increase your experience. The more experience you acquire, the more skills you can learn or improve, the more weapons and magic you can use and higher level monsters you can fight, and beat.

The main draw card of Asheron's Call though would have to be character interaction. It is surreal to hear the townspeople say hello or quipping how they have not seen you for a few weeks. It shows you the size of this game that you have so much to explore that you can get lost with other players for weeks.

The visuals for the game are excellent with the world in 3D and your stats placed around the screen for easy access. Asheron's Call runs smooth with little to no jerkiness, and the user panel is also easy to navigate. From there, you run all your commands with a click of a button, and you can also get help too within the panel.

Many people ask what is the point of the game though. Well, it is what you want do. If forming a massive alliance is your goal then so be it. Just exploring and making your adventures is exciting too. New stories are added to the game as well so the look of Death shifts and the adventures change so finding new challenges, new places to see and new monsters is quite easy to achieve.

Microsoft publishes the game and as such the game utilises The Zone. There is a monthly subscription fee but to be honest it is worth it, there is just so much to do. It is hard to put into words just exactly what Asheron's Call is like. The best way to understand it too play it. Asheron's Call is a worthy purchase and a taste of the future with the way we play Role Playing Games.

You will meet new people and find new adventures every day and marvel at just how big this game is. I must warn you though; this game is big and only ends when you stop playing it. As such, you must be careful as you can and will lose many hours to this game but just remember you are not alone.

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