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E124: Crysis
But can it run Crysis? This was the motto that surrounded every single PC build for literal years after the release of the game in 2007. Crytek were not satisfied with what they had achieved with Far Cry in 2004, and decided to push graphical hardware to its absolute limits with their brand new and shiny game. And boy, did they succeed, with a poorly optimised but breathtakingly gorgeous game. Even better, there was an entire video game attached to this graphical showcase, promising open ended tactical engagements over massive levels, far removed from corridor brawling.You have cool suit powers that switch between modes, on the fly weapon modification, and a wide array of guns (and vehicles) to wreak havoc on those pesky North Koreans. And if there are aliens, well, the United States of kick ass will just have to murder them as well. It seems like an incredible game on paper, even today when we have more open world games than you can shake a stick at.But for all that Crysis is vaunted for its massive leap forward in graphical technology, just how good a game is it to actually play? Are the suit powers really that interesting in the face of the many RPG systems that tend to overlap FPS games today? And is fighting those aliens all its cracked up to be? Is Crysis worth your time to play today, or is it better remembered?On this episode, we discuss:The Suit.Crysis’s key feature is a powerful exoskeleton that lets you switch between 4 modes - Strength, Armor, Speed and Stealth. Just how well does the game push these suit modes in terms of engaging gameplay? Are they balanced, and more importantly, are they fun to use?The Guns.How fun is the gunplay in Crysis? The game features a fairly typical roster of assault rifles, submachine guns and shotguns, but has weapon modification on the fly with a simple menu. Does this do enough to spice up the gunplay and keep things interesting?The level design.Crysis features (mostly) semi-open world level design, with bespoke objectives. Does this give you the freedom to approach them in the way you want, and does it maintain this philosophy for the entire run time of the game?We answer these questions and many more on the 124th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherCrysis OST: Inon Zur The original version of the game, available on GOG, will fail to start on modern operating systems (Windows 10+). This can be fixed using the below link, which James used for this https://github.com/ccomrade/c1-launcher Do you know what the gameplay differences are between Crysis 1 and the remastered version? Do you think that Crysis is better than the Far Cry games that came afterwards? When are we going to play Far Cry 2? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!
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1:15:50
E123: Resident Evil 2
After their magnum opus that was Resident Evil 1, Capcom were not going to sit on their heels. Coming out just two years after the first in 1998, Resident Evil 2 sought to have everything the original had and much, much more. It connected its two character’s stories in far more meaningful ways, increased the size of each player's inventory (and their respectives arsenals) and had more cinematic and explosive moments to show the player.And boy did it do well! It received universal critical acclaim, with everything from its graphical fidelity to its voice acting considered above and beyond the original. Many players consider this to be the best Resident Evil game to this day.But in the wake of the 2019 remake, and a longform view of what eventually became of the franchise - is Resident Evil 2 really all that its cracked up to be? Do more zombies and more action automatically equal a better game? Does more inventory slots, disappearing corpses and a more linear cinematic progression bode well from a gameplay sense? How does Resident Evil 2 compare to its other offerings, and is it worth playing today?On this episode we discuss:StoryResident Evil 2 presents its story in a very interesting way - two overlapping but distinct perspectives in Leon and Claire. Does this experimental storytelling work, and how invested were we in its fundamentally B grade plot?Level DesignResident Evil 2s police station brings back most of what made the mansion so incredible, with its distinct spaces and looping level design. How does it compare to the original, and how enjoyable is it when you move away from the Police StationSurvivalResident Evil 2 takes away the need to burn corpses, gives you more ammo and gives you more inventory slots. What impact does this have on the tension of survival, and how different is the focus on tactical exploration?We answer these questions and many more on the 123rd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherResident Evil 2 OST: Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, Syun Nishigaki Which Resident Evil game is truly the best? What were your experiences like playing the original games back in the day? Are there any other survival horror games that come close to this franchise? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.
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1:08:35
E122: The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is perhaps the most iconic video game series of all time. Boasting 19 mainline entries, and an endless swathe of critical acclaim and awards, it's hard to find someone who hasn’t at least heard of the action/adventure story of Link and Zelda. It all began back in 1986 with the release of the first game for the Famicom in Japan. The game begins immediately with an open ended structure, giving the player multiple paths to follow, and an open world to explore. You explore and fight, get stronger and overcome challenges, and discover secrets along the way. It might sound inconsequential, but on release Zelda was breathtakingly audacious in its design, with its non-linearity and enormous world.But is it still an impressive title today? Non-linearity and open worlds are par for the course now. And while Zelda has been massively influential, that just means there have been thousands of attempts at refining and improving over what the original game offered. Has The Legend of Zelda truly stood the test of time, or is it simply just a historical landmark?On this episode, we discuss:Exploration and SecretsZelda, like many games of its era, boasts a huge manual, complete with a partially filled map to get you started on uncovering its many secrets. Is the process of exploring and finding secrets enjoyable, or is its reputation as obtuse and frustrating to figure out justified?Progress and keysZelda is stunningly non-linear, with most of the gameworld immediately accessible if you know what you’re doing. Does the design of giving the player more utility and power through their progress instead of straight up keys lead to a more engaging open world? Or does the metroidvania formulae do it better?CombatJust how enjoyable is the moment to moment gameplay of Zelda? Enemies can be fast and furious, and the game wil often sling a lot of projectiles at you. Does the game give you the tools to skillfully deal with the obstacles in your way, or is it just about hit trading and tanking through damage?We answer these questions and many more on the 122nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherZelda OST: Koji Kondo The full manual can be found here What other games have been heavily inspired by Zelda that we completely blanked on? What were your experiences exploring the world for the first time? What Zelda game should we play next? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee page!
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1:09:44
E121: Killer 7
Killer7 is one weird game. Developed in tandem by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom and first released in 2005, its very existence as a game defies description. Within moments of starting, you’re placed into a world with talking bondage ghosts, a TV channel that drains your blood, and abstract puzzles that would fit right into Resident Evil. Combine this with a cinematic third person slow rail shooter and you might have just a taste of what Killer7 is all about, but the truth is that you’re just scratching the surface of this enigma of a video game.Killer7 has a diehard cult following, not just for its presentation and aesthetic, but for its incredibly deep and confusing story. But for all its fans, what is the experience of playing Killer7 actually like? Is there an enjoyable game underneath all of its layers? Or are they merely disguising something that's all flash and no sizzle?On this episode, we discuss:Presentation and StyleKiller7 is absolutely dripping in style. From the broader minimalistic cell shaded environments to something as simple as the way characters reload their weapons, there’s a unique vibe to this game that is hard to describe. Does the glamour eventually wear off, or does its presentation remain compelling for the full game runtime?Combat and PacingKiller7’s combat is most reminiscent of something like House of the Dead, with zombie-like enemies and a first person static shooting style. Does it match the frantic pace and tension of a light gun game, or does giving the player total control of the rail movement lead to something more plodding?StoryWhat exactly is Killer7 trying to say? There are layers and layers of story here, from identity issues, to geopolitics, to conspiracy and control. Is this a compelling and understandable story? Does it make sense? Does it even need to make sense?We answer these questions and many more on the 121st episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! We are joined by special guest Dave Jackson of the Tales from the Backlog Podcast! He reviews interesting games that would otherwise sit on your shelf, with a focus on having spoiler free discussion initially for people who are on the fence. He also hosts A Top 3 Podcast, where he and friends rank the top 3 of a given thing each episode. Check it out! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherKiller7 OST: Masafumi Takada Did you find that Killer7 was all that it was cracked up to be? Do you have any idea what’s going on with the story? Are there other Suda51 games that are worth playing? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.
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2:20:23
E120: System Shock 2
System Shock 2 is considered by many to be the finest immersive sim ever made. Released in 1999 in a coventure by Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games, it sought to combine the classic 3D dungeon crawling of the original with pen and paper inspired RPG systems. While resource management and exploration were still a key part of the experience, you were now restricted in what you could initially do by those RPG stats - and it was only towards the end game that your character would feel truly strong. Perhaps most obvious were the changes from the more abstract environments to something that felt real - this was a real place that had a disaster befall it, not just a series of rooms and corridors stapled together.But are those things that were so revolutionary back in 1999 actually that impressive today? Nowadays we have semi-spiritual successors like Bioshock which mimicked environmental storytelling. We have Prey and Deus Ex with far more expansive RPG systems. Has System Shock 2 stood the test of time, or does it even offer something unique, when compared to the games of the present?On this episode we discuss:StorytellingHow does System Shock 2 tell its story to the player? Do its many audio logs combine into a complete and understandable narrative, or is it just a lot of standing still and being bored while a voice actor spouts nonsense at you?Level DesignDoes System Shock 2’s systems complement its level design, or get in its way? Does the non-linearity of the levels represent the apex of the game, or are they just confusing messes?RPG SystemsHow well designed are the RPG aspects of System Shock 2? Do they allow the player the creative expression to make a unique character that tackles problems in their own way? How well do they work over the full runtime of the game?We answer these questions and many more on the 120th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherSystem Shock 2 OST: Eric Brosius, Ramin Djawadi —RSD Mods for System Shock 2—Is System Shock 2 still the best and brightest immersive sim, or has it been eclipsed by new games? Should we finally play Deus Ex? What other games in the genre are we yet to play and need to? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.
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1:55:24

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Are classic games deserving of their praise? Or have the unwashed masses been blinded by nostalgia? On the Retro Spectives Podcast, we tell you why you're wrong about the games you love.

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