Games developed by ORIGIN Systems, Inc.
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Autoduel
Autoduel, released in 1988, is a classic DOS game that brings together elements of action, strategy, and role-playing into one exhilarating experience. Developed by Origin Systems, this post-apocalyptic world game takes place in a futuristic setting where players assume the role of a freelance car warrior in a dystopian United States. With an engaging storyline and intricate gameplay, Autoduel quickly became a cult favorite among gamers during the late 1980s.
At its core, Autoduel is a vehicular combat game where players navigate their way through dangerous roads and hostile cities, all while engaging in intense battles with other vehicles. The game takes place in a society where gasoline and resources are scarce, and so the most efficient mode of transportation is through heavily armored and weaponized cars. As a player, you must build and customize your vehicle, known as an autodueller, with weapons, armor, and machinery to survive and thrive in this ruthless world.
The game features a complex and branching storyline that allows players to choose their own path and make decisions that affect their progress. Depending on the choices made, players can explore different regions, encounter different characters, and even join different factions within the game. This adds a layer of depth and replayability, making each playthrough a unique experience. The decision-making element also adds a strategic aspect to the gameplay, as players must carefully consider their actions to achieve their goals.
One of the most impressive features of Autoduel is its detailed and immersive world. Players can explore cities, towns, and wilderness areas, and interact with non-playable characters to gather information, complete quests, or engage in battles. The world is also filled with rival autoduellists, bandits, and gangs, making it an unpredictable and dangerous environment that constantly keeps players on their toes.
As players progress through the game, they earn money and experience points, which can be used to upgrade their autodueller and skills. The game also features a wide variety of weapons and equipment for players to acquire and use, including machine guns, rockets, mines, and oil slicks. The combat mechanics are simple yet satisfying, as players can choose between manually controlling their vehicle or using the game's automatic targeting system.
In addition to its engaging gameplay and immersive world, Autoduel also boasts impressive graphics and sound for its time. The game's top-down perspective provides a clear view of the action, and the detailed pixel art adds a gritty and realistic feel to the post-apocalyptic world. The game's soundtrack is also noteworthy, incorporating a mix of electronic and heavy metal music that further enhances the game's atmosphere.
Bad Blood
A nuclear war has turned the world into a wasteland. The pure-blooded humans have retreated to the big cities, while the mutants live in small villages on the plains where they make a living hunting the numerous monsters. Now one of the human leaders, Lord Dominix, wants to start a war to wipe out all the 'bad blood' mutants. Your village chief has assigned you the task of preventing this war.
Bad Blood is a top-down action game with light role-playing elements. You can't create your own character, but have to choose one of three predefined ones: Varrigg (a strong green mutant who fights with his bare hands), Dekker (a human man armed with a knife) or Jakka (looks human but can shoot laser beams from his eyes like Cyclops of X-Men fame). The choice you make has only a limited impact on gameplay and story.
The gameplay consists of exploring the world map, visiting various cities and towns, talking to NPCs, collecting items and new weapons (such as shotguns, grenades, Uzis, etc. ) and lots of real-time combat. Bad Blood lacks statistics and character development. The game has a day-night cycle that influences the amount of monsters on the plains and whether or not you can talk to some NPCs.
Crusader: No Regret
Crusader: No Regret is a direct sequel to Crusader: No Remorse, its events beginning 46 hours after those described in the previous game. The game's protagonist, a muffler known as the Captain, manipulates his escape pod on a WEC freighter headed for the moon. There, WEC has established itself as the sole power, overseeing mining procedures and using the moon as a prison for dissidents. Members of the Resistance are forced to work for WEC, extracting a precious radioactive component, Di-Corellium. The powerful corporation is not happy to see the Captain on the moon, and he has to use all his wits and skills to survive, as WEC, led by President Draygan, tries to hunt him down.
The game has a very similar look and gameplay to its predecessor, being an isometric shooter in which the Captain can also jump, run, roll and kneel to avoid enemy attacks. Some new weapons and death animations have been added. The structure of the game is somewhat simpler compared to the previous installment. In No Remorse, the Captain was limited to carrying five weapons; in No Regret, this limitation has been removed.
Crusader: No Remorse
Undoubtedly one of the best action games ever made, Crusader: No Remorse is a perfect use of the isometric 3D engine used in the lousy Ultima VIII: Pagan.
The premise is not original, but it is effective in the game's action context: you are a former Silencer, an elite soldier working for the World Economic Consortium, who one day decided to join the Resistance, a movement that aims to free the world from the Consortium's oppression. Despite this clichéd premise, No Remorse improves over time as the plot thickens and the game's world unfolds in great detail, complete with competent full-motion video acting (which are obviously too large to be included on this CD-rip. Look for the full version).
The game consists of 16 missions that must be completed in order. Mission objectives range from destroying a Consortium refinery, to rescuing prisoners, to kidnapping a Consortium official. Although you will spend most of your time destroying anything that moves, wanton destruction is not encouraged, as there are useful items such as lockers containing power-ups and ammunition, as well as computer terminals that provide passwords and clues you will need. In addition, stealth and planning are aided by the presence of alarms, which will call enemy troops to your location and disable some crucial terminals if you activate them. This, along with the inclusion of many interactive objects in each level, adds a fun element of realism to the standard gameplay of finding the blue key to unlock the blue door.
The arsenal of weapons you'll have at your disposal is impressive, ranging from the mundane (semi-automatic pistols), to the devastating (UV-9 ultraviolet rifle). Part of the fun in No Remorse is watching your enemies die in a variety of ways. The 'Unifier' plasma rifle, for example, completely disintegrates a human target, leaving only some residue. Other inventory items include mines, explosives, spider bombs, shield generators, medikits, energy cells, etc. The variety of weaponry and its different uses definitely distinguishes No Remorse from the Doom clones, and part of the fun lies in figuring out the optimal use of each item.
Overall, No Remorse delivers exactly what the title implies: addictive hours of remorseless fun. My only complaint is that the controls take some getting used to, with different keystrokes for walking, running, rolling, crouching, shooting, etc. The mouse and keyboard combination seems to work better, but it takes quite a bit of practice. But no matter... practice makes perfect, and as soon as you get used to the controls, you'll find yourself hooked to the world of Silencer for hours on end. Two thumbs up, way up!
CyberMage: Darklight Awakening
One of Origin's more obscure releases, CyberMage: Darklight Awakening is a fun cyberpunk first-person shooter designed by D. W. Bradley of Wizardry fame. Unfortunately, the game suffered from the 'too far ahead of its time' syndrome common to many Origin games of the time: games with very high hardware requirements that only a few gamers can afford. As a result, it never sold well.
The description and review at MobyGames provide a good synopsis of the good and the bad of this underdog. Let's start with the plot: '2044 AD. The world's governments have crumbled, Earth is ruled by ruthless corporations who will do anything to make a profit. However, there are rebels fighting against corporate control all over the planet. In this world you save the life of a stranger, giving your own life in the process. Taking you to his lab, the stranger uses you in a secret experiment and is able to revive you. You awaken with a strange crystal embedded in your forehead, which gives you control of a strange power known as the Dark Light. The lab is attacked by the forces of NeCrom, who also controls the Dark Light. You must escape the lab, learn about the Darklight and the aliens who bring it to the planet and finally confront NeCrom who is your evil counterpart.
CyberMage is a Doom style game and has you use various weapons and your Darklight powers against many enemies. You can increase your powers over time by collecting life force from your enemies. In addition to walking through cities and war zones, you can use vehicles such as tanks and air cars. However, don't shoot everything you see, many people can help you in your mission.
The good: I liked - no, loved - everything about this game at the time, although many other games have now matched it in various aspects. The level design especially stands out, and some of my favorite levels are in this game. . . . All in all, this game is at the top of my all-time favorites list; quite an accomplishment for such an unknown and under-publicized game.
Downside: The second level. Pass it and forget about it. Don't let it sour you on the rest of the game. Also, I recently reattempted to play the game and found the keyboard controls to be somewhat clunky and awkward. I originally played it with a gamepad, which was much more intuitive.
Bottom line: CyberMage is a first generation FPS of the highest caliber. It anticipates the design elements of games like Half-Life by about four or five years, and the production values are excellent. . . With such a rich story, this game had the potential to be a good System Shock clone rather than a good Doom clone, but other than that . . . there's not much to complain about'.
Highly recommended. Note: The game comes with a great comic book that tells the background of the story. I'll scan it for the site at some point. . .
Jane's Combat Simulations: AH-64D FX
LongbowFX is a special version of Janes' AH-64D Longbow that was released as bundled software with certain 3DFX video cards. (It was released well before the release of Longbow Gold, and was the first version to feature 3D acceleration.
It is an abridged version of the full game and lacks some of the features of the full game. However, it is also where 3DFX acceleration (later incorporated into Longbow Gold and included by default in Longbow 2) makes its first appearance.
The game is functionally identical to Longbow Gold (full patch), except for a modified splash screen and lack of content (later stages).
Note that AH-64D Longbow is a 2-disc game, Longbow Gold is a 3-disc game, and LongbowFX is a 1-disc game.
The main purpose of the LongbowFX release was to demonstrate that hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, achieved for the first time by 3DFX, were superior to traditional (at the time) raster-rendered graphics. And those who enjoyed it (like me) inevitably ended up buying the full game. Later, EA used the same 3D engine update to create a 3D enhanced version of Longbow Gold. However, the copy protection on this version is not very strict, so some people may run it and not run LBG. Also, if you don't want to play the whole campaign, but just want to fly and shoot stuff, this is just as good as LBG.
These days, there's not much reason for hardcore flight simulators to choose this over the fully upgraded, 3D-accelerated Longbow Gold, but if you like to fly without having to change discs, this is a great option.
The readme file says: 'Longbow FX has been developed and tested specifically for the Intergraph Intense 3D Voodoo video card. Longbow FX may not work with other 3DFX cards'. It is written as.
