We are getting the Thing review as well at some point, right? 🙂
I played this back in the day. The only thing I remember about it except for the general atmosphere and look is Marilyn’s kickass end credits song. If there was only one cure, does that mean the main character is still infected? Then it’s not really a definite ending after all…? Remember Alien: Resurrection. 🙂
btw
You should really play Half-Life and it’s two expansions. It’s a classic PC first person shooter action SF horror game, it has a similar but still very unique setup and a lot of moments to talk about (more than this game) and it doesn’t take long to beat them, even for people who don’t play first person shooters.
However, if you’re more inclined to play something offbeat or cult, instead of classic titles like Half-Life, then you must, must, must try Shiny’s Messiah. Imagine Lou Diamond Phillips’ action horror thriller The First Power (1990) crossed with Left Behind (or The Prophecy) and Blade Runner (or Fifth Element).
In cyberpunk dystopian future God sends a cute little cherub (winged baby in diapers) to stop the Antichrist who rules the country as a human dictator. The cherub can do only two things, fly a bit and enter and posses humans and other creatures and must use them to be able to do anything (to shoot something, you posses a guard, to turn something on, a citizen, etc).
This third person action adventure game was made by the same guys who made Earthworm Jim, so there’s a slight humorous and very cynical tone to this game. The especially cynical humorous ending is almost a statement on faith and one of the more original endings ever seen. The game is atmospheric, interesting and originally designed, but also kind of repetitive and the story is as straightforward as it gets (it never digresses from the original goal and cherub doesn’t really have an arc or anything, although perhaps it kind of does at the end in a backward kind of way).
Another cult game of note is Outcast (published in 1999 for consoles and PC) – a bad ass third person action adventure that combines Star Gate and John Carter of Mars. In the near future, a secret government project creates a wormhole that leads to a parallel universe. The wormhole begins to destabilize Earth, so ex-Navy SEAL sergeant Cutter Slade and three scientists are sent through it to find a way to close it on the other end somehow . Only Slade and a female scientist survive the trip and find an alien world (not unlike our ancient Egypt, but with alien farmers and gatherers instead of humans, since this is a parallel world after all) ruled and terrorized by a malicious god-like dictator. The prophecy claims that an alien will come to save them and they see Slade as the savior.
Slade must explore this world and do various tasks (that range from hunting local fauna to gathering stuff, talking to people or fighting the soldiers) to progress from one region to another and the game almost resembles an open world game. There’s swearing galore (no nudity, of course), but the adventurous feel never leaves you and the locations are again, very atmospheric (one resembles Mos Eisley). The main character is one of the more memorable protagonists in games and he very much resembles Kurt Russell’s character in Star Gate.
You really want to at least try these games. Believe me.
The Thing is coming at some point but I have a bunch lined up before that one.
Towards the end Hanson split the antidote between the two of them, which seemingly worked. (although it would have been a nasty spin if the sequel involved both of them dying and bringing the Exocels to the mainland)
Oh god, I am well aware of Half-Life 1-2 and the expansions. Not really sure what I could say about them that hasn’t already been said/done to death.
I have both Messiah and Outcast on GoG. I’d like to give them a playthrough for future videos but, as always, time is a factor. Good grief, it took me a year to get 5 GBG games out.
Do you have or are planning to get any next gen consoles?
They wont do it now that they have the PlayStation Now but I wish that the PS4 was backwards compatible with PS3 games as I missed out on games last gen having never bought a 360 or a PS3 because I got a PC at the time and it wasn’t powerful enough play most new games and missed out on a bunch of console exclusive. It was only when I got a new PC 2 years ago I was able to catch up and play some of the games I missed like Prototype 2, Bulletstorm, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record and Batman Arkham City.
I have a Wii U! (the Zelda bundle) Aside from that, not for a while. I have so many 360, PS3, and PC games I haven’t played there really is no reason for me to get the new ones.
follow:
Good review and interesting game!
Time to buy a PS2, I guess, unless there is a version for Atari 2600!
Thanks!
You can get it on Steam for $10. I hear the controls are better.
We are getting the Thing review as well at some point, right? 🙂
I played this back in the day. The only thing I remember about it except for the general atmosphere and look is Marilyn’s kickass end credits song. If there was only one cure, does that mean the main character is still infected? Then it’s not really a definite ending after all…? Remember Alien: Resurrection. 🙂
btw
You should really play Half-Life and it’s two expansions. It’s a classic PC first person shooter action SF horror game, it has a similar but still very unique setup and a lot of moments to talk about (more than this game) and it doesn’t take long to beat them, even for people who don’t play first person shooters.
However, if you’re more inclined to play something offbeat or cult, instead of classic titles like Half-Life, then you must, must, must try Shiny’s Messiah. Imagine Lou Diamond Phillips’ action horror thriller The First Power (1990) crossed with Left Behind (or The Prophecy) and Blade Runner (or Fifth Element).
In cyberpunk dystopian future God sends a cute little cherub (winged baby in diapers) to stop the Antichrist who rules the country as a human dictator. The cherub can do only two things, fly a bit and enter and posses humans and other creatures and must use them to be able to do anything (to shoot something, you posses a guard, to turn something on, a citizen, etc).
This third person action adventure game was made by the same guys who made Earthworm Jim, so there’s a slight humorous and very cynical tone to this game. The especially cynical humorous ending is almost a statement on faith and one of the more original endings ever seen. The game is atmospheric, interesting and originally designed, but also kind of repetitive and the story is as straightforward as it gets (it never digresses from the original goal and cherub doesn’t really have an arc or anything, although perhaps it kind of does at the end in a backward kind of way).
Another cult game of note is Outcast (published in 1999 for consoles and PC) – a bad ass third person action adventure that combines Star Gate and John Carter of Mars. In the near future, a secret government project creates a wormhole that leads to a parallel universe. The wormhole begins to destabilize Earth, so ex-Navy SEAL sergeant Cutter Slade and three scientists are sent through it to find a way to close it on the other end somehow . Only Slade and a female scientist survive the trip and find an alien world (not unlike our ancient Egypt, but with alien farmers and gatherers instead of humans, since this is a parallel world after all) ruled and terrorized by a malicious god-like dictator. The prophecy claims that an alien will come to save them and they see Slade as the savior.
Slade must explore this world and do various tasks (that range from hunting local fauna to gathering stuff, talking to people or fighting the soldiers) to progress from one region to another and the game almost resembles an open world game. There’s swearing galore (no nudity, of course), but the adventurous feel never leaves you and the locations are again, very atmospheric (one resembles Mos Eisley). The main character is one of the more memorable protagonists in games and he very much resembles Kurt Russell’s character in Star Gate.
You really want to at least try these games. Believe me.
The Thing is coming at some point but I have a bunch lined up before that one.
Towards the end Hanson split the antidote between the two of them, which seemingly worked. (although it would have been a nasty spin if the sequel involved both of them dying and bringing the Exocels to the mainland)
Oh god, I am well aware of Half-Life 1-2 and the expansions. Not really sure what I could say about them that hasn’t already been said/done to death.
I have both Messiah and Outcast on GoG. I’d like to give them a playthrough for future videos but, as always, time is a factor. Good grief, it took me a year to get 5 GBG games out.
Do you have or are planning to get any next gen consoles?
They wont do it now that they have the PlayStation Now but I wish that the PS4 was backwards compatible with PS3 games as I missed out on games last gen having never bought a 360 or a PS3 because I got a PC at the time and it wasn’t powerful enough play most new games and missed out on a bunch of console exclusive. It was only when I got a new PC 2 years ago I was able to catch up and play some of the games I missed like Prototype 2, Bulletstorm, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record and Batman Arkham City.
I have a Wii U! (the Zelda bundle) Aside from that, not for a while. I have so many 360, PS3, and PC games I haven’t played there really is no reason for me to get the new ones.