CRPG Addict - Review Roundup (Part Six)
Continuing skavenhorde's review roundup series from four years ago about games played and reviewed by CRPG Addict, here's another piece of gaming history.
Adventure Construction Set (1984)
I give it 7 points for the game world; it's the only game I know that draws on Mesopotamian mythology, and it's quite well-researched at that. (..)
Final Score: 30. It was brief enough that I would have finished it if it hadn't been for the game's sudden surprise, but it wasn't enjoyable enough that I mind watching the end on someone else's video. (..) [ed: Updated final score after the revisit: 34]
- Game 29: Adventure Construction Set (1987)
- Rivers of Light: Western Civ Redux
- No Eternal Life for me...
- Constructing Adventure ACS Addendum
- Revisiting: Adventure Construction Set/Rivers of Light (1984) (Won!)
[Matt Barton said,] "Alien Fires is an extremely difficult game...I certainly wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but I've never played another game that had the same otherworldly ambiance." See, Barton has a way with words. He says "otherworldly ambiance." I say, "WTF?"
Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor (1987)
My GIMLET scale wants "unique monsters." Folks, I give you monkey grinders, cruel puppets, lucksuckers, Christmas Tree Monsters, and of course grues. (..)
Final score: 46. The little non-CRPG gets a higher score than any CRPG I've played except Ultima III, Ultima IV, Starflight, and Might & Magic. I'm on board with that 100%. If this wasn't supposed to be a blog about CRPGs, I could give it additional points for its sense of humor and quality of writing.
- Game 31: Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor
- Zorkish Puzzles, Beyond-Zorkish Combat
- Giant Onions, Unicorns, and Puppets
- Lost in Quendor
- Closing In
- Reverse Metamorphosis & Time Travel
- Won!
- Final Ranking
Braminar is a CRPG the way that the home movies your dad made are "cinema." They might be interesting, but you wouldn't expect to find them cataloged on IMDB. Braminar's inclusion on MobyGames's list of CRPGs stretches the definition of the term to its utmost limits. (..)
I give it a 9/100 on the GIMLET scale (it's not even worth explaining why).
Although the constant flurry of clicks wore me down, I give a lot of credit to the landmark real-time combat system that the game uses. Combat is very tactical, with numerous weapon and magic options, and attack functions that increase with your skills. The magic system is one of the most original encountered, with a combination of runes and mana, and a spell list that only slowly reveals itself. (..)
Total ranking: 47. This has it beating Beyond Zork but not Might & Magic, Ultima IV, or Starflight, all of which I agree I enjoyed more. I admire Dungeon Master for its innovations, but despite them I don't think it's a "great" game.