The Warp Pipe - 30/11/08
By Matt Keller - Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:57am
Someone posed a question to me this week along the lines of “How do you think this decade will be remembered?” That led me to thinking how I remember the 90s; widespread adoption of PCs, dial-up Internet (complete with session limits) and early 3D graphics spring to mind when I think of 90s tech. That and the fact that the decade also housed many fantastic video games. What major technological changes stand out to you in this decade?The Tin Anniversaries – Part V
) Nothing like a good ol’ fashioned collect-a-thon |
After teaming up with former enemy Doctor Nitrus Brio to destroy Doctor Neo Cortex’s space station, Crash Bandicoot returns to a relatively peaceful life on N.Sanity Island. Rarely do fuzzy video game platform mascots get to relax however, as it soon becomes apparent that evil is afoot again. It seems Uka Uka, Aku Aku’s evil brother, has become free from his prison courtesy of Cortex’s failure in the previous game. The trio of Uka Uka, Cortex and new evil scientist Doctor N. Tropy intend to use a device called the Time Twister to take over the world, so Crash and his crew set off for another adventure.
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped follows the same structure as a second game, with a main hub world that splits off into five portions, each of which has five stages and a boss encounter. Crash’s adventures will take you across the world and through time. New features include a variety of vehicle levels, unlockable moves and a time trial mode for each level. To fit in with the popular collection-heavy gameplay of the time, Warped has a bunch of different objects for players to collect in order to fully complete the game and unlock secret levels and a new ending.
Generally considered to be the highest point of Crash Bandicoot’s career (though some would argue Crash Team Racing was his finest hour), Crash Bandicoot 3 attracted a Metascore of 91 and sold almost 6 million copies. Developer Naughty Dog decided to leave the franchise behind after the completion of Crash Team Racing to focus on a new franchise (which ended up being Jak & Daxter). As a result of their departure, quality of Crash Bandicoot games fell faster than a barrel off the edge of Niagra Falls, though the franchise continues unabated.
) 5 CDs was a lot at the time |
Based in the Forgotten Realms setting and based on a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2.0 ruleset, Baldur’s Gate redefined how pen and paper rules can be applied to a video game. It was an ambitious release, packed on five CDs and requiring up to a maximum of 2.5GB of hard drive space (when most PCs had about 8 to 12GB of space) not to mention requiring a bit of horsepower to run its luscious visuals, but fans of PC RPGs lapped it up.
Baldur’s Gate is set in the Sword Coast in the midst of an iron crisis. The player character has grown up in Castlekeep, a library that was once a fortress, under the tutelage of the mage Gorion. One night, a bunch of mercenaries show up demanding your life, forcing Gorion to rush you and your childhood chum Imoen out of Castlekeep to reach a safe haven. Unfortunately, the next night, a shadowy, armoured figure shows up and kills Gorion. It’s up to you to find out who was behind Gorion’s murder, and what’s causing the iron shortage, among other things.
Though released in a slightly glitchy state, Baldur’s Gate received unanimously positive reviews, resulting in a Metascore of 92. The game sold rather well, leading to a direct expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, and a 1999 sequel Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (which also saw the Throne of Bhaal expansion). Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound is believed to have been in development between 2001 and 2003 on a new 3D engine, said to be the same one as used by the ill-fated third Fallout instalment. Rumours persist that a third game is still under way, but little remains to be seen. A spinoff series for consoles called Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance was produced in 2001, and experience immediate success thanks in large to its powerful graphics engine and solid gameplay. The sequel was not successful, and remains the last officially released title in the franchise.
) Don’t call it a sequel; Lorne Lanning will have you killed |
After saving his people, the Mudokons, from becoming the Glukkons’ new line of meat products, Abe is celebrated as a hero. During a ceremony in his honour, Abe falls off the stage and is rendered unconscious, during which time he is visited by Mudokon spirits who informs Abe that the Glukkons have been exhuming Mudokon bones to product a new addictive drink called Soulstorm Brew. The spirits charge Abe with the task of shutting down the Soulstorm brewery, in order to save his race once again.
Exoddus looks and plays much the same way as Oddysee, but has a few key differences. The most obvious one is the implementation of a quick save feature, which was heavily requested by fans in response to the difficulty of the first game. The Mudokons Abe rescues in the game now have various emotional and physical states which will affect what players need to do in order to get them to accompany him, for example depressed Mudokons need to be consoled, while blind Mudokons need to be guided. There’s also take-turns two player co-operative mode thrown in for good measure. The game has a number of alternate and bonus endings depending on how many Mudokons are saved.
Response to Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus was universally positive, with a Metascore of 88. The game sold on par with its predecessor, spurring Oddworld Inhabitants to continue the series. Despite its original announcement as a PS2 game, the third game, Munch’s Oddysee became an Xbox exclusive, but saw considerably poorer reviews. The relationship with Microsoft did not last long, as they dropped the rights to the fourth title, Stranger’s Wrath. It found a new home at Electronic Arts, but after a failed attempt to port the game to the PS2, EA released the game on the Xbox with minimal promotion or support, resulting in the game flopping despite universally positive reviews. Oddworld Inhabitants then left the industry, cancelling their fifth title and starting work on a movie called Citizen Siege. Recent reports suggest that they will be returning to game development in the near future.
) It’s all about your skill! Go for broke! |
Capcom was on fire in the late 90s, releasing many different series of fighting games. One of the most popular Street Fighter spin-offs was the Alpha series, allegedly set between the first and second World Warrior tournaments. Each new release in the series added more characters and special moves, and expanded on the back story of each fighter prior to the second World Warrior tournament.
The arcade version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 introduced nine new characters to the series; Cammy, E. Honda, Blanka, Vega, Cody, R. Mika, M. Bison and Juni & Juli. The main gameplay change was the abandoning of the Manual and Auto play modes in favour of the new –ism system. This approach allowed for three contrasting play styles. A-ism is the standard style, based on the Alpha series where players have a three tiered special meter with several different super combos. X-ism is based on the Super Street Fighter II Turbo special meter, where players have a single level super combo gauge and only one combo, but it’s significantly more powerful. However, players cannot use air blocks or Alpha counters. V-ism lets players use their special meter to perform custom super combos. Other new features included a block meter, which will dizzy players if emptied, and changes to the combo levels. New play modes such as the dramatic battle, which let two players gang up on a single computer opponent simultaneously, were hidden in the game, unlocked via time-release.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 was very popular – drawing more attention than Street Fighter III, though over time, the preferences would drift the other way. The game was released on consoles in various forms, first for the PlayStation with new modes and characters, with a few animation sacrifices. The following year it was released for the Dreamcast and Saturn, with all of the original animation restored, and more new features. The arcade version was later re-released (as Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper) on the NAOMI board, incorporating the new console features and VMU compatibility. The game was ported to the GBA, gaining more new characters, but losing some visual and audio features, which were subsequently restored in the PSP version, Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX. No signs of a sequel have shown up, but the good performance of Street Fighter IV may lead to Capcom considering a fourth Alpha game.
) Trouble’s a-brewing in the Land of Cheese |
The original Worms is a classic example of just how far the garage programmer can go. After Team 17 picked up Andy Davidson’s BlitzBASIC Amiga game, it developed into one of the biggest hits of the mid 90s. After a number of expansions and ports to half a dozen different formats, Team 17 started work on the first sequel, Worms 2.
Worms 2 redefined the look and feel of the previous game, going for a more cartoon-like approach with greater customisation. While the basic gameplay remained the same, new weapons and battle options resulted in many changes to player tactics. There were a huge number of hidden weapons available, including some jokey, but highly effective options like the Old Lady, Salvation Army and the Concrete Donkey, whose rarity was matched by its destructive potential. Worms 2 added local network and TCP/IP play to the multiplayer ranks, in addition to the regular hot seat mode.
One of the first releases of 1998, Worms 2 was a commercial hit, and carried a Metascore of 86. Team 17 intended to release an expansion pack in Worms Armageddon, but the success of Worms 2 caused them to release it as a standalone product. Series creator Andy Davidson left Team 17 after Armageddon, while the developer expanded the series’ online component with Worms World Party. The series experienced a lot of hiccups in its long-awaited, but ultimately lacklustre transition to 3D, as Worms 3D, Worms 4: Mayhem and Worms Forts all disappointed. The series continues to be the bread and butter of Team 17 to this day, and still remains popular on Xbox Live Arcade and handheld formats.
More News
Suggest News
RSS Feeds
Digest Subscriptions
