各界人仕對時空門的見解
本人有空的話,將會把下列英文翻譯(大家信得過我的翻譯嗎?)
若閣下對時空門也有見解的話 , 歡迎來信 !
1.
Last week in my Unreal review, I mentioned the fact that Unreal's
amazing ambiance and environment, combined with the eery and
haunting music, reminded of one of my favorite games of all time,
"Out of this World", published in 1991 by a small
French software company named "Delphine Software", and
released in the US by Interplay.
That comment prompted me to find the box of OOTW and re-install
it. Having played through the game again, I can safely say that
Out Of This World was a game way, way before it's time, and after
all these years (7 years is ages in the computer gaming biz) it
still is a fascinating and highly entertaining computer game. If you happen to see this classic in a discount
bin at a local computer store -- get it.
Billed as "the Next Generation of Action/Adventure
games", Out Of This World (OOTW) is essentially a
side-scrolling adventure, in the style of Prince of Persia and
other classic video games. Controls were simple: left right,
jump, shoot, and draw your weapon. However, in this game, like
the modern classic Unreal I reviewed last week, the story is what is really interesting.
The box says that OOTW is an "Action/adventure ame that
actually tells a story", which pretty much sums it up. Up
until this time, action games were of the "shoot-em-up"
variety, where graphics took a back seat to the story.
The story of OOTW is quite interesting,
which builds as you play through the game. Sent through space and
time by a nuclear experiment gone wrong, you find yourself on an
alien planet, populated by deadly monsters. Early in the game you
find yourself captured and imprisoned, and are only set free by
the help of a friendly alien, who is your compatriot for the rest
of the game, helping you out in many sticky situations.
The graphics, specifically the animations, are fascinating, using
state-of-the-art (at the time) "rotoscoped animation"
sequences. The rotosope animations were amazingly stylized and
artistic (the lightning bolts in the beginning sequence stand out
in my mind), sort of like Disney animation, yet more dark and
gritty -- the VGA palette consisted of a large variety of blues
and blacks. Playing the game was akin to playing through an
animation.. the sequences flow into each other, as something
simple as jumping would trigger an animation of your character
jumping up and grabbing a vine, swinging over a blood-thirsty
monster.
While, in essence, OOTW is a 2D game, the animations, and,
specifically, the beautiful background art,
make it seem like you're in a 3D world. Each screen you
walk (or in most cases, run) though are meticulously detailed..
In the first main section of the game, for instance, you'll be
running for your life from a huge monster. Stop and look at the
scenery though, and you'll see cliffs in the backgrounds, flying
birds, and a cloud-swept sky. Of course, do that and you'll be
tackled from behind.
As far as I'm concerned, Out of this World
is a perfect game. In fact, my only quibble with it is
that it's sequel, which came out two years later, was never
released on the PC. Why, I have no idea, but if you have a Sega
Genesis CD, you may still be able to find it (good luck though).
2.
It's hard to explain OOTW to anyone who doesn't instantly
remember it
--the game had been ported over from the underpowered and
obsolete Macintosh IIgs,
which in itself was a dubious proposition.
It was fairly common knowledge that bridging the gap between the
common button-humping kid and the erudite hunched over his home
computer
keyboard with synapses a-flarin' was bad business. The twain were
not intended to meet,
despite the fledgling assertions of Wolfenstein and its bastard
family that would
eventually turn that notion on its ass in the years that
followed.
Regardless, Interplay--one of Nintendo's powerhouse developers,
which also dropped The Lost Vikings, Rock N' Roll Racing and the
aforementioned
Clayfighter on the gaming public--took the task and cut the game
loose in the
Christmas season of 91'. It actually did a surprising business on
the home
circuit, mainly due to the fact that it used something called
"polygon rotoscoping"
to substitute hand-animated sprites for abstract figures that
moved in
astoundingly lifelike manners. Lester Knight Chaykin, the
intrepid and
mongoloid-browed hero of the piece, clipped along at about ten to
twelve polygons
himself, enabling both a prancing gallop and a shuffling trudge,
as well as
simpler tasks like ducking and firing a ubiquitous laser pistol.
What was
initially a marketing ploy later became the advent of the next
generation in
graphics content for the video game industry, making OOTW
something of a disowned
great-grandfather of the current machines and their
billion-polygon rendering
power.
The storyline was simple cheese: Lester Knight Chaykin,
fancy-pants boy wonder
and scientific genius, finds himself teleported to a strange
alien world after
a particle acceleration experiment goes awry. The gameplay itself
was a smooth
balance between pumping energy projectiles into the hulking alien
population of
the planet and using the ol' noodle to unravel an insidious
parade of puzzles.
Taking a page from the Ninja Gaiden groundbreak, Lester's
consistent progression
into the alien world was given further dramatic pump by a number
of cut-scenes,
the most amusing of which were undoubtedly his deaths.
Planet of the Manatee People
Yes, few games have so openly encouraged the defeat of the hero
as OOTW--the Home
Alone games and anything with the goddamned Olsen Twins in it
obviously has a
special place on the list, but the bastards who programmed
Lester's adventure had
an obvious dislike for their baby that was so pronounced, they
were willing to have
a fanged slug kill him.
No, seriously.
The sabretoothed slug bit is only one of at least a dozen other
comedic ends for
Lester. In retrospect, Interplay actually managed to spin a
serious moral dilemma
for anyone at the controls: do you continue on the level, or drop
Lester into that
pit to see if anything will be waiting to messily devour his bony
little body?
Throw in the variables of the game's physics, such as Lester's
wimpy resolve
(One shot with a laser and he's toeing daisies) and inability to
hang onto ledges
effectively or leap distances of any usefulness, and the die is
pretty much cast:
you've gotta let the bastard drown, just to see his unamused
expression as he's
swept into oblivion.
There's also an unhealthy amount of unintentional malice
encouraged by certain
scenarios that the player is thrown into: if the doddering alien
pal that Lester
accumulates about a quarter of the way through the game starts
getting on your
nerves, just use him as a shield the next time the bad guys come
looking to swap
some death-rays. In a roundabout way, OOTW was probably the best
therapy a
thirteen-year-old kid could possibly hope for.
Out of This World, and Through the Green Door
Despite the obvious and expected earmarks and liverspots of old
age, OOTW still
stands up as a good time in today's gaming world. The story has
depth and the basic
concept of the title is oozing with LSD charm, brooding
landscapes and a
permeating vibe of unrepentant weirdness weaving through the
proceedings. If you
aren't among the current crop of electric crack-addicted
faithful, pick yourself
up a copy at Funco Land or eBay, and let yourself ride the
lightning to a simpler
time in all our weird little lives.