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.