COMPUTER GAMES
MY DOOM PAGE
I have played computer games all my life. They are very enjoyable and addicting, and of course, fun. I have played a wide variety of games, ranging from the role-playing kind such as King's Quest to the more action-based games such as Raptor or Rebel Assault.
What I love about computer games is the mystery and anticipation of what will happen next. This is more true in role-playing games, in which you play a character who can interact with other characters in the game and the environment. I often wonder "what will be behind this door?" or "what do I do with this object I found?", and other similar questions as I, the player, must solve a series of puzzles and mini-missions which lead up to reaching the major goal of the entire game. These kinds of games are intellectually challenging, and very fun to play. They force you to explore new environments, consider a wide range of possibilities, and occasionally even make you draw your own little map when you begin to lose your way. But this adds to the overall excitement in playing the game and in overcoming challenges that it throws at you.
And then there are those fast-paced action "shoot 'em up" games such as Doom and Rebel Assault. These types of games make you rely on fast reflexes and the player very often has to play the game several times before gaining sufficient experience in order to conquer the game. These games require quick thinking and mental awareness of your surroundings. And, of course, it's always you against a thousand or so enemies, so keep your head up and watch your back. You can't even get distracted for a second, for that one second can mean the difference between a you and, well...a dead you.
As an avid-gamer, I have decided to dedicate part of my page to computer games. Computer games are like books, only you decide where to take the story. Most of the games I have played have been a positive and enjoyable experience for me. They have opened up my imagination to a new level, where I can explore distant mythical lands or fight enemy starfighters in space, or even build my own cities!
In conclusion, computer games are just smaller programmed versions of reality in which we can do anything we want just to see what happens. This is part of the games' attraction--the amount of freedom you have to explore this new "world" you are in. My advise: when playing a game, don't just think of it as pressing a few buttons and clicking the mouse, think of it as an experience which you are part of, and which you alone have the ability to influence the outcome of the story which it tells you. You are part of this story. In fact, you are the main character, and it is up to you to reach the end.
You may visit my Doom and Quake pages (links to them are above),
or read below about several different computer games I have played over the years plus what I think of them.
GAMES
Choose from the titles below:
The 7th Guest
A haunted house is the perfect place for a 3-D perspective drama game. In the beginning of the game, you find yourself at the main entrance of a dark, quiet mansion. There appears to be no one inside, but you have no idea of how you got here. With no other choice,
you decide to go in and explore...
As the story goes, six guests had been invited to the mansion by a Mr. Stauf, who had yet to appear when the guests arrived. Neighbors had reported strange noises and lights coming from within throughout the night, but the guests were never heard of again. What happened to the missing guests? Why had Stauf brought them all to his mansion? These and other questions you must find the answers to as you move from room to eerie room in this haunted mansion, solving intellectually challenging puzzles along the way. Witness ghostly events that reveal what actually happened that mysterious night. But be careful, for these events are not seen in chronological order. So it is up to you to put it all together. You alone must solve the mystery of the unknown Seventh Guest.
7th Guest screen shot 1
Rating: ****
Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager
Dark Sun: WOR screen shot 1
Rating: **1/2
This game lacks the degree of enjoyment I was hoping for. It's only mildly fun. Most of the time, however, you find yourself frustrated at the inability to simply win races or wreck other cars. Here's the deal: this game offers you three modes: wrecking racing, regular stock car racing, and destruction derby. The problem with racing is that all the other cars are much more powerful (and faster) than your car, so before long you find yourself at or near last place. It's quite frustrating when you see a car go by and know from experience that it will be virtually impossible to catch up, unless of course there is some miracle pile-up crash it gets stuck in.
The only time I can really get ahead is on the third track, where it seems that all computerized cars crash often as a result of the winding track. As for trying to wreck other cars, good luck. Ramming a car from the side will most likely end up with you spinning out of control rather than doing any damage to the other car. You almost have to hit it at a right angle for you to do any real damage. And finally, there are the destruction derbies where all havoc breaks loose and the last car still running wins. Well, I found out that simply staying still gives you more of a chance of making it than ramming other cars. Despite all of this, I must admit that I found some amount
of satisfaction in this game when purposely trying to cause crashes (going the opposite way and hitting cars head-on, etc.). It's just so hard to see what you've done because you are turning around so much, and control of your car is one thing that you don't have much of in this game. Track design is pretty good, though. My advise: get the original. Although I haven't played it, I've heard that it is much more fun than the sequel.
Rating: ****
Did you know that this was supposed to be a movie? The only problem was that costs were too large for it to be feasible. So filmmaker Steven Spielberg took his idea and had it made into the next best thing: a computer game!
The storyline: There is an asteroid, codenamed Atilla, which is on a collision course to Earth. Of course, NASA decides that this is a bad thing and sends up mission commander Boston Low (you), international renowned geologist Ludger Brink,
award-winning journalist Maggie Robbins along with a shuttle pilot and engineer to the asteroid. The plan is to place explosives in key locations on the surface of the rock so that the resulting detonation will move the asteroid into a safe
orbit around Earth. But something goes wrong--while inspecting Atilla, you and your two companions trigger a mechanism that transforms the asteroid into a crystal-like transport. The team is sent across the galaxy onto a distant planet.
Here the team finds evidence of a highly advanced civilization...except that there is no sign of life anywhere to be found. Low and his team must explore this strange planet and find out what has happened, and if possible, find a way back home.
This is a very entertaining adventure game which features beautiful detailed backgrounds (and some impressive cartoon-like animations for storyline between gameplay.) Solve mystifying alien puzzles and use (or try to) advanced alien technology
to aid you in your quest. I loved every minute of playing this game--figuring out difficult puzzles, finding new eerie locations or piecing clues together--it was a very enjoyable experience.
Features Robert Patrick of Terminator 2 as the voice of Boston Low.
In the Dead of Space, Something is Alive.
Rating: ****
This is one of my all-time favorite computer games ever! This game is a sci-fi adventure game in which you explore a mysterious alien ship and get sent to other worlds. One of my favorite parts is exploring the Alien Artifact (the ship) and you find that it contains several "zoos" of alien creatures.
The year is 2112. An unknown alien artifact is being sent to Earth, and you are sent on a ship to investigate. Once aboard, the real adventure begins! In addition to exploring the ship (which contains some surprises), you will encounter an ice planet filled with crystalline beings and travel through a black hole
to the hidden Heechee Homeworld! Although this game has no sound (just background music) or any real fancy effects, it offers a fun and exciting adventure, and you really have to think and experiment to solve problems in this game. This is one of those games where you choose a verb such as "open" or "pick up" from a
long list to do things, or you can just type in what you want to do. Thus, you can try a variety of things, which is part of the fun of this game.
It is the Ultimate Sci-Fi Adventure.
Rating: ****
Again here's that guy with the hat and the whip who hates snakes. This time the famous archaeologist-adventurer is in search of the lost island of Atlantis. And he's not alone: accompanying him will be a Ms. Sophia Hapgood, Atlantis expert. And of course, you can't have an Indy game without those classic enemies, the Nazis. This time, only Indy (with your help) can stop them before they unleash the deadly secret that sank Atlantis. As for the gameplay, it's one of my favorite types: the character of Indy appears on the screen and you move him around, make him pick up objects, etc. (and occasionally you will be able to control Sophia, too.)
Be ready to drive a car, ride a camel, pilot a balloon, operate a submarine, and repair and use Atlantean machinery. You will be able to crack the secrets of Atlantis, Indy style.
Rating: ****
As one of the first role-playing computer games I played, this game helped introduce me to this new experience of computer games.
I was awed by the wonderful graphics and scenery (at the time, the best available in any game). This game offers a variety of
environments: a mysterious dark forest, a hot and lifeless desert, a cold, snow-filled mountain range, a tropical island, and of course the
evil Mordock's castle. As King Graham of Daventry, you must find the whereabouts of your lost Royal Family. Accompanying you on your
adventure is the talking owl, Cedric. He guides you on your journey and can give you useful advise. Both the quality of the game's graphics and its ability to spark your imagination makes this
one of the best and most memorable of the King's Quest series.
Rating: ***1/2
This game offers a surreal environment all the way through the game. That's what I like about it. Everything is frozen in time, except you of course. You are sent to seek out the legendary King Minos and save all of time--the future as well as history.
Navigate through this mysterious Labyrinth--but be careful. You will encounter hotels of the past, old diners, western towns, a strange Fun House, libraries of the future, and even the ancient Mayan pyramids! Travel through
doorways which link these different time periods together into one giant mazelike environment. Stepping through a doorway may bring you to a city in the clouds or a futuristic museum. You have to expect the unexpected.
This game offers a first-person perspective view, with over 1800 high resolution images representing over 275 locations. Explore this photorealistic world, but with caution: the future may not unfold in quite the way you have planned...
Rating: ***
Imagine a land where magic rules. It is a place where the forests are alive with talking trees and gemstones grow on plants. While such a place may seem perfect, a terrible danger lies somewhere within. Malcolm, an evil jester, is using his magic for evil purposes. His plan is to harness the power of the magical Kyragem, the heart of Kyrandia's magic. You play Brandon, a young man who must explore this magical land in search of the evil jester. Throughout the game, you will uncover the secrets of Kyrandia. Interact with the inhabitants and the magical creatures, for they will aid you in your quest. But above all, respect the land, for it is magical.
Rating: ***
I liked about two-thirds of this game, while the last part left me wondering why the creators did not spice up the graphics a bit more. The first part had excellent 3-D rendering graphics as you move your way through an old ship, trying to find a way out. Part two consisted of a series of realistic still pictures for each location. But at the end of the game when you reach a tropical island in the Caribbean, the graphics are then switched to hand-painted backgrounds which to me seemed a bit
unrealistic and served to lessen my motivation and take my attention away from the gameplay. Despite this one setback, I really enjoyed playing this mind challenging game. It would probably best be described as a MacGyver-like game, for some of the things you do (say, just to open a gate) would mean the interaction of several objects. Instead of a key, for instance, you might need a tool to open up a car battery and pour the battery acid onto the lock to burn it open (I must admit, I found myself
often surprised at the things I was able to do in this game.)
Rating: ***
Drive!! In this fast-paced game, you race against the toughest, meanest of all racers. You are the new ENFORCER who must race through futuristic cities and "destroy" all punk racers you encounter until you reach the punk leader and finish him off as well.
Your progress is broadcasted worldwide on VWBT, The Virtual World Broadcast Television. Race on 15 challenging tracks, each fully rendered in 3-D. The smooth graphics and animation make this game attractive, and it has some nice music, too.
The host of the show, Lance Boyle, serves as some comic relief from the intense, fast racing action. The more tracks you complete, the more cars you get to choose from. Are you ready to race through the city of "Newsan" with towering buildings? Or perhaps you'd like to
try what they call The Big Zero, a huge rotating oval track. How about racing through long underwater tubes that take you through the lost city of Atlantis? And of course, there's always that orbiting race course around that "junk yard in space."
When it comes to Megarace, speed, quick thinking, and a racer's instinct will be what you need to survive.
Rating: ***1/2
From the cockpit, you look out at what's ahead of you. It doesn't look good. There are enemy tanks, battleships, and aircraft out there to stop you from completing your mission. Well, there's one piece of good news: you're flying the most advanced fighter plane there is, equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
"Well", you say, "Let's see what this Raptor can do!"
This game features beautiful smooth scrolling graphics and blasting sound effects. You, the pilot, fly over forests, islands, canyons, cities, and even over a moon base as you destroy both ground and air targets. You earn money the more damage you do, and you use this money to buy offensive and defensive
items to increase your ship's capabilities (you will have to, or it will be nearly impossible to complete later missions which are more difficult.) Add to your firepower by getting special missiles or megabombs! (And if you have enough money, you can even purchase the powerful Deathray!) Defensively, you may
acquire Phase Shields to protect your plane in heavy combat. Fight your way through 27 levels of intense action--if you can.
Rating: ***1/2
When I first looked into the crystal ball that I picked up from the ground, I said to myself "Whoa, there's a guy in there!" But now, of course, I see it and say, "Oh, that's only Trembyle, that 400-year old Wizard." If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about then you haven't played the epic adventure game Return to Zork. Featuring a cast of Hollywood stars, you interact with the characters by changing your conversational tone (even though you never actually hear yourself "speak." Part of the fun is watching how the different characters react to what you do.)
But what's important is finding out as much information as you can and solving the complex puzzles which you encounter. One way to do that is by taking pictures of important locations (and even recording vital conversations with characters) and revealing them to those who can tell you more about the subject. But be careful, for you will enter the magical Underground Empire of Zork, which was said to be located beneath the Valley of the Sparrows. But enter at your own risk, for when you leave, you may never be the same...
Rating: ****
This one is excellent! It's astonishing graphics surpass even
those of Myst. But enough of this excitement...here's the story:
Atrus (who is a character you meet in Myst), asks for your help. His father, the evil Ghen, has captured Atrus's wife, Catherine. She is being held in the Fifth Age, also known as Riven. The inhabitants of Riven are being manipulated by Ghen's power as he spends years trying to carry out his plan...(I won't say what it is--that would ruin it!) Anyway, Atrus sends you to Riven in hope that you can somehow capture Ghen and rescue Catherine and save the inhabitants of Riven.
So, you place your hand on the linking book and find yourself in another world...dimension...or whatever you call it. Anyhow, at least it's a fresh start to a new adventure. Are you ready to explore a whole new island filled with mysteries, wonders, and danger? Just remember: the smallest detail may be your biggest clue to solving the intricate puzzles of Riven. Who knows what you may discover?
Destruction Derby 2
The Dig
Dig screen shot 1
Gateway II: Homeworld
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones screen shot 1
King's Quest V
King's Quest 5 screen shot 1
Labyrinth of Time
The Legend of Kyrandia
Kyrandia screen shot 1
Lost in Time
Megarace
Megarace screen shot 1
Raptor
Return to Zork
Zork screen shot 1
Riven
Riven screen shot 1
More Computer Games
