LucasArts was also the first to ensure that their adventure games never had a fail state, which made them far more enjoyable than their Sierra counterparts where you would die for any tiny mistake.
I don't remember this game being as short as you described, but maybe that's because I got stuck in a few spots and it made the game feel longer. I remember getting stuck trying to get into Todd's basement; I got confused as to why kicking the door open didn't get his attention, whereas politely knocking on the door would. I also got stuck on the Mine Road sequence when I was figuring out how to deal with the Cavefish. Out of the considerable arsenal of weapons, only the wooden board would get the job done. There's a certain logic to it, I suppose (you needed to knock him out so he couldn't activate the self-destruct on his bike), but it still took me a while to figure that one out.
There was sort of a Road Warrior post-apocalyptic vibe to this game, which fit the heavy metal theme. Vestiges of society were still present, but there was also a sort of wild west wasteland kinda vibe to it, which was awesome. Like you said, it sorta doesn't hold up against scrutiny in some places, but if you don't think about it too hard you'll enjoy the ride.
One thing I noticed in the screenshots of the Remaster is that it seems like they've done away with the 3D modelling? Can you confirm that? The game used some limited 3D modelling for Ben's bike and some other objects, and it looked okay at the original resolution, but I assume they did away with that and hand-animated it all? Or is it all cel-shaded?
One day I will get the urge to play this game again, and I'm glad this version exists, as I have lost my original disc. Any way you slice it, this game is a classic. I'm a bit surprised at the mediocre score you awarded, it's one of those games I'd probably give 4 or 5 stars, but maybe that's from a perspective of nostalgia. I did play it when I was a lot younger and my mind wasn't quite as critical back then. I'll have to play it again and see what my hardened adult brain thinks about it...
I don't remember this game being as short as you described, but maybe that's because I got stuck in a few spots and it made the game feel longer. I remember getting stuck trying to get into Todd's basement; I got confused as to why kicking the door open didn't get his attention, whereas politely knocking on the door would. I also got stuck on the Mine Road sequence when I was figuring out how to deal with the Cavefish. Out of the considerable arsenal of weapons, only the wooden board would get the job done. There's a certain logic to it, I suppose (you needed to knock him out so he couldn't activate the self-destruct on his bike), but it still took me a while to figure that one out.
There was sort of a Road Warrior post-apocalyptic vibe to this game, which fit the heavy metal theme. Vestiges of society were still present, but there was also a sort of wild west wasteland kinda vibe to it, which was awesome. Like you said, it sorta doesn't hold up against scrutiny in some places, but if you don't think about it too hard you'll enjoy the ride.
One thing I noticed in the screenshots of the Remaster is that it seems like they've done away with the 3D modelling? Can you confirm that? The game used some limited 3D modelling for Ben's bike and some other objects, and it looked okay at the original resolution, but I assume they did away with that and hand-animated it all? Or is it all cel-shaded?
One day I will get the urge to play this game again, and I'm glad this version exists, as I have lost my original disc. Any way you slice it, this game is a classic. I'm a bit surprised at the mediocre score you awarded, it's one of those games I'd probably give 4 or 5 stars, but maybe that's from a perspective of nostalgia. I did play it when I was a lot younger and my mind wasn't quite as critical back then. I'll have to play it again and see what my hardened adult brain thinks about it...
placid like acid
