Earlier this year I made a post criticizing the end of the Commodore 64 game Impossible Mission 2 and describing how puzzling and abrupt it was.
Since then, I've managed to come across the original manual (you really can find anything on the 'net so it would seem!) which sheds some light on the matter: Apparently the baddie Dr. Elvin Atombender had a full arsenal of weapons ready to destroy civilization leaving the agent to infiltrate his base, find the right computer and shut it down (hence the three computers in the final room). From there, the agent was to be picked up from the roof of the base via helicopter.
I suppose that does explain a lot. It may also account for the white shape being Atombender who, it seems, would rather commit suicide than admitting defeat. And whilst I welcome this revelation after years of bafflement it is still far from satisfying. It doesn't help that Atombender may look like the agent and share the same scream (most likely through the limitations of the hardware) and it still doesn't explain why the whole event is being viewed through a computer screen.
But then again why I am complaining about this game? It wasn't as good as the original anyway.
Showing posts with label Impossible Mission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Impossible Mission. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Shocked to the Heart! And You're to Blame!
Recently I’ve been having a shot at Bioshock. Last week, I finally completed it so what do I come away from it?
Well to begin with, much like Portal, much has been written about this game – And in Bioshock’s case, the deconstruction of free will in the video games and the usage of the objectivist philosophies of Ayn Rand. But that’s where the similarities end for whereas Portal inspired the meme’s that ultimately ruined the game and drove it into the ground, Bioshock has managed to avoid such a fate – okay so yes I may have heard the phrase ‘Would You Kindly…’ before but somehow, it didn’t diminish the impact of how those words were put into use.
And somehow the game is even better for it: Word of mouth is a powerful tool that can make or break any new IP – whilst exposure is nice it also runs the risk of destroying much of what the game is trying to get across and ruining a lot of the mystique of the original. And seeing as the makers of Bioshock have something to say and are getting it across in their game, so much hinges on a game being discovered on the player’s own terms – not those of some douche who thinks quoting a video game makes him look cool (personally I’m still waiting for the voice quotes from Impossible Mission to make a comeback via meme but what are the chances of that happening?).
As for the game itself well I’m quite impressed by the creativity and inventiveness that’s gone into it. I’ve often been fascinated by steampunk – in that how many elaborate devices can be produced via steam power and this is a shining example of that principle. Seeing as shooters thrive on current firearms and some bizarre novelty weapons, it is welcome change to see some obsolete firearms being put to use – also pleasing is the designs of the weaponry once they’ve been put through the upgrades.
And keeping with the steampunk theme, I liked how the splicers talked with British accents, the use of the gun turrets (even though it is puzzling how they could identify friendlies from foes) and how everything is available through vending machines. I even enjoyed the hacking mechanic which involved the pipes! Yes even when no one else seemed to!!!
Indeed, it should be noted that I'm not a big fan of shooters - personally I think they're a dime a dozen and the shooters I've enjoyed are the old ones where you could go desperado against an army of dudes (ie Doom and Duke 3D). So to see someone else do something different with the genre is indeed a treat.
I also enjoyed the idea of exploring the city of Rapture. The setting looked fantastic with the place being lived in and once glorious in its day - but now succumbing to ruin and abandonment. I liked the idea of venturing into the place as the residents have descended into madness. I also found Andrew Ryan to be a compelling villain who is still hanging on even when his idea of a utopia has all but crumbled away.
So yes, I liked Bioshock for it’s great writing, it’s inventiveness, the creativity involved and it’s willingness to go beyond the conventions both shooters and games in general. However to does leave one question:
Why the hell does the sequel exist? Must be a bit hard seeing as Rapture crumbled and the villains of the piece are kind of.....dead....and wet.....
Well to begin with, much like Portal, much has been written about this game – And in Bioshock’s case, the deconstruction of free will in the video games and the usage of the objectivist philosophies of Ayn Rand. But that’s where the similarities end for whereas Portal inspired the meme’s that ultimately ruined the game and drove it into the ground, Bioshock has managed to avoid such a fate – okay so yes I may have heard the phrase ‘Would You Kindly…’ before but somehow, it didn’t diminish the impact of how those words were put into use.
And somehow the game is even better for it: Word of mouth is a powerful tool that can make or break any new IP – whilst exposure is nice it also runs the risk of destroying much of what the game is trying to get across and ruining a lot of the mystique of the original. And seeing as the makers of Bioshock have something to say and are getting it across in their game, so much hinges on a game being discovered on the player’s own terms – not those of some douche who thinks quoting a video game makes him look cool (personally I’m still waiting for the voice quotes from Impossible Mission to make a comeback via meme but what are the chances of that happening?).
As for the game itself well I’m quite impressed by the creativity and inventiveness that’s gone into it. I’ve often been fascinated by steampunk – in that how many elaborate devices can be produced via steam power and this is a shining example of that principle. Seeing as shooters thrive on current firearms and some bizarre novelty weapons, it is welcome change to see some obsolete firearms being put to use – also pleasing is the designs of the weaponry once they’ve been put through the upgrades.
And keeping with the steampunk theme, I liked how the splicers talked with British accents, the use of the gun turrets (even though it is puzzling how they could identify friendlies from foes) and how everything is available through vending machines. I even enjoyed the hacking mechanic which involved the pipes! Yes even when no one else seemed to!!!
Indeed, it should be noted that I'm not a big fan of shooters - personally I think they're a dime a dozen and the shooters I've enjoyed are the old ones where you could go desperado against an army of dudes (ie Doom and Duke 3D). So to see someone else do something different with the genre is indeed a treat.
I also enjoyed the idea of exploring the city of Rapture. The setting looked fantastic with the place being lived in and once glorious in its day - but now succumbing to ruin and abandonment. I liked the idea of venturing into the place as the residents have descended into madness. I also found Andrew Ryan to be a compelling villain who is still hanging on even when his idea of a utopia has all but crumbled away.
So yes, I liked Bioshock for it’s great writing, it’s inventiveness, the creativity involved and it’s willingness to go beyond the conventions both shooters and games in general. However to does leave one question:
Why the hell does the sequel exist? Must be a bit hard seeing as Rapture crumbled and the villains of the piece are kind of.....dead....and wet.....
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Impossible to Define
As I mentioned previously in my list of best endings a conclusion to any game can play a key role in making or breaking it completely: It is the end result of the player investing so many hours of their life (not to mention enjoyment) so a decent payoff is crucial. Thus, it is any wonder that talk of the worst game endings inspires so much disgust?
That being said, has there been a game that left me feeling robbed of victory? Why yes there has. Now you young pups can rant about half-arsed game endings but truth be told, you don't know nothing about nothing. That being said, let me tell you about game I played on the Commmodore 64 called Impossible Mission 2.
For the uninitiated, IM2 was the sequel to a game called, funnily enough, Impossible Mission (not to be confused with the TV/movie series Mission: Impossible). Released in 1984, IM pitted an athletic secret agent, controlled by the player, running & jumping his way through a huge multi-story building and outwitting an army of intelligent robots. The ultimate goal was to search each room and find pieces of a puzzle that, when placed together, will eventually reveal a password to outsmart the game's antagonist - a mad scientist by the name of Dr. Elvin Atombender who's threatening to destroy the world (or something).
For it's day IM was something of a pioneer, doing things that were unheard of at the time - namely a) a combination of platforming action and head-scratching puzzles and b) the incorporation of speech in a computer game. The latter in particular, although primitive at the time, really made the game popular and provided such memorable phrases such as "Destroy him My Robots!"; "Another visitor, Stay awhile! Stay Forever!" and the unforgettable "AAAAaaaaAAAAAaaarrrGGHHHH!!!!" (seriously, how come these haven't been made into an Internet meme yet?!)
Which now brings us to IM2: a game, like many sequels, that seems doomed to remain in the shadow of the predecessor. On the plus side, it does what a true sequel and expands on the original concept: The secret agent now has a number of gadgets and devices at his disposal, the rooms in each tower section are now all themed and there are a number of new robots for the player to outwit. On the downside, the graphics look drab and uninspiring (unlike the first IM), the inital thrill of the voice synthesizing has significantly less impact and the puzzle element has been reduced almost completely - true there still remains a code to be cracked but now it's done through some bizarre system involving musical samples.
And then there is the ending: The agent cracks the code, finds a secret/central room to the building, locates the correct computer and...well..... see for yourself:
I remember seeing this when I was about 8-10 years old and I had no idea what the hell was going on. Some twenty years later and I STILL have no idea what this ending is trying to convey. What happened? What was the white shape jumping off the building? Was it the agent? His ghost? An astral projection?! And why is this whole scene being viewed on a computer monitor?!
Some people have complained about video games having vague/abrupt endings but this truly takes the cake - Indeed matters aren't helped with a question mark accompanying the declaration of The End.
However, reading the comments that accompanied that youtube clip, there is theory that the white shape is in fact Elvin Atombender, committing suicide rather than admitting defeat - the white shape was meant to be someone running in a white lab coat only the programmers ran out of time/memory to make it so. Such limitations may account for why the shape is a palette swap of the agent and why 'Elvin' seems to have the same death scream.
It's a plausible theory but that's what it is: A theory. It's doubtful that the ending will ever make sense - and certainly won't erase nearly twenty years of wondering what kind of ending was that.
Seriously, you kids today have it easy....
That being said, has there been a game that left me feeling robbed of victory? Why yes there has. Now you young pups can rant about half-arsed game endings but truth be told, you don't know nothing about nothing. That being said, let me tell you about game I played on the Commmodore 64 called Impossible Mission 2.
For the uninitiated, IM2 was the sequel to a game called, funnily enough, Impossible Mission (not to be confused with the TV/movie series Mission: Impossible). Released in 1984, IM pitted an athletic secret agent, controlled by the player, running & jumping his way through a huge multi-story building and outwitting an army of intelligent robots. The ultimate goal was to search each room and find pieces of a puzzle that, when placed together, will eventually reveal a password to outsmart the game's antagonist - a mad scientist by the name of Dr. Elvin Atombender who's threatening to destroy the world (or something).
For it's day IM was something of a pioneer, doing things that were unheard of at the time - namely a) a combination of platforming action and head-scratching puzzles and b) the incorporation of speech in a computer game. The latter in particular, although primitive at the time, really made the game popular and provided such memorable phrases such as "Destroy him My Robots!"; "Another visitor, Stay awhile! Stay Forever!" and the unforgettable "AAAAaaaaAAAAAaaarrrGGHHHH!!!!" (seriously, how come these haven't been made into an Internet meme yet?!)
Which now brings us to IM2: a game, like many sequels, that seems doomed to remain in the shadow of the predecessor. On the plus side, it does what a true sequel and expands on the original concept: The secret agent now has a number of gadgets and devices at his disposal, the rooms in each tower section are now all themed and there are a number of new robots for the player to outwit. On the downside, the graphics look drab and uninspiring (unlike the first IM), the inital thrill of the voice synthesizing has significantly less impact and the puzzle element has been reduced almost completely - true there still remains a code to be cracked but now it's done through some bizarre system involving musical samples.
And then there is the ending: The agent cracks the code, finds a secret/central room to the building, locates the correct computer and...well..... see for yourself:
I remember seeing this when I was about 8-10 years old and I had no idea what the hell was going on. Some twenty years later and I STILL have no idea what this ending is trying to convey. What happened? What was the white shape jumping off the building? Was it the agent? His ghost? An astral projection?! And why is this whole scene being viewed on a computer monitor?!
Some people have complained about video games having vague/abrupt endings but this truly takes the cake - Indeed matters aren't helped with a question mark accompanying the declaration of The End.
However, reading the comments that accompanied that youtube clip, there is theory that the white shape is in fact Elvin Atombender, committing suicide rather than admitting defeat - the white shape was meant to be someone running in a white lab coat only the programmers ran out of time/memory to make it so. Such limitations may account for why the shape is a palette swap of the agent and why 'Elvin' seems to have the same death scream.
It's a plausible theory but that's what it is: A theory. It's doubtful that the ending will ever make sense - and certainly won't erase nearly twenty years of wondering what kind of ending was that.
Seriously, you kids today have it easy....
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
All Your Base Are Belong to Meme
It's January 26th- Happy Australia Day! Woohoo!
Anyway, I find the All Your Base meme a curious fascination. Aside from the popularization of bad Engrish and that seemingly nonsensical combination of those three words, what I find most interesting is that it gave the seemingly forgotten game Zero Wing a new lease of life (I say forgotten in that it was never released in the US).
Could it thus be possible for another forgotten game to be resurrected as such? Of course what may have been impressive in a previous era can easily come across as down right cheesy (hence the success of the meme) but seriously, if a new life can be given to Zero Wing, then there's no reason why it can't happen to another video game.
That being said, I have a challenge in mind:
Anyone remember Impossible Mission? Not to be confused with the similarly titled TV series (and game tie-in), IM was released on the Commodore 64 and then other 8bit computers and featured an athletic secret agent ransacking a building of many rooms and dodging malevolent robots to find pieces of a puzzle. Finding said puzzle pieces ultimately leads to cracking a secret code to thwart a mad-scientist. For it's time, IM was hailed for it's then innovative combination of compelling puzzles and action platforming. But for many the major selling point was the use of synthesized voices. Although primitive now, IM's voice acting (if you can call it that) had some cool moments: The death scream when the protagonist falls down a hole, the villain's taunt: "Destroy him my Robots!" and the classic introductory line of "Another visitor! Stay Awhile! Staaaayyy Foreverrrrrr!"
My challenge is for someone to make a dance remix using those samples. That's right remixers: Someone take the six voice samples making up IM and turn them into a dance track.
I mean if Bill Bailey and Pendulum can make dance remixes out of TV News Themes then anything can be posisble...
Anyway, I find the All Your Base meme a curious fascination. Aside from the popularization of bad Engrish and that seemingly nonsensical combination of those three words, what I find most interesting is that it gave the seemingly forgotten game Zero Wing a new lease of life (I say forgotten in that it was never released in the US).
Could it thus be possible for another forgotten game to be resurrected as such? Of course what may have been impressive in a previous era can easily come across as down right cheesy (hence the success of the meme) but seriously, if a new life can be given to Zero Wing, then there's no reason why it can't happen to another video game.
That being said, I have a challenge in mind:
Anyone remember Impossible Mission? Not to be confused with the similarly titled TV series (and game tie-in), IM was released on the Commodore 64 and then other 8bit computers and featured an athletic secret agent ransacking a building of many rooms and dodging malevolent robots to find pieces of a puzzle. Finding said puzzle pieces ultimately leads to cracking a secret code to thwart a mad-scientist. For it's time, IM was hailed for it's then innovative combination of compelling puzzles and action platforming. But for many the major selling point was the use of synthesized voices. Although primitive now, IM's voice acting (if you can call it that) had some cool moments: The death scream when the protagonist falls down a hole, the villain's taunt: "Destroy him my Robots!" and the classic introductory line of "Another visitor! Stay Awhile! Staaaayyy Foreverrrrrr!"
My challenge is for someone to make a dance remix using those samples. That's right remixers: Someone take the six voice samples making up IM and turn them into a dance track.
I mean if Bill Bailey and Pendulum can make dance remixes out of TV News Themes then anything can be posisble...
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