Report #45
Normally I don’t have the chance to really partake in the Monthly Themes. But this time, the theme fit right into my unplayed games and I hadn’t already decided to play something else. So I took the opportunity to delve into Startopia and the (beginning of the) Kyle Katarn saga, i.e. the Jedi Knight series. I have to thank Trent for this, as he remarked at my last post, that older games will become increasingly difficult to run on modern machines and therefore suggested the Jedi Knight games for the monthly theme. I managed to play the first three games out of them, but barely missed finishing the third one in February (I finished it on March, 1st, 10 am :D). But that doesn’t matter, I’m still very happy with finishing 3 games for the monthly theme and getting way into the JK games. I’ll take a break from them for now though, since I got a bit fatigued at the end of the last entry I played and probably wouldn’t enjoy playing the next one right away. Here are my reviews:
Reviews
Startopia
15 hours, no achievements
★★☆☆☆
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Release Date: 2001
Startopia is a space station simulator. You build up the interior of a space station with various "rooms" and try to satisfy the needs of inhabitants and visitors alike to make money. It is quite enjoyable and looks really decent for its age. Unfortunately I think that it does a really bad job of displaying information about your current financial status or whether you have enough personnel for your station. Also the controls and menus are a bit outdated, but that's to be expected. I was relatively glad that the campaign is quite short and didn't bother with sandbox mode afterwards. So while the game definitely has it's good sides, I couldn't fully enjoy it :(
Playtime is estimated since I had trouble starting it through Steam
STAR WARS™: Dark Forces
6.0 hours, no achievements
★★★☆☆
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Release Date: 1995(!)
First off: This game is amazing for its age! And it's surprisingly easy to get it to run on modern Windows. It installs with DosBox, which can be slightly configurated to even run with 1920x1080 resolution. I was very happy with this. The positive impression continued while playing it: Gameplay and story -- even graphics -- are quite good for a game which is 25 years old. I mean, that's almost an eternity when it comes to video games! However, be aware that the game is really not something you can compare to modern games. The level design is totally confusing, you don't get any hints where you have to go and the gameplay is really basic. I was positively surprised with this whole experience, but I think Dark Forces is only enjoyable for a very niche audience. To me it was more about experiencing a game from 1995 than about the game itself.
STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
10.1 hours, no achievements
★★★☆☆
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Release Date: 1997
The second game in the Kyle Katarn saga is not really connected to the first, apart from having the same protagonist. The cutscenes are live-action cutscenes, which is really funny to see, since that's almost never done anymore (see Quantum Break for a great exception). The game is a huge development compared to the first Dark Forces. It's also quite easy to mod, which you should definitely do. It's amazing what the modders did to the game, it looks much better than the original.
In the second part Kyle discovers that he possesses Force powers. He also finds a light saber, which basically makes him a jedi. Funnily enough, what I did not like about the games were the use of the force powers and fighting with the light saber :D :D. I very much preferred the standard laser rifle, I enjoyed shooting stuff a lot more than cutting it down with my saber. Also it's much easier. All in all I think the game is enjoyable, but needs the same caveat as Dark Forces I.
STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith™
7.2 hours, no achievements
★★★☆☆
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Release Date: 1998
Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion to Dark Forces II but a standalone game on Steam. My review is the same as for Dark Forces II. Again, make sure to install some of the excellent graphical mods!
Currently playing
I started playing Factorio again. I played it first in 2018 but didn’t get into it. This time … I’m amazed!
By looking at my ratings again…I feel like I was maybe too negative. But the games are just … old … and even though they aged suprisingly well, I don’t feel like giving them huge recommendations. They are interesting more for “historical” reasons.
The theme for March got posted during the time I wrote this review. I’m sure I’ll find some games to fit. But for the moment I’ll continue with Factorio :)
Happy backlog-clearing to everyone,
Vito
Man, I liked Startopia back in the day. Haven’t played it in about a decade so that may have changed at this point, but I really enjoyed the humor. I also spent an embarrassing amount of time getting the biodeck conditions just right for export materials and hoping I don’t get many converts.
It definitely is a humorous game, I enjoyed that as well. And I can absolutely see why this game is so loved. But for me – never having it played before – the uncomfortable UI outweighs the great basic concept. For example the hampering with the biodeck…I just wished there was some better indicator how your actions influence the plants that are growing there than just wait and see. In addition, it’s really annoying that you cannot speed up or slow down time, something I think is very useful in simulation games. These are just a lot of QoL improvements I’m missing from the game.
That being said, I think I would have loved the game in 2001!
In addition, it’s really annoying that you cannot speed up or slow down time, something I think is very useful in simulation games.
Interestingly enough speeding up or down is apparently a cheat function that exists in the game.
Well…I didn’t think of that :D
What mods did you used for Star Wars games? :)
I followed this guide for Dark Forces, this one for Dark Forces II. I can’t seem to find the one for MotS, but this thread seems to detail the same steps I took. It’s still a bit fickle to get it to work, it took me 2 tries for Dark Forces II and MotS. But it’s definitely worth it!
Ah that mod for DFII and MotS seems to turn it into Jedi Outcast graphics lol. Personally I would probably pass on that for my 1st playthrough. And speaking of Jedi Outcast I hope you enjoy it, it’s one of the best SW games I played :) And I think MP is still alive in this game, but not sure if you can go straight in via steam version or you need some mods or clients like game ranger to play with others.
I played a bit with the original graphics to get a feeling for them, but the mods are just too gorgeous (esp. the one that improves the blaster shots!) to not use them :)
Thanks, I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the games. I just need a break and play something else for some time.
Factorio seems like such a potential addiction that I’m trying to stay away from it. I have enough of those already! But it was a lot of fun when I tried the demo, so I’m sure it will keep you busy! Happy backlog fighting to you too :)
It definitely is a time sink! Kind of like MHW ;)
And thanks! I’ll do my best.