Jonathon Howard @Neokraken
Reviews
Fallout (Windows)
The game the brought me back to RPG's!
The Good
I enjoyed every aspect of this game. From it's graphics and user interface to the skill system and stroyline! The storyline is superb, after tiring of numerous fanatasy RPG's, with little innovation and less stroy, I distanced myself from the genre. On a whim I bought Fallout, because it looked different from other RPG's, my feelings were correct Fallout WAS different! With the same detail to character development in old RPG's as well as the fresh skill system and it's post apocalyptic storyline this game made me fall in love with RPG's all over again!
The story starts out simple, but as you progress, the game weaves a beautifully complex tapestry, which figures your character in the middle. I can't express enough how great a game this is. Go out and buy it now!
The Bad
What didn't I like that's hard to say, my complaints if any are trivial and mostly asthetic. I would have liked more detail in the game, the view left me feeling distanced from the character. Another minor complaint was the complete lack of any color, yes there was a nuclear holocaust, but nature's resilant! I would have like to have seen occasional tufts of green grass and maybe some flowers, a green tree here and there. The endless shades of brown and grey got depressing after awhile. Otherwise nothing else is wrong with the game.
The Bottom Line
A classic, the game that saved PC RPG's and brought a breath of fresh air to the genre. A must have, any respectable gamer will have this on his shelf, if not on his HARD-DRIVE!
By Jonathon Howard on March 24, 2001
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (Windows)
By Jonathon Howard on April 7, 2000
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (DOS)
Yet another redefining game by Sierra, and the first from Jane Jensen
The Good
The story, the story, the story, I can't say it enough, Jane Jensen did a marvelous job of constructing a complex, and riveting story, at the same time developing it into an excellent game. This title was a boost in the adventure genre's arm, telling a good story in a modern environment, that was not only chilling, but frightening realistic!
The research into the subject matter is deep and thorough, this becomes clear as you progress into the game. The story is what kept me playing, but the puzzles were also top notch and imaginative, there are a few that take are abstarct, but they don't take from the game. The dialogue is also great Tim Curry does a top notch job as do the other voice acters.
The Bad
Nothing really, this is the ideal adventure game, perfectly blending a deep story, with excellent gameplay.
The Bottom Line
Buy it, Buy it NOW!
By Jonathon Howard on April 6, 2000
The Black Cauldron (DOS)
A good game, with features before its time!
The Good
The game was made to follow Disney's not well known movie of the same name, in this sense it is accurate in portraying the events in the movie. For the time of it's release the game had average graphics, and sound. The feature that set this game apart from other adventure games was the lack of typing commands. Instead the function keys were used to control your character. This allowed one to enjoy the game without typing in long phrases, or getting stuck trying to figure out the proper verb for a command. It had all the standard features in Sierra's games for the time, inventory, save & load, volume control, etc. The function or "action" key feature is what set it apart, it's a shame it didn't stick as it could have made early adventure games easier and more user friendly. Sierra didn't attempt this until the early 90's with King's Quest 5 which used a similair system using the mouse and a simple command bar.
The Bad
The game was short, and if one had seen the movie easy to go through.
The Bottom Line
An average adventure game with a good story and easy to use interface.
By Jonathon Howard on December 31, 1999
Space Quest: Chapter I - The Sarien Encounter (DOS)
The game that started it all for me!
The Good
I was 6 years old in 1986, I didn't know much about computers or computer games. My father had just purchased a Tandy SX. I had little to do with the computer when it first came to my house, the obscure commands (DOS) that my Father, and brother used to interact act with ti confused me. That all changed when my mom brought home this classic. I saw my brother playing it and was instantly mesmorized, unlike the cold environment of DOS, the screeen lite up with color and movement. There was your little charcter walking around and interacting with his environment. I watched my brother play it for hours, I didn't understand much of what was going on but I couldn't pull myself away. I was 7 when iIfirst played it myself, playing the game was more addictive then watching it! It wasn't until I was 9 that I beat the game, but I owe so much to that simple old game. In a way it taught me DOS, as I had to know DOS to run the game, and got me hooked on computers, here it is 13 years later and I'm still playing them! The story is cliche, but that's o.k. as the whole game, as the whole series is a spoof of the science fiction genre! The graphics were simple, but the gameplay was great. To this day I still occasionally pull it out and play it.
The Bad
I was 6, the graphics dazzled me, the theme song catchy, and the story funny, I liked it then, and to this day I can't find fault in it!
The Bottom Line
A classic in adventure, set the path for latter humorous series like Monkey Island.
By Jonathon Howard on December 31, 1999
Master of Orion (DOS)
An addictive and epic game
The Good
MoO is an excellant strategy game. You take on the role of leader of an entire race, that must rule the universe, by either eliminating the other races or being voted galactic leader. MoO is all about successfully setting up, andmanaging multiple colonies, while maintaining a fleet strong enough to defend yur planets. The ease at which you can control your colonies production is well thought out. The starship customization was also a factor that made this game the classic it is. The game has a good diplomat AI, as well as an excellent spy system, which I feel accurately portrays the intricies of covert operations. Each race has it's own feel to it and unique feelings and outlook on life and the other races, the galaxies are random making this game highly replayable
The Bad
The sound, this was a big disappointment for a galactic game, one would hope it came with a grand music score to get one in the mood, but alas, a musical score is sorely missing, the sound effects are also sparse and not mentionable. The game tried to capture the feel of galactic conquests without giving one very much control, basically colonies run themselves, with you only setting quotas. The game centers mainly on building new ships that implement newer technology. At points it feels like a galactic battleship game! I feel if more time was put into micromanagement of colonies as well as making the starship construction and battle scenario's less prevelant would have helped this game.
The Bottom Line
A great strategy game that only falls short in small areas, but is otherwise fun and surprisingly addictive!
By Jonathon Howard on December 6, 1999