Tomb of Dead Popular Games

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 11:16 am

This topic was ment to honor the games which as popular and went down the drain

Wing Commander Series by Origin Systems

Game type : SpaceWar Flight Simulation

It all started with Wing Commander 1 where you played as a rookie assigned into a fighter carrier to twarth a mean race called Kilrathi - a race suppose like a big cats. The game become a big hit which trigger an expasion called Wing Commander : Secret Missions aka WC : SM.

The game continues with Wing Commander 2 : Revenge of Kilrathi IIRC, the games started as the player being demoted and assigned into a far sector. As the story flows the player again single handedly become a hero. It also trigger an expansion called Wing Commander : Special Operations aka WC : SO.

Wing Commander 3 : The Heart of Tiger takes new step as Origin Systems use videos to enhance gameplay continuance. Starring Mark Hamill (Star of Luke Skywalker on Star Wars) and pornstar Ginger Lynn Allen.

Wing Commander 4 : The Price of Freedom takes a bit swing as Chris Roberts and Origin try to push the WC series hit again. Still starring Mark Hamill.

Wing Commander 5 : The Propecy is a bit pick up after WC4 and quite a pitch. It's where you play not as Cmdr Blair (Mark Hamill) but as a new rookie called Casey, but Mark Hamill still in the game but later meet his demise in the end.

All on all it's an excellent games. Too bad these games type are not sellable these days. Perhaps that's why Origin Systems discontinue the series

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 11:29 am

I suppose the classic example of a popular series that was killed is Origin's Ultima series. It began as an attractive dungeon crawl ported from the Commodore in the infancy of computer games, then graduated to the PC, and began including strong CRPG elements. By Ultima VII, Origin Systems had in place a style and content that led the industry, although some of owner Richard Garriott's decisions regarding interface, music, etc, were arbitrary and less than effective.

Unfortunately, Garriott became strongly interested in action games around this time. As a result, Ultima VIII became a non-stop, no-pause, one-character-only action game, even if it was viewed from an isometric perspective and took place in his old pseudo-medieval universe. It was a bomb, but Garriott apparently didn't undestand why. He went with his instincts: which, with Garriott, were always to push the technology--and neglected the fact that his core group of players were CRPG addicts who were not into mindless twitch games that had you jumping through ponds, and dying if you made a misstep.

The result, with Ultima IX, was a game that had all the bugs you might expect of a technologically cutting-edge product, along with next to no CRPG content. It was a bomb. Meanwhile, if Garriott hasn't yet gotten the hint, a very good team of programmers have taken on the unpaid task of revamping the original Ultimas VII a and b for the modern PC. It remains, IMO, Garriott's masterpiece, in boldness of conceptual design, and in its artwork.

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 12:01 pm

Total Annihillation, Total Annihillation Tactics, Total Annihillation Kingdoms, Total AnnihillationKingdoms : The Iron Plaque by Cavedog

A good strategy games, the first game which employ air & sea units and not to mention 3D terrain.

It's always a thrill to play them but sadly Cavedog closed shops.

Luckily their sites are not dead so the games can be played online even Cavedog is dead.

Shadow Sandrock · Post by **Shadow Sandrock** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 12:59 pm

One game that I was quite fond of but never saw it go was Rocket Robot on Wheels for the Nintendo 64, it was a good game and all people that played it loved it, but unfortunately it never got popularity because so many other games came out at the time. It's off-topic game but I recommend it for anyone with an N64. It's a great puzzle game, very complicated platformer and the physics engine gives such realistic weights and feel to the game that it can be enjoyed by anybody. You can get it quite cheap too, since it's not that popular but it is a great game to try to beat. I still haven't beaten it and got it October 2000... but I keep on trying. (It was made by Ubi Soft and Sucker Punch.)

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 1:13 pm

Damned I miss my Wing Commander.

I simply love(d) that series.
Wing Commander I was one of the first games I purchased and really got into - and played immensly in my old gaming days, and proberly one of the top 5 games I've spent most time with.
And with the various add-ons the game play was extended several hours for me

Wing Commander II I bought second hand when I was in London in with my class on a high-school travel. I did never get to play it much because it was to demanding for my first PC (286 x 10 mHz) and wouldn't run proberly on my second (Cyrix 5x86 100 mHz) - have played it a little, but ALT-K'ed my way through it cause I couldn't play it proberly (ran to fast - waaay to fast

)
Wing Commander III - got this one after Wing Commander IV on a sale, and have played sevearl times - I loved the way you nuked the heck out of the Kilrathi - and the nice romances you could get ingame also added flavour. (Always went for the pilot, cause she looked better

- in the manual of WC IV however I discovered that the mechanic was the choice Blair made historically)
Wing Commander IV - I loved this game also, although the flying scenes where somewhat simplistic, the cut-scenes IMO was very very nice (they had hired a movie instructor for these) and the story IMO was also great (I've never trusted that actor playing Admiral Tolwyn(sp?) again)
This game Is also among the 5 most played game from my computers.
Wing Commander V was grapically very very nice.
Although cutscenes were cut back drastically and much more empasis was placed on flying and fighting this game only ranks under WC4 for me.
Alhoutgh some dogfights with many many fighters and bombers at once was great.

Now I long for a fabled and once promissed WC VI+VII and doubt we will ever see these

This game series will forever hold a place in my heart as some of the best I've ever played

Curdis · Post by **Curdis** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 6:28 pm

I'm still waiting for Ultima Underworld III

.

Ultima Underworld I was what sucked me into computer gaming in the first place. I had nothing to compare it to at the time but it seems to me that it allowed for more freedom for the Player Character than anything else to date and while the story was reasonably linear and the RPG elements a tad skinny it was pretty well put together all round. - Curdis !

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 7:37 pm

I was a fan of the SSI "Gold Box Games", specifically Pool of Radiance, Cures of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades, and Pools of Darkness. When they came out, they were absolutely top-notch CRPGS (c'mon, with competition like Bard's Tale and Ultima, it wasn't hard to be the best). After several years of licensing problems with TSR and a bankruptcy, they finally came out with Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, which is an absolutely horrible game (as much as I wanted to like it) and is the equivalent of watching Joe Montana play badly for the Chiefs when he should have gone out in a 49ers uniform; ROMD never should have seen the light of day so we could remember the original Pool of Radiance fondly, not with a heavy-hearted sigh and "Those were the good old days . . ."

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 8:28 pm

Not exactly dead but quickly getting there...

Any recent EA sport games.

Each year they come out with very little improvements, and as such apart from updating the stats they tend to look almost identical. Doesn't exactly motivate you to buy their next product.

Quark · Post by **Quark** » Mon Feb 11, 2002 11:06 pm

Hmmm .... EA Sports, Ultima, and Wing Commander. Anyone see a growing connection here?

EA ... gauranteed to ruin any gaming franchise.

I still miss the original feel of the Might and Magic series. 6 and 7 got me into the series, I played a little of their predecessors. Yet all the spawns of M&M threw me off track and I never bothered with another game in the series. (Legends, Warriors, and Crusaders? Come on!). Here's to hoping M&M9 brings back the original. It'd be a nice change from my current line of RPGs (BG2, Diablo 2, and FFX).

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Feb 12, 2002 12:45 am

M&M lost its way when they were sold to 3DO, IMO. The CEO for 3DO is a pushy man who's made a ton of bad product and personnel decisions, and one very good one. Since then, he's been milking New World Computing (M&M's creators) to quickly put new products using the same tired engine out on the market, to ever decreasing popularity and reviews. I hope their new title is better. I think they've been stuck in a rut for quite some time, now.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Tue Feb 12, 2002 7:06 am

Re: Not exactly dead but quickly getting there...

Originally posted by Tamerlane
Any recent EA sport games.

Each year they come out with very little improvements, and as such apart from updating the stats they tend to look almost identical. Doesn't exactly motivate you to buy their next product.

You are completely right

The best EA games i have played is NHL 2000, it is very good IMO

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Tue Feb 12, 2002 10:22 am

Wing Commander Update

I forgot to add these on Wing Commander series :

Wing Commander : Armada & Wing Commander : Kilrathi Saga and the last expansion Wing Commander : Secret Ops

WC : Kilrathi Saga supposably an overhaul for WC 1 & 2 which enable them to be played inder Win 95 platform.

WC : Armada basicly a mission simulator which enable you to continuously play it without any objectives. Just blow that enemy tail pipe !

WC : Secret Ops is an expansion for WC : Prophecy which can be obtained of you purchase WC : Prophecy Gold

Another addition : WC 1 : Secret Mission and WC 2 : Special Operations consist of 2 episodes.

josh · Post by **josh** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 6:11 am

@ KidD01: What about Wing Commander: Privateer?

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 10:22 am

Originally posted by josh
@ KidD01: What about Wing Commander: Privateer?

@josh : WC : Privateer is considered not one of Cmdr. Blair saga so I didn't include them in the list. Perhaps you could post the complete list of WC : Privateer (which also considered a popular dead game too)?

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 10:58 am

Originally posted by Quark
Hmmm .... EA Sports, Ultima, and Wing Commander. Anyone see a growing connection here?

EA ... gauranteed to ruin any gaming franchise.

Not that I have any desire to defend the bloat of EA--but Garriott managed to do in the Ultima series on his own. It was his fascination with action games and high end computer technology, coupled together, that killed the series. That there was a lot of life still left in his Ultima VII engine long after he abandoned it is obvious if you look at the Infinity Engine and BG1, which was clearly based on it. Had Garriott worked to tidy up the interface, do away with those ridiculous sliders and food consumption, straightened out inventory, etc, he could have had a formula that would have lasted for years. Instead, he chose to switch genres and grab the action audience while still faking out RPGers into believing he remained one of 'em. EA certainly killed UO 2 and quite a lot of other interesting projects, but in this case, I think Garriott pretty well strangled his own kid.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 1:14 pm

Originally posted by KidD01

@josh : WC : Privateer is considered not one of Cmdr. Blair saga so I didn't include them in the list. Perhaps you could post the complete list of WC : Privateer (which also considered a popular dead game too)?

Well there was AFAIK Wing Commander: Privateer wich I never got around to playing (I've got it on 3" disk somewhere) and Privateer 2: The Darkening wich was a quite good game IMO

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 2:49 pm

WC : Privateer series are good games

I still remember I've gotta run around sector like an errant boy saving my money while pilotting Tarsus

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 11:57 pm

Originally posted by KidD01
WC : Privateer series are good games I still remember I've gotta run around sector like an errant boy saving my money while pilotting Tarsus

I played P2: The darkening a lot, it was a bit Elite-like with that trading/bounty hunting - the story was actually okay, a bit predictable but hey....this is a computer game, most people should be able to predict gameplots of most games

Felt good to load up a transporter make a run for a couple of planets and then beef up your fighter with the latest hardware

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Fri Feb 15, 2002 2:39 pm

AFAIK after the 3D genre Video cards and 3D gaming all the space simulation shoot'em up game went down the drain

I can name : Origins WC series & Strike Commander, Lucas Arts X-Wing series.

Besides WarCraft series, WestWood C&C series, Black Isles BGseries & IWD, Diablo I can see no games lately have the "edge" which make gamers hooked into the game. I only see other game following another game concept while improving them here and there.

BG series, IWD, PoR is considered different perhaps because of the ADND universe. M&M as ADND rival now loosing their edge too. May be the reason stated by fable is the reason why. Too bad, but since the Sheltem Saga on M&M 1-5 IIRC the M&M team seems loosing perception on the game

Mech Warrior series becoming more advanced especially on MW4 but with Microsoft on the helm I dunno what awaits them. Let's hope the best for them

ThorinOakensfield · Post by **ThorinOakensfield** » Fri Feb 15, 2002 3:25 pm

I don't know if these were for PC, but on Sega a really good game was Desert Strike.