Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

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Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Prince of Persia

Post by Jabroniville »

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PRINCE OF PERSIA:
Game Type: Cinematic Action/Adventure
Release Date: 1989
Developer: Brøderbund, Ubisoft

-Another in the long, LONG list of influential, popular game series I've never played, Prince of Persia was initially based around the skillful Motion-Capture animation of a human character- graphics never-before seen in video games at that point. The games were popular in the late '80s and early '90s, becoming top-selling computer games in 1989 and PoP 2 in 1993. However, the series went to sleep for a while, releasing only ports to other systems and the weak 1999 3-D game on computers (though the SNES port had enhanced graphics and levels, and was REALLY highly-touted by my GamePlayers magazines, but came out a bit too early for me to actually read much about it- all I remember are the screenshots that nearly always showed the exact same thing- the Prince, with his MC Hammer pants, spread-leggedly jumping over a chasm), but this led to the development company being sold to Ubisoft. Here, the game's original developer worked with his new bosses to create a long-running series of games, which did well enough to not only get many sequels, but a FILM. Unfortunately, the picture didn't do that well, and is mainly notable for being one of the more pronounced examples of casting a white guy to play a non-white character (the PRINCE... of PERSIA).

In the original games, you played a Prince trapped in a series of dungeons, having to escape and rescue a Princess (of course) before time ran out. Various obstacles stand in your way, and you must defeat enemy swordsmen as well as your own doppelganger (he springs from a Magic Mirror, and you must merge with him rather than kill him, as he shares your life bar). Animation is very slow, dramatic and cinematic, resulting in this game's clones being called "Cinematic Platformers". Games like Flashback and Blackthorne were the most prominent and heavily-pushed, but there are others- the genre's slower movements fit computer gaming, explaining why more were produced for PCs in the 1990s. Combat is more precise and slowed down as well- developers for these games later moved on to the infamous Shaq-Fu, whose animations and fighting styles are very similar to this, but acting as the whole game (which... was kind of why it didn't work). The Prince of Persia series, however, has been dormant since 2010 save for weak mobile games.

THE PRINCE OF PERSIA
Role:
Heroic Swordfighter
PL 8 (116)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Athletics 12 (+14)
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Dungeon Crawler) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+6)
Perception 4 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Equipment 1 (Sword +2), Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Sword), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Move-By Action, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 2, Ultimate Athletics Skill, Uncanny Dodge

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Sword +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +8

Complications:
Enemy (Jaffar)
Relationship (The Princess)

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (116)

-The Prince is a pretty standard Action Hero Archetype, but his Athletics skill is ultra-high, given the game's iconic "leap a huge chasm, narrowly grasp the edge of the pit, and climb yourself out" sequences, though the early games rewarded "carefully tip-toeing forward" over the usual Platforming stuff of "tearing through at top speed". Otherwise, he's a PL 8, as most of his enemies are just normal guys.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Another World

Post by Jabroniville »

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ANOTHER WORLD:
Game Type: Cinematic Action Platformer
Release Date: 1991
Developer: Delphine Software

-The first big game of the "Prince of Persia Clones", Another World nonetheless stands out as a major innovator for its use of cinematic cutscenes between gameplay- this was 1991, mind you, when NOBODY was doing this- this game thus stands as an inspiration for titles like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and others. Like there's a HUGE dividing line in gaming between this and the entire rest of the industry. Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame says it was one of the five games that influenced him the most. Not bad for a pretty forgotten title.

This game is set, like most later Cinematic Action Games, in an alien world- you play Lester, a young scientist who ends up on an alien world and has to fight for his survival. Alien creatures and a race of humanoid aliens mess with him, and he is captured and has to free himself. The game was largely created by one man- Eric Chahi- over the course of two years, with vector graphics & polygons to save on memory and rotoscoping for the main hero, like most games in this genre. The game is played mostly without language, and you have to make your way through various puzzles and doing things like using the environment to help your movement, like swinging cages. You can see more advanced stuff like this in modern-day cinematic games. Lester is at first unarmed and pretty helpless, but later gains a laser pistol with Blast, Force Field and Charged Shot settings. Enemies have the same capabilities, meaning you need to time your stuff right and Rock-Paper-Scissors them. And yeah, being hit by ANYTHING kills you instantly- there is no health bar.

Adaptations were made for the Genesis & Super NES, as well as a few other systems. The game was incredibly well-liked even though I've never heard of it- it's gone on to be considered a cult classic and a must-play game, though it was quite short. A sequel called Heart of the Alien, in which you play Buddy the alien partner with Lester as the NPC, was exclusive to the Sega-CD and well-reviewed, but Chahi disowned it as a proper sequel because he himself was not involved in making it. In this game, Lester is electrocuted saving Buddy from the red-eyed alien who captured him years ago- Lester is cremated by Buddy with a big ceremony and rebuilds his home village with new splendor.

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LESTER KNIGHT CHAYKIN
Role:
Lost Scientist
PL 7 (78)
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 6 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 8 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+13)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 1 (+4)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Stealth 4 (+6)
Technology 7 (+13)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Laser Pistol), Improved Critical (Laser), Improved Defense, Inventor, Ranged Attack 5

Equipment:
"Laser Blaster"
Blast 5 (10)
Force Field 6 (6)
"Charged Shot" Blast 8 (Inaccurate -2) (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Laser Pistol +8 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Charged Shot +4 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +0 (+6 Force Field), Fortitude +1, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Survival)- Lester is lost on an alien world where the native inhabitants imprison him and he does not speak the language.
Relationship ("Buddy")- Lester breaks out of an alien prison with an alien he refers to as "Buddy", and they are inseparable allies thereafter.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 10 (78)

-Lester is the hero of Another World- a scientist with a Ferrari (!!) who manages to be lost in an alien world when lightning strikes his laboratory while he's using machines to reconstruct what might have happened during the Big Bang. He is imprisoned alongside an alien he refers to as "Buddy", and the two break free despite being unable to understand each other. At the game's climax, Lester is severely wounded by one of the aliens, but Buddy helps him kill his attacker, and the two fly off on a dragon-like creature into the horizon, Lester collapsing but surviving. In the sequel, Heart of the Alien, Lester is killed saving Buddy from the red-eyed alien that had captured him in the past- Buddy cremates him in a great ceremony.

-Lester's laser pistol (and most aliens have the same one) is fairly unique in that it has a quick shot, a Force Field, and a slower Charged Shot that can surpass other Force Fields.
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JDRook
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Location: The Calgary Rift - City of Monsters

Re: Prince of Persia

Post by JDRook »

I think I actually played Prince of Persia on the original Apple II; I know I played Karateka on one in school, and that was the first game made by the same guy, Jordan Mechner, and the first time I encountered the word "rotoscoping". Even though it was a low-res monochrome platformer, I was amazed at the detail of the movement and swordplay you could do. And the puzzles pulled me right in.

I need to find that again; the new ones don't do it for me.

EDIT: Oh hey . . .
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Flashback

Post by Jabroniville »

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FLASHBACK:
Game Type: Cinematic Action Platformer
Release Date: 1992
Developer: Delphine Software International

-Another in the "Games I've always been curious about, but never played", Flashback actually came out for a TON of systems (including the Super NES, Sega CD, CD-i, Jaguar, 3DO and Genesis... and something called the "Symbion", which is hilariously similar-sounding to... another thing...), yet I've never even seen a copy. Featuring rotoscoped animation, it looks and feels similar to The Prince of Persia and Blackthorne- the animation is traced over an actual human being's movements, so it looks incredibly fluid. All I remember of it was the ad, featuring a suspicious brown-haired kid looking at a blue-headed alien.

In the game, you play an amnesiac kid lost in a world of corrupt cops and evil mutants- his memory was wiped after an invention of his uncovered that shapeshifting aliens had mixed into the human population. In order to get an offworld pass, Conrad has to take on a number of dangerous jobs, entailing a lot of little spatial puzzles for the player to solve. After that, Conrad travels to the aliens' homeworld and commits genocide by blowing up the entire planet!

The game sold well, and is apparently the best-selling French game of all time (though I can't imagine there's a lot of THOSE around in the big leagues). There was even a SEQUEL released for the PlayStation, though I've never heard of it (Fade To Black), and an HD remake from a couple of years ago.

CONRAD B. HART
Role:
Solo Alien-Fighter
PL 7 (93)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+9)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 2 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 6 (+11)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Blaster +5), Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Specialized Gear" (Flaws: Removable) [9]
"Shield" Force Field 5 (Extras: Impervious) (Quirks: Wears Down After Repeated Use and Must Recharge -1) (9)
"Force Field" Enhanced Dodge 2 (2)
-- (11 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Blaster +9 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (+6 Force Field, DC 14-16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+8 Shield), Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Stopping the Morphs)- Morphs have infiltrated human society, and must be stopped.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 4 (93)

-Conrad isn't terribly powerful or anything, but he's effective at what he does- most of his time is spent shooting only one guy on screen at a time, and even little things like falling too far can hurt him- he's basically a normal guy in a Sci-Fi world, just with some pretty good defensive gear that makes him PL 7.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Blackthorne

Post by Jabroniville »

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BLACKTHORNE:
Game Type: Cinematic Action Platformer
Release Date: 1994
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

-This game received an ungodly amount of advertisement when I first got into video game magazines. It seemed like you couldn't pick up an issue of anything without seeing a Jim Lee-drawn ad featuring this bare-chested, gun-wielding, long-haired Bad-Ass '90s Anti-Hero. It's a simple side-scroller at heart, and the reviews were pretty good, but the game vanished into history, so all the hype was for naught. I wonder whatever happened to those "Blizzard" guys who made it, anyhow...

Blackthorne takes place on the alien world of Tuul, where two brothers' kingdoms have gone to war after one turned evil and monstrous. The leader of the good guys sends his son Kyle to Earth to save his life- becoming a great war hero, Kyle is then informed of his bizarre past, and sent to Tuul to free his people. Wielding a pump-action shotgun and running around like the Prince of Persia (seriously, doing this build so close to watching a playthrough of PoP makes it very, VERY clear that this game is a 100% knock-off of that one- the running and climbing animations are virtually identical), Kyle (also called the "Blackthorne", hence the name) is given some dark choices to make, such as one advertised in many a mag- when he comes upon one of his people held hostage, he can either free them... or SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD. Oh, Nineties.

Despite the hype, I never actually played this for whatever reason. I can't remember if I was curious about it or not, but given the hype, I probably would have been. It was heavily featured for the Super NES, but also came out for the 32X. Reviews were quite solid, but like Flashback, the game received no sequel.

BLACKTHORNE (Kyle Vlaros)
Role:
Heroic Gunfighter
PL 8 (113)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 8 (+10)
Insight 2 (+5)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Technology 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Equipment 4 (Arsenal), Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Shotgun), Improved Defense, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5

Equipment:
"Pump-Action Shotgun" Blast 6 (12)
"Hover Bombs" Blast 8 (Extras: Penetrating) (Diminished Range -1, Inaccurate -1) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5 Uses) (14)
"Levitator" Lifts Up One Level (1)
"Fire Bombs" Damage 6 (Feats: Triggered- Time) (7)
"Remote Wasp" Blast 6 (Feats: Homing 4, Ricochet 3) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5 Uses) (13)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Shotgun +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Hover Bombs +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (Heir to Androth's Throne)
Enemy (Sarlac)- Sarlac rules the evil kingdom of monsters.

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 16 (113)

-Blackthorne is basically the Prince of Persia with a Shotgun- instead of Swordfighting, he and his rivals lean against the wall to avoid gunfire, then leap back out to open fire. Though there's a "cheat" where you can roll out of a room, roll back, and the villain will be vulnerable at the second you pop out.
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Davies
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Re: Blackthorne

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:21 am Kyle (also called the "Blackthorne", hence the name) is given some dark choices to make, such as one advertised in many a mag- when he comes upon one of his people held hostage, he can either free them... or SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD. Oh, Nineties.
... dare I ask how it comes to pass that the latter choice is in any wise presented as the lesser evil?
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Quasimofo
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2022 10:33 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Cool Spot! Mazinger! Last Battle! Prince of Persia!)

Post by Quasimofo »

I remember a game for the Commodore 64 with a similar animation style called Impossible Mission. I had a hacked copy of it and never knew what the objective was supposed to be so I just ran around doing flips. Mostly I remember the badly digitized voice saying "Another visitor! Stay a while, stay forever!" and how I can clearly hear it in my head to this day.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Weird Dreams

Post by Jabroniville »

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WEIRD DREAMS:
Game Type: Cinematic Action/Puzzle
Release Date: 1989
Developer: Rainbird Software

-Weird Dreams is a nightmarish, extremely difficult-looking Cinematic game for the PC systems of 1989- you play a man who appears in a novella in the manual. He falls in love with a girl named Emily, who turns out to be possessed by a demon trapped on Earth- she trikes Steve into taking pills that infest HIM with the demon, afflicting him with horrible nightmares. You play him as he's finally entering surgery to help with the nightmares, but end up having to play him as he's placed in a series of stages, each requiring some kind of trick to get through. Oftentimes you have to grab a thing to use as as weapon against a giant wasp, a foot with a huge mouth, etc.- even touching these enemies will insta-kill you. Other times you have to jump in sequence (like on a piano played by a crazed jack-in-the-box), or time playing "catch" with a knife-wielding little girl so that the soccer ball's toothy mouth will devour her instead of you.

The game was produced largely by two guys, one of whom had a tooth phobia (this is obvious in the enemy designs). The strategies are bizarre and hard to think through- most of the comments on YouTube are of people who were like "Yeah I never got more than 15% the way through". The game reviewed poorly and failed financially, given to its "more off-putting than actually good or fun" stages. At least the deaths are all quite funny and well-animated, changing based off of what kills you.

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STEVE
Role:
Normal Guy in a Crazy World
PL 4 (26)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Close Attack (Odd Weapons) 6 (+6)
Expertise (Job) 2 (+2)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Improvised Weapons, Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+1 Damage, DC 17)
Improvised Weapons +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 1), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +1, Fortitude +1, Will +1

Complications:
Relationship (Emily)- Steve has fallen for Emily and does not realize that she is possessed by a Demon.
Responsibility (Weird Dreams)- Steve is constantly forced to have bizarre, nightmarish dreams and will die in real life if he dies in them.

Total: Abilities: 6 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (26)

-Steve, the hero of Weird Dreams, is a slow-moving wimp who will die the second he's touched by any enemy. His only chance is to grab a makeshift weapon available in the stages- a stick to fend off the giant wasps or some floating brains, an eel to fight off a foot-monster, a soccer ball with teeth to kill a knife-wielding little girl, etc. So he's effectively a PL 0 guy with some capability if he's using one of these weapons.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Blackthorne

Post by Jabroniville »

Davies wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:15 am
Jabroniville wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:21 am Kyle (also called the "Blackthorne", hence the name) is given some dark choices to make, such as one advertised in many a mag- when he comes upon one of his people held hostage, he can either free them... or SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD. Oh, Nineties.
... dare I ask how it comes to pass that the latter choice is in any wise presented as the lesser evil?
I THINK it was to spare them, but I don't know. It might just be edgelord-y to include it.

TV Tropes says: Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can shoot and kill the slaves and prisoners you're supposed to be saving. They'll drop any gear they would have given you, so you can't make the game Unwinnable this way.
FuzzyBoots
Posts: 2396
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:20 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Flashback

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:59 pm The game sold well, and is apparently the best-selling French game of all time (though I can't imagine there's a lot of THOSE around in the big leagues).
Hmm... bestselling French game immediately made me wonder where Twinsen falls on the spectrum, although Alone in the Dark is probably up there.
Shock
Posts: 2978
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:27 pm
Location: Connecticut USA

Re: Flashback

Post by Shock »

FuzzyBoots wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:20 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:59 pm The game sold well, and is apparently the best-selling French game of all time (though I can't imagine there's a lot of THOSE around in the big leagues).
Hmm... bestselling French game immediately made me wonder where Twinsen falls on the spectrum, although Alone in the Dark is probably up there.
Ubisoft is a French company and they're one of the biggest publishers out there.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Western Shooters

Post by Jabroniville »

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WESTERN SHOOTERS:
Game Type: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: 1990-92
Developer: American Laser Games

-This is a group of largely identical games created by American Laser Games- a bunch of live-action First-Person Shooters featuring a Wild West theme. Players must reload their six-shooters constantly and eliminate enemies as quickly as possible. In 1990's Mad Dog McCree, you play an unnamed "stranger" who arrives in town and immediately fights the bankrobber McCree's gang, freeing the mayor's daughter after shooting McCree's hands (being forewarned that he has a bulletproof vest on). McCree (played by a local rancher) manages to escape at game's end.

The game proved quite popular at arcades, but most adaptations were panned- the arcade system used a laserdisc player and a built-in gun, and systems like the 3DO struggled to manage its gameplay. The years have not been kind to the core game, either- critics in retrospect pretty well trash the whole genre as simplistic and poor. But back in 1990, shooting live actors on a screen was pretty novel. Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold came out in 1992 and was a bit more cinematic, featuring wild shootouts instead of one-on-one "showdowns". Like the first, it hit 3DO, CD-i, Sega CD and other home systems. Reviews here vary a LOT depending on the system- GamePro gave a muted thumbs-up to the Sega CD version but raved about the 3DO one. This one was much longer than the original, but was more of the same.

The Last Bounty Hunter came out in 1994 and was the same sort of game- you were a bounty hunter out to capture or kill four hoods- Handsome Harry, Nasty Dan, El Loco, and The Cactus Kid. You had to beat them one at a time. It wasn't overly popular, as the genre was a bit long of tooth at the time. Fast Draw Showdown also hit in 1994, but this one didn't make other systems. American Laser Games eventually went out of business.

EVERY WESTERN SHOOTING HERO EVER
Role:
Cowboy Hero
PL 8 (98)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Cowboy) 6 (+7)
Insight 4 (+7)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 5 (+8)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Pistol) 1 (+10)
Stealth 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Equipment 3 (Cowboy Gear), Improved Critical (Pistol), Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Minion 3 (Horse), Ranged Attack 5, Tracking (Visual)

Equipment:
"Pair of Colt Pistols" Blast 5 (10) -- (11)
AE: "Lasso" Snare 4 (Feats: Reach 4) (Flaws: Touch Range, Limited to One Target) (8)
"Cowboy Gear" (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Colts +11 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Lasso +7 (+4 Affliction, DC 14)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Justice)

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 15 (98)

-This is mostly my Marvel Cowboy Hero build shrunk back a bit. These guys are resolute PL 8 blasters but a bit less capable at range or in melee.
scc
Posts: 267
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:13 pm

Re: Blackthorne

Post by scc »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:21 am Image
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BLACKTHORNE:
Game Type: Cinematic Action Platformer
Release Date: 1994
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

-This game received an ungodly amount of advertisement when I first got into video game magazines. It seemed like you couldn't pick up an issue of anything without seeing a Jim Lee-drawn ad featuring this bare-chested, gun-wielding, long-haired Bad-Ass '90s Anti-Hero. It's a simple side-scroller at heart, and the reviews were pretty good, but the game vanished into history, so all the hype was for naught. I wonder whatever happened to those "Blizzard" guys who made it, anyhow...

Blackthorne takes place on the alien world of Tuul, where two brothers' kingdoms have gone to war after one turned evil and monstrous. The leader of the good guys sends his son Kyle to Earth to save his life- becoming a great war hero, Kyle is then informed of his bizarre past, and sent to Tuul to free his people. Wielding a pump-action shotgun and running around like the Prince of Persia (seriously, doing this build so close to watching a playthrough of PoP makes it very, VERY clear that this game is a 100% knock-off of that one- the running and climbing animations are virtually identical), Kyle (also called the "Blackthorne", hence the name) is given some dark choices to make, such as one advertised in many a mag- when he comes upon one of his people held hostage, he can either free them... or SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD. Oh, Nineties.

Despite the hype, I never actually played this for whatever reason. I can't remember if I was curious about it or not, but given the hype, I probably would have been. It was heavily featured for the Super NES, but also came out for the 32X. Reviews were quite solid, but like Flashback, the game received no sequel.

BLACKTHORNE (Kyle Vlaros)
Role:
Heroic Gunfighter
PL 8 (113)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 8 (+10)
Insight 2 (+5)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Technology 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Equipment 4 (Arsenal), Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Shotgun), Improved Defense, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5

Equipment:
"Pump-Action Shotgun" Blast 6 (12)
"Hover Bombs" Blast 8 (Extras: Penetrating) (Diminished Range -1, Inaccurate -1) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5 Uses) (14)
"Levitator" Lifts Up One Level (1)
"Fire Bombs" Damage 6 (Feats: Triggered- Time) (7)
"Remote Wasp" Blast 6 (Feats: Homing 4, Ricochet 3) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5 Uses) (13)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Shotgun +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Hover Bombs +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (Heir to Androth's Throne)
Enemy (Sarlac)- Sarlac rules the evil kingdom of monsters.

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 16 (113)

-Blackthorne is basically the Prince of Persia with a Shotgun- instead of Swordfighting, he and his rivals lean against the wall to avoid gunfire, then leap back out to open fire. Though there's a "cheat" where you can roll out of a room, roll back, and the villain will be vulnerable at the second you pop out.
I really liked this game at the time. Hiding in the shadows and shooting someone with a shotgun never got old. My one nephew came to visit one time and instead of some of my new shiny games on my computer he wanted to play this game on an emulator.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Battle Mania

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

BATTLE MANIA:
Game Type: Shooting Game
Release Date: 1991
Developer: Vic Tokai

-A Shooting Game where a pair of sexy anime ladies fly around and shoot everything, Battle Mania was called Trouble Shooter in the West. Released for the Sega Genesis, it features you playing one of the two women, while the other flies around her as a "tail gunner" of sorts, and you work together in a single-player game to blow the crap out of everything. Before each stage, you get to pick which Special Weapon you'll use for that level, but it needs to recharge. The game's sense of humor is very tongue in cheek, with silly enemies and dialogue- the mission is to rescue a captured prince (the opposite of most games at this point), and there's a "false ending" where the credits roll but then a boss bursts through the ship where the victory celebration is taking place and you have to do a vertical scroll up to fight him. The game was a critical darling, but wasn't a big deal over here. A sequel was released, but was in very limited supply and is now one of the most expensive Mega Drive games to buy.

MANIA OTORRI
Role:
Lady Cop
PL 7 (91)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 8 (+8)
Expertise ("Combat Operative") 7 (+8)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 5 (+7)
Technology 2 (+3)
Vehicles 6 (+10)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Jetpack- Flight 6, Laser Gun +5 Multiattack), Evasion, Improved Critical (Laser), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 5, Set-Up, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Laser Pistol +9 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Justice)- Mania works for some organization or another, and is out to rescue a prince.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 16 (91)

-In Battle Mania, you play Mania Ōtorii ("Madison" in the West), who is accompanied by her partner Maria Haneda ("Crystal"). Maria will flip positions, firing behind Mania, and cannot be injured by enemies like Mania can.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Blackthorne

Post by Jabroniville »

scc wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:16 pm I really liked this game at the time. Hiding in the shadows and shooting someone with a shotgun never got old. My one nephew came to visit one time and instead of some of my new shiny games on my computer he wanted to play this game on an emulator.
Nice! Always good to see people with personal memories of this kind of stuff. It's weird because the ads for this and Flashback were EVERYWHERE but I never played either. It was only when I did my Video Game set six years ago at Ronin Army that I looked them up and realized they were all the same kind of game. Turns out the "Cinematic Platformer" is the ULTIMATE "Auteur" game, because one person can do the entire art style and "feel" of the universe by themselves- there's a handful of modern-day ones for systems like the PlayStations & X-Boxes that have studios as small as games made in the early 1990s.
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