Retro Review: BLOOD (PC)

Lately I've been reliving my childhood through a bit of a DOS game binge, playing the classic games I grew up with as a kid. Surprisingly while both graphically and in terms of gameplay most of them have aged not so gracefully, in terms of sheer entertainment and enjoyment a lot of them still stand up pretty well to this day. As far as FPS games go I love DOOM, DUKE NUKEM 3D & SHADOW WARRIOR but I've always had a soft spot for BLOOD.

As far as plot goes there's not really a whole lot going one here. Basically the protagonist Caleb has been somehow resurrected in order to seek revenge and answers from sinister cult 'The Cabal' for whom he was once supreme commander. But this isn't the type of game where you really need to think about plot, all you need to know is that each level is filled with various undead creatures which want you dead. Your job is to kill them all and try to stay alive (or as alive as a resurrected corpse can be) for as long as possible.

To complete these two main tasks you will come across a wide array of interesting weapons, possibly one of the coolest and most unique collections in any FPS. Starting off with a pitchfork you quickly progress to a flare gun (more shooters need to utilize this awesome weapon), dynamite, the classic shot gun and eventually more bizarre weapons like the voodoo doll, aerosol flamethrower and the powerful shock rifle. My favorite was always the shotgun because walking around blowing apart the undead with a shotgun gives the game a heavy ARMY OF DARKNESS vibe which is awesome. Surprisingly for the time this game was released, some of the weapons have alternate fire modes and there is also a pickup which lets you wield dual weapons for a time.

Using a slightly modified version of the Build engine, BLOOD's gameplay resembles that of 3D Realms' classic DOOM. Apart from shooting, stabbing and blowing apart your enemies you will also need to scour the levels for keys in order to advance. Some of the levels have up to 6 separate keys which can be a little too many in my opinion, especially when every corner seems to hide a bloodthirsty monster and at some points you can have a fairly large group converging on you at once. It goes without saying that you will probably find yourself dying a lot in BLOOD.

Another reason I love BLOOD so much is because of its use of pop culture references and especially film references. ARMY OF DARKNESS, JAWS, THE SHINING, FRANKENSTEIN, FRIDAY THE 13TH, DAWN OF THE DEAD and the list goes on. The levels are also filled with hidden rooms and compartments which provide hours of extra gameplay if you want to find them all. As far as level design goes, I always thought BLOOD was a lot better than other similar FPS games although some of them can be a little complicated and involve a bit of backtracking when you inevitably get lost. The levels are quite varied and you will find yourself in graveyards, mortuaries, hospitals, carnivals, temples and an array of other locations.

As you may have guessed by its title BLOOD is quite a graphic game, maybe not nowadays but definitely at the time it was released. Blood is everywhere, spraying walls and the floor and out of the necks of decapitated demons. Each weapon dispatches your foes in its own bloody way, my favorite being the flare gun which lights them on fire before they explode in a mass of flesh and bone. Yes it is quite tame to look at now but believe me in 1997 this was pretty damn gory for a PC game. There is also a lot of dark humor in the game as Caleb spits out one-liners which mainly reference films like JAWS and ARMY OF DARKNESS and the combination of dark imagery, humor, undead creatures and blood give the game a horror movie type feel which in my book is always a good thing.

Aside from the single player campaign BLOOD also had multiplayer options although I don't remember ever trying them. Bloodbath is the game's version of deathmatch which is played on specially designed multiplayer levels and also the campaign levels. I had so much fun playing the campaign that I never even considered the multiplayer not that it matters because even the single player has a ton of gameplay especially when you add the expansion packs The Plasma Pak & Cryptic Passage which give the game more single player levels, multiplayer levels, new enemies and bosses but unfortunately no additions to Caleb's arsenal.
While it's probably difficult to find a physical copy of BLOOD and its expansion packs, all of them are available on gog.com for a very reasonable price. Fans of DOOM, QUAKE and similar style FPS games will get a kick out of BLOOD but even if you're a fan of retro games I'd say this is well worth checking out. Personally it's one of the best First Person Shooters I've ever played.

Retro Review: X-COM: TERROR FROM THE DEEP (PC)

Out of all of the X-COM games I’ve played, TERROR FROM THE DEEP has always been my firm favorite (although I haven’t played the latest ENEMY UNKNOWN yet so that may soon change) and I have fond childhood memories of it. I remember waking up extra early in the morning on weekends just so I could go boot up our old dinosaur of a computer and get a couple of hours of TERROR in before my parents woke up. With the latest game just having been released and the fact that I’ve just recently started playing TERROR again, I thought it was about time for a review.

For those that don’t know, the X-COM games are turn based strategy games in which you lead a team of special forces tasked with protecting the Earth against invading alien forces. The levels are grid based and involve a lot of strategy and planning and the game can be quite difficult even on the easiest setting.

The first thing you need to do when playing TFTD is to choose a location for your underwater base. Once this is done you can then enter your base and start setting everything up for the upcoming alien interceptions. This involves constructing extra general stores, laboratories, living quarters, upgrading sonar arrays, selling any surplus weapons and equipment, recruiting extra scientists, Aquanauts and technicians, fitting out your submarines, managing your funds, researching and manufacturing new technology and an assload of other elements. You can even begin construction on another base on the other side of the world if you want. Invariably you will locate your first alien craft before you’re fully prepared at which time you will need to send in one of your offensive flying submarines to intercept and take down the enemy craft. Once successful you can then send in your transport submarine to take your team down to the ocean floor so that they can eliminate any surviving aliens and also retrieve any useful equipment. Once you reach the crash location you can equip your Aquanauts before landing. Finding the aliens and their craft can be rather hit or miss and sometimes you will see one as soon as you open your submarine door and other times you will need to scout around for 5 or 10 minutes before encountering any hostiles. It’s at this point in the game that you will need to employ some tactics. Should you send in a couple of vulnerable Aquanauts to scout and enter the downed alien ship? Or should you just send in your heavier yet bulkier Coelacanth for a frontal assault? Do you send somebody inside the ship to get close up and personal with the aliens? Or should you just throw grenades at the risk of damaging the valuable alien artifacts?

At first your puny human weapons are not really too impressive so I’ve always relied heavily on the mobile Coelacanth Cannon to do most of the work although it can’t fit in the tight spaces like Aquanauts can. Eventually you will eliminate the surviving aliens and the mission ends. The mission is graded depending upon how many aliens you kill, how many you capture alive, how much alien technology and artifacts you recover and of course how many Aquanauts you lose in the process.This mission grading is very important because if you fail too many missions you will lose key funding from certain countries and if this continues it will soon be game over. On the other hand if you are successful enough certain countries will actually increase their funding.

Returning to base after a successful mission lets you explore more of the game’s elements. New alien weapons and technology can be researched and manufactured and then used by your Aquanauts. Once again strategy comes into this as you decide whether to research Aqua Plastics to create tougher armor for you Aquanauts or whether to research Sonic weapons so that your troops can fight fire with fire. Once you’re equipped with alien weapons the game becomes even more enjoyable as you can exchange your crappy human technology for Sonic Cannons, Shock Bomb Launchers, Sonic Pulser grenades and more.
Apart from the submerged alien craft missions you will also discover missions on land. This adds even more strategy as you need to navigate multi-story buildings and protect innocent civilians. But it doesn’t stop there because even your underwater base can be attacked and as you progress further through the game you will encounter underwater alien colonies which can be extremely tough. New species of aliens will be discovered and soon you will find yourself fighting the relatively easy Aquatoids, Gill Men, Deep Ones and the more difficult species like Tasoths or those sinister floating brains and giant jellyfish creatures.

TERROR FROM THE DEEP can get very complicated and very difficult and unless you’re really good at micromanaging you will probably have a hard time. I could never be bothered having to deal with multiple bases at the same time and as a consequence I’ve never successfully completed the game. To complete the game you will need to employ a lot of patience, priorities, strategy and organization and eventually you will be juggling multiple bases and multiple squads all the while making sure that you keep everything stocked up, replace dead Aquanauts, replace destroyed submarines, keep up with research and manufacture and of course keep your international funding up. While the game has aged a lot and graphics wise it looks pretty awful I still find it to be really fucking fun and if you are willing to put in the time and effort TERROR FROM THE DEEP can be a really enjoyable strategy game. Maybe nostalgia is making me see this game through rose colored glasses, but I still think it is an awesome damn game and just as fun as I ever remember.