|
Post by Discoalucard on Dec 26, 2009 23:46:16 GMT -5
www.hardcoregaming101.net/zakmckracken/zakmckracken.htmThis is one Lucasarts game I never played growing up. The kids I used to babysit for as a teenager had it, but I found the old SCUMM games too archaic to play. (The way they play on SCUMMVM is MUCH smoother than how they used to be.) I finally mucked around with the FM Towns version to give it a write-up. It's kinda amusing, but it reminds me of a badly designed Sierra game (Leisure Suit Larry 2, in particular) even though it's not QUITE as cruel. Too much stuff to accidentally miss, too much globe trotting (limited by your funds), limited character development on anyone but Zack, etc. I really wish that one recent fan game, Zak McKracken Time and Space, were released in English. It was finished nearly two years ago but the English version is still in the works. It looks and sounds excellent based on what I mucked around with, but the German I picked up from Wolfenstein 3D didn't get me very far.
|
|
|
Post by Strider on Dec 27, 2009 10:47:40 GMT -5
Both "FM Towns" shots in the comparison shot section seem to be identical- is that intentional?
- HC
|
|
|
Post by Discoalucard on Dec 27, 2009 11:51:23 GMT -5
Should be fixed now. They're 98% identical except for the larger eyes on the Japanese version.
|
|
|
Post by TheChosen on Dec 27, 2009 23:26:58 GMT -5
This was my first ever adventure game and I immediatly fell in love with the concept of just going to places and collecting heaps of junk that might be useful someday. I was 8-9 back then and I knew basic stuff in english.
I couldnt get to the other countries because I didnt have those damn Visa codes. It was the copy protection of the game, a six symbol code and there were tons of those. Took me 5 years until I digged up codes from the internet and even from there it was hard to find, especially in .txt form, but even scans of those codes were rare.
Still love the game, even though its hard and brutally unforgiving. Someday, with enough concentration, patience, saving/reloading and note taking, Im gonna finish this game.
|
|
|
Post by jorpho on Dec 28, 2009 15:06:33 GMT -5
It's really quite a genius work of nonlinearity. I've often thought it would be awesome if it was remade with proper RPG dungeon crawls substituting for those stupid mazes. (Imagine wailing on monsters with increasingly stale varieties of French bread!)
|
|
|
Post by TheGunheart on Dec 28, 2009 15:57:43 GMT -5
Would you say the FM Towns version is the best? Or is there some obscure downside?
|
|
|
Post by Discoalucard on Dec 28, 2009 17:29:13 GMT -5
Would you say the FM Towns version is the best? Or is there some obscure downside? Unless you REALLY love EGA or have an aversion to playing this port in a legal grey area (because legit copies will likely set you back $500+), it's the way to go.
|
|
|
Post by acidonia on Dec 28, 2009 19:57:50 GMT -5
A short Comic book series exists of the first game Published in Black and White in the UK in the Eagle comic most famous for Dan Dare. Although no site seems to think this comic exists even though one Eagle Comic had the games cover as its cover art. Yes I do have these comics but have no way to scan them although ive never played the game did not even know it even was one.
|
|
|
Post by Gendo Ikari on Jan 8, 2010 15:50:00 GMT -5
Find a way to have them scanned. NOW.
I admit I'm biased (this game is one of my favourites ever), but the review is a little harsh sometimes, and the comparison with "a badly designed Sierra game" unfair. Yes, I became stuck with money the first time I played it in the early '90s; but it's perfectly possibile to reach the conclusion without ever needing to win the lottery (also because there's an easier way to get some good money back from the shopkeeper), and the mazes aren't as aggravating as it may seem. Also, sometimes the review gives away too much - why not leave to a potential player the fun of figuring out the creation of a homemade spacesuit? I understand, however, that in retrospective some parts (like the copy protection) were aggravating, and the game should just end if a character dies, instead of going on pointlessly. The plot now appears as lacking cohesion, and sometimes with bad stereotypes (why the airports in poorer countries are always run-down?). One way to end the game prematurely was having Melissa and Leslie board their space van and fly away, you can do it after getting the last crystal, just for fun - or you can make them die at that point, and not be mentioned by the ending text!
What I loved the most is the character cooperation, even if Zak still does most of the action. There is also a slight differentiation between Melissa and Leslie, with the latter being braver and accepting to do things the former wouldn't - nothing special but still a nice touch.
The version I originally played was the enhanced one, I didn't know there was a previous direct conversion from C64 until 2008. I played it just for fun, followed by the FM Towns version. Its graphics are beautiful if it wasn't for three concerns. - Some locations go too far with details to the point of looking cheesy. - I often wonder why they didn't add some animation frames - the stiff characters, not even moving an arm when getting something, always bugged me. Maybe there were limitations due to the original code, something similar to what happened with the recent Monkey Island remake. - Areas that were in the dark in other versions are fully lit here, but I don't know if it's an original fault or SCUMMVM's.
The fanbase for adventure games is really big in German-speaking areas - while I was living in Basel in 2008, I saw the tech page of a local newspaper dedicated to the fresh release of Between Time and Space. I wish I learnt German better during my time there...
|
|
|
Post by Discoalucard on Jan 8, 2010 17:14:39 GMT -5
I admit I'm biased (this game is one of my favourites ever), but the review is a little harsh sometimes, and the comparison with "a badly designed Sierra game" unfair. Yes, I became stuck with money the first time I played it in the early '90s; but it's perfectly possibile to reach the conclusion without ever needing to win the lottery (also because there's an easier way to get some good money back from the shopkeeper), and the mazes aren't as aggravating as it may seem. Most of my ire comes from the fact that the game directs you to get on the bus to go to the airport - it's your very first goal! - but no, there are a billion different minor things you're supposed to do first, unless you want to be backtracking ad naseum. The fact that travel is technically limited (although not overtly so) is just tremendously aggravating. The whole bit reminded me of Leisure Suit Larry 2, and while Zak is certainly far more forgiving than that, it still reeks of that kind of misguided design structure that Lucasarts games eventually (and thankfully) moved far away from. Sam and Max Hit the Road does KIND OF the same thing, but travel isn't as restricted. I'm not a fan of that game's structure either, but it's also not nearly limiting as Zak's.
|
|
|
Post by jorpho on Jan 8, 2010 19:31:52 GMT -5
What happens if you neglect to pick up the oxygen tank, seat cushion, etc. on your first flight, anyway? Do you end up sitting through the flight again every time until you do?
|
|
|
Post by Discoalucard on Jan 8, 2010 19:46:34 GMT -5
What happens if you neglect to pick up the oxygen tank, seat cushion, etc. on your first flight, anyway? Do you end up sitting through the flight again every time until you do? Yup. I guess via "adventure game logic" the fact that it gives you control is a sign that you're supposed to be doing SOMETHING other than sitting around, if not necessarily what.
|
|
|
Post by mysteray on Jul 9, 2014 3:48:03 GMT -5
After all those years of this thread I wonder if this gets a reply. Well, I guess I just give it a try. In the screenshots of the game in Japanese mode it can be seen that the interface of the game is in English. How is that possible? When I play the Japanese version via ScummVM, I can only get the interface in Kanjii . Is there a way to play it Manga style but with the English interface and language?
|
|
|
Post by Gendo Ikari on Oct 2, 2014 14:27:35 GMT -5
Have you tried all the ScummVM's settings?
After posting about Monkey Island, just for curiosity I checked about the Between Time and Space fangame and, surprise, more than six years after its original German release, it seems to approach completion - they didn't just translate the text into English, they're dubbing it too. According to the last updates from a few weeks ago it may even be released during this autumun (I'll be prudent and say, let's wait 2015).
|
|
Lord Dalek
Full Member
WHY DOES HE HAVE A SECOND/THIRD/FORTH/ETC. FORM?!?!
Posts: 249
|
Post by Lord Dalek on Oct 2, 2014 18:13:44 GMT -5
Gotta agree with Kurt, this is easily my least favorite Lucasarts game. The weird puzzles and writing plus lack of music and sound effects make it a real chore to play.
|
|