GOG Becomes More Awesome

[skavenhorde]

Not sure if I should post this as a newsbit or not, but three of my favorite games of all time have been released on GoG. They now have Dungeon Keeper, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Crusader: No Remorse. (http://www.gog.com/en/news/back_to_the_old_school_with_ea_classics?pp=f6e1126 cedebf23e1463aee73f9df08783640400)

All three of those are a pain-in-the-behind to get playable on today's machines so they are definitely worth the 6 bucks just to get them working.

This is my favorite Crusader because there was a trader in the game that you could buy things from. They got rid of him in the sequel which annoyed me to no end. As for the other two do I really need to tell you why they are classics? ;)

[xSamhainx]

The latest news is that theyre releasing more on Thursday :)

[Alrik Fassbauer]

GOG is the ONLY reason I might actually try out Paypal one day ...

[JDR13]

The latest news is that theyre releasing more on Thursday :)

Yep, I posted about that in the Pricewatch thread.. there's a batch of yet to be named EA classics coming out tomorrow. I've got my fingers crossed for some titles I'd like to see on GOG. American Mcgee's Alice would be nice.. :fingerscrossed:

[Fnord]

There are plenty of EA games that I would love to see there, so that the entire world will be able to experience them. Games like Syndicate, Magic carpet 2, Ultima (all of them!), command & conquer, Crusader: No regret, Theme Hospital, System shock 1-2, Dark omen, Space hulk 1-2... and the list does of course go on. Of course it is unlikely that we will see any GW-related games on GOG, GW loves to protect its IPs from any and all outside sources (apart from THQ, and the next sucker who creates a WHFB game that ends up selling poorly).

[JDR13]

Games like Syndicate, Magic carpet 2, Ultima (all of them!), command & conquer, Crusader: No regret, Theme Hospital, System shock 1-2, Dark omen, Space hulk 1-2… and the list does of course go on.

The System Shock games would be my #1 choice by far, but unfortunately EA doesn't have the rights to those games.

[Fnord]

I thought EA held the rights to system shock, and that this was the reason why some of the old Looking glass people made BioShock instead of System shock 3.

*edit*
But a quick wikipedia search later:
Spector organized a licensing deal between Electronic Arts and Looking Glass that gave the former the trademark to the game, but the latter the copyright. His goal was to ensure that neither party could continue the franchise without the other's involvement
source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_shock)

[DArtagnan]

I'm quite thankful Levine and crew had to do their own thing. Having them mess up System Shock would make me sad.

[Maylander]

Dungeon Keeper 2 + Wing Commaner 1 and 2 released. Much more to come it seems. I'll definitely pay attention to upcoming releases.

[blatantninja]

meh..

What is the deal with not including the expansion packs?!?

[Fnord]

Looks like the version won't include the speech pack for Wing Commander 2, judging by the file size. So no speech pack and no expansions, what a bummer.

And dungeon keeper 2? While not a bad game, I always found it to be a bit lackluster, in particular compared to Dungeon keeper 1. It lacked a lot of the charm that made previous Bullfrog games so, well, charming.

That being said, Wing Commander 1-2 are still well worth the price, and DK2 is not a bad game.

[xSamhainx]

unfortunately, the comments section seems to have the opinion that DK2 is broken on 7, so beware before getting it. I stopped trying to make it work on 7 a long time ago, and just play it on my XP box I keep around for old troublesome games

[Myrkrel]

Apparently there are still six more EA "old-school" classics to be released on GOG soon. Anyone have any speculation on what these might be?

My guess is there will be some Ultima(s) in there somewhere (continuing with the Origin theme).

[Fnord]

If they do release Ultima, I hope they release the entire Ultima collection (interviews and all).

*edit* Come to think of it, I really hope they release Legend of Kyranida 1-3. I want to play those games, but they are expensive to buy used.

[darkling]

They should release the FM Towns Ultima 6.

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Then they should release FM Towns LucasArts games, too ...

[Myrkrel]

I just had a thought - Starflight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starflight) might be one of them. It totally belongs on GOG.

[JDR13]

Meh.. I'm underwhelmed so far.



My guess is there will be some Ultima(s) in there somewhere (continuing with the Origin theme).

With only six games left to reveal, I'm not sure if we'll be seeing any Ultima titles yet. Although there's always the chance one of them might be some kind of bundle.

[Drithius]

unfortunately, the comments section seems to have the opinion that DK2 is broken on 7, so beware before getting it. I stopped trying to make it work on 7 a long time ago, and just play it on my XP box I keep around for old troublesome games

Thanks for the heads up, Sam. I'd been considering it for much of the evening. Despite having DK2 on CD from years back, I know all -too-well the issues it has with Win7. A shame they exist with the GoG version still.

[Myrkrel]

With only six games left to reveal, I'm not sure if we'll be seeing any Ultima titles yet. Although there's always the chance one of them might be some kind of bundle.
A bundle would make the most sense, so hopefully that's what they'd do. They could basically do a GOG version of the Ultima Collection (http://www.mobygames.com/game/ultima-collection) which has all the old games (1-8 + Akalabeth).

[JDR13]

They could basically do a GOG version of the Ultima Collection (http://www.mobygames.com/game/ultima-collection) which has all the old games (1-8 + Akalabeth).

I doubt GOG would ever do a bundle that large because they like to milk their games for as much money as possible, while keeping prices low at the same time.

I could see them bundling Ultima 1-4 perhaps, but anything after Ultima 5 would most likely be sold individually.

[Myrkrel]

The Might & Magic 6-pack is almost as large though - that's what makes me think it's possible.

[Fnord]

And Ultima Collection had a lot of extra goodies that they could put into it, which would make sense from a marketing perspective. Also, does Ultima 1-5 really offer "enough" to make it viable to sell them without the later Ultimas included, to anyone but the most diehard CRPGer?

[Myrkrel]

Right - and EA even offers Ultima IV for free download (http://www.ultimaforever.com/) already. I've read that Ultima 1-3 are interesting in a historical sense but not nearly as strong as the later entries (I never got around to playing 1-3). So the real value of the collection would be Ultima 5-8 (since Ultima IV is already available).

[blatantninja]

I doubt GOG would ever do a bundle that large because they like to milk their games for as much money as possible, while keeping prices low at the same time.

I could see them bundling Ultima 1-4 perhaps, but anything after Ultima 5 would most likely be sold individually.

Years ago I bought I-III in a bundle (this was for the C64). And IIRC at one point on the PC they had a IV-VI as well. Maybe those will show up.

[Fnord]

The first 3 ultimas can be described as
Ultima 1: Richard Garriot learns programming
Ultima 2: Richard Garriot puts everything that he think is cool into one game
Ultima 3: Richard Garriot tries to make a serious game

3 has some gameplay value, but it was still not "there" yet.

If they are to split the collection, it will most likely be either: 1-6 in one, 7 (part 1 & 2) in one and 8 on its own, or Part 1-6 in one, and 7-8 in another. Unlike King's Quest & Space Quest (which they split into 2 each), the different Ultima games are of rather uneven "value".

[blatantninja]

Ultima 1 is fun, but obviously extremely simplistic. You can finish it in about 4 hours on a modern PC though so its worth it if you are a fan of Ultima overall. I tried Ultima 2 a couple times. The thing I hated the most was the color scheme. It was some type of purple.

I'd like to see them put Ultima VI, SE and MD all in one pack. I've been playing around with NUVIE lately and it would be fun to have all those games easily playable.

[JDR13]

does Ultima 1-5 really offer "enough" to make it viable to sell them without the later Ultimas included, to anyone but the most diehard CRPGer?

Seeing as how they sell games like HoMM 1 separately, I'd be very surprised if they bundled more than 4 or 5 Ultima games together, and I wouldn't be shocked if they only did something like Ultima 1+2, etc.

[JDR13]

The gregarious and gracious guys at Good Old Games are at it again: Richard Garriott’s Ultima I, II, III, and IV will become the latest additions to their collection of PC classics for sale on Tuesday, August 30. The first three Ultima games will come bundled for the same price. And Ultima IV? That’ll be free for the taking!

Told ya.... ;)

[Fnord]

Bummer :( I don't really foresee Ultima 1-3 to sell all that well though.

[Myrkrel]

Yeah they should have bundled Ultima IV with I-III as an added incentive - but really couldn't since it was already free elsewhere.

I assume they are leading up to the later ones. Hmm I wonder now if they will all be separate (5,6,7 and 8). There are just enough slots left in their "old school" EA thing.

In any case I'm glad they're being made officially available.

[Maylander]

GOG has just released Nox! Fantastic game!

I still have my CDs near my PC (in fact, it's actually installed too!), but I might just buy it for the sake of it. I love that game.

[Tilean]

I am actually more excited about Nox than the Ultima release.

It was because of slightly obscure titles like this that I started to like GOG. I am not so fond of the obvious classics of the last few months.

[Fnord]

More Ultima on GOG, this time you get 4(again) 5 & 6. 4 is already free, and I thought 6 was a stinker, but 5 is good. Question is, is 5 worth $6 on its own?

[Hindukönig]

Ultima 5 is worth 40 dollars. And why is Ultima 6 a stinker?

[Fnord]

I had a strong dislike for the interface, and I thought the story was a bit too "convenient" in some places. Granted, I never actually finished the game, so it is possible that it picks up near the end

[Myrkrel]

I loved Ultima 6 back when it was released and played it to completion. I haven't tried it again in recent years but I don't remember the interface being too bad. As a progression from Ultima 1-5 interfaces it was definitely an improvement. I guess they refined things a lot more with Ultima 7 though.

[Fnord]

I just found it awkward. Picking up items was a chore and I did not like inventory management in general in Ultima 6. And I can't really put my finger on why, but I found the combat controls to be a bit awkward as well.

[Gorath]

I am actually more excited about Nox than the Ultima release.

It was because of slightly obscure titles like this that I started to like GOG. I am not so fond of the obvious classics of the last few months.

There's nothing obscure about Nox. In its time it was a big budget Diablo clone made by Westwood Entertinment (Command & Conquer).

The best game of all the Diablo clones, IMHO. It looked superb (much better than Diablo 2 a year later), was even faster and had the item collecting stuff reduced.

[bloodlover]

I have to admit I am also excited about Nox. I enjoyed that game so much. I might get it and give it another shot. As far as Ultima goes, I never was a fan of the series but then again I never gave any game much of a chance. What's so great about them anyway ? (and try to answer without flame/sarcasm/nostalgia element).

[Fnord]

What makes the ultima series good (from 4 and onward) is the setting and philosophical issues the games deal with. Each game tackles its own issues, and each game (after 4 and not including 7 part 1) also questions the validity of the ideals that you are supposed to live by.
7 also has an incredibly well crafted world, with great NPCs and many interesting locations. The worlds really feels alive, far more so than the worlds of most modern CRPGs. The other games in the series are not as good at this (though 8 makes a good effort).

[Myrkrel]

Yeah, it was the philosophical aspect which blew my mind playing Ultima 4 at an early age. That game made me think about things that no other game had up until then. Things that were actually applicable to real life. These days, some games delve into this area, but back then it was unheard of.

Also, the attention to detail in the world-building was very noteworthy in the later Ultimas. Ultima 6 + 7 pioneered levels of object interactivity that hadn't been seen in RPGs prior to that. Like Fnord mentioned - these worlds feel like living, breathing worlds.

The non-linear, open-world exploration aspects are very strong in the Ultima series as well.

[JDR13]

Also, the attention to detail in the world-building was very noteworthy in the later Ultimas. Ultima 6 + 7 pioneered levels of object interactivity that hadn't been seen in RPGs prior to that. Like Fnord mentioned - these worlds feel like living, breathing worlds.

It wasn't just prior RPGs… most of today's RPGs are badly lacking in interactivity and freedom compared to a game like Ultima 7.