Severance: Blade Of Darkness
 

Hi, I just read some of the comments in the Dark Messiah Thread. PPL made comments on its combat and related it to Severance: BOD.

I was thinking, what ever happened to the BOD Devs? Perhaps Its time to make a remake of that game, with storyline, NextGen Graphics, and all.

It would surely be a HIT game.

the devs went on to form mercury steam
they released scrapland which if you can forgive the horrible voice acting and its consoleness it was enjoyable game and flying arround the cities was definately a unique experience. they also released "bad day la" a few months ago which i haven't gotten yet but should enjoy based on the humour…there's a demo but it's not all that great. both these games have the american mcgee stamp on them, though i believe he didn't actually do anything - he is the chap who's name was on the game alice - which although pretty did not sit well with a long time fan of lewis carroll like myself and i stopped after the white rabbit got stepped on…and on with the story

I've heard *very bad things* about Bad Day LA

it will be many months before i have time to get it anyhow and even then i'll wait til i can get it off ebay for ~10. there are very few games that i'm ever willing to spend more than $20 on. maybe about 6 a year i'll pay 30 or more. gothic 3 is the first game ever i've spent $50 on. i only payed $40 for oblivion when it came out and it was not worth the one time through over 2-3 weeks. i may have finished gothic 3 just a tad quicker but i'll be replaying it for years

I'm sure the graphics are pretty tough to look at now - but the combat controls for melee are incredible. You can fight one opponent for minutes on end looking for a break in his defense, stun him, do a combo spin and behead him.

It DOESNT get any better than that!

Also - Dark Messiah isnt even close.

The character models aren't very nice, but the environments and interiors are quite tolerable, really. I heard it was a pig for its day, but it scales pretty well.
And then pick up hit head and beat the next enemy to death with it … one of those great moments in gaming … ;)

I still have the game. Going to play it again too…I really like the fighting mechanics. It was pretty funny sometimes also. I really like it when someone would poke their head out from around a corner…I hit them with an arrow and they fall back muttering things you could hardly make out. Fighting was the best in that game.

And the music … the MUSIC!!!

Hmmm I don't remember the music. I remember the BLOOOOOOD though! ;)

You can download some sounds here (but you have to register with codemasters)

I hear various sounds from the game used all over the place on TV, and yes the combat mechanics are wonderfully implemented. They could stand to be tightened up a little but even then, nothing comes close to deposing this game's combat as reigning champ. Aside from the knight and the dwarf, each class has a very distinct feel. Each fighting style has its strengths and weaknesses. Defense, offense, speed, weapon size, weapon selection, agility, and strength are all carefully balanced to offer a great deal of replay-ability across classes. Graphically, I think the game is still a contender. Even though character models do have a dated look they are far from ugly. The environments are still beautiful, lighting and shadows are amazingly atmospheric, reflections on water look great, and in game architecture and level design are well thought out. The games combat AI is superb, most games call head on attack followed by full retreat AI; not here. Each enemy class has its own approach to ass kickery. Whether it’s bashful knights, fearless skellies, or lumbering Minotaurs each combat situation requires strategy, skill, and speed from the player. If another game ever comes even close to this game’s combat it will be an instant success in my book.

On a different note; I love playing as the knight but when given enough space to jump around in I think that the Amazon is the strongest character when its comes to giving and not taking damage. She is nearly impossible to hit, has the best HTH range, and a good amount of damage. She's a real pain in the ass to play as when trying to get through a climbing puzzle though. With that in mind my biggest complaint has to be jumping puzzles. I can smash 100 trolls in a row without a problem, one jumping puzzle over lava though and it's game over. Finally, I have to tip my hat to the gore. Nothing is more satisfying that a blood spurting headless troll staggering around in front of me after a quick and brutal fight. I love the way the PC can quickly stow their weapons and slowly walk away while staring down their recently defeated enemy, very badass.