VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

Following on from last weeks major Star Wars announcements, Nick returns to the Sci-Fi genre to take a look at one of the franchises own attempts at continuing the sagas storyline...

STAR WARS JEDI KNIGHT: DARK FORCES II 

Released: 1997

Developer: Lucasarts

Original Platform: PC

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor. 

Okay, okay... I know. A couple of features ago I said I was taking a break from sci-fi games for a while, and here I am writing an article about a Star Wars game. I think it’s justified though, with all the talk of a new trilogy now that Lucasfilm has been consumed by Disney, how could I not write about a Star Wars game? Let's just take a second to consider how exciting this really is. 

VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

This fortnight Nick continues his retro Sci-Fi tour by taking a look at PC point-and-click classic, Blade Runner.

BLADE RUNNER

Release Year: 1997

Original Console Release: PC (Microsoft Windows)

Developer: Westwood Studios

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of Blade Runner, arguably one of the greatest and most influential Sci-Fi films of all time. So with that in mind, this fortnight’s Friday Flashback will focus on the cult PC classic of the same name. 

Developed by Westwood Studios in 1997, Blade Runner is a fairly standard point-and-click adventure. Thrust into the role of Ray McCoy, you are charged with hunting down a volatile pack of replicants, using all the puzzle solving prowess you have. Occasional gun fights are thrown into the mix, but the general essence of this game is its adventuring, collecting items and talking to inhabitants to gather clues, very much like the Monkey Island games of old. Fans of the genre will feel right at home here, with puzzles ranging from mildly challenging to head scratchingly frustrating, but the same can be said of most games of this ilk and it’s nice to be reminded of a time when developers weren’t afraid to throw continual mental challenges at a player.  There's really not a great deal different here in terms of core gameplay that makes it stand fundamentally stand out from the crowd when looking at the title in retrospect, with the notable exception of it's fantastic use and application of the source material.