Obscure Games

[Dr. DiegO]

Okay, another very specific theme thread I made. I like to talk about videogames that fell into obscurity, games that are not that well know for the majority of people but they are Interesting to talk and, of course, play.

I'll start this thread with one that, In my opinion, encapsulate the definition I presented for the type of game I'm talking about.



Gunman Chronicles It's a very interesting and original FPS develop by Rewolf Entretainment and released In the year 2000. originally started development In 1998 as a multiplayer mod for Quake, later jumping to Quake 2 and later to Half-Life. It was shown at the Half-Life Mod Expo in 1999, an event hosted by Valve and It's old publisher Sierra Entertainment to showcase the vast modding scene of Half-Life and showing the latest of Valve like the highly anticipated Team Fortress 2. alongside popular mods like USS Darkstar, Action Half-Life, and Counter-Strkie, Gunman Chronicles was the killer show of the event bringing the attention of Sierra, which they were Interested in making Gunman a fully independent game, Rewolf got funded and expanded and received aid from Valve to finish the game.

Gunman Chronicles Is basically a Pulp story that combines Starship Troopers and Spaghetti Western films, something you never see together. compare to Half-Life, Gunman Is more a typical classic FPS but with a twist on Its gameplay. you don't have reloads but you weapons can be modified and configured In real time! for example: you can set how many shells you can shoot at the same time and change the spread of the pellets, you blaster can be change to a wide of modes with a sniper rifle modification, you grenades can be set as tripwire and cluster but they are also the ammunition of the M.U.L.E. the Rocket/Grenade Launcher and so on.

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This game is also visually impressive for being a GoldSrc game, did you know that the textures are painted by hand and the models are sculpted? It's true! and you can check it out here

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Did you also know that this Is the first videogame role of Jim French? the voice actor of Bill in Left 4 Dead and the Father Grigori In Half-Life 2.

I can tell much of this game, Is one of those that you need to play to get all and words and pictures don't make it justice (more because I don't have much screenshots right now and there's a a lot of text right now). but, where I can play it? well, that's where we get why It's an obscure game.

Gunman Chronicles receive at it's launch mixed reviews and It didn't reach so far, Rewolf was dissolve the next year and the creators went to other places also leading to the cancellation of a Gamecube port (now that's Interesting). Valve keep the rights of the game, however, they don't sell the game on Steam for unknown reasons despite that there's evidence that at one point It was going to be alongside the other GoldSrc games on Steam at it's launch.

So how can you play this Abandonware?

• you can get a physical copy or... you know and try to install it, which is ill advice, modern operative systems don't go well with the WON version of GoldSrc, you get a crash at the start of the game
• Installing on steam as a Half-Life mod (which requires to have that game to run it) and using the Steam Patch made by Revenant100 (better known as MarphitimusBlackimus or MarphyBlack on short) so far the most easy one
• Use the files of your copy and run it with Xash3D, an engine made to be an advance mod platform (Half-Life's equivalent of GZDoom)

One more thing, If you are not playing the retail version you are missing the CGI Intro of the game which contain a critical part of the story, the beginning. the mod and Xash3D don't have the ability to play video like retail does.

Anyways, that's a lot yapping I made. If you have the chance of play it go for it. It's a cool game and a hidden gem of the GoldSrc era.

You have other obscure games with interesting stories?

[nuac_]

You have other obscure games with interesting stories?

I could probably go thru any issue of PCGamer and find a ton of obscure game ads/demos. Its true.
Wow check it out, its that game Coolboyman and I both played.

A lot of PC game stuff is still foreign to me, idk.
Like Wizardry 8 was awesome and I never saw presentation like it again but I could never remember the name.
It used to be abandonware up until a few years ago when it got re-released on steam.
NOX was the diablo clone that time forgot, and that also got rereleased on GOG.com

There was this one version of Warhammer30k that was a turn based rpg version of the table top game for PC, but you can't run it on modern hardware without an emulator / DOSBOX of some kind.

The neverhood game was a real gem, but everyone knew that one, altho only a handful of ppl got to play it on PC or the Sega Saturn.

[nuac_]

Gunman Chronicles

Like I remember vividly seeing this game alongside a StarTrek FPS in the same issue of PCGAMER in 1998 but I had no PC to play them on and envied anyone who did  , but whatever.

[Dr. DiegO]

Like Wizardry 8 was awesome and I never saw presentation like it again but I could never remember the name.
It used to be abandonware up until a few years ago when it got re-released on steam.

I know this game thanks to SsethTzeentach

The neverhood game was a real gem, but everyone knew that one, altho only a handful of ppl got to play it on PC or the Sega Saturn.

This one Is another gem, I die for games with strong artistic direction and the The Neverhood inc. games are those.

[etch]

cool cool toon is a fun little rhythm game by SNK released only on the dreamcast. some of the characters have a very sanrio-esque design. it was only released in japan but there's an english fan translation patch now

[rtil]

cool cool toon is a fun little rhythm game by SNK released only on the dreamcast. some of the characters have a very sanrio-esque design. it was only released in japan but there's an english fan translation patch now

the little minigames are hilarious, especially the shooting one in the pipe. it's definitely a lot more involved than the more well known Space Channel 5. many rhythm games at arcade still use a really similar interface to the circle seen in this game, but with touchscreens. i didn't know about this, really cool.

[Dr. DiegO]

It's Incredible how the Dreamcast housed very unique games and had features ahead of It's time, what a shame It didn't lived long due to Sony, SEGA's previous flops and how the made the situation even worst of what It was.

[rtil]

piracy was also a huge issue for the dreamcast. the GD-rom was too easy to copy and people figured out how to get the dreamcast to play pirated games quickly. however afaik only model 1 dreamcasts will play them and there are 4 different models.

of course now we also have emulation which works fairly well