Starflight

QOTW: Absence makes the heart grow fungus

Since I went on for so long in last week’s QOTW, I figure I’ll keep it short and snappy for you today. Let’s see how I manage, huh?

StarflightA few weeks back, when GOG.com released the Star Control games, I found myself reading up on their history once again. I know it pretty well but I’ve got a shitty memory, so I get to enjoy the same tales over and over again, which is fun! Anyway, that pointed me the way of Starflight, a 1986 PC game that was the spiritual predecessor of Star Control 2 (the game that’s responsible for my adoration of the otherwise unimpressive series). I remember downloading it and trying it out back in the mid/late 90s when my Star Control fanboyism was in full swing. I found it almost impenetrable and gave up pretty quickly, lacking the inclination to invest enough time to learn the game.

My loss, right? I didn’t really mind so much, though, as you never do when you don’t know what you’re missing. Fast-forward to those few weeks ago and I found myself staring at a £40 eBay auction for the game’s Mega Drive release, contemplating buying it to play on my Nomad. Why the hell would I do that? Well, the game’s history – its cultural cachet if you want to slap your wank hat on – was enough that the idea of it outstripped the experienced realities of my own time with the game. Possibly that, or perhaps I was just inclined to give the game another try, since it’s been over a decade. Or maybe it’s just more of the same misplaced nostalgia that leads toward so much consumer bullshit in this day and age. Who can say.

Anyway, whatever the reasons, are there any games out there which you’ve found yourself disliking, despising or otherwise disinterested by, but years down the line they’ve popped into your thoughts, or you’ve found yourself idly coveting an overpriced retro copy of?

I’ll even throw in another one to try and get the ball rolling: Earth 2150. I found the game brutally hard and could never get very far in the single-player, but I still bought the trilogy late last year. Go figure.

Earth 2150
I remember when this was the most visually spectacular game I'd ever seen. Huh.

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3 responses to “QOTW: Absence makes the heart grow fungus”

  1. GordoP Avatar
    GordoP

    I've been strongly considering playing Deus Ex 2 for a couple of reasons. The first is my interest in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, its looking to be a fairly spiffy game that could be interesting (though I do have fears that it could be the Mass Effect series all over again and create a somewhat obsessed me playing through a game I don't fully enjoy).

    The second reason is I tried so many times and so hard to get into Deus Ex 2 when I was younger and just couldn't. I was told of its awesomeness but just never found it. My patience for the game ran low far more quickly than the plot and gameplay picked up and I've always felt like I missed something by not playing it. It's a game people are often quite surprised and vocal about me never playing and for that I've been considering it.

    Anyone have any thoughts about me playing it now.

    P.S. I feel I should also mention that I haven't played the first game either but it seems most people only talk about the second game, so…

    1. ShaunCG Avatar

      I would definitely recommend Deus Ex over its sequel. I don't have the same hate for the 2nd that others do, as it's not /that/ bad, but it does fall short of the original's scope and ambition.

  2. badgercommander Avatar
    badgercommander

    I am told that invisible war is the one NOT to play (it is the only one I played). There aren't any games like that for me, in your QoTW.

    There are certainly films like that but not games.