The most noticeable difference between 90s classics (Blood, Duke Nukem, Doom 1/2/64, Shadow Warrior, Quake, Unreal etc.) and the new wave of retro-FPS experiences in my opinion lies in the level design and its actual complexity in terms of encounters and layouts. While games like Prodeus, Cultic, Amid Evil and Boltgun manage to nail the memberberrian spirit and even enhance it from a technical standpoint, there's always something about their maps/designs that doesn't quite push the same buttons and results in a simplistic effect, so to speak. Still, they're entertaining and definitely better than anything the current (rotten) AAA industry can produce. I'd say the game that has been able to recapture the old-school philosophy the most is Ion Fury, despite some hiccups.
Then there are titles like DOOM 2016, Shadow Warrior 2013 and Hard Reset that I found enjoyable as well, though their pseudo-arena-like design with multiple modern expedients ultimately offers a different experience. Eternal especially brought that concept to the extreme by maximizing the use of glory-time-events and by incentivising platforming, thus making it feel almost like another sub-genre entirely, for better and for worse.
Specifically for this title, the first thing that irked me was started on max difficulty - Monsters are stationary fodder, your melee weapon (that slows time) + boltgun insta-gib's 90% of the enemies -> which makes it one of those "power trip" games where the player is god mode level power. I find that boring quickly, then the level design after playing 5 levels was very repetitive in a way that doesn't pull me in. Movement was somewhat interesting (i.e. you feel the PC has weight / is a space marine) which is cool but the jumping and ledge climbing felt floaty.
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@ixigia: You are correct on those modern counter-parts being the best modern examples as well D2016, the first Shadow Warrior and Hard Reset. Although yes the Arena style gameplay starts to wear thin and also monster AI is very simplistic like Serious Sam series where everything just B-lines at the player once triggered.
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Ion Fury is better on every level to this. Enemies including the fodder present some challenge (You will die playing carelessly), the level design is much much better, you will enter a mall, a cyberpunk urban city, industrial offices, outside parks and gardens, sub-level sewage and aquatic area's, Cyberpunk Skyrise building, there is a lot of interactivity to the levels even in small details and easter eggs.
Hedon series are also much better games. Better enemies, Better level design, Strong RPG elements, Strong puzzle elements, overall better weapons. The developer tells a full-blown story throughout the game as well, it's not just quickly build some maps and cash in on "retro shooter" dollars.
Yeah I still think Nu-SW1 was by far the best example and that still had too many Arena battles come the end-game. Doom 2016 would have bested it (given it flat copy / pasted the game design) except they forced glory kills onto the player.. which is crazy because it seems so simple/easy to have made that an optional feature or gameplay mode.
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Prodeus's look and feel, weaponry, enemy types and level design are also great. The problem with Prodeus is that the team clearly made a cool engine, a good map editor and published some content. It lacks effort in the story department, even Ion Fury does just enough voiceover lines, boss lines etc and boss battles to make it feel like your on a quest to crush evil Mega-corp and Dr. Evil. In Prodeus what are we doing and why?
It's also panders to the OP player a bit as well, last time I played it on its hardest mode it was pretty easy to smash through everything the game dished out.
Like I said, I'm not saying it's bad. Just with this game (and I do this a lot with games in general as I don't have unlimited time on my hands). I'll get close to 2 hours in and go "do I want 10 more hours of this?" - In this case it was a no.
@ixigia or anyone that likes gzdoom / retro shooters. You have to get "Hedon Bloodright" which is technically Hedon 1 and 2 in one game. The store art looks cringe but the game is downright awesome. It's a perfect combo of doom like gameplay with story puzzling mixed in, probably my fave doom mod or port that's come out.
Well, after all you are a space marine. If you would have to pump a half of a clip of 1 inch micro grandes into some random standard chaos infantry troops you would not exactly be an Emperor's Angel for me the game greatly captures the feeling of being a super human killing machine and evaporating the cannon fodder in seconds with a single bolt from afar,. You can see this nicely depicted in the Astartes fan made movie on YT. The real challenge is with demons, chaos marines etc.
After 12 hours i finished it on hard and im not impressed. The visuals are not that great and the soundtrack sucks. Enemy variety is lackluster. Its a fun game no doubt, but without the warhammer tag it would be meh at best.
Actually, while the game indeed starts out super easy, there's quite the difficulty spike around level 5-6ish. I even turned god mode on during a boss battle, as I didn't feel like sweating over it for hours. This is on hard difficulty.
@ixigia or anyone that likes gzdoom / retro shooters. You have to get "Hedon Bloodright" which is technically Hedon 1 and 2 in one game. The store art looks cringe but the game is downright awesome. It's a perfect combo of doom like gameplay with story puzzling mixed in, probably my fave doom mod or port that's come out.
Thanks, will get it. You're right about the art, with all the thicc half-orc ladies it looks like one of those games born from a specific dark fetish
I enjoy it but yeah a most of your naggin are valid points. The map design is weird with a bit of space without enemies, just empty rooms with tons of ammo. The AI is mostly static but the difficulty is all over the place, when not in arena mode the game is easy but when you are locked and have to fight fuck ton of spawning enemies with boss it super fast becomes bullshit. Especially with Lord of Change LOS undodgeable attack.
Yet somehow I like how meaty the rampage is.
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tried this for a bit given some of the high praise and after 1h found it boring. looks sometimes cool but map design is boring and combat too easy even on hard. this is not like doom unless u call every gory shooter with music doom
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for me the game greatly captures the feeling of being a super human killing machine and evaporating the cannon fodder in seconds with a single bolt from afar,. You can see this nicely depicted in the Astartes fan made movie on YT. The real challenge is with demons, chaos marines etc.
