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From: buffa@kish.inria.fr (Michel Buffa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: Comment on Psygnosis playablilty
Keywords: Psygnosis
Message-ID: <8849@mirsa.inria.fr>
Date: 19 Oct 90 09:18:10 GMT
References: <780@idsssd.UUCP>
Sender: news@mirsa.inria.fr
Reply-To: buffa@mirsa.inria.fr
Organization: Inria Sofia Antipolis
Lines: 69

In article <780@idsssd.UUCP>, gary@idsssd.UUCP (Gary Gealy) writes:
> 
> Comment on Psygnosis playability.  (aracade style games)
> 
> Over the last few years I've purchased most of the games published by
> Psygnosis.  IMHO they are some of the best games on the market, but
> they do seem to be awful hard to win.  The only one that I've completed 
> is 'Menace' and that took a lot of work.   
> 
> What's the deal here, why publish games that IMHO are very hard to 
> almost impossible to beat without cheat modes?  Am I the only one
> with this problem or are there others that feel this way?  If so,
> speak up, what's YOUR opinion?           
> 
> 
> 				-GMG-

Psygnosis or Psyclapses games (certainly incomplete)

BARBARIANS: old game, but one of the best when it came out. Good playability
	    I finished it without any cheat mode.

OBLITERATOR: very close to BARBARIANS in the concept. One of my friend
	     finished it and loved it. Good game too.

TERRORPODS: Complex simulation and arcade game with very deep interest. I
	    loved this one, but a little too complex. A good game when it 
	    came out.

BLOOD MONEY: Excellent playability for the two first levels (I finished them
      without cheat mode. Is there a cheat mode ?). But a terribly 
      frustrating game as it's almost impossible to play levels 3 and levels
      4. (I reached level 3 about ten times, but died after two screens). 
      Level 3 can be played only after levels 1 and 2 and it takes about 35 
      minutes to complete them (and it's also rather difficult). A good game, 
      but a bad design because of these !@#$%^% levels 3 and 4.


STRYX: Who played this game ? I don't know it much (saw some demos)

MATRIX MARAUDER: One of my friend told me it was a good game, but very hard to
       master the controls (you control your ship with the mouse AND the 
       joystick AND the keyboard)

ANARCHY: Very playable, very fast, very good defender clone. I love this one.
	 I reached level 7 out of ten, so playability is good.

THE KILLING GAME SHOW: top playability. The game is very addictive too, has
	stunning graphics and very deep interest (a lot of strategy is 
	requiered to pass levels)
MENACE: A goo shoot'em up. I finished it. It was one of the best when it came
	out, but now, R-TYPE, BATTLE SQUADRON, SILKWORM, XENON 2, ANARCHY, 
	BLOOD MONEY, X-OUT are better.

BALLISTYX: didn't played this one. Any comment ?

SHADOW OF THE BEAST 1: unplayable !
SHADOW OF THE BEAST 2: unplayable ! Very frustrating ! These last two games
       are the origin of the bad Psygnosis reputation. A normal human can not
       terminate SOTB 2 !!!

------------------------------------------
Michel Buffa:       Projet Robotvis, INRIA, France

    Internet:       buffa@sardaigne.inria.fr
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