See I'd much prefer it as laid out in the books. Give you the story (maybe use top screen for pictures/animations) let you pick the actions. Basically a digital version of the books I guess.
I fell it'd kinda miss the point of the books if it's some first person dungeon crawler with little mini-games.
It won't have the right atmosphere either, and some of the decision are meaningless (like which tunnel to go down is drastically simplified in a game)
I'll still probably end up getting it just for the sake of nostalgia.
Well Timmy, it is a known fact that DS screengrabs and videos only look good on the DS. When they are posted on the internet, they dont look so well thanks to the image being stretched. This leads to people who are not in the know assume that the game itself has pretty poor graphics, which is obviously a common misconception.
Now we know!
Fighting Fantasy really was the peak of young-adult interactive novels, especially with the mid-to-late sequel books Legend of Zagor and Revenge of the Vampire. Unfortunately the video game version of Deathtrap Dungeon was terrible. But I'd be blown away by any video game that approached the quality of a good FF book.
Lone Wolf, CYOA, Time Machine, D&D/Endless Quest, and the like really didn't come close (but I read them anyway -- there isn't an unlimited supply of new FF books, after all).
The choose your own adventure series of books are in reprint I picked up a whack of them for my kids at Chapters/Indigo. They even have two levels of books ones for younger kids called Dragonlarks, and ones you probably remember for older kids.
I bought almost the entire run of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks on eBay a few years back. Many were just as awesome as I'd remembered.
The deifference between Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and Choose Your Own Adventure books were twofold: 1) FF books were more like single-player D&D adventures. You played with dice, fought creatures, and managed inventory. 2) FF gamebooks were broken into 400 paragraphs, while CYOA books typically offered a choice every 1-3 pages.
Usually, a FF gamebook culminated with a good ending at paragraph 400. But Firetop Mlountain was different. Scattered throughout the adventure were keys. Each key had a number. At the end of the adventure you were asked to add together the numbers found on the keys. If you'd found them all, you knew which paragraph to turn to and finish the story.
As much as I love FF and am thrilled to see the series coming to DS, I must say that the screenshots do not look like the FF world as I know it. Just looks like a generic dungeon crawl. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I used to love those books, especially the D&D titles. These are the kind of games that make me wish I had a couple extra slices of cheese to drop on a DS.
Behold, the magic, circa 1982: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediafury/2515893617/
@prototype beta: Whoah, whoah, rainbow dragons? I don't know whether to be terrified of them, or run up and hug them.
And let's hope this is isn't a one-time thing for the DS. The graphics are some of the best I've seen on the system (even if the characters appear to be 2D sprites), but that also seems to imply they're putting some money on the game, so hopefully it sells well enough for them.
I was never into those books or anything when I was younger, but if the reviews get me interested enough, I'll definitely add this one to my collection.
At first I just read "Fighting Fantasy" n the pic n thought "
I still have them up in the attic, about 20 or so books. the Swamp one ( got like a lizard man on the front cover) was the best, very very open. My Gran was the one who used to buy most of them for me. So I even have a few duplicates.
I always used to cheat though:P, two bookmarks in the book so I could go back, a rudimentary save system.
Don't think it will work so well as a DS game, or any type of video game at that. If it was kind of slide show at the top n the story at the bottom, so basically a bunch of cut scenes I suppose, then I'd give it a go, an interactive version of the books, but I suppose that would only appeal to the FF fans.
Wonder if text adventures will ever make a comeback?
Its two of the old pencil and book games (yknow, where you had to keep track of your gold and silver) fully flushed out, and you can even carry your character from the first game to the second.
Each 'book' gives you two save slots, cause yknow, sometimes you just roll that unlucky 0 or choose the wrong goddamn option (what do you mean going down into the catacombs was a bad idea?!?!?).
If they would just redo the books on DS with a nice graphical update and an auto dice roll I'd be extatic... That goes double for the Sorcery! spin off series of books...
@InconspicuouslyConspicuous: DS is really capable of a lot. It's mostly up to the developer to squeeze it out of it. Some of Square's DS games are totally mind blowing in terms of graphics.
@InconspicuouslyConspicuous: If you care to look up screens/videos of COP The Recruit and Kingdom Hearts, there's a ton of upcoming games that look damn near PS2 quality. It's quite amazing.
Oh wow, this looks awesome. It seems a lot of much-ignored genres seem to be making an excellent revival on DS - especially adventure, but it's good to see a non-Bethesda WRPG.
I'm growing to absolutely love the DS, due mostly to how many entirely wonderful games it tends to get. Across soo many genres, but especially between adventure and RPG, with enough action to get me by. - it's actually sorta like the olden-days PC in that regard, but the games are often more Japanese. I suppose a result of Japan moving towards portable systems as of late.
So yes, REALLY looking forward to it. Actually never knew it existed, so thanks for this article. Hopefully it winds up being as fun as the main-series Might and Magic games.
I still haven't finished Etrian Odyssey II and now they want me to play THIS?
Well, if combat is faster, I might give it a go.
Seriously, though, have first-person dungeon games died completely? You rarely see them around anymore, which is strange given that the dominant American game style is the first-person shooter...
@mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta: Maybe they don't want you to play this? I think the main problem is that first person melee combat hasn't quite gotten where it needs to be for the most or part. But also, D&D is for dorks, cool people pretend to be space marines.
@mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta: I was under the impression that there were quite a few first-person dungeon crawls on DS. Like Deep Labyrinth and Orcs and Elves. There are certainly a lot of dungeon crawlers, FP or not.
09/04/09
I fell it'd kinda miss the point of the books if it's some first person dungeon crawler with little mini-games.
It won't have the right atmosphere either, and some of the decision are meaningless (like which tunnel to go down is drastically simplified in a game)
I'll still probably end up getting it just for the sake of nostalgia.
09/04/09
Skeletor doesn't looks like he's enjoying the game that much...
I think my brother had a few of these books...
I sure hope they do a sequel using the book I presented an image of here...
09/04/09
Well Timmy, it is a known fact that DS screengrabs and videos only look good on the DS. When they are posted on the internet, they dont look so well thanks to the image being stretched. This leads to people who are not in the know assume that the game itself has pretty poor graphics, which is obviously a common misconception.
Now we know!
And knowing is half the battle.
09/04/09
@Save me: The other half is equal parts red and blue lasers.
07/11/09
Lone Wolf, CYOA, Time Machine, D&D/Endless Quest, and the like really didn't come close (but I read them anyway -- there isn't an unlimited supply of new FF books, after all).
07/11/09
07/10/09
The deifference between Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and Choose Your Own Adventure books were twofold: 1) FF books were more like single-player D&D adventures. You played with dice, fought creatures, and managed inventory. 2) FF gamebooks were broken into 400 paragraphs, while CYOA books typically offered a choice every 1-3 pages.
Usually, a FF gamebook culminated with a good ending at paragraph 400. But Firetop Mlountain was different. Scattered throughout the adventure were keys. Each key had a number. At the end of the adventure you were asked to add together the numbers found on the keys. If you'd found them all, you knew which paragraph to turn to and finish the story.
As much as I love FF and am thrilled to see the series coming to DS, I must say that the screenshots do not look like the FF world as I know it. Just looks like a generic dungeon crawl. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
07/10/09
Behold, the magic, circa 1982: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediafury/2515893617/
07/10/09
And let's hope this is isn't a one-time thing for the DS. The graphics are some of the best I've seen on the system (even if the characters appear to be 2D sprites), but that also seems to imply they're putting some money on the game, so hopefully it sells well enough for them.
I was never into those books or anything when I was younger, but if the reviews get me interested enough, I'll definitely add this one to my collection.
07/10/09
I still have them up in the attic, about 20 or so books. the Swamp one ( got like a lizard man on the front cover) was the best, very very open. My Gran was the one who used to buy most of them for me. So I even have a few duplicates.
I always used to cheat though:P, two bookmarks in the book so I could go back, a rudimentary save system.
Don't think it will work so well as a DS game, or any type of video game at that. If it was kind of slide show at the top n the story at the bottom, so basically a bunch of cut scenes I suppose, then I'd give it a go, an interactive version of the books, but I suppose that would only appeal to the FF fans.
Wonder if text adventures will ever make a comeback?
07/10/09
Lone Wolf DS
Its two of the old pencil and book games (yknow, where you had to keep track of your gold and silver) fully flushed out, and you can even carry your character from the first game to the second.
Each 'book' gives you two save slots, cause yknow, sometimes you just roll that unlucky 0 or choose the wrong goddamn option (what do you mean going down into the catacombs was a bad idea?!?!?).
07/10/09
07/10/09
07/10/09
07/10/09
07/10/09
sorry for the my trollitosis...but color me impressed.
07/10/09
07/10/09
maybe I should have waited a bit longer... and I would have if the competition convinced me otherwise :)
07/10/09
07/10/09
I'm growing to absolutely love the DS, due mostly to how many entirely wonderful games it tends to get. Across soo many genres, but especially between adventure and RPG, with enough action to get me by. - it's actually sorta like the olden-days PC in that regard, but the games are often more Japanese. I suppose a result of Japan moving towards portable systems as of late.
So yes, REALLY looking forward to it. Actually never knew it existed, so thanks for this article. Hopefully it winds up being as fun as the main-series Might and Magic games.
07/10/09
Well, if combat is faster, I might give it a go.
Seriously, though, have first-person dungeon games died completely? You rarely see them around anymore, which is strange given that the dominant American game style is the first-person shooter...
07/10/09
I think the main problem is that first person melee combat hasn't quite gotten where it needs to be for the most or part. But also, D&D is for dorks, cool people pretend to be space marines.
07/10/09