Die-hard fan of lost causes, including home computers such as the Commodore 64, Spectrum and MSX, and more recent Amiga and PC (DOS-based) ones. One among many looking for that "perfect" image of the games we love.
It may seem strange at first, but having a machine gun mounted on your car makes perfect sense. After all, what better way to keep an overtaking car from getting ahead? How about mines for those tailing you too closely? This is no ordinary competition, you know. And if you want to make it all the way to the top, you must be willing to drive into some gray territory.
Back to more recent times (well, still 25 years ago…) with a game which received quite some hype at the time, but apparently was unable to commercially cash in on its great magazine reviews. Likewise, it has yet to be resurrected in public mindset as a "forgotten gem". The Riddle of Master Lu did not inspire a large amount of fan websites yet. Why is that?
Mr Creosote
With just one more week left to go at the IF Comp it seems about time to reveal my favourite title from this year. It is a game about childhood and imagination with a very creative touch to it. And as with all great text adventures it features a really solidly implemented game world with a rather responsive parser. Mr Creosote already took a look at it at the beginning of the competition and seemed to be quite fond of it, too. The game I am talking of is The Impossible Bottle which I wholeheartedly want to recommend. Especially to any gamers who are still a child at heart. 
From the admittedly somewhat archaic genre of text-based adventure games, we jump backwards in time even further. Remember phone phreaking? Yes, those of you under the age of 50 probably don't. Wouldn't you just love to learn more about it, maybe even relive those times in interactive fashion? Then NeuroDancer probably isn't for you. Although it does try to make this past culture appealing in the most simple of fashions. If you decide to give it a go, remember: keep your hands where everyone can see them (as illustrated).
Mr Creosote
Staying on the subject of interactive fiction, Bureaucracy is a game I recently revisited. This being a game with a troubled, well-documented production history, there is a lot to discuss extrinsically as well as trying to see what effects show intrinsically. It's a game I really like, though honestly, what sticks to my mind is the good scenes only.
Mr Creosote
While the IF Competition is still running, let's also take the opportunity to look back at how similar genres were handled in our core decade – the 1980s. Passengers on the Wind showcases many of the issues found in interactive narrative formats… to this very day. On top, it had an even harder nut to crack, that of turning a plot written in traditional format (in this case a comic book) into something interactive.
Mr Creosote
The IFComp is still under way and it is closing in on the half time. Seems like they expanded the schedule a bit this year: You can play and judge until the 29th of November this year. Maybe this is due to the fact that there are just so many titles. Which might make you wonder which ones to chose from? Parser or Choice-based? Horror or comedy? Short or long?
Well, so how about a recommendation? Today’s review is about a game that was kind of a pleasant surprise to me. It is from a genre that feels to me like it has been done to death by now: Zombies. And in a way it is extremely topical, something that I do not overly care about. Yet it manged to grab my attention right from the start and was a lot more fascinating then I would have expected. Some thoughts on the reason why can be found in our newest review for Alone.
Herr M.
By now I have tried around a dozen of the IFComp’s games and I am quite happy with most of the candidates. As usual quantity and quality varies from title to title, luckily none of them were utterly unplayable (so far).
On the contrary, you can find a couple of really interesting stuff in there. Like Tavern Crawler, a nice little role playing gem, which proves yet again that you do not need a multi-million dollar budget to get your players stuck to the screen. Coming up with an unusual idea and implementing it in a solid way might do the trick just fine.
Herr M.
Picking up the ball of the IF Comp, I couldn't leave Herr M. completely alone with those more than 100 games, of course. The Impossible Bottle, the first pick I made, turned out to be a lucky one. Humorous, nicely plotted, demanding… what more could you ask for?
Mr Creosote
The 26th Interactive Fiction Competition has started and as usual it is offering a plethora of text based games. With its wide variety of formats and genres it caters to a whole lot of tastes. Whether you prefer your interactions typing, clicking or tapping, or your texts thoughtful, fancy or plain: You will find some pearls in there. Though admittedly there will be a bit of trash too. Which ones which? Well, it is time to find out!
That is why I have already started this year’s article and look and behold: There is even a first review! So far the games look very promising and I have to admit that I am a bit hyped.
If you want to get involved yourselves (again): All it takes is picking up five of the games, playing them and voting for them on the competition’s website (just follow the link in the article above). And do not forget to drop us a line or two afterwards.
Happy adventuring!
Herr M.
Do you remember the beginning of Nightmare on Elm Street 5, where this guy is sort of merging with his motorbike into a bio-mechanical horror? Of course not, who remembers Nightmare on Elm Street 5? Though for reasons which should be apparent, playing No Second Prize reminded me strongly of this scene in the otherwise forgettable movie. Does this make the game forgettable as well? Oh well, never judge a book by its cover.
Mr Creosote