The Looking Glass legacy: how LGS games have influenced the industry - by june gloom
june gloom on 12/11/2008 at 12:34
I've been thinking for a while about games that seem to follow the aesthetics, or feel, or whatever of LGS games. This could be, for example, a completely unrelated game that has a section feeling kind of like Thief; or a game that has hallmarks of LGS games due to former LGS devs having a hand in its creation, so on and so forth.
I'd like to compile a list of games that seem to show the influence the old LGS games had; Bioshock is the obvious example, Arx Fatalis is another; Deus Ex may as well almost be an LGS game.
Here's what I can think of, off the top of my head:
Clive Barker's Undying: The bit in the old monastary in the past- it's perfectly possible (and even desirable) to do it stealthily.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: It's possible to play the game stealthy besides the two mandatory-stealth missions, but it feels more like Goldeneye; that said, the mission in Paderborn itself, towards the end, feels very much like a Thief tribute.
Dead Space: I haven't personally played, but it seems like it's the spiritual System Shock sequel everyone wanted.
Not sure if this counts, but Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines feels like the Deus Ex sequel I always wanted.
As I've got to get ready for class, there's not much else I can think of, but that's why I'm asking you guys.
Thirith on 12/11/2008 at 12:36
Quote Posted by dethtoll
Dead Space: I haven't personally played, but it seems like it's the spiritual System Shock sequel everyone wanted.
Really? Everything I've heard about it makes the game sound like
Resident Evil 4 with a dash of
System Shock at best, and probably not bad as such games are concerned, but by no means a spiritual sequel.
fett on 12/11/2008 at 13:30
Though they came out roughly the same time, I would count the first Commandos game as "LGSish." It was just a team based strategy game - it was a stealth game that utilized strategy elements. I've always wanted a first person POV version of this.
henke on 12/11/2008 at 15:04
Quote Posted by dethtoll
Dead Space: I haven't personally played, but it seems like it's the spiritual System Shock sequel everyone wanted.
Heh, I'm sure if the developers had actually hyped it as the
"spiritual System Shock sequel" it'd be as hated around here as Bioshock is. :p
As for LGS influence I guess Tribes took a lot of inspiration from Terra Nova.
Quote Posted by fett
I would count the first Commandos game as "LGSish." It was just a team based strategy game - it was a stealth game that utilized strategy elements. I've always wanted a first person POV version of this.
First time I played Thief I though "oh my god, this is just like Commandos, but first person". :)
Jason Moyer on 12/11/2008 at 16:21
Quote Posted by Thirith
Really? Everything I've heard about it makes the game sound like
Resident Evil 4 with a dash of
System Shock at best, and probably not bad as such games are concerned, but by no means a spiritual sequel.
From what I can tell it's Doom 3, watered down (hard to believe that's possible), with an inventory and shitty over-the-shoulder camera.
Fragony on 12/11/2008 at 17:27
Quote Posted by Jason Moyer
From what I can tell it's Doom 3, watered down (hard to believe that's possible), with an inventory and shitty over-the-shoulder camera.
Well it is, but it's pretty good nevertheless, but surprised of all the praise it recieves here though since it's a pretty casual game.
van HellSing on 12/11/2008 at 17:50
Quote Posted by fett
Though they came out roughly the same time, I would count the first Commandos game as "LGSish." It was just a team based strategy game - it was a stealth game that utilized strategy elements. I've always wanted a first person POV version of this.
Commandos is not a strategy game, and it's not a stealth game either. It's a set of logic puzzles.
addink on 12/11/2008 at 20:52
Dark Messiah has some Thief inspired locations (spider caves/mines, flooded tomb, roof tops) and gameplay (stealth, rope arrows). But that's not unexpected, Arkane often mentioned LG as a big inspiration.
aquaverse on 12/11/2008 at 21:08
Uh. Anachronox? LOVE that game.
Also...Dead Space was quite enjoyable. It is a spiritual successor to SS2, just nowhere near as good. But still loads of fun.
Bioshock is a VERY good game as well. Love when people rip Bioshock so much. If it didn't have the name 'shock' in the title and they had marketed it as a completely new kind of game, peoples' perceptions would have been completely different. Bioshock is great.
