Anachronox

[Kenko]

Anachronox. Man where to begin. This has to be one of most unappreciated RPG's ive ever played. Only a few people I know have played it let alone know of it. And thats because ive shown it to them and forced them to play it more or less. Its a western RPG at its best. Great story, great characters, diverse gameplay, lots of humour and gametime.

The graphics may be outdated but the game is still great.

Well, what im getting at is that I URGE my fellow escapists who havent played this game to seek it out in any way they can and play it. Its a must play type of game.

Anyways heres a link to a scene from the game that should give you a little insight about the game's style. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSoko3qsJII )

 

[oplinger]

I've heard of it, but it never really interested me. Ion Storm was always the fun studio..

 

[CrazyJew]

A Google search on the game only brought me this dead thread. I do wonder if I should try it, I heard it takes heavy inspiration from the only JRPG I can stand due to its being amazing, Chrono Trigger.

 

[Atmos Duality]

A Google search on the game only brought me this dead thread. I do wonder if I should try it, I heard it takes heavy inspiration from the only JRPG I can stand due to its being amazing, Chrono Trigger.

It is one profoundly FUBAR game.
An Unreal-Engine turn-based RPG. Good grief.

It's obscure as all hell to boot.

 

[Smeggs]

Wooooooow, That's some Top Quality voice acting in that video.

Also, what a necro. This thread was posted back in September. Of 2010.

 

[DioWallachia]

Maybe they tought that it was just as crappy as Daikatana without even play it?? I wonder how Deus Ex got ahead from this bad karma that Ion Storm has casted upon themselves

 

[oplinger]

HEY LOOK ITS ME!

Hi little me! ...Wow that was so long ago. I'm like...older and more mature and stuff.

 

[Zeh Don]

Anachronox is an amazing game by every definition of the word.

The writing is amongst the best in the business, the settings are incredibly inventive, imaginative and fun, and the game doesn't take itself too seriously, which helps you swallow all of the random and bat-shit insane stuff it throws at you. It pokes fun at the all-too-serious RPGs, and at the same time it really shines as an RPG by the sheer quality of it's production.

While the visuals and audio has certainly aged, it's still a terrific game. You'll need several tweaks, fan patches (including one un-official patch from one of the developers) and even some additional Riva tweaks to get it running on today's hardware. It's worth all the effort though.

The quests are fun and feature some solid puzzle work, the story is intriguing and really hooks you in and the characters are memorable and enjoyable.

It's easily the most under-rated and over-looked RPG of all time. It shames most JRPGs because it's better than they are, while still adhering to their design philosophies.

The only catch is: it ends on a cliffhanger, and the sequel was cancelled.

If you can get this game, grab it: you won't regret it.

 

[KingHodor]

It is one profoundly FUBAR game.
An Unreal-Engine turn-based RPG. Good grief.

Actually, Anachronox runs on the even more primitive Quake 2 engine, which was already outdated when the game came out in 2001.

Yeah, graphically it looks absolutely atrocious nowadays, especially considering how well games like Fallout or Baldur's Gate 2 have held up... we can only wonder what Ion Storm were thinking when they were trying to make an RPG using an engine intended for characters made up of just a few hundred polygons.
That said, some of the MysTech (i.e. spell) effects and limit breaks you get later on did look kind of nice back in the day, although you have to spend hours upon hours trudging through the wasteland of chunky models and mushed textures before you get to see those.

Still, the writing was great, the characters were fun and the setting was imaginative, so it was still a fine RPG - it's just that after the Daikatana fiasco and repeated delays, gamers had all but given up on anything good coming from Ion Storm's Dallas studio, and few reviewers were willing to play past the slow-paced, abysmal-looking early chapters to appreciate the hidden gem that was this game.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Actually, Anachronox runs on the even more primitive Quake 2 engine, which was already outdated when the game came out in 2001.

Ah, right. It was Deus Ex that used the Unreal Engine. Anachronox was the last bit of usage anyone was looking to squeeze out of the Quake 2 Engine at the time (besides Daikatana...*shudder*).

 

[CrazyJew]

SNIP

Thank you for the quick summary, Zeh Don. You'll be happy to know it works perfectly on my modern system without any problems. i am currently braving through the boring starting hours, but I know it gets amazing soon.