3DO ZONE Forums

I've had Monster Manor for years, but I never gave it much of a chance, even though FPS's are one of my favorite genres. Anyway, I'm giving it a second chance right now. My question is (I lost the manual): Is there a 'run' option like in Wolfenstein? Or am I stuck with the slow walking pace? The controls seem basic, so I'm guessing no, but thought I'd ask the experienced.

Also, should I be looking for secret passages? I haven't found any yet, though I've been scowering walls for them.

Last question, is there ever any other weapons besides the initial ray-gun?

I'm up to the third level now, thank God for some different graphics at least, but I think I'm starting to remember why I left this title alone, it's just no where near as good (getting bored), IMHO than the vast majority of FPS games I've ever played. I want to like it more, but...third level and not a scratch to my health yet! Maybe I need to up the difficulty, if that's possible, though maybe I just need to keep going so it gets harder...well, back to Po'ed and Space Hulk for a while...my two 3DO FPS favorites...

Answers, there are no secret room, per say. However, there are some really nice things you will find if you finish the entire map. No for the run and also that is your only weapon. The game does get harder and also the monsters get faster. The spiders are a pain in the ass especially in large clusters or moments where you feel you need to move quickly. It's one of my more favorite games for the system, as funny as it is. HUGE levels though. That's the one annoyance I had with it as it would have been nice sometimes to save a level when you aren't finished so you can come back because some of the later levels in the game are massive and take quite a bit of time. No, it's not the greatest FPS ever made, but it's a load of fun if you can get into it. Half of it is the atmosphere of the game. Play it in the dark with the volume way up and the ambiance of the game will fo the rest.

Yes, the ambiance is really good, doesn't quite scare me like AvP, but I do get chills once in a while.

Gunny, if you haven't watched them yet, watch the 'Lets play Monster Manor' videos by the original developers Ewhac and Gammadev. VERY interesting and informative. All their videos are.

Yeah, those vids are surely worth checking out. Get some lowdown too on the origins of the game. The thing that's really cool about it is that it started out as a tech demo and was so loved they made it into a full game. I love the sound effects and music for this game, which is actually why I think I have so much love for it. The cheesy announcer throughout the game was awesome and I adore the opening to it. Funny as it is, I remember thinking the graphics with the rotation around the Haunted House in the opening cinematics was just amazing at the time of release. I watched the opening a few times through back when I first got the game because I thought it was so cool. It set the tone and mood for the game. The claymation digitized for several of the characters was a really nice touch too, again giving the game a look all it's own. Very cool stuff, to be honest.

It may seem strange, but the absence of formalized, semi-mandatory "secret" areas is one of the things I liked about EFMM. When a game expects me to meticulously check every bit of wall in each level, collect-a-thon style, so I can get that percentage up to 100% in the end-of-level summary...well, the whole thing just starts to feel like work.

goldenband wrote:It may seem strange, but the absence of formalized, semi-mandatory "secret" areas is one of the things I liked about EFMM. When a game expects me to meticulously check every bit of wall in each level, collect-a-thon style, so I can get that percentage up to 100% in the end-of-level summary...well, the whole thing just starts to feel like work.

While I can say I don't totally agree with you, the fact that there are no hidden rooms in this particular game actually adds to the uniqueness of it. I like Escape From Monster Manor because at a time when everything seemed to be trying to be DOOM or Wolfenstein, it was it's own thing. That alone makes it worth a look.

goldenband wrote:It may seem strange, but the absence of formalized, semi-mandatory "secret" areas is one of the things I liked about EFMM. When a game expects me to meticulously check every bit of wall in each level, collect-a-thon style, so I can get that percentage up to 100% in the end-of-level summary...well, the whole thing just starts to feel like work.

T2KFreeker wrote:While I can say I don't totally agree with you, the fact that there are no hidden rooms in this particular game actually adds to the uniqueness of it. I like Escape From Monster Manor because at a time when everything seemed to be trying to be DOOM or Wolfenstein, it was it's own thing. That alone makes it worth a look.

Well, you've done a good job of confusing the hell out of me here Freeker!

Goldenband likes the fact that EFMM has no secret areas and is more straightforward, but you disagree. However, you like the fact that EFMM having no secret areas and is more straightforward makes it standout vs what else was around at the time??!

NeoGeoNinja wrote:

goldenband wrote:It may seem strange, but the absence of formalized, semi-mandatory "secret" areas is one of the things I liked about EFMM. When a game expects me to meticulously check every bit of wall in each level, collect-a-thon style, so I can get that percentage up to 100% in the end-of-level summary...well, the whole thing just starts to feel like work.

T2KFreeker wrote:While I can say I don't totally agree with you, the fact that there are no hidden rooms in this particular game actually adds to the uniqueness of it. I like Escape From Monster Manor because at a time when everything seemed to be trying to be DOOM or Wolfenstein, it was it's own thing. That alone makes it worth a look.

Well, you've done a good job of confusing the hell out of me here Freeker!

Goldenband likes the fact that EFMM has no secret areas and is more straightforward, but you disagree. However, you like the fact that EFMM having no secret areas and is more straightforward makes it standout vs what else was around at the time??!

I was commenting on the fact that I didn't agree that looking for hidden doors was a bad thing and doesn't make me feel like the games are now Work. I guess I should have clarified that then. LOL Sorry about the confusion.

Well, it was perfectly clear to me... Maybe that's in part because I agree. There's nothing to force you to hunt down all of the secret areas; I certainly didn't do so when playing Wolfenstein 3D on the 3DO, nor Doom on the Saturn or Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold on the PC for that matter. It's a fun addition, if only for the wonderful feeling of getting a few assets that aren't part of the normal course of the game. But it doesn't bother me that Escape From Monster Manor doesn't have them either, and in fact it makes some sense given the horror theme of the game.

Let me be clear, I actually like secret areas, surprises, and so forth in a game. But something about the way that Wolfenstein 3D and Doom handles the whole thng has always irritated me a bit. Somehow the fact that they pointedly list your "secret %" at the end of each level...it takes away from the feeling that the game is about survival and getting to the goal in one piece. For me, it breaks immersion a little bit, and starts to steer more towards a stultifying collectathon mentality where you're thinking more about avoiding error and oversight -- "Have I found everything?" -- or checking every tile/panel in a monotonous, OCD way, and less about actually playing the game and inhabiting the character.

I personally think those kinds of things should be meta-games, not a formal part of the actual game -- and that secrets should be a special reward for the clever, not an explicit part of what you need to do to get the vaunted 100%. But decades of collectathon platformers and RPGs have obviously cemented the idea of the semi-mandatory secret, where you have to get all 59 Golden Ear Trumpets and find all 76 Super-Secret Hidden Nooks to get the game's best ending, so...

goldenband wrote:Let me be clear, I actually like secret areas, surprises, and so forth in a game. But something about the way that Wolfenstein 3D and Doom handles the whole thng has always irritated me a bit. Somehow the fact that they pointedly list your "secret %" at the end of each level...it takes away from the feeling that the game is about survival and getting to the goal in one piece. For me, it breaks immersion a little bit, and starts to steer more towards a stultifying collectathon mentality where you're thinking more about avoiding error and oversight -- "Have I found everything?" -- or checking every tile/panel in a monotonous, OCD way, and less about actually playing the game and inhabiting the character.

I personally think those kinds of things should be meta-games, not a formal part of the actual game -- and that secrets should be a special reward for the clever, not an explicit part of what you need to do to get the vaunted 100%. But decades of collectathon platformers and RPGs have obviously cemented the idea of the semi-mandatory secret, where you have to get all 59 Golden Ear Trumpets and find all 76 Super-Secret Hidden Nooks to get the game's best ending, so...

You make a great point, however, there is still one thing you need to remember about DOOM and Wolfenstein 3D. The reason they were done that way is because of the era in which they were made where scores still meant something. Find all the hidden rooms and you get the highest scores in the game. I do like the way that more recent id software games like Quake 4, DOOM 3, and the latest Wolfensteins handle the secret stuff though as it feels much more natural and doesn't really change much in the way the game feels. I understand what you are saying though, it can change the immersion into the game. In the end though, I don't play these games for how realistic they are. I like the fantasy aspect of them. You'd be more likely to see me playing Wolfenstien, for example, versus something like Call of Duty.

T2KFreeker wrote:You'd be more likely to see me playing Wolfenstien, for example, versus something like Call of Duty.

Q.F.T.

Old 3D games like Doom, Monster Manor, Alone in the Dark, Dr Hauzer, are as close as you and I will get to exploring forgotten dimension, without actually dying, as we possibly can.

goldenband wrote:Let me be clear, I actually like secret areas, surprises, and so forth in a game. But something about the way that Wolfenstein 3D and Doom handles the whole thng has always irritated me a bit. Somehow the fact that they pointedly list your "secret %" at the end of each level...it takes away from the feeling that the game is about survival and getting to the goal in one piece. For me, it breaks immersion a little bit, and starts to steer more towards a stultifying collectathon mentality where you're thinking more about avoiding error and oversight -- "Have I found everything?" -- or checking every tile/panel in a monotonous, OCD way, and less about actually playing the game and inhabiting the character.

I personally think those kinds of things should be meta-games, not a formal part of the actual game -- and that secrets should be a special reward for the clever, not an explicit part of what you need to do to get the vaunted 100%. But decades of collectathon platformers and RPGs have obviously cemented the idea of the semi-mandatory secret, where you have to get all 59 Golden Ear Trumpets and find all 76 Super-Secret Hidden Nooks to get the game's best ending, so...

Great post. I completely understand where you're coming from even though I don't feel the same way.