Thoughts on Immercenary

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:33 pm

While not quite at the levels of 'Way of the Warrior', Immercenary nonetheless seems to divide us 3DO fans

So ........

Love it?

Hate it?

On the fence?

If so, why?

The reason I ask is because I use to despise this game ... yet now I find my opinion shifting a bit. I no longer hate it, but not quite sure If I like it yet.

Post by **3DO Experience** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:45 pm

I bought it by mistake thinking it was a different game I saw a review for. I played it once and have never put it in again. My opinion might be a little skewed because of the way I got it but it says a lot that in all these years I've never played it a second time.

UnholyTancred · Post by **UnholyTancred** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:03 am

I thought the game was damn good. It was like the first FPS with RPG elements.

Lemmi · Post by **Lemmi** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 4:27 am

i didnt like it, i got mine in one of those buy 2 games and get one free, so i picked it as my free game

It was like the first FPS with RPG elements

this is the reason i didnt like it, it might be different because i like RPGs now but i still hate FPS [/quote]

Post by **3DOKid** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:00 pm

It was a complete and utter git to get going. You start, it kills you. You start again. It kills you again. ...and repeat.

Still - once you had gotten going, and the dodgy 3D didn't make you eyes bleed it was pretty good!

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:39 am

It was a complete and utter git to get going. You start, it kills you. You start again. It kills you again. ...and repeat.

That is putting it mildly! The game is so frustrating at the start that it actually made me sell my copy. Only years later did I pick one up on Ebay in an attempt to complete my 3DO collection. Maybe my skills have improved since then, or maybe I am just more patient now, but I finally managed to get past the frustrating start. Actually, now I have the opposite problem ... the game seems to easy. The bosses seem to be a cakewalk. Anyway, I'm still kinda on the fence but I'm definitely gonna see it through to the end ... shouldn't be too much longer.

Gunstar · Post by **Gunstar** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:57 pm

I was excited about this game from seeing a review in some magazine back in the day and they rated it highly and the screen shots looked amazing. But I was utterly disappointed at the extreme difficulty of the game and after a few attempts to get a character going in the game and actually achieve something, I gave up on it as too hard and frustrating, especially with so many other GOOD FPS games on the 3DO (an other systems of the time).
I tried it again after I got some cheat codes, and played through quite a bit of the game, but discovered that the game was still just damn mediocre and boring, even when I could get somewhere, and the terrible 3D world doesn't help much either...give me Space Hulk, PO'ed, Wolfenstein 3D or even Killing Time any day over this mess.

Immercenary=Thumbs down. Sold it.

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:19 am

Well, I finally beat it! Amazingly the end boss was very easy (actually most of the bosses were) I never would have imagined it when I started, since the game is so hard at first.

I think I might write a review for this game (it has been a while since I've posted any reviews) It is a tough one to figure out ... part of me hates it yet I think part of me kinda likes it. Go figure ....

T2KFreeker · Post by **T2KFreeker** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:30 am

I actually have a strange fondness for this game. I can't say it is terrible but can't say it is an amazing game either. I will say that people need to really give it a go and really get to the meat of the game before they give up. It's one of those games that if you put it down immediatly, you are going to miss the point of even ever seeing the game. I like the deep storyline going, allthough some of the FMV was a bit overdome like somne of those "Futuristic" wardrobes!

Post by **3DO Experience** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:49 am

YAY Space Hulk! hehehe

Trev, you really should do a review, be nice to someone who likes and dislikes the game, and from someone who beat it.

T2KFreeker, I think you got me to actually put this game back in a system... maybe.

CrimsonGlory · Post by **CrimsonGlory** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:40 am

3DO Experience wrote:YAY Space Hulk! hehehe

Trev, you really should do a review, be nice to someone who likes and dislikes the game, and from someone who beat it.

I beat space hulk on the Saturn years back, but it was a total no strategy button bashing fluke, I just remember being in this long corridor with genestealers literally queing up one after another and just punching the crap outta them

Man, that was a tough game, I well fluked it.

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:32 pm

Man, that was a tough game, I well fluked it.

Space Hulk was brutal in it's level of challenge!

Trev, you really should do a review, be nice to someone who likes and dislikes the game, and from someone who beat it.

I'm gonna work something up ...

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:45 pm

Trev, you really should do a review, be nice to someone who likes and dislikes the game, and from someone who beat it.

Well, I finally posted my review of this game. Only took what, 9 months or so

Let me know what you all think.

tinman · Post by **tinman** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:56 am

Something attracted me to Immercenary in the 90's, and when I got my first secondhand 3do (Goldstar version) it was the first game I bought to start my library.

Yes, I found the start "difficult" but it was just a matter of understanding that the game was directing you to return to the lab, so you can see the completely "believable" action acting in the FMV sets. Notice how after a few crashes or deliberate returns to the lab you get the same ole chump (or chumpess) who gives you the disapproving look, tapes on their keyboard, gives you your status and sends you on your way back to 'the Garden'.

Anyway, from someone who has played this game several time through to completion, I agree that the bosses are relatively easy to defeat, although first time round I found Balkan (Green horned, leather cod piece boss) impossible to beat. Bit of perseverence, and soon he was history.

One thing I came across, which I'm unsure as to whether it is a glitch in the game, is this. One time I tried to play the game true to its structure. I'd play the game until I got down to a rank until it would decrease no more until I fought one of the boss characters. Once defeated the rank would decrease again and etcetera. What I found was that I was only to keep this up until about rank 41 or 42. At this point the only rithms available was Davids and Venus', and then some time after that all I would come back from the lab after a game save and find an empty 'garden' with no rithms whatsoever. With the offence/defence and agility bars maxed out, effectively the game was telling me to go and square off with Loki (rank 3), Raven (rank 2) and Perfect1 (final boss). There were several bosses I was unable to face off against because of this.
From this I understand the object of the game is to defeat Perfect1 as quickly as possible, which means that your supposed to be bold and brash and take on all the bosses as soon as your able to, despite the whole ranking system set up. Basically the ranking system is a guide more than a required step to fulfill.

Anyway some of my observations and thoughts

Martin III · Post by **Martin III** » Sun Aug 26, 2012 5:47 pm

The more I read about this game, the more it sounds like an Action RPG rather than a straight 1st person shooter.

Thoughts?

Post by **3DOKid** » Sun Aug 26, 2012 7:10 pm

It's not a straight shooter. You have to sneak about for a while. It's very good.

goldenband · Post by **goldenband** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 9:26 pm

I liked Immercenary. I pretty much said my piece in the review thread, but the bottom line is that it's not really a traditional FPS, but more of a Spectre clone. If you can get your head around that, then as long as you're careful not to save after getting killed (since there's no upside to doing so), you should quickly progress through the game once you've gotten past the initial hump.

GammaDev · Post by **GammaDev** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:55 pm

A new article about Immercenary, its development, and how it was ahead of its time.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1 ... uture_.php

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:29 am

GammaDev wrote:A new article about Immercenary, its development, and how it was ahead of its time.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1 ... uture_.php

Thanks for the link, looking forward to reading it.

Post by **3DOKid** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:32 pm

That's a cracking article.

I never realised that there was a finite number of Rithms occupying the city. The game has you performing a genocide on certain aspects of the population in that respect. Creepy

I found it funny they moved from being a developer to being an ISP. Back in '95 i worked for a company that built ISPs (provided the network infrastructure, links, people etc)

Good stuff -- thanks

Trev · Post by **Trev** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 5:49 pm

Great article! I especially liked the behind the scenes pictures.

Immercenary really grew on me to become one of my favorite 3DO games. It's too bad it wasn't able to influence more fps, but I appreciated the unique ideas it brought to the table.

I now want to read the book "Snow Crash" since learning it was a main inspiration for the game.

Post by **3DOKid** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 6:28 pm

Trev wrote:snip...

I now want to read the book "Snow Crash" since learning it was a main inspiration for the game.

me too.

Edit: just bought it on Kindle.

Post by **3DOKid** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 6:29 pm

Although Immercenary is Tron really isn't it? I mean, come on.