Month / May 2023

by lawrenceofcanadia

Beneath a Steel Sky – Review

Point and clicks aren’t for everyone. Some find them sleep inducing when what they really want is a high tempo adrenaline fuelled experience. However, even though some of us might enjoy a more relaxed experience from time to time, point and clicks can still be incredibly fun. You are basically taking control of an interactive movie. It still takes a lot of work though. There are puzzles to be solved after all, and they won’t solve themselves!

Beneath a Steel Sky is a point and click adventure game developed by Revolution Software and was published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994. Originally for MS-DOS and Amiga computers, it would be released for iOS in 2009, Apple Arcade and Steam in 2020, and GOG.com in 2022. For this review, I played the version downloaded from Steam.

Gotta love those early 1990s SCUMM graphics (screenshot taken by the author)

Plot

Beneath a Steel Sky is based in a cyberpunk-themed dystopian future. The Earth is a very different place. Set in Australia and against the backdrop of an economic war, a young boy called Robert is the only survivor of a helicopter crash that occurred in ‘The Gap’, an area outside of Union City. Robert is found and adopted by some of the locals who protect him and teach him the necessary skills to survive in The Gap. Over the years, he learns engineering and robotics, and builds a sentient robotic friend called Joey. Joey’s memories and personality are stored on a microchip and can be installed into other robot bodies to utilise them.

One day, a group of soldiers arrive from Union City. They have been sent by LINC (Logical Inter-Neural Connection), a computer system that runs the city, with orders to take Robert into custody without an explanation as to why. As they fly back to Union City, their helicopter malfunctions, and crashes on the city’s upper level. Robert survives and flees into a recycling plant where he hides from his captors.

Gameplay

Played from a third-person perspective, Beneath a Steel Sky is a standard point and click game with simple controls. Using the cursor, you click on parts of the screen move Robert around the environment, or to look at, or interact with people and items. To progress in the game, you must solve puzzles which involve finding objects that can be combined with one another or part of the environment. When conversing with another character, you can ask questions or make statements using a dialogue tree which either furthers the plot or gives you hints as to how to progress in the game.

Using the mouse, the left button looks at the object or part of environment, and the right button allows you to interact with it. By moving your cursor to the top of the screen, the items in your inventory appear. Again, you can use the right mouse button to select the use of an item and drag it to where or who you wish to us it on.

Like other point and clicks of this era, there are plenty of whacky characters to interact with (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

The game is simple to learn and to control, so you are able to dive straight in. One aspect of the controls I found annoying was that the “looking” button was the left mouse button, and the “action” button was on the right. I would have preferred this to be the other way around as it feels more intuitive for me.

Interestingly, you can actually die in this game, a rarity for point and clicks. Luckily you have infinite lives and you are simply taken back to your last save, so remember to save often.

Graphics

Firstly, I love the comic book style introduction (and ending). It is a great way to start the game and engages you instantly with the background story. The in-game graphics have that typical SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) game look to them, which I love. The characters are all unique and the backgrounds are well designed and really give a sense of what a futuristic dystopian city might look like.

Music and SFX

For the most part, the music in many point and clicks are subtle and atmospheric, and at times, completely forgotten. However, in Beneath a Steel Sky, the music is a prominent feature and is very noticeable throughout. It feels like it is constantly changing from scene to scene to stop it from getting monotonous and there is a good mix of dramatic and playful. I found myself rather enjoying it.

This game has excellent dialogue with an array of accents. It is easy to see why it won an award for its dialogue. I really enjoyed the conversations, especially between Robert and Joey. The SFX in general, as I sit here and write this, I don’t really remember much. There are background noises like when you are walking through the factories, and sliding doors opening and closing but apart from that, I don’t seem to be able to remember much about them.

Inside LINC (screenshot take by the author)

Replay Value

There are two endings to this game. A good one and a bad one. However, both endings were disappointing in my opinion. Although I enjoyed the game, it didn’t make me want to play through it again.

Did I Complete The Game?

Yes, I completed the game but had to use a walkthrough to assist me several times.

What The Critics Said:

PC Gamer Online: “A slick, funny, and absorbing adventure that will appeal to a wide variety of gamers–two thumbs up! Overall 91%”.[1]

Awards:

1995 Best Dialogue – PG Gamer[2]

1995 Best Adventure – The Golden Joystick Awards 1995[3]

Verdict

“In my head, I imaged Beneath a Steel Sky to be a serious point and click. I didn’t expect the humour and quirky characters. The game looks great too, has memorable music and excellent dialogue. Not much in the way of replay value, but if you like point and clicks, you can’t go wrong.”

Rating

What are your memories of Beneath a Steel Sky? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame

[1] Poole, S., (December 1994). ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’. PC Gamer Online. (https://web.archive.org/web/20000311190200/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/178.html accessed on 13th January 2023).

[2] Petitte, O., (September 24, 2012). ‘Return to Rust: Beneath a Steel Sky 2 Confirmed’. (https://www.pcgamer.com/beneath-a-steel-sky-2-confirmed/ accessed 13th January 2023).

[3] Chalk, A., (24 September 2012). ‘Revolution Confirms Beneath the Sky a Steel Sky 2’. The Escapist.  (https://web.archive.org/web/20140203035828/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/119762-Revolution-Confirms-Beneath-a-Steel-Sky-2 accessed 13th January 2023).

by lawrenceofcanadia

PGA Tour Golf II – Review

In the early 1990s, EA Sports quickly made a name for themselves as the producers of the most realistic sports videogames. Their PGA Tour Golf (1990) release set the standard for how realistic and additive a golf videogame could be. The question was: could EA Sports produce a sequel to PGA Tour Golf (1990) that maintained the high standard set by the first instalment but have enough differences to make purchasing copy worthwhile?

PGA Tour Golf II is a sports simulation game developed by Polygon Games and published by EA Sports for the Mega Drive in 1992. A version was released on the Game Gear by Time Warner Interactive in 1995. For this review, I played the Sega Mega Drive version.

(screenshot taken by the author)

Plot

As with most sport sims, there is no plot per se. The object of the game is to compete in and win six tournaments whilst competing against other professional golfers.

Gameplay

With up to four players, there are several modes to play:

Practice Round – Play 18 holes on any course just for fun. You can also just practice your long game on the driving range and/or short game on the putting green.

Tournament – Compete in any tournament which consists of 4 rounds of 18-hole rounds. However, to qualify for the next round, you must make the cut by ensuring you score low enough on your round. If you successfully compete the final round, you earn money and may even win the tournament if you consistently score the lowest numbers of strokes per round.

Skins Challenge – A nice addition to the game. Two to four players can compete in an 18-hole match where each hole is assigned a monetary value. To win the hole, simply complete the hole in the least strokes. The winner takes the pot for that hole. The value of the holes increase as the match progresses. If a hole is tied, the money rolls over to the next hole. To make it more interesting, you can also opt to have pros join the game controlled by the computer.

The courses you can choose to play include:

TPC at Avenel

TPC at Eagle Trace (New)

TPC at Sawgrass

TPC at Scottsdale (New)

TPC at Southwind (New)

PGA West Stadium

At the beginning of each hole, you are greeted with a rotating 3D view of the green and advice from one of the professional golfers on how to approach the hole.  Before each stroke, a bird’s eye view of the hole with a cross hair over the pin will appear. You can move the cursor and it tells you the distance from your golfer to the cursor. You can go back to the overview at any time by pressing ‘A’ button.

As you address the ball, a small window will appear showing you how the ball lies, allowing you to select the most appropriate club. The HUD contains all the information you need. You have the wind speed and direction in a box on the bottom left, the power gauge in the middle, and the hole number, hole par, stroke number, current score, distance to pin and club you are using in a box on the bottom right. On the horizon is the cross hair which shows you were you are aiming your shot. You can move this cursor left or right. Your caddy will automatically select the club they think you should use but you can change clubs yourself by pushing up or down on the D-pad. As you do this, you will notice the number to the left of the power gauge will increase or decrease. This is the maximum number of yards the club will hit the ball if the ball was unaffected by wind or how the ball lies.

When you are ready to hit the ball, press ‘B’ and the power gauge begins to fill from right to left. When you have reached your desired power, press ‘B’ again and the power bar begins to descend having left a mark when you stopped the power gauge rising. You then need to press ‘B’ a third time as the power bar reaches the Stroke Bar. If you are accurate, you will hit the ball without a slice or draw. The earlier or later your stop the power gauge either side of the stroke bar will determine the degree of which you slice or draw the ball. After striking the ball, and when the ball begins to descend, the camera angle changes, and you will see where the ball lands.

When you reach the green, a 3D square grid will appear showing you the lie of the green. This allows you to judge the slopes of the green when attempting to putt. Again, by pressing up and down on the D-pad when you are on the green increases and decreases the maximum power of the putt.

A new feature includes a Draw/Fade option allowing you more control over your ball when evading sand bunkers and water hazards.

There is also the new “Hole Browser” feature which allows you to really inspect the course, scrutinize the hazards, and plan the best approach to the green.

PGA Tour Golf (1990) (screenshot taken by the author)
PGA Tour Golf II (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

Very little has changed from PGA Tour Golf (1990). The controls are easy to learn. It’s the execution that proves difficult, but that is what makes the game so frustrating yet addictive.

Graphics

The graphics have improved since PGA Tour Golf (1990). The sprites are more detailed, and the swing animation is smoother and looks more realistic. The courses look better too with more differentiation between the light rough and heavy rough. I also think there are more varieties of trees of which are more detailed. The HUD looks slicker too.

When compare to its 16-bit console contemporaries, I think the sprites and courses look much better than Pebble Beach Golf Links (1992).

Music and SFX

Nice, upbeat pieces of music can be heard over the title screen, at the beginning of each tournament, and at the start of each hole which suits the game. In my mind, it is reminiscent of music that would be heard on Prime Time TV over the intro montages to sports TV programmes. There is no music whilst playing your rounds of golf which I prefer.

SFX are very minimal too. You’ll hear the occasional bird tweeting, the ‘thwack’ as you strike the ball, when ball when it lands, an applause when you putt in the hole, and the frustrating splash as the water lands in a water hazard. You don’t need more than this for a golf game. Less is more in this case.

Use the 3D mapping to read the green (screenshot taken by the author)

Replay Value

Like most sports games, this really comes into its own in multiplayer mode. The addition of the Skins Challenge is certainly something that will have you returning time and again. Add to that, the game is tough but strangely addictive. It is also a relaxing game which can be played in a semi-sedate manner.

Did I Complete The Game?

You can’t complete this game as such. I guess “completing” it would be winning all the tournaments. The best I ever did was place third in the TPC at Scottsdale.

Personal Memories

I used to own this game as a kid, and my father and I would regularly play the Skins Challenge. I was also better than my father at this game and after a few holes…and a few bogeys on his part…he would make an excuse along the lines of “I better get on with some jobs your mum wants me to do.” and would resign from the game, a little to my annoyance.

What The Critics Said:

MegaTech: “Seven 3D courses based on real-life PGA Tour venues are the setting for this prime golf simulation. Multi-player and skins tournaments, on-screen advice form the pros, battery game save – this cartridge is just loaded with features. Overall 94%“.[1]

My Verdict

“Arguably, one of the best 16-bit golf games of its time. It looks great but don’t be fooled by its serene atmosphere. It is challenging enough so that you won’t get bored easily, and addictive enough to keep you coming back for more, especially in multiplayer mode.”

Rating

What are your memories of PGA Tour Golf II? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame

[1] ‘Game Index – PGA Tour Golf 2‘. MegaTech. (October 1993). Issue 22:101.