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Post by Pete Byrdie on Jul 8, 2024 18:37:28 GMT
Chasms of Malice, from memory, was about the point I began to think perhaps some Fighting Fantasy books are in every practical sense unwinnable. Believe it or not, even when failing Crypt of the Sorcerer, I always thought I'd missed something and I'd return to it in the future. I like the underground world idea. It felt very fleshed out. But then, you're relentlessly punished for every decision. The books stop being fun at that point.
Very entertaining review.
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Post by CharlesX on Jul 8, 2024 18:47:37 GMT
For those who have already read the review:
"One of these Knights is a traitor, clue for you, its the one that looks like a dick who would be a traitor."
This is one of the better points in the gamebook, quite often you'll be presented with nothing more (no evidence) than a picture of a number of indistiguishable-looking people and be told to 'spot the traitor\bad guy'. Also liked the notion Luke Sharp actually came to Earth via a Stargate.
Other than that, definitely some good points in Chasms Of Malice, the artwork in my opinion, but I agree it would have been pretty below-average even if not for the One-Strike Combat, which because game mechanics is important tips it fron mediocre to poor.
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Post by sj1scot on Jul 10, 2024 17:59:20 GMT
Thanks both!
I think I got lucky in my playthrough, I lasted longer than I thought. As I said the mapping made me want to give up, would have loved to see Luke Sharps whiteboard!
Yeah I agree CharlesX, without the one strike combat it is still average. I found the story frustrating as I think it was a good idea, but just did not develop.
I understand why it gets a bad rap, but it was not as terrible as I thought it was going to be.
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Post by sj1scot on Aug 7, 2024 19:47:49 GMT
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Post by Pete Byrdie on Aug 8, 2024 8:23:37 GMT
Can't argue with this order. I suppose 'season 3' is the period when I was playing FF less, and I was mostly getting into different things. In that worst picture from Beneath Nightmare Castle, I would suggest that amount of light illuminating everything in front of the person would cause a lot of reflection back, casting a shadow behind them.
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 8, 2024 10:49:17 GMT
Midnight Rogue has a few errors and ambiguities which were negative points to me both as a kid and now. Comparing it in that sense with Creature Of Havoc I guess Midnight Rogue is trumped and is indeed the better of the two! Titannica's page also documents a number of errors creeping into reprints of Creature Of Havoc, most notably the missing number '29' on Rhino-Man's tag, arguably as big as the infamous missing link.
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kieran
Baron
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_black.png)
Posts: 2,527
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 8, 2024 12:54:06 GMT
Ah poor Star Strider right at the bottom of the first 30 books. I think it had some interesting ideas. Here's my 21-30 ranking: 1. Creature of Havoc - Not always fun to play, but a masterwork of gamebook design and atmosphere 2. Trial of Champions - Stonking dungeon adventure let down by excessive difficulty 3. Phantoms of Fear - A few design flaws, but the writing and illustrations more than make up for it 4. Beneath Nightmare Castle - Another atmospheric one. I don't really like how Willpower is handled and the dungeon feels a bit empty but still a good 'un 5. Midnight Rogue - This one's grown on me recently. The dungeon is too linear but the encounters are well handled and keep you feeling like a thief rather than a generic adventure. The burglary sections are great, pity about the Noose thing. 6. Star Strider - This is my favourite sci-fi setting in FF. It's full of all sorts of little quirks like the football hooligan religion, the Groms loving soap operas, kicking an old lady off the bus. Gameplay wise, it starts well but falls off badly when you get to Paris and even more so in London. Pity. 7. Crypt of the Sorcerer - Decent read, cool monsters and set-pieces, but no attention paid to gameplay at all. 8. Masks of Mayhem - Starts off well, gets pretty dull and is also butt-clenchingly hard. The tiger hunt is fun but it's better to fail it. 9. Robot Commando - Travel between empty cities, occasionally fighting a bland dinosaur or a bland robot using rules that don't seem to work how the author thinks they do 10. Chasms of Malice - A non-descript dungeon where you almost forget you're in a dungeon half the time and are repeatedly killed for turning one way rather than another.
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Post by sj1scot on Aug 8, 2024 20:19:22 GMT
Good list Kieran, kicking the old lady off the bus made me laugh, again!
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Post by sj1scot on Aug 29, 2024 18:38:37 GMT
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 29, 2024 20:56:26 GMT
Hi
Agree with your review Trolltooth Wars is a great read for FF fans. Taken as a novel though it has to be average (the characterisation and plot are thin, sometimes forced, and derivative).* I wasn't aware some things had been cut out so that affects my opinion. I have a high opinion of Titan which I think is less based on nostalgia. I was into myths and legends growing up, and the world of Titan is in my opinion up there with anything The Inklings wrote. I've long been of the view 'there's no special reason' some works like Harry Potter and Twilight become commercial hits and others never become more than a small cult (indeed, to some extent the same applies to criticism). So, well done for bravely praising Trolltooth Wars, it didn't have a high budget, pretensions or even expectations. On the whole I liked Trolltooth Wars - glad I read it, glad it was written - but I wouldn't read more FF novels, especially as from what I've been told on this site they're not as good as Trolltooth Wars.
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Post by scouserob on Aug 30, 2024 7:53:42 GMT
That was a glorious adventure down memory lane. Thank you.
I need to play/solve Seas of Blood so that I can continue on with your main reviews.
It seems that are a few elements of the Trolltooth Wars that appear in Secrets of Salamonis, here are a few I picked up on during your review: The importance of Amonour. Interaction with the Royal family. War brewing in the Trolltooth Pass. A trip to Shazâar. Disaster in Coven. A nostalgic walkthrough of Firetop Mountain. The Gods playing a major part. (Lagaan in Secrets of Salamonis.) Hill Goblins raiding Caravans. Tooki.
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Post by sj1scot on Aug 30, 2024 18:27:27 GMT
Thanks CharlesX! That one was for you. I will take your advice about the other ones. I do have Demonstealer and Shadowmaster and was thinking about it. I was also into myths and legends (still am) so I think that is why I gravitate to fantasy so much. And my young self read a lot of Warhammer but also the boo Titan made a huge impression on me. I do agree with you as well on what makes something so popular or just niche, there is no reason really, sometimes its right place at the right time. There is a film I love called Krull, I think its ace but it is very much cult classic.
Scouserob, great to see you sir! Glad you liked it! Looking forward to Secrets of Salamonis, in 10 years when I get to it haha. That's your plans sorted this weekend, Seas of Blood! Would be good to have you back on board!
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