Post by CharlesX on Apr 9, 2023 21:00:33 GMT
Bit of a blog here as I played three of these seven gamebooks (the two Spiderman ones and Doctor Strange) while a little kid in the '80s and thought I'd share some memories.
They were gamebooks of around 200-250 references, where you had several statistics you'd roll against as well as something called "Karma", which you gained through good moral actions and lost through bad ones, and could spend to increase the likelihood you'd pass rolls or make it certain. I found Spiderman As The World Burns very drossy and below-average, didn't mind the other Spiderman, and enjoyed the Doctor Strange, so from what I can tell the series was variable. The gameplay was nothing challenging, either in terms of dice-rolling or finding any true path (IIRC it was fairly forgiving with rare deaths) neither was the writing, which was mid school-level. I always like Doctor Strange stories, but the Doctor Strange one was particularly well-written with some atmosphere, skillful description and narration, length, and different victories.
Although at least one of the entries was rubbish I'd recommend the series as better than some other film\TV\video adaptations such as Sonic and Eternal Champions gamebooks which did not capture feeling above their video game origins. I have heard some such things are rather successful such as Buffy gamebooks, Adventure Time, Powerpuff Girls and Doctor Who.