Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Half-Life, Unreal – all these names evoke fond memories of many of those who were born in the last century. And the younger generation knows that the golden era of shooters is precisely the 1990s: then all the foundations of the genre were laid and a lot of really important games were released. Nevertheless, in the shadow of the older brothers, there are many interesting titles that are unfairly deprived of public attention. Cybersport.ru offers a look at ten forgotten shooters: from those that are known to enthusiasts, to things that you have hardly heard of even out of the blue.
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Chasm: The Rift (1997)
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Official remaster trailer, slated for release in 2023
The shooter of the late 1990s, who managed to gain cult status. The game about revenge on a criminal clan was once tried to be banned due to excessive violence, an abundance of obscene language and sexual topics, moreover, its release took place shortly after the infamous shooting at Columbine School.
Unlike most shooters of its time, in Kingpin it is far from always worth attacking everything that moves: the hero can talk to NPCs, take quests from them, learn various information and recruit to his side. In this case, the player can meet both neutral and hostile characters – the latter attack, barely seeing the weapon in the hands of the hero.
The soundtrack for the game was written by the rap group Cypress Hill: in addition to the original tracks from Album IV, instrumental versions of them can be heard in Kingpin, as well as the voices of the musicians – they voiced some of the title’s characters. It is also worth noting that the game was inspired by films such as Pulp Fiction and The Big Lebowski – many of the NPCs often quote the catchphrases from the paintings, and some plot twists are borrowed directly.
NAM (1998)
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A rare representative of LucasArts shooters, created outside the Star Wars universe. The protagonist of the Outlaws is James Anderson, a retired sheriff. One day, returning home from the store, he finds his dying wife, who informs him that their only daughter has been kidnapped by two criminals. They did it on a tip from a railway tycoon, who by brute force “convinces” people to leave their homes. The plan, however, did not imply murder and arson, but the hired psychopaths chose their own path. Now Anderson has no choice but to take up arms and return the missing daughter by force.
Outlaws is remarkable for several reasons at once. It was one of the first shooters to feature reloading mechanics and a sniper scope, and the game used a hand-drawn style in anticipation of the use of village shading technology.
As you would expect from a Wild West game, Outlaws is full of Western references: for example, the difficulty levels are labeled Good, Bad and Ugly instead of the standard “easy”, “normal” and “hard”, and the first and only major expansion was called A Handful of Missions (a reference to the spaghetti western “For a Fistful of Dollars”).
PowerSlave (1996)
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An undeservedly overlooked shooter created by Polish developers. The reason for its low prevalence is simple: Pył was officially published only at home and does not even have an English translation.
In the distant future, humanity has settled in the Galaxy and lives in peace. Attempts to conflict are interrupted in the bud, and both sides immediately go to a special planet called “Arena”, which is a huge prison, from which it is almost impossible to escape. The player controls a fighter of the imperial cavalry, but by chance finds himself in the Arena, from where he has to escape. It will be very difficult to do this in the face of endless conflict on a planetary scale.
For a game that doesn’t require 3D accelerators and runs on DOS, Pył looks really cool. High-quality 3D models, detailed environments, dynamic lighting and many effects like smoke, sparks and water droplets make the picture really interesting. Of course, by that time there were much more beautiful games, but this does not negate the efforts of the developers. In addition, Pył places great emphasis on the plot: in addition to aggressive opponents, there are also enough neutral characters that do not pose a danger, and the locations are inhabited by small animals like rats, cockroaches and spiders that simply create an atmosphere.
Rebel Moon Rising (1997)
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Originally planned as a direct sequel to Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad became a standalone product during development. Although it was based on the same engine used for the early adventures of BJ Blaskowitz.
At the end of the 20th century, five special agents are sent to investigate the activities of the “Triad”. According to rumors, this is a totalitarian paramilitary organization that dreams of world domination. Of course, the agents will have to prevent the evil plans of the villains.
It is noteworthy that in the game it was possible to control any of the five agents, and they really differed in characteristics: someone had higher speed, someone could boast of a large supply of health. The engine has been significantly redesigned: the quality of textures has been greatly increased, parallax and perspective distortion effects have been added, and the levels are no longer “horizontal”. A bonus to the verticality of the game was the verticality of the view: in Rise of the Triad, the player was able to move the camera up and down, which helped a lot in some moments. In addition, it became possible to jump using special platforms, and some of the objects became destructible.
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (1998)
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An early representative of shooters with RPG elements. Events unfold in the distant future after the fall of a comet that brought a virus to Earth. Millions of people died, some mutated, and those who managed to survive were enslaved by “Order” – an organization created from those who began to hear the voice of a mysterious and evil deity. The player controls a mercenary who works for the rebels.
Strife is built on a heavily modified engine from the first Doom, but offers a completely different approach. The hero can trade, talk with various characters, receive quests, and the game itself takes place not on traditional linear levels, but in a single large space – the city of Tarnhill. Moreover, accuracy and stamina can be improved as you progress. Today Strife is considered a game that anticipated the immersive simulation genre and managed to lay the foundation for titles like Deus Ex.
