You said "It's not historically accurate", which I feel is too generic. All of the REAL things,. the people, the armour, the weapons, the alchemy, the saints, the music, the weapons, the map, the cities, the religious situation, the political situation and so on are all absolutely accurate! In the Designer Notes in the manual, they even say they didn't include a sword, that while it existed at the time, was not in wide enough use, so they didn't put it in!
Didn't know you could hang around the city picking fights :) I always immediately left the city and got into trouble wandering around cleansing towns :)
Another thing I was wondering, what soundfont if any did you use while playing the game for the video? The standard Microsoft GS MIDI font in XP doesn't sound nearly as good as this.
It should b said that in the game, the creatures were believed to exist, the potions are all historically correct (in terms of belief), as were the results of the potions. The armour and weapons are all historically correct and the Saints you pray to are correct as well. Therefore it is as much a history lesson as a game, and yet, through the genius of Microprose - is FUN!
I just bought Baldur's Gate II, Icewind Dale II, and Fallout 2 the other day. I wish I would have known about that link so that u could have gotten a cut argh!
Just played this one and holy shit!! The combat in Darklands is the best I've seen for a long time and the world is immersive and huge. Thanks for the review.
@blacklily8 The Dark Eye cRPG's were the most detailed cRPG's I had ever played! I loved you could put someone on guard and your Mage to collecting herbs etc! Even Drakensang, which came out last year allows you to buy smelly fish as a defence as the smell drives enemies away! :)
Anyone here ever played Mount & Blade? it's an indie game that I've been told plays like a much more action-oriented version of Darklands. It's also got a helluva interesting development story, so I think it'd be great for one of these vids.
I just bought Outcast from the Gog link provided by you, Matt. I wish I knew about that sooner though, because I bought Planetscape just two days ago :(
I loved this game back in the day, and the subject matter even got me to put up with the "real-time with pause" combat system. I remember we purchased our first PC with a 3.5" floppy drive (except for our Amiga 500, of course) about the same time we purchased Darklands. I even wrote a review of Darklands for a Catholic homeschooling magazine at the time (claiming that it was a great way to teach history & religion).
If I was near you in the U.S. I would let you stand in front of/loan my 350 Big Box PC games and/or 200 DVD case PC games, and/or 100 PC game strategy guides, and/or 50 PS1 games, and/or 300 Commodore 64 games...... I fact if I had lots of money instead of being made redundant at the end of the year, I would fund you to do this without a problem, as it is very very important for PC gaming....
Only recently discovered your show, and I will keep watching it. I just have to go through and watch all of the old episodes. And the pleasure is all mine.
no matt chat 78 yet... im actually amazed that i didnt find Labyrinth by lucas arts in any of these. i always thought it was one of the best games ive played on the C64
@JanEgbersNL I believe things like that were covered in the Darklands manual, about discrepancies in history about regarding how far the Holy Roman Empire grew across Europe and how the designers did the best they could but in no way were making a statement about the truth of the geography..
Great episode! I remember playing this game in the year 2000. It already looked antiquated and i downloaded it from some sort of abandon-ware site using dial-up modem :D Somebody should do a remake of it - success assured.
I was looking for this game, but i couldn't remember the name... Thanks Matt! :) I really hope you will continue this chatting, but i understand all of yours reasons not to. But, there are no people on youtube that make videos with near quality of your videos...
@Taarnafeather Thanks, Taarnafeather. I'm discussing a few options with Bill (of Armchair Arcade). I'm wondering if I could use some type of fundraiser package to help defray the costs. That'd definitely take the heat off.
@viktorhat Well, I have been thinking about retiring the show. It's lots of fun, but has also been very expensive (especially with time and stress). I was hoping it would grow into something sustainable, but, sadly, there just isn't that much interest in the topic and no money to be made here. I think 100 episodes will be a nice run, and then I can go back to focusing on articles and books (which always get more attention than my videos and of course, cash).
@blacklily8 It doesn't have to end there. You could do fewer shows per month, or get a contract with some gaming site to do shows for them. I have no experience with that kinda stuff though, so I don't know if it's really viable. But I understand your concerns, you should do what you think is best for yourself.
@blacklily8@scully What's wrong with having amazing graphics? I mean I love the old games as well, but sometimes the newer games are just better. I'll probably catch a lot of flack for this, but I'd rather replay Fallout 3 than Fallout 1 and 2 at this point. Same goes for Torchlight over Diablo 1 or 2. Sometimes you just can't go back.
@blacklily8 Do you think this game is using an updated Pirates engine, given the menu system in towns? It has always struck me this game has a 'Pirates' vibe about it!
Oh and Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment is now available on GOG, so can you edit your info box on that video to make some coin! :)
@HardWarUK I wish. I haven't made a dime off GOG, so I'll probably drop it. Good idea, but without some monetary incentive there's just no reason for people to use my links instead of just going there. I'm just giving them free advertising. :(
With 100's of pieces of armour, weapons, alchemy pieces and Saints that were all accurate for the day. The manual even points out why some armour wasn't included because very few had it by the 15th century, despite it technically 'existing'!
This is, without a doubt one of the least known, yet classic cRPG's of the last 20 years. It has never been replicated by another game and Matt has shown his true worth by giving this classic air time! Thank-you Matt. Thank U Much!
@HardWarUK Hehe, thanks. Glad you enjoyed the episode. I love games with any appreciable level of historical accuracy, since that way you actually learn some useful info along with the fun.
@blacklily8 Well, all I can say is hope you consider 2 parters so you can give a good 15 min 'pre-talk, then a 15 min review'. This game, above all others needed that I think, but I am sure many others do. Unfortunately I think the low turnout for you videos is the state of PC gaming. There is another Classic game reviewer who does 99% console and 1% PC, and he gets 5 times the views just because it's classic console games reviewed instead of PC. This is why what you do is so important Matt.
I asked for this game to be reviewed many months ago. So Matt does listen! I never thought he would review it though, as it surely is one of the greatest yet unknown RPG's of the 90's, or indeed ever - hence so many posters saying they have never heard of it, or happier to talk about Baldur's Gate instead!
While not being 100% historically accurate (for gaming and technical reasons), this is the only game to deal with reality rather than fantasy.
That was a nice episode mate. To be honest I was a little bored up until the 9th minute but then the game looked pretty cool. Nothing to do with your review style just the game I think. Looks nice, loved the title moive ;o)
How about War Craft 1 or Xcom (or did you do that already??) great stuff ;o)
While it correctly included characters from old german tales like the "annoying democratic peasant" it completely failed to mention the most widely known german folklore tale : "The little green and long necked troll who constantly fell into holes" ;-D
haha Ive never played or heard of this game, but after watching that intro, I totally recognize that female character with the red hair. She was in an advertisement for this game that was shown at the ending screen of the original Civilization game.
Thanks for another good episode, perhaps GoG will one day carry Darklands. Have you played/considered doing an episode and/or interview regarding Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome? It is another cult "historical" game, and the dev is currently remaking another old classic of his by the name of Darghul that originally never made it past a German(IIRC) release.
This game was a brilliant game. Spent many hours on it. Did you know that there is an EXE file in its directory that lets you change any stat on your characters? I had a party that had 99 everything with equipment of level 99 quality.
@grooveclubhouse I didn't know that. I know that Pool of Radiance would let you do that, too, supposedly so you can match your characters to your tabletop characters. I cheated with it when I was a kid, but last time I played I went with the random rolls.
Speaking of the Baldur's Gate games, when are you going to review those masterpieces? I'm eagerly waiting. Also, I think an interview with f.i. David Gaider of BioWare or Feargus Urquhart of the deceased Black Isle and now Obsidian would be really interesting if you ever got the chance. Love your videos!
@BeyondApathy I will probably cover BG at show 100, assuming I make it that long. BG II is my favorite CRPG, so I wanted to make sure I was at the top of my game when I reviewed it.
@blacklily8 .... oh yeah, can't wait for that, though I am saddened to hear that your channel hasn't found enough viewers to make it sustainable... :(
The people in the hamlets were probably playing their Black Sabbath/Iron Madien records backwards. Great review, can the game be played on modern computers? Love the Matt Chat T-shirts!
Darklands now available from GOG.com! Only $2.99 until Jan 2nd 2012!
HardWarUK 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
You said "It's not historically accurate", which I feel is too generic. All of the REAL things,. the people, the armour, the weapons, the alchemy, the saints, the music, the weapons, the map, the cities, the religious situation, the political situation and so on are all absolutely accurate! In the Designer Notes in the manual, they even say they didn't include a sword, that while it existed at the time, was not in wide enough use, so they didn't put it in!
HardWarUK 2 months ago
Comment removed
HardWarUK 2 months ago
Nice Kiss reference ;)
goopah 4 months ago
Didn't know you could hang around the city picking fights :) I always immediately left the city and got into trouble wandering around cleansing towns :)
nutherefurlong 4 months ago
Another thing I was wondering, what soundfont if any did you use while playing the game for the video? The standard Microsoft GS MIDI font in XP doesn't sound nearly as good as this.
iastudent 4 months ago
Grabbed Darklands off of GOG.com today after watching your video on it. Heard about it but never got a chance to try it, I'm excited!
iastudent 4 months ago
I bring to thee glad tidings! Darklands is now available at GOG.com!
Remember to use the link provided under this video to aid our poor friend.
LordDoppelgamer 4 months ago
They should make another crpg like this.
I don't care about graphics, give me freedom!
DrMuganda 11 months ago
It should b said that in the game, the creatures were believed to exist, the potions are all historically correct (in terms of belief), as were the results of the potions. The armour and weapons are all historically correct and the Saints you pray to are correct as well. Therefore it is as much a history lesson as a game, and yet, through the genius of Microprose - is FUN!
HardWarUK 1 year ago
Hmm. I noticed your link to GOG too late.
I just bought Baldur's Gate II, Icewind Dale II, and Fallout 2 the other day. I wish I would have known about that link so that u could have gotten a cut argh!
Next time I guess.
yoran35 1 year ago
Looks like a really great game for its time!
luffis1985 1 year ago
Revenge on October 31st - to become Halloween...!!!!
HardWarUK 1 year ago
Just played this one and holy shit!! The combat in Darklands is the best I've seen for a long time and the world is immersive and huge. Thanks for the review.
lewa123456 1 year ago
Nice video, playing through this for the first time at the moment. Liking it a lot!
Since you mentioned the Dark Eye, ever going to look at the Realms of Arkania Trilogy?
wallace678 1 year ago
@wallace678 I haven't played that series, though I have heard a lot about it. I will likely get around to it eventually.
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 The Dark Eye cRPG's were the most detailed cRPG's I had ever played! I loved you could put someone on guard and your Mage to collecting herbs etc! Even Drakensang, which came out last year allows you to buy smelly fish as a defence as the smell drives enemies away! :)
HardWarUK 1 year ago
Anyone here ever played Mount & Blade? it's an indie game that I've been told plays like a much more action-oriented version of Darklands. It's also got a helluva interesting development story, so I think it'd be great for one of these vids.
htornis 1 year ago
@htornis I have heard of that game off and on. I have a backlog now (Drakensang, King's Bounty, and Elven Legacy), but M&B is definitely on my list.
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 Don't forget the Avernum games I mentioned some time ago : D
RPGfiend 1 year ago
@RPGfiend Oh and Eschalon 1 and/or 2.
RPGfiend 1 year ago
I just bought Outcast from the Gog link provided by you, Matt. I wish I knew about that sooner though, because I bought Planetscape just two days ago :(
amig90 1 year ago
@amig90 Hehe, no sweat. Hope you enjoy the game.
blacklily8 1 year ago
I can't believe how I've never known about this until now. This looks awesome.
subrealms 1 year ago
I loved this game back in the day, and the subject matter even got me to put up with the "real-time with pause" combat system. I remember we purchased our first PC with a 3.5" floppy drive (except for our Amiga 500, of course) about the same time we purchased Darklands. I even wrote a review of Darklands for a Catholic homeschooling magazine at the time (claiming that it was a great way to teach history & religion).
BTW, when will Matt Chat 78 be coming out?
DOSBoxMom 1 year ago
@DOSBoxMom That sounds like an interesting article! Matt Chat 78 should be out this weekend.
blacklily8 1 year ago
If I was near you in the U.S. I would let you stand in front of/loan my 350 Big Box PC games and/or 200 DVD case PC games, and/or 100 PC game strategy guides, and/or 50 PS1 games, and/or 300 Commodore 64 games...... I fact if I had lots of money instead of being made redundant at the end of the year, I would fund you to do this without a problem, as it is very very important for PC gaming....
HardWarUK 1 year ago
Only recently discovered your show, and I will keep watching it. I just have to go through and watch all of the old episodes. And the pleasure is all mine.
I would like to hear your thoughts on Bioforge.
herrkilman 1 year ago
This is my favourite game of all time. i have 4-5 copies of it. I loved how it was one of the first 'sandbox' RPGs.
WereTiggy 1 year ago
Wherever Matt has traveled when missing an upload, young people have been found murdered at college campuses. Coincidence?
I'd blame it on the video games when the cops get ya.
satancouldkillyounow 1 year ago
no matt chat 78 yet... im actually amazed that i didnt find Labyrinth by lucas arts in any of these. i always thought it was one of the best games ive played on the C64
Ravalat 1 year ago
Thumbs up for Twinkies!
vintagevideogamegeek 1 year ago
5:31 Zwolle isn't wasn't a city in the Holy Roman Empire but in the Netherlands.
JanEgbersNL 1 year ago
@JanEgbersNL I believe things like that were covered in the Darklands manual, about discrepancies in history about regarding how far the Holy Roman Empire grew across Europe and how the designers did the best they could but in no way were making a statement about the truth of the geography..
HardWarUK 1 year ago
This game looks amazing, so ahead of its time. Wish I had played it back then, I would have been blown away :).
Sinekyre14 1 year ago
Looks like runescape, except better.
steve5123456789 1 year ago
Consider my curiosity peaked.
Mordaedil 1 year ago
Great episode! I remember playing this game in the year 2000. It already looked antiquated and i downloaded it from some sort of abandon-ware site using dial-up modem :D Somebody should do a remake of it - success assured.
Ziiilder 1 year ago
Yay! Another Matt Chat! My week is complete :D
Sinekyre14 1 year ago
Your voice is so soothing lol do radio xD
elfmann243 1 year ago
Awesome review as always Matt =)
CrazySandtrooper 1 year ago
This reminds me to much of history class.
someonefromsomewere1 1 year ago
Are those all your games behind you? Oh wow, you could make quite a fortune off of that.
Fisdoomtion 1 year ago
@Fisdoomtion They usually are mine, but for awhile I'll also be displaying games owned by my friend Al. He's an avid collector.
blacklily8 1 year ago
Great review Matt!! I never heard of this game but the setting, atmosphere and background info look really interesting and original.
It would be really cool if they made an SVGA remake of this.
Konuvis 1 year ago
I was looking for this game, but i couldn't remember the name... Thanks Matt! :) I really hope you will continue this chatting, but i understand all of yours reasons not to. But, there are no people on youtube that make videos with near quality of your videos...
Taarnafeather 1 year ago
@Taarnafeather Thanks, Taarnafeather. I'm discussing a few options with Bill (of Armchair Arcade). I'm wondering if I could use some type of fundraiser package to help defray the costs. That'd definitely take the heat off.
blacklily8 1 year ago
@viktorhat Well, I have been thinking about retiring the show. It's lots of fun, but has also been very expensive (especially with time and stress). I was hoping it would grow into something sustainable, but, sadly, there just isn't that much interest in the topic and no money to be made here. I think 100 episodes will be a nice run, and then I can go back to focusing on articles and books (which always get more attention than my videos and of course, cash).
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 It doesn't have to end there. You could do fewer shows per month, or get a contract with some gaming site to do shows for them. I have no experience with that kinda stuff though, so I don't know if it's really viable. But I understand your concerns, you should do what you think is best for yourself.
BeyondApathy 1 year ago
if only todays game devs would improve on the gameplay instead of graphics.
scullyy 1 year ago 14
@scullyy If only!
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 @scully What's wrong with having amazing graphics? I mean I love the old games as well, but sometimes the newer games are just better. I'll probably catch a lot of flack for this, but I'd rather replay Fallout 3 than Fallout 1 and 2 at this point. Same goes for Torchlight over Diablo 1 or 2. Sometimes you just can't go back.
TRyanArnold 1 year ago
@blacklily8 Do you think this game is using an updated Pirates engine, given the menu system in towns? It has always struck me this game has a 'Pirates' vibe about it!
Oh and Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment is now available on GOG, so can you edit your info box on that video to make some coin! :)
HardWarUK 1 year ago
@HardWarUK I wish. I haven't made a dime off GOG, so I'll probably drop it. Good idea, but without some monetary incentive there's just no reason for people to use my links instead of just going there. I'm just giving them free advertising. :(
blacklily8 1 year ago
Brilliant. I hope you never stop doing this.
Going to order the T-shirt in the next couple of days,
Gylve81 1 year ago
@Gylve81 Thanks! Hope you enjoy it.
blacklily8 1 year ago
(CONTINUED FROM BELOW)
With 100's of pieces of armour, weapons, alchemy pieces and Saints that were all accurate for the day. The manual even points out why some armour wasn't included because very few had it by the 15th century, despite it technically 'existing'!
This is, without a doubt one of the least known, yet classic cRPG's of the last 20 years. It has never been replicated by another game and Matt has shown his true worth by giving this classic air time! Thank-you Matt. Thank U Much!
HardWarUK 1 year ago
@HardWarUK Hehe, thanks. Glad you enjoyed the episode. I love games with any appreciable level of historical accuracy, since that way you actually learn some useful info along with the fun.
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 Well, all I can say is hope you consider 2 parters so you can give a good 15 min 'pre-talk, then a 15 min review'. This game, above all others needed that I think, but I am sure many others do. Unfortunately I think the low turnout for you videos is the state of PC gaming. There is another Classic game reviewer who does 99% console and 1% PC, and he gets 5 times the views just because it's classic console games reviewed instead of PC. This is why what you do is so important Matt.
HardWarUK 1 year ago
I asked for this game to be reviewed many months ago. So Matt does listen! I never thought he would review it though, as it surely is one of the greatest yet unknown RPG's of the 90's, or indeed ever - hence so many posters saying they have never heard of it, or happier to talk about Baldur's Gate instead!
While not being 100% historically accurate (for gaming and technical reasons), this is the only game to deal with reality rather than fantasy.
(CONTINUED)
HardWarUK 1 year ago
That was a nice episode mate. To be honest I was a little bored up until the 9th minute but then the game looked pretty cool. Nothing to do with your review style just the game I think. Looks nice, loved the title moive ;o)
How about War Craft 1 or Xcom (or did you do that already??) great stuff ;o)
interghost 1 year ago
@interghost I covered X-Com. War Craft 1 gets mentioned in the Star Craft episode.
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 Cool... sorry I forget.. great work Matt ;o)
interghost 1 year ago
Darklands was not that historically accurate.
While it correctly included characters from old german tales like the "annoying democratic peasant" it completely failed to mention the most widely known german folklore tale : "The little green and long necked troll who constantly fell into holes" ;-D
Celeon999A 1 year ago
haha Ive never played or heard of this game, but after watching that intro, I totally recognize that female character with the red hair. She was in an advertisement for this game that was shown at the ending screen of the original Civilization game.
amarsh85 1 year ago
Thanks for another good episode, perhaps GoG will one day carry Darklands. Have you played/considered doing an episode and/or interview regarding Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome? It is another cult "historical" game, and the dev is currently remaking another old classic of his by the name of Darghul that originally never made it past a German(IIRC) release.
getter7seven 1 year ago
@getter7seven That sounds interesting. I'll have to learn more about it.
blacklily8 1 year ago
This game was a brilliant game. Spent many hours on it. Did you know that there is an EXE file in its directory that lets you change any stat on your characters? I had a party that had 99 everything with equipment of level 99 quality.
grooveclubhouse 1 year ago
@grooveclubhouse I didn't know that. I know that Pool of Radiance would let you do that, too, supposedly so you can match your characters to your tabletop characters. I cheated with it when I was a kid, but last time I played I went with the random rolls.
blacklily8 1 year ago
Was this a real-time/pause rpg mechanic first? If not, any idea in which game first used it?
marcusmalone 1 year ago
@marcusmalone That's a good question. I can't think of any CRPGs that used it first, though there might well have been strategy games.
blacklily8 1 year ago
@blacklily8 Yeah, coupled with the whole isometric thing, it wouldn't be surprising if the BG guys had had a little look at this at some stage!
marcusmalone 1 year ago
Wonderful episode Matt. Interesting sounding game! Ever thought of doing an episode on the 8 bit game "The Sacred Armour of Antiriad"?
Jacesfaces 1 year ago
@Jacesfaces Aww man, that would be interesting! A little outside of Matt's usual sphere of interest, me thinks.
marcusmalone 1 year ago
@Jacesfaces That does look interesting! I haven't played it, though. I'll try to learn more about it.
blacklily8 1 year ago
god I love this game.
sam5345 1 year ago
Very nice review. I had never played Darklands but i do remember my friends having a copy of it. back in the day.
GeekerDays 1 year ago
Oh, it's Dennis, the anarcho peasant!:D
crusader666 1 year ago
Love this episode!
Two of my favourite things, history and rpgs. I wish there were more history inspired crpgs, I really like the setting and the "magic" system.
Svjatogor 1 year ago
Speaking of the Baldur's Gate games, when are you going to review those masterpieces? I'm eagerly waiting. Also, I think an interview with f.i. David Gaider of BioWare or Feargus Urquhart of the deceased Black Isle and now Obsidian would be really interesting if you ever got the chance. Love your videos!
BeyondApathy 1 year ago 2
@BeyondApathy I will probably cover BG at show 100, assuming I make it that long. BG II is my favorite CRPG, so I wanted to make sure I was at the top of my game when I reviewed it.
blacklily8 1 year ago 5
@blacklily8 .... oh yeah, can't wait for that, though I am saddened to hear that your channel hasn't found enough viewers to make it sustainable... :(
It's easily on par with the best of them. :)
IrenicusFTW 1 year ago
I've never heard of this game, but it seems like I missed out! Looks very nice and in depth. Thanks for this great review Matt! Very well done again.
HalfBlindGamer 1 year ago
What's that box on your shelf near Fable that says "Oblivion"? I've never heard of anything besides the Edler Scrolls title with that name.
numberninteynine 1 year ago
@numberninteynine Space Station Oblivion.
blacklily8 1 year ago
The people in the hamlets were probably playing their Black Sabbath/Iron Madien records backwards. Great review, can the game be played on modern computers? Love the Matt Chat T-shirts!
tgaskill 1 year ago