[comp.sys.amiga.games] Lemmings: A total

"PETER C. FREY" <PFREY%drew.bitnet@pucc.princeton.edu> (04/04/91)

undrground!markg@amix.commodore.com  "Mark Gardner"  writes:

>I suppose the idea with the teensy lemming characters is to be able to
>see the screens as full-height instead of having to scroll vertically.

There are many other ways of overcoming that difficulty _without_ sacrificing
the focus of the game.  One such way would be to have a function which
enlarges/shrinks the screen.  We'd ALL be happy then.  Those in support of
the game as it is now would get to keep the Lemmings as little specks on the
screen.  I, and those with more desire to see detail, could shift back and
forth.  The process to do this is not complex or abstract; in fact, it's done
in many games.

>Me, I find the li'l buggers cute.  (Oh wait, that isn't a redeeming
>feature to you, is it?  :-)

Cuteness is probably the ONLY redeeming feature, but to a point that it rivals
My Little Pony or Smurf cartoons.  They ought to have called the game Smurfs
and stamped the box (as they do puzzles and other games) "For Ages 5 and Under."

>And what's wrong with Tom & Jerry cartoons?  :-)  Maybe you have to have
>a certain mindset for it.  Did you really think the game would be some
>sort of drama, with lemmings agonizing over the lot that life has dealt
>them?  :-)

Maybe I shouldn't have compared it to Tom & Jerry cartoons; as those cartoons,
thinking back to when I watched them at age 12, are much too sophisticated
an animation to compare to Lemmings.

>This could be said for many games.  Of course, in the basic shoot-em-up,
>this is also called "kill or be killed".  Psygnosis has done a good job
>of making this particular video-game theme a little less xenophobic.

You missed the whole point.  NO value is placed on each attempt.  It's not
competitive.  You can try it over and over again.  If you degressed a level
each time you failed a new level, you can be sure players would pay attention
to what they're doing.  A challenge sets someone on the edge of their seat.

>Yeesh, do you SLEEP?  No wonder the soundtrack was so annoying to you - I
>don't want to hear anything that sounds absolutely WONDERFUL for 20
>hours.... :-)

Of course I sleep.  I was on vacation then, and played all day.  I was doing
other things at the same time.  You can pause the screen or stop between them.
Why?  Well the first 5 hours I enjoyed it.  The next 5 I was hoping to find
something redeeming.  The next 5 I was reconfirming my doubts.  And the last
5, I wanted to make sure I covered 3/4 of the game before I wrote my evaluation.
As far as hearing the soundtrack...I turned that off after the first 5 hours
and put on something I preferred to listen to.

>Hey, you didn't like the game - it didn't appeal to you.  It happens.
>Like I said above, perhaps it requires a certain mindset.  I know folks
>who are absolutely annoyed by Tetris, or couldn't stand through five
>minutes of Dungeon Master, two other highly-acclaimed games.  IT HAPPENS.

I placed my view to inform others who have not purchased the game --- to
continue to not purchase the game.  All of these ravings of the game, to use
"Student"'s phrase, are misleading.  I would speak up as well if the list
was raving over Robocop 2, or Bionic Commando (inane games that ARE fun to
some).  As far ast Tetris...after I got the highest score of my school on it,
and found no end to it, it too became inane.  But it took many more hours (not
in a row) before that happened.

>Now, where did I put my joystick?  :-)
                                    ^^^
                                Caution!  Fall in love with Lemmings, and these
                                will eventually find themselves into your
                                CompSci papers!

                                PFREY@DREW.BITNET

Disclaimer(s): Any Flames to this message will instantly result in the self-
               detonation of your pc.

jreeves@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Joe B Reeves) (04/05/91)

/lemmings/j
Ta-dah!

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