gurugeorge on 18/4/2006 at 02:31
Quote Posted by foldedfish
I'd also like to add how gratifying it is to see this forum still showing interest in Terra Nova. 10 years ago I was pouring blood and sweat into that game, and it really means a lot that people care and appreciated the work!
Terra Nova is simply one of the best, most underrated games ever made,
way ahead of its time in giving the illusion of working with a team - all those squad shooters nowadays, SWAT4, etc., etc., they were all pipped to the post by Terra Nova. The story was great (quite libertarian in spirit) - and IIRC was the first use of the kind of plot-twist that's really rather overused nowadays. The UI was great, and offered tremendous redundancy and control (so people could tailor it and personalise the way they played). The missions were inventive and well-paced (both within the missions and from mission to mission). The team voice acting was great (although some of the acting in the cut scenes left a bit to be desired :) ), the sounds were chunky and realistic, the music was great (on one of those Yamaha XG add-on midi cards anyway :) ) and really spooky and futuristic, and really fit. The background details and background reading material was absorbing and added a lot to the experience. Just great, great attention to detail making a product that felt really "solid" and immersive.
It's such a shame the game didn't make more money and didn't get the recognition it fully deserved. (But it does occasionally get acknowledged as a classic in games magazines, I notice.)
Just like Shock 1, the game should be re-made, exactly as it was (i.e. with nothing major changed, pretty much the same story, missions, design, UI, etc.), with modern graphics, maybe a bit better acting and stuff - the gaming world is ready for it now, whereas it wasn't then. (I wonder what the legal situation would be with remaking these two games, perhaps as mods for a snazzy modern game, exactly as was?)
(BTW, I think also that another underappreciated aspect of the Looking Glass legacy is the WASD key system. Starting with Ultima Underworld (not Looking Glass, I know, but it's part of the genetic chain), going through to System Shock and then perfected in Terra Nova, you guys pioneered the use of a left hand control system that, in a simplified form (WASD) is now ubiquitous.)
