Full Course: Quake

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“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”

– Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein

In 1996, id Software released Quake, one of the most important games to have ever been created just for its contributions to technology in the medium alone. Its engine made it possible for commercially sold computers to render 3D polygons without causing the machine to explode, and it helped push forward what the young medium was capable beyond anyone’s expectations.

The Nightmare Aesthetic of DOOM 64

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DOOM 64…is cool. I have not played all the DOOM games, but I have decided that DOOM 64 is my favorite, even if the level design is occasionally hair pulling. It is a real original in the series, a main entry not done by id Software, a real rarity for the franchise outside additional campaigns. It was created by Midway and is probably the best game they ever put out (if only because Midway did not exactly have a great record for a long while there). It was recently re-released on PC (thanks Night Dive!) and I highly recommend it though bring a guide, save often, there’s some bullshit in there.

Escape Cube Collection and Flash Preservation

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With Flash coming to an end, there’s been a rush to preserve as many of the games of this era as possible, mainly big classics. Kind of has to be done because a lot of developers don’t seem that interested in doing it themselves, like the creator of Crimson Room just allowing his old games to disappear (right now one redditor made website is the best way to experience them today). If you’re into horror games, this is an especially huge deal because an entire medium free of age restriction requirements allowed a *lot* of horror content to be made and thrive. A lot of it isn’t great, of course, but there are some real treasures in there.

World of Horror Early Access Impressions

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Ding ding ding!! Wooh-hooh! Time for more World of Horror coverage! Wooh-hooh! I first found out about this Junji Ito inspired rouge-like turn-based RPG horror game years ago for an IndieCent episode, covering an early demo before the game even had a publisher. Well, it has now been in early access on Steam for while now, and it is time to talk about that version now that it’s somewhat stable. To the surprise of nobody, I like it a lot, though this is still a bit surprising to me personally because that would mean I liked a rogue-like, which is not something I say often.

The Authentic Early 3D Experience with Back in 1995

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This is a particularly weird one. Back in 1995 is a throwback game to the age of survival horror, or at least it supposedly is. I’ve heard this game once released without any actual survival horror elements, which I think is more appropriate for what this really is. See, this was a game made by a single Japanese guy meant to re-create the experience of finding and playing an early experimental 3D game on the Playstation Uno. The date in the title is a giveaway. This is not a send up to Resident Evil or Silent Hill, even with the new “survival update.”

Value of Grim Kiddie Games with Haunt the House

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You know what? I played this, and I really like the people who made it, and I don’t see a better excuse to talk about it so here’s an article on Haunt the House: Terrortown. I don’t have much to say but I really want to support the Super Flash Bros, Tom and Adam Vian. These are two cool dudes who I first found in the old flash game scene with Detective Grimoire, a really impressive little flash takeoff on the Phoenix Wright formula. They’ve since made two commercial games with the character, one mainly an extension of their flash roots with an impressive art style, and a $20 one I plan to buy later that looks radically more involved. They are a very creative duo who use a charming art style to make whimsical games that make me smile, including this one.

The Cult (Of Personality) of Helltaker

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Helltaker is weird, right? It was a free indie game that became the talk of the town, and not because of the game. I played Helltaker and it’s fine. It’s a by the numbers tile puzzle game, get to the end in a set number of moves, and then the last challenge is a bullshit twitch challenge and that part is very bad never do this again this is a crime I will die on this hill. I also love Helltaker. The game is nothing special, but the art of it, and what has sprouted up around it is something genuinely unexpected and kind of incredible. Helltaker became one of the most popular games of 2020 solely through personality. An extremely, unapologetically horny personality.

Full Course: Devil May Cry

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Articles like this are partly made possible by my backers on Patreon. If you would like to get early access to my articles, videos, and podcasts, consider becoming a backer. I am currently trying to reach $100 a month so I can start working on an e-book collection of my Full Course series, complete with new book exclusive essays.

You can also leave tips via my ko-fi page.

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“The measure of a man is what he does with power.”

– Plato

“To all idiots: If you want to insult me, achieve great success first so that I can at least remember your name after I block you. Good luck.”

– Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is a lot. This was arguably the beginning of Capcom just printing gold during the sixth generation of consoles, a franchise that effectively created the character action genre and revolutionized how developers approached action games in 3D. The series now has six games under its belt, and a string of novels and comics and even anime that is all honestly not very good and probably best left forgotten, even if the newest game kind of made some of it canon anyways.

This is going to be a bit different from my usual Full Course pieces because there is exactly one game in this series I have not played, only because trying to run Devil May Cry 5 on my aging laptop would definitely set it on fire. I’m amazed I can run Yakuza Kiwami 2 as it is, Devil May Cry 5 would be a death sentence. Thankfully, I’ve seen enough of it from LPs to be able to add it in this mix to say what I want to say. I will not be commenting on that game’s mechanics besides V’s play style looks rad as hell, but everything else is free game.

Project Warlock and Reinventing the Foundation

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Hey everyone, I’m here to tell you all why Project Warlock is the sickest fucking game ever made before I go back to it and let it consume my life. This hit a cord I didn’t know I had, a shooter with no Y-axis in the design (seriously just lock the Y-axis, it will only distract you) made by people who weren’t alive when DOOM came out, something that honestly should not have particularly interested me. I mean I’m getting into retro shooters now but I really need that Y-axis fix, man. Well it turns out all you had to do to get me to like your shooter without a Y-axis is to make it really good and give me lots of explosions and it did that and now I’m talking about it.

Madeleine and the Candy Witch’s Curse Demo Impressions

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We got another demo today, and this one is quite different from what I’ve spotlighted this month. This here isn’t a particularly scary game, not in the genres I’ve shown off so far. This is a RPG Maker horror game, and one with a very unique style compared to what that description would draw your mind to. This is Madeleine and the Candy Witch’s Curse, and it is a game loaded with charm and amusingly dark moments that make it feel like a particularly messed up fairy tale played with a comedic tone.