Forsaken (video game)

Forsaken is a 3D first-person shooter video game. The game was developed by Probe Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation and Iguana Entertainment UK for the Nintendo 64 and published by Acclaim Entertainment. A remastered version was released in 2018 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux and Xbox One.

Forsaken
European cover art
Developer(s)Probe Entertainment (PC & PS)
Iguana Entertainment UK (N64)
Nightdive Studios (remaster)
Publisher(s)Acclaim Entertainment
Nightdive Studios (remaster)
Director(s)Andy Squirrell (PC & PS)
Guy Miller (N64)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Linux, macOS, Xbox One
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
  • NA: 24 April 1998[1]
  • WW: 31 July 2018 (remaster)
PlayStation
  • EU: April 1998
  • NA: 30 April 1998
Nintendo 64
  • NA: 30 April 1998
  • EU: 1 May 1998
Linux, macOS, Xbox One
  • WW: 31 July 2018 (remaster)
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Forsaken is primarily a multiplayer first-person shooter. The game may be played in single-player or multiplayer modes. The game is based on a 3D-engine that allows unlimited 360-degree movements.

Single-player

The single-player mode has four difficulty modes: easy, normal, hard and total mayhem. Each has progressively stronger enemies and less ammo to spare. Due to the near-impossible challenge presented by the latter mode, Acclaim provided the patch 1.00 that (among other things) decreased the difficulty of the game dramatically. There are 15 levels which have to be completed by the player — sometimes within a time limit — and occasionally include a huge end-boss against which the player must exhaust a fair amount of ammunition while dodging excessive retaliatory fire. In order to complete a mission, different efforts must be made by the player such as finding the exit or activating triggers to open locked doors. The primary objective is to destroy the enemies within a level. The enemies are static (turrets launching homing missiles, drones, other mercenaries, etc.), though not all will be spawned at the start of a level. Each level includes a hidden crystal, and once all are collected a secret map is unlocked.

Multiplayer

There are six different types of multiplayer games: Free For All (deathmatch), Team Game, Capture The Flag, Flag Chase, Bounty Hunt, and Team Bounty Hunt. There are various sub-options for each.

Plot

In the distant future, the advancement of science has exceeded humanity's ability to control it. During a subatomic experiment, an accident causes an uncontrollable fusion reaction, utterly destroying the surface of the planet Earth.

One year later, Earth has been classified as "condemned" by the ruling imperial theocracy, meaning that it is now legal for anyone to salvage anything left on the planet. Mercenaries from all over come to raid the dead planet, forced to battle not only each other, but the robot sentinels that the government has left behind.

Development

The game was developed by Probe Entertainment during the 1996–1998 period as the company became merged into its parent company (Acclaim). At that time, Microsoft's newly bought and re-branded rendering layer (DirectX) had just started to dominate PC development.

Fergus McGovern headed the development team.[2] The game was heavily technology driven at the beginning and was titled ProjectX. This was changed to Condemned[2] when the story elements were added although it was later changed to Forsaken due to a potential naming conflict.

A Sega Saturn version of the game was announced,[3] but cancelled as part of Acclaim's general withdrawal of support for the system.[4]

Due to the heavy technology focus of the game it was often bundled with hardware to show off the cards and was used as a benchmark for many years after the initial release of the game.

This game has an ESRB rating of "M for Mature". It was so rated for violent deaths in the introductory cutscene and the player character's death.

The Swarm (Dominic Glynn and Stephen Root) performed and produced the Forsaken soundtrack which features dynamic drum and bass and electronica tracks. An album featuring many of the original tracks and remixes, was released on No Bones Records.

Various employees of Acclaim Studios Teesside, the developer who worked on the Nintendo 64 port of the game, made plans for a sequel to Forsaken, which were permanently scrapped when Acclaim closed the studio down in 2002.

Reception

The Nintendo 64 version of Forsaken received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8] Edge stated that, although the PlayStation version feels familiar to Descent, it refined and updated the formula with features such as its auto-levelling system and orientation aid.[13] In Japan, where the PlayStation version was ported for release and published by Acclaim Japan on 2 September 1999,, Famitsu gave it a score of 24 out of 40.[16] Hyper gave the game 92% and said, "Unless someone pulls some wonder game out of the bag at E3, this one looks like it's going to be the all-formats game of the year. If you like action shooter games, this is a must-have."[36] N64 Magazine gave it 87% and said it was "certainly the N64's best 'serious' game since GoldenEye," and "a game that, although not for the fainthearted, holds a genuinely rewarding experience for those who are prepared to persevere."[37]

Next Generation reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Overall, this is solid, enjoyable stuff with not a hint of originality to cloud the fun."[30]

Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "All in all, this is a decent title. Probe has mixed together the best elements of Descent and Quake and added some pretty tricky enemy AI, resulting in a game that shines, although in slightly different ways, on each platform."[32]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Forsaken is a good game that will provide a nice distraction until players get their hands on the big guns like Sin, Half-Life, and Duke Nukem Forever."[31]

References
  1. "News for April 24, 1998". Online Gaming Review. 24 April 1998. Archived from the original on 4 December 2000. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
    "April 24, 1998: "Acclaim's first-person 3D action game Forsaken has been spotted in stores."
  2. Rider, David; Semrad, Ed (April 1997). "Probe Has the Games to Bring Acclaim Back to Life!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 93. Ziff Davis. p. 86. First up is a game code named Condemned, an awesome first-person perspective shooter on the N64, PlayStation, Saturn and PC. It's Fergus' baby-a special project he has a team of 15 working on.
  3. "Canned!". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 19. Emap International Limited. May 1997. p. 7. Acclaim's Fantastic Four and Batman and Robin are now off the schedule (although the potentially brilliant Condemned is still coming out) ...
  4. "Acclaim Back Away from Sega". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 22. Emap International Limited. August 1997. p. 15. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  5. "Forsaken 64 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. "Forsaken for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  7. "Forsaken for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. "Forsaken 64 for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  9. Biondich, Paul. "Forsaken (PC) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  10. Stratton, Geoff (20 May 1998). "Forsaken". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  11. Goble, Gordon (August 1998). "Beautiful Bruiser (Forsaken Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 169. Ziff Davis. p. 178. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  12. Edge staff (July 1998). "Forsaken 64". Edge. No. 60. Future plc.
  13. Edge staff (June 1998). "Forsaken (PS)". Edge. No. 59. Future plc. pp. 86–87.
  14. "Forsaken 64". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis. 1998.
  15. "Forsaken". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis. 1998.
  16. "フォーセイケン [PS]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  17. "Forsaken 64". Game Informer. No. 64. FuncoLand. August 1998.
  18. "Forsaken (PC)". Game Informer. No. 63. FuncoLand. July 1998.
  19. "Forsaken (PS)". Game Informer. No. 64. FuncoLand. August 1998.
  20. Bobba Fatt (1998). "Forsaken [64] Review for N64 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  21. Hubble, Calvin (June 1998). "Forsaken Review (N64)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 20 February 2004. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  22. Hubble, Calvin (June 1998). "Forsaken - PC Review". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 22 February 2004. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  23. Cooke, Mark (June 1998). "Forsaken Playstation Review". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  24. Gerstmann, Jeff (25 May 1998). "Forsaken 64 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  25. Gerstmann, Jeff (14 May 1998). "Forsaken Review (PC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  26. Gerstmann, Jeff (21 May 1998). "Forsaken Review (PS)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  27. Schneider, Peer (3 June 1998). "Forsaken 64". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  28. Williamson, Colin (13 August 1998). "Forsaken (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  29. Perry, Douglass C. (13 July 1998). "Forsaken (PS)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  30. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 43. Imagine Media. July 1998. p. 111.
  31. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 44. Imagine Media. August 1998. p. 100.
  32. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 43. Imagine Media. July 1998. p. 112.
  33. "Forsaken 64". Nintendo Power. Vol. 108. Nintendo of America. May 1998. p. 95. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  34. "Forsaken". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Ziff Davis. June 1998.
  35. Durham, Joel (August 1998). "Forsaken". PC Gamer. Vol. 5 no. 8. Future US. Archived from the original on 10 March 2000. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  36. Toose, Dan (June 1998). "Forsaken". Hyper. No. 56. Next Media Pty Ltd. pp. 62–65.
  37. Kitts, Martin (June 1998). "Forsaken". N64 Magazine. No. 16. Future plc. pp. 50–55.
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