[Legolas813]

I'm thinking about getting this game, but I have some questions:

1) Has anybody gotten this to run in Windows XP and did you have to do anything special for it to work? The Omikron site mentions people having to use compatibility mode to try to run the game.

2) What exactly are the flaws you experienced in the game that would give it such bad reviews? Are some sections so bad as to make the game unplayable?

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

2) What exactly are the flaws you experienced in the game that would give it such bad reviews? Are some sections so bad as to make the game unplayable?

It's really not that bad a game - it got some reasonable reviews here in the UK. As for the flaws, here are some of the ones I noticed:

The shooting sections (and to a lesser extent the beat-em-up sections) don't work very well; they're techincally flawed.

The game suffers from a lack of focus near the beginning - you're given a vague idea of your mission, but I was never entirely sure where I was supposed to be going.

Unskippable cutscenes.

Save points. And limited save tokens.


None of these problems are actually that bad, with the possible exception of the second point. If you hack the game to get unlimited save tokens then you can play without having to worry about that aspect, and the cutscenes are only annoying if, like me, you keep restarting the game to play for a little while. The lack of focus annoyed me, but I mean to play the thing through with a walkthrough at some point. Maybe then I'll actually complete the thing ...

[insane_cobra]

It seems to run fine under XP, but then again, my gamepad wouldn't work the way it's supposed to. I just couldn't get some controls to work, no matter how I mapped them.

Luckily, I also have Win98SE set up, no gamepad problems there, but some parts are still unplayable. Shooting sequences, for instance, one button press moves the aim for one third of the screen or even more, it's very hard to hit anything that way. Maybe today's PCs are just too fast, I don't know. At first I thought my character was just unskilled at shooting things, but I noticed no improvements after some practice courses. Then I tried slowing everything down with CPUGrab, but it just became more choppy, I still couldn't aim well. No Omikron for me, I guess.

[Manhunter71]

The 2 most annoying flaws are the unskippable cutscenes and the lack of save game game tokens, although the save issue isn't really a major problem if you try to only save before a major incident. Plus, if you search around a lot you can usually find some extra ones

I really don't think there is a lack of focus at the beginning of the game, it didn't really seem that way to me - you pretty much know what you are trying to do, and if you are unsure there are usually items in your inventory that help you

I think this is a great, underrated game - an excellent adventure/action/rpg hybrid - there should be more games like this

On the downside, the shooting segments could have been done a little better and the control system isn't great.
But, whatever this game lacks in certain areas, it totally makes up for in story and atmosphere!
Incredibly atmospheric background music, spooky areas down alleyways and inside buildings where you could be attacked at any moment, an unnerving feeling of being alone in a vast city, and - David Bowie!! What more is there to say?

If you haven't guessed already, I'm a bit of a fan, but don't take my word for it - buy the game and find out for yourself.
And it works fine on XP

[Legolas813]

Originally Posted by Manhunter71

The 2 most annoying flaws are the unskippable cutscenes and the lack of save game game tokens, although the save issue isn't really a major problem if you try to only save before a major incident. Plus, if you search around a lot you can usually find some extra ones

You are limited in the number of saves in the game? Do you run out of these saves, or can you simply overwrite them?

And everyone keeps mentioning David Bowie, whom I have never heard of.

[Manhunter71]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

And everyone keeps mentioning David Bowie, whom I have never heard of.

Seriously? You've never heard of David Bowie, one of the greatest musicians of our time
You must have heard "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, Space Oddity, Changes, All the Young Dudes, Golden Years.....

Originally Posted by Legolas813

You are limited in the number of saves in the game? Do you run out of these saves, or can you simply overwrite them?

You start the game with a number of save tokens which you use up everytime you access a save point. Its very similar to the way you use the typewriter ribbon in the Resident Evil games, and in a similar way you can pick up extra tokens throughout the game.
It's really not a problem

[Legolas813]

Originally Posted by Manhunter71

Seriously? You've never heard of David Bowie, one of the greatest musicians of our time
You must have heard "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, Space Oddity, Changes, All the Young Dudes, Golden Years.....

Sorry, can't say I have.

Originally Posted by Manhunter71

You start the game with a number of save tokens which you use up everytime you access a save point. Its very similar to the way you use the typewriter ribbon in the Resident Evil games, and in a similar way you can pick up extra tokens throughout the game.
It's really not a problem

I haven't played Resident Evil. So are you saying if you are out of tokens you can't save your game? That's pretty crappy.

[Manhunter71]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

I haven't played Resident Evil. So are you saying if you are out of tokens you can't save your game? That's pretty crappy.

Well, yes, I suppose I am, but loads of games have limited save points - in some shooters you can only save when you have completed a mission, but it doesn't make them any less enjoyable.
As I said earlier, you can pick up tokens throughout the game, and if you employ the slightly dodgy method of reloading previous saves in order to get past a sticky part then you shouldn't really have any problems

I'm sure you will be able to find this game at a bargain price so even if you decide you don't like the game, you won't have wasted a lot of money on it

[insane_cobra]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

Sorry, can't say I have.

Wow, that's pretty incredible. You've heard about The Beatles, haven't you?

Here's the Wikipedia entry, educate yourself.

Anyway, I'm so sad I can't play this game.
Maybe I should give some other slowdown utilities a try.

[Legolas813]

^ Well despite the bad reviews, and the problems you've had with the game, I decided to take a chance anyways. Got it on Ebay for $8.60 (including shipping). Hopefully I'll have little to no technical problems.

[Untouchable2K]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

I'm thinking about getting this game, but I have some questions:

1) Has anybody gotten this to run in Windows XP and did you have to do anything special for it to work? The Omikron site mentions people having to use compatibility mode to try to run the game.

I dont have the game for the computer, and if you are running windows xp and if you heard rumors of the game not running correctly, you might wanna buy it for the dreamcast.


The dreamcast is suppose to be just like the pc version, so if you find a copy, buy it.

Originally Posted by Legolas813

2) What exactly are the flaws you experienced in the game that would give it such bad reviews? Are some sections so bad as to make the game unplayable?

Nothing is wrong with the game in my opinion, great graphics, i like the feature where you can change to almost anyone in the game and use thier moves and get thier keys to thier homes haha, and the music is some of the best that i heard in a video game. The only major flaw is how the game can become confusing at times, so watch out.

You also might wanna save this
http://www.cheatcc.com/dc/sg/omikron_the_nomad_soul.txt

[Legolas813]

Originally Posted by Untouchable2K

The dreamcast is suppose to be just like the pc version, so if you find a copy, buy it.

Um, yeah. I could do that, but I don't have a Dreamcast.

[Untouchable2K]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

Um, yeah. I could do that, but I don't have a Dreamcast.

I thought everbody had a dreamcast these days. Guess not lol. Well happy buying with the pc version, just make sure you save the link i posted. Might come in handy in the later levels, or with one level. Its only one part in the game that almost made me trade it in, you have to find all this crap and place all of the items in the center of some spiritual ritual thing etc etc. Only problem i had is trying to find all of the items, i think it mentions them in the guide tho.

Other then that part, the game is fun. I like changing into people, that was the coolest part. You can also fight in fighting tournaments. Now at first you might have some trouble, but with a little patience and with the right character, you will start to win alot of tournaments and money. And on a last note, i will post something up in a min, just make sure you save it. The guide talks about it, but they dont seem to lay it out as good as i got it.

Be back later.

[Legolas813]

Originally Posted by Untouchable2K

I thought everbody had a dreamcast these days. Guess not lol.

If they did, it wouldn't have gone under. Personally I don't know one single person who has a Dreamcast or who has every played or seen one.

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

If they did, it wouldn't have gone under. Personally I don't know one single person who has a Dreamcast or who has every played or seen one.

*raises hand*

[Legolas813]

Originally Posted by RLacey

*raises hand*

Obviously I'm talking about people I know in real-life.

[Ninth]

I hope you like the game, Legolas. It's my favorite "borderline" adventure game, and even though the flaws get more and more proheminent as the game goes on, in the end it was still a very enjoyable and new experience.

[Legolas813]

Well, I received the game today in the mail. It took a while to install, but it runs okay so far. I played for around 15-20 minutes just getting a feel for the game world and the controls. The game didn't come with a manual so it's taking me a little while to figure things out. I'm reading the UHS Omikron Hints and Tips to help me start the game. I'm not going to get too much into playing it until I can devote an hour or so to the game, since saves are limited.

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by Legolas813

Well, I received the game today in the mail. It took a while to install, but it runs okay so far. I played for around 15-20 minutes just getting a feel for the game world and the controls. The game didn't come with a manual so it's taking me a little while to figure things out. I'm reading the UHS Omikron Hints and Tips to help me start the game. I'm not going to get too much into playing it until I can devote an hour or so to the game, since saves are limited.

The thing is :there are plenty of rings (the things that allow you to save), so it shouldn't be a problem. Except that the arcades scenes (there are a few of them, but one in particular was tough for me, keeping in mind that I don't play FPS very often) use the rings as "lives". So it's pretty easy to get stuck on one particular scene and to lose all the rings in a row.
Stupid system.

EDIT: By the way, mods, how is Omikron not an adventure game, if Fahrenheit is? (by which I mean: why is this thread in the general forum?)

[Legolas813]

Originally Posted by Ninth

EDIT: By the way, mods, how is Omikron not an adventure game, if Fahrenheit is? (by which I mean: why is this thread in the general forum?)

It's in the general forum because I put it there. Truthfully, like Indigo, I found it hard to classify this game. And I knew there would be a big argument if I put it in the adventure section, so I didn't even bother.