96 lines
5.7 KiB
Plaintext
96 lines
5.7 KiB
Plaintext
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STAR SAGA: TWO
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STAR SAGA: TWO is the second in MasterPlay's planned trilogy of interactive
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novels. As in STAR SAGA: ONE, this game may be played as a self-contained unit,
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or as part of the series. Players of STAR SAGA: ONE may transfer their
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characters and most of their possessions and items to STAR SAGA: TWO; new
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players will be given a decent ship and items with which to begin play. The game
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may be played solitaire, or with a group of up to six players. (This review is
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based on the IBM-PC version.)
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STAR SAGA: TWO picks up where SS: ONE left off. You are at the fringe of known
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space on the planet Outpost where you have found some important clues to the
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menace still facing humankind. True to the game's subtitle, there is a race of
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beings called the Clathrans, whose goal is the complete eradication of all human
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beings. You don't know why this is, or how to stop them. These mysteries and
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many others await you as you strive to halt the Clathran menace and save
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humanity.
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The STAR SAGA game system combines the character-building aspects of
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role-playing and the textual storytelling of an adventure with a liberal (and
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literate) helping of good, old-fashioned space opera in the "Star Wars"
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tradition. Players assume a character with its own individual history and goals.
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Then, they set off to explore a large portion of one arm of the galaxy. As play
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proceeds, players accumulate abilities and items through trade and exploration.
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They also begin to piece together threads of information concerning the looming
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menace to humanity. The ultimate objective is to acquire the proper items and
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abilities to deal with this menace -- at least temporarily, as the complete
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removal of the threat must await STAR SAGA: THREE.
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The unique feature of STAR SAGA: TWO is the 13 booklets comprising the sections
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of text (nearly 1,000 pages in all) telling the lengthy story in which the
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players take part. Playing STAR SAGA: TWO is not merely like reading a good
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novel: It literally _is_ reading a novel. The only difference is that players
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direct the course of the plot's development. The delivery of the story comes in
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fragments and pieces, which slowly but definitely coalesce into an exciting,
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involving narrative.
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There is a penalty of sorts, though: Players' actions are subtly restricted and
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guided by the confines of the story. Players are not able to confront the enemy
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until certain items are obtained. And these items may not be obtained until
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other items are obtained. Thus, a kind of loose linearity is imposed on game
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play. In addition, it is basically impossible to die, or even to pay a serious
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penalty for unwise decisions. Nor are there any real puzzles in the game. Much
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like a novel, a happy ending is virtually ensured. Players govern how quickly
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the story's ending is reached, and the path they take to that ending, but they
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can't really change the eventual outcome.
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None of the foregoing is really a criticism. STAR SAGA: TWO is designed to be a
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pleasurable journey and an exciting "read," and its designers/writers succeeded
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admirably at their task. STAR SAGA: TWO is easily the most literate, engaging,
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humorous, and thought-provoking game yet released for the computer. The text
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reads as well as much of the science fiction on the shelves of your local
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bookstore, and the various characters and alien cultures are developed with more
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imagination than most. Multiple plot threads evolve and intertwine, until the
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various pieces are brought together in a rousing climax.
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There are some minor flaws. First, if you dislike record-keeping, this may not
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be the game for you. STAR SAGA: TWO requires massive amounts of note-taking.
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Also, having to search for text sections through the 13 booklets can become
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quite tedious. If ever a game begged to be placed on CD-ROM, this is it. The
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lack of real danger is mitigated somewhat by a genuine sense of tension conveyed
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in the texts. Nonetheless, there really is little for a player to do wrong, with
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no substantial penalties for missteps.
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Finally, the game tries to eliminate your drone at least once. Unfortunately,
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if you carried an 8-bay drone over from STAR SAGA: ONE, you will find only 5-bay
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drones available as replacements. The whole episode is exasperating, and I wound
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up invoking the mystical "Alt-Ctl-Del" spell to avoid it.
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Compared to STAR SAGA: ONE, STAR SAGA: TWO is a bit more interesting. The
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threat to humanity manifests itself during the game with devastating results,
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producing a greater sense of urgency. The climax is far more spectacular, and
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more than a little reminiscent of the "Star Wars" films. The Dual Space
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phenomenon is imaginative and compelling. The only disappointment is that this
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is not quite the end, and more remains to be done before humanity will at last
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be safe.
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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed STAR SAGA: TWO, and anxiously await the finale to
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the trilogy. The text is well-written, displaying a wry sense of humor and an
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imaginative vision that far surpasses anything produced to date in computer
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games. As with the first installment, the only real difficulty is stopping at
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the end of each session rather than pushing on to explore "just one more
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planet." However, players searching for a challenge or mind-bending puzzles
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should look elsewhere.
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STAR SAGA: TWO is character-based, and will run on any graphics display. It
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requires 320K and one floppy drive. There is no copy protection of any sort,
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although players without the map and voluminous booklets will find the game
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impossible to play. Mouse support is provided, but no sound cards are supported.
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The game is available in either 5-1/4" or 3-1/2" disk formats.
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STAR SAGA: TWO is published by MasterPlay Publishing Corporation.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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