It Came From the Desert (TurboGrafx-CD) Playthrough

Описание: A playthrough of NEC's 1991 interactive movie/adventure game for the TurboGrafx-CD, It Came From the Desert.

It Came From the Desert for the Turbo is a reimagining of the 1989 Amiga game of the same name from Cinemaware, a company well known for games like Defender of the Crown (   • Defender of the Crown (NES) Playthrough  ), The Three Stooges (   • The Three Stooges (NES) Playthrough  - Nin...  ), Rocket Ranger (   • Rocket Ranger (NES) Playthrough - Nintendo...  ), and Lords of the Rising Sun. As the company's name implies, Cinemaware's games were far more cinematic in nature than most of their time, and most were designed with the Amiga's impressive graphics capabilities in mind.

The original It Came From the Desert was created in a similar mould, but the project's ambition and budget shot through the roof when the game was overhauled to take advantage of the CD-ROM format. Not content to be just a fancy port, the console version is a brand new game that's loosely based on the original computer game. Instead of being an adventure/RPG hybrid like its Amiga counterpart, the TurboGrafx-CD game is an FMV adventure with action sequences scattered throughout. Rather that being a mere tribute to schlocky 50s-era B-movie horror, It Came From the Desert strives to be a playable take on those cinema classics.

And you know what? It actually succeeds on most levels.

You are Buzz, a young biker from the boonies whose town is being taken over by giant body-snatching killer ants. With the aid of a local crackpot scientist, Buzz has to figure out the ants' grand plan, infiltrate their lair, and put a stop to their ambitions before they can enslave the entire human race.

If you loved those black-and-white sci-fi horror movies that used to run on late-night TV and MST3K, you'll love this.

Opinions tend to vary on the game, but I personally adore the approach that this version takes. It Came From the Desert makes extensive use of FMV and it doesn't feel particularly constrained by the limitations of the hardware - it leans into those limitations with its grainy, posterized clips of stop-motion animated monsters and of actors mercilessly chewing the scenery to enhance its crunchy old-school vibe.

The music also deserves special mention - the redbook audio tracks are great at setting the mood, and I can't get enough of that title theme, Sea of Love. It's as awful and as corny as it sounds, and it suits the camp-tastic mood of the game perfectly.

As far as gameplay goes, it's pretty simple: you're given a choice of places to go, and when you arrive, you'll either witness a conversation between Buzz and whomever happens to be around, or you'll be attacked and sent into a battle with giant ant swarms. There are three types of action scenes - a top-down shooter, a platformer, and a crosshair-driven shooting gallery - and they're all simple, goofy arcade style affairs. They may look simplistic and ugly when compared to all of the glitzy video, but they are easy to figure out and easy to play. They're challenging but fair, and they provide the game a good sense of variety.

There isn't a lot of replayability - once you've figured it all out (and maybe played through another time to see the FMVs you missed the first time around), there isn't much else to see or do. However, that first trip or two is something pretty magical. It's impressive stuff title for a 1991 multimedia game, and while it lacks the meat of a more "traditional" adventure, it's not a game you're likely to forget anytime soon. Especially not with its oddball sense of humor.

(How about that guy who aims a shotgun at a picture of Elvis while declaring that Roy Orbison is the true king?)

Anyone that loves interactive movies or monster movies filled with canned sound effects and rubber suits NEEDS to play this. It's totally unlike anything else I've ever played, and being an obscure North America TurboGrafx exclusive, most people have never had the chance to experience it. If you haven't, consider giving it a try!

(You can also see the bad ending at 1:18:09 which you get when you haven't stopped the ants in time.)
___
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

Visit for the latest updates!
  / 540091756006560  
  / nes_complete