Arena Anyone?

[Calislahn]

Computers are a pain in the ass sometimes aren't they. They do stupid things for no apparent reason.

Never trust inanimate objects, they try very hard to make life difficult.

[Bravo 1]

Exactly...do you know how many times I ask myself "...now how did that wall get there?"

Yes, computers can be a pain in the arse, but they are also nice...come on, they have Morrowind AND mods (eat that X-box)...

[Tier]

got it working... Only problem is it runs terribly terribly slow... any ideas on how to speed it up? Its like watching a slide show.

[Calislahn]

i'll be honest i didn't play it, only got to the menu then turned it off.

[Tier]

Reminds me a lot of daggerfall... Makes me nostolgic! I lost my install file now and cant find a new one, so its kinda a bummer. =)

[Mebyon]

Must try this. I can't d/l yet as the lines are so busy.

[Tier]

Was told on PDS that if you press ctrl and f12 to speed it up. helpful

[Vorwoda]

Ok, I haven't played the new version, but I played the original Arena when it was out (on my old 486 under DOS 6.22). You want a review, I'm about to make your day...

Arena (TES I)

Plot Premise: You begin as a prisoner in the Dungeons under the Imperial Palace, in the Imperial City. Jagar Tharn, the Imperial Battlemage, has used an artifact called the Staff of Chaos to imprison Emperor Uriel Septim VII in another dimension. Tharn then assumes the Emperor's form, and takes the throne, turning the Empire of Tamriel into a seething cauldron of violence which the residents call "Arena". The only two people who suspect Tharn are his apprentice (the beautiful Ria Silmane) and her associate: you. To keep it from being used to free the Emperor, Tharn breaks the Staff of Chaos into 8 segments and scatters them in various well-guarded spots on Tamriel, one in each of the eight provinces (not counting the Imperial Province). He then murders Ria Silmane, and has you thrown into the dungeon where you begin the game. Ria's ghost arranges for you to get the key to your cell and a minor weapon, and tells you that she is opening a teleportation portal to take you to your home province (which varies depending on the race you selected during character generation). You have to wander through the Imperial Dungeon, fighting assorted guards and so on, while gathering equipment and supplies and trying to find the portal. Ria's ghost can only appear and speak to you intermittantly. Interfering on the mortal plane on your behalf drains her power, especially since she has to do things subtly enough so Tharn's attention won't be drawn to you. Once you escape from the dungeon, you roam over the ENTIRE EMPIRE, trying to gather the 8 pieces of the Staff of Chaos in order to reassemble them and use them to destroy Jagar Tharn and free the Emperor.

The good: Great gameplay. Great storyline. The Spellmaker is there, with 80 magic effects! You can make notes on your auto-maps! 2500 magic items. 400 cities, towns and villages. Nice acting from the actress playing Ria Silmane, who comes across as concerned but otherworldly. Freedom to roam ALL over Tamriel. Want to see Elsweyr, Black Marsh, or Summerset Isle? Pack up and go, because YOU CAN! Get sidequests for artifacts like the Oghma Infinium (my favourite). The dungeons are easily mapped, since they are multilevel, but 2-D - they are laid out like a house or a castle, not like a set of psychotic mineshafts like Daggerfall's dungeons.

The bad: No Item Maker (Enchanter) nad no Custom Classes (only the original 18) - those features were added with Daggerfall. Travel is by foot or fast travel only. No Cyrodiils (The Emperor was assumed to be a Breton, since Bethesda hadn't thought up the Cyrodiils yet. It is stated that the Imperial Province HAS no native race). No playable Orcs. These points were "wish list" items added in the later games. Remember, though, when Arena came out, they were not issues.

Overall: Though the graphics are certainly dated by today's standards, for its day it was very impressive. The gameplay is still great today, and the quest will take you to some very interesting places (the Crystal Tower and Dagoth Ur, to name just two). The ability to travel the length and breadth of the Empire is a delight. If you're willing to "rough it" as a true adventurer, without the frills of Enchanter services (or Item Makers, as they were known in Daggerfall), custom classes, and mods, then pack a lunch - you're in for a long, fun trip!

[Calislahn]

Sounds absolutely great. I can go without enchanters and custom classes.

Now where did i put that lunchbox................

[Mebyon]

Looks like a 'must do'!

(Sure better than fighting 3dsmax!)

[Mebyon]

Getting out is not that simple! I have now died three times,

Read the blurb and thought Battlemage sounded good. I have cast a neat fireball at a wall and totally missed the orcy thing that killed me!

To think we used to play these games for fun. ;D

[Calislahn]

First game i used to play for fun was space invaders ;D

Showing my age again as that was in an arcade, there was no home games then. My best friends dad owned the arcade in town and he'd let us go in and play for free when it was closed in the afternoon. Great fun

[Mebyon]

The implication here is that the arcade opened in the morning for the mums who were out shopping, closed in the afternoon and then re-opened later for the dads on their way home from work! Poor kids never got a look in! ;D

[Calislahn]

If only it used to get some rough teenagers in there, we were only about ten so her dad wouldn't let us go in when it was open. Besides i would have had to pay then ;D

[Vorwoda]

Heh, heh! Mebyon, I played all the way through Arena with a Battlemage, and loved every second of it!

And Calislahn, starting in an arcade with Space Invaders shows how young you are. When I started on video games, there was nothing but Pong! It was Pinball Machines before that.