[eriq]

Originally Posted by myhrik

At the same time I downloaded the trailer to the FMtowns version of Zak McKracken (256 colours!)... and that music sounds waaay better than I would dare to imagine - it's a lot better than even a lot of wavetable MIDI cards.

I only wish I could get my hands on one of those FMtowns releases, and wait for their full support in ScummVM.

Sorry for potentially corrupting the thread. I just happen to find this veeery interesting!

Yea, those FMtowns remakes are quite cool aren't they? I love how they upped the graphics and sounds. Also, the packaging and characters are all much more "cute" and cuddly which is a reflection of Japanese culture. I wonder how they sold?

[remixor]

But will the FMTowns versino play on a PC?

[AGA]

Originally Posted by remixor

But will the FMTowns versino play on a PC?

The FMTowns versions are playable through SCUMMVM. And Zak 256 is AMAZING. The MP3 music and beautiful 256-colour graphics make it awesome. I got mine off an FTP site. Comes to about 60 altogether. Although I realise it's frowned on here, it's not as though the game is available anywhere else - does anyone want me to upload it somewhere so you can all grab it?

[Rusty]

*rubbing hands with delight*

So there IS, after all, another version of Loom (CD), which is NOT the CD re-release LucasArts published!!

Some time ago, I found an MP3 on one of my searches, which was of a piece of music from Loom (the one you hear when entering the cathedral for the first time, and in the end). This piece was totally clean of speech! Seeing how the CD version turned out, I had to conclude there was another one I didn't know of.. and I'm searching for it ever since.

I only heard the name "FMTowns" recently - would anyone please explain what it is...? (Name of a franchise? Publishing house? Computer?? Were those titles published only in Japan? What other titles were released under that "brand"?)

[Erwin_Br]

The inventory system in Kyrandia alsways seemed a bit awkward to me. I mean, you can for example pick up a drop of water from your inventory and put it on the ground and pick it back up.

--Erwin

[eriq]

Originally Posted by Rusty

*rubbing hands with delight*

LOL. sorry, I just love when people type little things like this because I imagine them really doing them and it just cracks me up. Can you see us all LOL! constantly? or **gives remixor the evil eye and snarls** hahahaa

so hilarious.

**puts hand on belly and laughs heartily like the chubby joke man on the bottom floor of the mansion in Day of the Tentacle**

[AGA]

Originally Posted by Rusty

I only heard the name "FMTowns" recently - would anyone please explain what it is...? (Name of a franchise? Publishing house? Computer?? Were those titles published only in Japan? What other titles were released under that "brand"?)

FMTowns was a Japanese home console system, with a CD drive, I think. LucasArts from some bizarre reason redid Zak, Loom and Indy Last Crusade in 256 colour with CD music for this console alone, and not for the PC... If you get hold of the CDs, you can play them using SCUMMVM, but they're impossible to find. I only found Zak256 after months of scouring FTP abandonware sites tryna find it.

[myhrik]

Impossible, sure, but did you see my eBay-link? Someone obviously wants to make a lot of money... I mean, this one is RARE, way rarer than the regular CD-ROM version of Loom.

Rusty, did the MP3 file you found sound like MIDI music or was it played by a real orchestra? You see, all the music from Loom is actually taken from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It fits the game beautifully, and I can't imagine the game without that music, but it sure ain't an original score...

[eriq]

Originally Posted by myhrik

Impossible, sure, but did you see my eBay-link? Someone obviously wants to make a lot of money... I mean, this one is RARE, way rarer than the regular CD-ROM version of Loom.

It's definetely WAY more rare than the regular CD version of Loom from the states. The packaging is completely different and the contents of the box are a bit changed as well. The actual game, however, I don't think was changed for this version since it was already in 256 for the CD version in the US. I'm not too sure about the music though.

The ZAK FMtowns version is definetely unique. Aside from new music, it sports completely redrawn 256 color graphics. I have yet to see more than a few screenshots of this version but I would LOVE to play it someday. The ScummVM stuff confuses me. The last time I tried to play Zak FMtowns was with some strange downloaded disc image or something and I couldn't get it to setup correctly on my system.

[AGA]

Well like I said, I have a downloaded copy if you're interested. You ain't gonna find a genuine copy no matter how hard you look

With SCUMMVM all you need is to have all the game files in a directory, tell SCUMMVM what directory, and voila! it runs. I've played it through many times without a glitch.

[Zanthia]

Originally Posted by Erwin_Br

The inventory system in Kyrandia alsways seemed a bit awkward to me. I mean, you can for example pick up a drop of water from your inventory and put it on the ground and pick it back up.

--Erwin

Why not? U must just put it in some oil. or magic. Speaking of the inventory, the number of places in it was limited and sometimes u just got to decide what to leave behind.

[Ninth]

...speaking of which, I never understood why they limited the inventory.
Apart from that, the story of Kyrandia and it's atmosphere being what it is, the way the inventory was used seemed quite logical to me.

[eriq]

Originally Posted by Zanthia

Why not? U must just put it in some oil. or magic.

Awwwwww! <poke poke>

[Ninth]

By the way, original inventory system make the games like Kyrandia or Loom all the more refreshing to replay. I'm in my third time on Hand of Fate, and each time I had to readapt myself to the gameplay, which I find entertaining, while the "good old" broken sword 1 system is growing old on me. (the Longuest Journey, Black Mirror, ...)

[eriq]

I bet you guys haven't found the bloody beating heart in Hand of Fate!!!

[djsouza]

I like Loom...but not THAT much.

Although the interface was very unique, I thought the game was very limited, with only a few hotspots and characters to interact. It was definitely short, no doubt about that.

Also, I just did not enjoyed the way they handled the beggining of the game. It felt rushed. The game do not have a beggining at alll, unless you read the manual or listen to the cassette tape that came with it (that was one of the things that I did not like about GK3, by the way).

And the ending left a lot unanswered. It did not felt like an ending, it felt like a "to be continued". And the fact that it is very unlikely we will see a sequel for this game makes the ending of Loom look even worse IMHO.

But I MUST say, Loom is one of the most original games I ever played. The musical interface is great (too bad they never used it again), the graphics are excelent and the setting is interesting and mysterious.

My only complains are that the game felt unfinished: no beggining, no ending, limited gameplay and different versions (disks or CD). To me, it seems that the creators of the game had not much time to finish it properly, that they had to rush things in order to deliver it in schedule.

Maybe, someday, we will see Loom 2...

[remixor]

djsouza: You've definitely got some valid issues there. I sort of disagree about the ending though. To me it really felt like the end of an entire age. Bobbin's actions led to a new beginning, but only because of the utter end of the current era. It would have been great to explore in the sequel (which was originally planned), but as it stands I think there was plenty of closure.

[myhrik]

I think Loom's ending is fantastic. So what if things are left unanswered? That's what's so great about it - it makes you think.

Sometimes we don't want all the answers, and the overall story and its final effect on us will be all the better for it. Just think about the ending of Blade Runner (the movie) - the original cinematic cut vs. the director's cut... Ok, maybe not exactly the same thing, but anyway...

[Zanthia]

There are just 2 many games with end wheach solves everything. A bit variety won't hurt.

[Kolzig]

So where's Brian Moriarty these days?

Is he still in business?