Shit Game Time: Death Mask, a poor Doom?!

ZEUSDAZ · 14 February 2021, 19:09

Hi all, It's a new episode of "Shit Game Time" and It's Amiga's turn this time round.

This is not just a normal "Shit Game Time" video and not a normal paid request, this edition has been paid and requested by the actual programmer of this game Mark Page who insists this is a bad game, I give you Death Mask on the Amiga.
This should prove interesting knowing he and the others involved programming it are watching

Death Mask SGT Review Video: [ Show youtube player ]

Foebane · 14 February 2021, 21:12

I just had a go at this game following your review on WHDLoad on WinUAE, using the arrow keys for movement and LCtrl for fire, and I see where you're coming from.

Maybe, to save your rare joysticks, you should play under emulation? I found that holding down the up and down keys brought up the map easily.

I also don't know if you mentioned it in your review, but there is a compass in the top-left corner of the screen, indicating N,S,E,W - yes, it is fiddly, and the S is a pixellated mess, but it was better than nothing.

I will say one thing, however: the maps are far too big and not exactly easy to negotiate, and I died before I got half-way through the map, though I got further than you did - it seems the enemies shoot faster than the player.

In any case, I get where you're coming from, and I too wouldn't want to revisit this. It took ages to load, for one thing, and I thought a couple of times it had crashed.

Steve · 14 February 2021, 21:28

Amiga Format seemed to like it. They gave it 77% back in March 1995.

https://amr.abime.net/review_3139

'Head-to-head, this is the best two-player game to date in '95.'

jotd · 14 February 2021, 22:05

It's not that bad considering it runs on standard amigas. A lot of cheating on the 3D had to be done for that.

rabidgerry · 14 February 2021, 22:15

I already left my comment on the youtube, I played this game a lot back in the day and loved it and completed it. Could have been better with in game music, bit more variety but it's defo not shit to me but I can see why people have problems with it. A shit game for me is something unplayable that is.......well shit like the Amiga Super Hang On. This doesn't qualify for me as it's playable. I had no issues with the controls myself and the map I was able to get up without issues. I'd hardly crucify the game over the map even if it is a bad idea to have "wiggle joystick" as a means of control.

Predseda · 14 February 2021, 23:11

I did not like that game, but comparison with Doom is not fair, this game is more like a dungeon crawler than FPS. Also it offers two players mode and has a compass, no matter how much ZEUS is unable to spot it. Waggling the joystick for calling a map is a terrible idea for sure and the game looks amateurish and boring, but is playable on unexpanded 7MHz Amiga 500.

Seiya · 14 February 2021, 23:47

Death Mask is like Dungeon Master with arcade gameplay and better texture. Ok, it run on Amiga 500, but both OCS and AGA has not texture on floors and in single player you cannot play in fullscreen.
in my issue 64 of REV'n'GE! you can read my review about this game

stevsurv · 15 February 2021, 10:36

This game was good when it came out. Not much doom type games out at that time for Amiga. The way to bring up the map was stupid. Gloom was a pile of blocky shite.

dreadnought · 15 February 2021, 11:38

So, nowadays people pay actual money for others to rant about some old games? I guess an old fossil like me really is behind the times

Mad-Matt · 15 February 2021, 12:40

I thought Death Mask was pretty good for fps style game on my old A600. Citadel wasn't in any way playable )and I don't recall any others that ran on an unexpanded 500/600. The difficulty / speed in which the enemies do damage is probably my only complaint. It really ramps up later in the game.

I wonder if Death Mask was an Alien Breed game, would it have been better regarded.

d4rk3lf · 15 February 2021, 12:56

I have to agreed with others here.
Haven't been playing it a lot, but the gameplay is really good.
I love that they added 1 or 2 frames between rotation, and it really added to overall smoothness, even the game is played like Dungeon Master.

Back in the day, people played a lot of DeathMask multiplayer.

CodyJarrett · 15 February 2021, 13:00

I thought that Death Mask was a reasonable game too.

Although the gameplay is closer to Dungeon Master or Hired Guns, at the time it was advertised as a Doom clone in order to get on the bandwagon:

"SUPERB DOOM STYLE ACTION 95% ADRENALIN [sic] !"

Foebane · 15 February 2021, 13:14

I have to ask one question, come to think of it: Why are your enemies in Death Mask twice as tall as you?

Shoonay · 15 February 2021, 13:24

Had fun with it back on my A600, even though I discovered it pretty late, 1997 or 1998.
Complated and still have all the codes written down in my special codes/hints book.

Foebane · 15 February 2021, 13:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoonay

Complated and still have all the codes written down in my special codes/hints book.

Those codes are also all written down in the Readme file for the game's WHDLoad slave.

Shoonay · 15 February 2021, 13:38

I think they might be also on this thing called the Interwebz or something, but we didn't have that back in the 90's...

Foebane · 15 February 2021, 13:48

I believe they'll still have to be written down on a piece of paper when you come to running the game, unless you have a PC and an Amiga side-by-side, or even two Amigas, one web-capable.

sneckburger · 15 February 2021, 14:06

This was one of few games I bought, it was late on but it meant I could get a taste of Doom without having to spend a fortune on a PC. It was OK, wouldn't say S**t. Definitely playable, bit short and easy tho from what I remember.

Foebane · 15 February 2021, 14:33

Can you strafe in Death Mask? Would make it much easier to navigate the mazes, I think.

Predseda · 15 February 2021, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foebane

Can you strafe in Death Mask? Would make it much easier to navigate the mazes, I think.

According to the manual: no

14 February 2021, 19:09	#1
ZEUSDAZ Registered User Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: England Posts: 742	Shit Game Time: Death Mask, a poor Doom?! Hi all, It's a new episode of "Shit Game Time" and It's Amiga's turn this time round. This is not just a normal "Shit Game Time" video and not a normal paid request, this edition has been paid and requested by the actual programmer of this game Mark Page who insists this is a bad game, I give you Death Mask on the Amiga. This should prove interesting knowing he and the others involved programming it are watching Death Mask SGT Review Video: [ Show youtube player ]

14 February 2021, 23:47	#7
Seiya Registered User Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Italy Posts: 2,342	Death Mask is like Dungeon Master with arcade gameplay and better texture. Ok, it run on Amiga 500, but both OCS and AGA has not texture on floors and in single player you cannot play in fullscreen. in my issue 64 of REV'n'GE! you can read my review about this game Last edited by Seiya; 14 February 2021 at 23:53.

15 February 2021, 10:36	#8
stevsurv Beta 1.666 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: in 1985 Posts: 384	This game was good when it came out. Not much doom type games out at that time for Amiga. The way to bring up the map was stupid. Gloom was a pile of blocky shite. Last edited by stevsurv; 15 February 2021 at 10:43.

15 February 2021, 14:06	#18
sneckburger Registered User Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Wakefield Posts: 203	This was one of few games I bought, it was late on but it meant I could get a taste of Doom without having to spend a fortune on a PC. It was OK, wouldn't say S*t. Definitely playable, bit short and easy tho from what I remember. Last edited by sneckburger; 15 February 2021 at 14:14.*

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14 February 2021, 21:12	#2
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	I just had a go at this game following your review on WHDLoad on WinUAE, using the arrow keys for movement and LCtrl for fire, and I see where you're coming from. Maybe, to save your rare joysticks, you should play under emulation? I found that holding down the up and down keys brought up the map easily. I also don't know if you mentioned it in your review, but there is a compass in the top-left corner of the screen, indicating N,S,E,W - yes, it is fiddly, and the S is a pixellated mess, but it was better than nothing. I will say one thing, however: the maps are far too big and not exactly easy to negotiate, and I died before I got half-way through the map, though I got further than you did - it seems the enemies shoot faster than the player. In any case, I get where you're coming from, and I too wouldn't want to revisit this. It took ages to load, for one thing, and I thought a couple of times it had crashed.

14 February 2021, 21:28	#3
Steve I Identify as an Ewok Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: North Lincolnshire Age: 45 Posts: 2,356	Amiga Format seemed to like it. They gave it 77% back in March 1995. https://amr.abime.net/review_3139 'Head-to-head, this is the best two-player game to date in '95.'

14 February 2021, 22:05	#4
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,161	It's not that bad considering it runs on standard amigas. A lot of cheating on the 3D had to be done for that.

14 February 2021, 22:15	#5
rabidgerry Registered User Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,512	I already left my comment on the youtube, I played this game a lot back in the day and loved it and completed it. Could have been better with in game music, bit more variety but it's defo not shit to me but I can see why people have problems with it. A shit game for me is something unplayable that is.......well shit like the Amiga Super Hang On. This doesn't qualify for me as it's playable. I had no issues with the controls myself and the map I was able to get up without issues. I'd hardly crucify the game over the map even if it is a bad idea to have "wiggle joystick" as a means of control.

14 February 2021, 23:11	#6
Predseda Puttymoon inhabitant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tromaville Age: 46 Posts: 7,539	I did not like that game, but comparison with Doom is not fair, this game is more like a dungeon crawler than FPS. Also it offers two players mode and has a compass, no matter how much ZEUS is unable to spot it. Waggling the joystick for calling a map is a terrible idea for sure and the game looks amateurish and boring, but is playable on unexpanded 7MHz Amiga 500.

15 February 2021, 11:38	#9
dreadnought Registered User Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Ur, Atlantis Posts: 1,899	So, nowadays people pay actual money for others to rant about some old games? I guess an old fossil like me really is behind the times

15 February 2021, 12:40	#10
Mad-Matt Longplayer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Lincoln / UK Age: 44 Posts: 1,846	I thought Death Mask was pretty good for fps style game on my old A600. Citadel wasn't in any way playable )and I don't recall any others that ran on an unexpanded 500/600. The difficulty / speed in which the enemies do damage is probably my only complaint. It really ramps up later in the game. I wonder if Death Mask was an Alien Breed game, would it have been better regarded.

15 February 2021, 12:56	#11
d4rk3lf Registered User Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Novi Sad, Serbia Posts: 1,645	I have to agreed with others here. Haven't been playing it a lot, but the gameplay is really good. I love that they added 1 or 2 frames between rotation, and it really added to overall smoothness, even the game is played like Dungeon Master. Back in the day, people played a lot of DeathMask multiplayer.

15 February 2021, 13:00	#12
CodyJarrett Global Moderator Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: UK Age: 46 Posts: 6,160	I thought that Death Mask was a reasonable game too. Although the gameplay is closer to Dungeon Master or Hired Guns, at the time it was advertised as a Doom clone in order to get on the bandwagon: "SUPERB DOOM STYLE ACTION 95% ADRENALIN [sic] !"

15 February 2021, 13:14	#13
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	I have to ask one question, come to think of it: Why are your enemies in Death Mask twice as tall as you?

15 February 2021, 13:24	#14
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,105	Had fun with it back on my A600, even though I discovered it pretty late, 1997 or 1998. Complated and still have all the codes written down in my special codes/hints book.

15 February 2021, 13:38	#16
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,105	I think they might be also on this thing called the Interwebz or something, but we didn't have that back in the 90's...

15 February 2021, 13:48	#17
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	I believe they'll still have to be written down on a piece of paper when you come to running the game, unless you have a PC and an Amiga side-by-side, or even two Amigas, one web-capable.

15 February 2021, 14:33	#19
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	Can you strafe in Death Mask? Would make it much easier to navigate the mazes, I think.

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