which is the best

[octocon]

hi,

I've only ever played DM in my life and that was only half way thru since around my time i was only in my early teens and well my sis bought DM and as i recall not many ppl knew about it, so for me the game was scary (at the time) since there was no music and the game was complex for my age. So I think its fantastic that i can hav another stabb at the game.

My cousin owned CSB and well altho i was interested i never completed DM and that meant i couldn't be arsed until i finished DM (which was never). To my surprise CSB is downlable (thank god) so that leaves the other games...

DM2 i never heard of, Therons quest looks shite and Nexus looks great but i hav to buy a dreamcast first (no chance).

only one main question left... Which DM game is best?! there must be certain preferences and reasons for them. I'd like to know as i briefly remember that CSB was a beast of a squel, it was the talk of the times...

only looking at the characters i find that CSB one look too mystic (lots of bird creatures and the likes), the characters looks back to normal in DM2.
I know u can port over ur characters from DM and can the same be done in DM2? if so is it worth doing in both cases?
AND i do like the intro story at the beginning of each manual-maybe they should hav written a book about DM neone know if they hav .

can nexus be ported over to PC it looks fantastic with the new gfx and stuff.

ahhh brings back the times of my oh so early teens, hehe games like Leisure suit larry and erm... starglider2 etc...
cheers for ne answers

[Tom Hatfield]

That's a very subjective question. You can't really ask which one is best and expect to get a solid answer. Some people prefer DM because of its serious, claustrophobic "trapped in a mad man's castle" feel. Others prefer DM2 because it's more expansive and colorful, and in general more vibrant (despite the constant rain and eerie music). Conversely, that's the precise reason old DM fans don't like DM2. You just have to try them all out and decide for yourself.

Unlike CSB, you cannot port your old characters into DM2.

Theron's Quest and Nexus are no longer available here. (That may change eventually, as Christophe has mentioned that he's rearranging his server to make space.) You don't need a Dreamcast to play Nexus . . . you need a mod'ed Saturn. Except you don't really need that either because there is now an emulator that will run Nexus (though probably not at 100 percent accuracy). This was announced in the forum.

Is it worth porting your characters? In a way, yes. They're your characters after all. Whether or not it's reasonable depends on their levels. Examine the existing characters and decide if it would be worthwhile to bring yours back into the fray.

There are mixed feelings about Nexus. Just about everyone has agreed that the controls take some getting used to (especially ranged attacks). The game itself is essentially a rehash of the original DM, with a shiny new engine and a few new characters and puzzles. Plus it's Japanese. If you have the patience to slog through sloppy control and a foreign language, or if you absolutely must play every DM ever mad, then it might be the game for you.

[ChristopheF]

FYI, Theron's Quest and Nexus are available again since a few days...
I posted about that in the General forum.

Grab them before they disappear again!

Christophe

[FoxBat]

I don't know, it's harder to find DM2 fans than DM :p

Mainly because DM was THE standard, and inspired a lot of clones. Most of the clones were crap, some were very good although different. Compared to the better clones DM2 is not that special...

The main thing most DM clones seem to have forgotten is puzzles and traps, so that's what makes DM stand out from it's competition. (I also find DM highly immersive in a way no other 2D game ever was, it's taken 3D technology like Ultima Underworld to provide the same level of immersion...) DM2 used less puzzles and traps and went for more hack n slash like the contemporary clones, which is partly why I (and most professional game reviewers) was disapponted with it compared to the original.

Now CSB vs DM, that's the real debate, I personally favor CSB because of it's absolutely sick sense of humor (gotta love the "dead end" trap, illusionary dragon garden, etc.) with tons of traps and vicious puzzles. Though you probably wouldn't last a second without having cut your teeth on DM, it's almost more like an expansion pack than a proper sequel, something like Doom 2. (and just as awesome!)

[meynaf]

Well, I actually have a little preference for CSB and DM2.

DM1 is good and sets the standard. Its difficulty level is
well balanced, and raising while you progress.
Traps are clever and not too repetitive.
I know it too good, and got a little bored.

CSB is an innovative dungeon, and definitely NOT a bunch of
levels. It is logical though somehow chaotic, and I really
love this dungeon. No other dungeon game uses the z-coordinate
as part of the labyrinth like this.
But it might seem too difficult for some players.

DM2 has some unique features, like the monsters' behaviour.
They're not stupidly attacking until they die, they attempt to
move sideways to strike the party where it's less protected.
You can lit a fireplace by using a torch on it.
Some monsters can grab items and throw them at you, others will
push you into pits. They even try to avoid your projectiles !
Which other game has all this ? To the best of my knowledge,
none.

[Lost Prophet]

I didn't care too much for DM2 when it was released in 95.

Here is a review I wrote about it at the Games Domain website, 10 days after I bought the game.

www.gamesdomain.com//gdreview/zones/rev ... /dm2b.html