Ion Fury (previously Ion Maiden) is true example of how you really don’t need to push graphics ever closer to realism to achieve something ridiculously good.
Developed by Voidpoint and 3D Realms, using the Build game engine which powered some other classics like Duke Nukem 3D, Blood and Shadow Warrior it released recently with same-day Linux support showing others how it’s done. While it’s retro in many ways, there is of course a vast amount of modern touches like improved physics and map interactions, auto-saves, being able to actually do a headshot, higher resolution support and so on.
Here’s the thing, I grew up with games like Duke and I’ve seen gaming progress from the Amiga to where we are now. There came a point, where I grew massively tired of retro-inspired flashbacks and in some ways I am still tired of it. However, Ion Fury is a very different sort of brew. The best thing about Ion Fury is that it might seem like other classics but it has a different and refreshing feel to it.
Much like the inspirations it’s fast, in your face loud and explosive and a ride that just doesn’t stop at any moment to let you get off. Rushing through it probably isn’t a great idea though, Ion Fury does reward those who do a little exploration with more health, ammo, armour and some fun little secrets.
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The trouble is, while I just mentioned not to rush, it's damn hard not to just run around blasting everything in sight.
Each weapon feels like it actually has a purpose, unlike some shooters where you just constantly look for ammo for one particular piece. Get in close with the shotgun and do some serious in your face damage for a brute that requires it, use Loverboy’s alternative fire when faced with those pesky jumping spider-faces or toss a couple of grenades when you get them to group up to create a hilarious meat grinder. I'm completely torn on what weapon is my favourite! Although the double SMG is quite satisfying, especially when it sets enemies on fire.
It honestly has some of the most satisfying run and gun action I’ve seen for a long time. Despite the retro look, the weapons really do feel amazing. There's also some fantastic music, some amusing one-liners although they don't always work and enemies that will keep you on your toes.
As far as I am concerned, the game is fantastic. It’s so ridiculously entertaining it’s crazy. For a throwback, it's close to perfection in my eyes. If you’re a fan of first-person shooters, you need this. If we can get more developers making games like this again on Linux, I will be extremely happy.
What's really missing though is multiplayer, it would have been an incredibly fun addition to the game. It's planned but they're not giving out dates on when we can expect it to arrive.
You can pick it up on GOG and Steam.
However, it’s pretty unfortunate that I have to mention this and I feel I need to so you’re fully informed: Voidpoint have been embroiled in some controversy recently, after ResetEra dug up some old statements members of their team made in Discord, plus an issue in the game itself. I was sent the statement Voidpoint made, which I will quote in full below:
"Members of Voidpoint’s Ion Fury team have made sexist and transphobic comments, and included homophobic language in Ion Fury.
We recognize these statements are insensitive, unacceptable, and counterproductive to causes of equality. We unequivocally apologize both for these comments and language as well as for any pain they have caused the gaming community, particularly women and members of the LGBTQ community. We take full responsibility for any damage that has been done to the relationships we've worked so hard to build.
Moving forward, we at Voidpoint will institute a zero-tolerance policy for this type of language and all employees and contractors will undergo mandatory sensitivity training. As part of our efforts to contribute to the work that must be done to further support these communities, we are donating $10,000 from Ion Fury's release day proceeds to The Trevor Project. We are also patching Ion Fury ASAP to remove all unacceptable language."
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: NezchanQuoting: einherjarQuoting: NezchanNothin' a trans person liked better than being lectured about what isn't transphobic, lol.
Trans people don't have the monoply to decide, what one is allowed to say and what not. Also none trans people are allowed to have an opinion, different from the opinion of trans people (and vice versa). This is not the ending of the age.
Just because someone is outraged/offended, does not automatically mean, this person is right.
The corollary of that is that trans people (and other minority groups) have a hell of a lot more experience encountering this stuff and will thusly be a lot better at identifying it than people who don't, by virtue of them encountering it all the damn time.
No, that is your opinion, not a fact!
Trans people do not have better abilities to identify, what others think or mean. That is something everyone learns.
Perhaps there is another correlation, namely self-fullfilling-prophecy. If you are sure, that others disrespect you, you will always find a proof for that, if you search eager enough.
Quoting: NezchanJust because you lable someone's concerns as "just offended over nothing" doesn't mean you're right.
I did not do that. Please do not quote me wrong.
Today we often have the situation, that the most outraged people get their will. And that is what really concerns me. The arguments get often non-relevant.
In my opinion these "getting outraged/offended" industrie in social media is often a strategy to oppress the opnion of others. And of course it really helps, to get arguments in the background.
Quoting: LonsforThey targeted gamers.I disagree with your negative stereotype of gamers as assholes with no values except contrariness and competition.
Gamers.
We're a group of people who will sit for hours, days, even weeks on end performing some of the hardest, most mentally demanding tasks. Over, and over, and over all for nothing more than a little digital token saying we did.
We'll punish our selfs doing things others would consider torture, because we think it's fun.
We'll spend most if not all of our free time min maxing the stats of a fictional character all to draw out a single extra point of damage per second.
Many of us have made careers out of doing just these things: slogging through the grind, all day, the same quests over and over, hundreds of times to the point where we know evety little detail such that some have attained such gamer nirvana that they can literally play these games blindfolded.
Do these people have any idea how many controllers have been smashed, systems over heated, disks and carts destroyed 8n frustration? All to latter be referred to as bragging rights?
These people honestly think this is a battle they can win? They take our media? We're already building a new one without them. They take our devs? Gamers aren't shy about throwing their money else where, or even making the games our selves. They think calling us racist, mysoginistic, rape apologists is going to change us? We've been called worse things by prepubescent 10 year olds with a shitty head set. They picked a fight against a group that's already grown desensitized to their strategies and methods. Who enjoy the battle of attrition they've threatened us with. Who take it as a challange when they tell us we no longer matter. Our obsession with proving we can after being told we can't is so deeply ingrained from years of dealing with big brothers/sisters and friends laughing at how pathetic we used to be that proving you people wrong has become a very real need; a honed reflex.
Gamers are competative, hard core, by nature. We love a challange. The worst thing you did in all of this was to challange us. You're not special, you're not original, you're not the first; this is just another boss fight.
rustybroomhandle Aug 23, 2019
Quoting: LonsforThey targeted gamers.
Gamers.
We're a group of people who will sit for hours, days, even weeks on end performing some of the hardest, most mentally demanding tasks. Over, and over, and over all for nothing more than a little digital token saying we did.
We'll punish our selfs doing things others would consider torture, because we think it's fun.
We'll spend most if not all of our free time min maxing the stats of a fictional character all to draw out a single extra point of damage per second.
Many of us have made careers out of doing just these things: slogging through the grind, all day, the same quests over and over, hundreds of times to the point where we know evety little detail such that some have attained such gamer nirvana that they can literally play these games blindfolded.
Do these people have any idea how many controllers have been smashed, systems over heated, disks and carts destroyed 8n frustration? All to latter be referred to as bragging rights?
These people honestly think this is a battle they can win? They take our media? We're already building a new one without them. They take our devs? Gamers aren't shy about throwing their money else where, or even making the games our selves. They think calling us racist, mysoginistic, rape apologists is going to change us? We've been called worse things by prepubescent 10 year olds with a shitty head set. They picked a fight against a group that's already grown desensitized to their strategies and methods. Who enjoy the battle of attrition they've threatened us with. Who take it as a challange when they tell us we no longer matter. Our obsession with proving we can after being told we can't is so deeply ingrained from years of dealing with big brothers/sisters and friends laughing at how pathetic we used to be that proving you people wrong has become a very real need; a honed reflex.
Gamers are competative, hard core, by nature. We love a challange. The worst thing you did in all of this was to challange us. You're not special, you're not original, you're not the first; this is just another boss fight.
This is the most braindead thing I have read all week, thank you for the laugh.
But anyway, "gamers" is just people who play games. You're not some special anything. Games make you feel empowered and every game revolves around you, which is probably why you think real life works like this. It does not.
Nobody's calling gamers sexist, racist, etc. People call racists racist. They call sexists sexist. That's it.
And this is important: NOBODY IS TRYING TO TAKE AWAY YOUR VIDEO GAMES*
*except Donald Trump and friends, but that's another discussion.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: LonsforThey targeted gamers.I disagree with your negative stereotype of gamers as assholes with no values except contrariness and competition.
Gamers.
We're a group of people who will sit for hours, days, even weeks on end performing some of the hardest, most mentally demanding tasks. Over, and over, and over all for nothing more than a little digital token saying we did.
We'll punish our selfs doing things others would consider torture, because we think it's fun.
We'll spend most if not all of our free time min maxing the stats of a fictional character all to draw out a single extra point of damage per second.
Many of us have made careers out of doing just these things: slogging through the grind, all day, the same quests over and over, hundreds of times to the point where we know evety little detail such that some have attained such gamer nirvana that they can literally play these games blindfolded.
Do these people have any idea how many controllers have been smashed, systems over heated, disks and carts destroyed 8n frustration? All to latter be referred to as bragging rights?
These people honestly think this is a battle they can win? They take our media? We're already building a new one without them. They take our devs? Gamers aren't shy about throwing their money else where, or even making the games our selves. They think calling us racist, mysoginistic, rape apologists is going to change us? We've been called worse things by prepubescent 10 year olds with a shitty head set. They picked a fight against a group that's already grown desensitized to their strategies and methods. Who enjoy the battle of attrition they've threatened us with. Who take it as a challange when they tell us we no longer matter. Our obsession with proving we can after being told we can't is so deeply ingrained from years of dealing with big brothers/sisters and friends laughing at how pathetic we used to be that proving you people wrong has become a very real need; a honed reflex.
Gamers are competative, hard core, by nature. We love a challange. The worst thing you did in all of this was to challange us. You're not special, you're not original, you're not the first; this is just another boss fight.
its a copypasta, is supposed to be ironic.
rustybroomhandle Aug 23, 2019
Quoting: GuestSeriously, how dumb do you think we are to fall for this?
Quite a bit.
Quoting: rustybroomhandlePeople call racists racist. They call sexists sexist. That's it.Oh, if only it were that simple.
Quoting: rustybroomhandleBut anyway, "gamers" is just people who play games. You're not some special anything.
Indeed. I find it strange, that gamers are put into some category that implies some behavioral or social attributes. It's simply wrong, and I think it comes from the old and false stereotype of "adults don't play games", from those who had no appreciation for games as a form of art. Today this notion for the most part is debunked, but "gamers" as some special category still persists because of it. In essence, it's like saying "book readers" or "music listeners". Would you make some social categorization based on that? I wouldn't, it's way too broad to make such generalizations. Same thing with games.
Last edited by Shmerl on 23 August 2019 at 10:18 pm UTC
Which in itself would have just been business as usual.
When you look at the game rating, it was also obvious that this was very much a storm in a teacup - before 3DR's "apology". The game sat at 94%+, pretty much as it had all the time, despite the "controversy".
The reason is simply that most peole don't care about conjured up imaginary issues. Someone is offended on behalf of other people by "ogay" and a "fagbag". The horror! Whatever will we do...
But people care very much about integrity, and 3DR & Voidpoint (not 100% sure if Voidpoint had a say in the matter, though) showed that they have absolutely 0 of that, as they changed their own game to appease a small group of people, who are permanently offended by everything anyway and wouldn't have cared about the game if there was no offense to be had from it. It is very much a "boy that cried wolf" situation.
I would have requested a refund, as I just don't want to support developers who cave in to some raging Twitter mob, but played too long already.
Now I have a game in my library that is actually pretty great, but even starting it leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth that I just can't. What a shame.
Quoting: SamsaiNo, those two things are not necessarily anti-trans ("fagbag" probably still isn't nice though), but the whole anti-trans stuff happened on the Discord chat, not in in-game textures.So what?
If people don't like what a developer has to say in their free time or don't agree with their opinion, they are free to not support this developer. I sure don't buy games from developers who I do not want to support.
But what happened here was the typical Twitter hatemob forming, demanding blood. And - even worse - the publisher/developer actually listened to that mob instead of listening to the people who bought their game and supported them.
It's quite a miracle no dev got fired over this as a pawn sacrifice - yet.
- The speed of the gameplay was unrealistically high
- It had a bad oneliners
- The plot was very brief
- It had way too many explosions
All in all... It was perfect! :D
Quoting: Faalhaas- It had a bad oneliners
One-liners are actually quite good. When dispatching another cyborg:
— "I don't think it's covered under warranty."
— "Some assembly required."
— "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!"
Finding the disperser:
— "I spray, you pray!"
And so on.
Ads are also hilarious "Addictive soda", "McMonster", "Worst National Bank" and etc.
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