Week 12 - Free game for the weekdays - Abuse a 2D platform shooter 'with editor'

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Week 12 - Free game for the weekdays - Abuse a 2D platform shooter 'with editor'

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Started 11 months ago by Whiterabbit-uk
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Whiterabbit-uk

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Games Guru

Abuse: (2.98Mb)

Although today’s game is a DOS based game it has been made to work at least in XP. Unfortunately I got rid of my Vista system (I’m waiting for the next one), so can’t say whether it will work; though it may be worth trying it out via DOSBox, but for XP you don’t need to.

I know I posted a shooter yesterday, but couldn’t resist posting another one today. It is a little different though as it is a side scrolling shooter as opposed to the 3D shooter you got yesterday.

This is in actual fact not the original Abuse that some may remember, but one that a fan base build up from the original graphics. The beauty of this game is that a levels editor is included for those interested in making their own levels. Considering the graphics are DOS based they are actually quite good in my opinion, though don’t expect cutting edge graphics. You can read a few fan written reviews by following the download link. There are a few on the same page, all giving it a good rating. It’s been likened to a 2D version of MDK a game that I used to play with my son quite a few years ago and also Metroid, though the graphics of Abuse are supposed to be better. Others even compare it to Aliens v Predator, so do check it out and tell me what you think.

There’s a variety of mutated prisoners and prison guards to fight off, and you can blast some walls away to reveal secret passages or compartments where you’ll find extra ammo and health packs, or alternatively a nest of mutants. You can get a good idea as to what the game looks like by checking out the videos and images that I’ve posted links to below.

Check out the review I’ve copied from Gamespot below:

As side-scrolling shooter games go, there hasn't been much innovation since, say, the old coin-op game Elevator Action. Sure, there've been a few crazy characters with quirky attributes like Mario, Sonic, and Earthworm Jim. And maybe there've been some minor additions: upgradeable weapons, hidden one-ups, incredibly mean bosses, and bonus levels. Then there's the technological advances such as parallax scrolling (if I had a dime for every time I've heard the phrase, "Our game has more layers of scrolling backgrounds than …" I'd be a very rich man). But in terms of actual play, not much has changed in the side-scrolling, jumping and bumping, shooting and ducking, horizontal platform-game genre. Until now.

In one swift stroke, Crack dot Com's debut game, Abuse, has changed side-scrolling platform shooters forever, and all because of this game's superior control. The genre's main shortcoming has always been that your character must fire in the direction that you are traveling. Abuse solves this problem by allowing your character to shoot independently of the direction you happen to be pointing or traveling. Instead of using the keyboard for directional shooting, the game uses the mouse's smooth moving action to position a set of cross-hairs anywhere on the screen, saving the arrow keys for movement alone. This innovation lets your character run and jump wildly about the screen, while staying calmly focused on a target. The game's level design re-creates Doom's anticipation, astonishment, and challenge, without ever seeming derivative. Everywhere you explore you'll encounter the eerie animal noises of frightening, mutated beasts who are waiting to leap out at you from dark corridors. You'll also hear sophisticated explosion sounds, including a hauntingly detailed rattle as your exploded target's pieces scatter across the floor. Often you'll find yourself in desperate situations that seem too tough to conquer, but a little regrouping, strategic planning, and mucho bravado will get you through—just in time for the next, equally difficult barrier. Without its unique control, Abuse would still be a solidly-built shooter, with smooth animation, excellent sound design, and some interesting weapons. But, with its unique mouse and keyboard interface, Abuse stands alone as an amazingly innovative game, and one not to be missed.

Reference: http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/abuse/review.html Accessed Oct 2nd 08

Enjoy!

Download Link

http://www.acid-play.com/download/abuse/

Video:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ojrzuW2ZsEU

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PMFUOUz2TZw&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hj1m6Jt5BNw&NR=1

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VzYUA-Zmea8&feature=related

There’s some more video’s that you can access when you go to one of the above links, though they all show basically the same stuff.

Images:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=abuse+game&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

Posted 11 months ago #
midori

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Member

Wow, looks like you posted this one three times, Stephen... enthusiastic? :D Looked at an image or two, and the layout reminds me of the old Duke Nukem Manhattan Project which I enjoyed immensely. Enough for it to start me on my game-buying binge that has yet to end. So I'll give this one a go also. Thanks! :)

Posted 11 months ago #
Whiterabbit-uk

online
Games Guru

I don't know how I posted it three times. I do have a problem with this keyboard; sometimes a key sticks and causes repeats. That's the only thing I can think of to explain what has happened. Anyway, I've closed two of the threads. The following post has been moved from one of them:

I forgot to add the following 'important' details

The game is controlled by both the mouse and keyboard. Basic controls include movement keys - WASD and fire weapon - Left Mouse button. When you first start the game up, the menus are selected using the cursor/arrow keys and activated using the return key.

This first step is a configuration step which, you'll only need to do this once, provided you do it correctly, because the game will thereafter start up directly from the games shorcut. In game menus are selected using the mouse pointer and left mouse button.

When starting the game up you will need to select the appropriate action such as auto detect, then use the return key to activate the choice. You have to go through three or four screens before the game starts up if you select auto detect, and a message will pop up, saying "If this machine contains a SCSI hard disk it is unadvisablle to proceed with the auto detection process as data loss can occur"

However, that said, you don't need to use the auto detect function, just scroll down the menu (using the cursor keys)to okay.

The game shortcut looks like a DOS shortcut, so if anyone decides to create a suitable icon for this game please do upload it for everyone, thank you ;) lol.

There are four difficulty settings Wimp, Easy, Medium and Extreme. I hope you like the game.

Hopefully I'll be posting a puzzle game soon. :)

Posted 11 months ago #
ringo2312

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Member

Hi guys
Every time I try to run this, I get the error "The video device failed to initialize for fullscreen mode. Choose Close to terminate...."

Any ideas please?

Win XP Pro SP3

Posted 11 months ago #
ringo2312

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Member

PS. I've tried compatibility mode and unchecking the read only and hidden boxes, but no luck!

Posted 11 months ago #
Whiterabbit-uk

online
Games Guru

What steps are you taking. That is from starting the game up. Do you get the initial configuration screen? Try playing it via DOSBox. Wizzard wrote a simple tutorial on how to set up DOSBox using Norton Commander (both free downloads), so that all you need to do is add any DOS games into the folder you've configured to use and then click on the DOS shortcut which opens up Norton commander. from there you can easily select the executable. As the game was designed to play ijn a DOS environment you may have better luck.

The post is in one of the free games for the weekday threads from week 10, but offhand I can't remember which. I highly recommend you try it, especially if you like platform shooters as this is a good one in my opinion.

I hope this solves your problem. If not I'll think of something else for you (though no promises)

regards

Stephen

Posted 11 months ago #
ringo2312

offline
Member

Stephen
Thank you for your reply, but I have been given a link to a version that runs perfectly in XP-

http://abuse-game.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=58

I shall look for the post you mention about DOSBox as I have several Dos games I'd like to play again.

Thanks again

Matty

PS found the post, here it is for anyone else who may need it -

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/4248

Posted 11 months ago #
Whiterabbit-uk

online
Games Guru

Hi Ringo,

I usually try to find the authors site if I can, but for some reason didn't bother with Abuse, so thank you for posting the link. Although you can make your own levels using the Abuse editor, for those who don't like to bother, or can't be bothered, or think it will be too hard, there are actually several downloadable custom made levels to add to the game. Nice one Ringo :)

As for DOSBox, I'm discovering more and more games that I think are brilliant. I am a bit of a graphics whore, so thought I'd be a little wary of playing any of the old DOS games, but when I first got Darklands working via DOSBox, I was really taken with the novelty of it, so checked out several games and loved the experience, besides, many of the old DOS games are brilliant apart from the graphics and as I've said previously, graphics are not necessarily that important. Yeah, they can enhance the playing experience no end for example, I bought the whole Civilization IV package (Civilization IV plus two expansion packs Warlords and Beyond the Sword and the standalone Civilization IV: Colonization) on the strength of playing Civilization 1 & 2 which I'd rediscovered only a few months ago thanks to the free games project that me and Wizzard run on these forums. After playing the latest version for several days I'm not sure whether I prefer the original 'uncluttered' one, which apart from several new units has basically the same game play apart from better graphics. And on re-discovering Darklands, I remembered the thousands of hours I'd spent playing that game in the mid 90's and after playing it again following it's rediscovery, I could see why I'd spent so much time playing it back then. The game play for both those games is unsurpassed in my opinion. I'm really looking forwards to rediscovering the many games I played, not only on the early 286.386 and 486's, but of the commodores and Sega Mega drive as well. (I’ve never had a play station).

Rock on retro games.

Posted 11 months ago #

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