Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown

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I wouldn't call myself "old school", but I played the Commodore64 version of Defender of the Crown. A little bit; I had a friend that had a C64. However, I played the Apple //gs version of DOTC like it was some kind of nourishment. Safety, water, 2 servings of cereral, 2 servings of fruit, 2 of vegetables, 1 meat, and 1 DOTC.

Now, when RHdotc first came out, I wasn't paying much attention. I'd heard a bit about it, heard that it was Robin Hood and "mostly" a remake, figured it was a typical console game, and brushed the issue aside. But at some point, someone mentioned it (in a passing reference) about 4 or 5 months after it had came out, and I saw it in the vegetable section of the local supermarket.

It caught me, by surprise. Completely, from the beginning. Not like the Icewind, but as close as any other game could be expected to come under reasonable circumstances.

It was obvious this was no Kevin Costner flick, with an American Robin.

Granted that the orginal was a series of mini-games, but for some reason it never SEEMED like a collection of mini-games. It seemed like a strategic epic-adventure; my goal was to crush everyone, find a wife, starve the final lord, then annhilate him. I took great pleasure in holding the entire country except for that last county, and building up troops for my final assault; 255 of everything. That same tactic doesn't hold with the "new version", but there is a strategy to it that does work on a consistent basis. A bit more finesse, with timing being the most important factor rather than just raw strength, but an exploitable "weakness" none-the-less.

I've had this game for awhile now (think I bought it last November), but it pulls me back every couple of months. The archery isn't all that good, since the sensitivity of the mouse/trackball isn't tweaked very well. Out of everything else in the game, I am the poorest archer. Swordfighting is much more lengthy, but agrees with me and my "memory" of the original game. The castle sieges are quite excellent, and completely hold to the orginal. The field combat is probably it's weakest point, above and beyond the weakness of the archery. Point and clicking as fast as possible becomes the motility of a successful strategy, rather than clicking at the right time on the right tactic. Plus, "leadership" plays almost no role in the game, so you are penalized or rewarded an impreceptable amount for your victories; in the original incarnation, leadership was THE most influential attribute in the entire game. The jousts are a LOT easier, no matter which version of the game you compare; but to be honest, I totally perfer the new style. I used the keyboard-mouse on the //gs, and literally had a "code" to type in. 5-pixels per keypress, with a pause in each block of numbers, 68-66-5. Jousts were, and still are, a staple of the entire strategy of the game; it's like a free move where you can gain everything a turn could allow, at the burden of your opponents. You pick and choose from whom to win gold and land, and who to take out of the tournament with a "fame" grab.

It's an awesome game, with outstanding voice actors, and excellent movies. One of those "sleeper" games that has caught me, chronically. I don't believe I've played any other Cinemaware games, but this one certainly is worth it.



Anyone else played it?

 

I had considered picking it up, but I'd heard it was pretty god awful. I may have a look for it now though.

 

Basically, take the old Erol Flynn movie (minus the sex with two 14-year-old girls), and add 150mL of that. Then take some of the actual "historical" research, and add 150mL of that. Then take 500mL of the old game, coupled with 200mL of console interpretation.

Shake the hell out of it for about 4 or 5 hours. Drink with scotch or bourbon.

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At some point, years ago, I went through and looked up all the net information that I could find. Guy of Gisbourne was mostly a made-up generic mercenary that was as skillful as Robin, but everyone else may have actually had a place within his "Merry Men". They've figured out a couple of guys that may have been Robin in the Hood, as well as John Little and Maid Marian. And the Sheriff. The game denotes that historical context, just as a passing reference; if I were the usual 10-14 year old, I would think it just a part of their conversation and nothing more. But like all the subtle aspects of art and movies, it has just enough realism to spin a very good tale.

The only thing from the original that they've changed is the King. The original he was assassinated; this one, he's held ransom in Austria. If you free him, he will re-enforce you by 100 knights in the final battle. Which, of course, is a one-way-ticket; you cannot retreat from the final battle. So, it does end up being worth the 10,000 gold if you play the game right.

I damn all the other poor console remakes and conversions from prejudcing me from the enjoyment of this game. For 5 or 6 months, like I said.

I'm starting to feel the call of the Icewind, again, but for the meantime this one is keeping me warm.

errr. Cold.