Johnny Westland takes command after the captain has a little 'accident.'
The first item of business is to head back to the torpedo room and fix that stupid conveyor belt, which thankfully doesn't take too long. Johnny remembers to actually load the damn torpedo, avoiding yet another instadeath later, and heads back to the bridge.
The captain talks Johnny through another extremely boring driving sequence and then surfaces - where they have to go onto the bridge to see that there are two Russian warshps gunning for the Blackhawk! (Seriously, isn't that what periscopes are for? So subs can move around without exposing themselves like this?)
The Captain and Johnny discuss options and head below - but the Captain takes a horrible fall and suffers a head wound, leaving Johnny in command!
With warships after the Blackhawk!
And a newly-repaired torpedo launcher!
Ladies and gentlemen, it's about time to get some fight on!
Next update....
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Codename: Iceman Let's Play Part Ten: Shop Class
Johnny Westland remembers his eighth-grade shop class.
Hey, finally - some damn puzzle solving! Slightly less annoying than 'get this procedure exactly right or else you can't proceed' is this sequence, where Johnny Westland fixes two things wrong on the sub that you can miss completely unless you explore around.
The first is the loading mechanism for the torpedoes. The Old Salt complains about the torpedo loader not sounding right and before he can be tasked with fixing it, leaves the room. So it's up to Johnny (because apparently there are only two seamen on this boat other than him) to fix it. Yes, a high-ranking Naval intelligence officer is off to the machine shop.
The next part of the sequence involves a complicated series of, well, shop class tools. Johnny needs to make a new pin for the loader and grinds it down, sands it off, drills a hole in it and then goes to the other room for some more tools.
While he's in there he has the foresight to check if his diving apparatus - which he MAY JUST NEED SOME DAY - works. Guess what, it doesn't! Good thing he didn't find that out when he was, say, in the fucking ocean trying to use it to breathe. So he fixes that and then high-tails it back to the torpedo room to fix the loader.
Good thing too, because Johnny's Spidey-sense is telling him it's about time for a fight!
Hey, finally - some damn puzzle solving! Slightly less annoying than 'get this procedure exactly right or else you can't proceed' is this sequence, where Johnny Westland fixes two things wrong on the sub that you can miss completely unless you explore around.
The first is the loading mechanism for the torpedoes. The Old Salt complains about the torpedo loader not sounding right and before he can be tasked with fixing it, leaves the room. So it's up to Johnny (because apparently there are only two seamen on this boat other than him) to fix it. Yes, a high-ranking Naval intelligence officer is off to the machine shop.
The next part of the sequence involves a complicated series of, well, shop class tools. Johnny needs to make a new pin for the loader and grinds it down, sands it off, drills a hole in it and then goes to the other room for some more tools.
While he's in there he has the foresight to check if his diving apparatus - which he MAY JUST NEED SOME DAY - works. Guess what, it doesn't! Good thing he didn't find that out when he was, say, in the fucking ocean trying to use it to breathe. So he fixes that and then high-tails it back to the torpedo room to fix the loader.
Good thing too, because Johnny's Spidey-sense is telling him it's about time for a fight!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Combat of the Quests
We break from our regularly-scheduled Let's Play for this kick-ass link: Combat of the Quests, a fighting game featuring characters from classic Sierra adventures game beating the crap out of each other on classic Sierra adventure game backgrounds.
Sure, it's a one-joke premise but it still looks awesome. Bookmark now.
Sure, it's a one-joke premise but it still looks awesome. Bookmark now.
Codename: Iceman Let's Play Parts Eight and Nine: Decoding and Roll 5d6
Where we discover just how absolutely shitty this game is.
Oh. My. God.
This is literally - LITERALLY!!!! - the most un-fun sequence in any adventure game I have ever played. I think that everyone involved in the creation of this game, and the producer who approved this, should be legally barred from making any games ever again, ever.
So.
We start off in video numero uno with Major Westland cracking the codes he just received over the radio. Which cannot be done without the help of the game's manual making for yet another copy protection sequence. Not that anyone would ever want to pirate this game, but never mind.
Then John actually gets the freedom to go exploring a little and discovers that there is more to this railroaded adventure game than he originally thought - the sub has OTHER ROOMS! Amazing! There's a kitchen, and.. a tube. We'll stop in the kitchen where a bottle of rum (like in the code!) sits tantalizingly on a table. When he goes to pick it up in video deux, he is approached by a salty old seaman who demands John play dice for it.
Alrighty.
Just so you understand how much time this took: I started around 8 pm last night, quit around 11.30, and started again at 6.30 this morning and wrapped up around 8.30. So about five and a half hours to get to the end, which I have mercifully condensed into 10 minutes so you guys get the highlights. I explain the game and the tricks behind solving it in the subtitles, but suffice to say that I'm glad I never, ever, ever have to play that sequence ever again.
The sub battles better be easy, that's all I'm gonna say...
Oh. My. God.
This is literally - LITERALLY!!!! - the most un-fun sequence in any adventure game I have ever played. I think that everyone involved in the creation of this game, and the producer who approved this, should be legally barred from making any games ever again, ever.
So.
We start off in video numero uno with Major Westland cracking the codes he just received over the radio. Which cannot be done without the help of the game's manual making for yet another copy protection sequence. Not that anyone would ever want to pirate this game, but never mind.
Then John actually gets the freedom to go exploring a little and discovers that there is more to this railroaded adventure game than he originally thought - the sub has OTHER ROOMS! Amazing! There's a kitchen, and.. a tube. We'll stop in the kitchen where a bottle of rum (like in the code!) sits tantalizingly on a table. When he goes to pick it up in video deux, he is approached by a salty old seaman who demands John play dice for it.
Alrighty.
Just so you understand how much time this took: I started around 8 pm last night, quit around 11.30, and started again at 6.30 this morning and wrapped up around 8.30. So about five and a half hours to get to the end, which I have mercifully condensed into 10 minutes so you guys get the highlights. I explain the game and the tricks behind solving it in the subtitles, but suffice to say that I'm glad I never, ever, ever have to play that sequence ever again.
The sub battles better be easy, that's all I'm gonna say...
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Codename: Iceman Let's Play Part Seven: Navigation and Sonar
Where our hero talks to his captain, navigates the sub and manages not to fuck up his next driving test.
Captain Jonathan Hawkins completes his cameo role by opening the safe containing the locked briefcase with Westland's further orders, which lay out the course the sub will take to Tunisia. Think 'Hunt for Red October' meets 'the most boring after-school special ever.' Westland, thinking quickly, asks the captain what the combination to his top secret Navy safe is, because hey, you never know when the captain might take ill and be unable to give you such valuable information in the future.
John then uses the amazing 2004 map interface to navigate a course around the top of Canadia and between Iceland and Greenland to Tunisia. If you're playing the homegame: I used a combination of the two strategy guides I could find online to get the 'best' course with the most possible points (10) - the guide on GameFAQs was wrong in that it deviates by 200 miles and only nets you 7 points.
Then it's another nail-biting driving sequence and Westland gets the encoded radio message.. what does it mean? Tune in next time to find out!!
Captain Jonathan Hawkins completes his cameo role by opening the safe containing the locked briefcase with Westland's further orders, which lay out the course the sub will take to Tunisia. Think 'Hunt for Red October' meets 'the most boring after-school special ever.' Westland, thinking quickly, asks the captain what the combination to his top secret Navy safe is, because hey, you never know when the captain might take ill and be unable to give you such valuable information in the future.
John then uses the amazing 2004 map interface to navigate a course around the top of Canadia and between Iceland and Greenland to Tunisia. If you're playing the homegame: I used a combination of the two strategy guides I could find online to get the 'best' course with the most possible points (10) - the guide on GameFAQs was wrong in that it deviates by 200 miles and only nets you 7 points.
Then it's another nail-biting driving sequence and Westland gets the encoded radio message.. what does it mean? Tune in next time to find out!!
Codename: Iceman Let's Play Part Six: USS Blackhawk
Where our hero drives a sub around and manages to not fuck it up.
Avast mateys! Welcome aboard the USS Blackhawk, the Navy's newest multi-billion-dollar piece of hardware. Swab the poop deck now ya landlubbers!
John starts off in his (vast) cabin and gets the lay of the land - by searching through his furniture for anything that isn't tied down, and adding it all to his inventory. What's that you say? More stupid 'gotcha' puzzles? Could things get any more retarded?
Well, you be the judge of that. After meeting the Captain, John sits at the sub's helm, a massive piece of equipment that looks like Steel Battalion controller. The commands are easy enough to figure out (if you have the game manual which tells you what all these fiddly pieces actually do.) John navigates the sub out of Pearl Harbor handily enough and then joins the Captain in his quarters so the both of them can open The Briefcase - and get the rest of John's mission.
Avast mateys! Welcome aboard the USS Blackhawk, the Navy's newest multi-billion-dollar piece of hardware. Swab the poop deck now ya landlubbers!
John starts off in his (vast) cabin and gets the lay of the land - by searching through his furniture for anything that isn't tied down, and adding it all to his inventory. What's that you say? More stupid 'gotcha' puzzles? Could things get any more retarded?
Well, you be the judge of that. After meeting the Captain, John sits at the sub's helm, a massive piece of equipment that looks like Steel Battalion controller. The commands are easy enough to figure out (if you have the game manual which tells you what all these fiddly pieces actually do.) John navigates the sub out of Pearl Harbor handily enough and then joins the Captain in his quarters so the both of them can open The Briefcase - and get the rest of John's mission.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Codename: Iceman Let's Play Part Five: John's Mission
Where our hero receives his orders for operation ICEMAN.
Alright, now things are starting to get interesting. Westland receives his briefing from General Braxton, who details the operation, codenamed ICEMAN. John is to take the USS Blackhawk, a super-secret and super-silent sub to Tunisia and rendezvous with a female agent disguised as a Muslim there. The 7th Fleet in the Mediterranean is simply a diversion to distract the Soviets, hopefully ensuring Westland will have a smooth journey. Once there, we're gonna bust the ambassador out and show these terrorist scum a thing or two.
John flies to Pearl Harbor and boards the USS Blackhawk according to proper military procedure, netting him a few bonus points. He is then shown to his quarters where the video cuts off - before our next update, where John gets to drive the sub around.
Until then...
Alright, now things are starting to get interesting. Westland receives his briefing from General Braxton, who details the operation, codenamed ICEMAN. John is to take the USS Blackhawk, a super-secret and super-silent sub to Tunisia and rendezvous with a female agent disguised as a Muslim there. The 7th Fleet in the Mediterranean is simply a diversion to distract the Soviets, hopefully ensuring Westland will have a smooth journey. Once there, we're gonna bust the ambassador out and show these terrorist scum a thing or two.
John flies to Pearl Harbor and boards the USS Blackhawk according to proper military procedure, netting him a few bonus points. He is then shown to his quarters where the video cuts off - before our next update, where John gets to drive the sub around.
Until then...
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