In teenagehood, I borrowed the game (an original CD) from a friend. I played the entire day and by the end of it I suddenly hear "BLAM!!". I look around my desk thinking something must have fallen or something. I lay my eyes back onto my monitor with a bluescreen, saying the CD number #blablabla is missing. I open the disk drive and the game falls into burning hot shattered pieces. I liked that game. A lot.
I worked at Lionhead and on Black & White as a tester. It was a brief but amazing time. It was March 2000, and the atmosphere at the studio was incredible. Everyone was so damn talented and so friendly. I’m not sure if you’ll see this message Danny but if you’re interested I do have some assets I created about my time there.
man I recall those times. They were asking for beta/alpha testers everywhere. Sadly I didnt have the money to pay for my stay in the UK back then because I would have loved to spend time at LH Studios
Dang! I wonder what Black and White 2 was like, because that was an amazing game too! I wish both were available on Steam. Come on guys. Split it 50/50, after 30% and everyone makes money, lol. (EA/Microsoft/Valve). Team up and make Black and White 3! And release them all in a huge pack! I'd buy that for a dollar!!!! =P
I can't believe that someone hasn't brought this back as a VR title. It opens it to a whole new generation of people and its gameplay seems so cohesive with VR.
Yep some people are just trash. I didn't like his mobile game but it's free and not bad or spammed with ads so I didn't reviewed it. Some people take things for granted (I hope it's just a vocal minority)
He has a tendency to go on long winded tangents and over-promise things but his vision for games imo were unparalleled at the time. Black & white, Populous, Dungeon keeper, Theme hospital... all extremely fond memories that stand out to me regardless of how long it's been. I couldn't help but feel my eyes get a bit misty when at the end he talked about being amongst all the ex-employees who made these games and how he couldn't stop crying from being so proud of what they did. I think the innovation from him and his teams really inspired a LOT of people, and future games. They may be gone but won't be forgotten.
I swear this man is an alien with an insane power over charisma, because I can recognise that whenever it's a good thing it's "I decided this" and whenever it's a mistake it's "we made a mistake" and he over promises the fuck out of his pretentious ideas, but in the end... I like him... He's fascinating
@@hurlbag559True, and that wouldn't be so bad if Molyneux was the only one who had to carry the brunt of his vision. It isn't, so I feel more for the people he employed into glorified servitude.
I remember that on the second or third island (my memory gets fuzzy here) my Creature took over villages on his own when I left him alone. Simply by going there and performing miracles for them. This blew me away. B&W is one of those games that really should get a remaster or a remake. Imagine what could be done with today AI and how cool it would look with current graphics. Probably won't ever happen, but a man can dream though
Probably won't, hmmmm. It is of a level of complexity that more flexible or indy teams can develop these days. What we might not get though is the charm and polish, that comes from the very right people at the right time. Weirder things have happened (cities skylines completely sweeping over the whole city building genre for example, putting all the rest to shame immediately).
My strongest memory of the game was actually (I believe) unintended, but was also on the third island... The way the game saves progress and the way it saves karmic information was separate... I had nearly perfect good karma, saved, went on a killing spree because I was frustrated at the time, reloaded my save, and found out that I was still considered pure evil... loading saves does not effect alignment/karma in that game:D
@@bricaaron3978 They aren't ALL bad... The dragon quest remakes for the DS were actually quite good. Some of the early final fantasy remakes were pretty fun as well. I won't try to say that even the majority of them were better than the original though, particularly the ones that try to update them for 'modern audiences'...
@@bricaaron3978 I question your understanding. It entirely depends on the level of understanding and respect for the original game that team creating the remake have. Bards Tale trilogy for example is an excellent remaster/remake.
The Movies and Black & White 2 and Fable were probably my most played games of the 2000’s. You can imagine how much of a fan of Peter and Lionhead I was.
OMG I was SUCH a Lionhead fanboy! I came to PC gaming a couple years after Black & White was released and right after Fable was released, so I hadn't heard all the hype surrounding these games. In my 20s I stumbled upon Black & White in K-Mart because once upon a time, it did have a PC software section and I was looking for some inexpensive card maker or something, and while there, I came across a couple of game bundles from EA Games. There was one with "Black & White" plus its expansion, "Creature Isle" and then there was another bundle that contained "American McGee's Alice" and "Clive Barker's Undying". They were each about 10 bucks and I was bored as hell. I had never been a PC Gamer before, but OMG I had the time of my life. I played the horror bundle first, and had a blast playing those two games, and after playing the last one, "Undying", I moved on to Black & White and SO much fun. There was no "disappointment" for me because these games were a new discovery. I had heard nothing about them prior. So after that I looked for another Lionhead game to play and came across "Fable: The Lost Chapters" which was I think, freshly released and it was such a joy to play. After that I was a "dyed in the wool follower" of Lionead. lol I was SO sad when they closed their doors.
the creature AI in black and white is really cool even today and held back mostly by a lack of information for the players on what was possible for it and how it changed each time you trained it. You can teach it to do most actions you can do including casting your miracles. It has systems for how it grows that determine its physical capabilities too. Each reward influences its behavior on several levels at once based on the details of what it last did, how it did it, who it did it to, and some other factors (ie. was I hungry when I ate? Did the town need the food I gave them?). It legitimately feels more like training an actual animal than anything else I've experienced and you can eventually train it to do things like care for the needs of villages for you, convert neutral villages, attack enemies, etc on its own. It really is the deepest aspect of the whole game.
The animal was realy impressing. B&W most likely had been even bigger if youtube had existed so people made guides and stuff here instead of only reading PC Gamers great articles and guides.
I remember teaching my chimp wonder miracles. And then training him that it was fun to do that to other cities. The amount of training took so long and eventuallyi made it. My monkey was a city capturing legend. It felt like such a great accomplishment.
I was just thinking of this game a few days ago....if any game would make an awesome reboot, its Black & White EDIT: B&W2 is still readily available on bittorrent networks
It was really cool! But I also think the lack of information to the player is part of its mystique. A lot of what you’re talking about is information you have access to in the sequel, and as a result I think you have a lot more control there, but it also made it feel more game-y. The lack of information is what made the creature feel more real and less like a set of systems you could manipulate, y’know?
@@DetectiveOlivaw I liked that information in the sequel but it seemed to me that it feeling more 'gamey' had more to do with how the info was presented and actual differences in mechanics (aside from many big ones with the new features I got a VERY strong impression that the creature's learning behavior was drastically simplified).
I was 10 when I first played B&W1 , and now I’m 30. But I instantly remembered the sailor’s song when heard it. It was the best game of my childhood, I spent countless hours playing this and the second game. One of the best memories of my early years is when I played these games on my old computer.
It really does. =/ It was actually insanely ahead of it's time and the tech was what really caused most of all the issues or problems people had with it. 1. complex learning AI 2. minimal (NONE) UI 3. simulated world with all of it's inhabitants 4. real physics based gameplay Idk, any MODERN game coming out today would LOVE to boast to have those features and not be a big pile of steaming crap. *EDIT* Oh also 5. a meaningful morality system as well that affects you, the player, and how the world perceives you AND your creature.
This game still has my favorite memory of gaming. I left my cow chain out by some villagers while I do other stuff. When I came back, the villagers were playing music while the cow was dancing. I couldn’t believe it my eyes.
I showed my gorilla how to shoot fireballs by torwing them over the ocean. When it hit 100% it turned around sending a fireball through the village setting building and villagers on fire. FFS. But on the later islands when you are being attacked by another god with lightning, the gorilla was going around using the rain-cloud miracle to put the fires out. The game was genuius.
There are people like that. The problem is that there are also incredibly greedy executives who know nothing about gaming and only care about how much profit it will make
One thing in this game scared the crap out of me as a kid.. I was sitting in the dark playing it and it whispered my name!! They actually created sound files for a whole list of the most common names! I didn't even remember entering my name (you do so at the very start and it's never used other than to scare you after a few hours of playing).
I had the exact same experience playing as a kid. I freaked out when it happened as I had already played the game for quite some time, so I wasn't expecting my name to be whispered.
Same thing happened to me but it whispered 'death' - thought it was coming from my dining room cupboard, scared the crap out of me. My parents of course found it hilarious!
When you first start you enter a name and choose a symbol for yourself. That symbol appeared in your location in multi player games. The symbol and name were also sometimes shown instead of the Lionhead logo when the game booted up. If your name was common, it would whisper it then too.
a remaster would be amazing i have so many great memories of the game and i loved every aspect of it .. i didnt like the RTS part of the B&W2 and prefered the first game. I'm still sad the game never became the long lasting franchis it could have been
I would do ungodly (pun intended) for anything related to Black & White. I'm very sad this game series got squandered. It's my favorite experience of my childhood. I know it's cliché to say but: games like this isn't made anymore, and I don't think it ever will be.
i actually played B&W 2 last year and i still have it on my computer... the nostalgy that it brings me every time. the fact that you can make all the decisions for the creature is unbeliveble. MAKE it come back for us SOMEONE PLEASE DO!!!
Black & White, GTA 3 and Max Payne in 2001, what an awesome year for gaming and me as a 16 years old... thanks to Peter and his staff for making these gems back then...
Just imagine working really hard and long hours for a year on a game and finding out 22 years later in your RUclips feed that there was a massive reunion party last summer and you were not invited. I can’t blame them, I was pretty uncompromising at the time. In my 26 years of work experience, working for more than 10 companies, I never have been surrounded by so many talented people so dedicated to their craft. This remains a very vivid experience in my mind. One of incredible growth and challenges and for that I'm very grateful. PS: Does Mark even age?! Looking good mate, miss you.
One of my favourite games of all time, I'd love to play it again. I've never encountered a game like it since, it had so many unique aspects to it that you don't see in modern games.
I don't know why but this made me tear up. I mean, I know why, because this game and the franchise as a whole means so much to me. I still have my two physical copies and whenever I hear that "Black & White" is trending on twitter, and it turns out it's just a pokemon game, or a sequel to the same pokemon game, I get sad and think of the good times I had playing it.
The same for me... people talk about "Black & White" and iam like wtf thats pretty old you know, still good what did you like... and then its a pokemon game...
@@himoffthequakeroatbox4320 No internet connection required for them, just really hard and weird old DRM/very specific game speeds drivers tied to XP and stuff. Saints Row 2, Battle For Middle Earth 2 have problems like this if not patched
I’m glad to see someone else who was never able to get that earworm out of their head after literally decades :) I still know most of the words to this day!
Thanks for this, it was great. I worked at Lionhead as a gameplay & AI coder from 2004 to 2012. I was unable to attend the reunion as I was ill and didn’t want to risk it in case it was covid, but I was welling up at that point - in my almost 2 decades in the games industry many of the best times & memories come from my LH years, so many great and wonderful people worked there and I miss them and that atmosphere. It was special, never been anywhere else like it. Black & White 2 was my first professional game dev job and you’ll be glad to know we kept Black & White’s scheduling - when I interviewed there we were a month from alpha, we went alpha a year later. The Movies is in a similar rights mess I believe, but at least with MS purchasing Activision there’s hope there.
If this is true, Thank you so much for helping develop one of the games that shaped my childhood, one of my favourite games of all time and a game I hold extremely close in my heart.
So many noclip videos leave me ... smiling. Not just because of nostalgia or some cheap jokes but because of the modest, honest and charming way they are made and produced. Thank you!
Man i really miss Lionhead Studios, from the developer diaries to the level of detail in all their games. It truly was a journey for me as a kid. You can say whatever you want about Peter’s enthousiasm getting the best of him but it always resulted in a game full of charm, detail and a great piece of worldbuilding. Thank you for this video and thank you Lionhead for shaping my childhood!!
I wish they made this game available on Steam. I have so many fond memories playing this game and losing track of time, just totally immersed in its world.
Maybe if Microsoft would've thought of buying out EA instead of Activision we could finally have that done (Remember Lionhead belonged to Microsoft, but Black & White was made by Lionhead when they were working for EA)
This was pretty emotional for me. I spent a lot of time playing Black & White 2 during my childhood. The first time I ever heard about it was from a friend at school, he talked about this game like it was the best thing in the world, and I didn’t think much of it, wasn’t even curious to try it, but then one day he convinced me, and I’m deeply grateful to him for that even till this day, because after the first 10 minutes of playing it at his house, I was literally hooked. As I went home, I started to frantically searching for this game EVERYWHERE, but couldn’t find it. I almost gave up. But then I finally found it, overseas, in tiny Ireland! And so it began. Me and my friend even started dreaming about what could be implemented in a Black & White 3, we started coming with the craziest ideas like having the possibility to build war ships, advancing the tribes technology and even the possibility for an online version where up to 4 players would be able to play against each other. We even tried emailing various of the people/companies involved and beg on our bare knees to please release B&W3, lol. Good times to say the least. I’m forever grateful to the whole Lionhead team for being a part of making my childhood an awesome one. Cheers to Peter and Mark, you guys are the best.
classic. weird how when someone's praising a piece of entertainment it's never very enticing, even if you know and trust the person. unless there's some component of it that you already know, like the studio, some actor, director, writer etc then maybe but if it's a totally unknown experience it's like trying to get a toddler to try new food, they know what they like and whatever that is ain't it. :)
I only played B&W2, and I enjoyed it, but at the same time I think there were some balancing issues around being able to dump a fireball on any invading force in my territory to decimate them instantly lol. It'd be interesting to have a new take on it updated to modern standards
Black&white was a major game in my childhood, and to this day i find myself scouring the internet for advice on games similar to it, but all the recommendations end up being lacklustre. There really was something special about this game, despite its bugs. Thank you for making this video and bringing it to light, hopefully some younger gamers and devs who may not have had the opportunity to discover this game sooner are able to give it a try and are inspired by its mechanics to bring their own spin to the concept.
One of my all time favorite games. Still remember how another kid at school spoke about the game, hyped it up. How my brother and I went with our mother to the big city to purchase it. How we took turns reading the manual on the train home and imagined how it would be like to play. And finally how we played it together over the years. Such a magical experience.
I keep bringing up B&W when companies ask what kind of VR games we'd like to see come out. I'd love to be in the B&W world controlling everything with my hands.
Dont get me wrong I love the convenience of digital these days but with that I do miss the ritual you described. Going to the store, building the hype on the way home, reading the manual as it installed, which usually was themed and introduced you to the game. Ahh nostalgia.
@@chadvoller2031 thats a brilliant idea. As someone who has vr i never even thought about that. Its actuly perfect for it since you controlled the world with your godly hand anyways.
It`s no coincidence that these talented people were behind my favorite game of all time. This trully was a masterpiece and it holds up to this day, the ammount of detail and care that went into this project is so insane, the battle between good and evil, every decision has a consequence for you and your chosen beast, everything had a weight to it. I was always the good guy and my friend wasn`t, I remember seeing his save for the first time after 1 week or so of him playing, when I first saw his ``Hand`` (cursor) with big nails, all red as if it was the hand of an Evil God I was AMAZED that I had played for so long and never imagined that such details of design were possible. I also remember how satisfying it was to teach my creature to be a good guy and help the village by showing him how to, making him watch my actions (litteraly) and later on the game whenever there was a fire somewhere in the village I would see him casting water spells to save houses, later in the night my creature was doing dancing rituals with all the villagers wich included some break dance moves (thats why I always went with the cow). I could go hour`s talking about how I remember so much from this game, the inside of your temple that had all your deeds and so much more that people that didn`t played this have no Idea how good this game is. Those were definitily the days. Thank you so much for making this game a part of my memory to everyone that was ever involved in this project, I`m sure im not the only one out there that thinks this way too.
the thing I love most about danny and noclip is that we'll get 25 minutes of beautifully edited footage and incredibly professional production, and then during the credits sequence he'll do what every ten year old did in 2001 and make a polygonal animal eat its own poop
Thanks so much, it's all the work of Dan Silverstone (Pica). You can check out his work here: Twitter: twitter.com/pica_creative IG: instagram.com/vivapica/ www.pica.me.uk
Black & White was one of my all time favorite games. I played Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2 before that. I think this is one of the games that would work perfectly in VR as well.
I can never truly dislike Molyneux, despite the lows in his later career, because lionhead's early games were truly magical to me when they came out. I never understood how to beat b&w as a child, but I played it so much because I was absolutely enchanted by it
"I can never truly dislike Molyneux..." I can. I will never forget the scam that was Fable 2 and how incredibly angry it makes me. Also, he quite literally scammed people out of money for games he never really finished. Then the clicker game scam. There was that, too. Ya, I can truly dislike Molyneux. He is a disappoint to me as someone who used to be a big fan.
@@cornbredx Yea, similar to how I feel about him. I don´t know why anyone still wants to listen to anything he says. Everything after Populous was just like No Man´s Sky on release, 30% delivered and 70% wishful thinking from the developers. The only difference is he moved on to a new scam after a short time and it took way too long for people to catch on. And don´t even get me started on how they treated the guy who won his stupid cube game.
Bullfrog games had even more of a magical feel, probably because they were smaller scope / fully realized and there was absolutely nothing like them at the time eg. Populous, Powermonger, Syndicate, Magic Carpet, Dungeon Keeper etc. It seems to be at Lionhead where Molyneux really started losing his way.
@@Lifter999 Wait, do you mean Populous: The Beginning? Because after the first Populus, they still made absolute classics. Also, Dungeon Keeper 2 was pretty good, at least I remember it that way.
"My heart just filled up with pride...we had done such incredible things..." Twenty years later, my kids are at school right now, they are almost the same age as I was when I played B&W. My chest feels hollow. This video shows up in my feed and throws decades old memories in my face. We are a strange species of animal.
@@georgemulford2910 it's almost a form of sadness that nostalgia can bring. I can relate. Sometimes I find something that gives me nostalgia for days when I didn't have a care in the world. You almost feel hollow and sad in a way. At least I do.
I loved that game, I specifically remember hurling a certain invulnerable citizen around for hours that had a small ring of influence around him, so you could use your powers near an enemy town. I always ended up making a totally evil cow. I've been hoping someone would revive it for years 😞
I was at dinner a few weeks ago with a friend and he was asking me about some games that really stood out to me from my childhood. I immediately and exclusively thought of Black & White. When I found out it was technically playable, albeit with significant effort, I was quite surprised. I was also surprised GOG didn't have it. I spent the majority of an entire summer break playing that game. It was incredible. The bugs were quite overwhelming and I remember around island 3 or 4 it would always crash and corrupt my save file so I never got to see the end, but just teaching my creature, growing my spire, and playing with physics back then was enough to imprint it firmly into my identity. I remember making a website in anticipation of Black & White 2, but being sorely disappointed in the direction it had gone with the creature's AI being laid bare in combination with the lack of personality compared to the first one. I even applied and was accepted to be a tester for B&W2, but I couldn't manage to get tickets to fly to England from the US. B&W was a magical experience for me- if devs are reading this, thank you for creating an amazing part of my childhood.
Had a similar experience, I _loved_ the game! So in a sense they really delivered, _but_ it was bugged out of its mind, no matter how many times I tried, I never was able to finish it. I would absolutely _love_ to see a new version of the game; even if it's just a stable version of the original game :D
BnW was groundbreaking in many ways, but the freaking fighting amongst pets simply wowed me as a child. I still have a physical copy after all these years.
this game really was something else. It feels like the late 90s and early 2000s were the golden age of gaming, with companies making such creative and ground breaking games
I would say the same thing, nowadays there is no creativity or ground breaking games anymore, not to that level You either make a Call of Duty game or a Stardew Valley game or a CSGO or a PUBG, RTS's are practically dead as I havent heard of any good rts games, except maybe AoE4.
Black & White was one of my favorites growing up, I still have my B&W and B&W2 boxes and discs. I should try to find the community that is working on this and take a trip down memory lane.
Loved these games growing up, I've still got the CD copies of both the first and second game at my parents. I need to try and get those back sometime so I can play them again.
I have the 2nd one and you'll need to crack it. The DRM that makes it require the cd to play doesn't work from windows 8 onwards. So the game won't launch because it won't recognise the cd. You'll need a crack. So you might as well just pirate it instead. Sad.
who didnt black and white is one of a kind cause theres nothing like it thats why these games are unique they do everything differently then these triple A studios
@@Sandstorm96 You're assuming that he's a non-serious gamer who uses "Windows 8 onwards". Windows 7 will run it just fine, provided one does not install a particular Windows Update, or uninstalls it if already installed (This manner of control over the OS one paid for, and which runs on the PC one paid for, being possible with Windows 7).
This whole legal battle with who owns the rights of what kind of reminds me of the situation with The Operative: No One Lives Forever. I do really hope we get to see a digital download of Cate Archer's adventures sometime in the next five or so years because the writing, comedic timing and music in that game is still pretty much unmatched.
Yeah, it's so sad. The rights to NOLF are such a mess. Not enough for WB to issue a cease and desist to Nightdive when they started work on a remake. Luckily the NOLF Revival versions run fairly well on modern hardware. Would be nice to have a proper remaster/remake though.
I remember finding those CDs in my dad's games as a kid. I remember reading it as "Noon Lives Forever". I played it again maybe five years ago now. I'll have to go find those CDs and give it another playthrough, then see about getting access to the sequel.
@@riverw4721 There is always the NOLF Revival versions which are pre-patched to save you some time and effort (especially since I think from memory the installer on the retail discs don't run on modern OSes anymore, idk, I'd have to dig to find my NOLF discs)
I can't tell you how many times I have searched for this on Steam. My memories of playing it are vague, but I remember being really excited when it was announced.
I remember having the game guide book and them talking about a villager you couldn't kill. I went and found him and literally threw him all over the map. He would just get up and talk crap to you everytime you threw him. I really loved the first game. Black and White 2 was okay, but not as good. I would be all in for a future installment if they could work out all the legal stuff.
This game had a massive impact for me and the idea that our compassionate or our destructive approach and the circle of influence increasing and decreasing through the thoughtful and consistent actions we could take is something that really influenced how I thought about life in general. I was spellbound by this game and also B&W 2. I miss my monkey. But can still feel the frustration when I found out whils I left him unsupervised he had been learning a new naughty behaviour like destroying buildings with his own poo or getting in a fight with a rival creature. Thank you Noclip for making the documentary, I hope this raises awareness about how light years ahead this game was.
Personally I never played the first game, but I did get into B&W2 as a middle school kid(I was forced to choose between buying this game or the Diablo 1 & 2 collection at Bestbuy at the time) and it left a huge impression on me growing up. Even to this day I wish some games were more like B&W2, and always felt like the game was far too underrated and too short at the same time.
I played it as a little kid, but I was too young to understand what I was actually doing, typically destroying the villages I was supposed to manage Then, when I was old enough, I died on land 4 and had no idea how to prevent it, so I just quit. Between that, I really enjoyed Black and White 2, but specifically with hacks that have infinite resources and made the creature stronger, so I don't think my experience was the same as everyone else.
Ah, I loved this game so much during my childhood. Seeing this video pop up made me realize just how fondly I still think of it, and how strongly I associate it with my late elementary school years. The ambition behind this game truly created something unique. Never really came across anything that felt quite similar ever since then.
An incredible series. So sad to see it in limbo and being gradually lost to time. I also have digital copies of both games and the expansion packs permanently backed up on several hard drives lol
@@lena5613 If you have it in CD form how do you need a "no cd thing"? Is that because you've backed it up but don't have an actual drive to put the disc in anymore? You need to install an ISO mounting tool, it then acts just like a normal dvd/cd drive to the game itself. Newborn villagers not growing up sounds like an anti piracy measure, a lot of games use sneaky things like that to mess with people (but also most people don't know that's what's happening, so it doesn't encourage them to buy the game, so it's a bit weird).
When I first played as a kid I never got past the first level , was so much fun just playing with the pet. Felt like the evolution of Tamagotchi, no idea why there are not more games like B&W.
I always loved the fact that the creature A.I. was quite literally an artificial intelligence. The unpredictable and uncertain nature of a childlike entity testing boundaries and as you tried to teach it what it should or shouldn't do made for an experience that really remains unique to Black & White.
I had forgotten all about that sailors' song. Heard it so many times, brings back so many memories. Great work, as always. So glad this channel exists.
The mention of Steve Jackson gave me a big hit of nostalgia! I used to love his fantasy books where you made a choices, turning to different pages of the book depending on your decisions
Not to mention OGRE, or Car Wars, or Munchkin, or that time Steve Jackson Games got raided by and subsequently successfully sued the U.S. Secret Service because one of their employees happened to run a BBS on which someone posted proprietary information from Bell South. Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service was an extraordinarily influential court case and was pivotal in the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I'm so happy you made this documentary. I loved playing Black And White! One of my favorite games of all time. I really hope it doesn't get lost and one day it'll return.
Haven't really heard it in 20 years, but that sailor song is such an earworm it was the first thing I was thinking of when I saw the title. I want to replay B&W now, but I only got the second game on disc, a friend had the first one.
When this came out my friends and me all got it on the same day and I will never forget going into school the next day (before smartphones) and meeting each other in class and all at the same time bursting into the boat song in the middle of history class. One of my favourite games of all time.
Absolutely terrific memories playing both games. Never will I forget thinking I was going insane as a young man playing Black and White 2 late at night in my basement and hearing my real-life name being whispered and frantically turning around thinking someone was behind me only to find nobody. It wasn't until years later that I found out the game itself learns your username from somewhere - login, windows, etc...
My favourite game of all time - I'm still holding out hope that can be brought back somehow - someday If anyone from the old Lionhead Dev team finds themselves combing through the comments - you did such a fantastic job, you defined my childhood - thank you!
"I'm still holding out hope that can be brought back somehow - someday" wtf there is an active community and anyone can download and play the game still. Just because something isn't for sale on Steam doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If it's your 'favourite game of all time', if you're passionate, how come you don't already know that??
Same here. I can still remember the day, 12 yrs old, when I went over to a friend who had just bought it. Was immediately captivated by the atmosphere and the A.I. behaviour of the creature and the villagers. Didn't take long before I owned my own copy. Thanks mom and dad! Hoping for a slightly tidied up remastered version. I hope they will keep pay-to-win/microtransactions out of it though, if it ever releases.
Memories... This was a masterpiece... The fact that there were no tutorials, or shown controls... Just jumping into the action, and then slowly understand how powerful you are and how much you can do... Example... If you set a huge rock in town, and leave it there for some time... it will become holy! and your people will start worshiping it!
the thing is there were tutorials... since begining every possible action is being shown you with possible ways to use that by devil and angel.. whenever it is taking food from fields to help villagers to gather it.... or from granary to make them starve.... or to throw rock to just play... or to bombard huts... just these tutorials were "merged in" into gameplay... perfect game in so many aspects...
Thanks for making this documentation! I have a lot of memories about this game and have to admit I kind of love it. Not because it's such a great game, if I remember correctly it was pretty bugy. When my grandfather died, I borrowed it from a friend and played it for hours. I think it helped me cope with my loss back when I was a little kid.
Had them both and tossed the in the trash last year while moving without noticing how rare/valuable they are now So glad that abandon ware sites exist giving me a chance to play them again
I've said it before and I say it again: Noclip is the best thing on RUclips. This was fantastic. I have lots of fond memories of Black and White, though I don't think I ever got very far with it. I remember my cow creature used to cast spells to make it rain for the villagers crops (I think, anyway). Thanks for another great video.
The case with B&W also has another layer, I bought it and still have the box but patching a game back then was difficult as the internet wasn´t readily available to everyone. I played it out of the box and finished it several times without any patches, it worked out of the box without any major glitches, something you really can´t say for most games now a days.
I still has my original CD copy of B&W ... Y was 19 years old when it was released and I played it many times! I loved the graphics, the story, the IA of the creatures (even if it was not the best one)... I always wanted a sequel! Sad to know that there aren't any on plan...
@@Dean-173 You won't be able to "fix" it. With Windows 10, Microsoft removed support for the SafeDisc and SecuRom DRM systems (the things that made sure the disc was present before letting you play) that are embedded in a lot of old games like this. I also lost all of my old games due to this despite still having the discs. The only legal way around this is to open a security hole in your system by manually re-inserting the drives for those DRM into Windows -- definitely not recommended even if you knew how. The best you can hope for is that the developers (those that are still around) will be nice enough to release a no-cd patch like Blizzard did for Diablo II.
Bullfrog and Lionhead games were my childhood. It is so great that you got Peter in for an interview as he's mostly been out of the public eye for so long.
Immediate thumbs up because I love and miss this game. Would pay full price today's standards to play it again (on my steam deck ideally lol but getting it at all on modern hardware. I won't complain) Thanks for bringing attention to this classic. I hope they also bring back the movies. Underappreciated title imo
Thanks for this documentary. Peter is a really cool guy, and I wish him all the best. I like him. Black & White was also a very special game in my life.
I worked at Lionhead solely because of B&W. I loved that game as a kid and sunk countless hours into playing it. I even downloaded the fan adapted version for modern platforms and played it as an adult. I still listen to the soundtracks sometimes too, because it had such beautiful folksy music. I love that game, and its a shame how few people even know about it.
In Russia, many people over 30 know and love the first B&W. This is a truly unique and magnificent game that has no analogues. After all this time?... Always...
I doubt I'm far from the only one who is 100% not surprised that Peter Molyneux leapt at the opportunity to get in front of a camera and say, well, whatever XD
@@Jayfive276 Black and White was one of the most eagerly awaited games of the time and Molyneux was the biggest gaming celebrity among PC gamers in the UK
Black & White dominates the top games of all time list in my mind. Peter got used to being able to dream big and maybe talk even bigger when he had this unbelievable team of creative minds beside him. It is too bad that the studio had slipped so much by the time Fable III rolled around... so much reputation destroyed, both personal and professional. The comparison between what was promised and what was delivered between Fable III time-frames and Black & White 1+2 time-frames is what sunk the boat.
Never played the 1st but I played the heck out of B&W2 and battle of the gods. This games concept is one of a kind. Need to get a CD reader and replay this classic!
I remember the first time I got Black & white as a 10-11 year old, it wasn't a game to me. It was totally engrossing and just an experience i'd never felt from any game I had played before.
So cool this documentary was made. For me, this was the most anticipated game of my childhood. When I was 14 years old and was planning a trip to the UK with a friend, I e-mailed Lionhead to ask them if we could see how the game was being developed. We got an invite to the sudio in Guildford. Peter gave us a demo on how to train the giants and we got to meet the team. I recall everyone being genuinly enthousiastic. Eager to show how the game was being developed, from the 3D engine tot the sound engineering. They did this just for two random kids from the Netherlands.
Black & White, Vigilante 8, Harry Potter, Motherload, Spyro, Jak & Daxter, and a pink panther game I don't quite recall are the titles that really got me hooked on games. Lead me on to things like half life and the valve infrastructure. A lot of respect for these early titles
I distinctly remember playing this game so often with my friend on his computer he had to purchase to play the game. It was such a fun experience and I wish I could have played much more. I remember all the fun details you went through. Thanks a bunch for this content. How great!
Fantastic video! Thank you for doing this. Black and White was a huge game for me and a real game changer. The fact it was never released digitally or remastered is such a crime and I prey that in the future it changes. I’ve streamed the first one a few times and it generated a lot of interest but sadly crashes put a stop to it :(
"Have you been cooking ear wax again?" - "What am I supposed to do, eat it raw?!" :D Had lots of fun with Dungeon Keeper, Populous, Theme Hospital (remember also we had to buy a new PC with enough memory to play Theme Park before). Back then, despite no customer funding from Kickstarter/similar, Black & White sort of grew to massive proportions in our minds. Star Citizen of the 2000s :)
Remake of B&W in VR would be one of the coolest games ever if done right. Feels like the VR platform is made for it! Hand gestures, one hand moving around the world and interacting with objects .. if I had the slightest idea on game development I would start that project in a heartbeat
Hearing how Lionhead captured so much lightning in a bottle I feel more repect than I had at the time for Molenux. He literally came from that era where there was so much innovation only matched by the post braid indie scene. Luckily I still have my phyiscal copies and WINE handles the OS issues.
I remember seeing the boxes of black and white at Best Buy or Circuit City and wanting to play it as a kid. I never did get to play. My mom wasnt about to get a rated Teen game for an elementary kid. The box artwork was so impressive to me at the time I never forgot that it existed. I hope i can give it a try one day.
It's these interviews and behind the scenes insights into game development in the mid-late 90's to early 2000's that solidify that it really was the golden era of PC gaming so glad to have been a part of it.
Absolutely spooky - I was just talking about this game mere DAYS ago and how great it was. No one had heard of it and it was such a shame. I've been quietly hoping for a sequel for years.
![[FREE] Redda x LOVEMUSIC type beat (di2axia + iloveuwick)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wKeBXuWMUEc/mqdefault.jpg)
What are your memories of playing Black & White?
@Pushiswin bummer
In teenagehood, I borrowed the game (an original CD) from a friend.
I played the entire day and by the end of it I suddenly hear "BLAM!!". I look around my desk thinking something must have fallen or something. I lay my eyes back onto my monitor with a bluescreen, saying the CD number #blablabla is missing.
I open the disk drive and the game falls into burning hot shattered pieces.
I liked that game. A lot.
Wonderful but got bored at island 3
Feeding the creature people.....and their own poo
Oh, I'm an evil god aren't I?
bought my first PC at 17 specifically to play Black & White
I worked at Lionhead and on Black & White as a tester. It was a brief but amazing time. It was March 2000, and the atmosphere at the studio was incredible. Everyone was so damn talented and so friendly. I’m not sure if you’ll see this message Danny but if you’re interested I do have some assets I created about my time there.
man I recall those times. They were asking for beta/alpha testers everywhere. Sadly I didnt have the money to pay for my stay in the UK back then because I would have loved to spend time at LH Studios
Haha, I worked as a tester on the second one. All bases covered between the 2 of us.
That's when I was born haha
I tested the game before Lionhead picked it up. Those were the days.
Dang! I wonder what Black and White 2 was like, because that was an amazing game too! I wish both were available on Steam. Come on guys. Split it 50/50, after 30% and everyone makes money, lol. (EA/Microsoft/Valve). Team up and make Black and White 3! And release them all in a huge pack! I'd buy that for a dollar!!!! =P
I can't believe that someone hasn't brought this back as a VR title. It opens it to a whole new generation of people and its gameplay seems so cohesive with VR.
There is a game called Tethered that explores the concept in VR, though it's not at all 1:1 with Black and White
there's also From Dust!
This was totally a vr game before vr was even possible I wouldn't think it would be a hard port
This would be awesome on the Oculus.
Thats a great idea.
For the amount of crap Peter gets, I have to admire him, him and his teams are responsible for so many of my favourite games growing up.
Yep some people are just trash. I didn't like his mobile game but it's free and not bad or spammed with ads so I didn't reviewed it. Some people take things for granted (I hope it's just a vocal minority)
He has a tendency to go on long winded tangents and over-promise things but his vision for games imo were unparalleled at the time. Black & white, Populous, Dungeon keeper, Theme hospital... all extremely fond memories that stand out to me regardless of how long it's been. I couldn't help but feel my eyes get a bit misty when at the end he talked about being amongst all the ex-employees who made these games and how he couldn't stop crying from being so proud of what they did. I think the innovation from him and his teams really inspired a LOT of people, and future games. They may be gone but won't be forgotten.
I swear this man is an alien with an insane power over charisma, because I can recognise that whenever it's a good thing it's "I decided this" and whenever it's a mistake it's "we made a mistake" and he over promises the fuck out of his pretentious ideas, but in the end... I like him... He's fascinating
Peter Molyneux is a liar, but he's also a genius.
@@hurlbag559True, and that wouldn't be so bad if Molyneux was the only one who had to carry the brunt of his vision. It isn't, so I feel more for the people he employed into glorified servitude.
I remember that on the second or third island (my memory gets fuzzy here) my Creature took over villages on his own when I left him alone. Simply by going there and performing miracles for them. This blew me away. B&W is one of those games that really should get a remaster or a remake. Imagine what could be done with today AI and how cool it would look with current graphics. Probably won't ever happen, but a man can dream though
Probably won't, hmmmm. It is of a level of complexity that more flexible or indy teams can develop these days. What we might not get though is the charm and polish, that comes from the very right people at the right time. Weirder things have happened (cities skylines completely sweeping over the whole city building genre for example, putting all the rest to shame immediately).
My strongest memory of the game was actually (I believe) unintended, but was also on the third island... The way the game saves progress and the way it saves karmic information was separate... I had nearly perfect good karma, saved, went on a killing spree because I was frustrated at the time, reloaded my save, and found out that I was still considered pure evil... loading saves does not effect alignment/karma in that game:D
The very fact that you talk of "remasters" and "remakes" in any kind of remotely positive way causes me to question your understanding.
@@bricaaron3978 They aren't ALL bad... The dragon quest remakes for the DS were actually quite good. Some of the early final fantasy remakes were pretty fun as well.
I won't try to say that even the majority of them were better than the original though, particularly the ones that try to update them for 'modern audiences'...
@@bricaaron3978 I question your understanding. It entirely depends on the level of understanding and respect for the original game that team creating the remake have. Bards Tale trilogy for example is an excellent remaster/remake.
Black and white was one of the games that made me fall in love with gaming, it's such a shame it just vanished
its still out there if you look. bit buggy now but I found it for my wife who loved this game like no other
@@Davespenathome I mean more in the sense that they just stopped, I could see a really incredible B&W 3 with modern engines and graphics
It's an injustice of modern gaming. We need black and white
its not vanished.... its in our hearts... awwwww (L)
lol i sold my only copy for 100 bucks so i could afford to move lol
The Movies and Black & White 2 and Fable were probably my most played games of the 2000’s.
You can imagine how much of a fan of Peter and Lionhead I was.
OMG I was SUCH a Lionhead fanboy! I came to PC gaming a couple years after Black & White was released and right after Fable was released, so I hadn't heard all the hype surrounding these games. In my 20s I stumbled upon Black & White in K-Mart because once upon a time, it did have a PC software section and I was looking for some inexpensive card maker or something, and while there, I came across a couple of game bundles from EA Games.
There was one with "Black & White" plus its expansion, "Creature Isle" and then there was another bundle that contained "American McGee's Alice" and "Clive Barker's Undying". They were each about 10 bucks and I was bored as hell.
I had never been a PC Gamer before, but OMG I had the time of my life. I played the horror bundle first, and had a blast playing those two games, and after playing the last one, "Undying", I moved on to Black & White and SO much fun. There was no "disappointment" for me because these games were a new discovery. I had heard nothing about them prior. So after that I looked for another Lionhead game to play and came across "Fable: The Lost Chapters" which was I think, freshly released and it was such a joy to play. After that I was a "dyed in the wool follower" of Lionead. lol
I was SO sad when they closed their doors.
Thank you so much for reminding me about The Movies!!! Omg...
the creature AI in black and white is really cool even today and held back mostly by a lack of information for the players on what was possible for it and how it changed each time you trained it. You can teach it to do most actions you can do including casting your miracles. It has systems for how it grows that determine its physical capabilities too.
Each reward influences its behavior on several levels at once based on the details of what it last did, how it did it, who it did it to, and some other factors (ie. was I hungry when I ate? Did the town need the food I gave them?).
It legitimately feels more like training an actual animal than anything else I've experienced and you can eventually train it to do things like care for the needs of villages for you, convert neutral villages, attack enemies, etc on its own. It really is the deepest aspect of the whole game.
The animal was realy impressing.
B&W most likely had been even bigger if youtube had existed so people made guides and stuff here instead of only reading PC Gamers great articles and guides.
I remember teaching my chimp wonder miracles. And then training him that it was fun to do that to other cities. The amount of training took so long and eventuallyi made it. My monkey was a city capturing legend. It felt like such a great accomplishment.
I was just thinking of this game a few days ago....if any game would make an awesome reboot, its Black & White
EDIT: B&W2 is still readily available on bittorrent networks
It was really cool! But I also think the lack of information to the player is part of its mystique. A lot of what you’re talking about is information you have access to in the sequel, and as a result I think you have a lot more control there, but it also made it feel more game-y. The lack of information is what made the creature feel more real and less like a set of systems you could manipulate, y’know?
@@DetectiveOlivaw I liked that information in the sequel but it seemed to me that it feeling more 'gamey' had more to do with how the info was presented and actual differences in mechanics (aside from many big ones with the new features I got a VERY strong impression that the creature's learning behavior was drastically simplified).
I was 10 when I first played B&W1 , and now I’m 30. But I instantly remembered the sailor’s song when heard it.
It was the best game of my childhood, I spent countless hours playing this and the second game.
One of the best memories of my early years is when I played these games on my old computer.
I still sing in in my mid 30's, it's so good! Haha
@@xxCrimsonSpiritxx I just sang along with about half of it. Some things DO just live rent free in your head...
Yes, isn't it incredible the things you remember with the right triggers!
Oohhhhh we’re not complaining but there still something on the wish list. We simply can’t leave until we get some meaaat
@@matthewbarnes8661 aaahh laaadedaadeeee oooo we aint ever gonna get black n white 3 oooooooooooooh
Needs a remake desperately, it was AMAZING
it was ok
It really does. =/ It was actually insanely ahead of it's time and the tech was what really caused most of all the issues or problems people had with it.
1. complex learning AI
2. minimal (NONE) UI
3. simulated world with all of it's inhabitants
4. real physics based gameplay
Idk, any MODERN game coming out today would LOVE to boast to have those features and not be a big pile of steaming crap.
*EDIT* Oh also 5. a meaningful morality system as well that affects you, the player, and how the world perceives you AND your creature.
imagine black & white but in unreal engine 5
AGREED!
There is a 4k texture upgrade on the Nexus, there are plenty of fan patches. IF you can find the game somewhere :)
This game still has my favorite memory of gaming. I left my cow chain out by some villagers while I do other stuff. When I came back, the villagers were playing music while the cow was dancing. I couldn’t believe it my eyes.
Accidentally teaching my gorilla to skip rocks on the ocean was a big one for me.
I showed my gorilla how to shoot fireballs by torwing them over the ocean. When it hit 100% it turned around sending a fireball through the village setting building and villagers on fire. FFS. But on the later islands when you are being attacked by another god with lightning, the gorilla was going around using the rain-cloud miracle to put the fires out. The game was genuius.
I dont even care ive said it once and ill say it again, the gaming industry needs more people with such passion and inspiring vision as peter molyneux
There are people like that. The problem is that there are also incredibly greedy executives who know nothing about gaming and only care about how much profit it will make
One thing in this game scared the crap out of me as a kid.. I was sitting in the dark playing it and it whispered my name!! They actually created sound files for a whole list of the most common names! I didn't even remember entering my name (you do so at the very start and it's never used other than to scare you after a few hours of playing).
hahahaha that's cool joke from 90s
I had the exact same experience playing as a kid. I freaked out when it happened as I had already played the game for quite some time, so I wasn't expecting my name to be whispered.
Same thing happened to me but it whispered 'death' - thought it was coming from my dining room cupboard, scared the crap out of me. My parents of course found it hilarious!
@@mindsounds5259 it whispers that whenever a villager dies
When you first start you enter a name and choose a symbol for yourself. That symbol appeared in your location in multi player games. The symbol and name were also sometimes shown instead of the Lionhead logo when the game booted up. If your name was common, it would whisper it then too.
I would buy this remastered game in a heart beat!! So much childhood memories come rushing back
I myself and I've seen a bunch of others think this series would be perfect for a VR game.
a remaster would be amazing i have so many great memories of the game and i loved every aspect of it .. i didnt like the RTS part of the B&W2 and prefered the first game. I'm still sad the game never became the long lasting franchis it could have been
I would do ungodly (pun intended) for anything related to Black & White. I'm very sad this game series got squandered. It's my favorite experience of my childhood.
I know it's cliché to say but: games like this isn't made anymore, and I don't think it ever will be.
@@WintersMinion this is true. There is a game called Diesm and it reminds me so much about Black and White.
@@WintersMinion what would make B&W a good VR game? :o
i actually played B&W 2 last year and i still have it on my computer... the nostalgy that it brings me every time. the fact that you can make all the decisions for the creature is unbeliveble. MAKE it come back for us SOMEONE PLEASE DO!!!
and the graphics looks still amazing
Black & White, GTA 3 and Max Payne in 2001, what an awesome year for gaming and me as a 16 years old... thanks to Peter and his staff for making these gems back then...
Playing all this shit on my GeForce 4 MX440....Yeah buddy.
And MGS2, and Halo, and Ace Attorney... There won't be another time like 2001 until the next media overtakes gaming, if that ever happens.
@@Trygon If we're doing "ands" now: and FFX, and SSBM, and gen 2 pokemon, and DMC.
2001 the GOATS of gaming years
I was 35. I loved Max Payne, but struggled enjoying Black & White.
Just imagine working really hard and long hours for a year on a game and finding out 22 years later in your RUclips feed that there was a massive reunion party last summer and you were not invited. I can’t blame them, I was pretty uncompromising at the time.
In my 26 years of work experience, working for more than 10 companies, I never have been surrounded by so many talented people so dedicated to their craft.
This remains a very vivid experience in my mind. One of incredible growth and challenges and for that I'm very grateful.
PS: Does Mark even age?! Looking good mate, miss you.
Oof.
Pain and love. I've felt this odd mix before. Thanks for sharing.
This sucked to hear, ouch..
@@DezZzO_YT it's all good man, I'm doing very very well :)
@@saasfounder glad to hear that!
One of my favourite games of all time, I'd love to play it again. I've never encountered a game like it since, it had so many unique aspects to it that you don't see in modern games.
I don't know why but this made me tear up. I mean, I know why, because this game and the franchise as a whole means so much to me. I still have my two physical copies and whenever I hear that "Black & White" is trending on twitter, and it turns out it's just a pokemon game, or a sequel to the same pokemon game, I get sad and think of the good times I had playing it.
Me still remembering that Black and White was supposed to come to DS
Not like that...
fuck, i teared up too.
The same for me... people talk about "Black & White" and iam like wtf thats pretty old you know, still good what did you like... and then its a pokemon game...
Does it still work? Or does it "phone home" to some authentication server or something?
@@himoffthequakeroatbox4320 No internet connection required for them, just really hard and weird old DRM/very specific game speeds drivers tied to XP and stuff. Saints Row 2, Battle For Middle Earth 2 have problems like this if not patched
THANK YOU for including the boat song. My friends and I have been singing that for decades.
WE AINT GONNA GO SAILING UNTILL WE GET SOME FOOOD!
I’m glad to see someone else who was never able to get that earworm out of their head after literally decades :) I still know most of the words to this day!
Thanks for this, it was great. I worked at Lionhead as a gameplay & AI coder from 2004 to 2012. I was unable to attend the reunion as I was ill and didn’t want to risk it in case it was covid, but I was welling up at that point - in my almost 2 decades in the games industry many of the best times & memories come from my LH years, so many great and wonderful people worked there and I miss them and that atmosphere. It was special, never been anywhere else like it.
Black & White 2 was my first professional game dev job and you’ll be glad to know we kept Black & White’s scheduling - when I interviewed there we were a month from alpha, we went alpha a year later.
The Movies is in a similar rights mess I believe, but at least with MS purchasing Activision there’s hope there.
If this is true, Thank you so much for helping develop one of the games that shaped my childhood, one of my favourite games of all time and a game I hold extremely close in my heart.
I want to second that. Both B&W and B&W 2 shaped my childhood memories of gaming. Thank you
Thanks for being part of my childhood
So many noclip videos leave me ... smiling. Not just because of nostalgia or some cheap jokes but because of the modest, honest and charming way they are made and produced.
Thank you!
And the the end credits background gameplay starts :D
Man i really miss Lionhead Studios, from the developer diaries to the level of detail in all their games. It truly was a journey for me as a kid. You can say whatever you want about Peter’s enthousiasm getting the best of him but it always resulted in a game full of charm, detail and a great piece of worldbuilding. Thank you for this video and thank you Lionhead for shaping my childhood!!
Black and white was such an amazing game. I wonder if I still have the disk somewhere.
Would love to see black and white 3
I wish they made this game available on Steam. I have so many fond memories playing this game and losing track of time, just totally immersed in its world.
Maybe if Microsoft would've thought of buying out EA instead of Activision we could finally have that done (Remember Lionhead belonged to Microsoft, but Black & White was made by Lionhead when they were working for EA)
I think the GoG treatment would do this series the justice it deserves
This was pretty emotional for me. I spent a lot of time playing Black & White 2 during my childhood. The first time I ever heard about it was from a friend at school, he talked about this game like it was the best thing in the world, and I didn’t think much of it, wasn’t even curious to try it, but then one day he convinced me, and I’m deeply grateful to him for that even till this day, because after the first 10 minutes of playing it at his house, I was literally hooked. As I went home, I started to frantically searching for this game EVERYWHERE, but couldn’t find it. I almost gave up. But then I finally found it, overseas, in tiny Ireland! And so it began.
Me and my friend even started dreaming about what could be implemented in a Black & White 3, we started coming with the craziest ideas like having the possibility to build war ships, advancing the tribes technology and even the possibility for an online version where up to 4 players would be able to play against each other. We even tried emailing various of the people/companies involved and beg on our bare knees to please release B&W3, lol. Good times to say the least. I’m forever grateful to the whole Lionhead team for being a part of making my childhood an awesome one. Cheers to Peter and Mark, you guys are the best.
It truly was a special feeling playing it for the first time
classic. weird how when someone's praising a piece of entertainment it's never very enticing, even if you know and trust the person. unless there's some component of it that you already know, like the studio, some actor, director, writer etc then maybe but if it's a totally unknown experience it's like trying to get a toddler to try new food, they know what they like and whatever that is ain't it. :)
I only played B&W2, and I enjoyed it, but at the same time I think there were some balancing issues around being able to dump a fireball on any invading force in my territory to decimate them instantly lol. It'd be interesting to have a new take on it updated to modern standards
Black&white was a major game in my childhood, and to this day i find myself scouring the internet for advice on games similar to it, but all the recommendations end up being lacklustre. There really was something special about this game, despite its bugs. Thank you for making this video and bringing it to light, hopefully some younger gamers and devs who may not have had the opportunity to discover this game sooner are able to give it a try and are inspired by its mechanics to bring their own spin to the concept.
One of my all time favorite games. Still remember how another kid at school spoke about the game, hyped it up. How my brother and I went with our mother to the big city to purchase it. How we took turns reading the manual on the train home and imagined how it would be like to play. And finally how we played it together over the years. Such a magical experience.
Game manuals had such a magic back in the day
I keep bringing up B&W when companies ask what kind of VR games we'd like to see come out. I'd love to be in the B&W world controlling everything with my hands.
Dont get me wrong I love the convenience of digital these days but with that I do miss the ritual you described. Going to the store, building the hype on the way home, reading the manual as it installed, which usually was themed and introduced you to the game. Ahh nostalgia.
@@chadvoller2031 thats a brilliant idea. As someone who has vr i never even thought about that. Its actuly perfect for it since you controlled the world with your godly hand anyways.
It`s no coincidence that these talented people were behind my favorite game of all time. This trully was a masterpiece and it holds up to this day, the ammount of detail and care that went into this project is so insane, the battle between good and evil, every decision has a consequence for you and your chosen beast, everything had a weight to it. I was always the good guy and my friend wasn`t, I remember seeing his save for the first time after 1 week or so of him playing, when I first saw his ``Hand`` (cursor) with big nails, all red as if it was the hand of an Evil God I was AMAZED that I had played for so long and never imagined that such details of design were possible. I also remember how satisfying it was to teach my creature to be a good guy and help the village by showing him how to, making him watch my actions (litteraly) and later on the game whenever there was a fire somewhere in the village I would see him casting water spells to save houses, later in the night my creature was doing dancing rituals with all the villagers wich included some break dance moves (thats why I always went with the cow). I could go hour`s talking about how I remember so much from this game, the inside of your temple that had all your deeds and so much more that people that didn`t played this have no Idea how good this game is. Those were definitily the days. Thank you so much for making this game a part of my memory to everyone that was ever involved in this project, I`m sure im not the only one out there that thinks this way too.
the thing I love most about danny and noclip is that we'll get 25 minutes of beautifully edited footage and incredibly professional production, and then during the credits sequence he'll do what every ten year old did in 2001 and make a polygonal animal eat its own poop
Arguably still the best intro to a series, period.
Thanks so much, it's all the work of Dan Silverstone (Pica).
You can check out his work here:
Twitter: twitter.com/pica_creative
IG: instagram.com/vivapica/
www.pica.me.uk
Well i'd even say unarguably!
I’m blown away every time
Have you checked the Outro ?
@@NoclipDocs he did an incredible job, truely. That man deserves all the money he can have chucked at him!
Black & White was one of my all time favorite games. I played Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2 before that. I think this is one of the games that would work perfectly in VR as well.
That would be amazing!
Holy shit I hadn't considered a VR version of Black & White, that could be something truly amazing!
VR would be epic. Just waving your hands for the spells and stuff omg! This makes it even more frustrating that they wont release it.
VR in this game would just create a killer app, would buy a vr just for this one
@@GabrieleCastlunger Yeah, I reckon I would be the same. VR hasn't had any kill app games, where I would invest in VR, but this would be it for me.
I can never truly dislike Molyneux, despite the lows in his later career, because lionhead's early games were truly magical to me when they came out. I never understood how to beat b&w as a child, but I played it so much because I was absolutely enchanted by it
"I can never truly dislike Molyneux..."
I can. I will never forget the scam that was Fable 2 and how incredibly angry it makes me.
Also, he quite literally scammed people out of money for games he never really finished.
Then the clicker game scam. There was that, too.
Ya, I can truly dislike Molyneux. He is a disappoint to me as someone who used to be a big fan.
@@cornbredx Yea, similar to how I feel about him. I don´t know why anyone still wants to listen to anything he says.
Everything after Populous was just like No Man´s Sky on release, 30% delivered and 70% wishful thinking from the developers.
The only difference is he moved on to a new scam after a short time and it took way too long for people to catch on.
And don´t even get me started on how they treated the guy who won his stupid cube game.
@@cornbredx Fable 2 was cool as hell though why you mad
Bullfrog games had even more of a magical feel, probably because they were smaller scope / fully realized and there was absolutely nothing like them at the time eg. Populous, Powermonger, Syndicate, Magic Carpet, Dungeon Keeper etc. It seems to be at Lionhead where Molyneux really started losing his way.
@@Lifter999 Wait, do you mean Populous: The Beginning? Because after the first Populus, they still made absolute classics. Also, Dungeon Keeper 2 was pretty good, at least I remember it that way.
"My heart just filled up with pride...we had done such incredible things..."
Twenty years later, my kids are at school right now, they are almost the same age as I was when I played B&W.
My chest feels hollow. This video shows up in my feed and throws decades old memories in my face.
We are a strange species of animal.
How come you feel hollow?
@@georgemulford2910 it's almost a form of sadness that nostalgia can bring. I can relate. Sometimes I find something that gives me nostalgia for days when I didn't have a care in the world. You almost feel hollow and sad in a way. At least I do.
@@HaplessOne I feel the same. I'm almost 44 years old. Gamer since birth and nostalgia is hitting hard these past years.
I loved that game, I specifically remember hurling a certain invulnerable citizen around for hours that had a small ring of influence around him, so you could use your powers near an enemy town.
I always ended up making a totally evil cow. I've been hoping someone would revive it for years 😞
Man the 3rd island was so hard for my child brain. But screaming man and a lucky bird miracle from a firefly got me that first town.
I was at dinner a few weeks ago with a friend and he was asking me about some games that really stood out to me from my childhood. I immediately and exclusively thought of Black & White. When I found out it was technically playable, albeit with significant effort, I was quite surprised. I was also surprised GOG didn't have it. I spent the majority of an entire summer break playing that game. It was incredible. The bugs were quite overwhelming and I remember around island 3 or 4 it would always crash and corrupt my save file so I never got to see the end, but just teaching my creature, growing my spire, and playing with physics back then was enough to imprint it firmly into my identity. I remember making a website in anticipation of Black & White 2, but being sorely disappointed in the direction it had gone with the creature's AI being laid bare in combination with the lack of personality compared to the first one. I even applied and was accepted to be a tester for B&W2, but I couldn't manage to get tickets to fly to England from the US. B&W was a magical experience for me- if devs are reading this, thank you for creating an amazing part of my childhood.
Had a similar experience, I _loved_ the game! So in a sense they really delivered, _but_ it was bugged out of its mind, no matter how many times I tried, I never was able to finish it. I would absolutely _love_ to see a new version of the game; even if it's just a stable version of the original game :D
Same as you! I would love to see this on Xbox game pass. My older self now, Would love to beat this game using a controller on my couch 🙂
BnW was groundbreaking in many ways, but the freaking fighting amongst pets simply wowed me as a child. I still have a physical copy after all these years.
When my creature got beat up til he died I literally cried and played with his toys in his pin thinking he was gone forever
this game really was something else. It feels like the late 90s and early 2000s were the golden age of gaming, with companies making such creative and ground breaking games
I would say the same thing, nowadays there is no creativity or ground breaking games anymore, not to that level
You either make a Call of Duty game or a Stardew Valley game or a CSGO or a PUBG, RTS's are practically dead as I havent heard of any good rts games, except maybe AoE4.
I'll never stop saying this, Noclip is the toppest of top tiers. So happy and thankful you make this stuff, never stop.
Black & White was one of my favorites growing up, I still have my B&W and B&W2 boxes and discs. I should try to find the community that is working on this and take a trip down memory lane.
Loved these games growing up, I've still got the CD copies of both the first and second game at my parents. I need to try and get those back sometime so I can play them again.
I have the 2nd one and you'll need to crack it. The DRM that makes it require the cd to play doesn't work from windows 8 onwards. So the game won't launch because it won't recognise the cd. You'll need a crack. So you might as well just pirate it instead. Sad.
who didnt
black and white is one of a kind cause theres nothing like it
thats why these games are unique they do everything differently then these triple A studios
@@Sandstorm96 You're assuming that he's a non-serious gamer who uses "Windows 8 onwards". Windows 7 will run it just fine, provided one does not install a particular Windows Update, or uninstalls it if already installed (This manner of control over the OS one paid for, and which runs on the PC one paid for, being possible with Windows 7).
This whole legal battle with who owns the rights of what kind of reminds me of the situation with The Operative: No One Lives Forever. I do really hope we get to see a digital download of Cate Archer's adventures sometime in the next five or so years because the writing, comedic timing and music in that game is still pretty much unmatched.
Yeah, it's so sad. The rights to NOLF are such a mess. Not enough for WB to issue a cease and desist to Nightdive when they started work on a remake. Luckily the NOLF Revival versions run fairly well on modern hardware. Would be nice to have a proper remaster/remake though.
I remember finding those CDs in my dad's games as a kid. I remember reading it as "Noon Lives Forever". I played it again maybe five years ago now. I'll have to go find those CDs and give it another playthrough, then see about getting access to the sequel.
@@riverw4721 There is always the NOLF Revival versions which are pre-patched to save you some time and effort (especially since I think from memory the installer on the retail discs don't run on modern OSes anymore, idk, I'd have to dig to find my NOLF discs)
Still have my copy of NOLF 2. Good times.
I forgot that game wasn't just called No One Lives Forever
I can't tell you how many times I have searched for this on Steam. My memories of playing it are vague, but I remember being really excited when it was announced.
I remember having the game guide book and them talking about a villager you couldn't kill. I went and found him and literally threw him all over the map. He would just get up and talk crap to you everytime you threw him. I really loved the first game. Black and White 2 was okay, but not as good. I would be all in for a future installment if they could work out all the legal stuff.
“YOU CAN’T HURT ME!! (Well not seriously, at least..)”
This game had a massive impact for me and the idea that our compassionate or our destructive approach and the circle of influence increasing and decreasing through the thoughtful and consistent actions we could take is something that really influenced how I thought about life in general. I was spellbound by this game and also B&W 2.
I miss my monkey. But can still feel the frustration when I found out whils I left him unsupervised he had been learning a new naughty behaviour like destroying buildings with his own poo or getting in a fight with a rival creature.
Thank you Noclip for making the documentary, I hope this raises awareness about how light years ahead this game was.
Personally I never played the first game, but I did get into B&W2 as a middle school kid(I was forced to choose between buying this game or the Diablo 1 & 2 collection at Bestbuy at the time) and it left a huge impression on me growing up. Even to this day I wish some games were more like B&W2, and always felt like the game was far too underrated and too short at the same time.
I played it as a little kid, but I was too young to understand what I was actually doing, typically destroying the villages I was supposed to manage
Then, when I was old enough, I died on land 4 and had no idea how to prevent it, so I just quit.
Between that, I really enjoyed Black and White 2, but specifically with hacks that have infinite resources and made the creature stronger, so I don't think my experience was the same as everyone else.
Ah, I loved this game so much during my childhood. Seeing this video pop up made me realize just how fondly I still think of it, and how strongly I associate it with my late elementary school years.
The ambition behind this game truly created something unique. Never really came across anything that felt quite similar ever since then.
An incredible series. So sad to see it in limbo and being gradually lost to time. I also have digital copies of both games and the expansion packs permanently backed up on several hard drives lol
How do you run B&W2? Got it in CD form but copy protection fucks me over and I havent found a no cd thing yet that allows newborn villagers to grow up
@@lena5613 If you have it in CD form how do you need a "no cd thing"? Is that because you've backed it up but don't have an actual drive to put the disc in anymore? You need to install an ISO mounting tool, it then acts just like a normal dvd/cd drive to the game itself. Newborn villagers not growing up sounds like an anti piracy measure, a lot of games use sneaky things like that to mess with people (but also most people don't know that's what's happening, so it doesn't encourage them to buy the game, so it's a bit weird).
A game way ahead of its time I think. I can only imagine what the game would be like if they made it today. Truly amazing.
I remember the gesture thing was mind blowing and the AI of creatures. I miss this game.
When I first played as a kid I never got past the first level , was so much fun just playing with the pet. Felt like the evolution of Tamagotchi, no idea why there are not more games like B&W.
I always loved the fact that the creature A.I. was quite literally an artificial intelligence. The unpredictable and uncertain nature of a childlike entity testing boundaries and as you tried to teach it what it should or shouldn't do made for an experience that really remains unique to Black & White.
I loved Black & White so much. Got it almost as soon as it was released.
I had forgotten all about that sailors' song. Heard it so many times, brings back so many memories.
Great work, as always. So glad this channel exists.
The mention of Steve Jackson gave me a big hit of nostalgia! I used to love his fantasy books where you made a choices, turning to different pages of the book depending on your decisions
It was quite funny too, considering he's probably one of the most influential game designers of all time, to mention him so in passing 🤣
Steve Jackson Games. Games Designer's Workshop. Things of the past.
Not to mention OGRE, or Car Wars, or Munchkin, or that time Steve Jackson Games got raided by and subsequently successfully sued the U.S. Secret Service because one of their employees happened to run a BBS on which someone posted proprietary information from Bell South. Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service was an extraordinarily influential court case and was pivotal in the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
i still got one
I certainly remember those books. How simple life was then.
I'm so happy you made this documentary. I loved playing Black And White! One of my favorite games of all time. I really hope it doesn't get lost and one day it'll return.
Haven't really heard it in 20 years, but that sailor song is such an earworm it was the first thing I was thinking of when I saw the title.
I want to replay B&W now, but I only got the second game on disc, a friend had the first one.
When this came out my friends and me all got it on the same day and I will never forget going into school the next day (before smartphones) and meeting each other in class and all at the same time bursting into the boat song in the middle of history class. One of my favourite games of all time.
One of my all time favorite games. I want this series to make a comeback so hard.
If you search for a bit its possible to get Black and White 2 online .... Just sayin
I will always love lionhead for having given me "the movies".
I played that game to no end in my early teens.
Absolutely terrific memories playing both games. Never will I forget thinking I was going insane as a young man playing Black and White 2 late at night in my basement and hearing my real-life name being whispered and frantically turning around thinking someone was behind me only to find nobody. It wasn't until years later that I found out the game itself learns your username from somewhere - login, windows, etc...
My favourite game of all time - I'm still holding out hope that can be brought back somehow - someday
If anyone from the old Lionhead Dev team finds themselves combing through the comments - you did such a fantastic job, you defined my childhood - thank you!
agree, and going to show it to my son someday. even if b&w3 will never happen, b&w2 is a masterpiece.
"I'm still holding out hope that can be brought back somehow - someday" wtf there is an active community and anyone can download and play the game still. Just because something isn't for sale on Steam doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If it's your 'favourite game of all time', if you're passionate, how come you don't already know that??
Yeah, I would even like to play a slighly touched up version of the first one.
Same here. I can still remember the day, 12 yrs old, when I went over to a friend who had just bought it. Was immediately captivated by the atmosphere and the A.I. behaviour of the creature and the villagers. Didn't take long before I owned my own copy. Thanks mom and dad! Hoping for a slightly tidied up remastered version. I hope they will keep pay-to-win/microtransactions out of it though, if it ever releases.
Memories... This was a masterpiece...
The fact that there were no tutorials, or shown controls... Just jumping into the action, and then slowly understand how powerful you are and how much you can do...
Example... If you set a huge rock in town, and leave it there for some time... it will become holy! and your people will start worshiping it!
the thing is there were tutorials... since begining every possible action is being shown you with possible ways to use that by devil and angel.. whenever it is taking food from fields to help villagers to gather it.... or from granary to make them starve.... or to throw rock to just play... or to bombard huts... just these tutorials were "merged in" into gameplay... perfect game in so many aspects...
I’d love to see a possible documentary on Fable or lionhead studios as a whole, especially with playground games making the new one
Hear, hear!
Thanks for making this documentation!
I have a lot of memories about this game and have to admit I kind of love it. Not because it's such a great game, if I remember correctly it was pretty bugy. When my grandfather died, I borrowed it from a friend and played it for hours. I think it helped me cope with my loss back when I was a little kid.
I sang that sailor song to my kids when they were babies. Black & White was such an ambitious game and I have nothing but fond memories of it.
Now I feel incredibly lucky to own disc copies of both Black & White 1 and 2. Great documentary as always!
Hold on to them. If there is no update, they will be worth thousands of bucks in your lifetime.
I have them both too but how do you play them today on your PC?
I was thinking the same thing. I played B&W2, but got the original later and have never opened it!
Had them both and tossed the in the trash last year while moving without noticing how rare/valuable they are now
So glad that abandon ware sites exist giving me a chance to play them again
I've said it before and I say it again: Noclip is the best thing on RUclips.
This was fantastic. I have lots of fond memories of Black and White, though I don't think I ever got very far with it. I remember my cow creature used to cast spells to make it rain for the villagers crops (I think, anyway).
Thanks for another great video.
Just like real Earth cows!
@@noisepuppet Moo!
The case with B&W also has another layer, I bought it and still have the box but patching a game back then was difficult as the internet wasn´t readily available to everyone. I played it out of the box and finished it several times without any patches, it worked out of the box without any major glitches, something you really can´t say for most games now a days.
I still has my original CD copy of B&W ... Y was 19 years old when it was released and I played it many times! I loved the graphics, the story, the IA of the creatures (even if it was not the best one)... I always wanted a sequel! Sad to know that there aren't any on plan...
But Black and White 2 exists!
@@Dean-173 You won't be able to "fix" it. With Windows 10, Microsoft removed support for the SafeDisc and SecuRom DRM systems (the things that made sure the disc was present before letting you play) that are embedded in a lot of old games like this. I also lost all of my old games due to this despite still having the discs. The only legal way around this is to open a security hole in your system by manually re-inserting the drives for those DRM into Windows -- definitely not recommended even if you knew how. The best you can hope for is that the developers (those that are still around) will be nice enough to release a no-cd patch like Blizzard did for Diablo II.
Bullfrog and Lionhead games were my childhood. It is so great that you got Peter in for an interview as he's mostly been out of the public eye for so long.
Immediate thumbs up because I love and miss this game. Would pay full price today's standards to play it again (on my steam deck ideally lol but getting it at all on modern hardware. I won't complain)
Thanks for bringing attention to this classic. I hope they also bring back the movies. Underappreciated title imo
Thanks for this documentary. Peter is a really cool guy, and I wish him all the best. I like him. Black & White was also a very special game in my life.
I worked at Lionhead solely because of B&W. I loved that game as a kid and sunk countless hours into playing it. I even downloaded the fan adapted version for modern platforms and played it as an adult. I still listen to the soundtracks sometimes too, because it had such beautiful folksy music. I love that game, and its a shame how few people even know about it.
In Russia, many people over 30 know and love the first B&W. This is a truly unique and magnificent game that has no analogues. After all this time?... Always...
I doubt I'm far from the only one who is 100% not surprised that Peter Molyneux leapt at the opportunity to get in front of a camera and say, well, whatever XD
Used to love that man as a kid, he truly made me an untrusting adult lol Fable was my favorite game ever
I cast doubt on whether that thing with the customs guy at the airport happened….
So, you do think you're close to the only one? 😉
@@Jayfive276 Black and White was one of the most eagerly awaited games of the time and Molyneux was the biggest gaming celebrity among PC gamers in the UK
@@chilldude30 nah. I think I was just half awake when I typed that.
Black & White dominates the top games of all time list in my mind. Peter got used to being able to dream big and maybe talk even bigger when he had this unbelievable team of creative minds beside him. It is too bad that the studio had slipped so much by the time Fable III rolled around... so much reputation destroyed, both personal and professional. The comparison between what was promised and what was delivered between Fable III time-frames and Black & White 1+2 time-frames is what sunk the boat.
Never played the 1st but I played the heck out of B&W2 and battle of the gods. This games concept is one of a kind. Need to get a CD reader and replay this classic!
I had no idea about all the legal deadlock. But about every 6 months I go to places like GOG and look for Black & White. I miss it so much.
Ah Black & White, my childhood!
I remember the first time I got Black & white as a 10-11 year old, it wasn't a game to me. It was totally engrossing and just an experience i'd never felt from any game I had played before.
A VR game in the vein of Black and White could be amazing. I had a ton of fun with B&W back in the day.
I love how genuinely proud Molyneux looks at the end of this. Can tell he really puts his all into these games. Really well done Doc!
So cool this documentary was made. For me, this was the most anticipated game of my childhood. When I was 14 years old and was planning a trip to the UK with a friend, I e-mailed Lionhead to ask them if we could see how the game was being developed. We got an invite to the sudio in Guildford. Peter gave us a demo on how to train the giants and we got to meet the team. I recall everyone being genuinly enthousiastic. Eager to show how the game was being developed, from the 3D engine tot the sound engineering. They did this just for two random kids from the Netherlands.
Black & White, Vigilante 8, Harry Potter, Motherload, Spyro, Jak & Daxter, and a pink panther game I don't quite recall are the titles that really got me hooked on games. Lead me on to things like half life and the valve infrastructure. A lot of respect for these early titles
One of my absolute favorite PC series. I loved BW2 and spent hundreds of hours in it
I distinctly remember playing this game so often with my friend on his computer he had to purchase to play the game. It was such a fun experience and I wish I could have played much more. I remember all the fun details you went through. Thanks a bunch for this content. How great!
Fantastic video! Thank you for doing this. Black and White was a huge game for me and a real game changer. The fact it was never released digitally or remastered is such a crime and I prey that in the future it changes. I’ve streamed the first one a few times and it generated a lot of interest but sadly crashes put a stop to it :(
"Have you been cooking ear wax again?" - "What am I supposed to do, eat it raw?!" :D
Had lots of fun with Dungeon Keeper, Populous, Theme Hospital (remember also we had to buy a new PC with enough memory to play Theme Park before).
Back then, despite no customer funding from Kickstarter/similar, Black & White sort of grew to massive proportions in our minds. Star Citizen of the 2000s :)
I still fondly think of this game at least once or twice or year. There hasn't been a game that scratched that itch that Black and White did.
Fata Deum is in development and leans into this heavily.
@@vwwvewewvw5022 oooo thanks for letting me know I'll check it out for sure
2 games I fell in love with as a kid. The first was Populous and the 2nd was Black and White. Fantastic memories.
Those and the original SimCity.
Remake of B&W in VR would be one of the coolest games ever if done right. Feels like the VR platform is made for it! Hand gestures, one hand moving around the world and interacting with objects .. if I had the slightest idea on game development I would start that project in a heartbeat
Hearing how Lionhead captured so much lightning in a bottle I feel more repect than I had at the time for Molenux. He literally came from that era where there was so much innovation only matched by the post braid indie scene. Luckily I still have my phyiscal copies and WINE handles the OS issues.
I remember seeing the boxes of black and white at Best Buy or Circuit City and wanting to play it as a kid. I never did get to play. My mom wasnt about to get a rated Teen game for an elementary kid. The box artwork was so impressive to me at the time I never forgot that it existed. I hope i can give it a try one day.
I never got to play this game either. My parents banned me from playing it because they felt that there were unappealing racial overtones to the game.
Lol what?
@@jessl1934 tbh i didnt know what the game was about or the graphics. For me this was before we had internet access.
It's these interviews and behind the scenes insights into game development in the mid-late 90's to early 2000's that solidify that it really was the golden era of PC gaming so glad to have been a part of it.
Gotta say, the intro with "Greatest hits" is really nice throwback.
This game still holds a firm place in my childhood memeories.
It never goes away.
So glad you made this documentary, this is my favorite game series of all time.
Absolutely spooky - I was just talking about this game mere DAYS ago and how great it was. No one had heard of it and it was such a shame. I've been quietly hoping for a sequel for years.
Aw I'd never even heard of this. Danny, I mean this with my whole heart, thank God for you, mate. I'm so grateful you make these videos. You're a gem!
It's a shame we rarely see such creativity these days, both in film and games.
Big props to the whole team and a special nod to whomever made the intro graphics. That's some good work.