What was your Class favorite? I did like them all, Conjeror was my favorite, cause of the traps, and summons tho. I loved the mechanical golem towards the end but ended up using cheap traps and cheese on hecubah
@@Jaaf014 in no particular order: Hey Blondie Neverknowsbest Triplejump I finished a Video game Ben Plays games Liam Triforce Retrospectivegaming Grim beard Civvie 11 Kbash Noah Caldwell gervais GamingHD Errant Signal Raycevick Joseph Anderson Super Bunnyhop Ahoy
I grew up in Viet Nam, i remember watching my brother playing diablo as an 8yo, wishing i could get a turn but always got denied as it was too violent Then along came Nox, i jumped at the chance and loved every single moment. Couldnt understand a word at the time, but i vividly remember the magic system and gameplay Pure nostalgia dude. I wish i could relive those moments
And then there me who was stuck playing D2 at 8 while everybody else was playing "võ lâm truyền kỳ" cause I don't know what a Email even is. Now that I think about, kinda did dodge a bullet there.
lmao that's awesome. Meanwhile my friends would give up on a game because there's "too many words"... My buddy showed me Oblivion when it came out, we were nearly high-schoolers. He laughed at me cos I stopped to read a book, and he skipped through all dialogue. We're native Englishmen lmao.
@@milk_bath they aren’t because English is 1) extremely easy as a language, and 2) the only language required to native English speakers. It’s instead a basic requirement for everybody else and it’s the main language for tons of media, which means that many people learn it through movies and games. I remember that the first time I played FFVII as a 10 year old kid I had to borrow my cousin’s English dictionary to actually understand what was happening… which helped me an awful lot btw.
Nox was my childhood. A friend gave it to me for my birthday and I sank literally hundreds of hours replaying its campaigns or running around in the absolute chaos that was the online deathmatch. Amazing game I wish more people had experienced. RIP Westwood, another vicim of EA.
The multi-player from this game was the most fun. I loved how the gameplay made the game feel like pvp was skill based rather then Diablo 1 dueling that felt like garbage, making Nox feel light-years a head of its time.
NOX was special ... it had real charm that today's RPG do not have ...by the way did you mention this game had 3 endings ? ...depending what you did and what class you picked ...
The feeling of pure nostalgic joy resonating throughout my whole body. This is a very special one to me. An absolute rough around the edges masterpiece of atmospheric storytelling and gameplay. It's just dripping out of it. Ahh, Yes.. There will always be a place for some good old NoX in my little dark heart. Thanks for doing this one, dude. Another banger video, and I was expecting nothing else ;) Cheers!
Man oh man my older brother gave me Nox back in 2002 after he had exhausted his time with it. I was 12 years old and after installing this gem on the family computer, I had no idea my life would be changed forever. Nox is still the greatest game I ever played. I spent hundreds of hours playing the campaigns over and over. and once I figured out how to play online I favoured a server called "Eiots Peace" (I think) and people would role play and it was just a fantastic time for a young mind. I will always hold this game close to my heart. Thanks for this video.
I love that you've made so many videos about games I saw on store shelves growing up but never got to play myself. For me, that means they've stayed shrouded in mystery for a long time. Getting a big retrospective on one is like mixing nostalgia with getting closure on gaming mysteries that have lived in my head for decades in some cases. Thanks, MrEdders!
Nox was possibly the first ARPG I played during my adolescence. At the time, I was blown away by the graphics and gameplay. Thanks for covering this game. This video hit me right in the nostalgia. 😅
it really was so good. Probably even decently balanced too. I remember a few legends KingOfNoobs and GenocideJunkie from those times in PvP absolutely cracked
Been waiting for your next video to drop man, your long form content is great to get me through my 11 hour work days, I was checking your channel just last week to see if I had missed a new upload :) Just want to say that even if your views aren't always the highest, I greatly admire and love your work, and thank you so much for what you do :)
Thanks! I don't worry too much about reviews - I made the channel primarily for more obscure stuff so I never expected much more than 1-2k views at max lol
Always appreciate the amount of work you put in your videos, sad about the problems, but hopefully you will find some solution to them in time. Love your videos and just wanted to let you know that!
The thing is I could have sworn one already existed and I watched it and I can’t for the life of me remember who made it. I almost want to say Edders but that’s obviously not the case. Then I thought maybe it was a shorter review done by Mandalore, but that’s not it either. It’s starting to frustrate me lol.
Nox isn't a favorite, but I have gone back to it a few times over the years. The way you turn what could be a boring slog, in other hands, into an engaging story, remains a gem far too well hidden in the vast sea of youtube content. Thank you for this, and the rest, of your wonderful content. May it flourish beyond all expectations.
I played this when it came out and got the free t-shirt, too. I remember the fun of the "realistic" line-of-site when entering a new area or room. Great video. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for reminding me about "Lands of Lore"! I'm currently re-playing old dungeon crawler games after 30 years. Been thinking about what else to play. You've given me the answer :)
Hello, Thank you for making another great video. I remember playing Nox a year or two after it came out, I was quite impressed with how it looks and enjoyed my playthrough. In case this is the last video of the year I want to wish you all the best for the Holidays and a Happy New Year.
I remember as a kid in Poland we had a magazine that'd one a year include a cheat/guidebook for games. And I distinctly remember there being one for Nox. I don't remember a ton of the guide but I can recall that beyond the lava in the starting Warrior area there's one of the strongest melee weapons (might be indestructible?) Conjurer was my fav class to play even if I didn't really understand the summoning system. Great video looking forward to whatver comes next.
This game is seriously underrated. I never know it receive such unfair reviews from all those magazines which I never read and care back in those days. The truth is this game is the most innovative ARPG I ever played. The mechanism and gameplay is so unique, and the art style is impressive even to this day
Ah, NOX. I had a paper issue of "Strana Igr" you took a review from. It was bundled with CD-ROM containing among others a demo of the game (with Tomb of Valor being a dead-end). TBH I liked the game more than Diablo so the demo was played all over time after time as I couldn't find the game in local game stores. And more than 20 years later, thanks to you, I finally know what a full game looks like :)
Mhmm, chefs kiss! If anything, after this video I'm more than interested in a proper video about Revenant, at some point in the future. In any case, take your time. I wish you all the best.
I really hope you start getting the viewers you deserve. Your videos are incredibly in depth and well made. I really appreciate your work, can’t tell you how much I appreciate your efforts.
35:09 I remember this was one of the books specifically cited by one of my lecturer when I was studying game programming in 2008-2009. We also had a copy which we usually kept in the library. These lessons were very much taken into account, but somewhere around 2018, a lot of the same people retired and knowledge was lost and the same mistakes cited in the book are being made again within management, which was one reason I left in 2021. Thank you for covering Nox. It's a game I will go back to again soon along with Arcanum. This period in gaming had excellent titles.
I bought this game when it released and played it through the Single Player campaigns for each class. I would have sworn that the Warrior had a Repair ability... I played the Warrior first, then the Wizard and finally the Conjurer. I never got into the multiplayer aspects of it but for a single player game it was excellent. It didn't have the relentless replayability that Diablo II did but what it had, it did really well. The games humor is also something that sticks with me to this day. My wife and i will still occasionally toss out one of the opening lines from the intro video of the game, when Jack's wife tells him that "chicken's On the Gri-ill... Do You want Bacon?" Good impressions like that stick with you.
this was a gem. I am 38 years old I am glad that I was able to play this game in my youth. Music, story, voice acting, fast paced gameplay, beautiful graphics...
Man, every time you upload it's an "OH SHIT! Look at this game I spend countless hours playing as a kid and I now completely forgotten about". You just MrNostalgiaEdders123
It’s interesting seeing the “it’s like _” discourse being just as prevalent 25 years ago as it is today. I thought that was a recent trend, but turns out it’s been around for a while.
Thanks for putting Nox in the spotlight! Still one of my favorite games to date. I’ve yet to find another game that fills the same craving Nox multiplayer gives me. Your overview is very thorough. That’s some dedication!
Thanks for the multiplayer videos and community stuff! I meant to get some footage of the bots from the alpha but ran out of time, so I used your promos :)
Nox has been on my "I'd like to play it some day" list for a long time and this vid and learning about opennox led to an install and some playing. Part of the reason I wanted to play it is because of it's comparison to Diablo but the silly premise has kept it lower on my list than it probably should have been. I can honestly say that out of all the games that aped Diablo in the late 90's to early 2000's this isn't one of them. It's unique and engaging in a way only some games of it's era really achieved.
Just dropped by to say that I very much enjoy your work. The historical contextualization is as always splendid. A shame that you have not as many subscribers as you deserve. Yet, Chapeau to you from Germany!
Holy crap! The blue wizard portrait that was everywhere on gaming forums in the 2000s was from this game. This one picture is probably the single, most recognizable legacy of Nox.
Great review! I loved the spells, with the word and hand component (although just a symbolic husk of the original concept) - and IIRC, in mage duels you could kinda cast counterspells. The only thing I disliked a little was the floaty walking. And yes, it was rather linear… while I am sure it had its flaws, I can’t follow the negative reviews calling it uninspired and a Diablo clone. Darkstone, on the other hand, was actually repetitive and uninspired. (I only played SP, just FYI)
I think it's just another one of those IPs EA forgot they own and probably can't be bothered to use again, unless they suddenly need a wizard-combat game out of nowhere. 🤔
42:51 I always thought the Diablo comparisons were both unfair and redundant. For the longest time many reviewers also called FPS's Doom clones, which was just as unfair and redundant. Great video btw ;-)
I received this game as a gift from my mother for St. Nicholas and it was one of my favorite games growing up. It's so strange that a lot of the "flaws" that reviewers identified with Nox were just charming to me. One example is the Australian accent, I've always found it appropriate; then again I was a non-native speaker kid for whom all accents that did not sound American sounded British and thus medieval. And the music? It is so iconic to my years
Funnily enough that was the complaint - that Australian accents didn't sound "medieval". Ironically "medieval" accents in games/movies are absolutely nothing like, say, accents in Tudor England - which would sound very..."regional" to RP speakers, to put it nicely :P
I dunno, I don't think it was that unfair if focusing solely on the singleplayer. Imo Revenant differs more significantly (at least at the start, before they ran out of time and released it unfinished). I should note a couple of magazines stated they didn't have access to the multiplayer at the time of the review, which may have influenced things, though as noted a lot of them disliked the online and wanted co-op instead.
You have to be the best at this type of content. No other creator has me instantly clicking 3 hour videos about games Ive never heard of that dont even seem very interesting to me from the offset. Great work
Just found your channel. Arguably I loved nox just as much as Diablo just for different reasons. Great coverage, time to dive into the modding community.
Another game I'd love to see is Might and Magic 6! Mandate of heaven is the first 3d open world rpg and one that uses a first person view that I know of and while not gamebreaking in story or maybe even graphics, the use of graphics music make for a beautiful game. The world has plenty of secrets to find great outdoor areas to fight in, and well made dungeons with good traps and some complex layouts. The game has 100s of hours of fun
Always love your vids man. I hope to see a video of ultima 7 sometime or underworld. Both dropped in 1992 are game breaking in the world of computer games and rpgs in general. Underworld being one of the first first person games on pc to use a real full 3d engine and in early 1992 is insane, but also ultima 7 was mindblowing, dropping a month after underworld and supplied a this huge openworld game with huge 2 part story, the ability to move every object in the game and do all kinds of everyday thing. While the combat in the ultima series was never the best the world's in ultima 4-7 especially 6 and 7 given the time they came out is really amazing.
7 is too well-known and I'd have to play all the previous games to give it a fair shake lol Underworld I might do eventually since there's only two of them.
@@MrEdders123 the problem with ultima though is while the games are great for thier relative time anything before 4 Is pretty much too bare bones to even comment on, and even 4 which is the first one I beat is really only unique because of the virtue system. 5 Is ridiculously hard and obtuse, 6 and 7 are really the ones I think that actually warrant review because they have enough story and dialogue as well gameplay to be considered full experiences, or approachable. Even though I'm huge fan of 4 and have all the original ultima box sets.
Oh man, seeing those Game Land / Страна Игр screenshots brings so many memories: being a kid and reading about newly released Dungeon Keeper (which got a solid ten from the editors despite their total confusion how to transcribe Peter Molyneux last name into Russian), studying all the factions icons in the Planescape: Torment preview and later dreaming about rig that could actually run a FULL 3D GTA III (another perfect score from them, if I recall correctly).
Despite what old reviewers said this game was a diamond in the rough in my eyes. I picked it up, played the crap out of it, and while playing multiplayer learned how to hack the game. I had countless hours with this game and the nostalgia is real. When I saw this retro review video I had to click on it!
Wooooooooow, my most favorite game ever, and almost 3 hours in-depth dive! Thank you so much, will watch it all eventually! Never really played multiplayer, but played the campaing so much times, even Hardcore Warrior mod and Modified Conjurer campaings! The game ahead of its time and still is! So cozy, so fun! If only there was more of NoX, just give me 100% the same game just with the new chapters (and some QoL like inventory filters...), so much potential for the new creatures, weapons, situations... Never had problems playing 800x600 even now, with 1920x1080 monitor, I think it's the best way to play (unless you want to tryhard in multiplayer), the rest are either too zoomed in or out. Also we russians have some really fun pirate voiceover, I'm glad I can experience it. Will write more as I watch the video more! Zo-zo-un!
This installed so easily in XP when I first wound it on GOG. Sadly it is a pain to install on Win10, and I eventually gave up. I need to try again. I never finished it, but truly enjoyed my time with it. Truly an overlooked gem. Thanks so much for this.
I got the demo from a magazine, remember when they would put demo disks in magazines? Anyway, I played the multiplayer for hours and hours. It was amazing. Can't believe they scrapped it.
There's a few easter eggs like that around IIRC, including some overpowered or joke spells, but I didn't do too much secret hunting. Could probably have designed the game in a Zelda/Darksiders-esque way wherein each time you get a new spell/ability you can try going back to an old location to access an previously blocked-area.
I remember this game! Conjurer was my favorite class! I often exploited the dreaded double Force of Nature bug in multiplayer, where you just cast the spell and then use the staff. That and the Blink Bombers were how I annoyed people in the extreme. Those were fun times for me. Lol
Finally catching with this, noisy neighbour problems made binge death metal for a week straight, happy to report my ears still work. I totally agree on Magicka being 1:1 how Booth described the original version of Nox. The only thing it doesn't have is the 'line of sight' system, otherwise it is all there. EDIT; I think the sprite flicker thing is most likely simply due the sprites being higher detailed models rendered into low resolutions. It's basically same if you take any highly detailed image with high contrast bits to Photoshop and then shrink it using 'preserve hard edges'. It doesn't matter much with a single frame, but when you have multiple as an animation, all the preserved high contrast pixels (like light highlights) will look odd and need some clearing. That's one of the reasons modern pixel art artists don't 'downscale' art, but draw assets straight as low-res.
I really like this review. You've covered pretty much everything there was to cover (beside multiplayer). I have memories about playing it as a kid but didn't know what to do so I've dropped it quite fast in around second chapter. About a month ago this game randomly came to my mind so I've decided to search for it on GOG and got it with a big discount. Too bad nox quest is not in GOG version but it's not an issue with today's internet and info you provided. Also thanks for mentioning Glaurune. I'm definitely gonna look up to it.
Eh, are you sure Nox Quest isn't part of the GoG release? That was the version I was using and it was in the menu. But yeah there are pretty easy alternative options if not.
my friends and I had a small blurb written about the trainers we made and website for this game in Computer Gaming Monthly. We were only high school freshman/sophomore so we thought we were famous lol. I have a copy of the issue somewhere.
I ended up getting Nox through a deal that EA had with Costco where you could buy one select EA game at Costco and then fill out a card and send in a proof of purchase and get another select game free. I had read a bunch of stuff about Nox and seen ads for it in PC Gamer leading up to it's release and as a big fan of the C&C franchise was excited to see what Westwood would do with a fantasy setting not knowing about their D&D games and other fantasy stuff at the time. I struggled with Nox I think in part because I kept trying to play it like Diablo and never really got very far with it.
Люблю этот канал, ваши видео и голос, спасибо за обзор одной из игр детства, никогда не проходил кампанию но с в мультиплеер с друзьями остался хорошим воспоминанием как и уникальная система управления.
Welcome back man! 3 hour long video too, will have to watch it in bits and pieces. Anyways I remember this game from PC Zone magazine where it only got around 70% mark. It never had a chance against likes like Baldurs Gate or Diablo at the time
Another great in-depth video, and again on a realtively niche yet highly interesting title. Also, I'm reinstalling Nox now. Hopefully it will run on Windows 10 Nothig-Works edition.
@@MrEdders123 Thanks! :) So far it is working, GOG + CnCdraw applied. Must admit, this game has more issues that I remember through the veil of nostalgia, but nontheless is quite a unique experience. Will dive into fan-created content later on
Excellent Retrospective about a game from the very early 2000's. I also remember it more as a "supposed" Diablo 2 Killer rather than being something of its own. Playing all 3 Classes did give some differences but it was more of a slog in the end. Though i have to confess that playing Wizard and infiltrating the Knight Stronghold was insanely difficult while the other way around it was more annoying catching those running wizards ^^ Magicka is without a doubt much more close to its original root. A similar game where you can also combine Magic Spells and has somewhat goofy chars to choose is called "Dawn of Magic" but has its own fair share of problems. Seeing "Throne of Darkness" reminds me of fond memories playing it, since the game was made by former Diablo Devs. A Retrospect would be interesting too if you ever come back for Hack&Slash :)
"The woman who played Hecubah at E3 was very hot. Did anyone manage to bag her?" Holy crap '90's game journalism had no chill whatsoever lol. Amazing work as usual!
Dude I guess I didn't check the runtime. wtf is this channel? I've been vibing with this for over two hours. Bought this game on release, and wow did I love it. Learned a lot here, thanks! Subbed!
Definitely have some good memories of Nox, and of Westwood's earlier RPG offerings as a kid. Great, entirely expansive and exhaustive video. Maybe think about a Lands of Lore series retrospective in the future? 😄😁
You may want to know that the Nox' OST was used (and probably still is used) as the soundtrack for a Russian browser MMORPG, Legend: Legacy of the Dragons
![ATEEZ(에이티즈) - [GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2] Preview](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/X4PfgRPBUVo/mqdefault.jpg)
Never clicked faster. You’ve become one of my favorite RUclipsrs in the “long retrospective” genre and Nox was one of my favorite games growing up.
What was your Class favorite?
I did like them all, Conjeror was my favorite, cause of the traps, and summons tho. I loved the mechanical golem towards the end but ended up using cheap traps and cheese on hecubah
You watch reviews of games you’ve played ?
What are your long retrospective youtubers? I'm having difficulties to find them
@@Jaaf014 in no particular order:
Hey Blondie
Neverknowsbest
Triplejump
I finished a Video game
Ben Plays games
Liam Triforce
Retrospectivegaming
Grim beard
Civvie 11
Kbash
Noah Caldwell gervais
GamingHD
Errant Signal
Raycevick
Joseph Anderson
Super Bunnyhop
Ahoy
@@Dram1984 Wow, thanks a lot for this amazing list. You're very cool to do that :). Thanks you
I grew up in Viet Nam, i remember watching my brother playing diablo as an 8yo, wishing i could get a turn but always got denied as it was too violent
Then along came Nox, i jumped at the chance and loved every single moment. Couldnt understand a word at the time, but i vividly remember the magic system and gameplay
Pure nostalgia dude. I wish i could relive those moments
And then there me who was stuck playing D2 at 8 while everybody else was playing "võ lâm truyền kỳ" cause I don't know what a Email even is.
Now that I think about, kinda did dodge a bullet there.
I wish first language English speakers were as tenacious as you.
lmao that's awesome. Meanwhile my friends would give up on a game because there's "too many words"...
My buddy showed me Oblivion when it came out, we were nearly high-schoolers. He laughed at me cos I stopped to read a book, and he skipped through all dialogue. We're native Englishmen lmao.
@@milk_bath they aren’t because English is 1) extremely easy as a language, and 2) the only language required to native English speakers. It’s instead a basic requirement for everybody else and it’s the main language for tons of media, which means that many people learn it through movies and games. I remember that the first time I played FFVII as a 10 year old kid I had to borrow my cousin’s English dictionary to actually understand what was happening… which helped me an awful lot btw.
@@AdamOwenBrowning Oblivion is extremely boring though. I'd rather read an actual book
Nox was my childhood. A friend gave it to me for my birthday and I sank literally hundreds of hours replaying its campaigns or running around in the absolute chaos that was the online deathmatch. Amazing game I wish more people had experienced. RIP Westwood, another vicim of EA.
The multi-player from this game was the most fun. I loved how the gameplay made the game feel like pvp was skill based rather then Diablo 1 dueling that felt like garbage, making Nox feel light-years a head of its time.
NOX was special ... it had real charm that today's RPG do not have ...by the way did you mention this game had 3 endings ? ...depending what you did and what class you picked ...
Yeah I did three playthroughs for it.
Like Dink Smallwood. There's a particular vibe that no other game has.
So glad to hear your voice again. I hadn't thought to see a vid from you for quite a while, so this is a real treat!
The feeling of pure nostalgic joy resonating throughout my whole body. This is a very special one to me. An absolute rough around the edges masterpiece of atmospheric storytelling and gameplay. It's just dripping out of it. Ahh, Yes.. There will always be a place for some good old NoX in my little dark heart.
Thanks for doing this one, dude. Another banger video, and I was expecting nothing else ;) Cheers!
2:00:48 "and because I have the utmost respect for electronic arts intellectual property rights" had me laughing.
Man oh man my older brother gave me Nox back in 2002 after he had exhausted his time with it. I was 12 years old and after installing this gem on the family computer, I had no idea my life would be changed forever. Nox is still the greatest game I ever played. I spent hundreds of hours playing the campaigns over and over. and once I figured out how to play online I favoured a server called "Eiots Peace" (I think) and people would role play and it was just a fantastic time for a young mind. I will always hold this game close to my heart. Thanks for this video.
I love that you've made so many videos about games I saw on store shelves growing up but never got to play myself. For me, that means they've stayed shrouded in mystery for a long time. Getting a big retrospective on one is like mixing nostalgia with getting closure on gaming mysteries that have lived in my head for decades in some cases. Thanks, MrEdders!
The Big Box Art was absolutely beautiful on this game.
This cover, and the box art for Populous dominated the PC shelf space in my local mall's gamestop for years.
My all time favourite game growing up. One of the greatest stories. I loved playing the Warrior and exploring the fortress of Dun-mir.
Nox was possibly the first ARPG I played during my adolescence. At the time, I was blown away by the graphics and gameplay. Thanks for covering this game. This video hit me right in the nostalgia. 😅
The gameplay was a big part of the fun. Multi-player was so good and rewarded hard skill to the maximum.
Oh man, Nox multiplayer remains some of the most engaging PvP I've experienced.
it really was so good. Probably even decently balanced too. I remember a few legends KingOfNoobs and GenocideJunkie from those times in PvP absolutely cracked
Ahhhh I thought you were on hiatus. Love me some more Edders content
Wait minute. Nox is basically a western isekai.
I pointed that out, but then realized I was pronouncing it wrong and cut all the lines lol
2:29:44 I think it's pointed out pretty amusingly regardless.
It’s not that the west doesn’t do tropes - it’s just we’re not so relentlessly derivative
Like Bobby3000 said. There are plenty of western Isekai stories. One of my dad's favorite book series he grew up reading was a isekai.
the trope originated in the west actually.
These reviews have such a high quality, good job man.
Been waiting for your next video to drop man, your long form content is great to get me through my 11 hour work days, I was checking your channel just last week to see if I had missed a new upload :)
Just want to say that even if your views aren't always the highest, I greatly admire and love your work, and thank you so much for what you do :)
Thanks! I don't worry too much about reviews - I made the channel primarily for more obscure stuff so I never expected much more than 1-2k views at max lol
Always appreciate the amount of work you put in your videos, sad about the problems, but hopefully you will find some solution to them in time.
Love your videos and just wanted to let you know that!
Nox was amazing. The multiplayer was way ahead of it's time.
Amazing game, great single player and interesting multiplayer that you can still play today.
I’ve been searching RUclips for a long form Nox retrospective for years and I’m so excited to relive this game
The thing is I could have sworn one already existed and I watched it and I can’t for the life of me remember who made it. I almost want to say Edders but that’s obviously not the case.
Then I thought maybe it was a shorter review done by Mandalore, but that’s not it either. It’s starting to frustrate me lol.
@@ToTheNines87368 Grim Beard
@@Onan-lh5rethanks! You’re right!
@@Onan-lh5rethank you I will have to check his video on it too! Saw his video on nocturn. I should have looked for Nox there
Nox isn't a favorite, but I have gone back to it a few times over the years. The way you turn what could be a boring slog, in other hands, into an engaging story, remains a gem far too well hidden in the vast sea of youtube content.
Thank you for this, and the rest, of your wonderful content. May it flourish beyond all expectations.
I played this when it came out and got the free t-shirt, too. I remember the fun of the "realistic" line-of-site when entering a new area or room. Great video. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for reminding me about "Lands of Lore"!
I'm currently re-playing old dungeon crawler games after 30 years. Been thinking about what else to play. You've given me the answer :)
Hello,
Thank you for making another great video. I remember playing Nox a year or two after it came out, I was quite impressed with how it looks and enjoyed my playthrough.
In case this is the last video of the year I want to wish you all the best for the Holidays and a Happy New Year.
Thanks!
I remember as a kid in Poland we had a magazine that'd one a year include a cheat/guidebook for games. And I distinctly remember there being one for Nox.
I don't remember a ton of the guide but I can recall that beyond the lava in the starting Warrior area there's one of the strongest melee weapons (might be indestructible?)
Conjurer was my fav class to play even if I didn't really understand the summoning system.
Great video looking forward to whatver comes next.
This game is seriously underrated. I never know it receive such unfair reviews from all those magazines which I never read and care back in those days. The truth is this game is the most innovative ARPG I ever played. The mechanism and gameplay is so unique, and the art style is impressive even to this day
Ah, NOX. I had a paper issue of "Strana Igr" you took a review from. It was bundled with CD-ROM containing among others a demo of the game (with Tomb of Valor being a dead-end). TBH I liked the game more than Diablo so the demo was played all over time after time as I couldn't find the game in local game stores. And more than 20 years later, thanks to you, I finally know what a full game looks like :)
Mhmm, chefs kiss! If anything, after this video I'm more than interested in a proper video about Revenant, at some point in the future.
In any case, take your time. I wish you all the best.
ive never played this one but its art was so iconic I still remember all of its ads vividly. Also its music is just so good!
I really hope you start getting the viewers you deserve. Your videos are incredibly in depth and well made. I really appreciate your work, can’t tell you how much I appreciate your efforts.
Thanks :D
35:09 I remember this was one of the books specifically cited by one of my lecturer when I was studying game programming in 2008-2009. We also had a copy which we usually kept in the library.
These lessons were very much taken into account, but somewhere around 2018, a lot of the same people retired and knowledge was lost and the same mistakes cited in the book are being made again within management, which was one reason I left in 2021.
Thank you for covering Nox. It's a game I will go back to again soon along with Arcanum. This period in gaming had excellent titles.
So stoked for a Nox retrospective!
I bought this game when it released and played it through the Single Player campaigns for each class. I would have sworn that the Warrior had a Repair ability... I played the Warrior first, then the Wizard and finally the Conjurer. I never got into the multiplayer aspects of it but for a single player game it was excellent. It didn't have the relentless replayability that Diablo II did but what it had, it did really well. The games humor is also something that sticks with me to this day. My wife and i will still occasionally toss out one of the opening lines from the intro video of the game, when Jack's wife tells him that "chicken's On the Gri-ill... Do You want Bacon?" Good impressions like that stick with you.
this was a gem. I am 38 years old I am glad that I was able to play this game in my youth. Music, story, voice acting, fast paced gameplay, beautiful graphics...
I'm so happy game critiques are going out of business.
☹
No one i ever talk to played this game growing up, but i absolutely LOVE it. The world just makes you want to live there.
Man, every time you upload it's an "OH SHIT! Look at this game I spend countless hours playing as a kid and I now completely forgotten about". You just MrNostalgiaEdders123
Fascinating game. It is in many ways unique.
Agreed. One of a kind forgotten little gem. I love it.
It’s interesting seeing the “it’s like _” discourse being just as prevalent 25 years ago as it is today. I thought that was a recent trend, but turns out it’s been around for a while.
Back in the day terms "C&C/AoE/WarCraft clone" and "Diablo clone" was common in almost all RTS and ARPG reviews.
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
Wow i was just thinking about this game yesterday! I loved it, installed it on a few friends computers for them when i was a kid
Oh boy, another banger from Mr. EDDIE, you got my engagement. I've never played this, thanks for the lesson.
I always thought Nox felt more fluid and kinetic in its action than its contemporaries.
Thank you for the wonderfully comprehensive review.
Thanks for putting Nox in the spotlight! Still one of my favorite games to date. I’ve yet to find another game that fills the same craving Nox multiplayer gives me. Your overview is very thorough. That’s some dedication!
Thanks for the multiplayer videos and community stuff! I meant to get some footage of the bots from the alpha but ran out of time, so I used your promos :)
we need more quality games like this
Thank you for this, I absolutely love your videos
Great video, I learned some things about one of my favorite games from my childhood.
One of the few games i ever finished, with all 3 types of players.
The king returns!
Nox has been on my "I'd like to play it some day" list for a long time and this vid and learning about opennox led to an install and some playing. Part of the reason I wanted to play it is because of it's comparison to Diablo but the silly premise has kept it lower on my list than it probably should have been. I can honestly say that out of all the games that aped Diablo in the late 90's to early 2000's this isn't one of them. It's unique and engaging in a way only some games of it's era really achieved.
Just dropped by to say that I very much enjoy your work. The historical contextualization is as always splendid. A shame that you have not as many subscribers as you deserve. Yet, Chapeau to you from Germany!
Thanks Germany :)
Finally found time to watch this epic review. For sure the best researched Nox review. Extremely well done job! Thanks for mentioning Glaurune!
Thanks for the footage! :D
Fist of Venegence is an ability that Ive been chasing the satisfaction dragon since I first played Nox as a kid
I love it when YT recommendations send me absolute gems like this video and channel, well worth a sub.
Oh and you should do a video on Arcanum. It seems up your alley.
Holy crap! The blue wizard portrait that was everywhere on gaming forums in the 2000s was from this game. This one picture is probably the single, most recognizable legacy of Nox.
This old hidden gem. The spell casting incantations were hilarious
Great review! I loved the spells, with the word and hand component (although just a symbolic husk of the original concept) - and IIRC, in mage duels you could kinda cast counterspells. The only thing I disliked a little was the floaty walking. And yes, it was rather linear… while I am sure it had its flaws, I can’t follow the negative reviews calling it uninspired and a Diablo clone. Darkstone, on the other hand, was actually repetitive and uninspired. (I only played SP, just FYI)
I preferred the character options in Darkstone
this game is a masterpiece! will there ever be a sequel to the game? I've already been waiting 20 years...
I think it's just another one of those IPs EA forgot they own and probably can't be bothered to use again, unless they suddenly need a wizard-combat game out of nowhere. 🤔
42:51 I always thought the Diablo comparisons were both unfair and redundant. For the longest time many reviewers also called FPS's Doom clones, which was just as unfair and redundant. Great video btw ;-)
This game really captured my imagination as a kid, played through as all the classes multiple times. Such an enjoyable experience full of charm
Thank you so much for reviewing this great old Westwood Studios game. RIP the late great Westwood Studios.
Never heard of this game but I love your videos!
I received this game as a gift from my mother for St. Nicholas and it was one of my favorite games growing up. It's so strange that a lot of the "flaws" that reviewers identified with Nox were just charming to me. One example is the Australian accent, I've always found it appropriate; then again I was a non-native speaker kid for whom all accents that did not sound American sounded British and thus medieval. And the music? It is so iconic to my years
Funnily enough that was the complaint - that Australian accents didn't sound "medieval". Ironically "medieval" accents in games/movies are absolutely nothing like, say, accents in Tudor England - which would sound very..."regional" to RP speakers, to put it nicely :P
Your videos are so good I'm watching a nearly 3 hour video for a game I've never heard of and will most likely never play.
"The label of Diablo clone was reductive"
True, and video game bloggers hardly changed, constantly calling games thing they're not.
I dunno, I don't think it was that unfair if focusing solely on the singleplayer. Imo Revenant differs more significantly (at least at the start, before they ran out of time and released it unfinished). I should note a couple of magazines stated they didn't have access to the multiplayer at the time of the review, which may have influenced things, though as noted a lot of them disliked the online and wanted co-op instead.
You have to be the best at this type of content. No other creator has me instantly clicking 3 hour videos about games Ive never heard of that dont even seem very interesting to me from the offset. Great work
This was incredibly well researched and I appreciated the depth. Definitely subscribing and watching the rest
Love this game! Played it a ton as a kid
Just found your channel. Arguably I loved nox just as much as Diablo just for different reasons.
Great coverage, time to dive into the modding community.
Happy to welcome you on our discord! 😁
Woah, what an awesome surprise. I thought you were going to be gone longer.
Another game I'd love to see is Might and Magic 6!
Mandate of heaven is the first 3d open world rpg and one that uses a first person view that I know of and while not gamebreaking in story or maybe even graphics, the use of graphics music make for a beautiful game. The world has plenty of secrets to find great outdoor areas to fight in, and well made dungeons with good traps and some complex layouts.
The game has 100s of hours of fun
Always love your vids man.
I hope to see a video of ultima 7 sometime or underworld.
Both dropped in 1992 are game breaking in the world of computer games and rpgs in general.
Underworld being one of the first first person games on pc to use a real full 3d engine and in early 1992 is insane, but also ultima 7 was mindblowing, dropping a month after underworld and supplied a this huge openworld game with huge 2 part story, the ability to move every object in the game and do all kinds of everyday thing. While the combat in the ultima series was never the best the world's in ultima 4-7 especially 6 and 7 given the time they came out is really amazing.
7 is too well-known and I'd have to play all the previous games to give it a fair shake lol Underworld I might do eventually since there's only two of them.
@@MrEdders123 the problem with ultima though is while the games are great for thier relative time anything before 4 Is pretty much too bare bones to even comment on, and even 4 which is the first one I beat is really only unique because of the virtue system. 5 Is ridiculously hard and obtuse, 6 and 7 are really the ones I think that actually warrant review because they have enough story and dialogue as well gameplay to be considered full experiences, or approachable.
Even though I'm huge fan of 4 and have all the original ultima box sets.
I really enjoyed Nox, a friend and I used to play together quite a bit.
Oh man, seeing those Game Land / Страна Игр screenshots brings so many memories: being a kid and reading about newly released Dungeon Keeper (which got a solid ten from the editors despite their total confusion how to transcribe Peter Molyneux last name into Russian), studying all the factions icons in the Planescape: Torment preview and later dreaming about rig that could actually run a FULL 3D GTA III (another perfect score from them, if I recall correctly).
I'll have to remember to check Russian magazines when i get round to DK haha
Despite what old reviewers said this game was a diamond in the rough in my eyes. I picked it up, played the crap out of it, and while playing multiplayer learned how to hack the game. I had countless hours with this game and the nostalgia is real.
When I saw this retro review video I had to click on it!
Wooooooooow, my most favorite game ever, and almost 3 hours in-depth dive! Thank you so much, will watch it all eventually! Never really played multiplayer, but played the campaing so much times, even Hardcore Warrior mod and Modified Conjurer campaings! The game ahead of its time and still is! So cozy, so fun! If only there was more of NoX, just give me 100% the same game just with the new chapters (and some QoL like inventory filters...), so much potential for the new creatures, weapons, situations... Never had problems playing 800x600 even now, with 1920x1080 monitor, I think it's the best way to play (unless you want to tryhard in multiplayer), the rest are either too zoomed in or out. Also we russians have some really fun pirate voiceover, I'm glad I can experience it. Will write more as I watch the video more!
Zo-zo-un!
This installed so easily in XP when I first wound it on GOG. Sadly it is a pain to install on Win10, and I eventually gave up. I need to try again. I never finished it, but truly enjoyed my time with it. Truly an overlooked gem. Thanks so much for this.
I would definitely recommend checking the Nox discord, they have a guide for two or three different ways to get it running.
I got the demo from a magazine, remember when they would put demo disks in magazines? Anyway, I played the multiplayer for hours and hours. It was amazing. Can't believe they scrapped it.
There's a few easter eggs like that around IIRC, including some overpowered or joke spells, but I didn't do too much secret hunting. Could probably have designed the game in a Zelda/Darksiders-esque way wherein each time you get a new spell/ability you can try going back to an old location to access an previously blocked-area.
japanese game for Nox:
I was a mechanic watching tv and I got transported into a fantasy isekai
I remember this game! Conjurer was my favorite class! I often exploited the dreaded double Force of Nature bug in multiplayer, where you just cast the spell and then use the staff. That and the Blink Bombers were how I annoyed people in the extreme. Those were fun times for me. Lol
Finally catching with this, noisy neighbour problems made binge death metal for a week straight, happy to report my ears still work.
I totally agree on Magicka being 1:1 how Booth described the original version of Nox. The only thing it doesn't have is the 'line of sight' system, otherwise it is all there.
EDIT; I think the sprite flicker thing is most likely simply due the sprites being higher detailed models rendered into low resolutions. It's basically same if you take any highly detailed image with high contrast bits to Photoshop and then shrink it using 'preserve hard edges'. It doesn't matter much with a single frame, but when you have multiple as an animation, all the preserved high contrast pixels (like light highlights) will look odd and need some clearing. That's one of the reasons modern pixel art artists don't 'downscale' art, but draw assets straight as low-res.
I really like this review. You've covered pretty much everything there was to cover (beside multiplayer). I have memories about playing it as a kid but didn't know what to do so I've dropped it quite fast in around second chapter. About a month ago this game randomly came to my mind so I've decided to search for it on GOG and got it with a big discount. Too bad nox quest is not in GOG version but it's not an issue with today's internet and info you provided. Also thanks for mentioning Glaurune. I'm definitely gonna look up to it.
Eh, are you sure Nox Quest isn't part of the GoG release? That was the version I was using and it was in the menu. But yeah there are pretty easy alternative options if not.
@@MrEdders123 nvm. It is a part of GOG version but I had to change some struff in rigistry settings for it to work
my friends and I had a small blurb written about the trainers we made and website for this game in Computer Gaming Monthly. We were only high school freshman/sophomore so we thought we were famous lol. I have a copy of the issue somewhere.
Dude this is wildly in depth. Like DYKG on crack. Fantastic job documenting all this!
DYKG? 😅
I ended up getting Nox through a deal that EA had with Costco where you could buy one select EA game at Costco and then fill out a card and send in a proof of purchase and get another select game free. I had read a bunch of stuff about Nox and seen ads for it in PC Gamer leading up to it's release and as a big fan of the C&C franchise was excited to see what Westwood would do with a fantasy setting not knowing about their D&D games and other fantasy stuff at the time. I struggled with Nox I think in part because I kept trying to play it like Diablo and never really got very far with it.
always hyped when you drop a video bro such good fucking content
Люблю этот канал, ваши видео и голос, спасибо за обзор одной из игр детства, никогда не проходил кампанию но с в мультиплеер с друзьями остался хорошим воспоминанием как и уникальная система управления.
Thanks dawg
Welcome back man! 3 hour long video too, will have to watch it in bits and pieces. Anyways I remember this game from PC Zone magazine where it only got around 70% mark. It never had a chance against likes like Baldurs Gate or Diablo at the time
one of the best game ever.Thx.
Ps.The music and art style is so good.
Another great in-depth video, and again on a realtively niche yet highly interesting title.
Also, I'm reinstalling Nox now. Hopefully it will run on Windows 10 Nothig-Works edition.
Check the "playing on modern..." part - even if CnCdraw or the SDL patch don't work, OpenNox should.
@@MrEdders123 Thanks! :) So far it is working, GOG + CnCdraw applied. Must admit, this game has more issues that I remember through the veil of nostalgia, but nontheless is quite a unique experience. Will dive into fan-created content later on
Excellent Retrospective about a game from the very early 2000's.
I also remember it more as a "supposed" Diablo 2 Killer rather than being something of its own.
Playing all 3 Classes did give some differences but it was more of a slog in the end.
Though i have to confess that playing Wizard and infiltrating the Knight Stronghold was insanely difficult while the other way around it was more annoying catching those running wizards ^^
Magicka is without a doubt much more close to its original root.
A similar game where you can also combine Magic Spells and has somewhat goofy chars to choose is called "Dawn of Magic" but has its own fair share of problems.
Seeing "Throne of Darkness" reminds me of fond memories playing it, since the game was made by former Diablo Devs.
A Retrospect would be interesting too if you ever come back for Hack&Slash :)
Thanks - yep I'll be doing a Throne of Darkness video at some point!
"The woman who played Hecubah at E3 was very hot. Did anyone manage to bag her?" Holy crap '90's game journalism had no chill whatsoever lol.
Amazing work as usual!
You should've seen the comment they made above that one lol
Dude I guess I didn't check the runtime. wtf is this channel? I've been vibing with this for over two hours. Bought this game on release, and wow did I love it. Learned a lot here, thanks! Subbed!
Wowowow
Definitely have some good memories of Nox, and of Westwood's earlier RPG offerings as a kid. Great, entirely expansive and exhaustive video. Maybe think about a Lands of Lore series retrospective in the future? 😄😁
In the future but probably a ways off. I promised to do EotB1 and Anvil of Dawn like a year ago :D
@@MrEdders123 be glad to see it, even if it's in the "someday" column!
Great stuff, boss. See you on the other side 👋
You may want to know that the Nox' OST was used (and probably still is used) as the soundtrack for a Russian browser MMORPG, Legend: Legacy of the Dragons
This game got me into gaming! What a gem
I don't understand the complaints about the voice acting. I've played through Nox twice I never noticed anything. Sounded fine to me
Anti...uh, antipodeanism