LGR - Pyrotechnica - DOS PC Game Review

[@VasilyKazantsevHitosu]

This was actually one of my best games. And I still remember the soundtrack after all this years. The reason you find it difficult is simple: you are playing it at about 2x - 3x of a normal speed, I can definitely tell it because I've spent days playing this game.

[@Bjaddni85]

I played this, it was a lot slower on a 486 system. that is probably why you were having a hard time playing

[@adrianmodeli5312]

if he's using dosbox he could just drop the cycle rate to slow it down

[@Ronckie]

the year 2112 looks very promising. Also, your 'ancient stars' joke really got me xD

[@delatroy]

Really loved this game when I was a kid! Thanks for the review. The graphics were so basic and the music so deep that it really played on your imagination of freedom flying through space something that games today can never compete with.

[@Robertkopp84]

thats btw from my point of view as a oldshool hardcore gamer, i think 25 years of gaming are enough to call me that. the only selling point for consoles today are accassible controls and the "maybe" easier installation. if you so hard core to the pc and can get past the flaws its still superior, i for example hate steering wheels or fight sticks without having access to the dead zone. so no racing and flying for me on consoles.

[@LeightonW87]

@phreakindee I agree with you, I don't have a preference on video length but I prefer longer in-depth reviews like yours. Keep up the great work.

[@TheVanillatech]

Best DOS options menu I've ever seen!

[@shiroiuma]

this totally reminds me of System Shock's cyberspace, seriously, it does!

[@mrcoolguy32]

+Absolutixn me too

[@JamieBainbridge]

Absolutixn That was my first thought as well. I've always wondered what a just-cyberspace game would be like.

[@ellie8674]

cyberspace sucks ass

[@SuperLightHorse]

Can always rely on a great review from you on Fridays :)

[@cornsyruptrucker]

I had a dream that looked identical to this game once.

[@justaS33ker]

Looks like a lowkey Minecraft version of Descent. Sweet looking channel! I love this era of gaming!

[@crazydescent]

I remember playing a demo of this back in the day, and being completely mystified with what was going on..I felt like playing some sort of experimental art project where people also shot at me

[@TheNapalmFTW]

This!!!

[@funkophone]

Oh man, I'm getting nostalgia pangs for the days when I played descent over a LAN with my buddy and it was the most badass thing ever.

[@purrbox7514]

After playing descent (and loving it) I remember reading about this game in PC format and being absolutely blown away by the screen shots, I literally couldn't wait to play this game. I saved for months to upgrade my RAM to get it to run, the disappointed to find out it ran at 1 frame every 5 seconds on my 486 sx - 25. I was absolutely gutted. A few years later and I'd forgotten about it, I've been trying to remember ever since and just today by chance it showed up. The graphics still look awe inspiring today, even though the gameplay looks sucky. I always thought this game was called system shock, of course it isn't system shock is an FPS.

[@Ashes1032]

I do believe there was a Descent level called Pyrotechnica, as well. User made, I suppose, and this is probably where the nameless creator got his inspiration for it.

[@Ashes1032]

"Pyro" well that's definitely a Descent ripoff, since the ship in Descent is called the Pyro-GX.

[@Ashes1032]

Looks like it was totally marketed to the same audience as Descent, while being much more like an arcade game. Good call!

[@Highretrogamelord]

Ah, oldschool 3D space shooters...they are so damn nice. :D I am not 100 % sure which was my first game of that genre I've played, but I think it was the demo to "Ice and Fire" (not to be confused with the platformer "Fire and Ice"!)

[@kingharker7492]

Oh snap Betty White shout out, if that doesn't deserve a like I don't know what does.

[@gusbusfusrus2351]

Rip ancient star Betty white

[@anekoneko2668]

Too fast on current PCs... I played this on my old 486 DX2 66 MHz and it was a really good game then !

[@elgoog-the-third]

Is it possible to disable the auto-centering? Because auto-centering + digital controls (instead of analog) = crap controls.

[@virkony]

4:36 Looks pretty like a training chamber in Tie Fighter and even thrust control with 1-9.

[@CocoHutzpah]

2112? You've got the power of rock on your side.

[@Christos_Angelis]

After buying a 486 in late 1994/early 1995 iirc and playing this game after NES/SNES experience i remember myself being blown out by the 3D... Finally Bought it a week ago...

[@1.N.Decent]

I hated this game just because of those pitch black walls. Confused as heck. Whoever came up that idea... Must be Collin Parrot.

[@SplotchTheCatThing]

Wouldn't a Parrot be more like to come up with the bright colours though? :D Apologies to grey parrots....

[@Roonnam]

the game cut down on unneccessary stuf to proces.. it performed fluid.. due to not having to proces alsorts of highly detailed background walls not adding anything to the game..

[@TheGNUfan]

I really like the style of this game. If the controls and gameplay were a bit more solid, this could have been an everlasting classic.

[@televiciousgoober]

Level design reminds me of the Cube movies. Game was apparently made to use AWE 32.

[@tombert512]

@phreakindee Well, to be fair, Descent had an auto-leveling system as well, which I would promptly turn off. It didn't really reorient you to the standard one, but it leveled you a bit.

[@lauratimmel3402]

The aesthetic, with oncoming color blocks in a black environment, reminds me of Beat Saber.

[@BooneDogggy]

I've had the intro song stuck in my head ever since I first played the demo, 20 years ago on a PC Gamer CD. It wasn't a great game but the music stood out at the time.

[@proven22x52]

pyro is star, Technica is your tech

[@marianpesce3468]

I remember playing the DEMO long long ago.

[@VoceCorale]

OK, they have surely asked you this question a zillion times already, but since it's the first video I see on your channel, here it is: from what game does the intro music come? (BTW: this is the first video I have seen but it surely won't be the last... I hugely enjoyed it and I'm going to watch the others as well. I really like your style of reviewing. Thank you!)

[@Blender.Quebec]

Yep, really loves this game ❤❤🎉

[@whatamalike]

Along with a helicopter combat game from around the same time by Microprose this was a game that I had for my very first windows 95/98 pc but for some reason they never ever worked for any longer than 2 minutes...but this looks pretty funky if a little random.

[@GeeTee_]

Hmm, just tried this and joystick calibration worked just fine in DOSBox. Granted, the calibration process is a bit confiusing though.

[@MaraIndigoJade]

As for 'Pyrotechnica'...until tonight, when it just 'out of the blue' popped into my head, I wasn't aware it had ever actually been released into retail. See, the only thing I knew from it was the demo I played of it in the wee early years of PC GAMER and their demo cd. One month it was included but...there was no manual, readme or in-game text stating what the game was about or what the controls were! You think it's hard now?! However, it played MUCH better because of the slower pace...

[@gsilver0]

I remember playing this back in the 90s. I was a huge Descent fan, so I was really excited when I saw this. Then, I actually played it, and my enthusiasm went out the window. The 'auto-steer' mechanic is pretty awful. I think that I just had the demo of the game.

[@ThomasWinders]

I remember playing that game (or maybe just a demo of it), but I don't remember it being that difficult. A strange game ofcourse: Jeff Minter would have liked it for sure. But hey, this is how games were, back in the old days. And that's how we were, back in those days: not so complicated - pretty straightforward.

[@NewEonOrchestra]

@Shiqna1 That's a bit of a generalization. Realistic graphics can greatly assist with a game's immersion factor, enhancing the narrative aspects of the game. It can be done well or poorly, but that really applies to any aspect of a video game. I don't think Bioshock would have been half as successful or creepy if the developers hadn't placed a strong emphasis on the graphics, nor Oblivion without its flowing forests and grasslands.

[@jasonz7788]

Great work Sir thank you

[@TheDooooooooooof]

have you considered reviewing Radix: Beyond the Void by Epic Megagames?

[@ohotis]

Huh! Interesting; Pyro was the name of the ship in Descent.

[@sukyake]

The concept of the game was cool, but the auto-steering is annoying. At least I got a lot of fun with the demo version in my childhood.

[@PenguinDT]

Only Descent clone of 'them olden days' I recall somewhat fondly is Forsaken. I have no idea if that still holds up, though.

[@semvision]

Forsaken definitely does not hold up today. Interestingly, Descent 1 holds up incredibly well, difficulty spikes notwithstanding.

[@NewEonOrchestra]

@phreakindee Also I tend to think that the ability to create a realistic environment has improved enough so that games that want to use one are able to and don't need to rely on creative workarounds that only make sense in the game world.

[@shinobiflare]

Do you think you'll ever review I.M. Meen?

[@sukyake]

Damn... in DosBox it's just too fast! It looks easier running on my old Pentium 100MHz... In 1996, My brother bought a CD with lots of cool sharwares... and Pyro was there... It crashed my MS-DOS lots of times. Descent is a better game... way better. But the Pyro "virtual arcade style" is pretty cool... It could be even remaked in JAVA or other system and have new game modes... like... cooperative, deathmatch... you know... online game playing

[@lucool888]

"it's not working"? Are you fucking kidding me? The way he speaks is one of the most awesome aspects of this show.

[@THOMASSU63]

I love the look of this game!

[@JimPlaysGames]

@Roflcopter4b agreed. Tie Fighter was amazing. First game I played where you got to be the bad guys. Sometimes it's good to be bad :D

[@armorgeddon]

Very nice graphical style, but lacking a bigger drawing distance.

[@DrGreenfun]

can you do a quest for glory review?? or xcom please :)

[@CastleMinerFTW]

this game looks like fun, do you know where i can get it? (or something close to it) i don't actually have a dos pc, i just use dosbox, which works great. so if you know of a game like this, or a place where i can get it, please tell me. thanks in advance.

[@b00rk]

I remember being pretty impressed with this game running well in SVGA on a 486 but the gameplay was pretty meh.

[@Roflcopter4b]

Dude, you should review the original Star Wars Tie Fighter. It's a masterpiece of DOS gaming.

[@RetroGamerVX]

I have to give it this, the in game graphics are nice, I would have had a wee leak if I'd have seen this in 93 :o) Unlike phsygnosis to do a clone, they were usually the leaders in games :o(

[@RetroGamerVX]

@phreakindee Aha, that might have something to do with it :o(

[@Bigbacon]

time for a Terminal Velocity review

[@ThePeakIsNeverPassed]

Set in the year 2112 you say? I bet the Temples of Syrinx are in there somewhere!

[@Gmanster64]

I can find brand-new copies of this game at my local Ollie's Bargain Outlet.

[@lucool888]

Yeah, I'd like them longer, everyone feels different about that, but you shouldn't try to stretch them, but by all means, if you think you can, you should try making some longer, as you already have your "quickies".

[@FezTheSpaceBiker]

Ever play Forsaken? That's also a clone of Descent made by Acclaim. There's was a ps1 and n64 version of it, but I'm not sure about a pc version.

[@Wayoutthere]

@zenuke TV< ooooh the memories!!

[@olbones4863]

Cool art style

[@HARVESTERFTW]

Seems like a really unique visual style. Creativity seemes to be higher in the 1980's-1990's. Don't make games like they used to.

[@DirtyKameSennin]

I'd really like to see a new descent game...they should make one

[@Schmidt54]

hay man, I'm looking for an oldschool game called DeathDrome, but I cannot find it anywhere. I once played the demo many many years ago. It's a simple game with lasers, motorcycles and a death drome.

[@LouisMinett]

2112? hmm Rush referance? :D

[@Jasper_Hill]

PLEASE review "Hardw[a]r: The Future is Greedy" Love that game.

[@behindthepixel555]

@phreakindee I know you heart Minecraft, but what do you think about Terraria?

[@Left-Earth]

The goal of the game is extremely simple: Make it to the end of the level without dying and get the highest score. You have a set number of lives, and once you're out of them, game over. *Life Goals.* 😏

[@yuriythebest]

review "surface tension" please please!!

[@NevTheDeranged]

I played the hell out of this game and got very good at it as a kid, but when I tried it again a few years ago, it was impossible. I guess my adult brain can't handle the geometry anymore or something, idk. The music is dope tho. I used to have really weird dreams after playing this game all day. I do remember the trick to success was just playing the levels until you knew where everything was and blew up the enemies before they got the drop on you, but I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

[@dangelini1137]

Please review HELLBENDER

[@extragirth64]

It's not the AI that is unfair, it's the map layout. Perfectly straight corridors with open square rooms and no doors? That sounds like Hell for a shooter with 6 degrees of freedom. Descent allowed you to take the game at your own pace and be careful

[@wesker919]

Looks like they took the Cyberspace sections of System Shock and made it into a full game.

[@iivarimokelainen]

LGR, are you aware of an awesome game called Terminal Velocity? Also "Magic Carpet"? I would love to see those reviewed. Also check out MMX (Mega Man X).

[@Nikku4211]

If it weren't for the Gouraud shading and fast rendering, this would've looked like an Amiga game.

[@roadkill_52]

The most beautiful game ever.

[@RickinBaltimore]

It's based in 2112. Does that mean this is in the Solar Federation? More importantly, where is the Temple of Syrinx?

[@R33Racer]

Kinda reminds me of the cyberspace part from System Shock 1

[@iWinRar]

@phreakindee if they dislike it right when they are update they obviously follow you which makes it funny as hell

[@Luktom100]

Maybe also Discworld and Destruction derby series

[@pandanurse]

2112? Yay!

[@jkoscak]

i think that in order to like or dislike a video you should have to leave a comment explaining why...why would someone dislike this video? why?!?!

[@Tathion]

6 deg of movement?

[@NANONilsWORLD]

looks like Forsaken, years before Forsaken ^^

[@Paganinifire]

"in fact the manual recommends not to use a joystick.. Whatever dude" lol

[@A_Player]

if there was an atari 1 with 3d support,then this is how it would have looked like!the graphics are so "cubeistic",it looks like a 3d atari

[@RJTamm93]

This game looks like it could be awesome if it didn't have the auto-reorient and had a HUD indicator of the standard orientation.

[@tooManyMidgets]

yeah i played a demo of this game as a kid, and i just tried it again recently, i think i was better at it when i was a kid. I think it runs too fast on Dos BOX

[@zonemad96]

I brought one of these new in the box at ollies a while back for a dollar... not knowing anything about this game I threw the box away and left the cd on the floor and stepped on it and broke it. I knew nothing about older pcs and since I couldn't install it i didn't think anything about the game. Looking back on it I really wish I wouldn't have been as ignorant considering these go for $30 new in the box on ebay.

[@ijLeblanc]

I played this as a child and it wasn't as hard as you describe here.. Also if love if you make a review of Radix: Beyond The Void

[@LurkingCrassZero]

Looks like the game is running a bit fast. Hit that turbo button!

[@RJTamm93]

@phreakindee They must be in Australia. Everything is upside down there xD

[@rockerzac99]

2112? 2112!? RUSH CREATED THAT YEAR AND TERM!

[@jkoscak]

@phreakindee lol haters gunna hate :p they are all just jealous of your dry, witty and sarcastic humour :)

[@Infernape7890]

Forsaken was on the PC.

[@noideac]

oh come on! I was just about to make a rush joke!