DAY 63 / GAME 63
Afterlife
Back in the prime of LucasArts you could pretty much just buy any title they offered and be guaranteed a quality game. One of the many games I did purchase was this very unique title; Afterlife. I had always liked the idea of Sim City, but never did get into it. This however, had that extra little something that pushed me over the edge to go buy it.
Afterlife was a somewhat controversial game, which you'd think would mean more people have heard of it. But I guess controversy over videogames was still small potatoes back in the mid-nineties. I absolutely loved the concept. Basically, it was Sim City, only instead of a city you were overlooking the creation of Heaven and Hell. Of course, in order to avoid trouble with religious types, the people who were being sent to the afterlife weren't human, but instead called EMBOs; Ethically Mature Biological Organisms.
The game was great though. Not taking a serious tone, all the different 'punishments' and 'rewards' were pretty silly and disasters were even more ridiculous. A Disco Inferno, where a giant demon dances on your structures destroying them. Along with a Heaven Nose, Hell in a Handbasket, Hell Freezing Over and so on.
I was always terrible at sim games. This was really no exception. So the truth is, that I never really got to enjoy this game to it's full extent. The whole thing was pretty complex, which is great when you're good at that kind of thing. But for me, I had no idea what the heck I was doing. There was all kinds of stats on how well you were doing either rewarding the SOULs of Heaven, or punishing the SOULs of Hell. How well you do affects the tennants of the world below and what they decide to believe in. Ten different theisms, of which believing the the actual system at work was the goal. You had two helpers, which were two great personalities. A helper for Heaven, the cheery Aria and a helper for Hell, the cruel but appropriately so Jasper. They were nicely animated (if I remember correctly) and really made the game for me.
Jasper and Aria
This really was the kind of game that I wanted to enjoy a lot more than I did. I love the idea behind it all and all the work that went into it. The writing and art were both fantastic, if only it wasn't a sim game. I'd almost like to see this game remade for current PC's, just to enjoy the art. But the truth of the matter is that I still probably wouldn't be able to get any further in it now than I did almost 20 years ago. Maybe they can just make a cartoon about Jasper and Aria. I'd like that.
Afterlife
Afterlife was a somewhat controversial game, which you'd think would mean more people have heard of it. But I guess controversy over videogames was still small potatoes back in the mid-nineties. I absolutely loved the concept. Basically, it was Sim City, only instead of a city you were overlooking the creation of Heaven and Hell. Of course, in order to avoid trouble with religious types, the people who were being sent to the afterlife weren't human, but instead called EMBOs; Ethically Mature Biological Organisms.
I was always terrible at sim games. This was really no exception. So the truth is, that I never really got to enjoy this game to it's full extent. The whole thing was pretty complex, which is great when you're good at that kind of thing. But for me, I had no idea what the heck I was doing. There was all kinds of stats on how well you were doing either rewarding the SOULs of Heaven, or punishing the SOULs of Hell. How well you do affects the tennants of the world below and what they decide to believe in. Ten different theisms, of which believing the the actual system at work was the goal. You had two helpers, which were two great personalities. A helper for Heaven, the cheery Aria and a helper for Hell, the cruel but appropriately so Jasper. They were nicely animated (if I remember correctly) and really made the game for me. |
| Jasper and Aria |
This really was the kind of game that I wanted to enjoy a lot more than I did. I love the idea behind it all and all the work that went into it. The writing and art were both fantastic, if only it wasn't a sim game. I'd almost like to see this game remade for current PC's, just to enjoy the art. But the truth of the matter is that I still probably wouldn't be able to get any further in it now than I did almost 20 years ago. Maybe they can just make a cartoon about Jasper and Aria. I'd like that.
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