5 ms·

The Last Resort, Robert De Niro's Forgotten '90s Adventure Game

96 points by tintinnabula 10y ago

jkubicek 10y ago
I loved this game. One of the more satisfying computer games I remember playing in the 90s. I have no idea how I got it, I almost certainly didn't buy it. I'm guessing the CD-Rom came free with our family Gateway 2000 desktop.
- kodt 10y ago
  Yes, I had a copy that came with a Gateway 2000 that was purchased around 96/97. Also came with MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, SPQR, & Deadlock.
  - ethbro 10y ago
    Oh, cow boxes. Unfortunately, my last memory of Gateway was after they'd declined to physical stores and a sales rep sold my mother a machine without an AGP slot as "perfect for gaming" as a surprise Christmas gift.
cmdrfred 10y ago
The game has never been re-released to run on modern machines, making it incredibly difficult, if not nearly impossible, to play now. You can play it by setting up windows 3 in DOSbox
- bringfire 10y ago
  Funny how memories express themselves in reality. I was just thinking of this game the other day, and how unique the experience of playing it was as a young adult. Very interesting to read the back story behind its making all of these years later.
- JoeAltmaier 10y ago
  This place http://www.old-games.com/getfree/16972 claims to have one that will run on modern windows
jackvalentine 10y ago
> Even with names like De Niro, Tyler, and Cher involved it is only rarely referenced. I find that a happy thought - they weren't able to throw celebrity at a game and make it popular.
- coldtea 10y ago
  It can also be an unhappy thought: sometimes a great offbeat work can't reach the BS consuming masses, even when you throw celebrity and money to market it, because they just want more of the same plastic crap... Then you realize that it's not necessarily the celebrities that help shallow crap sell, but the other way around: people want shallow crap and create celebrities of those who make it.
mikebay 10y ago
is this same person who would like to punch Trump and lately cancelled the documentary of USA's vaccine industry ? Actors with violent opinions of people. Is this the "mindset" of hollywood today ?
micheljansen 10y ago
I remember picking this game up from the budget bin at my local toy store as a kid. It came in a beautiful retail box full of weird goodies, that was normally reserved for premium games 10x the price. The game itself looked gorgeous as well. I was probably still too immature and definitely understood too little English to appreciate the story and humor at the time, but I remember it being weird as hell. It's a shame there is no easy way to play these old games on a modern iPad/iPhone. Seems like such an appropriate platform for the art form and gameplay.
- fit2rule 10y ago
  I'm almost certain games like this could be played through DOSBox on iOS (the DOSPad project, for example) ..
soneca 10y ago
Even at launch time review, the critic was more concerned about trashing Myst than the game to be reviewed: http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nine-review/1900-2543940/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nine-review/1900-2543940/
johnhattan 10y ago
I think my favorite part of that game was Cher as the voice of the fortune-telling machine. The whole part of the fortune telling machine was to allow you to save your in-game progress in exchange for coins. Probably the first game ever that hired a celebrity to narrate the "Save Your Progress" feature.

96 points by tintinnabula 10y ago

I loved this game. One of the more satisfying computer games I remember playing in the 90s. I have no idea how I got it, I almost certainly didn't buy it. I'm guessing the CD-Rom came free with our family Gateway 2000 desktop.

kodt 10y ago
Yes, I had a copy that came with a Gateway 2000 that was purchased around 96/97. Also came with MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, SPQR, & Deadlock.
- ethbro 10y ago
  Oh, cow boxes. Unfortunately, my last memory of Gateway was after they'd declined to physical stores and a sales rep sold my mother a machine without an AGP slot as "perfect for gaming" as a surprise Christmas gift.

cmdrfred 10y ago

The game has never been re-released to run on modern machines, making it incredibly difficult, if not nearly impossible, to play now. You can play it by setting up windows 3 in DOSbox

bringfire 10y ago
Funny how memories express themselves in reality. I was just thinking of this game the other day, and how unique the experience of playing it was as a young adult. Very interesting to read the back story behind its making all of these years later.
JoeAltmaier 10y ago
This place http://www.old-games.com/getfree/16972 claims to have one that will run on modern windows

jackvalentine 10y ago

> Even with names like De Niro, Tyler, and Cher involved it is only rarely referenced. I find that a happy thought - they weren't able to throw celebrity at a game and make it popular.

coldtea 10y ago
It can also be an unhappy thought: sometimes a great offbeat work can't reach the BS consuming masses, even when you throw celebrity and money to market it, because they just want more of the same plastic crap... Then you realize that it's not necessarily the celebrities that help shallow crap sell, but the other way around: people want shallow crap and create celebrities of those who make it.

mikebay 10y ago

is this same person who would like to punch Trump and lately cancelled the documentary of USA's vaccine industry ? Actors with violent opinions of people. Is this the "mindset" of hollywood today ?

micheljansen 10y ago

I remember picking this game up from the budget bin at my local toy store as a kid. It came in a beautiful retail box full of weird goodies, that was normally reserved for premium games 10x the price. The game itself looked gorgeous as well. I was probably still too immature and definitely understood too little English to appreciate the story and humor at the time, but I remember it being weird as hell. It's a shame there is no easy way to play these old games on a modern iPad/iPhone. Seems like such an appropriate platform for the art form and gameplay.

fit2rule 10y ago
I'm almost certain games like this could be played through DOSBox on iOS (the DOSPad project, for example) ..

soneca 10y ago

Even at launch time review, the critic was more concerned about trashing Myst than the game to be reviewed: http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nine-review/1900-2543940/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nine-review/1900-2543940/

johnhattan 10y ago

I think my favorite part of that game was Cher as the voice of the fortune-telling machine. The whole part of the fortune telling machine was to allow you to save your in-game progress in exchange for coins. Probably the first game ever that hired a celebrity to narrate the "Save Your Progress" feature.