One thing I didn't expect to see this year was a video about Infernal. Back then polish game industry wasn't as big and as a polish teen I always anticipated polish made games. Infernal was one of my favourite games at the time. I actually also played this game this year as a nostalgia trip. As a teen when I played this game on release I absolutely loved it. I was a teen after all so I loved all the stupid one liners and ridiculous story. I thought Elena holding two rocket launchers was the coolest thing ever. I like Ryan's design a lot to this day. One thing I don't agree with You is about teleportation. It is clunky to use but in right places, when You teleport right, You can absolutely demolish groups of enemies. A pretty useless but cool thing you can do is teleport behind a guy and stealth kill him. It works even if a guy is aware of you. Awesome video. Would love to see You cover some more obscure games. Oh yeah also about that car, There was going to be a driving section but due to budget, it wasn't finished. I recall one of the devs saying "It just wouldn't be as cool as the rest of the game"
There's no shame in enjoying Infernal back when you were teenager, I would have adored this game's style back in those days too (and I still kinda do). It all comes off a bit cringe-inducing now, but at the same time there's an earnestness to it you can't help but love, even if you can no longer take it seriously. As for the teleport being more useful than I put forward, that's fair enough and I could have given that more of a chance, though I would still argue that the larger issue is that the game rarely pushes you to actually use it. Outside of the Wolf fight and those hazmat guys (though you can just dodge behind them) Infernal never really forces you to use it; it may make for cool moments, but it's not really efficient or encouraged enough to use it over just the standard gunplay. That was the issue I had with most of Infernal's side features (the teleportation, the telekinesis, infernal vision, and all the stuff I brought up in that section) none of it feels central to the gameplay or like a considered inclusion. It's stuff that feels like it was added because they thought it was cool, but without those things being part of the core design, they just get relegated to being puzzle solutions and weird keys for weird doors. Also cool to know about the car being a dropped set-piece, I could see that slipping in between the refinery and the steelworks maybe. Would have made for an interesting diversion, but I can see why they choose to drop it instead of forcing it with a lower budget. Anyways, thanks for the detailed comment, glad you liked the video, and there's more on the way!
I always do love the actual history sections in videos like these, its just a level of effort beyond '' just a review'' that gives it a more evergreen value. Its one of those games where ive seen plenty of videos just dunking on it withouth giving it much of a chance as a cheap video to put out for other creators, good video my friend
Glad you enjoyed it, and honestly those history bits are often my favourite part to make as they often add so much context to why those games are the way they are.
The heaven and hell as rival syndicates is such a turn of the century urban fantasy idea, it was everywhere. I remember Nightwatch/Daywatch getting a game and movies, Constantine, American Gods being big with fans that read, something in the water I guess.
It definitely quickly became a cliché during the 2000s. Lots of potential reasons you could point to; the general decline of religion as a part of public life, the rise in corporate/work culture as the dominating force in its place, lots of stuff that wouldn't sound out of place in a bad reddit thread and that I'm not going to touch with a ten foot pole. Does make for a fun modern fantasy trope when done well though!
It's true, I genuinely like the idea of the fantastic and mythical sort of brought down to earth in it's representationality. Like how the Egyptian and Greek gods were at least some who metaphors for people and forces that existed in the world at the time.
Was Supernatural the last big franchise to do this? I feel like by the mid 2010s this stuff was gone and was replaced with more of an exclusive interest in demons and hell.
It does feel like when stuff does the 'corporate afterlife' thing now, the focus is almost always exclusively on Hell as wage slavery, largely ignoring the other side of the coin. And that idea alone does a feel a bit stale at this point.
Thank you for creating and uploading! This is the first time I've learned anything about this game. Watching you play through it was fun. A nice surprise and way to start my day. Laughed out loud at 49:10. The bit of history and info at the end was interesting. I appreciate you teaching me about that lineage. Wishing Psi-Ops ran easily on PC like this game.
Thanks for the kind words as always and glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, that gag at 49:10 is one I just couldn't help chucking in, and the Polish games industry is a fascinating subject in and of itself, lots of big (and as you can very interconnected) studios there with humble beginnings. As for Psi-Ops, with any luck it'll get a super late Steam or GOG release that makes it work? Who knows, seems like that's happening more and more these days.
I'm so glad I found this channel... Keep up the hard work, the production is fantastic! :) I'm surprised I hadn't even heard of this one unlike most of the other games you've covered... Interesting history tied to it!
Thanks for the compliment and glad you enjoyed it! Infernal has definitely maintained a lower profile as of late, largely because I think the rights are likely in limbo.
I always remembered the cover of this game in my former local rental store and how it was always on sale, I had never heard of it and never picked it up because I knew it didn't look great.
That general experience right there is basically the basis for this entire channel. I had the same experience with both Damnation and Inversion before I played them for the videos on those.
Demonic is the absolute definition of "Iconically Generic"! That game was what I was originally going to bring up as an example, but given both it and Infernal are so hell themed, I felt like that would have been a bit on the nose.
Man, this game is giving me painful flashbacks to that sh_tty Max Payne movie starring Mark Wahlburger and the voice of Meg Griffin Those were truly the last times we weren’t allowed to care about anything, weren’t they?
That is "The Item" from 1999. I learned of it from an old Red Letter Media - Best of the Worst episode, where they called it out for the same sort of poor man's Tarantino dialog that Infernal features so heavily, and I love that line as well, so it was a natural choice to cut in.
I remember playing this back when it came out through gamefly. It was kind of interesting but I got to some point where i got stuck. Then I just got kind of frustrated and switched to whatever other game I got then sent Infernal away. But it's a memory that stayed with me so there is that lol.
Yeah, as I mentioned in my Coming Soon video back when this was voted on, that was pretty much my original experience with it as well. So hey, tying that loose end up for a lot of people with this one.
Hard to say, credits don't say for sure, they just list a localization agency in charge of voiceovers and don't list the actual actors (at least according to MobyGames).
I always remember how they Guy from where I bought games at The Time told me when I ask if it was something new: "Look, in this Game You are a Agent of hell killing Angels and The Main charácter Is The dude from Balde Trinity (Ryan Reynolds)!". Of course he wasnt Ryan Reynolds, but for some reason it look A LOT like him in Balde Trinity on The cover... I got bored of The Game in The monastery. Thanks God piracy was The normal here, so I didnt lose a Lot of money 😂....
So this game is interesting. I got a copy of the 360 port for like 5 bucks ages ago and now it goes for like 50-60. I remember this was also released little after F.E.A.R, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay, Doom 3, Perfect Dark Zero and Age Of Empires III; and this was yet another game of that time that was widely praised for its visuals. I do need to say that the 360 port does look surprisingly good for a game like this.
The visuals still hold up due to being made on a proprietary engine with good art direction and effects. The 360 port is a downgrade though. Check out my review as well.
Indigo Prophecy or, in the EU, Fahrenheit! Yeah, that's the best game this studio has done to this day, perfect mix of crazy potential and all the rest of crazy. I'll never forget nervously hiding the murder evidence in the main characters apartment as the police are breaking through the door. Neither will I forget fighting giant cockroaches with kung fu in an office, using DDR controls.
Yep, Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit, David Cage at the ideal level of ego (inflated but not yet completely insufferable). And duly noted @3rd.Eye.Saw.Destruction, I'll add it to the suggestion list!
It's something I've thought about, but I don't necessarily want to add potential Discord moderation to my workload; suggestions are lot easier via TH-cam comments for the time being. Still though, it's in the back of my head and should the channel get big enough to justify supporter options of some sort, then maybe? I don't know, that's counting subs before they hatch and not really what I try to be about here, I've got obsessive tangential rants and dumb sight gags to focus on.
Some kind of public facing Google document, with a suggestion box either via TH-cam or if there is some integrated way with Google Docs (whether just a plain text document or a spread sheet with more data if you so desire) to then have a few trusted people (or just you) to sort through. That way people can see what you plan on doing before they suggest it for the 100th time. Or if they are interested in what might be coming up. Also if is anything you don't want suggested you could also list it.
That's probably closer to the direction I would go with such a system, I do love a good spreadsheet. I've got some ideas in mind, but for now, TH-cam comments will do just fine. Not exactly like people are breaking down my door with game suggestions as it stands anyways, so it's easy enough to sort any out loosely here for now.
Very in depth! I consider this a one of a kind game, on most fronts, a bridge between two generations in ways never seen before or after. Check out my review!
This game looks surprisingly good for a 2007 release, it is definitely punching above it's weight. Just don't look at animations. If it would be more polished and played better, I am sure it would be talked a lot more about it. Talk about gem in the rough.
For what it's worth, I said I was going to butcher the pronunciation of all those Polish names. But noted should he ever need to be mentioned in a video again.
Infernal definitely is not a cult classic - it had a lot of potential but still is a mildly terrible game. Always was and always has been. Even when it launched there was no cult fan base around it. It's in that same place as Quantum Theory, Dark Void, Dark Sector, Damnation, Jericho, Haze and Inversion. Not the worse game that generation (it's no Ride to Hell Retribution), but worse than mediocre. It's a good video you've made about it however ... No doubt about that. This is probably the most love this game ever got, and certainly you have finally given Infernal its hour of fame... which is probably _more_ than it ever deserved. lmao. But a great video none the less. 😂
Glad you liked the video even if you don't like the game. Not every game I cover is going to be a bonafide classic, but even games like these deserve a good hard look sometimes, if only to sate curiosity if nothing else.
One thing I didn't expect to see this year was a video about Infernal. Back then polish game industry wasn't as big and as a polish teen I always anticipated polish made games.
Infernal was one of my favourite games at the time. I actually also played this game this year as a nostalgia trip. As a teen when I played this game on release I absolutely loved it. I was a teen after all so I loved all the stupid one liners and ridiculous story. I thought Elena holding two rocket launchers was the coolest thing ever. I like Ryan's design a lot to this day.
One thing I don't agree with You is about teleportation. It is clunky to use but in right places, when You teleport right, You can absolutely demolish groups of enemies.
A pretty useless but cool thing you can do is teleport behind a guy and stealth kill him. It works even if a guy is aware of you.
Awesome video. Would love to see You cover some more obscure games.
Oh yeah also about that car, There was going to be a driving section but due to budget, it wasn't finished. I recall one of the devs saying "It just wouldn't be as cool as the rest of the game"
There's no shame in enjoying Infernal back when you were teenager, I would have adored this game's style back in those days too (and I still kinda do). It all comes off a bit cringe-inducing now, but at the same time there's an earnestness to it you can't help but love, even if you can no longer take it seriously.
As for the teleport being more useful than I put forward, that's fair enough and I could have given that more of a chance, though I would still argue that the larger issue is that the game rarely pushes you to actually use it. Outside of the Wolf fight and those hazmat guys (though you can just dodge behind them) Infernal never really forces you to use it; it may make for cool moments, but it's not really efficient or encouraged enough to use it over just the standard gunplay.
That was the issue I had with most of Infernal's side features (the teleportation, the telekinesis, infernal vision, and all the stuff I brought up in that section) none of it feels central to the gameplay or like a considered inclusion. It's stuff that feels like it was added because they thought it was cool, but without those things being part of the core design, they just get relegated to being puzzle solutions and weird keys for weird doors.
Also cool to know about the car being a dropped set-piece, I could see that slipping in between the refinery and the steelworks maybe. Would have made for an interesting diversion, but I can see why they choose to drop it instead of forcing it with a lower budget.
Anyways, thanks for the detailed comment, glad you liked the video, and there's more on the way!
I always do love the actual history sections in videos like these, its just a level of effort beyond '' just a review'' that gives it a more evergreen value. Its one of those games where ive seen plenty of videos just dunking on it withouth giving it much of a chance as a cheap video to put out for other creators, good video my friend
Glad you enjoyed it, and honestly those history bits are often my favourite part to make as they often add so much context to why those games are the way they are.
The heaven and hell as rival syndicates is such a turn of the century urban fantasy idea, it was everywhere. I remember Nightwatch/Daywatch getting a game and movies, Constantine, American Gods being big with fans that read, something in the water I guess.
It definitely quickly became a cliché during the 2000s. Lots of potential reasons you could point to; the general decline of religion as a part of public life, the rise in corporate/work culture as the dominating force in its place, lots of stuff that wouldn't sound out of place in a bad reddit thread and that I'm not going to touch with a ten foot pole. Does make for a fun modern fantasy trope when done well though!
It's true, I genuinely like the idea of the fantastic and mythical sort of brought down to earth in it's representationality. Like how the Egyptian and Greek gods were at least some who metaphors for people and forces that existed in the world at the time.
Was Supernatural the last big franchise to do this? I feel like by the mid 2010s this stuff was gone and was replaced with more of an exclusive interest in demons and hell.
It does feel like when stuff does the 'corporate afterlife' thing now, the focus is almost always exclusively on Hell as wage slavery, largely ignoring the other side of the coin. And that idea alone does a feel a bit stale at this point.
It started with Preacher
Ah Infernal, this game brings so many memories. A certified true Slavjank classic.
Thank you for creating and uploading! This is the first time I've learned anything about this game. Watching you play through it was fun. A nice surprise and way to start my day. Laughed out loud at 49:10. The bit of history and info at the end was interesting. I appreciate you teaching me about that lineage. Wishing Psi-Ops ran easily on PC like this game.
Thanks for the kind words as always and glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, that gag at 49:10 is one I just couldn't help chucking in, and the Polish games industry is a fascinating subject in and of itself, lots of big (and as you can very interconnected) studios there with humble beginnings. As for Psi-Ops, with any luck it'll get a super late Steam or GOG release that makes it work? Who knows, seems like that's happening more and more these days.
I'm so glad I found this channel... Keep up the hard work, the production is fantastic! :) I'm surprised I hadn't even heard of this one unlike most of the other games you've covered... Interesting history tied to it!
Thanks for the compliment and glad you enjoyed it! Infernal has definitely maintained a lower profile as of late, largely because I think the rights are likely in limbo.
What a nice little channel, hell yeah dude
Thanks! Glad you liked it and more to come!
I always remembered the cover of this game in my former local rental store and how it was always on sale, I had never heard of it and never picked it up because I knew it didn't look great.
That general experience right there is basically the basis for this entire channel. I had the same experience with both Damnation and Inversion before I played them for the videos on those.
26:33 Wild AK guy appears. Its no choice.
Another great video! Lots of great editing work too!
Thanks Darcy! This one was a bit of a beast to edit in places, so I appreciate you calling that out.
12:35 I immediately thought of “Demonic” by Majesco. The finished game featured in the 2006 comedy film Grandma’s Boy.
Demonic is the absolute definition of "Iconically Generic"! That game was what I was originally going to bring up as an example, but given both it and Infernal are so hell themed, I felt like that would have been a bit on the nose.
Man, this game is giving me painful flashbacks to that sh_tty Max Payne movie starring Mark Wahlburger and the voice of Meg Griffin
Those were truly the last times we weren’t allowed to care about anything, weren’t they?
Yeah, it does have the same vibe as that movie doesn't it? Right down to the kind of wonky colour grading.
Also yes, yes it was.
what's that movie with the guy killing the art couple? "and your art? is obvious!" i love that line
That is "The Item" from 1999. I learned of it from an old Red Letter Media - Best of the Worst episode, where they called it out for the same sort of poor man's Tarantino dialog that Infernal features so heavily, and I love that line as well, so it was a natural choice to cut in.
Well done algorithm. I like this guy and shall subscribe. Great video :)
Every once in a while it gets it right. Thanks for the sub!
I remember playing this back when it came out through gamefly. It was kind of interesting but I got to some point where i got stuck. Then I just got kind of frustrated and switched to whatever other game I got then sent Infernal away. But it's a memory that stayed with me so there is that lol.
Yeah, as I mentioned in my Coming Soon video back when this was voted on, that was pretty much my original experience with it as well. So hey, tying that loose end up for a lot of people with this one.
Good video on a game I've never heard about before
13:39 woah I can’t tell if that’s Eric Todd delums or another fallout guy
Hard to say, credits don't say for sure, they just list a localization agency in charge of voiceovers and don't list the actual actors (at least according to MobyGames).
I always remember how they Guy from where I bought games at The Time told me when I ask if it was something new: "Look, in this Game You are a Agent of hell killing Angels and The Main charácter Is The dude from Balde Trinity (Ryan Reynolds)!".
Of course he wasnt Ryan Reynolds, but for some reason it look A LOT like him in Balde Trinity on The cover...
I got bored of The Game in The monastery. Thanks God piracy was The normal here, so I didnt lose a Lot of money 😂....
I played way too much of that game
I like your style, make more videos
Thanks, there's more on the way!
This was a pretty decent little Polish game. I kinda liked it.
Hehe Infernal with the Ryan Reynolds version from Blade 3
Damn it.... I was going to slip a Blade joke into this video somewhere but never managed to make it work, how did I forget about Blade Trinity!
@cultclassifications well atleast you got it that he looked like Ryan but the whole design screams his Character from Blade
So this game is interesting. I got a copy of the 360 port for like 5 bucks ages ago and now it goes for like 50-60.
I remember this was also released little after F.E.A.R, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay, Doom 3, Perfect Dark Zero and Age Of Empires III; and this was yet another game of that time that was widely praised for its visuals. I do need to say that the 360 port does look surprisingly good for a game like this.
The visuals still hold up due to being made on a proprietary engine with good art direction and effects. The 360 port is a downgrade though. Check out my review as well.
I appreciate this. You should do the game the studio who made heavy rain made on the ps2. It’s called like imogen prophecy or something
Indigo Prophecy or, in the EU, Fahrenheit! Yeah, that's the best game this studio has done to this day, perfect mix of crazy potential and all the rest of crazy.
I'll never forget nervously hiding the murder evidence in the main characters apartment as the police are breaking through the door.
Neither will I forget fighting giant cockroaches with kung fu in an office, using DDR controls.
Yep, Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit, David Cage at the ideal level of ego (inflated but not yet completely insufferable). And duly noted @3rd.Eye.Saw.Destruction, I'll add it to the suggestion list!
This game looks awesome. Protagonist looks edgy af. LOL! Shuriken. Graphics are tight.
If you have discord. You should set up a server so people can suggest games for you.
It's something I've thought about, but I don't necessarily want to add potential Discord moderation to my workload; suggestions are lot easier via TH-cam comments for the time being. Still though, it's in the back of my head and should the channel get big enough to justify supporter options of some sort, then maybe? I don't know, that's counting subs before they hatch and not really what I try to be about here, I've got obsessive tangential rants and dumb sight gags to focus on.
Yeah a discord server just invites catty drama queens conspiring and gossiping amongst eachother.
Some kind of public facing Google document, with a suggestion box either via TH-cam or if there is some integrated way with Google Docs (whether just a plain text document or a spread sheet with more data if you so desire) to then have a few trusted people (or just you) to sort through.
That way people can see what you plan on doing before they suggest it for the 100th time. Or if they are interested in what might be coming up.
Also if is anything you don't want suggested you could also list it.
That's probably closer to the direction I would go with such a system, I do love a good spreadsheet. I've got some ideas in mind, but for now, TH-cam comments will do just fine. Not exactly like people are breaking down my door with game suggestions as it stands anyways, so it's easy enough to sort any out loosely here for now.
Almost every embarassing downfall on youtube these days seems to be a result of the youtuber being involved with discord lol
Very in depth! I consider this a one of a kind game, on most fronts, a bridge between two generations in ways never seen before or after. Check out my review!
Why do these kids of videos always have in game voices like three times louder than the narration
This game looks surprisingly good for a 2007 release, it is definitely punching above it's weight. Just don't look at animations. If it would be more polished and played better, I am sure it would be talked a lot more about it. Talk about gem in the rough.
Yep, a prime example of the kind of stuff this channel was built for, better than would be expected eurojank.
"Chmielarz" is pronounced more like "Hmyelasz".
For what it's worth, I said I was going to butcher the pronunciation of all those Polish names. But noted should he ever need to be mentioned in a video again.
Yeah... I still can't pronounce that either. Like when it comes to pronunciation Polish really does me in.
Infernal definitely is not a cult classic - it had a lot of potential but still is a mildly terrible game. Always was and always has been. Even when it launched there was no cult fan base around it. It's in that same place as Quantum Theory, Dark Void, Dark Sector, Damnation, Jericho, Haze and Inversion. Not the worse game that generation (it's no Ride to Hell Retribution), but worse than mediocre. It's a good video you've made about it however ... No doubt about that. This is probably the most love this game ever got, and certainly you have finally given Infernal its hour of fame... which is probably _more_ than it ever deserved. lmao. But a great video none the less. 😂
Glad you liked the video even if you don't like the game. Not every game I cover is going to be a bonafide classic, but even games like these deserve a good hard look sometimes, if only to sate curiosity if nothing else.
Dark Sector was dope tho