Seeing as the big red button doesn't just blow the ship up immediately in a "screw this!" kinda way, it also changes to say "Oh no!" this could only be a silly additional end put in as a reference to Psygnosis' own Lemmings. Sentient is a very curious but intriguing game, I had the demo on a PS demo disc and couldn't really understand what was going on except for completing some basic objectives. I saw Supergreatfriends very entertaining playthrough which I would suggest to anyone who doesn't want to actually play but enjoy seeing someone stumble through it.
I played it when it came out after being mesmerized by the demo. No other game has ever been able to make me feel as claustrophobic and locked-in as this one. The neverending sense of being hot, sweaty and tired, locked in cramped environment and slowly inching towards the sun and certain death is like no other. I love this game.
I love all of your reviews and this game has a special place in my heart so thankyou so much! Actually just a while ago I was searching for a retrospective on this exact game and found nothing...so to find one of my favourite youtubers covering it actaully made me very happy
(STORY SPOILER COMMENT) The first ending shown is hilarious when considering the main character 'messiah robot' reveal later in the game. imagine you're the person who designated the android to sacrifice itself to save the ship, but your robot just says "nope, bye losers" and freaking leaves 😂
I'm pretty sure I never completed Sentient, but I played it a bunch back in the day on PC. It blew my mind how much it felt like a "true simulation" compared to other games of the era (at least that young me had played). Great soundtrack too, going to have to find that again now.
How have I never heard of this game? Amazing video, this is why I love this channel. The best bad games are the ones with high concepts and loads of unrealized ambition.
I was really impressed with Sentient graphics on the PS1, it was really the first facial animation and the first time we saw so many unique face. The dialog tree was really advanced. We really felt like we were on a real space station. Everything was possible, it felt unlimited back then. I played the game on day one and it became my favorite PS1 game, even though I could not get much far because I did not understand english well enough back then (french Quebecois).
Your videos kick ass. Each one I've watched I went in with no foreknowledge of the game being discussed, and each time I've come away transfixed with the strange fiction or unusual game experience you've detailed. I watch a fair amount of video game video essays, and that's not usually the outcome. Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for this! I watched a full let's play a while ago and damn was it difficult to put together what was going on. Very much appreciate the breakdown, I think I finally get it now :)
Amazing, i always wanted to know more about this game, myself not being able to get very far past the medical bay. I enjoyed your Commander blood video too thanks.
I was hoping someone would cover this in the modern age. A curious piece that simulates "AI" interactions. No one has even bothered to record the PC version too. Glad you've satisfied my curiosity that it's not the definitive version. It looks like the ps1 might have been the main version, ported to PC.
It was indeed due to Sony having accuried psygnosis a ps1 title ported to pc it was designed as a pc title but the publisher decided the pc version could not be better than the ps1
Awesome video. This games builds such a sense of despair, claustrophobia, and astrophobia, it’s not meant to make you feel good in any way, unless you like detective stories that take place in a post apocalyptic future, where you reside in a scorching hot mining satellite that’s falling towards a sentiment star. A classic video game trope😂
Hmmm, I've never heard of this game...but after watching your video, I have to wonder...Psygnosis was spun out of the ashes of Imagine and this game seems, at least in some form, to be very similar to the mythical "Megagame" itself, Bandersnatch.
I love how you are able to do your research and somehow find the most upsurge games yet I am unable to reremember games I should play or find and don't get my started on the research I do. Also I'd love to see more symbolic games like this with stories like this. But can se please stop mixing spiritualism and sci-fi along with the old shaman women. But it's very cool
I wouldn't say that. The dialogue choices and interactions aren't AI, they're pre-written dialogue. There might be more interpersonal variation in the quips, maybe. The AI for Sentient comes in with the way they have a schedule with which they appear to be able to slightly deviate, which might lead to slight differences in the playthrough. Radiant AI is much more advanced although it's less likely you'll notice it because it's been severely restricted. The AI in Oblivion can not only do the above, but the NPCs can take things from the ground or steal from each other too, randomly, without it being part of a scripted "event". There's a very good escapist article that covers how chaotic early versions of this really were. As one example, one NPC given the role to rake leaves, on lacking a rake, the NPC went and murdered the nearest guy with a rake to try complete his task.
The game felt familiar but I couldn't point out why until you said Paranoia. This game very well could be made into a Paranoia adventure. The game can be fun but requires people that are willing to play along with the setting and wont power game.
When I hear "real time adventure game" I think of a game where npcs's ai have agenda to accomplish and will do actions concurrent with and independent of player character's own. I think The Last Express does that despite never playing it.
Yeah, there's a few things that prompted me to consider it real time. One is that there a couple of timed events that happen regardless of your actions. NPCs have their own routines, like radiant AI, but one thing more is, unlike other games that would teleport them to meet various script -related requirements, if you give information to someone that advances the plot, you can follow them and see how they act on that information. if someone needs to speak to you, someone else has to move through the ship to try to find you to tell you about it. It sticks to causality in a way that most other games don't.
So this game does actually exist and wasn't one of them fever dreams I had. Always wanted to know what the hell did I witness, so thanks for the video, Gilgamechasaur. "Profoundly ugly game" lol
This game was truly superb. It's a shame it was held back by the PS1 tech tho. how the fuck I got one of the genuine good endings as a kid I'll never know. I thought it was the only one apart from a fail ending.
It's stretched. The original aspect ratio would have been 4:3. Not everyone likes it when the aspect ratio gets stretched, but I hate playing with black bars, and you typically get used to it after playing for a bit.
@@joe--cool It reminds me of the clueless people with their brand new 16:9 CRTs who watched all their programs wrong! It was driving me mad! @Gilgamechasaur The TV is only the canvas to draw pictures on, be it 2.35:1, 4:3, 2.78:1 or 1.85:1 There is no need to FILL the canvas!
Thanks, I'm flattered to even be considered in the same sentence! And Dungeon Chill did Ripper! I wanted to do that one too at one one point! It's a fun one. Christopher Walken really chews the scenery in that one.
The absolute definition of "ahead of its time"!
I can tell you that in 1997 that game looked amazing.
Well... kinda, it was more the novelty of it that was impressive, but it wasn't well executed. At any rate I loved it.
This is revolutionary for the time, in impressed
There is something... System Shock-esque about it.
Seeing as the big red button doesn't just blow the ship up immediately in a "screw this!" kinda way, it also changes to say "Oh no!" this could only be a silly additional end put in as a reference to Psygnosis' own Lemmings.
Sentient is a very curious but intriguing game, I had the demo on a PS demo disc and couldn't really understand what was going on except for completing some basic objectives.
I saw Supergreatfriends very entertaining playthrough which I would suggest to anyone who doesn't want to actually play but enjoy seeing someone stumble through it.
Watched this video when it came out, and have been struggling to re-find your channel, absolutely love it! Your production quality is very good
I played it when it came out after being mesmerized by the demo. No other game has ever been able to make me feel as claustrophobic and locked-in as this one. The neverending sense of being hot, sweaty and tired, locked in cramped environment and slowly inching towards the sun and certain death is like no other. I love this game.
I love all of your reviews and this game has a special place in my heart so thankyou so much!
Actually just a while ago I was searching for a retrospective on this exact game and found nothing...so to find one of my favourite youtubers covering it actaully made me very happy
Oh, what joy! I have always wanted someone to cover this! You have my gratitude.
The NPCs are just like me, saying “hello” and “phew!” all day
this is one of the most unique weird awesome games i've ever seen, thank you for covering it!
(STORY SPOILER COMMENT)
The first ending shown is hilarious when considering the main character 'messiah robot' reveal later in the game. imagine you're the person who designated the android to sacrifice itself to save the ship, but your robot just says "nope, bye losers" and freaking leaves 😂
I absolutely love the visuals of your chapter intros
I'm pretty sure I never completed Sentient, but I played it a bunch back in the day on PC. It blew my mind how much it felt like a "true simulation" compared to other games of the era (at least that young me had played). Great soundtrack too, going to have to find that again now.
3 in the morning and watching this. Worth it
Excellent, a new channel reviewing esoteric 90s games with an eye for detail. Time to binge your entire catalog.
Please consider M.A.X. (1996).
This long form content is awesome hopefully we see more of this exact thing.
How have I never heard of this game? Amazing video, this is why I love this channel. The best bad games are the ones with high concepts and loads of unrealized ambition.
Your style is so vibey and surreal and I love it 🔥
I was really impressed with Sentient graphics on the PS1, it was really the first facial animation and the first time we saw so many unique face. The dialog tree was really advanced. We really felt like we were on a real space station. Everything was possible, it felt unlimited back then. I played the game on day one and it became my favorite PS1 game, even though I could not get much far because I did not understand english well enough back then (french Quebecois).
That's a good point about the faces, which I probably should have emphasized a bit more.
Already love this channel. This game looks utterly insane.
Cheers, man. Much appreciated.
Your videos kick ass. Each one I've watched I went in with no foreknowledge of the game being discussed, and each time I've come away transfixed with the strange fiction or unusual game experience you've detailed. I watch a fair amount of video game video essays, and that's not usually the outcome.
Keep up the great work!
This is amazing coverage of a very rare game! Thank you.
Thank you so much for this! I watched a full let's play a while ago and damn was it difficult to put together what was going on. Very much appreciate the breakdown, I think I finally get it now :)
Perfect timing
You know it could be a fun idea for a game running around a space station in first person dealing with all the problems almost like a Sim
It's like calling a space liner "Titan" or a space colony on a planet with unstable tectonics - "Pompeii" 😂
Great video. Never heard of this game, and it's always fun learning about these obscure titles. 👍
This game is rad, ty for covering it.
Amazing, i always wanted to know more about this game, myself not being able to get very far past the medical bay. I enjoyed your Commander blood video too thanks.
Never forgotten this personally. Misunderstood by most, loved for what it is by a few.
SuperGreatFriend did an amazing playthrough of this. Fun fact it has a soundtrack that was released separately. Very funky too.
I was hoping someone would cover this in the modern age. A curious piece that simulates "AI" interactions. No one has even bothered to record the PC version too. Glad you've satisfied my curiosity that it's not the definitive version. It looks like the ps1 might have been the main version, ported to PC.
It was indeed due to Sony having accuried psygnosis a ps1 title ported to pc it was designed as a pc title but the publisher decided the pc version could not be better than the ps1
@@Julesbloke62 the irony that PlayStation is now publishing to Steam, albeit with some caveats.
Awesome video. This games builds such a sense of despair, claustrophobia, and astrophobia, it’s not meant to make you feel good in any way, unless you like detective stories that take place in a post apocalyptic future, where you reside in a scorching hot mining satellite that’s falling towards a sentiment star. A classic video game trope😂
Watched immediately
This is 100 times more interesting than some modern soulless AAA shite.
Nice review man
Awesome, never heard this game before
I watched the spoilers but I'm only more confused than when I started.
We turn to the skies. I felt Moby was an influence on sound and the way the character looks lol
That music sound alot like daggerfall
I still have my PC game in the box. I no longer have the PS1 version. Sometimes I dream what it could be like with augmented by our modern AI dialog.
Djinn needs to back the fuck back with all that snot he keeps wiping everywhere
Fascinating game and utterly mad that they crammed it onto the psx
Hmmm, I've never heard of this game...but after watching your video, I have to wonder...Psygnosis was spun out of the ashes of Imagine and this game seems, at least in some form, to be very similar to the mythical "Megagame" itself, Bandersnatch.
damn another banger
Thank you
Pathalogic in space?
I love how you are able to do your research and somehow find the most upsurge games yet I am unable to reremember games I should play or find and don't get my started on the research I do. Also I'd love to see more symbolic games like this with stories like this. But can se please stop mixing spiritualism and sci-fi along with the old shaman women. But it's very cool
Ohhhh yeaaa
It's a game that could work well with AI generated dialogues. I played it on the PS1 and it wasn't really a pleasant experience though
Whoever said this is the worst game of 97 should be sent before a tribunal.
Maybe too experimental for the time.
neat 😊
I have a copy of this game on ps1 but it sounded too daunting to play
This is an upgrade over bethesda’s ai. There’s more dialogue choices and interaction between npcs.
I wouldn't say that. The dialogue choices and interactions aren't AI, they're pre-written dialogue. There might be more interpersonal variation in the quips, maybe. The AI for Sentient comes in with the way they have a schedule with which they appear to be able to slightly deviate, which might lead to slight differences in the playthrough.
Radiant AI is much more advanced although it's less likely you'll notice it because it's been severely restricted. The AI in Oblivion can not only do the above, but the NPCs can take things from the ground or steal from each other too, randomly, without it being part of a scripted "event". There's a very good escapist article that covers how chaotic early versions of this really were. As one example, one NPC given the role to rake leaves, on lacking a rake, the NPC went and murdered the nearest guy with a rake to try complete his task.
The game felt familiar but I couldn't point out why until you said Paranoia. This game very well could be made into a Paranoia adventure.
The game can be fun but requires people that are willing to play along with the setting and wont power game.
Today is a day!
When I hear "real time adventure game" I think of a game where npcs's ai have agenda to accomplish and will do actions concurrent with and independent of player character's own. I think The Last Express does that despite never playing it.
Yeah, there's a few things that prompted me to consider it real time. One is that there a couple of timed events that happen regardless of your actions. NPCs have their own routines, like radiant AI, but one thing more is, unlike other games that would teleport them to meet various script -related requirements, if you give information to someone that advances the plot, you can follow them and see how they act on that information. if someone needs to speak to you, someone else has to move through the ship to try to find you to tell you about it. It sticks to causality in a way that most other games don't.
The Last Express is genius!
❤
battery in the microwave ending is canon
Knocked one out to this. Cheers.
So this game does actually exist and wasn't one of them fever dreams I had. Always wanted to know what the hell did I witness, so thanks for the video, Gilgamechasaur. "Profoundly ugly game" lol
This game was truly superb. It's a shame it was held back by the PS1 tech tho. how the fuck I got one of the genuine good endings as a kid I'll never know. I thought it was the only one apart from a fail ending.
everybody like the video so youtube sends it out.
👌
Does the game really look so squashed? Or is the aspect ratio of the video all wrong?
It's stretched. The original aspect ratio would have been 4:3. Not everyone likes it when the aspect ratio gets stretched, but I hate playing with black bars, and you typically get used to it after playing for a bit.
@@Gilgamechasaur Ah I see. I guess I am the complete opposite and can't stand wrong aspect ratios. ;) It's all good, I found a userscript to fix it.
@@joe--cool It reminds me of the clueless people with their brand new 16:9 CRTs who watched all their programs wrong! It was driving me mad!
@Gilgamechasaur The TV is only the canvas to draw pictures on, be it 2.35:1, 4:3, 2.78:1 or 1.85:1 There is no need to FILL the canvas!
not dungeon chill and you i cant choooooose, how about both
Thanks, I'm flattered to even be considered in the same sentence! And Dungeon Chill did Ripper! I wanted to do that one too at one one point! It's a fun one. Christopher Walken really chews the scenery in that one.
@@Gilgamechasaur I love your videos, as much as chills and grimmy.and ikr i love old fmv.
A nice try of a narrative game
What a shitty looking game.
Your review lineup is great. Right up my street this channel. Great job. Subbed
I loved this game. Had it on a demo disc for the PS as a kid. Always remember it been really hard but enjoyable.
I played that demo so much and then was overjoyed when I finally got hold of the full game!