Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Old Dogs Special: Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds

By Bill Gray

No one would have believed in the last years of the 19th Century that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. No one could have dreamed we were being scrutinized as someone with a microscope, studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets. And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this earth with envious eyes. And slowly, and surely, they drew their plans against us.

If you remember these words, voiced in deep baritone by Sir Richard Burton, then fused with Jeff Wayne’s progressive techno-rock background music, this article is for you. Here I speak of Rage/GT Interactive’s (spelled Atari) 1998 release of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds (WOW for this article) for the PC. Based on the H G Wells novel and Wayne’s 1978 album of the same name, the game was an instant hit and today remains one of the most requested games on GOG.com. It featured graphics drawn directly from the album art and envisioned a Victorian England somewhat more Steampunk and advanced than reality, all done in period style that has carried over current interpretations such as the BBC faux documentary The Great Martian War and the popular miniature wargaming rules All Quiet on the Martian Front. WOW was also one of the first PC games that used 3D terrain and unit sprites, as well as missions determined by the player vice a scripted set to follow.

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Let's Play Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds (Human)

War of the Worlds PC game Companion

Let's Play Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds (Martian)



 

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