Abuse for Windows

eMTe · Post by **eMTe** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 20:11

Abuse is a 2d side-scrolling platform shooter originally developed by Crack dot Com and published by Origin Systems right before their merger with Electronic Arts. Despite cliche plot (kill-all-aliens) everything else is spectacular: smooth animations, cool weapons and enemies, some thoughtful puzzles beyond flip-the-switch types, and the superb dark atmosphere.

It was released in 1996 for DOS and Linux, and the source code and shareware assets were released to the public domain two years later. This version was ported to run under Win32/DirectX.

Download:

http://curlysworldoffreeware.com/game_i ... gameid=203

Author of this port: Jeremy Scott

eMTe · Post by **eMTe** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 23:07

I feel this game has different level design from original even if author says otherwise. Hm. I'm getting older though and my memory is not like it used to be.

I also feel remake doesnt play as smoothly as old Abuse and is tougher. This one is practically impassable on extreme level. Hm. As for game itself it's still one of the most unforgettable platformers out there. Before there was Alien vs Predator in 3D there was Abuse in 2D...

Btw, dear gaming historians - if there are any: what was the first game ever using Abuse's control scheme (keyboard - running, mouse - aiming/shooting)? Abuse?

:feedback:

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 20:10

Official homepage:

http://www.rocket-surgery.net/abuse/downloads.html

Scythe · Post by **Scythe** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 0:11

Good call, Ralfie, just the game I felt like playing.

Scythe · Post by **Scythe** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 0:27

A classic redone. Not optimally redone, but redone. This isn't as smooth as the original - the scrolling in particular is not perfect at all. It's a fairly small gripe, but does matter. Also, the difficulty felt a bit off. "Easy" seems easier than it used to be (I got much further than I have before and have much more ammo), while "Extreme" was... well, I never played much Extreme before.

Other than that, it's Abuse, that wonderful alien shooter (even if they're not, technically, aliens). Aiming remains as essential but hard as in the original and all the wonderful traps remain to screw you up. Atmosphere is still sublime, even with no music and basic sound effects. Even with the repetitive graphics, the level design still helps make the game feel fresh as you progress.

Finally, I wish for a way to reconfigure controls. WASD would be nice to have.

Pater Alf · Post by **Pater Alf** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:46

"Abuse for Windows" was added to the database of CWF. You can download it from the game info page:

http://curlysworldoffreeware.com/game_i ... gameid=203