DF Retro: Powerslave/Exhumed - A Game Ahead of its Time

Рет қаралды 199,229

6 жыл бұрын

The 2018 season for DF Retro kicks off this year with a look at Exhumed or PowerSlave, as it was known in the US. Created by Lobotomy Software, this remarkable game combines the fast paced action of Doom with the exploration and power-up system of Metroid to create something wholly unique at the time. Powered by Lobotomy's in-house Slave Driver Engine, PowerSlave also pushes the Sega Saturn to its limits offering a level of performance rarely seen on the platform. A later PlayStation version of the game was also released along with a completely different game of the same name on PC. Curious what makes this game stand out even today? Join us on a journey through one of the best shooters of its era.
Hungry for more Lobotomy? Check out this excellent documentary from Tatsu Mainframe which details the history of the company itself.
• History of Lobotomy So...
Whipass Gaming also has a great text interview with members of the Lobotomy team at the time which served as a great source of information in researching this video. Check it out!
www.whipassgaming.com/genesisr...

Пікірлер: 828

@aussieguy1012 6 жыл бұрын

I prefer df retro over normal DF

@SicSemperBeats 6 жыл бұрын

everyone was does

@SomeOrangeCat 6 жыл бұрын

Indeed!

@Objectorbit 6 жыл бұрын

DF Retro is why I subbed to the channel.

@SicSemperBeats 6 жыл бұрын

Objectorbit thought i was the only one. Df retro is great

@thiagovidal6137 6 жыл бұрын

Same.. DF Retro is what made me subscribe. It's my favorite gaming show ever.

@Farshad.Barnoos 6 жыл бұрын

DF Retro is the best.

@Alianger 6 жыл бұрын

DF Retro, then, is the best.

@sabmu757 6 жыл бұрын

Farshad Barnoos minus the toxic fanboy comments below!

@neocaron87 6 жыл бұрын

DF retro is now the first reason I'm watching DF! Wish we had episodes more often.

@princedizzy9678 6 жыл бұрын

Me not so much. Mainly because these games are old and we're made before I was born so I can't relate

@Alianger 6 жыл бұрын

Dizzy is older than a lot of these.

@ACGreviews 6 жыл бұрын

One of my favorite games of all time. Good video John

@ivodassen87 6 жыл бұрын

ACG sounds like a buy

@BeatmasterAC 6 жыл бұрын

definately a buy XD

@Sammie2716 6 жыл бұрын

mine too, loved the saturn version so much

@TeamCGS2005 5 жыл бұрын

@ Yeah they remember how shit the recent iterations are like Duke Nukem Forever.

@To-mos 3 жыл бұрын

Modders are keeping it alive, I just learned about it though their voxel model packs.

@gabor-toth 6 жыл бұрын

I was a Saturn owner myself in those days and Lobotomy were gods for the platform. I couldn't believe what they did with these games and how good Exhumed and Quake looked. They were one of the absolute finest Saturn developers, a real killer asset for the machine. It was a huge blow that they got closed.

@Markis5150 6 жыл бұрын

I always hoped Sega would either buy them or atleast continue to form a working relationship where they contracted them to make more games for Saturn. I still remember buying the game day one,noone knew wtf the game was or cared at Software Etc. It quietly made a name for itself among the hardcore following. But it was just a quiet whisper as all the magazines bandwagoned towards PlayStation. A real shame Sony used their checkbook in those days to keep great games off the Saturn. Blood Omen Legacy of Kain and Resident Evil II were prime examples of Sony's b.s. interference with 3rd party game development on Saturn.

@Degahen 6 жыл бұрын

Markis5150 While Sony did have a shady reputation back in the day of paying off developers to either not do ports for other consoles or just do crappy and lazy ports, Resident Evil II for the Saturn was cancelled not due to Sony but due to Capcom focusing on development for Code: Veronica X which truly is ashame. However I didn't know the other two you listed we're cancelled, again what ashame.

@allancandaza 5 жыл бұрын

and also duke nukem 3d too on saturn

@batmangovno 6 жыл бұрын

The Japanese title for Powerslave is quite the Vaporwave treat.

@cacomeat7385 6 жыл бұрын

Notifications for DF Retro are the best thing to wake up to.

@PikaStu666 2 жыл бұрын

Watching this again in 2022, eagerly awaiting the release of the remastered version later this week!

@lolmao500 Жыл бұрын

What

@PikaStu666 Жыл бұрын

@@lolmao500 is that a question or a statement?

@bhoylhogro5093 6 жыл бұрын

John Linneman is the only reason I subscribed to this channel. His insights aren't only limited to raw tech analysis, but also gameplay commentary. The frame-rate and performance analyses by the other creators are fine, but they cater more to the "justifying my purchase" audience.

@jmbenetti 6 жыл бұрын

jojocapy His content is filled with love. Is as he became what we wanted to be as kids and he is there to show us what we could have been 😁

@SicSemperBeats 6 жыл бұрын

yep when he comments on the gameplay you really get that retrospective look at the game

@retroboy-fh1ji 6 жыл бұрын

José Manuel Benetti es verdad :)

@dtadeo2006 6 жыл бұрын

MUST be an Iron Maiden reference!

@Lord_Deimos 5 жыл бұрын

And of course there is a death metal band named Exhumed!

@ReiAyanami1712 5 жыл бұрын

This is why in some regions game is called Exhumed I guess

@ConTraStoZ 4 жыл бұрын

Name:powerslave and as you can see the pyramid in the game... of course🤷🏻‍♂️😄

@Fivefortyrightnow Жыл бұрын

This game still holds up really well today. A stone cold classic

@TheStudioKidA 6 жыл бұрын

That’s a great Iron Maiden album too

@Hijynx87 6 жыл бұрын

amen

@Grease-Goblin 6 жыл бұрын

My favorite of theirs. Opens with Aces High, ends with Rime of the Ancient Mariner, how can you improve on that?

@retrosoul8770 6 жыл бұрын

Favorite band of all-time, Up the Irons!

@SableDrakon 2 жыл бұрын

And now PowerslaveEX is being sold for 20$, and it's awesome.

@dan_perry 4 жыл бұрын

Is it weird that I've watched this like 4 times over the years?

@ilikereason 2 жыл бұрын

DF - There is an Update! Recently it was announced that this game is getting a full release soon. The full game is a combination of both the PS1 and the Saturn games with a bunch of updates to make it look and run great. A legit remaster that a lot of people wanted. With the recent release of the Quake remaster, it is really great to see that the full Powerslave EX remaster is coming soon. It says that the release is in 2021. It is up on the PC store pages on GOG and Steam so go add it to your wishlist.

@franciscor390 2 жыл бұрын

The beauty of John's passion always comes through, this boyos you cannot buy.

@BudgetBuildsOfficial 6 жыл бұрын

Got to love some of those little tricks they went though to get the performance they wanted.

@summerlaverdure 6 жыл бұрын

very technically impressive

@mrnecromancer2005 6 жыл бұрын

About 5 years ago I was playing through Powerslave when I found out from a friend of mine that he played it on PsOne and PsOne version wasn't the same. Doing some research I also found out, that Saturn version was even better. If only that info was available back in 1996...

@twist3d537 6 жыл бұрын

the ps1 version is 100x better

@Deathtank75 5 жыл бұрын

@ItPutsTheLotionOnItsSkin 4 жыл бұрын

... That info was available in 1996. There were these things called "gaming magazines". They were physcal objects made of "paper". I was fully aware of the differences between the Saturn and PSX versions in '96. It wasn't the dark ages, you were likely just a stupid kid oblivious to these things. Actually, it may have been Richard of DF that mentioned some of this stuff in Saga Saturn Magazine as he was the editor at the time. And yeah, the Saturn version is easily the best.

@EposVox 6 жыл бұрын

Great episode as always!

@racefaceec90 2 жыл бұрын

i'm looking forward to playing the remaster of exhumed when it's released on thursday for consoles. i played the original ps1 version back in the day and really enjoyed it. tbh am more excited for these games than i am for any modern stuff (i'm looking forward to test drive unlimited solar crown but cautiously so).

@bswift1991 6 жыл бұрын

So glad to see more DF Retro being made, this is one of my favourite channels and this series might be the best part of all!

@HasXXXInCrocs 6 жыл бұрын

I love these. I always watch DF retro the day its uploaded. Such great detail and high quality story telling. Love you guys.

@timmyturner5951 Жыл бұрын

Remastered edition is beautiful. Glad you popped up. Instant subscribe.

@Dirk1Steele 6 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy these retro videos. Provide some really interesting insights to games of times past. Please keep up the great work.

@superlosia1234 6 жыл бұрын

I see Ancient Egypt, I click.

@amiibolaypunto1659 5 жыл бұрын

You know, i'm rewatching these videos and your enthusiasm is contagious, it's clear that you choose your content and your choices are always beloved games or themes for you. I always end up hyped after seeing a DFRetro. In fact i ended impulse buying Ridge Racer V the other day after rewatching the Ridge Racer DFR. Please keep it up, your works become better the more i revisit it.

@STARSTyranT 6 жыл бұрын

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you.

@mariuszj3826 6 жыл бұрын

Digital Foundry, love you for making an episode about this amazing game. This defined my Sega Saturn experience.

@Link3131a 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks John, your dedication is seriously appreciated.

@isiickclarcke 6 жыл бұрын

Dear god, I freakin LOVED Powerslave on the PS1! The gameplay, atmosphere and soundtrack was top notch. So awesome that you guys covered this utter gem of a game. Props!!!

@alexp.3152 4 жыл бұрын

I had Exhumed for Sega Saturn and i loved it! Such an underrated game, and a great soundtrack! Very unique as well!

@lunarx3dfx 6 жыл бұрын

I love DF Retro. Never miss an episode. Can't wait for the next one. Keep up the good work!!!

@QuatreFun 6 жыл бұрын

You have NO idea how much I played this game as a kid! Thank you for this video.

@DirectorToby 6 жыл бұрын

This was a bloody brilliant video. Never heard of the game before but remained interested and entertained throughout.

@sjorspion 6 жыл бұрын

I happy to see this game is getting more and more love! I loved it back in the day and now!

@gaminginframes2819 6 жыл бұрын

Had it for my Saturn and loved it! Great to see you guys do a video on it.

@adrianmoj5227 6 жыл бұрын

I remember renting it for Playstation back then and it was a fun shooter for a few days. But i don't remember anything that stood out except the ancient egypt theme. Excellent video as always. John i hope you never stop doing this videos, best thing on youtube!

@esotericmissionary 6 жыл бұрын

Damn it, John, you just reminded me how much I really wanted to play this game, back in the day, but I never got to! Now I'm positive I would've been enthralled by it, and I still would be. Especially that Saturn version. Great episode, man, thanks for covering this gem!

@johnathanblade1 6 жыл бұрын

There are sooo many deprecated threads and discussions dedicated to the questions that this video answers. Good show!

@ThatOldSchoolMagic 5 жыл бұрын

I swear no other youtube has spoken of this game and done it so much Justice as you guys have. A lot of reviewers tend to skip out on a lot of details but you guys went all out on this one. Well done.

@vlaja29 6 жыл бұрын

John, excellent work as always. Keep it coming!

@powwow360 6 жыл бұрын

Truly, thanks a lot for this excellent and in depth video. This is one of my favourite games and set a high standard for me at a young age and love to see more people know about it. One aspect of the game I liked was the development doll collectibles hidden in each stage. There was roughly one in each and were ingeniously hidden that required very sharp observation to find, and also great skill to acquire in some cases (the laser maze one in particular!).

@ZinhoMegaman 6 жыл бұрын

Great video as always! You just forget the death animations for our character in the PC version, they are exclusive to this version and awesome!

@treepizzle 6 жыл бұрын

Wow. Impressive. Can't believe I didn't give this game more of a chance! I'm a huge Saturn fan. Thank you.

@spazzdineveryway 6 жыл бұрын

Love DF's professionalism. Refreshing, objective and informative. Great job

@Sly2Cooper 6 жыл бұрын

One of the first shooters with adventure element in it. It was so impressive when I played it back then on Playstation. And thanks to the review I now consider to play the Saturn version. I just love you DF Retro!!

@aluurchin2 6 жыл бұрын

Keep your cancerous comments about ps4 or xbox one away from DF Retro. One of the best content from DF.

@agentfrost7823 6 жыл бұрын

Adam Jensen Well spoken brodah, you do know de wey

@SicSemperBeats 6 жыл бұрын

THE BEST

@charizardoreo 6 жыл бұрын

Keep those kinds of comments away from all videos really

@isturbo1984 6 жыл бұрын

Then stop bringing it up. The only thing I hate more than the fanboy wars are comments, commentating about the comments section. Often brought up before the fanboy wars even are, smh.

@squidstone8399 6 жыл бұрын

You're just creating non existent fuss. I didn't see a SINGLE ps4 or Xbox one fanboy comment on this one

@CrackDavidson1 3 жыл бұрын

I started collecting for the saturn some years ago, this was one title i picked up. It's great, the progression keeps it exciting and mysterious all the way through

@phroilangardner9772 6 жыл бұрын

I loved Powerslave! One of those forgotten gems. Thanks for making this :)

@TheChestnutBowl 6 жыл бұрын

"Then perhaps GT Interactive will see sense and get Lobotomy to do Saturn Quake..." Richard Leadbetter totally called that one.

@AlexElectric9001 6 жыл бұрын

Great vid! I had never heard of PowerSlave before! Which is surprising as late 90s fps games were my jam!

@ffx5846 6 жыл бұрын

The best section on this channel. Keep it up!

@MoSaeed-cu9dm Жыл бұрын

The music is strangely memorable! Brings back memories of watching my older brother play this for hours on the Sega Saturn!

@Ledgepls 6 жыл бұрын

Alright, it’s retro vid...surely there won’t be any toxic platform wars in the comm- oh....ok then.

@mightyhadi6132 6 жыл бұрын

PC is the best

@JuciyMango 6 жыл бұрын

DREAMCAST IS BETTER THEN YOUR XSUCK, PLAYHORRIBLE, SWUCK! (Sarcasm)

@odinsplaygrounds 6 жыл бұрын

Virtual Boy is the best platform!

@Rountree1985 6 жыл бұрын

The gaming community is one of the most toxic communities on the internet. It’s mostly because of the teenagers and alt-right Nazis.

@odinsplaygrounds 6 жыл бұрын

Lol.... alt-right nazis..... there are just "sooo many" of them in the gaming community.

@l_unaSy 6 жыл бұрын

I only knew about the DOS version of Powerslave as well. Love DF Retro for covering all these games from the era when a game can have drastic differences from platform to platform.

@gaymer618 4 жыл бұрын

I remember this as a kid, don’t have many memories with my dad but this is genuinely one of them. It gave me nightmares once as I fell asleep during the day while everyone was playing ps1 and I just remember waking up screaming. I been looking for this game to kinda connect the dots of my childhood for sometime now. Thanks.

@greenhowie 4 жыл бұрын

The focus on exploration over combat makes this feel almost like a parallel evolution to Tomb Raider.

@conorsulli 6 жыл бұрын

Your reviews of old software are excellent!

@maz12004 6 жыл бұрын

Another great DF retro. Cheers, John.

@dreammfyre 6 жыл бұрын

Kind of strange to not bring up Heretic or Hexen(released 7 months prior) while talking about this game. Those two titles pioneered the more open ended, power-up based, and level less structure(not to mention the tons of often obtuse puzzles) in first person shooters, and were an obvious inspiration for this game. Even the concept of universal ammunition is ripped straight from these games, who used mana instead of bullets/arrows for a lot of the weapons.

@NightWanderer31415 5 жыл бұрын

Interesting

@robhuanout5443 4 жыл бұрын

I think this video was a showcase of what the Saturn could do when handled with care, even know they do talk about both the PC and PS versions here.

@adambadowski5461 4 жыл бұрын

Heretic was a great Doom Clone, with linear level design, however Hexen has brought more complex design and level connnection-less structures :) Both were great!

@adamparker9214 4 жыл бұрын

Uk Saturn collector and Exhumed is a game I back too many times over the years really enjoy it. Didn't know about the PS cuts to the game. Nice to see Saturn win at some things when talking PS vs Saturn. Great video DF !

@Visuwyg 2 жыл бұрын

Seems like Nightdive watched John's video and made the ultimate version just for him! It's great.

@Spodlude 2 жыл бұрын

Came back here after watching the latest video, really glad I gave this game a go!

@fullauto86 Жыл бұрын

I love finding old df retro episodes ive never seen

@trastewere 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome been a while since last DF Retro good to see it back!

@eric4133 6 жыл бұрын

Learned from this video you can back track to previous levels in this game, no wonder it didn't make sense when i played it 20 years ago or so.

@RyuRanXII 6 жыл бұрын

Great episode! Kaiser also worked on Strife: Veteran Edition, a fantastic and innovative FPS+RPG combination released in the mid 90s. All games this guy touches turn to gold. I recommend buying all his source-ports under NightDive Studios on Steam!

@GamingMyWholeLife 6 жыл бұрын

I love these so much! Developers had to be soo creative during those days. It's fascinating to see there work arounds :)

@SantoIago 6 жыл бұрын

I didn't even mean to click this video, especially considering I've literally never heard of this game, but this is a fantastic video my dude. I feel like I can go toe-to-toe with any mouth-breathing old timer with my new found, tested and thoroughly bred knowledge of console hardware I never had the chance to experience. thxbro

@TatsuMainframe1 6 жыл бұрын

Loved the video and still miss Lobotomy Software a hell of a lot!

@Evolution56 6 жыл бұрын

Spent countless hours playing this on my Saturn. What a jewel it was. The music, atmosphere, graphics were awesome for the time. Those graphics amazed me that the Saturn could do that. Thanks for the video, as it brings back wonderful memories. Still own this, with my Saturn, along with a copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga also.

@aideyp7333 6 жыл бұрын

I bought this for my Sega Saturn thanks to Richard Leadbetter and the extensive previews in Official Sega Magazine. As John commented it was truly amazing for its time. I hadn't played a Metroid game until Metroid Prime on the GC. Thanks for pointing out the similar design features

@agnel47 6 жыл бұрын

The 90s were truly gaming greatest period.

@SmashDde 6 жыл бұрын

Oh how I *loved* this title back in the days. Brilliant to see a DF Retro about that now.

@jmbenetti 6 жыл бұрын

Take my like, good sir. I'll watch it later on my PC for more pleasure. No doubt it will be great as ever.

@spongebelt 6 жыл бұрын

Great Video guys! I wanna play this game now!

@ichangedmyname4108 3 жыл бұрын

i loved this game so much, had it on sega saturn, it was the only fps my mum liked at the time, and we found every developer bust hidden throughout the game, spent years playing it.

@retroboy-fh1ji 6 жыл бұрын

Bien ahí!!!! Amo este juego! Y DF Retro aun más!! :)

@PaulRoneClarke 2 жыл бұрын

Let’s not forget the music. Fantastic tracks. Really emotive.

@filoseba 6 жыл бұрын

so much respect for the works of talented people in DF RETRO

@tombfoot 6 жыл бұрын

I loved this game on PSX! I picked it up second hand in a game shop and really enjoyed it.

@dialmightyspartangod6717 6 жыл бұрын

Almost cried seeing this. Miss SEGA very much.

@JunKurosu 6 жыл бұрын

They're still alive

@dialmightyspartangod6717 6 жыл бұрын

Jun Kurosu But not in the hardware console space

@Cade_The_Squirrel 6 жыл бұрын

SEGA are still making great software though, games like Yakuza and Sonic Unleashed show that SEGA are still very much alive and kicking

@SomeOrangeCat 6 жыл бұрын

Not Sega as the children of the 80s and 90s knew them.

@Cade_The_Squirrel 6 жыл бұрын

I was born in 98, grew up playing Sonic 1 2 3 Toejam and Earl and the other SEGA classics, I may have been born in the late 90's but I'm still a 90's kid, I think SEGA are still as good as they were in the 80's and 90's, games like Sonic '06 are small bruises on a pile of great games and the worst recent Sonic game is Sonic Forces which is really just ok, Sonic Boom is another matter but that was mostly a third party company

@buzzclikverifyme 6 жыл бұрын

One of my favourite sleeper FPS games. Thanks for this! :)

@iwantthemoonback4198 2 жыл бұрын

Watching this again after the re-release on Switch. And interesting to hear about Powrslave Ex on the KEX engine... I can't think why they was removed! :)

@replicantnexusx9117 6 жыл бұрын

Great to see DF Retro back.

@hersnab 3 жыл бұрын

Such a great experience. One of two games that were essential for the system. Completing the game and unlocking the God mode was quite a challenge and for the time one of my favourite gaming experiences. Death Tank 7 player with a multitap was a great party experience.

@welcometovalhalla2884 6 жыл бұрын

Damn, that game looks actually good if I were to play it right now. Nice video. Btw, we need a video on Ultima Underworld.

@jhdkoopman2 6 жыл бұрын

I could watch DF Retro all day, every day!

@embracerodusk2537 6 жыл бұрын

I've heard great things about this game for years, and now after watching your video I just decided it's time to find myself a copy.

@retropulse03 6 жыл бұрын

Another fantastic episode. I've always been curious about the series, and it's interesting that only having heard of it in the last few years that my initial 'book cover' impressions of it were exactly what was described about the DOS version overshadowing the console ports. Now though, I can't wait to get home and check out the Saturn version. I'm always looking for a good reason to play that system, and now I have a new one.

@jaynelson1762 2 жыл бұрын

Can’t wait for the remaster! Never played this before and it looks fantastic.

@EmmanuelEXEf06 6 жыл бұрын

I liked a lot the DOS version for the huge and complex level design (even if it's not full 3D and some flaws), big and hard maps so when i played the ps1 version, it was very original and good but i missed the complex level design of the PC version (yeah they removed really a lot of 3D stuff compared to the saturn version). And then, i played with the saturn version, better level design for some part than the ps1 version, it was all good! :D Saturn version Powa! ^^ I would like a mix between the big maps with a lot of relief of the DOS version with the items/exploration system of the Saturn version, it could be awesome!

@valia 4 жыл бұрын

3:34 Look at that sweet scanning screen! Now I know why those old games look so realistic when I was a child.

@SoulMist17 2 жыл бұрын

Waiting for the look at the remaster by nightdive now. Awesome video.

@Vakantscull 4 жыл бұрын

Just got round to completing and covering this myself on PS1, such a great game! Finger crossed Nightdive get round to releasing the official remaster!

@Haplocat 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video.

@HueyTheDoctor 6 жыл бұрын

Yet another awesome analysis of a great game. Would love it if you did a DF Retro about the games Starbreeze were making on their own proprietary engines back in the day. Games like Enclave, Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness. Then they made Syndicate but I'm pretty sure there was a staff exodus over to MachineGames, who now make the best FPS games around. All of that is ripe for a DF episode.

@user-ro5cn8ih5o 5 жыл бұрын

Df retro videos are pure joy...

@SmiggyG 6 жыл бұрын

Powerslave was easily one of the best games of that gen. Death Tank Yeah! Lobotomy worked wonders with the Saturn. Duke Nukem 3D and Quake were also good ports. Another great DF Retro vid John. Thank you!

@f1nkangel 2 жыл бұрын

Ah, played it back in the day on the PS1, wonderful...just bought it again on the Xbox series on your recommendation, and it's so sweet...my kids are regarding it with suspicion, but are interested!