Dieselpunk + Steampunk Culture
The Orange Box-Half Life 2 and Team Fortress 2
I have a somewhat odd, yet warranted, addition to make to our established library of games inhabiting the Dieselpunk genre. This addition is two of the games contained in the bundle, The Orange Box, developed by the esteemed Software Company, Valve. Those familiar with Valve will know it for its earlier games, Half Life and Counterstrike.
Half Life 2-Alright, strictly speaking this is a Cyberpunk title. Even so, there are multiple elements in the game that give it a distinctly Dieselpunk feel. HL 2 is set in a Dystopian world in which an alien force known as the Combine has forced humanity into submission. The humans encountered in the game are uniformed workers monitored constantly and harassed by the Watch when they are disobedient. The uniforms and decrepit buildings in this game draw up comparisons to George Orwell's novel, 1984, and seems to be directly influenced by the world described in said novel. For the Dieselpunks who enjoy the prospect of the Roaring twenties and Prohibition era New England and consider that to be the definition of Dieselpunk, you may not think this to be a game to necessarily fit the genre. For those with invested interest in the conditions in Russia/Soviet Union and its territories, this postapocalyptic game will harbor a sense of nostalgia all the while of producing an experience unlike any other game.
Team Fortress 2-The more obviously Dieselpunk of the two, this game has a retro style to it in terms of its music and design. In more literal terms, the locations and types of characters to choose from have a distinct Dieselpunk mentality. The locations, which include factories in a western setting, may sound out of place in a genre such as Dieselpunk, but, once you play it, you will have a more accurate idea of how it carries on in the aesthetic we all love.
Try them out and you will have an experience worthy of your time, whether you consider them to be Dieselpunk or not.
Half Life 2-Alright, strictly speaking this is a Cyberpunk title. Even so, there are multiple elements in the game that give it a distinctly Dieselpunk feel. HL 2 is set in a Dystopian world in which an alien force known as the Combine has forced humanity into submission. The humans encountered in the game are uniformed workers monitored constantly and harassed by the Watch when they are disobedient. The uniforms and decrepit buildings in this game draw up comparisons to George Orwell's novel, 1984, and seems to be directly influenced by the world described in said novel. For the Dieselpunks who enjoy the prospect of the Roaring twenties and Prohibition era New England and consider that to be the definition of Dieselpunk, you may not think this to be a game to necessarily fit the genre. For those with invested interest in the conditions in Russia/Soviet Union and its territories, this postapocalyptic game will harbor a sense of nostalgia all the while of producing an experience unlike any other game.
Team Fortress 2-The more obviously Dieselpunk of the two, this game has a retro style to it in terms of its music and design. In more literal terms, the locations and types of characters to choose from have a distinct Dieselpunk mentality. The locations, which include factories in a western setting, may sound out of place in a genre such as Dieselpunk, but, once you play it, you will have a more accurate idea of how it carries on in the aesthetic we all love.
Try them out and you will have an experience worthy of your time, whether you consider them to be Dieselpunk or not.
Views: 3
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jonny B. Goode on -
The original Half-Life was very dieselpunk, with all of the greasy machinery and giant engines in a vast cold war-era underground industrial complex populated by mad scientists, dimwitted security guards and military drones. Portal fits into that same milieu.
-
Permalink Reply by Jonny B. Goode on
-
Speaking of Half-Life, THIS is due to be released this year. (No recent updates to their website but their twitter feed is abuzz and still says it's coming this year...) Rumored release date is 11-19-09, the 11th anniversary of the original.
For those that don't know, this is a rebuilding of the entire original Half-Life game for the HL Source engine. AFAIK it will be released as a stand-alone game, HL2/Orange Box will not be needed for play.
-
Permalink Reply by Tome Wilson on -
Odd that they would rebuild a whole game. I guess they really love it and said, "we have the tools, so why not?"
-
Permalink Reply by Jonny B. Goode on
-
The original was an awesome game - possibly one of the best sci-fi games of all time - and still loved by millions. But when HL2 came out... the original just looked so... lacking. And Valve promised an update of the original game when HL2 came out, but only delivered a port of the original game, using all of the original graphics and models and only the new physics. Also lacking. So this team decided to go ahead and rebuild the entire game (and embellish it as well) with all new, Source-compatible graphics and models.
(Personally, I liked the original's plot a whole lot more than HL2's; I found HL2's plot and feel a departure.)
-
Permalink Reply by R. Austurias on -
I never finished the original Half-Life, but Half-Life 2 remains my all time favorite game. I like how the narrative and style are both different and better done than all other FPS's. I apologize if that comment offends anybody, but it does things better.
I have always liked how the grand and large moments are never ruined by big CGI movies and are simply there for your viewing if you happen to looking in the correct direction.
I only hope that they keep up the pace with Episode 3 and following installments.
© 2012 Created by Tome Wilson.
