Omikron: The Nomad Soul

[Hipolito]

I just gave this game a whirl. It's the first game by Quantic Dream/David Cage, and David Bowie not only composed the score but had some influence on the plot and gameplay elements.

While playing it, I was constantly comparing it Deus Ex. Both games are open world-ish, came out in 1999, and take place in futuristic dystopias. But Deus Ex doesn't have cripplingly bad controls. Playing Omikron is like trying to wrest the controls of a tank away from a drunk. You can redefine the controls, but not enough. I used an XBox 360 gamepad (after downloading a file to make it work). This made the game barely tolerable until the first shooting sequence, which was like one of those clumsy "simulator" games that were trendy a few years ago.

Omikron would benefit from a makeover. More people would then know about it and be able to play it, and David Bowie fans could enjoy more work from the legend. But the plot and dialogue would probably have to be redone to hold their interest. Deus Ex's story gripped me from the get-go, but the plot and dialogue of Omikron were never that interesting during the few hours I put into the game.

I called it quits when I ran out of saves. To save the game, you have to spend a "magic ring." You start with just a few of them and have to find more in the world. I could have downloaded a cheat to get more magic rings, but at that point, I was too annoyed to play further.

A lot of people respect Omikron despite its flaws. Has anyone here played this game? What did you think of it?

[Smoove_B]

I played it back when it was released and I finished it. I don't remember the controls being an issue back then, but it could just be that the new norm for controls would make going back to play it a painful experience.

I remember bits and pieces of the story. I've mentioned it elsewhere, but for me the standout moment of the entire game was the "music video" they did in-game with David Bowie singing. It looks like PONG now, but at the time I remember being blown away as I don't think there was anything even close to it in a video game.

[MonkeyFinger]

I remember owning and playing it back in the day but nothing past an impression of it being different and cool. Guess I never got far enough into it to see Bowie as I'd like to think I'd remember that.

[Redfive]

I bought it but don't think my system was up to snuff. That, combined with it not getting along with the gamepad I had at the time, stopped me from getting very far at all.

I think I made it to some kind of shootout in a supermarket or something.

[Skinypupy]

I remember being very excited about it because of Bowie's involvement, but being rather disappointed with the actual game itself. Can't really recall any specifics about the actual game though.

God, I love that song. The entire "Hours" album was criminally underrated.