Spiderweb software company has released the new version of Nethergate. "Nethergate: Resurrection" They've added 2 more dungeons, new magic items, etc. and are using an updated software program. If you already have the old version of Nethergate you can get the new on for only $12!! There is a hint booklet too.

This is for the Mac version, PC I don't know about. If it isn't now it will be soon.

Downloading now...

I was excited to hear news of this remake at first, but then when they said they would be using the Blades of Avernum engine I was pretty disappointed...

I really don't understand what made them decide to do this, as the engine is literally a tiny step up from the one used in the original game - and IMO doesn't really breath any more life into the game as you'd expect from a remake. If they really wanted to do a good remake they should have used the Geneforge engine, that would have truly made the game shine.

Hmm, as a developer I applaud Vogal's efficiency in releasing his products...this is like the third release in the past 12 months, right? But upon loading it I see that he really has just taken his existing engine and put a different storyline in it. All the music and sound effects are the same...much of the graphics are the same, as are the menus and controls.

If this were Avernum 5 I could say that I understand, because re-using some assets can help a game series maintain a bit of continuity. But this is a different series all together, so in reusing so much from previous games, this one feels sorta rehashed from the start.

Still, Vogal is king of indie RPGs so I am going to give the demo a full shake down before commenting further. I'm sure underneath is still a game worthy of the Spiderweb logo. Oh, and thanks for the notice, Dragonlady. I don't pass by the other news sites very often so I personally would have missed this if you hadn't mentioned it.

Is this where the collective group of us cry out and say:

Stop playing and get back to work!

Ahem.

Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest. Keep playing, but make sure you call it "competitive research!"

Snicker.

I better not mention how much time I spent this week playing Peggle then! Seriously, it was only during break time...

Aack!

Another Peggle addict.

/me goes off to form a Peggle E-addiction Group - P.E.G.

Another Spiderweb game will be released in Dec. "Avernum 5" for the Mac. For the PC it will be 2-3 months later.

I'm having a ball playing Neathergate: Ress. I'm playing a Celt on my main computer (for the times I'm up and in wheelchair and a Roman on my laptop when I'm in bed. Got my hint book yesterday. Very useful, but still doesn't give you everything, which is the way it should be.

Well that got my attention, I didn't realise Spiderweb had an "historical" RPG. Their Avernum and Geneforge games never really caught me so I didn't even give this Nethergate thing a second thought. So I looked this one up, looks interesting. Hope there'll be a demo for the Windows version when it comes out.

You can get the demo for the original Nethergate. A lot of it is the same except for the graphic engine. Though a lot has been changed in the newer game. Or, you could wait the 2-3 months till the PC version comes out, there will be a demo for that. The company always has a demo version.

I'm in no rush, I'll wait for the re-issue. From what I could see of the screenshots, the new version has pretty nice visuals, they look better than the most recent Geneforges and Avernums.

I always though Nethergate was the best of the 'original flavour' Spiderweb games, not least because you could play either side from the get-go. In Avernum you didn't really have that option. However for 'morally arguable' the Geneforge games have to offer the most interesting options (and slightly better graphics and party movement etc.)

[declaration of interest - I've beta tested Almost everything Jeff has produced in the last 5-6 years - for the PC version, that is].

Interesting, my son has beta tested the Mac versions for the last couple of years, maybe more.

He/they do a pretty good job on the Mac version - the PC bugs tend to be minor graphics/spelling etc. although there was just one game where we had 'crash to desktop' problems (turned out to be a divide by zero iirc). Oh, and the 'horses and stairs' bug in one of the later Avernums. And there are always a few lurking plotline bugs, probably even after release.

There's really no excuse for he sort of rubbish that the major developers have started shoveling out ever since they could rely on the Internet to fix their quality problems with belated patches.

Back in the 'old days' if you shipped junk you got a free chance to send 10 floppy disks to all your customers (at your expense), which rather focused the developers' minds on 'get it right the first time'.