Starship Titanic

Another adventure game close to my heart was Starship Titanic, created by Hitchhiker's Douglas Adams. Intially Adams referred to his idea of an 'unsinkable' starship in the first Hitchhikers books and twenty or so years later it became the legendary game.

The sypnosis: you are the homey Arthur Dent type pottering around your quaint little house, and one eventful night just before you are about to play some video games on your computer, a massive spaceship plummets through the roof of your house spoiling the whole ruddy evening. A robot with oversized ear muffs descends down a flight of steps from the ship muttering 'oh dear oh dear' in a plummy English accent. Your home life is pretty much screwed so you might as well accept his invitation to board the ship and help him fix it, either that or sit in your ruined home rocking back and forth in corner.

What really made the hype around the game was the fact that it was one of the first games without a set script as the protagonist. You communicate with the A.I on the ship by typing into the PET (Personal Electronic Thing) much like you would on an IM programme. The beauty of this is that you had the freedom to peruse the ship, randomly insulting the bots or using your natural charm to wittle information out of them. Of course the creators were fully aware that immature moron gamers like myself would begin the verbally abuse the bots once the novelty wore off. Enough 'shut up bitch', 'sex me up' or 'your mum' comments and the bots will soon bite back. I think Fortillian the 'Blargish' Bar Bot called me a bastard once...

The PET actually allows for great gameplay, instead of being given a list of medicore tasks slumped on your inventory like so many adventure games, Starship Titanic is telling you 'Yeah, go figure it out for yourselves you lazy sods.' It is essentially what you say and how you interact with the Bots which gives you clues on what the feck you do. Remember Marvin from the HHGG? well all the bots on the ship are also A.I created out of real human personalities. Speak to Nobby the Lift Bot and he will tell you stories of fighting in numerous wars, or approach Marsinta the Desk Bot who will look at you with disgust and turn you away unless you tell her how pretty she is. Sadly the only humans on the ship are deaded, thrown in the garage or other lovely places so social interaction is concentrated on the bots alone.

The design of the whole cosmic hotel is utterly spectacular. Every grand hall, restuarant or bedroom suite is made beautifully. Much like Myst you can get enough enjoyment just by wandering around. It's also has quite an insane sense of humour thanks to the voice talents of Terry Jones as the irriatingly neurotic parrot and John Cleese as the smarmy bomb. Adams also voices the rather revolting Suc-u-bus system, 'I suck, I blow, anything else I don't know.'

So yes, Starship Titanic moulded my love for Adams and his work, it's over ten years old now but still looks just as fresh and beautiful as when I first played it. Now where's my towel?