Y2K Game: Omikron: The Nomad Soul

Omikron: The Nomad Soul

I remember trying Shenmue over a decade ago. I believe I was in grad school or just before entering. I can't quite remember. Now, Shenmue is often touted as one of the Dreamcast greats and incredibly ahead of its time. Perhaps I played it too late because after playing through only the first disc, I failed to appreciate it and stopped playing it. I still have a copy and perhaps I will make another attempt in the future. It's really just a murder mystery with barely any action in it. The setting is generic. The plot is generic. None of it captured my attention for very long. Again, I'll give it another go in the future. After all, Dreamcast is my second favorite console.

Comparison

I mentioned Shenmue because it is the first thing that popped into my mind while playing Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Just like Shenmue, Omikron is also a murder mystery with some action in it. What sets it apart, however, is that the setting and the plot is leagues more interesting. Instead of 1980s Japan, Omikron takes place in the futuristic city of Omikron. This city is totally taken out of Blade Runner. Particularly the part where Deckard is riding with Gaff into Tyrell's pyramid palace. It's the same feeling of dwelling in a world that is both familiar yet completely alien at the same time. It's definitely taking inspiration from ancient temples just as much as visions from the future. I was instantly in love with this setting.

Insane Plot

The plot is completely insane. It immediately breaks the fourth wall by letting the player know that they will be occupying the body of Kay'l and controlling him via a video game. You will not be shared any of Kay'l's thoughts and have no access to any of his memories. It is up to you to piece together Kay'l's life, why his police partner was murdered, why there was an attempt on his life, and who are these creatures that are after him. Believe it or not, the fourth wall break actually ties into the story in the most hilarious but awesome way possible. Again, the plot is totally nuts but I can't help but love it.

Hideously Outdated

I mentioned that this game some action in it. Unfortunately, it's completely outdated and terrible. There's sequences in the game where it tries to be a fighting game and then a first person shooter. It fails miserably at both. The fighting game bits try to be like Mortal Kombat 4, which is one of the weaker Mortal Kombats. On top of that, the fighting in Omikron is utterly clunky and barely even responsive. It's also shallow. I was able to just jab my way to victory in most cases. The first person shooting portions are equally as dreadful. The aiming is super sensitive, making it difficult to target your enemies. It doesn't help that the Dreamcast controller doesn't include dual analog sticks. So, you're stuck using the D-pad to step forwards, backwards, and turn left or right. You use the shoulder triggers for strafing. It's not a clever solution like that of MDK2. It makes the gun combat a chore. Definitely remap those buttons.

Frustration

I really wanted to continue the story and get to the David Bowie bits. However, I got to the part where you must place eight bombs to blow up a factory. It was a lengthy first person shooter sequence with plenty of bad guys and mechanical dogs coming after you. As I mentioned earlier, the controls for these action sequences are awful, and making me play through a lengthy section of this with a countdown became unbearable. I even tried tuning the difficulty to easy. I couldn't tell the difference. The enemies instantly located you shot you every time. Moreover, your bullets would sometimes go straight through them. The gun sway that betrayed your bullet trajectories made it even worse. I couldn't do it any longer. I got frustrated and stopped.

Finished

This game is actually very ambitious, especially for 1999. Unfortunately, that ambition inspired the developers and directors to try to do too much at once. It's actually quite interesting as an exploration and detective game. If they would have simply stuck with and refined that, Omikron would have been an engrossing and delightful experience. Instead, they hamfisted awful fighting and first person shooter sequences that sucked even for the time. Now, they're made even worse with age. Perhaps some day I will attempt to finish this game. I mean, it has freaking David Bowie in it. I'm putting it on the shelf for now. Go play Cyberpunk 2077 instead.