Looking for Powerslave (DOS) Information

[roushimsx]

Right now I'm pretty obsessed with going back and playing through the major Build engine (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/25d-engine-build) games (and expansions), but I'm having a devil of a time finding the US release of Powerslave (Exhumed in Europe). The Saturn version (http://www.mobygames.com/game/saturn/powerslave) isn't too difficult to turn up and the PS1 version (http://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/powerslave) is common as balls, but I can't find the DOS version anywhere. Hunting in the seedy underbelly of the internet turns up lots of CD-rips and torrents for the Exhumed version, but nothing for Powerslave (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/powerslave). You know, other than the demo and stuff (http://www.jonof.id.au/index.php?p=build.games&game=ps), but that's all old hat.

So my question is, does anyone here have the US retail release of this game? If so, does the title screen say "PowerSlave" or "Exhumed"? The screenshot (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/powerslave/screenshots/gameShotId,110172/) on Mobygames says "Exhumed", but they may have just been using the European release. Also, were the audio tracks different in any way between the EU and US releases?

Given how much trouble I'm having turning up a US copy, I may very well have to settle on importing an EU copy to get my fix (they're dirt cheap on eBay!), but I've got some time before I really have to pull the trigger on it. There's still a couple of other games I need to play through: Redneck Rampage series, Shadow Warrior and Blood expansions, and Legend of the Seven Paladins (that one mostly for novelty value since most people never knew it existed).

But hey, if anyone has any info on this sucker, I'd love you bunches.

[dsullo]

I remember playing this when it came out, it was pretty cool. good luck finding it.

[James8BitStar]

For some reason searching eBay gets me an Iron Maiden CD

[roushimsx]

For some reason searching eBay gets me an Iron Maiden CD

Powerslave is a fucking awesome Iron Maiden CD, by the way. Got the 1998 rerelease and love it to bits. Totally dig the video for Aces High.

I do believe that I'm going to totally jam to that CD at work today.

[Gentlegamer]

Tell me why I had to be a powerslave
I don't want to die, I'm a god, why can't I live on?

[mailman187666]

I didn't even know they had a DOS version of the game. I had always thought that it was only on consoles. It was a pretty fun game though if I do say so myself. I had the Saturn game since it came out.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Tell me why I had to be a powerslave
I don't want to die, I'm a god, why can't I live on?

http://www.zrock.com/zforum/images/brucedickinson_flag.jpg

Bruce approves.

[Kitsune Sniper]

So my question is, does anyone here have the US retail release of this game? If so, does the title screen say "PowerSlave" or "Exhumed"? The screenshot (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/powerslave/screenshots/gameShotId,110172/) on Mobygames says "Exhumed", but they may have just been using the European release.

I'm 99% sure this is a shot of the European version. The user who contributed that screenshot is from the UK. :)

You can sign up for MobyGames and ask there, too! One of the nerds - er, fellow MobyGames approvers should know. :D

[roushimsx]

I'm 99% sure this is a shot of the European version. The user who contributed that screenshot is from the UK. :)


I fired up a CD-rip version just to quickly double check the title screens, heh. Never hurts to be doubly sure, so now I know that there's at least one superficial cosmetic difference between the two. Going to have to tear apart the GRPs (though Powerslave has it named "STUFF.DAT") later to see if there's anything else that's been changed.

[GrandAmChandler]

I have a physical original Powerslave demo, I know you are looking for the full version, I am almost positive it exists...

[roushimsx]

I have a physical original Powerslave demo, I know you are looking for the full version, I am almost positive it exists...

Does the demo disc have any audio tracks on it? If so, would it be a problem for you to make an image of it (bin/cue, mdf, nrg, ccd/img, whatever) and shoot it my way (I can provide an FTP to throw it at)?

I've only known about the two downloable demos; I never knew of a physical demo release :(

[Gentlegamer]

UP THE IRONS!

[klausien]

Up the irons indeed!

[roushimsx]

Son of a bitch!

So I get the Build engine compilation pack from Underground Gamer as it clearly states that it includes Powerslave...but what does it actually have? Exhumed! Damn it. Should have expected as much from a torrent... :\

Yes, yes, yes, at this point I know that the only difference is likely to be a title screen, but I'd still like to actually confirm it first hand. Comparing the contents of the stuff.dat across both versions will be easy enough (thanks to the prevalence of the CD rip), but I'd really like to double check the audio tracks for any variances as well.

So does anyone know of anyplace else to score the game and/or actually has the Powerslave (DOS) disc? This thing is proving to be quite the difficult item to obtain. eBay remains devoid of all but the console releases and the euro PC release and nothing's showing up on my hunts. I mean, seriously, Legend of the Seven Paladins has shown up more often than the US release of Powerslave at this point. How sad is that?

[roushimsx]

Ok, so I got a copy of this in the mail today, but unfortunately the box was on the crushed side of things (boo-urns). Thankfully, the disc made it through and I was able to run a comparison between the commonly available Exhumed and the US release of Powerslave.

Exhumed has 10 additional sounds not in the US release:
JON-HIT3.VOC - "Son of a bitch!", presumably an additional sound effect that plays when getting attacked (HIT1 and HIT2 are different "unf" noises)

The next 8 are presumably taunts for the multiplayer portion of the game.
JON-T-1.VOC - "See Ya!"
JON-T-2.VOC - "Who's Next?"
JON-T-3.VOC - "Bill me"
JON-T-4.VOC - "Yea!"
JON-T-5.VOC - "That's right..."
JON-T-6.VOC - "Eat it!"
JON-T-7.VOC - "Spill it!"
JON-T-8.VOC - "Come on!"

Other than that, it looks like Exhumed may incorporate some additional bug fixes; the "EX.exe" file is a full four months newer than the "PS.exe" and the install files are from different dates. Everything else seems to be pretty much the same.

Well ok, I haven't gotten around to ripping the audio tracks and doing an analysis quite yet, but I'm not expecting to find any differences there. That and right about now I just really want to play this game.

Hello DOSbox....

[Coldguy]

Benzaie did a review of this game, and it does look good.