Thread:Deathstalker666/@comment-1496755-20171111143841/@comment-1496755-20171129075016

XP was quite an improvement over its predecessors, especially in terms of speed and stability. But yes, it also introduced some compatibility issues with older software (especially if it's from 1998-ish, the video card transition era). And DOS stuff was barely supported since Win NT 4.0 came along, which eventully led to the creation of DosBox... though many things could still be run, without any sound, of course. And usually without support for higher resolutions (which would require VESA).

Arena is a good example - save scumming, dying a hundred times, the base memory bugs... but I do remember it fondly, and I'm pretty sure I could play it again in the future, try out other character builds, etc. My experience with XW was something similar as well - many nights spent tackling tough missions... but feeling a strange sadness after the final mission was over. I guess it has something to do with the realization that I had ended something that I put a lot of effort into. Like a feeling of loss.

You see, if XW was a 2017 game, it would have surely offered a paid option to automatically complete the training. Only this week - $39.99 for all 8 training levels, what a bargain! This was something that caused a pretty big controversy and uproar recently - imagine a game where progression can either be done by a) very long, time-consuming and tedious gameplay, or b) just paying to get all the stuff on a silver platter (or in the form of lootboxes, which is borderline gambling). Yay for modern gaming!

You are right, I should probably check out the rest of their stuff, just to get a more complete idea of their overall evolution.