Menzo is probably the last game that old school gamers would call part of the SSI Gold Box series, and I can promise you that the long-standing members of GOG bump the idea of getting the Gold Box games, like...all the time. I'm pretty close to certain that GOG has looked into it and, should the opportunity arise, will make an effort to get them.

The problem, as always, is sorting out who has the rights, who is allowed to make publishing decisions, etc. Silly laws, always getting in the way of gaming.

Menzoberanzan looks very nice, with good artwork and graphics. But from what I've read the gameplay is rather shallow compared to other AD&D games like the Gold Box, Dark sun and infinity Engine games.
You move around in a real time 3D environment, but when facing enemies the game switches to simplistic turn based combat with none of the tactics of the above mentioned games.
So I haven't really been tempted to play it myself.

Definitely, and I'm sure they would appreciate it, as it's a very friendly and welcoming community! (Are you part of it, by chance?)


Do you mean to say that Dungeon Hack also allowed you to create your own dungeons, or did I misinterpret that last sentence and you're only referring to the random dungeons created by the game?

It's not a very good game but if you like old-school RPG's and don't care for Ultima Underworld-style pixelated 3D graphics it's still fun, as I understand it was put together in a matter of months by the developers between the two Ravenloft games (using the same engine/mechanics etc) and it shows. The maps are pretty big but many of them are just simply empty, nothing in them, maybe a bit of loot here and there, I suppose you could say it's very "old-school" in that the game is very directionless, you just wander around killing monsters, getting lost and figuring out what to do. I suppose it makes some sense with the endless, labyrinthine mazes of the Underdark, but it's pretty boring. However unlike the Ravenloft games Menzo has a few decent puzzles here and there, which is a plus.

AD&D rules are pretty much all in there, I didn't notice any missing spells from Gold Box, multi-classing is there too. But the combat isn't tactical, it's all in first-person so your party is a "blob".

Where the real awesomeness is, is the Ravenloft games.

Menzoberranzan was a nice game nothing special.
At that time it felt like SSI was releasing another AD&D game
every month.
Sure get it GOG (i still hope for the Gold Box Games)

Afraid not, though I did check by on my research. I'm just a general modding fan, and I find it remarkable that such a piece of software existed back in 1993, and even more that people are still developing with it! If I ever get back on that thing which I've put on the sidelines, I may well come by.

I still think that with these games, despite the fact that people found them underwhelming, there's a legacy there that should be preserved. These games were important to the development of the RPG genre, and in the end, what's the problem having them here anyways. Of course, a couple D&D games should not be here because they're plain broken (Descent into Undermountain, grrrr!), but the whole ridiculous thing with rights to these products are insane.

I liked the Dark Elf Trilogy, the first is still my favorite, the intricate explanation of feudal Drow society and how it works was almost as good as the characters themselves.

Lots of excellent nostalgia going on here! I suppose the only thing we can really do is raise the awareness of such neglected titles and hope we at least get GoG thinking about it.

Vote for Gold Box

Vote for Menzoberranzan

Vote for Unlimited Adventures

Vote for these too:
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/ravenloft_strahds_possession
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/ravenloft_stone_prophet

Please try to pronounce "Daermon N'a'shezbaernon".

voted

Heh - look at that it was developed by those same DreamForge guys who are, right now, trying to get a kickstarter together to make a sequel (or 'spiritual successor') to Sanitarium! Small world...

The rights for Menzoberanzan etc. should lie with Ubisoft now who already have games here on GOG. So it's either only a matter of time until the games arrive here or there are some serious issues preventing it, I'd say.

Maybe its some disagreement with Hasbro/WotC?
Don't know how Atari did it but maybe Ubi aren't so happy with their terms? Or maybe Hasbro think the rights should have reverted to them when SSI went down?