OK now that the new RoTT is out I'd like to know how much of a direct remake / how much of a re-imagining it is
I heard the boss fights are different at least?

Basically if I play though the old one first will the new one then feel like deja vu or like an up to date sequel?

Cheers

of course it's worth it!
and yeah, you will have deja vu, if you play the old game first!

If you get WinROTT and all the goodies its so fantastic runs great plays great is complete fun and a very very long game... it's a pure endurance match and classic FPS action <3 it so much!

Rise of the Triad: Dark War (the GOG edition) is one of the longest FPS I've ever played. It has huge maps, loads of secrets, and some of the most unique levels in 90's shooters. The new version is shorter, has smaller maps, fewer power ups and is more linear. If you want a more hardcore shooter then there is no doubt that the original is worth playing.

Biggest change is probably El Oscuro no longer being demonic snake from otherworld but... unisex spider demigod? xd Also no longer hunt for all eggs in nest in order to get better ending. Both games are the same linear and straightforward with many optional areas, same size of maps and the same power-ups just with better navigation (old ROTT has filler levels better suited for multiplayer but pushed into single player campaign anyway.

But I agree I liked how with all these limitations of engine original was more creative and interesting than Doom or Duke3D. Heck, it has more stuff to destroy than early BUILD games and this is still Wolf3D modified engine!. ;-)

I have played almost every FPS ever made, consider myself pretty good at them, but with Rise of the Triad I could never seem to find my way through the third or fourth level (can't remember which one precisely but very early in the game). I always get hopelessly lost in the exact same spot, and it doesn't help that everything looks the same-- it is a very bland game, visually, and just feels "silly", like they threw a bunch of random "cool" stuff into a game, then randomly generated a hundred levels using the same texture palette. I couldn't recommend it in good faith.

If you're getting lost, press Tab and use the map.

The game didn't have textures so much as it had cubes with textures on them. The maps aren't as visually interesting because unlike Doom, the rooms are defined by blocks on a grid. It's easy to see how this game is a modification of Wolf3D.

The color palette is "bland" because it runs in 256 colors.

And yes, the game is extremely silly, with a lot of over-the-top, excessive, completely unrealistic aspects. That's pretty much the entire point of the game.

It was to Doom what Saints Row is to Grand Theft Auto

I have to concur with others: Play the first game, then the new one. If you are into over-the-top shooters that don't take things too seriously then these games are for you.

I loved the original as a kid, more than the id and 3D Realms games. ROTT was just plain fun. I still do to this day, and I feel the fun factor still holds up. Grab a bowl or Priest Porridge and enjoy :)

Here's the thing, though: the map is almost completely useless. They could have scrapped it altogether and added a quest-arrow like in Bioshock and that would have been just as helpful, and you could keep blasting away at stuff without having to open up an entire new screen.

I dunno, the game just lacks that pizazz that keeps me coming back. It didn't feel like a game the developers enjoyed making, therefore I didn't enjoy playing it. You can explain away the shortcomings all you want, but "it's supposed to be bad" doesn't excuse it from being, well, bad.

I look forward to playing the new one, maybe all this game needed was another decade and newer technology to get its point across.

The old RoTT is a relic of its time, using technologies that were available at the time. You can't expect mere age to magically make the game look better. As for the mazelike designs, it's part of the package. You may not like it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. The map is pretty useful to me.

Another advantage of playing the old RoTT, is that it has a shitload of custom maps available that were made by the community that is worth trying out.

Not to mention RandROTT, a random level-generator! =D