Part of the nostalgia for me when it comes to Dread Lords is the memory of the good feeling I had when driving home on a sunny day in the spring time with the windows down and the sounds of the radio wafting on the breeze, right after picking up a collector’s edition from my local friendly neighborhood Wally World. Having the day off from the hustle and bustle of work, the wife at home with a fresh apple pie in the oven, and a newly unexplored gaming experience nestled inside its silvery crisp, gloss fragranced box riding next to me just waitin’ for me to get it home and installed. The imagined joy of undiscovered code and how its virtual realism might transport me to otherworldliness, or open up an adventure once deemed impossible for mankind to undertake just an unbroken seal away.
Anticipation alone of a man exploring the dreams of his childhood now made possible through the refined craft of binary: being able to slay the fiery dragon, build an empire of fearless knights as king, soar the skies over an endless sea, explore the depths of the earth, or even conquer distant galaxies filled with alien worlds to colonize, and awe-inspiring technology to unravel is by its own right worthy of the purchase. Yeah, the thrill of anxiously scanning the shelf for that magical little box with its uncharted digital lands inside just screaming to be delved into seems to be passing away now. The downloadable age is upon us, and the euphoric memories of retail purchased adventure is all too soon becoming fossilized; as too I fear will my nostalgia.
Still, the adventure will live on however it chooses to come to us. Thanks Stardock, for the experience. I look forward to your latest.