15 years later, Descent is by far the most fun I have ever had as a gamer to date.
Graphics:
If you could play through Doom right now and had the option of having today's graphics or the old-school pixels, what would you pick? That's exactly how I feel about Descent. The old look is what makes the game what it is. For those out there who may be trying Descent for the first time, remember this game came out in '94. The gameplay more than makes up for the graphics.
Controls:
The most intriguing thing about Descent is the controls. It will take you a while to get used to them. If you get motion sickness, you're out of luck. The learning curve varies between people and if you're using keyboard only, joystick or mouse. Just remember that in Descent you can avoid enemy fire by moving in ANY direction. How cool is that? Once you get the hang of the physics, enjoy the ride! (For advanced controls, check out "triple-chording")
Single Player:
I much more prefer the multiplayer, but for those of you who really enjoy single player campaigns, I think you will like what Descent has to offer. The sound is great and the lighting is awesome, but what really makes it is not quite knowing what's around the curves. There's plenty of robots waiting within the labyrinth of tunnels, but also in massive rooms with plenty of room to dodge missiles. The AI is solid enough to hold it's own, but doesn't have nearly the amount of tactical movements you find in today's games. The story line is creative enough to keep you pressing on, reactor after reactor.
Multiplayer:
In my opinion, this is what Descent is all about. The 360 degree environments completely separate it from all other FPS games available and allow for something really interesting: personal style. Let's say you play a typical FPS shooter. You can run like everyone else, crouch like everyone else, etc. but you can't really do anything that's unique. Now add a 360 degree environment and that all changes. You can develop spins, twists, backwards maneuvers and much more. This allows for you to create your own flying and combat styles.
Talk to any serious Descent player and they can vouch that different people fly different paths, use different weapons and provide different challenges. Now, imagine there's 8 different players in a level. That blend of styles is what helps make Descent such a great game.
Weapons:
Each weapon is unique and fires a wide array of projectiles. You can pick up the Vulcan Cannon and shred your enemies like a gatling gun, or pick up the Fusion Cannon for charged, powerful bursts to demolish your foe in just a few hits. The missile selection is just as unique as your guns. Take the Smart Missile for example. After traveling a certain distance or hits a wall, the missile explodes and sends plasma orbs out that home in on nearby targets. And don't forget to protect your back by laying Proximity Mines in the tunnels as you work your way through a level. Leave them behind doors to catch unsuspecting players to destroy themselves.
Overall:
If you haven't played Descent, please give it a try sometime. There's still nothing to date quite like it. Sure the golden age where servers were always full and the IDL was always busy has passed, but there's still a small community on Kali after all these years who hop into the mines from time to time. Thanks to some loyal folks out there you can still get Descent 1 & 2 working on your machines. In fact I just got D1 and D2 running on my Mac. Do the research and figure out how you can try it out. If you decide you just don't have enough time or care to install it, check out gameplay videos online. You owe it to yourself as a gamer to experience such a different style of multiplayer combat and complete freedom in control.