Genre: games • computers • flight / space • action • Great Stuff! •Platform: Pc • Has a multiplayer option
Developer: Parallax • Publisher: Interplay •
Status: Released in 1995 • I played this one • It's a classic! • I own it!

Welcome to Descent - 30 levels of the most mind-bending, stomach-churning action game ever. Featuring true 3-Dimensional worlds with light source shading, texture mapping, 3-D morphing, directional sound effects and sizzling music, this is technology taken to the limit. You begin deep below the surface of Lunar Base I where an unknown alien race has taken over the chasm of the Post-Terran Mining Corporation. Lunge straight down mine shafts, twist around never-ending tunnels and fight your way past robotic menaces in an environment that's truly 360° 3-D...move up, move down, shoot everything everywhere. Hang onto your senses (and your lunch) as you drop straight down mine shafts on a ride that'll leave you spinning. And what's the good of losing your mind if you can't share the experience with your friends? Descent invites you and your buddies to dive into the action together with head-to-head combat and cooperative two-player modem and eight-player network support.

General web opinion:

These are still some of my absolute favorite games ever - and I am not the only one

Content noted:

• excited by a blue ball appearing on a holding page ( Wednesday, March 12, 2008 )
• Why I am going to buy Doom3 now, years later ( Saturday, January 26, 2008 )
• Descent retroview ( Saturday, January 03, 2004 )
• Descent review ( Thursday, February 03, 2000 )

Why I am interested:

Descent was just pure fun - you could go up, down, sideways, and upside down. You could take all the time in the world exploring every area, look for secrets, eradicating as many of the robot infestation as you could, figuring out your escape route - until you decided it was time and you’d destroy the reactor and rush out.

* lots of exploration
* total freedom within the framework
* clever weapons which made a difference
* clear simple tasks
* great music
* not too many bosses (I hate bosses, even in descent)

I was “upside down” a lot but it didnt bother me. It bothered some of the people watching me as they could never figure out where i was cause it didnt look the same… of course I didnt know where I was half the time either, that’s what maps are for!

Why I stopped playing it:

I moved on to Descent 2.

How to play on modern systems:

There are quite a few options since the descent and descent 2 source was released. You can run D1 in the D2 engine (with d2 AI), or a D1 engine. The only caveat is alternative music, since that remains copyright of the composer

http://holbred.descentforum.net/Descent/Descent-English/descent-english.html (an overview)
http://www.dxx-rebirth.de/
http://www.icculus.org/d2x/

online resources:

There are still active and lively resources, because descent 1&2 were so moddable (and the source was released), and 3 is not that old

http://www.descentbb.net/
http://www.planetdescent.com/
http://www.prepare4descent.net/guidesforum/

final comments:

Descent is followed by Descent 2 and 3, and is also related (story and universe-wise) to the Freespace and Red Faction series

To me Descent reminded me a bit of Terminal Velocity, which I had played before it (iirc). I’m not sure what else since has given me the feeling of Descent 1-2-3. I still wish for Descent IV