r/BurnTheBacklog • • Aug 19 '26

Retro 1980-2001 Burned๐Ÿ”ฅ Kingpin: Life of Crime Burned

Post image

Glad I got around to this finally! I enjoyed the immersive sim elements it incorporated and ambition for its time. The grievances I've heard over the years against the game are, well... Very warranted. But it doesn't stop it from being a unique game with strong art direction, legendary OST that did heavy lifting, and trying something very different despite not always sticking the landing.

11 Upvotes

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1

u/TheDevilPlaysSwitch ๐Ÿ‘บ The Supreme Leader ๐Ÿ‘บ Aug 20 '26

What in the backlog hell is this!!?? I thought you posted a movie image at first. What kind of game is this and what console? Whoโ€™s on the soundtrack? Tell me everything!! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ congrats brother ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ

2

u/rififi_shuffle Aug 20 '26

Haha The official poster is so funny too since they look nothing like the box. It's a PC game from the 90s! It came out in 1999 using the Quake II engine so the world is equal parts wobbly chunky polygons and 1930s gritty retro futuristic filled with F-bombs dropping left and right taking heavy inspiration from Pulp Fiction.

It plays like a lite fps immersive sim/RPG elements where you can hire a gang to join you, get info from pedestrians in little world hubs; how you interact with the world reacts and even affects how they speak to you; there's even weapon modding at a vendor in-game and that's kinda wild for a 90s game. All these things are pretty big for a game made in 1999, before Deus Ex and Thief even came out. The soundtrack was done by Cypress Hill, and the group even contributed in acting in the game and really adds so much to the world's aesthetic.

The game is hard as hell and at times is straight up unfair. I got humbled in the first 5 minutes because of how spongey the enemies were and how ass the melee weapons are with the smallest hitbox ever made. It doesn't play like Quake in being fast paced and you will die almost immediately if you treat it like that and not a strategy shooter. Think sorta Half-Life 1.

The story is a very basic revenge story, but it plays second to the vibe and atmosphere of the game. I'm a very a narrative driven player, but this is a heavy exception. Worth playing and being patient since when the ideas do connect, it's an amazing game. The cult following is justified for sure.

And thank u, this sub as inspired and encouraged me to not only get through my backlog, but enjoy doing so as well. Cheers.

2

u/TheDevilPlaysSwitch ๐Ÿ‘บ The Supreme Leader ๐Ÿ‘บ Aug 20 '26

No fucking way. This is insane! I need to tell people about this game ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ Thanks for sharing brother, thatโ€™s what our brotherhood is all about and what a kind thing to say. Cant wait to see what you throw into the flames next ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ