Hi,
So, I've just reviewed Snakes of Avalon for the excellent Alternative Magazine Online.
http://alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2011/10/25/game-review-snakes-of-avalon-pc/
That's where you'll find me sporadically writing about adventure games from now on. Lots of great reviews over there; games, movies, books etc. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.
Cheers,
JD
Edit: I have also reviewed;
Sanitarium
Showing posts with label AGS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AGS. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Mr Danger's Contest
Year - 2009
Length - Short (MAGS)
Engine - AGS
Suitability Factors - Infrequent Mild Language and Violence
And the first person to get two reviews on the blog is (drum roll please)...gah whats the point, you've read the title already anyway.
Mr Danger's Contest was second in the MAGS competition for May and was made by Bill Garrett.
I must confess, the original House on Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price (Legend!) is one of my favourite movies of all time. The reason I mention this is because it is that film I was reminded of when originally reading the synopsis of Mr Danger's Contest.
Story
You play as James McManus whom has been invited to take part in a competition to inherit the fortune of the mysterious Mr Danger. The competition takes place at the mansion of said millionaire and upon arrival it quickly becomes clear that things are a little stranger than perhaps anticipated. As is usually the case with this type of story, the ratio of living to dead in the house soon changes for the worse, and you must find out what's going on before you too end up no longer on the side of the living.
The game does a good job of making you want to play on to see what and why things are happening, which is of course of paramount importance in any mystery story. Mr Danger's Contest manages to introduce some new ideas into the equation as well, with those who are invited to the castle all being blessed with 'Heroes' style abilities.
Overall, the story is well told and the unravelling of the mystery is compelling. My only real problem with this aspect of the game would be the character development (sorry Bill). Getting to know the characters is an important part of this kind of story and could have taken the game up an extra notch in my opinion. I guess this is difficult to do in a short game though.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere created is a mixture of mystery with more lighthearted elements thrown in. Not unlike another movie favourite of mine, The Old Dark House (1960's version), the game tries to maintain a humorous element even despite dreadful occurrences taking place.
Graphically, the game is a big improvement on the developer's previous games. The backgrounds are well drawn in spite of the short time-frame available and do a good job of maintaining the atmosphere.
The sound is...strange I think it's fair to say. It doesn't really fit in with the mysterious nature of the game although it does add to the the more lighthearted feel.
Gameplay
The special ability of James McManus allows for a different dynamic in terms of solving puzzles. Whilst I didn't feel this was utilised to its full potential, it did provide something away from the norm. Aside from the ability, there are also other attempts at slightly unique puzzles which for the most part are pulled off pretty well.
There was one issue though that let the gameplay down a little. In fact, I initially gave up early on in the game after becoming frustrated at my failure to progress from a small one room scene. You know the scenario, having failed to find a logical solution you go ahead and try everything on everything about 6 times in the vain hope that it might eventually work. It doesn't though, and you're left thinking 'What the hell! I'm never playing this again!'
Clearly I changed my mind and upon returning to the game I realised the reason I was stuck was that a hotspot was hidden in a dark area of the room, pretty much impossible to see even when turning the brightness up on the monitor. I have no problem with something being hidden in a dark place, but perhaps the player could be provided with a flashlight or makeshift torch to help. Getting or making this type of item could even be made as a purely optional puzzle to just help out those who don't want to pixel hunt in the dark.
In terms of length, I think Mr Danger is quite long for a MAGS game and you 'may' get more than one sitting out of it. Unlikely though as the game is pretty hard to stop playing once you get into it.
Summary
Overall I was left with a positive impression of Mr Danger's Contest which seemed highly unlikely when I was stuck during the first puzzle. I'm sure however that if the game hadn't had a strict one month deadline the few kinks it has would have been ironed out. The game's main strength is its story and if you enjoy a mystery then this game is well worth a try.
Pros
- Interesting story
- Good mix of puzzles
- Looks good
Cons
- One particular pixel hunt could leave players frustrated
- Character development could have been improved
- More could have been made of the special abilities
Download for free;
Mr Danger's Contest
Length - Short (MAGS)
Engine - AGS
Suitability Factors - Infrequent Mild Language and Violence
And the first person to get two reviews on the blog is (drum roll please)...gah whats the point, you've read the title already anyway.
Mr Danger's Contest was second in the MAGS competition for May and was made by Bill Garrett.
I must confess, the original House on Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price (Legend!) is one of my favourite movies of all time. The reason I mention this is because it is that film I was reminded of when originally reading the synopsis of Mr Danger's Contest.
Story
You play as James McManus whom has been invited to take part in a competition to inherit the fortune of the mysterious Mr Danger. The competition takes place at the mansion of said millionaire and upon arrival it quickly becomes clear that things are a little stranger than perhaps anticipated. As is usually the case with this type of story, the ratio of living to dead in the house soon changes for the worse, and you must find out what's going on before you too end up no longer on the side of the living.
The game does a good job of making you want to play on to see what and why things are happening, which is of course of paramount importance in any mystery story. Mr Danger's Contest manages to introduce some new ideas into the equation as well, with those who are invited to the castle all being blessed with 'Heroes' style abilities.
Overall, the story is well told and the unravelling of the mystery is compelling. My only real problem with this aspect of the game would be the character development (sorry Bill). Getting to know the characters is an important part of this kind of story and could have taken the game up an extra notch in my opinion. I guess this is difficult to do in a short game though.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere created is a mixture of mystery with more lighthearted elements thrown in. Not unlike another movie favourite of mine, The Old Dark House (1960's version), the game tries to maintain a humorous element even despite dreadful occurrences taking place.
Graphically, the game is a big improvement on the developer's previous games. The backgrounds are well drawn in spite of the short time-frame available and do a good job of maintaining the atmosphere.
The sound is...strange I think it's fair to say. It doesn't really fit in with the mysterious nature of the game although it does add to the the more lighthearted feel.
Gameplay
The special ability of James McManus allows for a different dynamic in terms of solving puzzles. Whilst I didn't feel this was utilised to its full potential, it did provide something away from the norm. Aside from the ability, there are also other attempts at slightly unique puzzles which for the most part are pulled off pretty well.
There was one issue though that let the gameplay down a little. In fact, I initially gave up early on in the game after becoming frustrated at my failure to progress from a small one room scene. You know the scenario, having failed to find a logical solution you go ahead and try everything on everything about 6 times in the vain hope that it might eventually work. It doesn't though, and you're left thinking 'What the hell! I'm never playing this again!'
Clearly I changed my mind and upon returning to the game I realised the reason I was stuck was that a hotspot was hidden in a dark area of the room, pretty much impossible to see even when turning the brightness up on the monitor. I have no problem with something being hidden in a dark place, but perhaps the player could be provided with a flashlight or makeshift torch to help. Getting or making this type of item could even be made as a purely optional puzzle to just help out those who don't want to pixel hunt in the dark.
In terms of length, I think Mr Danger is quite long for a MAGS game and you 'may' get more than one sitting out of it. Unlikely though as the game is pretty hard to stop playing once you get into it.
Summary
Overall I was left with a positive impression of Mr Danger's Contest which seemed highly unlikely when I was stuck during the first puzzle. I'm sure however that if the game hadn't had a strict one month deadline the few kinks it has would have been ironed out. The game's main strength is its story and if you enjoy a mystery then this game is well worth a try.
Pros
- Interesting story
- Good mix of puzzles
- Looks good
Cons
- One particular pixel hunt could leave players frustrated
- Character development could have been improved
- More could have been made of the special abilities
Download for free;
Mr Danger's Contest
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Breakdown
Mini Review Time...
For the uninitiated, MAGS is the Monthly Adventure Game Studio competition in which would-be game developers have one month to make a game from scratch (using AGS) based on a pre-defined subject or theme. April's topic of choice was 'Space Derelict', and the winner was OneDollar, who managed to produce a short but funny effort for our gaming pleasure.
For the uninitiated, MAGS is the Monthly Adventure Game Studio competition in which would-be game developers have one month to make a game from scratch (using AGS) based on a pre-defined subject or theme. April's topic of choice was 'Space Derelict', and the winner was OneDollar, who managed to produce a short but funny effort for our gaming pleasure.
Story
In Breakdown, the player controls a lowly ensign aboard a spaceship. Following a mishap caused by the ship's captain, you are directed to deal with the aftermath, i.e. fix the engine and reactivate the Autopilot.
Atmosphere
The game aims to be humorous and it manages to achieve this well. The opening cutscene in particular is very amusing and there are various other in-game moments that will make you smile.
The backgrounds are good, as are the character sprites and animation. Disappointingly the game doesn't have any music however there are some quite cool sound effects.
It is difficult to judge such a short game on it's atmosphere, however Breakdown immerses the player as much as such a short humorous game needs to. The game is good harmless fun throughout.
Gameplay
The puzzles are all inventory based and are easy but fun to solve.
An added element to the gameplay is the digital Employee Handbook you carry around. Although not necessary to do so, this can be used on any object or character to give a more in-depth description to the player of what they're looking at. It's worth doing this as it provides some quite funny extra details about things.
As mentioned, the game is very short however this is the norm for MAGS games due to the time restraints place on the creator by the rules of the competition.
Summary
Overall, this is a solid game which should you fancy a quick laugh and have some free time available is worth the fifteen minutes or so of playtime.
Particularly for fans of;
- Hitchhiker's Guide
Download for free;
Breakdown
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