Preview Still Life Developer: Microids Publisher: The Adventure Company Release Date: 2005 Platform: Preview by Randy Sluganski May 28, 2004

If you have ever wondered what the effect would be if the gifted development teams from Syberia and Post Mortem were to pool their talents, well, look no further than Microids’ Still Life.

Imagine the serene, snowcapped landscapes of Syberia II, but tainted by splattered blood and the deafening racket of city life. A stark, unsentimental atmosphere that betrays glimpses of beauty…and promises of unbelievable horror.

Microids Lead Designer Mathieu Lariviere was kind enough to provide us with a lengthy demonstration of Still Life and this is definitely one game that leaves a lasting impression. The teaser and screenshots are just enough to whet the appetite and leave you begging for more.

Still Life co-stars Victoria McPherson stars as an FBI agent assigned to investigate a serial murder case. With the body count standing at five and little in the way of leads Victoria decides to take a break for the Christmas holiday at her father’s home in Chicago where she finds grandfather Gus McPherson’s - who you may remember from Post Mortem – case files. As she begins to read, Victoria notices that her present case resembles the one from the past right down to the killer’s MO!

Still Life is composed of two different storylines; the serial killings in modern day Chicago and Gus McPherson’s case in late 1920’s Prague. The Prague storyline is activated whenever Victoria reads her grandfather’s case files. The Chicago storyline is an ongoing investigation that dovetails nicely with these ‘flashbacks’.

The graphics have an ominous, gritty foreboding that smack of 1930’s film noir. Inventory items can be examined in 3D and rotated for a closer view. Puzzles will not – as they did in Post Mortem – have multiple solutions.

One of the Prague cut-scenes put me in mind of a particular serial killer, but while Microids is understandably reluctant to reveal any more of the plot, I was assured that we will not be subjected to the hoary clichéd denouement of an ageless Jack the Ripper.

Our only concern is a dialog system allows the player to ask questions in either a ‘professional’ or ‘personal’ mode of speech. While this sounds interesting in concept, based on the example I was shown there are some reservations. As Victoria arrives to investigate a murder, she is greeted by a policeman who is guarding the entrance to the murder scene. When you left-click for a ‘professional’ response from the officer, the following type of conversation ensues:

“The body is inside Detective McPherson. The crime scene has not been compromised and the coroner is currently attempting to determine the cause of death.”

But, if you right-click to choose the ‘personal’ option, then the following type of conversation ensues:

“Hey Vic. Man, that dude in there is f****d up! There was some nasty s**t that went down, sure looks like some a*****e didn’t like that mother f*****r!”

Shades of BloodRayne! Why, even Deadwood’s Al Swearengen would be blushing. To steal one of my own lines (which you of course just read in my BloodRayne review), there is a difference between colorful language being a natural part of your vocabulary and swearing just for the sake of swearing. But when the stream of obscenities are over the top it just becomes comical. If Microids tones down the language a mite so the characters don’t sound like a group of high school boys attempting to impress each other with their limited vocabulary, then the dialogue choices could be an interesting and welcome game option.

Still, the emotional impact of being treated to almost 15 minutes of gameplay were similar to the feelings evoked when viewing a movie like Seven or Silence of the Lambs: fright and repulsion while searching a gory murder scene, elation and trepidation as you chase a murder suspect through a back alley in a splendid cut-scene and mental exhaustion from the unrelenting suspense. This is one game that may end up being bad for my health!