Chris.Schattenjger
Posts : 1842
Joined: 8 MAR 2005
Status : Online | Not long ago, I received a shiny new laptop; not previously having the horse power to play any games released after about 1999, I began to look at what I had been missing. Everywhere I looked seemed to bring me towards one particular game, named Syberia--the most beautiful game ever created, I learnt, with an engaging story to go with it. So, off I strolled to the local computer gaming emporium. After much searching, I encountered Syberia - the Collectors' Edition on DVD. I had been warned that one should play the two games back-to-back, but I couldn't find Syberia 2. It turned out, once I installed the game, that both games were included on the disc; strangely, this was mentioned neither on the box nor in the manual.
Now, to begin the game. The introductory movie astonished me; though it is short and contains no dialogue, it instantly established the atmosphere. The graphical quality is, quite frankly, amazing. When the game began, I took some time to relish the in-game graphics. A lot of love has gone into these images, and Benoit Sokal deserves every bit of praise he has been given. Every movie, though very brief, is a miniature masterpiece. Every background is luscious, many containing little animated titbits such as flying birds. And, of course, the snow in Syberia 2... This snow, which falls in such a realistic way, is so wonderful that it actually made me feel cold! The 3D models are well done, and particularly well-animated in Syberia 2; the dog-like actions of the Youki made it the most delightful character I have ever encountered in a game. Even if this were a brand-new release, there is no way that any reviewer could give the graphics less than an A+.
Shortly after gameplay commences, we meet our first Non-Player Character: an innkeeper, and we hear the game's first dialogue. "I'm Kate Walker, a lawyer from New York.", our hero declares; in fact, she says this so often that I believe that whole phrase is on her birth certificate. She also, rather strangely, pronounces the "L" in "Walker": "Kate Wall-ker". I found this oddly distracting. The innkeeper, whom I should mention is French, proceeds to speak not only in a flawless American accent. This is a common theme throughout the two games, and is a prime example of how lazy voice acting can bring down a game that generally has high production values. The worst offender is Syberia 2's Ivan, who has an inexplicable Cockney accent and is presumably reading the script for the first time. He can't read very well, either. Nearly all of the characters, particularly Hans, Kate, and Syberia 2's Malka, speak in a very stilted manner, and must everybody address Kate by her full name? There are some good voices, for example Syberia 1's Helena Romanski (for actually having a Russian accent) and Kate's whiny mother. I give the voice acting a D; it isn't as bad as what I have heard in Black Mirror, but these games were made in Canada, not Czechoslovakia, so there should be no shortage of English-speaking actors that can act.
The music is wonderful, but there is very little of it. I can appreciate a good use of silence, but it isn't even put to a good use in the Syberias. A piece of very dramatic music will suddenly strike up for no reason, drowning out any conversation you might be having. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful music, but inappropriately used. Also, there are only about five music tracks, totalling roughly fifteen minutes, in each game. Music is put to very good use in the movies, though, especially Helena's great performance of Ochi Chernyje, and the beautifully dramatic accompaniment to the ending of Syberia 1. The music receives a B, for its quantity yet sparsity.
...not to be confused with Keira Knightley
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