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| 29 JAN 2007 at 12:44pm | |
ElfstoneGuild Master Posts : 5892 Joined: 4 NOV 2002 Status : Online | I wasn't that excited about Runaway 2. I remembered that I had a lot of fun with Runaway while it lasted, but I also remembered that this game went down later and it seemed rushed towards the conclusion. Which was anti-climactic a little bit. The game was also riddled with the "Runaway syndrome" of locking objects until you need them. While I generally embraced the concept, I would be a liar if I said it worked all the time. Definitely didn't. So, I bought Runaway 2 almost right from the release date, anyway. There are not a lot of games like this these days, I figured. I thought I will have a good time with this, no matter if the shortcomings of the first part have been tended to or not. What I didn't expect was that I was immediately drawn into this game by a truly great start. Would it last? I was optimistic, more than usual. This can't go wrong, can it? Let's find out... Oh, it's beautiful! Yes, indeed it is. All backgrounds are once again hand-drawn. I will replay Runaway, maybe next up, I don't yet know. It's possible that the graphics are still the same, but they seemed richer in detail to me, just from memory. And the colors are lush, even in the snow. Hey, that's not a spoiler. It's on the package. OK, at least one mine, it is. In Alaska you can see breath and footprints in the snow. There are all sorts of little details you should stop a moment for to watch them. While it may not be a hyperlively game, it is definitely not static in appearance. I like the way you move The animations are definitely up not only one but at least two notches...there are no animation cop-outs here. This game is DYING to show you how good it looks when things are moving. It's almost boasting, really. But Pendulo can afford to do that. I haven't seen animation this great in an adventure game, I think. At least not one with hand-drawn style. And there's LOTS of it, I tell you. Whenever they get the chance. I loved it. Blockbuster atmosphere The cutscenes are way better than Runaway, too. There is no difference in quality between the game and the cutscenes - ok, there is, because those are Bink videos, but you know it's not even half as bad as in Runaway. You will notice when the game is using environment you played in or not, there is still a difference. But it's really not worth talking about it. Some of those cutscenes are really rewarding you for solving puzzles. While many of them have break-neck pace there are also some with blathering. But don't worry, there is humor in this to keep you from getting bored. A What's that music...meh! As always, I forget all the tunes immediately after finishing a game, except if they were really, really good. I don't know why that is. Music is a big part of my life. I should be all over it. But when I'm playing, the music has to be distinct to even get to me...that's just how it is. That said, I remember that the music was pleasant in places, but if you asked me to hum a tune...absolutely no idea. The title theme is ok, but I prefered the one in Runaway that reminded me an awful lot of Cranberries. By the way, that band - forgot the name - is back with another song, but it's a ballad or something. Not too exciting. The current Runaway 2 theme is some sort of Latino song, the likes of Ricky Martin or Enrique Iglesias might produce, with a little bit of hip-hop or whatever. You might wish it stopped in the beginning, but when they play it in full it's not that annoying, actually. the Sound of Silence...not quite There are quite some distinct background sounds in this game. Some of them involve background chatter which is almost always pretty annoying, I have to say. But in general, the sound effects don't play that big of a part here. They could have improved it a little. ...the French! Obviously, I played the German version and most of you won't care about me saying the synch is all in all pretty good, especially Brian, who is excellent. But there are some characters which fall out of line, particularly one with a French accent when it's AWFULLY apparent that the voice actor is not French or even watched a lot of movies with French accents...I really wanted that character to shut up. Although the voice actress is popular and I can't remember what else she does...that was pretty bad. Not excruciatingly bad, but enough to bother me. B+ Gina is a trouble magnet I'm always reluctant to talk about story...there's a good chance you spoil something and personally I always prefer to know as little as possible when I start. Needless to say, trouble once again finds Gina. And it's more or less all Brian's fault. You might have read the synopsis on the Runaway 2 site. If you really wanna know, read that. It should suffice. Let's just say, this adventure is quite a bit weirder than the previous one. The main objective might get out of hand a little, at least that's what it feels like, but I don't think it really does. I think the story is very interesting and has the exact right mix of mystery, action, drama and humor a good story needs. The plot is well thought-out and when...no, I can't tell you. I feel like I should, because...but no...I feel like I shouldn't, on the other hand. It's hard to decide. Let me think about this... non-existent sub headline #1 seriously, don't ask, you don't want to know... A (almost A+, but...aah, shut up!) (to be continued) [b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&&all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House |
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| 29 JAN 2007 at 12:54pm | |
ElfstoneGuild MasterPosts : 5892 Joined: 4 NOV 2002 Status : Online | It's a mad world One of the things where Runaway 2 really shines is in its diversity of characters. Some of them return from the first game. Almost all of them are by any definition "nuts" in some way or another. Seriously, there's maybe one or two people who still have all their marbles in the right places. The rest is either excentric, weird, dumb, silly, dangerously crazy or a genius. Or everything at once? Actually, yes, one of them might fit the bill. Find out about that yourself. It's not like you haven't seen that before...trademark of many Lucas Arts games. Explicit Content Light Runaway games only add that certain R-rated feeling to it...and yes, they do that once again. Characters curse, or almost curse at least. I'm not exactly sure I saw that right...but I think Brian gave someone a finger. Heh. There are once again references to drug use. There is insinuation towards homosexuality. Why that might count as offensive, I can't tell, but seems like it did before. And lots of innuendo. Nothing sleazy, though. Probably still not exactly a game for children, although it's rated 12+ over here, probably that will change overseas. That's your problem, not mine. my belly hurts This sequel seemed to be a lot more funny than Runaway. But that might just be my memory, again. Most of the characters are memorable, much like Runaway, I guess. They all have their "things" which you also need to use to your advantage in puzzles. You know, standard 3rd person stuff, I don't have to tell you. But I have to say, the characters make this game and it really depends on whether or not you like this sort of nuttiness, because, of course, it also affects the dialog. By the way, one of the best characters: Brian himself. He cracks me up, that little buddy! A People say the darndest things Like usual, there's lots to talk about in Runaway 2. There's an immediate problem with the dialog trees that haunts every second game, I guess. It doesn't matter what options you pick, except in some special places. In fact, you are much better off to just click everything from top to bottom. Because otherwise, you might run into inconsistencies and topics picked up from the previous discussion. When I started I thought I had a lot of options, but it turned out that more or less the first lengthy conversation in this game is actually the perfect showcase for sloppy and illogical continuity in dialog...it pretty much makes no sense, even if you go from top to bottom, because one of those options simply shouldn't be available any more. no need for notes-taking But still, it is, and it will stay that way, because every relevant information you can get from a chat will pop up again and again. That includes catch phrases and stuff you already talked about and wouldn't discuss again. Granted, a lot of games have this problem and Runaway 2 just isn't the exception, that's all. Which is unfortunate, because it could have improved the game a lot. However, there's a puzzle for which you get the hint only once when you examine the object in question. Never again. That's somewhat of an inconsistency compared to the dialog trees, granted. But personally, I either remembered that line or just figured it out by myself. Some will notice, probably get stuck, some will not have trouble with it. As usual. word on the street As for what those people have to say...lots of strange and/or helpful things. There's a huge amount of humor in this game. Some of it works and will make you laugh out loud if you are so inclined, some is slapstick and on the verge of being silly. There are definitely some characters that are more miss than hit, but in general this is a very funny game which hit my nerve. Some heavy talking is also done in cutscenes, which might turn some of you off, but it's generally interesting and funny and doesn't bore you to death. B+ (B, if it wasn't generally funny and entertaining) (to be continued..."what?" [b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&&all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House |
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| 29 JAN 2007 at 1:01pm | |
ElfstoneGuild MasterPosts : 5892 Joined: 4 NOV 2002 Status : Online | blahblah...and how does it play? Left-click action, right click switching between examine and use object. That's it. Watch the description tab and try moving the cursor whenever you suspect there could be more than one description for using an item with another one...because there are quite a few unique responses, getting increasingly funny the further you proceed. For an obvious reason which I won't discuss here. Nothing that affects gameplay, though. Don't try to work that into the solution of a puzzle, you only waste your time. Experimenting and trying things multiple times pays off in this game, big time. The inventory is full-screen and you have to use either Tab key or an icon on the top to get there. It's somewhat tedious, but didn't bother me all that much. It might keep you from going into trial&error mode. (Not me, though.) inconsequential, thy name is Runaway 2 In general the game is smooth to control and includes the feature every game should have by now: double-click to make a fast exit. BUT...it doesn't always work, I have to warn you. Some animations are played no matter if you double-click or not...don't ask me why, I didn't get it, either. Happens later in the game and it's not as bad as it sounds, though. Then, some unique descriptions suggest you use an item with another one, but some of the non-unique also work...I guess it keeps you from abusing that feature to save yourself a click just by checking the description. Cute Bugs My version had a LOT, I have to say. Nothing serious. First and foremost, the "use x with y" (obviously "benutze x mit y" in my case) default description always looked like " usex with y"...don't ask me why. That is pretty sloppy and probably not a localisation issue, rather than an interface issue. No idea how they couldn't get that one solved. The unique descriptions always look the way they should, with all the words separated in the right places. Weird. And then some: Wrong descriptions, wrong subtitles, non-existent descriptions and occasionally all descriptions in the tab vanished, but that was easily to fix by just moving a step. I read that some people can't finish the game due to it crashing and never being able to restart again...I can't tell. It worked fine and didn't crash once. If that is true, I'd have to go down a whole grade. No patches, yet, by the way. A- (A when all the bugs are fixed, although, you know...they are pretty funny on their own) are we going MacGuyver, again? Yes! You are. Frequently. Some of the puzzles require you to make the best use of your items, some of those combinations need a bit of lateral thinking on your side. All that which you love in 3rd person games, basically. And what you already are familiar with by playing the first game. Runaway 2 definitely has a learning curve, although I had some of the biggest trouble in the first chapter. There are running gags in this game involving inventory items, another nod to old p&c games. In general everything you have to do is clued in by something else and very little of it can be considered unfair. I read some reviews that were bashing the game for being too illogical, but I really don't agree with this sentiment. Ok, those were all-game mags, they just don't have a clue about adventures. Sure, if they would say this game is illogical as opposed to how adventures nowadays should be, but...it's funny how they always bring up Lucas Arts and Sierra titles to compare with the puzzles, although those games had a fair share of "unfair" puzzles...they just don't remember, because they haven't played those titles in years, I bet. I know how that works, nostalgia is a tricky thing. Most of the puzzling is inventory-based, dialog-based or requires you to use objects in the environment, with few exceptions. There's a bonafide braintwister and - by my count - one close-up puzzle thingy. Sort of. I don't think this is a spoiler, since, seriously, what do you expect of this game? How to get stuck I got stuck twice. Once I could have avoided to look it up and I thought I had already done what was the solution, but I didn't. It wasn't particularly hard. The second time...I don't regret looking into the walkthrough. I had tried various things for 3-4 hours distributed over 2 days and the solution was not exactly a puzzle, but an action you were supposed to take...maybe if you try thinking about it hard enough you would come to that conclusion, but I consider this a rather unfair puzzle...especially seeing what the outcome of it was...funny, but impossible to guess, I think. Runaway syndrome, revisited Then there was another instance of the "Runaway syndrome" which will get people stuck a lot, I'm sure. I was lucky enough to pass it by accident. It's not entirely illogical, but it once again showed that the "Runaway syndrome" is still something to fear, occasionally. And maybe another one or two of those...well, you won't get rid of this, it's their trademark. I still think it is a good idea and keeps you from hording your inventory items. If you absolutely don't like the idea of an item suddenly becoming the key of a puzzle in hindsight, I suggest you don't buy Runaway 2, because they still use it often enough to annoy you. I admit there are still plenty problems caused by this, but personally, I basically embrace the idea. A (to be continued..."you don't know when to shut up, do you?" [b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&&all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House |
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| 29 JAN 2007 at 1:07pm | |
ElfstoneGuild MasterPosts : 5892 Joined: 4 NOV 2002 Status : Online | Are you done? Yes, that's it. My final judgement: Runaway 2 is as good - or most likely better - than Runaway in all respects. It grabbed me from the start and didn't really lose me anywhere along the way. I give you an estimated 25 hours of playing time. Those are always hard to tell and depend on how you play. I usually try a lot of stuff I think might give funny responses before doing what I think will make me proceed. As is the nature of the dialog, you won't revisit it, because you heard all you need to hear. But I tell you, there is lots and lots of feedback from trying objects on one another you might miss and want to go back to spot. Also, the backgrounds are good enough to revisit them and look at them for some time. I may have rushed earlier parts of the game a bit, when I thought it was still pretty easy. I haven't seen a puzzle density like this in years (not since Runaway, pretty much). It's the best 3rd person game in recent memory. It's one of the best games in recent memory. It's the best game of 2006, for sure...it's funny, it's charming, it's good-looking and intelligent (in terms of the many puzzles it has)...pretty much everything you look for in a person. Also works for games. For most of you it will have to compete in 2007, but it's a 2006 game for me and - among the few I played - there can be no better game than this one. My final grade thus far has to be: A I could give it an A- for the shortcomings and for that-which-I-rather-not-tell-you...but I can't really do that. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this game from start to finish. And this is MY review! I thought you were done talking... Finally, there's something I can't keep from you, if you really must know. It's your decision. It might save you from...something. I don't know. There is one big thing in this game that you might or might not want to know. Ok, it's... Spoiler Alert ...the ending. Yes, you might have heard about it, already. And everything you heard is both true and isn't. It's true...Runaway 2 has a cliffhanger ending. To be continued. It's true...Runaway 3 is already in production. It's true...Runaway 3 might take everything from 1 to 3 years. The only thing they do say at this point is that it won't take "as long as Runaway 2". Make up your own mind about this statement. If they use the same engine they could have it ready for next Christmas...but you know how it works. It's not true...the game DOES end. This part of the story is done. Plus, there is another ending as a bonus with a twist...which is another tease, alright. It's not true...Pendulo doesn't scam you for money. Look at this...you get a lot of playing time for your money...this game isn't short. You get lots of (dare I say, fantastic) animation and background art, which warrants a replay. Your call. Do you forgive Pendulo for teasing you that way? For basically making you HAVE TO buy the next one and cash in again to learn how it ends? I have to. They delivered a truly satisfying gaming experience. While I think they have some nerve, I also think they deserve it. They revived 3rd person p&c with Runaway. Ok, I haven't played Ankh, yet. But Runaway was before Ankh, anyway. Although they really pull a fast one on me by doing this...I practically have already ordered the next one. There's no way I could NOT know how this story ends. I have to know. Pendulo succeeded. I still can't decide if I should be mad at them, but let's face it...I would have bought their next game either way. It's just a question of waiting for the resolution of this whole thing that is annoying... Then again, you might say the last chapter is some sort of a trick...but it works in what it does. Which is, one big parody of Monkey Island, while at the same time solving the ultimate puzzle. It might not make sense all that much, but we crossed over into wackiness a long time ago. [b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&&all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House |
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| 30 JAN 2007 at 11:35am | |
ShanyGuild Master Posts : 3313 Joined: 19 JUN 2003 Status : Online | What about Pixel-Hunting? Is it as bad as in the first game? (sorry if you wrote about it, I only skimmed through the review). |
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| 30 JAN 2007 at 1:55pm | |
ElfstoneGuild MasterPosts : 5892 Joined: 4 NOV 2002 Status : Online | Originally Posted By Shany (30 JAN 2007 11:35am) Since I didn't think Runaway was a bad case of pixel-hunting (because you knew where to look for something), it's hard to say. I can't remember an instance of that in this game, which is why I would say "no". Hold on...except for one thing in the first chapter. Once again, that is not exactly pixel-hunting...if you pay attention and keep something in mind that happened, you will try to look there. I didn't and got stuck for a while. [b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&&all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House |
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| 30 JAN 2007 at 2:10pm | |
ShanyGuild MasterPosts : 3313 Joined: 19 JUN 2003 Status : Online | Thanks for the info. |
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