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Suffice to say, Schizm 2 has been quite a journey. If this game was a holiday, it'd be rock-climbing in Macchu Picchu - stunning scenery... but a difficult climb to the top! Coming off the back of it's well-received 2D forebear, Schizm 2 does a good job of providing the same, peculiar feeling of the original title but transferring it to a wonderful, ethereal 3D world. Starting off on a space-station, the game sees our hero, Sen, waking up to find he's responsible for a disaster which hs created a war on the planet it's orbiting. The game's use of the in-game engine for these cut-scenes is highly commendable, with reasonable voiceovers and good acting on the virtual actors. It's evident that the game's developers, Detalion, have put a lot of thought into how best to work in the reasonably complex script by Australian Sci-Fi writer Terry Dowling, even though on occasion the dialogue can ramble. The characters themselves aren't perfectly modelled, although they're more than good enough when set against the gorgeously lush scenery that you find yourself in as the game progresses.
The only real negative thing about Schizm 2's graphical prowess, however, is that sometimes the locations don't completely gel and the design on the characters' costumes can be over-the-top. However, the only real time I found it being a problem was on the station which rather uncomfortably moved from hi-tech corridors to organic shapes without much indication as to where the change happened. As for the characters, they take some getting used to, but don't impede your immersion too much as the world itself is odd enough! But lets stop talking graphics and get to the meat of the game. It has a flowing control system based on FPS titles, which is easy to use and should be lifted for other titles. Knowing the problems people have had with Uru, I hope other developers look to Schizm 2 for inspiration in future first-person titles! However, it does include a rather pathetic jump when pressing the spacebar which appears to server no purpose other than to poke holes in the games logic. An early bridge puzzle, which requires the bridge sections to be completely aligned before you can cross can be confusing. At their highest point the pieces are only a couple of inches off the ground, as is the jump itself. It's picky, but it does make for a little frustration and the more easily exasperated players amongst you may have cause for complaint.
Other than the cutscenes, there is no interaction with people in the same manner as a Broken Sword as it's roots are firmly planeted in the Myst camp. If anything, I'd even go so far to say that technically, as the exploration is pretty much done for you, this is even more a puzzle game than it's first-person forbears. There is no doubt, however, that this game represents a huge leap forward into the 21st century for the style and I'd be very dissapointed if other first-person developers didn't follow suit. However, I'd have liked to have seen more freedom of gameplay than what's on offer here - it's great for puzzles, but I want to look around these environments more! Here's hoping for another sequel...
However, even with the occasional chug if you can get the full water and scenery effects it can be an awesome looking title - even getting pretty close to the best recent FPS games have to offer. If you want the best 3D graphics the Adventure genre can offer, then this is your game. It's definitely not for the casual gamer, but if you have an appreciation of difficult puzzles and want some meat to their bones in terms of story, then this is your game. Just remember to retain a firm grip on the way up... by the time you get to the top, it's a view worth seeing. Final Grade: B+ System Requirements:
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