1
Developer: Anim-X Studios
Publisher: Electronic
Arts
Release Date: July 2001
By Ray Ivey
You have to do me a favor. Don’t tell Randy Sluganski about this
review, because there will be no living with him; he’ll “I told
you so” me to death.
I was quite excited about this ambitious new game after playing the
free pilot module. I regret to report that my enthusiasm is somewhat
dampened after completing the first paid installment.
The entertaining story about a group of game designers accidentally
stumbling onto a vast evil conspiracy that was so well begun in the
pilot episode continues in Episode 1. The setup is ingenious: After
the release of the game Majestic, a suspicious fire destroyed
the game studio, and the surviving designers went on the lam.
As in the pilot episode, the story is moved forward by a fun combination
of phone calls (both received and recorded), faxes, emails, instant
messages, and web sites. The story is enjoyable, but it’s really just
that–a story. Majestic is more of an interactive story than
a game.
And that’s really okay in principle. The problem is that Majestic
is pitched to the public as an actual game. And there’s precious
little in the way of gameplay, at least in this episode.
There’s one very chilling moment when you receive a phone call from
someone you know to be a very bad hombre. He cheerfully informs you
that he’ll be in your neighborhood next week and will stop by to “get
that picture from you.”
As fun and scary as the call it, the game’s very limitations undermine
it. Of course no one stops by, and the game simply forgets about this
dangling loose end. Now, I’m not suggesting that someone should
have come by my house(!), but the game should have found a way
to deal with the fact that it didn’t happen–the bad guy’s plans change
or something. How hard would that have been?
Fairly deep into the episode you get hooked up with a master hacker,
and he’s an entertaining character indeed. Initially mistrustful,
he grudgingly agrees to work with you after you perform a couple of
simple tests to prove yourself. This leads, unfortunately, to the
real episode killer.
The hacker needs your help to facilitate a break-in at a company
that’s involved with the conspiracy. He emails you a schematic program
that actually lets you practice the procedure. The premise of the
puzzle is wonderful: There’s a character who’s going to physically
do the break-in, and you’ll be controlling the doors, alarm control,
guard surveillance, and movements of the burglar.
I practiced on the demo module over and over again until my technique
was smooth as silk. The other character patiently stood by on AOL
Instant Messenger waiting until I was ready. Finally, I gave him the
word, and we were off.
I began the painstaking, surgical operation of moving my man through
a minefield of guards and alarmed doors. My apprenticeship on the
Thief games came in handy. I successfully navigated my confederate
through the first floor and onto the second.
Then it happened. Halfway through the treacherous second floor, the
puzzle just stopped working. The burglar stopped responding to my
orders. I failed. Mike was caught. Why? It turns out that the plot
of the story requires that Mike be caught.
In other words, the game designers foisted on me that most evil and
unacceptable of bugaboos, the Forced Failure Puzzle. I was furious.
After hours of practicing on the puzzle, to have the rug pulled out
from under me like that was unconscionable. In a puzzle-starved game
like Majestic, to have the first serious puzzle in the game turn out
to mean absolutely nothing was infuriating.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that the plot should have
allowed Mike to succeed. But the game should have had Mike’s failure
happen after I had a chance to successfully complete the puzzle.
Either don’t give me a puzzle that’s involved with the plot, guys,
or let the puzzles you give me mean something.
Despite my disappointment, I’m going to give Episode 2 a try. I hear
the puzzles get much chewier. I’ll let you know.
