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We partied like it was
1934. Well, actually it was 1934 inside the stylish Campbell
Apartment at New York’s Grand Central Terminal during The Adventure Company’s
launch party for Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express.

After a hellish day-long
New York excursion turned treacherous by a pelting, freezing rain
befitting a Noah’s Ark revival, the
warmth and camaraderie of the Dreamcatcher staff was more than welcome.

Unlike the E3, where
the noise and confusion make it impossible to evaluate any games
in-depth, press parties offer an opportunity to meet development
teams on a one-on-one basis and pick their brains at leisure. They also help
to foster relationships by allowing JA to present the concerns of the adventure
community to those with the most influence.

In attendance were a
cast of characters from the game that included Detective Hercule
Poirot, Antoinette Marceau (the new character added for the game),
Countess Andrenyi and Samuel Ratchett. Each actor was dressed appropriately
for the period and also stayed in character throughout the evening. It
must
be noted though that the actor portraying Hercule Poirot more resembled
a poor man’s Charlie Chaplin and as for the actor portraying Samuel Ratchett,
well, what’s a nice way to put this. . . the guy was a friggin’ nut
case! His role-playing intensity frightened the bejabbers out of attendees
and when he slowly pulled a (fake, but realistic looking) gun – from
beneath his vest, my breathing momentarily stopped as I mentally assessed the
reality of the situation (I had just entered the room and was not yet aware
of the character actors) . After the event ended, I spotted ‘Ratchett’ outside
Grand Central Terminal describing his acting ability to total strangers.

Dreamcatcher CEO Rich
Wah Kahn was unfortunately unable to attend, but his shoes were
more than ably filled by the debonair Marshall
Zwicker, VP of Sales & Marketing. We chatted at length about
numerous subjects, the most important being JoWood’s announced
purchase of Dreamcatcher. Marshall firmly believes that it is an
advantageous publishing arrangement for both companies as it opens
new territories for game distribution. Marshall also let slip a little
tidbit that, when announced, will rock the adventure community, but
my lips are sealed for now.

Also representing Dreamcatcher
were Suzanne MacGillivray, Public Relations Coordinator – who was striking
in bright red – Byron Gaum,
International Product
Manager & Producer Mike Adams. Mike and Byron both took the time to present
intensive demos of the Murder on the Orient Express game and also answer my
numerous questions (and endure my silly Borat impressions).

Topmost on my long list was
why not permit the gamer to play as Hercule Poirot, especially when
famed Poirot portrayer David Suchet is voicing the super
sleuth? Quite simply, Poirot is known for his methodical investigations
and the gamer
bumbling about searching for clues would not fit the character image, so
better that we play as new character Antoinette Marceau. Having since finished
the
game, I’m glad to announce that playing as Antoinette does work and also
that Poirot is freely available for advice throughout the game.

Also present were Mary Leddy
and Shelly Eckenroth of Foghorn Public Relations, both of whom I’ve known for years but never before had the pleasure of
meeting, and Murder on the Orient Express Scriptwriter Lee Sheldon with whom
I had a long chat that we will soon post on JA.

So enjoy the pictures and
we hope we’ve whetted your appetite for all
of the upcoming special interviews, articles and finally review of Agatha
Christie’s
Murder on the Orient Express.

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