Indigo Prophecy

[Cantousent]

Indigo Prophecy

Baby, it

[Darque]

[Gabrielle]

Simon Says, "play the game."

Why?

[LoneWolf16]

Do you write reviews professionally?

 

 

 

 

If not...do so.

[Cantousent]

I truly appreciate that, LoneWolf, but no. I don't write many at all. If I pick up a game at the suggestion of a fellow bordie, however, I usually write up a review. That lets them know what I thought and, since I'm writing it anyhow, I post it.

 

By the way, Gabs, I'm not sure about Simon, but I say play the game because it's damned good.

[Gabrielle]

I'd give you a cookie for that writing you did. But I can't. So settle for a luck of the Irish instead.

[alanschu]

I didn't mind the control scheme actually.

 

After a while I was able to perform the actions while still watching the actual action on the screen, which made it seem a bit more cinematic.

 

Also, the simon says reaction, particularly the last one or two sequences, typically made sense for what your character was doing. For example, when it had you pushing down, your character would often end up ducking in the scene just afterwards.

 

 

I really enjoyed the game, and have actually played through it 3 separate times now.

[Berserk]

Damn shame that the story turns to crap the last third of the game. It started so promising but ended up as DBZ. It seems that they ran out of time/funding considering how fast the story develops in the las parts of the game.

Edited February 12, 2006 by Berserk

[CoM_Solaufein]

It might be worth getting. I read decent reviews in the computer mags.

[aVENGER]

The controls suck.

 

Heh, the controls never bothered me simply because my Logitech gamepad is pretty much an identical copy of the PS2 controller, so I just had to reassign a few buttons to fit the PS2 scheme and it was smooth sailing from then on. However, I did try playing it on the keyboard at a friend's place while introducing him to the game and it was much, much worse.

 

Damn shame that the story turns to crap the last third of the game. It started so promising but ended up as DBZ. It seems that they ran out of time/funding considering how fast the story develops in the las parts of the game.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

My thought exactly, but I suppose Eldar hasn't gotten that far up the story yet. My real beef with the last third of the game was that the main characters started acting inconsistently with their previously established morals. For example

Carla's abrupt "I love you Lucas!" line after they shared a single kiss. And Lucas going for it only 24 hours after his last girlfriend was murdered.

I was like WTF? Also, I couldn't understand why they've simply

written out Tyler from the ending?

Do the designers seriously expect me to believe that

he would simply leave for Florida with that control freak girlfriend of his and "sell shoes at her father's store" and abandon Carla at the crucial plot point even after she admitted everything to him?

He sure didn't seem like that kind of guy to me.

 

 

Anyway, what I found even more annoying than the dominance of the "Button mashing 4 t3h win!!!11" approach at that point of the game, were the absurdly annoying flashback missions which take you to a part of a character's childhood. Without spoiling anything, these sequences feature some sort of 'stealth oriented' gameplay which is very poorly executed, with the craptastic camera angles hindering you more than anything else. Even worse, you can't afford a single mistake in a sequence between two save points or it's back to the start.

 

Still, all that aside, I thought Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy was a pretty good game for the most part. If the designers had taken a little more time to correct some of the issues mentioned here and tighten up the plot, it could have been a truly great game and an instant classic.

[SteveThaiBinh]

Good review. It was a really good game, and I'm looking forward to whatever Quantic Dream does next, though there's no news about that yet.

 

I hated hated hated the Simon Says actions sequences. I do appreciate that for many gamers it would add to the sense of involvement, but I found these sequences very difficult to complete, even on the easy setting. The problem was that I had to focus my entire attention on trying to get the key presses right and couldn't watch what was happening in the game. The result was that although I felt happy to have got through them, I had no idea how the character had managed this. I would have preferred to have the choice of turning off the Simon Says controls and just play the game as a straight adventure. Failing that, I would have like to go back and watch the action sequence as a video once I'd 'passed' it - I think you can do that for one or two sequences, but not all.

 

I loved the graphics and especially the animation as a result of the motion capture, which I hope will eventually see standards raised in other games which seek to have convincing NPCs. I also thought the story created an excellent atmosphere in the early and middle stages of the game, though the latter stages disappointed.

Edited February 12, 2006 by SteveThaiBinh

[Meshugger]

It was really a good cinematic game for the first 2/3 of it, but the ending was rushed. Otherwise i really enjoyed playing Fahrenheit, they should make more games like these in the future.

[alanschu]

You can't complain about Tyler and

his decision to go to florida

. Because that decision is all yours.

[aVENGER]

You can't complain about Tyler and

his decision to go to florida

.  Because that decision is all yours.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Nonetheless, it doesn't really matter what decision you make, as the end result is always the same

i.e. Tyler simply disappears from the game after that scene. For a while, I thought he would still get to play a role at the end sequence and that he was actually disguised as one of those homeless people in the subway, but alas, he simply vanished.

Not a fitting fate for one of the main characters IMO.

[Plano Skywalker]

It was really a good cinematic game for the first 2/3 of it, but the ending was rushed. Otherwise i really enjoyed playing Fahrenheit, they should make more games like these in the future.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

right-o. As I see it, Quantic Dream is resurrecting the adventure game genre with this title. They didn't get everything right but it was a very good game and provides a point of reference for future titles of this type.

 

I really didn't mind the Simon Says routine. However, I played the game on console and it probably flowed much better on the console controller.

[Nartwak]

I still haven't beaten Omnicr--oh, wait, wrong game. Indigo Prophecy was alright. Sort of patchy though. There were parts that were fantastic, and other parts that were just awful.

 

Pay better attention to the dates aVENGER. More time elapsed than you think.

[Dark_Raven]

What a nice review Mr. Eldar. I may give this game a try since I have seen others praise it and some reviews that I have read.

[aVENGER]

Pay better attention to the dates aVENGER. More time elapsed than you think.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hmm, truth be told, I didn't really pay that much attention to the exact date, but from the in-game presentation it seemed to me that only a day had passed between the two events. I stand corrected then, but still, even if a week or two had passed instead of a day, Carla's line still came out of the blue i.e. there were no indications of

any romantic development between her and Lucas

up to that point.

[Nartwak]

If I recall correctly, which I very well may not, it was about a month; but I agree it was poorly done.

[Cantousent]

I agree that it was jarring, aVENGER. However, there were some factors you might have missed. First of all, after the last

dream sequence

, it was apparent that

our two future love birds we living together.

Also, the

tarot card sequence

, foreshadowed the romantic involvement. Since Tyler

was either married or in a long term relationship

, that

only left Lucas and Carla

. At that point, I knew it was going to happen.

 

At any rate, I finished the game once, and went back to the end chapter and finished it to see a different ending. As yet, I'm not sure how many endings there are, but I want more bonus points, so I'm going to play through at least once more. I received 380 on the first run and I'm going to try for 500 on the next.

[Llyranor]

The DDR sequences were all pie. You guys need reflexes. Join the Hades club!

 

That doesn't make them even remotely good or pointful, though. If you want to involve the player, how about some actually good and relevant gameplay?

 

Did you enjoy the necrophilia part? I know I did

[aVENGER]

I agree that it was jarring, aVENGER.  However, there were some factors you might have missed.  First of all, after the last

dream sequence

, it was apparent that

our two future love birds we living together.

 

I don't seem to recall that, do you per chance mean

when we see Carla with Lucas in her apartment? I kind of figured that she was tending to his wounds and that the situation was playing out in the present, right after the graveyard scene.

I guess I misinterpreted that sequence then.

 

Also, the

tarot card sequence, foreshadowed the romantic involvement.

 

Hmm, in my playthrough

Carla's tarot card readings merely indicated imminent danger and death. there was no mention of a relationship IIRC.

 

 

As yet, I'm not sure how many endings there are

 

 

There are three endings, and which one you get depends entirely on how you handle the last chapter. It doesn't really matter what you did up to that point,

it only matters which clan wins the final battle.

 

 

I want more bonus points, so I'm going to play through at least once more.  I received 380 on the first run and I'm going to try for 500 on the next.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Heh, just

watch the credits to the very end and you'll get 200 extra bonus points.

 

[alanschu]

Some of the making of stuff is pretty cool, as is the skating bonus game that can be unlocked :D

[Cantousent]

alan's right, the simon says mini-games aren't completely arbitrary. They reflect the movement the character makes. ...Any more detailed controls and the game ceases to be an adventure game and becomes a shooter of some sort. So, I disagree with you Llyranor. The gameplay does draw you into the story, even if the controls are awkward. Hell, I didn't have a problem with the controls anyhow. I found them irritating, not difficult. I love FPSs. FPSs are a friend of mine. This, sir, is no FPS.

 

As far as the

tarot cards reading goes

you might get different reads depending on your actions and state of mind. I actually got a lot of information from my read.

 

Thanks for the info on the credits and skating game. :Eldar's happy happy joy joy icon:

[Darque]

I don't recall any variation on the tarot reading.

 

Of course it is possible I got the same reading each time I played (3 times)

 

Overall, awesome game (75%) and then a lame ending (Neo, j00 are teh 1)

 

Still it was worth my money and then some (w00t)