"And in the end, as the darkness takes me, I am nothing." :-Dark Malak, KOTOR. "To be, or not to be. That is the question." :-Hamlet, Shakespeare's Hamlet. "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes." :-Clemenza, The Godfather. One of the most definitive ways to measure the level of greatness in a book, film or videogame, to me, is how many quotes you can recall from memory. Why do I think this? Simple. If you can remember a dozen quotes from a movie, book or videogame, then it shows how much of an impact it made upon you. Can you quote a really bad movie you once watched? No, no you can't, because it didn't do enough to make you WANT to remember it. Will you remember Farenheit: Indigo Prophecy? The game presents itself as a free-form 3D adventure game, similar to the click-and-point adventures of yesteryear only modernized for the 21st Century. When your character, be it Lucas, Carla, Tyler or Marcus, approaches an object that can be interacted with, a symbol appears at the top of the screen indicating a direction. You then hold the right analogue stick in that direction to perform an action. It sounds like a simple system, and it is. That's not a bad thing by any means, as it shows the clarity of the designers not to needlessly complicate simple tasks for the sake of longetivity. Is it shallow, though? No, no it isn't. The interactivity with your environment is incredible, meaning that the vast majority of the fun is seeing just what you can mess around with. Anything you see that could be interacted with very often is, and you're rarely left with the feeling that this is some linear gaming world. It feels real. Scaringly real. As the plot unfolds, your actions actually alter the story in little ways, rather than being petty throw-away diversions. I really don't want to ruin the simply superb plot, so you'll have to pardon me if I'm a bit vague. The game begins with you, Lucas Kane, at the scene of a murder, bloody knife in hand, in a small diner. It's up to you how to react, what to do and so on. If you act suspiciously, then later you become easier to identify to the police (through which sections you'll actually play in a bizarre twist unique to the game). If you act casual, act like a normal patron, descriptions of you and your actions will be harder to interperet as you simply didn't stand out enough on the night of the murder. Later hearing witnesses describe your every action sends a tingle of enjoyment up the spine. So, is that it then? Walk around, interact and solve puzzles? No, actually. The game features plenty of mini-games and action sequences, each unique or cool enough for you to enjoy. For those of you who have played Shenmue, the action sequences should be very familiar. Two circles appear on screen, each representing an analogue stick on your controller, and what follows is a sort of "Simon Says" sequence in which you have to press the analogue sticks in the direction described on-screen. While you're doing this, a Matrix-style action scene plays in the background with your character's actions satisfyingly matching your analogue presses. You never feel like you're just pressing "up up down right" for no reason because your character actually needs to move up up down and right. While the majority of the mini-games are like those described above, there is actually a fair amount of variety with other mini-games. One such example puts you in the shoes of Carla, a claustrophobic, as she has to access the police archives stored in a small, cramped underground tunnel. You view this section from the first-person perspective while you try to find the necessary file and control Carla's breathing with the L and R triggers. The eerie silence and faulty lights create tremendous suspense, leaving you terrified about what's around the next corner. Is there anything? Why, would I spoil that for you? Never! :P One of the few flaws in this game actually contrives from the action sequences, mind you. While the majority of them feel like they're there for a reason, there are one or two sequences where they seem forced, where you'd much rather pay attention to the story unfolding than having to pay attention to some slow-paced "press this button now" prompt. Still, thankfully they're few and far between, and the rest of the action sequences feel satisfying, if not phenomenal. So, at the beginning of this review I asked the question "Will you remember Farenheit: Indigo Prophecy?" "I was just a pawn, living a normal pawn's life." :-Lucas Kane "You think you understand the world around you. The news, politics, religion. But one day the world kicks you in the teeth, and leaves you with no choice but to see the world for what it really is." :-Lucas Kane "...and what manner of cage are you trapped in, Mr. Lucas?" :-Agatha I could give you a dozen more, but then I'd be robbing you of the opportunity to memorize them youself, because Indigo Prophecy is one to remember...
Lucas Kane was just your average working class citizen. He owns a small apartment in New York City, he works in an office building, and from time to time, he plays some tunes on his guitar. Pretty normal, right? Well ... Read Full Review
It wasn't very long back in gaming history when adventure gaming was at its peak. Point-and-click adventures thrived and people appreciated complex, likeable characters with a story-oriented gameplay with elements of puz... Read Full Review
