Was great 11 years ago and still great now!
You will no doubt be thinking that this game is far too old and will be terrible seeing as there are next gen consoles out with revolutionary graphics.
Well, think again. Yes, the graphics are stuck in the old days but despite that they have their own unique style which hides the fact that it was created 11 years ago and makes it equally playable today as it was in 1997.
I am not going to explain the story to you because to be honest, it would sound ridiculous! But once you have that disk in your drive, once you are playing the game the storyline feels so right!
Basically: You play as the character: Twinsen. Throughout the game you will explore the planets and islands, collect objects, talk to the many NPCs (who feel more alive than some of the NPCs in most modern games), you will learn how to use certain powers and magical objects, fight, sneak, help people out and perform many other actions!
It is as good as it needs to be. It is complete with cutscenes and in game clips.
The scenery, despite the rather dated graphics, is quite detailed and there is almost never repeated objects/pieces of scenery in order to keep each area of the games universe feel like something new and never repetitious.
There is nothing and no one forcing you to do the missions. You can just roam around and explore the large islands, talking, beating up random people (You can hit anyone and everyone!), you can drive your little car around, buy weapons and objects and basically do whatever you please until it starts to get boring and so you decide to get on with your task.
The gameplay is very enjoyable. When you carry out your missions/tasks you will either unlock something or someplace new or you will gain information which will help you proceed through the game.
There is no actual tasks set. You must use your own initiative and intelligence to work out what you should do/where you should go next.
It's a rather similar idea to the Legend of Zelda games. (as in the Ocarina of time).
The game is not linear in the slightest!
This game has an unforgettable soundtrack which will stick in your head for years to come. It never gets boring because there are many songs, the majority of which have a very catchy tune.
They definately improve the game a lot!
The sound effects are a bit dated. But there is voice acting for every NPC and believe me, there are many.
I noticed that some voices actors/voice recordings are re used but that only applies for the enemies you fight; each NPC which you can interact with (I mean the good guys) have their own unique voice, but some sound, as gamespot pointed out, rather immature.
Other than that the game is complete with sound effects including thunder, rain, footsteps, gun shots...it's all there but as i have already stated above, some do sound a bit retro.
The game camera is good but only if you are used to that kind of game camera. It has an isometric view when you are in buildings/houses/shops.
And when you are out in the open it revolves around your character more or less at his level but slightly higher. When you are outdoors (in the game of course) you can press enter to adjust the camera view. It is slightly jolty and can get on your nerves at times but you will get used to it.
Gamespot have said that the new outdoor camera is hindrance to the quality of the game but i think differently. It is in fact better than the indoor camera as it gives you a better perspective of your surroundings and you can admire the 3dimensional world.
The controls require quite a bit of adjusting if you want to just fly straight through the game without delay. It can be done but with the mini pop up action screen it will be slighly awkward no matter what key you assign each action to.
Loading times are not a problem. They are very rare and and short anyway.
Also, the game takes very little space on your hard drive.
++++++++++++++SUMMARY++++++++++++++++++++++++
I conclude that Little Big Adventure 2/Twinsen's oddysey/LBA2
is an extremely enjoyable game. There's something in it for everyone to enjoy! It has it's few let downs such as awkward controls and a slightly dodgy camera but the fantastic gameplay, the large open ended world, the great amount of interaction and the many options you are given make up for these and make LBA2 a very fun and very playable game even today!
9.5 Out of 10!
What i must point out:
1.This game is rather rare now as it is quite old. You may be able to find it either on Ebay or Amazon though.
2.This games requirements are Windows 95/98 and ME but it will work on whatever computer you have because there are downloadable patches. I got it working on my Vista!
3.The game looks rather childish but don't be fooled by the box art. It is a brilliant game which will appeal to children and adults alike.
4.What i didn't point out before: The game is very long and can take some time to complete first time round.
5.There are cheats available for this game!
6.DO NOT USE A WALKTHROUGH! You will ruin so much of the fun if you do!