Windows

Anachronox

Eidos, Ion's Storm's parent company, did an even worse job of promoting Anachronox than UbiSoft's unforgivable fumble with Myst III: Exile. Despite the fact that it's been winning all sorts of awards (including Best Story - from any genre - from GameSpot), it didn't sell well at all. Which means you can probably pick it up cheap, sports fans. So what are you still reading this for? Get thee to a software store. Trust me, you'll thank me. Play this game. Right now.

Abschliessend will ich noch auf die genialen Filmsequenzen eingehen. Nicht nur die grandiosen Kamerafahrten während der Kämpfe und den Leveltranscriptionen sind eine Augenweide. Was mich total begeistert hat, sind die Zwischensequenzen, die Quests auflösen und die Story weitererzählen. Sowas gab es noch nie in einem Spiel. Ich habe Polygone gesehen, die besser agieren und ihre Gesichtstexturen, verschieben, als manche Schauspieler.

Weil die echten Helden vermutlich gerade im Urlaub sind, wird ein unterbelichteter Detektiv mit Alkoholproblemen zusammen mit sechs anderen Antihelden und einem Hologramm seiner verstorbenen Sekretärin mit der Rettung des gesamten Universums betraut. Ob das gut gehen kann?

Well, I did it. I finally did it. I completed my first PC nonadventure game, Anachronox. All the while I was playing, I had sort of a love/hate thing going on. Let me tell you about it.

If you are an RPG fan it is easy to dismiss Anachronox as “too easy.” If you are an adventure gamer, it is easy to dismiss it as “too much detail.” Strict devotees of either genre are doing themselves a disservice if they write off this little masterpiece. Anachronox manages to bridge the gap between the two genres, melding them seamlessly into exactly the game that you want to fill the current void left in both markets. If you missed it the first time around, I strongly recommend getting a copy now. I got mine for $12 and I spent about 50 hours playing it…. loving every single minute of it. If you can find a better bargain today, jump on it! And then… play Anachronox anyway. You won’t regret it.

This has been an enjoyable experience. Anachronox may not feature the smooth, high-polygon count graphics of games in 2005, but the storytelling, the variety of settings, the music, voice acting (which was universally excellent, by the way) all combine in a way that is rarely seen to provide an engaging game. In fact, during a long weekend when my family were away, I found myself playing Anachronox for three days straight, and taking an extra day of leave from work to play for a fourth!

The game is easy to install. The game is not designed to be run in Windows 2000, but I got mine to work for the most part. One thing I noticed is in Windows 2000 is that it doesn't uninstall it properly. The upbeat music adds to the game. There is no multiplayer in this game. I was surprised to see that this games uses the Quake 2 engine. The graphics are dated but good. Nice facial expressions on the people. For controls use can use WASD or arrow keys. There is a patch available. This game is real fun, however this is definitely designed for a mature audience.

This is no epic RPG like Baldur's Gate, nor is it strictly a console RPG. This is more of a hybrid RPG, offering the best of both worlds, throwing in a few unique twists along the way. Anachronox took a long time to get to the market, but that time was obviously spent well. I recommend this game for just about any sort of gamer, because it is entertaining, challenging, and downright fun.

Wie van science fiction houdt zal met volle teugen genieten van het meesleepende verhaal en de schitterende sfeer van Anachronox.

Anachronox spielt sich frisch von der Leber weg, die Handlung und die Aufgaben bzw. Rätsel sind kurzweilig und bevor man sich an einem Ort satt gesehen hat, geht's halt weiter. Nur die oben erwähnten langen Laufwege haben etwas meditatives, in Verbindung mit den Ladezeiten sogar nervendes. Gute Unterhaltung für Science-Fictionfreunde ist Anachronox allemal!

Anachronox is a 3rd person Japanese console-style 3D-RPG laced with turn-based combat. You controls up to 3 characters at a time, from an eventual cast of seven, exploring the galaxy and 3 different dimensions. The main gameplay is exploration of the environment, melée with various galactic bad guys, and discovery of unique weapons and items that aid you on your quest. You can choose different characters to play and different ways to do things, leading you to different events and areas in the game.

I've been following the development of this game for quite some time now (a slight understatement), and I thought I pretty much had a good idea of what it's all about. It turns out I didn't. Some of the things that I thought would be the game's weak sides ended up being quite the opposite, and some of the originality that I thought the game had was a tad too derivative, and it carried a heavy influence of Final Fantasy games and numerous Blade-Runnerish (private dick with a sci-fi twist) movies.

Where other attempts by American developers have flopped when they try to duplicate the console formula, for some reason it just works in Anachronox. Despite the aged graphics, the game makes you laugh and once you get past the first couple hours you'll find a truly fun RPG. While it isn't the 200+ hour monster that most PC gamers are used to (see Badur's Gate II for that), it will keep you busy for over 60 hours, and for a console-style RPG that is a very good length.

I suspect players will either love this game or find it rather irritating. If you enjoy games that do not take themselves too seriously, you like exploring, you don't mind if the puzzles aren't too taxing and can cope with some combat then grab this game.

Everything about Anachronox seems to speak of epic. Indeed, the development time it went through was epic. The start and, as we all recently learnt, disappearance of ION Storm (at least the part responsible for this game) has been an epic romp as well. This game is easily one of the most recognizable for the FPS community and it is through them I heard most about Anachronox. Anachronox is the city where everything meets; rather like the Sigil of an equally epic game; Planescape: Torment. Conceived when Final Fantasy VII was becoming a cult hit in North America, there is no doubt that Anachronox shares a lot with RPGs from across the pond. Whereas the PC RPG scene has flourished, probably due to extraordinary feats from titles like Fallout and Baldur's Gate, Anachronox seems to play like a world away from the supposed saviors of the RPG genre; at least in the PC arena.

The slowdowns in the game are semi-frustrating, while the ‘adult’ nature of the program is overstated. The program is a terrific combination of gaming elements. There is little doubt that Anachronox is a well-done game.

When Ion Storm's Anachronox didn't even bother to make an appearance shortly before its scheduled release at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show, many thought that this console-like role-playing game was similarly destined to failure. But as it turns out, Anachronox is a very fun game that unfortunately got caught up in the rest of Ion Storm's troubles.

Anachronox ist ein schönes Rollenspiel / Adventure im eigenwilligen Tom Hall Stil. Gerade der oft vorkommende abgefahrene Humor und die verrückten Charaktere machen Anachronox doch noch zu etwas besonderem.

Die Kamera fährt quer über die Kulisse, zeigt ein Schlachtfeld in einem dunklen Hangar. Fünf Wachdrohnen schweben vor einem Raumgleiter im Halbkreis. Gegenüber stehen ein kräftiger Mann im Trenchcoat, eine schwarze Frau im quietschgrünen Anorak, außerdem ein bärtiger Kauz, der meckernd mit seinem Gehstock Löcher in die Luft sticht, und ein kleiner Roboter. Der Opa ist als Erster dran und könnte zuschlagen, stünde er weiter vorne.

De graphics doen behoorlijk gedateerd aan maar de gevarieerde en spannende gameplay en het sterke verhaal maken Anachronox een bovengemiddelde game.

Wenn grade keine wahren Helden greifbar sind, muss eben die B-Auswahl das Universum retten. Zum Beispiel ein Spielzeugroboter, der Frauen ständig seine Batterien zeigen will. Ein Opa, der Gegner mit dem Gehstock vertrimmt. Und ein Superheld mit Alkoholproblemen. Anachronox beginnt viel versprechend: Als Begrüßung kriegen Sie gleich mal eine in die Fresse und fliegen anschließend durch ein geschlossenes Fenster. Herzlich willkommen im Leben von Sly Boots.

Japanese role-playing games are a staple of console gaming. But aside from some lackluster ports, they've been almost nonexistent on the PC. Developer Ion Storm is attempting to redress this imbalance with Anachronox, a Final Fantasy-inspired game designed specifically for the PC. It manages to stay true to its console roots while modifying the formula in a few key areas, not the least of which is the addition of plot and dialogue not translated from Japanese. Though these changes are too subtle to bridge the gap between people who enjoy this type of linear adventure-RPG hybrid and those who don't, Anachronox is a solid addition to the genre and makes up for some rough spots with a welcome sense of humor and a lot of personality.

Novices to the genre will find themselves unable to cope with the game's initially sluggish and dull pace and while it gets better, no one should have to subject themselves to so many hours of toil. Diehard fans of console RPGs will find Anachronox to be a funny RPG with an average storyline that just doesn't have the same polish they've come to expect from a game like one from the Final Fantasy series. For the rest of us, it's about having enough patience to make it through the first few hours until the story gets started, and the stamina to continue through a moderately interesting story. Though Anachronox is a flawed game we certainly hope that four years of work hasn't discouraged Tom Hall from attempting another console RPG in the future. Hall's colleagues and competitors at Square have had a chance to refine and improve their storytelling abilities through more than a dozen games. Remember, NVIDIA's early attempts at 3D graphics weren't that great either.

Wie zich door de trage start kan worstelen zal beloond worden met een heel sterk game.

'Anachronox' erleidet das gleiche Schicksal wie seinerzeit 'Daikatana' vom gleichen Entwickler: Durch die Vielzahl Verschiebungen kann es zum Release die hohen Erwartungen nicht mehr erfüllen. Zwar bietet das Spiel dank der Story und des gut umgesetzten Settings durchaus einen gewissen Reiz und auch die Grafik, die Ion Storm aus der alten Engine herausgekitzelt hat, kann sich zum großen Teil sehen lassen, auch wenn nicht die grafische Klasse eines 'Gothic' erreicht wird. Doch irgendwie wirkt das Spiel nicht konsequent umgesetzt und man wird sich nicht ganz klar, auf welches Alter des Zielpublikums das ganze ausgelegt ist. Wirkt der eigentliche Abenteuerteil schon auf ältere Spieler ausgelegt, sind viele Elemente des Spieles eher auf kindlicherem Niveau.

Une note qu'il faut relativiser selon ses exigences par rapport au soft. Les joueurs allergiques à l'anglais, les amateurs d'action et les impatients peuvent déjà passer leur chemin. Ceux qui cherchent un jeu d'aventure vaste, au scénario imprévisible, et qui sauront passer outre une réalisation et un gameplay décevants auront du mal à décrocher.

I have this real love/hate relationship with Anachronox. The writing and design are fresh and clever, but the actual gameplay can drag at times. Still, it's not a bad RPG effort from an American developer. Maybe these guys aren't losers after all?

Anachronox, c'est un peu le cauchemar du testeur. Doté d'un univers original et prenant servi par un très bon scénario mi-SF mi-film noir et par des protagonistes charismatiques, Anachronox pêche cependant par son côté bâclé et une certaine linéarité très irritante dans les premières heures de jeu. Un hit donc, mais qu'il faudra réserver aux amoureux de la science-fiction (anglophones de surcroît), assez souples d'esprit pour supporter le démarrage très lent et les quelques incohérences de gameplay qui surviennent ça et là. Le public n'est pas si large, comme on le voit.