D

The best FMV game ever made and the best FMV game likely ever to be made. Although it is short and easy, there are some good puzzles and plenty of cool locations. It's great to finally have the story in English, so everyone here can appreciate the best 3DO title yet. The video's a bit grainy, but not significantly worse than the Saturn version. A must-buy.

The only drawback of this game (and games like it) is that you'll be disappointed when you're done and this one is easier to finish than most. But there are multiple endings, so the replay value is slight (in games like Myst, replay is non-existent). D is a puzzle solver's fantasy, a frightening work of art. Just don't play it alone.

While most people immediately think of Resident Evil when they hear the words "Survival Horror", the old school fans out there knew it from the games that time has apparently forgotten. We had Haunted House, Alone in the Dark, maybe Mansion of the Hidden Souls (if you're afraid of butterflies, I guess) and hopefully, some of you still remember D.

The 100% rendered graphics are impressive and the animation, especially of Laura, is just short of incredible - I've never seen a 3-D modeled character who was so expressive. In other words, this is great stuff. I just wish there was more.

The story and riddles in the other version really caught my attention. The Saturn release is a faithful reproduction of the original, but has an added feature that any player could get caught up in and enjoy - transition speed. The between-action pause common in the 3DO has been cut in half on the Saturn. Fast play combined with a great story is what players can expect from a detailed game like D. Plan on a lot of challenge and to be scared out of your wits.

If you're looking for one game this year to scare the hell out of you, D is it. Play it with the lights off.

Fans of Myst or 7th Guest will like the eerie yet easy fun of this game. But like most games of this genre, once you've played it, you've played it. So rent this for a weekend. Even if you don't get through it, you'll be fang-ful for the memories.

Still, I've always been impressed by the 100% rendered graphics and the character animation, especially of the lead character, Laura, is nothing short of incredible. She does a better job of getting emotions across and getting you to feel them almost any of the real actors I've seen in FMV intro sequence. Scary stuff and worth more than a look.

Meeslepend horror-avontuur over een seriemoordende ziekenhuisarts dat door diens dochter Laura tot een goed einde moet worden gebracht. De beelden zijn prachtig, maar het hele verhaal is aan de trage kant.

O que acontece quando se cruza filmes do diretor David Lynch com alucinógenos? Provavelmente você obterá algo muito similar a D, um filme de terror interativo, criado pela Acclaim. Ao contrário da recente safra de jogos que abusam de vídeo clipes para dar a sensação de filme interativo, D dá vida à atmosfera cinematográfica através de animação tridimensional.

Your character automatically moves toward vital objects, and there are no red herrings to be found. Unfortunately, by the time you get to disk 2, the slow movement and endless puzzles start to get tiresome. The replay value is gravely wounded by the fact that you can never skip the cinematics, which are often lengthy and annoying. But overall D is a spooky and worthwhile trip, at least the first time through.

Stylish, cinematic and creepily atmospheric, D would be a good example to show your friends of what 3-D graphics animators can do on the computer these days.

Stylish, cinematic and creepily atmospheric, D would be a good example to show your friends of what 3-D graphics animators can do on the computer these days. From the perspectives, lighting, and direction to the incredible sound effects (you can hear a key slapping into your character's palm) and attention to detail (you can occasionally track your character's movements in the mirror), D is one of the most impressive and professional games yet.

Tyvärr har spelet sina begränsningar. Det måste klaras på två timmar, och det går inte att spara. Den inledande glädjen över ett nyskapande spel förbyts snart i frustration när man tvingas spela om allt från början efter en oavbruten spelsession.

D's most glaring problem is the lack of replay value. The lack of a save feature will force you to finish the game in one sitting. Puzzles are easy, which is good so that you can finish the game in the allotted two hours, but bad in that there is very little challenge to the game. While multiple endings exist, there is very little reason to play this game a second time since you already know the complete story and how to solve all of the puzzles.

The problems are very unfortunate because D had great presentation and potential. It's got the freaky storyline, excessive gore and haunting (and quite beautiful) images, but everything else is too problematic and the game is way too easy and short for it's own good. This would make for a good nightly rent, but not much else.

What makes D a failure and the reason it is on Just Adventure’s list of “turkeys” is exactly what is supposed to make it stand out. From the moment the game starts, players have exactly two hours to complete the game and there is no save function. While this seems to be a nice touch at first, what it really means is that the game is very short. The puzzles, although entertaining for the most part, will not be challenging for experienced adventure gamers, especially since Laura is confined to a relatively small portion of the house at any point in the game with a limited number of things to examine.

If the game has any real value at this point, it is as a snapshot of the time it was made. This game exhibited some technical advances that went on to be better implemented in subsequent games. As such it might be worth picking up if you happen across a copy as a curio of that past age. I was able to run the PC version of the game under DOSBox 0.72 with default settings, so at least technical compatibility isn't an issue. The game was also made for the 3DO, Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation, which serves as a reminder of just how old the game really is. If you’ve got one of those old consoles lurking in the attic, then you could squeeze a couple hours more use out of it with this game. Everyone else is probably better off giving it a miss, as it's roughly deserving a score little better than its title.

If the game has any real value at this point, it is as a snapshot of the time it was made. This game exhibited some technical advances that went on to be better implemented in subsequent games. As such it might be worth picking up if you happen across a copy as a curio of that past age. I was able to run the PC version of the game under DOSBox 0.72 with default settings, so at least technical compatibility isn't an issue. The game was also made for the 3DO, Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation, which serves as a reminder of just how old the game really is. If you’ve got one of those old consoles lurking in the attic, then you could squeeze a couple hours more use out of it with this game. Everyone else is probably better off giving it a miss, as it's roughly deserving a score little better than its title.

While often unfairly dismissed as a survival horror, D is nevertheless an adventure for completists and older console owners only.

While often unfairly dismissed as a survival horror, D is nevertheless an adventure for completists and older console owners only.

It's the overall design, though, that remains its biggest mistake. Making it operate in real-time is an OK idea - it's a cheap way to generate tension. However, not allowing saves is just asinine. How many people are going to block out two hours of time to play a game? How many people are going to want to replay the first 2/3 of the game over and over again if they can't get through to the end? How many people are going to manage to get to the end of the game the first time and then wonder, "that's it?" D is just too short, too linear and too bad to be anything but a Disaster.

Den sporadiske uhygge i D forvandles lynhurtigt til irritation. D viser sin kvalitet i korte glimt, men resten af tiden er spillet bare enerverende.

Fragt sich nur, wer diese Mogelpackung spielen soll. Selbst der genügsamste Anfänger wird sich über die fatale Benutzerunfreundlichkeit ärgern. Und wer gar auf anspruchsvolles Spieldesign aus ist, läßt den höllisch schlechten Spukbold links liegen: Sag 'nee zu D!

D, if I may be cynical for a moment, could well stand for Done to Death in that it continues the trend towards 'interactive movies' or 'interactive stories' with a horror theme. The emphasis is on graphics and 'atmosphere' which it does very well, but it falls down in the vital area of gameplay where puzzles and exploration are minimal. This is a shame because it had the potential to be a quite enjoyable game despite its deliberate pitch to the graphic horror market.