Police Quest 2: The Vengeance (DOS)

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It is this attention to detail that makes the game such a wonderful experience. Even in a golden era of adventures, when designers were sincerely interested in cutting edge technology and creating a satisfying and complete experience, Police Quest 2 is one of the shining stars of late ‘80s PC gaming, and is still as much fun for retro-adventure fans to play twenty years later as it was way back when.

Police Quest 2: The Vengeance er en oppfinnsom blanding av dramatikken i en dødelig politijakt og alle de små detaljene i en kriminaletterforskning. Spillet er som sagt godt forbedret fra forgjengeren, ikke bare teknologisk men også hva forvikling i storyen angår. Selv om dette er en meget forenklet fremstilling av politiarbeid, får man likevel et interessant innblikk i hverdagen til en mordetterforsker.

In addition, a romance blooms in Officer Bonds' personal life, giving the game a King's Quest 2 feel to it...and a cool finale.

Sonny Bonds, the hero of Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel, has performed a public service for the town of Lytton by putting the notorious “Death Angel” Jesse Bains behind bars. His service has won him a promotion from the Narcotics to the Homicide Division. When Sonny learns that Jesse has escaped from prison, he and his partner Keith are put on special assignment “Operation Target” to bring back the “Death Angel”. This is the central theme of the second installment of the Police Quest series.

Ein Lob an Sierra: Seit dem ersten Teil der “Bullen-Saga“ hat sich viel geändert. Nicht nur, daß man fast zwei MByte Krimi-Spannung bekommt. auch die Grafik ist detaillierter. Sonny besteht nicht nur aus acht Pixeln und die Umgebung sieht nicht mehr aus, als wäre sie aus Bauklötzen zusammengebaut. Die Puzzles sind einfach und bringen einen erfahrenen Spieler kaum ins Schwitzen. Durch die gute Geschichte bleibt‘s trotzdem spannend.

Neben kleinen Gags, wie etwa einem kurzen Gastspiel des Sierra-Kollegen Larry, glänzt Teil zwei der realitätsbeflissenen Bullen-Saga auch nur überarbeiteter Präsentation und Handhabung. Die Grafik wurde merklich verfeinert, dergleichen der Sound, und bestimmte Handlungsabläufe wie etwa der obligate Check des Autos vor Fahrtantritt gehen nun (per Funktionstasten) wesentlich simpler vonstatten. Auch um PC kann unser Cop jetzt mit der Maus auf Verbrecherjagd geschickt werden, dafür ist die Installation auf Festplatte zwingend erforderlich – die anderen Versionen sind wieder weitgehend identisch.
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PQ2 takes place one year after you've tracked down the Death Angel, and aside from the difference in job description, there's not much change from the ending of the first game to the beginning of the second. Bonds' hair is still dyed golden, he and Marie are still cultivating their relationship, and Jessie Bains is still in jail... but not for long. In what makes the second escape from Lytton jail, Bains overpowers a guard and flees, setting off the events of the second game. You will use all the tricks in your homicide kit to stay on his trail as he takes care of some unfinished business, and leaves a few warm corpses behind.

La segunda parte de las andanzas de nuestro policía favorito -después de Frank Drebin- es la más acelerada de la saga, mostrando las ambiciones de Jim Walls respecto a su visión de una historia contada por la vía del videojuego. Desgraciadamente ni el medio ni los puzzles acaban haciendo justicia a una historia arquetípica -pero interesante- convirtiendo el juego en algo más incómodo de lo que debiese.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Sierra's decision to produce a shiny VGA remake of the first game has left this one as the poor relation of the series. While the presentation is still fairly creditable, it's dated badly in other areas, and I'm not just talking about the pastel outfits and curly mullets. As a game it's certainly not terrible, and can be mildly diverting at times, but the functional story and fiddly gameplay ultimately make for a less than exciting experience.