Windows

Curse: The Eye of Isis

Once you've adjusted to the unaccommodating controls and camera, Curse: The Eye of Isis is a fun, creepy, good looking horror game. A little more emphasis on the combat system, like making good use of the bodypart-specific targeting, would have gone a long way towards truly enjoyable gameplay. It's a little on the campy side story-wise, especially the ending, but what ancient Egyptian curse story isn't? That's just part of its charm. It took around 10 hours to play through on the normal difficulty level, which is a reasonable amount of time to spend on an adventure game. However, because it's so linear, there's no point in playing through again.

That’s some SUPER-SCARY box art. Curse: Eye of Isis is Dreamcatcher Games and Asylum Entertainment’s attempt to bring some survival horror to the PC. Now, why did I mention the companies? Because neither of them are known for their survival horror games! Regardless, while there are some things that bring Curse a tad down, it’s a solid first attempt.

It's worthy of a spot in your collection beside Resident Evil and Silent Hill and should provide several good evenings of fright.

The AI was a little too dumb for my taste, and dragged down the game play. The story was very well thought out, and I know the weapons were done to the time period, but I wish the they could have reloaded faster. Overall, Curse: The Eye of Isis was a fun game but not as good as it could have been.

Curse : The Eye of Isis utilise toutes les recettes des survival-horror. Hélas, il n'apporte rien de plus au genre. On croirait presque être en présence d'un Alone in the Dark : The New Nightmare. Le même principe de jeu, le même style d'énigmes simplistes, bref le titre de Wanadoo ne sort pas des sentiers battus. En outre, il se révèle un peu trop répétitif pour pouvoir passionner les foules, et bien que le genre se fasse rare sur PC, un jeu plus soigné aurait été le bienvenu.

Still, the graphics and sound are good, the voice acting is quite solid, and the general atmosphere effectively maintains the suspense and tension that make this kind of game fun. It's also bargain priced at about $20, brand new. If you dig survival-horror games and you're up for a new story and setting -- and don't mind some very familiar gameplay -- Curse is a good time.

Was mich an dem Spiel vor allem begeistert hat, waren die schwierigen Abschnittsgegner, die alle eine bestimmte Taktik erforderten, um sie endgültig zu besiegen (und ich bin ganz stolz darauf, dass ich das ohne Hilfe geschafft habe). Die Gesamtatmosphäre, die aufgebaut wird, wird ständig durch Sequenzen in Spielgrafik noch verstärkt, die zum Beispiel auf wichtige Ereignisse, Personen oder Gegenstände Hinweisen. Mit einer etwas besseren Steuerung könnte man das Spiel auch als astreines Action-Adventure durchgehen lassen, aber die bietet nicht sehr viele Varianten. Leider muss man das gleiche auch für einen Grossteil der Rätsel sagen und so dürften Profis wohl mit einem "Silent Hill 3" besser beraten sein. Leute, die vor allem auf die spannende Geschichte scharf sind (und auf die längere Spielzeit), können aber mit ruhigem Gewissen zugreifen. "Curse: The Eye of Isis" ist nichts Bahnbrechendes, aber ein sehr gelungenes Spiel.

I finished Curse in about ten hours, admittedly with the occasional help of a walkthrough. There is no replay value. For console owners (Xbox and PS2 versions are on the way), I would suggest this as a rental. For PC version buyers, Curse comes with a guarded recommendation. Understanding the limitations of weak story, consolitis, and mundane gameplay, you may still opt to try yet another survival/horror game with an impressive atmosphere and novel approach. Remember, I've given you fair warning. Please don't point your own curse in my direction!

Certes, le déroulement est très linéaire et l'action répétitive, mais Curse devrait coûter moins de 40 euros en magasin. Un rapport qualité/prix qui peut susciter l'intérêt des plus jeunes ou des joueurs peu exigeants.

Curse is really just an homage to a genre that had its heyday several years ago, but it fails to do anything that might reinvigorate the genre, not that it really tries anyway. At least one might be able to expect a magnification of the strengths of the genre it pays tribute to in a game like this, but the lens seem to be placed squarely over the weaknesses instead. Nonetheless, Curse is more mediocre than it is bad and any true fan of the genre probably won't regret giving it a shot.

Ihre härtesten Gegner sind Steuerung (Maus plus Tastastur) und Kamera. Beide lassen Sie immer wieder gegen Wände und Tische laufen. In Kämpfen gibt es wenigstens eine Zielhilfe. Die durchschaltbaren Trefferzonen haben aber keine Auswirkung. Mini-Rätsel wie "Finde den Schlüssel" langweilen.

Unfortunately, graphics and sound are not the only criteria for a good game and they are not enough to make Curse stand out in a crowded marketplace. Curse is definitely not suitable for adventure gamers due to its monotonous puzzles and it also is not edgy enough for action gamers. If you have some free time and are desperate for a new game, then it might be for you. Otherwise, consider yourself cursed if you add this to your collection.