Windows

Majestic: Special Edition

There's so much potential here, and Majestic is in the lucky position to garner that criticism without the addendum or the but. As an ongoing series, gameplay will change with voices of the players and the critics, and as the first of its kind, Majestic will get the sort of soft touch not reserved when talking about the new season of Friends, or David Sedaris' new book. It's an imperfect formula right now. But the moments of intrigue, and the future possibilities make this worth your gaming dollar, just to have the chance to see Majestic as it grows over the coming months. Will this change your world? Not quite yet. Will it change your gaming life in 2002? Barring a revival of the door to door DVD man, there's a great chance.

I had a fun time within the Majestic world but I couldn't see becoming a game wholly unto itself. Its moody soundtrack may try to remind you the game is constantly in progress but often times, I found myself glancing at tertiary or sometimes completely unnecessary material. It is definitely great for gamers on the go as well. Any computer featuring the Real's media player, a modern web browser, AIM and the Majestic Alliance application is fully equipped to play Majestic. Majestic accomplishes most of the objectives it sets out to do. Yet, I think there were ways in which it could improve somewhat, for example, in fostering communication between humans. In some sense, I also wish they would hide their identity even more, so I couldn't tell which characters were real and which weren't, or whether a phone call is really from the game or not. Due to the recent tragedy in America, Electronic Arts recently halted Majestic due to its sensitive material.

Majestic is certainly innovative...definitely not for children...most certainly not for players who want to finish the game in record time. It will no doubt become boring to some who are impatient...and frustrating to others who keep their imagination firmly in hand. But...if you like suspense...if you are prone to let your imagination run wild...if you have the patience of Job...then you will find your Majestic experience to be fulfilling and exciting!

The excitement that you'll feel as the game begins is slowly replaced as the formulaic nature of the game becomes apparent and as you realize that there's little more to the game than the novelty itself. There are a few really creepy moments in the beginning of the pilot episode, and one or two during the first episode. If you were given a more consistently active role or even optional tasks to perform during the game's considerable downtime, it would be much more appealing to a wider range of players. In its current state, the game is little more than an occasionally interactive soap opera that borrows a considerable amount from The X-Files. The free pilot is definitely worth your time, but be warned that the first paid episode is rather slow, especially toward the end.