Anachronox

The Good
This is a very funny, very interesting, and very fun console style RPG. It opens at a slow start on the planet Anachronox, but eventually rises in action very very much. The characters are loveable and funny all the way. A large part of the game plays like an old Lucasarts point-and-click adventure game, which is a VERY good thing. The battles are well done, with some rampantly awesome camera work (also seen in the well-worked-out in-game cutscenes), which is reminicent of such games as the recent Final Fantasy games and Chrono-Trigger.

The Bad
The first half's battles are very, very easy. There are some bugs, some very bad bugs, but nothing that can't be fixed by a small patch that is already released. The game looks a bit dated with the almost 4 year old Quake 2 engine. (But they did an incredibly good job with it, making it look very good.)

The Bottom Line
This is the real deal. A great console flavored RPG with lovely adventure elements and loads of clever humor for the PC. It is destined to be an under appreciated classic of our time. Give a good game a home, will ya?

The Good
'Tis one of the finest role-playing games I've ever had pleasure to encounter. It doesn't require utterly-silly long period of time for upgrades, and you can follow the story without having to do some extra tasks if you will. The setting of this game is quite imaginative and gives you fine character backgrounds to explore and their stories to unfold. The entire Anachronox place is very likable and gives a constant thought "How cool would be to be there with Sly as he solves the cases, side by side." and all the levels are incredibly interesting and intriguing to explore. Dialogues are smartly written and overly humorous on occasion which boost up your spirit and don't let you get bored even for a second. Game runs very fast and has one of the finest mouse+keyboard combination for gameplay. The background music is relaxing and could loop infinitely without bothering you, yet creating a unique experience and compensates for all those vast dialogues you may take on for whatever side-quests you may be interested in.

The Bad
Nothing much unless you go to extreme technicalities and start comparing its graphic to nowadays levels. You may have a slight loss on graphic quality, but rest assured speed is heavily gained.

The Bottom Line
A detective game with sci-fi and mystery elements made into helluva combination of light adventure and role-playing without troubling the player with some complicated learning curve.

The game features:

The Good
This game is utterly amazing. IonStorm took the Quake II engine and modified so much that it looks nothing like its predecessor. The particle system, the plasma effects, the increased palette of colors. Its all so cool!

The designers took great care to design elaborate levels, with deft architecture and remarkable detail. The twisted levels on Anachronox alone were a tribute to Escher. I especially liked the interiors of several buildings such as the hotel on Sender One.

Sound and dialogue were well done and perfectly fit the loopy attitude of the game. The music was slightly repetitive but otherwise effectively contributed to the game play by setting the mood.

Game play took a little to get use to. Ananchronox isn't a FPS, its an adventure game with upgradable weapons. Main quests are either fairly easy to complete or have an alternate methods if one way is too difficult. The side quests aren't required, but completing them enhances your party by providing skills, supplies or upgrades. You can easily play this game a couple times and not complete all the quests.

Combat involves a little puzzle solving and strategy. Encounters are done in turns, with each character having a cycle of time between each action. You can set up a que of actions in your party so you can watch it unfold. The variety of moves add a measure of challenge. You can move, heal yourself or another party member, invoke a defensive tactic, chose a special attack, or stick with a standard attack.

One of the major aspects of the game is the weapons and attacks. Arms can be swapped, sold, upgraded or replaced. The attacks can be based on the Mystech thats collected. Each character has an affinity for certain Mystech and the effects of the attack generated by the rocks. During fight encounters, mystech plays a major part in fighting off adversaries as they engage in more powerful attacks in return.

The story is the heart of the game. There is a compelling mixture of loopiness and drama, adding the sense of moving forward in the game. You're not just wandering around another dungeon, fighting off generic monsters. You're accomplishing goals and unlocking chapters that make you want to play for just "10 more minutes." Interaction with NPCs is always interesting and quite funny. NPC interaction is also necessary for accomplishing most main quests and all sub quests.

The quality of the body models vary. The IonStorm team took great pains to include textures that bring 'character' the the models. Some models are overly repeated, but once in a while you'll catch an elaborate alien model that was carefully constructed.


The Bad
Even with the unofficial 1.02 patch, the game is slightly buggy. There are movement issues, especially when you gather a party. Stuttering game play, having to move your players around to position them to solve puzzles.

There are a couple arcade games built in to the game that can't be avoided, and are somewhat difficult.

Since the game wasn't totally completed by Ionstorm before they shut down, there are some broken aspects of the game. So saving often is required to complete it.

The Bottom Line
If you are a PC gamer only, this will prove to be a very new experience for you. Try it out and be converted.