Discworld Noir

The Good
Discworld Noir has great scenes and puzzles, and can leave you thinking for quite a long time, even off the computer. The characters are very funny (my favourite was MoonCalf) and very detailed. It is a very easy game to use, and it's quite interesting how you can change from Human to Wearwolf. The keyboard shortcuts also come in very handy.

The Bad
Although the characters had great personalities, and the settings were really gloomy and cool, the animations tended to be a little too edgy and "clay figure" like. Some of the puzzles were VERY hard, and some objects are very hard to find, scanning of the screen is a must.

The Bottom Line
You are a detective, who has to investigate a series of bizarre murders happening around the glum city of Anhk-Morpork. What you don't realise is that all these murders are linked somehow, and you become one of the hunted. You meet an array of characters from trolls, wearwolves, talking dogs and dwarfs, each with it's own personality and humour.

The Good
1999 saw the release of two adventure games that blended Film Noir with other genres. Grim Fandango was a fantastic mix of Film Noir, art deco and Mexican Day of the Dead. Discworld Noir blends Noir with medieval fantasy, which is perhaps a little less original but still entertaining. There's just something funny about a private eye in a trench coat and fedora working a city of pirates and dwarves and trolls. The voice acting in Discworld Noir is thankfully excellent (there's a lot of voiceover) and the artwork and overall atmosphere is dead-on Film Noir. As far as actual gameplay, the game introduces an innovative dialogue system that lets you use the notes you've taken in your detective's notebook to question NPCs.

The Bad
I realize and appreciate the fact that everyone has a different sense of humor. That said, I have to confess that I didn't find much of the humor in Discworld Noir all that funny. It's not that it's tasteless or offensive or anything...it just falls flat. It falls short of being groaningly un-funny and settles into a place where you can comfortably ignore the fact that the jokes even exist.

The interface is clunky and really shows the game's roots as a PSX title. The traditional inventory-interaction of almost all adventure games is present, but calling up your inventory and interacting with objects is a bit of a pain. The most frustrating aspect of Discworld Noir is that it requires the worst kind of screen trolling (moving your mouse around the screen looking for objects with which you can interact) - the hotspots don't stand out or change color or glow in any way when you mouse over them. There is a (plain white text) popup label for each item, but they are extremely easy to miss.

The Bottom Line
Bottom line: it's no Grim Fandango, but the story is cohesive and compelling enough to keep you interested and some of the puzzles are pretty good.

The Good
Discworld Noir's is a great detective mystery with more unexpected twists than your average rollercoaster. The plot is great, and never predictable, and although Pratchett himself didn't write much of it, his humour shines throughout. It isn't slapstick comedy as in the first 2 Discworld games, but that doesn't mean it's not there - sarcasm and irony are used often, if you pay attention.

Graphically, DW Noir is simply amazing, one of the most gorgeous and atmospheric adventure games there are. And of course, who could forget the sound? Mellow jazz is usually played, and the sound effects are top-notch too.

The Bad
Um. Pass.

The Bottom Line
Absolutely amazing. Play it if you're a Pratchett fan, or an adventure fan, or if you just like having fun.