Felix Knoke @tarion
Reviews
Chaser (Windows)
A lot of potential - more flaws and design-blunder
The Good
You can really guess that Cauldron, the designers of chaser, aren't incapable. Chaser features some nice ideas (for example the atmospheric submarine-mission), from time to time really nice graphics and generally a lot of good ideas, but...
The Bad
... somehow, they weren't able to fit everything together. There are so many design- and gameplay-related flaws, bugs and inconsistencies, that it hurts! It begins with a wannabe-immersive-story, the ultra-linear leveldesign and the bad AI. And it doesn't end...
The Bottom Line
Chaser tries to be a good shooter with innovative features, good graphics and a nice story. But it fails and fails and fails. It seems, like JoWood, the publisher, wasn't able to control and direct the gamedesign-process. So, what remains, is a substandard shooter with some nice moments - and many frustrating...
By Felix Knoke on July 8, 2003
Grim Fandango (Windows)
Atmospheric, stylish, beautiful - great adventure!
The Good
There's one scene in the game, where you stand on the ceiling of your own club and look at the town, where you are. This was one of the most beautiful, calm moments in my computer games-history. Just beautiful, as you'd be there. And then, the story of GF is so weird, the characters so cute, the settings detailled and the music perfect - love it or leave it! :)
The Bad
Some puzzles are a bit too difficult - you has to do stuff, you wouldn't do - and you'll find out, what to do, by pure trial & error... Then, the controls are a bit odd from time to time.
The Bottom Line
Classical point&click adventure + film noir + cuba + casablanca + surrealism + black humor + love = a wonderful, intelligent game!
But be careful - one couldn't like it, because of: film noir + cuba + casablanca + surrealism + black humor + love ;)
By Felix Knoke on May 20, 2003
I.G.I-2: Covert Strike (Windows)
Tense atmosphere meets trial&error - so what?
The Good
Forget about the story, forget about the mission - Project IGI 2 offers great, tense atmosphere with decent graphics and strategical and tactical depth. Sneak, sneak, sneak and shoot from time to time. You'll find yourself lying on the ground between some trees, watching the enemy pass by and sqeezing your mouse because of the tension. "Will he see me?", is a questions, or ...
The Bad
... "Will I have to restart the WHOLE damn level again?". PIGI2 is damn hard from time to time. And you only have 3 saves left for each mission - and some levels are really big, with many very difficult, perfect-timing-dependend situations. You will hate the developers for sending you the tenth time thru that forest, just because you were spotted by a single, lonesome patrol, taking a leak, or so.
The Bottom Line
You're a lonesome special agent who has to infiltrate enemy territory, recover critical data/material and stay invisible as long as possible. So, you have some weapons - but you'll most of all use the silenced and/or sniper-weapons. And even more important are your strategical and tactical abilities. To solve a mission, you'll have to analyze the territory, understand the routes of the guards, look out for surveillance-cameras and plan your procedure minutious.
By Felix Knoke on May 19, 2003