So yesterday my Xbox 360 got the dreaded "Red Ring", and I was devastated. Not only could I not play my newly aquired Tomb Raider: Legend (for a paltry £15, although later I was told by a friend I could've saved myself a fiver), I also would suffer torture from my friends who have been lucky enough to avoid this horrific sight. And I couldn't play Guitar Hero 2. Epic fail. So, as per usual with me, this triggered a random series of ideas, and lead to me reminiscing about one of my favourite Xbox games of all time: Fahrenheit.
Fahrenheit (or Indigo Preophecy, to you people in America) is the second game made by Quantic Dream, a French games company who made a pretty much unheard of game previously, Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Actually, it might've been well known, but I've never heard of it before, so I'll go ahead with my wonderful British ignorance and pretend that my views are the same as the rest of the world. Back to Fahrenheit, it revolves around the ordinary life of Lucas Kane, who just murdered a guy in a diner bathroom. Not a great start, but from here on in it's all about finding out about why he did it (because our man Lucas wasn't entirely himself at the time).
What makes the game more exciting however, is that the story also plays from the perspective of two cops, investigating the murder. Two cops may seem a bit overkill, seeing as they're both going for the same thing, but Carla and Tyler (the cops, in case you're not with me at this point) can notice different things, and also have different scenarios that you can play in. You also breifly get to play as Lucas' brother, Marcus, but no one seems to mention him, so why should I?
The game doesn't play in your typical way. Most people give it the label of an "interactive movie", and that's probably the best way of putting it. Everything plays from different camera angles, rather than your typical over-the-shoulder third person adventure, and there's more of an attention to getting the story across than there is to making it action packed and exciting.
Which isn't to say it isn't fun. Helping Lucas find out about that mysterious night whilst also doing the mundane things in his life is very enthralling, and you get sucked into the story. It's a very emotional game, and you definitely start liking and disliking some characters, who all have a part to play in the crazy, twisty-turny story.
Another mechanic used is the sanity bar, which is sort of similar to the one used in Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. The bar goes up or down dependant on what choices you make (choices are made with a flick of the right analogue stick when near an object, the direction corresponding to the direction shown in a bar at the top of the screen), and these choices range from getting a cup of water, saying romantic things to your ex-girlfriend (choices are also used in conversations) or at one point, saving a drowning boy.
Sometimes it isn't as simple as choicing something to do. In these cases the game makes you do one of two things: hammer the left and right triggers in an alternating fashion, or participate in reflex tests, or "Simon Says" sequences as everyone likes to call them. I say reflex tests because I picked it up off my cousin. But that isn't important, what's important is that these activites usually are rather difficult and finger straining (especially the L and R sequences, which make your fingers hurt like hell after a while), which brings out the action-orientated part of the game quite well. Overall the gameplay is new and interesting, but not difficult to grasp in any way. I refuse to use the word intuitive.
Graphics wise, the game isn't going to win any awards for making people cry at the beauty of it, but that isn't to say I'd rather stare at a pile of cat sick for several hours whilst occasionally adding water to the mix. They're drab and murky, which fits the mood well, and the characters all have emotional faces. It's almost like watching a film. Well, not in the photo-realistic sense, but you get what I mean.
When it comes to the sound, the game excels. Fantastic voice acting for every character with a speaking part (except the coroner, who is quite clearly British, but pronounces Kirsten in an American manner), and the wonderful background music makes the game feel very... real. there are also a few liscensed tracks in there, including No Good Man by Nina Simone, which when played in the diner at the start of the game, causes a sanity loss for Lucas. Makes me laugh does that.
Now all my praise has to be combated, and I have to say there are a few little niggles I have with the game. The camera angle sometimes causes the controls to go all screwy, which is a tad annoying. And the storyline does go off at a tangent towards the end, which most people didn't appreciate, but I think the tangent ends up wrapped up nicely with the three different endings that appear dependent on how you play the game. The only major thing I have against the game is the inclusion of absolutely pointless stealth missions, which don't add to the game in any way, and are usually spoiled by the controls screwing up at the worst possible moment.
So, buy it, rent it, or leave it? Buy it. For the love of God, bo out and buy this game right now. Even if you don't like anything other than testosterone fuelled shoot-em-ups, this is a game that has to be played, no argument. It's usually going dirt cheap on eBay, or you can download it off the Xbox Originals section in the Live Marketplace. However you choose, this is a game that should not be missed.
-Ricass
Fahrenheit (or Indigo Preophecy, to you people in America) is the second game made by Quantic Dream, a French games company who made a pretty much unheard of game previously, Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Actually, it might've been well known, but I've never heard of it before, so I'll go ahead with my wonderful British ignorance and pretend that my views are the same as the rest of the world. Back to Fahrenheit, it revolves around the ordinary life of Lucas Kane, who just murdered a guy in a diner bathroom. Not a great start, but from here on in it's all about finding out about why he did it (because our man Lucas wasn't entirely himself at the time).
What makes the game more exciting however, is that the story also plays from the perspective of two cops, investigating the murder. Two cops may seem a bit overkill, seeing as they're both going for the same thing, but Carla and Tyler (the cops, in case you're not with me at this point) can notice different things, and also have different scenarios that you can play in. You also breifly get to play as Lucas' brother, Marcus, but no one seems to mention him, so why should I?
The game doesn't play in your typical way. Most people give it the label of an "interactive movie", and that's probably the best way of putting it. Everything plays from different camera angles, rather than your typical over-the-shoulder third person adventure, and there's more of an attention to getting the story across than there is to making it action packed and exciting.
Which isn't to say it isn't fun. Helping Lucas find out about that mysterious night whilst also doing the mundane things in his life is very enthralling, and you get sucked into the story. It's a very emotional game, and you definitely start liking and disliking some characters, who all have a part to play in the crazy, twisty-turny story.
Another mechanic used is the sanity bar, which is sort of similar to the one used in Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. The bar goes up or down dependant on what choices you make (choices are made with a flick of the right analogue stick when near an object, the direction corresponding to the direction shown in a bar at the top of the screen), and these choices range from getting a cup of water, saying romantic things to your ex-girlfriend (choices are also used in conversations) or at one point, saving a drowning boy.
Sometimes it isn't as simple as choicing something to do. In these cases the game makes you do one of two things: hammer the left and right triggers in an alternating fashion, or participate in reflex tests, or "Simon Says" sequences as everyone likes to call them. I say reflex tests because I picked it up off my cousin. But that isn't important, what's important is that these activites usually are rather difficult and finger straining (especially the L and R sequences, which make your fingers hurt like hell after a while), which brings out the action-orientated part of the game quite well. Overall the gameplay is new and interesting, but not difficult to grasp in any way. I refuse to use the word intuitive.
Graphics wise, the game isn't going to win any awards for making people cry at the beauty of it, but that isn't to say I'd rather stare at a pile of cat sick for several hours whilst occasionally adding water to the mix. They're drab and murky, which fits the mood well, and the characters all have emotional faces. It's almost like watching a film. Well, not in the photo-realistic sense, but you get what I mean.
When it comes to the sound, the game excels. Fantastic voice acting for every character with a speaking part (except the coroner, who is quite clearly British, but pronounces Kirsten in an American manner), and the wonderful background music makes the game feel very... real. there are also a few liscensed tracks in there, including No Good Man by Nina Simone, which when played in the diner at the start of the game, causes a sanity loss for Lucas. Makes me laugh does that.
Now all my praise has to be combated, and I have to say there are a few little niggles I have with the game. The camera angle sometimes causes the controls to go all screwy, which is a tad annoying. And the storyline does go off at a tangent towards the end, which most people didn't appreciate, but I think the tangent ends up wrapped up nicely with the three different endings that appear dependent on how you play the game. The only major thing I have against the game is the inclusion of absolutely pointless stealth missions, which don't add to the game in any way, and are usually spoiled by the controls screwing up at the worst possible moment.
So, buy it, rent it, or leave it? Buy it. For the love of God, bo out and buy this game right now. Even if you don't like anything other than testosterone fuelled shoot-em-ups, this is a game that has to be played, no argument. It's usually going dirt cheap on eBay, or you can download it off the Xbox Originals section in the Live Marketplace. However you choose, this is a game that should not be missed.
-Ricass
