Emily Wagner

The game is a non-linear game wherein the player makes the decisions in how the characters prodeed. The game follows a murder mystery and the player plays the main character Lucas(the murderer), and the two decetives, Carla and Tyler. The scenes switch bewteen the detectives and Lucas so that the play can direct the mystery. HOwever, after playing the game, I have found that while the game may sem non-linear, there are certain tasks that the characters must complete before things will go forward, like the game will not allow the detectives to leave the scene of the crime until they have found all of the evidence, when perhaps in my directing of the story, I might wish them to overlook something, but the game itself will not allow me to.

I found that playing the story felt clumsy- because there are tasks to be preformed, but I have to figure them out before proceeding whereas to read or watch the story, there is none of this guess work involved, while there is still a participatory element in reading and watching, it is obviously not quite the same as playing. I know that part of this is due to my general aversion to playing games that do not involve rolling a katamari ball or stacking falling pigs to reach a cupcake, but I guess I don't find myself enjoying games where the aim is more ambiguous. Adventure is somewhat similar in that you can do whatever you want, but only within certain parameters before it feels like the computer digs in its heels, so to speak, and won't let you proceed in the way you want. For example, it says that there is a tower in the distance, but you can't just say, "Go to tower" you have to first figure out which direction the tower is in, in much the same way I cannot make my character in Indigo Prophecy leave the apartment in his boxers because the computer will not allow me to even though I am supposedly in control.

King's Quest was different in that while the player decides on the direction of the game play, but there tasks seem somewhat more clear and the game is set in a somewhat familiar fairytale world with references to things that are known to nearly all who play the game, you come across a ginger bread house and can anticipate what you will come across, much the same with the witches and trolls.

The murder mystery itself seems pretty cheesy to me and the dialogue is really silly, too. The game employs devices taht we see in movies all the time, but somehow, in the form of the game, they are really silly, like to good ole look in the mirror and freak out shot. *sigh* seen it.

And what's the deal with the Shaft-esque music when he walks through the door at the police station, that annoyed me, it just made me wish I was watching as real movie and not playing a movie game.