Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) PC Review

In recent years, graphics have overtaken gameplay and storyline in game importance. Fahrenheit (or Indigo Prophecy in North America) by Atari is an exception. The game begins as you take control of Lucas Kane, an introvert of sorts, who has just committed a violent murder in the bathroom of a New York City diner. The catch is, Lucas was in a trance and had no control over his actions. The first order of business is to escape without being caught or raising suspicion.

For the remainder of the game, you will play as Lucas as he runs from the police and tries to discover exactly why he killed this man. You'll also take control of the detectives investigating the crime and other major characters as well. The game plays out like a movie, and each move you make affects a later outcome.

I'd rather not ruin the story too much for you, so I'll move on to the breakdown.

Controls

The game uses pretty basic controls, but with a variety of purposes. The arrow keys are used to move your character around, the control key enters your PDA, and the mouse is used to perform actions. Conversations involve using the mouse to decide what will be asked/answered, and these decisions must be made in a short amount of time. There are also Shenmue/Simon-esque button-mashing portions in which you must press buttons in a sequence to do things ranging from staying quiet while an apartment is investigated to fighting your enemies. Once you get the basics down, you will easily get the hang of the game.

Graphics

As the game supports rather dated video hardware, you can't expect even a Half-Life 2 out of this, but the graphics are far from terrible. You also may notice that poured liquids are absent in the game, but these are just minor details.

Audio

The sounds in this game are great. I played through the game wearing a pair of headphones and felt truly immersed within the game. The character voice acting is very well done, and the environment sounds make up for any graphical lacking. In addition, the soundtrack fits the game quite well with songs from Theory of a Deadman and others.

Replay Value

With all the choices there are to make throughout the game, playing through multiple times will be almost a given. After finishing the game within six hours, I will gladly play through at another difficulty level and make some different choices.

In conclusion, though it might not be the longest or most graphically-enhanced game, Fahrenheit has an intriguing storyline and enjoyable gameplay. If you're a fan of games such as Silent Hill and Shenmue, this one is a buy. At the very least, if you have some time to spare and don't feel this review warrants a purchase, check your local rental store; within a week you should be able to play through it a few times.

This game is now available in all markets.

Indigo Prophecy Demo Thoughts

Half-Life 2 Mod: GoldenEye

GoldenEye Source : HL2 Modification

Check it out! I can't wait...

Steel Batallion Shutting Down

From Gamecloud

After spending over $200 on a game, you'd expect to be able to play it for quite a while. Well, 11 months after it was released, Capcom has decided to drop Steel Batallion servers. This is bound to piss many off.

Update

Revolution controller and tidbits...

SPOnG is reporting that Nintendo will finally be unveiling the controller for their next generation console, the Revolution, at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. The show, set to take place next month, will also be host to the announcement of Xbox 360 pricing for the Japanese market.


Tidbits:
-It is being reported that GAME, a retailer in the UK, has discontinued preorders for the Xbox 360 because due to a “phenomenal demand”. It seems they are unsure as to how many they will actually receive on launch.

-Nintendo has officially pushed back the release of Metroid Prime: Hunters DS to sometime in 2006. No date has been released as of yet.

-Capcom has submitted screens of the upcoming Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for the DS(get it? Deadly Silence? DS?) to Famitsu Weekly. No release date yet.

-According to a recent Japanese study, PSP usage is on the decline. I can only attribute this to the lack of enjoyable games.

-Origen360.com, apparently the home of Microsoft’s new Alternate-Reality Game, continues to get more interesting as the rabbit has moved to the other side of the tree, a hole has formed at the base of the tree, and an apple bearing what appears to be the MSN Messenger icon has appeared in the tree. More updates to come.

Check out Gnomeok.com!

Insanely overpriced bundles, anyone?

So we all know that game stores love to bundle new consoles with as many accessories as possible, but now they're just making a mockery of the Xbox 360 Core System. Gamestop has just announced the prices of their bundles. The only one including the Core system is priced at...you may want to sit down if you aren't currently doing so...$699.91! What do you get with this? Well, you get the core pack, Perfect Dark Zero: CE, Project Gotham Racing 3, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Dead or Alive 4, Call of Duty 2, an extra wired controller, a memory unit, and a 1-year replacement plan. Now, as you can see there is NO HARD DRIVE IN THIS BUNDLE. This, the CORE PACKAGE, was created with those people in mind who want to buy this bare-bones system as a gift. NO ONE WILL BE SPENDING $700 ON THE CORE SYSTEM! END OF STORY!

In other news, they also have an Ultimate Bundle which features the Premium Pack, the games listed above as well as GUN, Quake 4, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Condemned, Madden NFL 2006, Kameo, with extra accessories being an extra wireless controller, play & charge kit, a rechargeable battery, 12 months of LIVE, and the 1 year replacement warranty for a whopping $1199.83. This is just insane...I don't have much more to say...discuss it amongst yourselves.