Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and intruiging game, 23 May 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of fun. A lot of time moving between patients in a psychiatric hospital trying to piece together what happened to them, but as the tale unfolds it gets more engaging and you really want to find out what happened. Puzzles were taxing but none so insanely difficult or obscure that we had to look any up.
Also very importantly.. a satisfying ending! So many adventure games finish abruptley with questions unanswered.
I would really recommend this game to puzzle lovers everywhere. More please!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little unusual, 4 Dec 2008
Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars
I care more about the actual plot/game rather than graphics and voice acting (which are good in this case), so I'll comment on those.
What's good about this game: It starts with an interesting plot, which unfolds in a quite unique way, in small pieces from the end to the beginning. Little by little, Dr McNamara figures out what happened to his patients, which we get to play "in" their memories, a little further back in time each time. Their stories interwind as well, which makes it more interesting (eg someone heard a shot, while someone else later is revealed to be the one who shot his gun).
What's bad about it: Because it's played piece by piece, it's really an easy game - your inventory is 3-4 items big every time, and the hero has a very specific goal each time - how hard can this be? Playing McNamarra is (just) a bit more complex. The plot also disappointed me in the end - it started like it would be complex and rich, but it ended up quite cliched (as to who the "bad guys" were and why) and lacking background information - and even though there was a satisfyingly long ending, it didn't really give resolution (think something along the lines of "yes my dear friend, you are screwed up, but do go back to your life now as it was, so you can screw it up some more").
All in all it was an interesting game, and my main disappointment with it was its' plot - it promised a lot, which to me it failed to deliver. I would recommend it for playing, mostly because of its "curiosity", if you are not looking for hard games.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
As linear as a book, 28 Aug 2008
Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars
The two stars in my review go for competent voice acting and nice motion captured animation. Sadly, these are the only well executed parts of the game.
Overclockers: A History of Violence is so linear, the game-play is essentially "hunt the 'next' button", rather than using classic point & click puzzles and reasoning.
Rooms aren't open until they need to be, items in the inventory have little or no information until they are used, and characters reveal their motives or background only when it is convenient for the next plot point - so there is no chance to form any of the questions that keep players intrigued and interested, like "What is this for?" or "Where does that go?" "Why would they say that?".
This linearity also means that obvious connections between inventory and actions are often too fiddly to work without a walkthrough. I had to attempt blindingly obvious actions over and over again, until I had done something else that was entirely unconnected and seemingly irrelevant, before the game unlocked its functionality. There weren't even any hints of "Not yet" or "Maybe I should do something else first" as usually seen in the genre, to help you on your way. This isn't play - this is box-ticking.
Without the stimulus of imagination through a degree of free exploration and puzzling, I stuck it out for about 3 hours before giving up. Ultimately I just didn't care what happened to the protagonist or his 5 patients, or anthing else about the plot.
After having recently played "The Lost Crown", which excelled in story and plot but was atrocious in terms of voice acting and animation, I thought "Overclocked" would be a nice change of style. Turns out I'd rather have a complex and intriguing storyline over competent voice acting and motion capture any day.
Consider this a lesson well and truly learned!
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