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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the purchase if you own the classics, 21 May 2007
Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars
I originally bought this game 2 years ago on American import. As a fan of Broken Sword and other point and click adventures and considering this is the game that 'kicked started' the point and click revival I had to check it out.
The game pits Brian, a young genius who accidentally runs over the gorgeous Gina on the way to a University he's just been accepted at. Not long before he finds out that the most violent mafia in America is after her and its up to him to save her as well as uncover the truth around the mysterious artefact she was holding at the time of the accident.
Runaway is visually the best cartoon adventure out there. It's crystal clear, colourful and has its own unique art direction. However the plot half way through often reverts sololy to dull desert landscapes that don't leave much for the imagination no matter how hard the artists try.
Another let down is that the game simply isn't funny. I managed to chuckle the odd occasion thanks to the cross-dressing trio but it would be hard not to in such a situation. Besides this the game barely even tries. Fair enough there are plenty of adventures that go the serious route (Still Life, Syberia) but considering the cartoon backdrop and the art direction of the characters I'm pretty sure the programmers were after a more light-hearted approach.
But the biggest dilemma though is the pixel hunting sessions. Runaway is notorious as possibly the hardest game for pixel hunting. The game's level design is so polished that it's hard to make out items in more built up locations or distinguish between items you can and cannot use.
Puzzles are fairly logical although some may stump (you cannot create peanut butter by leaving peanuts and butter in the sun).
Overall the game has great atmosphere, the animation (bar the FMVs where the lip synching of characters would have looked dreadful even in native Spain) is some of the best and even the music is quite touching. Still I'd advise downloading the Sam & Max series from Telltale games or Ankh before getting my mitts on this.
Can you play the sequel first? I'd advise for it. It's fairly stand alone as there aren't that many plot features in this game worth remembering other than how Gina and Brian got together in the first place, and scenery wise the sequel has more variety, as with the characters.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic, 14 May 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Runaway is one of those games where you really don't know what to expect; there haven't been many adventure games in recent years, and even less that have actually been any good. The plot of Runaway is just a bit strange, and involves the mafia, alien abduction and Indians!
The game is very enjoyable, and while sometimes trying to find some of the item can be trick an frustrating, the overall experience is great. While the plot is a bit odd, it does get you involved, and is quite a good story. If you liked the old days of point and click adventure games, I really recommend you give this game a shot.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Broken Sword Wannabe, 6 April 2008
Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars
There are a number of ways to rate an adventure game that differ greatly from any other type of game. We'll start on familiar territory.
Graphics; very aesthetically pleasing but not well thought out in this case. While graphics aren't an essential selling point of a point-and-click its best that they're as clear as possible so that we don't have to resort to trawling the cursor over every inch of the screen like we're dragging for bodies at the river. In most of these games we'll end up doing that when we're stuck anyway but, in this one, you'll find yourself doing it *all the god damned time*. Plus there's a bunch of objects at *every* location which, ultimately, is completely useless to us. Yeah, I know that 'Red Herrings' are another essential but this goes way too far.
'The Runaway' gets a star for being visually stunning but should lose it again for having clues and other objects frustratingly badly hidden. I'm feeling generous.
Plot; The plot in this game sucks. An adventure game is like an interactive movie and is therefore highly plot driven. I'd give it a point for originality but take it away for just sucking.
Characters; It loses another point here. The main character, Brian Bosco, is a buff nerd who wears glasses he doesn't need (and feels the need to explain this in great detail when he comes to lose them) about to start his degree on the other in a college on the other side of the country. He's very Mary Sue, (an idealised version of the writer) which is worrying because he's extremely easily manipulated by his sexy stripper love interest who talks him into body guarding her but does nothing but lie and omit sections of the truth while doing so. Gina is the only interesting character, largely because she's a liar and we don't get to find out some basic truths about her until several acts into the story. She may be the creator's ideal woman, which is a plus in this case, but it could indicate that he associates lies with women so much that even his dream girl can't stop doing so. The villains are stereotypical Mafia from some cheesy kids show. (actually, no... cartoon mobsters are usually parodies of The Godfather and don't come off so badly). You wouldn't expect mobsters so cheesy in even the worst film/show/game that is intended for adults.
Dialogue and Acting: couldn't get any worse. The script is atrocious. If this story was presented in any other genre the writer would face execution in some countries. Nothing said in this game feels like it would be somebody's natural response in the given situation, not that the situations in the game would happen day to day. I don't know if I should put it down to the script or voice actors but even an actor can discuss their lines with the director/producers in order to make them feel more organic. Saying that I sincerely doubt that there was a director, not for the dialogue, at least.
Cut scenes: These are essential to any game, not just the adventure genre, as they explain the next objectives to the player. While they're possibly more important for a PAC adventure, being that story and environment work together to provide important clues and useful tools, these ones just go on WAY too long. First you get the end of the act, then you have to put up with Brian Bosco sitting in a director's chair for 5 minutes as he gives you the highlights of what you've just done, the highlights of the scenes we don't see and his personal reflections on both, followed by the opening of the next act. It's immensely boring and, inspite of the OOT amount of information provided, leave you with a only a vague sense of what you're meant to do next.
So this game fails on 4 out of the 5 factors I was rating on. I gave an extra star out of sheer generosity and gave 3 out of 5 for 'fun' although, again, that may have been out of the kindness of my heart.
I would tell you not to buy it but there just aren't enough games of this type for me to say that. It's sad; there are so few of them and when one does come out it's as bad as this so it's not going to cause more demand in the market.
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