Trace Memory (Nintendo DS)
This game is a point-and-click mystery following a 14 year old girl as she searches for her father that she hasn't seen since she was a child.
Presentation (Graphics and Audio):
The graphical art style in this game is very anime, and very good looking. The main world is an animated 3D top down environment and whenever Ashley gets close to a certain section of the room you can switch to a hand drawn visual to explore point and click style. The lighting and detail really sets the abandoned mansion mood they were going for.
The sound track is very good. Well above most handheld soundtracks.
For Presentation this game gets full marks.
Literary Value (Story):
Point-and-click games don't have much going for them except the story. So I'm often disappointed when point-and-clicks have bad stories. BUT, this game's story works. The main events of the story mostly involve Ashley rummaging around in the old mansion, but while rummaging around she gets bits and pieces of the history of the game. There are two main story lines: one following the original owners of the mansion, and another following her inventor father and the secret project he's been working on.
I will admit that I didn't get the best ending in the game, but even the bad ending was very satisfying.
Literary Value for this game is splendid.
Entertainment (Game play):
I don't really like the point-and-click genre. I usually feel like it doesn't give enough interaction to the player and I usually get stuck on one of its hundreds of ridiculous puzzles that don't make any sense. This game worked better than any point-and-click game I've played. The materials to solve the puzzles were located near-by. All the puzzles made sense, I got stuck a few times, but I knew what to do I just wasn't doing it quite right. My only complaint about the gameplay was the occasional use of the DS's microphone without any hint to use it and the fact that it was a point-and-click and therefore kinda dull to play. Very relaxing though.
It should be noted that this game is very short. It was my first time playing it and it only took seven hours, and it felt like less, I probably left it on while I was looking at something online. It was quality all the way, but very short.
Entertainment gets half-credit.
Respect (Gamer cred):
I will usually use this section to set apart the great games from the legendary games. I'm afraid it's going to set this game in the great game category. This game isn't obscure or anything, but it wasn't that popular. It's not multiplayer so you can't invite your friends to play it, and it's not the most manly game so it'd be hard for me to talk about it to a stranger without sounding kinda weird.
Sorry Ashley, but this game gets no Respect.
Overall
Presentation: Check
Literary Value: Check
Entertainment: Half-Check
Respect: None
Final Score: 2.5 / 4 (Above Average)
P.S. I bought this game for 6.99! It's worth twice that at least.
So today in class, my professor started teaching us about Flux. I almost lept out of my seat and yelled, "Great Scott!" In reality it's just a concept about something flowing past some surface.
And then...
We walked down a long flight of stairs. The temperature significantly dropped as we dove lower into the bowels of the facility.
"So Ash, just out of nagging curiosity, who's place was this?"
"Somebody from Reeva."
"Right."
We passed several empty hallways. Every once and a while, Ash would type into a computer terminal and read something in a language I didn't understand. I had to ask...
"So Ash, these people of Reeva, what exactly..."
"Happened to them!? You're asking a lot of questions. Questions you probably shouldn't ask. Just because I know how the people of Reeva died, doesn't mean I had anything to do with it!"
She looked aside realizing that her outburst had revealed too much. She turned around curtly and kept marching. The situation was obviously touchy, so I thought I'd keep my mouth shut from now on. I found that getting women angry is a bad idea, especially when they have guns.
We could hear the low stomping of the Golem class robot in the next room. Ash motioned us to follow her.
"The bigger they are..."
"No Ash, no. That's so overused."
"Fine. How 'bout..." -cocks gun-
"We'll work with it."
The Golem was tall with short stubby legs and a huge cylindrical torso. His one red eye glowed from the top of his head. He had one cannon attached to one arm, but the other just looked like a hand. These robots have an access panel on their lower backs with a convenient shutdown emergency cord inside. I ran out in front of the robot creating a distraction. The robot fired right away. These things were big, but not that slow. The blast landed next to me and threw me on my ass. I stared up into the monster's eye, but I should have been looking at his cannon because it was charging another blast.
I ran straight towards it and slid underneath it. I wound up lying next to Ash who was busy dismantling the access panel. She took a quick glance over at me and then her eyes opened in realization. The robot spun around promptly staring at me lying on the floor and Ash kneeling next to me where his access panel was just a minute ago. I decided now was a good time to head to bed back on Earth.
Until next time fellow pirates.
