Barrow Hill soon...

[Melanie68]

An FYI - I got an email late this morning saying that Shadow Tor Studios should be getting the Barrow Hill (http://www.adventuregamers.com/gameinfo.php?id=467) games in this afternoon and they will be shipped as soon as they are packaged. :)

Edit: I preordered the game, hence the email.. :)

[Lucien21]

I got the same mail.

One game and bonus soundtrack CD should be on it's way soon.

Yipee.

[Melanie68]

I got the soundtrack too. :) I'm looking forward to the game.

[colpet]

Me too! I had thought that all of the first 100 went to GB members, since so many there preordered the game :) .

[Fien]

Number 4 here. Hope the game is as interesting as it looks.

[Jelena]

Anyone of you with pre-orders planning on playing Barrow Hill right away?
I´m curious about the game, but I´d love to get some opinions from someone before getting it myself. I know Colpet has a lot of other games before B.H. But perhaps anyone else?
Colpet btw: Are you strictly playing the games in the order you buy them? Or do some games seem so interesting you play them directly and others stay on the shelf?

[MaryScots]

And No. 5 would be me :D I know about a No. 6, too, over at our forums. Maybe we manage to track down the complete Top 100. ;)

Anyone of you with pre-orders planning on playing Barrow Hill right away?
I´m curious about the game, but I´d love to get some opinions from someone before getting it myself. I know Colpet has a lot of other games before B.H. But perhaps anyone else?

I'll definitely play it right away as long as it arrives before Easter. :) There aren't any other games out in Germany at present so I'm very happy about the news!

[AFGNCAAP]

If you don't mind me asking, what in particular excites you guys about the game and made you pre-order it? At first glance it doesn't seem to have any features that would set it apart from other indie games like Dark Falls, Shady Brook, etc. Thanks. :)

[avatar_58]

Graphically this game looks amazing, but I wonder if the rest of it is just as good.

[colpet]

The first 100 pre orders get a bonus soundtrack CD.
At first glance it doesn't seem to have any features that would set it apart from other indie games like Dark Falls, Shady Brook, etc. Thanks. :)
Exactly. Those were fun games, and Dark Fall is in my all time fave list. Why wouldn't I want a similar game? It will have a different slant, in that you get involved in an archeological investigation.

Colpet btw: Are you strictly playing the games in the order you buy them? Or do some games seem so interesting you play them directly and others stay on the shelf?
I usually play the games I'm in the mood for. I try to intersperse oldies with newer releases. Most of the solitary exploration games I save for playing with my partner.

[MaryScots]

If you don't mind me asking, what in particular excites you guys about the game and made you pre-order it?

I have have several reasons. The subtitle on Barrow Hill's website says 'Archaeology meets Adventure' - I'm very interested in archaeology/history and I love adventures. Then the game is set in Cornwall where I've spend my holidays twice, so I know the county quite well and visited some of it's prehistoric sites. Those are the reasons I want to play it. :) The offer of possibly getting a limited edition including a soundtrack CD was my incentive to pre-order it. :D

At first glance it doesn't seem to have any features that would set it apart from other indie games like Dark Falls, Shady Brook, etc. Thanks. :)

I liked the Dark Fall games very much, so, like colpet, I actually think it's good that Barrow Hill might be a similar game, not to mention the fact that Jonathan Boakes helped as an advisor to the development team. :) And if it shows additional or different features which might even make it more interesting to play than Dark Fall I'm all for it!

[Melanie68]

If you don't mind me asking, what in particular excites you guys about the game and made you pre-order it?

The setting and the Celtic themes and the prospect of getting the bonus added to it (this is the first game I've ever preordered). :)

[Fien]

Anyone of you with pre-orders planning on playing Barrow Hill right away?

Yes. ;)

[Ninth]

The first 100 pre orders get a bonus soundtrack CD.

Exactly. Those were fun games, and Dark Fall is in my all time fave list.
Darkfall 2 is kind of bleh, though. I wouldn't jump on a game because it's said to be similar to Darkfall myself (I loved it, in case you're wondering), because Darkfall's quality is due to its perfect atmosphere rather than to its settings.

[AFGNCAAP]

Is it similar to Dark Fall, though? Because I didn't mean to say they are alike, just that there is nothing that, in my eyes, makes Barrow Hill stand out from a lot of other commercial one-man efforts, ranging from (good) Dark Fall to (bad) The Arrangement. I"ve heard almost nothing of the game during the development, the official site has very little info (I admit the screenshots are nice, but I only noticed that after avatar_58 said so), and the game is, as far as I understand, Matt Clark's debut. So I started wondering whether there was some more coverage (eg. on Gameboomers) I had totally missed that made people jump on preordering, especially those like Mel who never had done this before. :)

[Melanie68]

So I started wondering whether there was some more coverage (eg. on Gameboomers) I had totally missed that made people jump on preordering, especially those like Mel who never had done this before. :)

Well I only really read about adventure games here and I had seen the screenshots and then visited the official website. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision. The game just looked really cool and I've been needing a good immersive experience so I went for it. :)

[avatar_58]

Wait, is this being released in North America?

[colpet]

My understanding is that is is only being sold by the developer via his web site. There is no other distribution method as yet.

[Hamham Chan]

My understanding is that is is only being sold by the developer via his web site. There is no other distribution method as yet.

I preordered it from a swedish onlineshop:
[link removed]
:)

[colpet]

Here's the comment from the Barrow Hill website:
Q: Can I get Barrow Hill anywhere else?
A: At present, only Shadow Tor Studios offers Barrow Hill. If you buy the game elsewhere, you should be aware that purchasing pirate copies is illegal. Those who support and perform piracy are liable for criminal prosecution. Piracy is a crime and damages the games industry.

Trading a copy of Barrow Hill is not illegal, but keep in mind that is hard to differentiate between legitimate and illegal copies online. If in doubt, please email us to check the potential purchase/trade using this email: sales@shadowtorstudios.co.uk (sales@shadowtorstudios.co.uk). Please do not support piracy. It does affect whether games get commissioned, produced and released.

[fov]

Hamham, I removed your link until we can get confirmation from the developer about whether that shop is an authorized seller of the game.

[Hamham Chan]

Hamham, I removed your link until we can get confirmation from the developer about whether that shop is an authorized seller of the game.

Ok, i had no idea that the game might be piratecopy?:\

[fov]

According to the developer, it's not an authorized dealer and he won't be sending them any copies of Barrow Hill.

You should probably cancel your order and go through the official website instead.

[avatar_58]

Is it digital distribution or a boxed copy sent via the mail?

[Melanie68]

This was in the email:

After a slightly longer than expected duplication process I am also pleased
to say that I expect the games to arrive at Shadow Tor Studios this
afternoon and will be shipped as soon as packaged.

It sounds like a physical CD and box to me. :) I'll check their website too.

Edit: http://www.barrow-hill.co.uk/sales/index.htm

It's on a DVD too.

[Hamham Chan]

According to the developer, it's not an authorized dealer and he won't be sending them any copies of Barrow Hill.

You should probably cancel your order and go through the official website instead.

I´ll definitely cancel my order, i wouldn´t want to get a piratecopy.

[Kolorabi]

Just got this nice e-mail from Shadow Tor Studios:

Hello from Cornwall,

Your Barrow Hill order has shipped!

It is my great pleasure to let you know that your order for 'Barrow Hill:
Archaeology meets Adventure' has shipped from Cornwall, England. It is
rather special that Barrow Hill is travelling from the actual setting of the
game, as we believe the game captures some of this county's magic and
mysticism.

Each package is packed, checked and posted by myself, from Shadow Tor
Studios, based in the harbour town of Looe.

For now, as the game travels to your door, may I say a personal 'thank you'
for purchasing Barrow Hill, and hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I
enjoyed creating it.

Matt Clark
Shadow Tor Studios
Cornwall
England

The game only costs $25, including shipping. More info at http://www.barrow-hill.co.uk/

Edit: I notice my post was moved here by a moderator, and just thought I'd clarify that I didn't pre-order the game. It's available now from the official website (they also sent out a press release today, btw - I'm sure it'll be mentioned on adventuregamers soon, but in the meantime it can be found here: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16292).

[Hamham Chan]

Hamham, I removed your link until we can get confirmation from the developer about whether that shop is an authorized seller of the game.

According to the developer, it's not an authorized dealer and he won't be sending them any copies of Barrow Hill.

You should probably cancel your order and go through the official website instead.

Well, i still went ahead and bought the game from that onlineshop mentioned earlier.The game arrived today at my local postoffice.
Here´s a picture of the game.Is it an official copy or a pirate copy?
Anyone know?

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/673/p1010136gu1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Jackal]

Well, Lighthouse is distributing it, and there's nothing about that photo that suggests piracy, but that still doesn't guarantee it's genuine. (Lighthouse has a nice big cover photo on its website for anyone to "borrow"). Given that they were offering the game back when it wasn't legally available remains suspicious.

Amazon UK is showing October 5th as release date, so I guess the question is whether the game is actually out anywhere yet (besides North America, I mean).

[smulan]

Looks like the european Lighthouse Interactive edition, there´s different publishers for Europe And America. In other words, looks official to me.

[aries323]

HI :)

I don't think a unofficial (or 'pirate') copy of the game would have the www.pegi.info rating (pegi is similar to ESRB in the US and the USK in Germany and the BBFC in Britain)

http://www.pegi.info/pegi/search.do;jsessionid=7BA815CCBF8303CD332E7CB8B84CE 693

on 7+ on the game's cover.

An according to this website the release date is october 1st 2006

http://store.digitalriver.com/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayPage&Locale=en_GB&id=ProductDetailsPage&SiteID=lighthou&productID=47957900

And according to this site,

http://www.barrow-hill.co.uk/

the game will hit the shelves in September &
October 2006. Even if the game is being released in UK in October 2006,
this doesn't mean that the game hasn't been released in say Scandinavia
in September 2006.

aries323

[Hamham Chan]

A Swedish game magazine, PC Gamer, had an ad for Barrow Hill in their latest issue.The ad had a picture of the game cover, and it looks just like the one i have.
So it´s highly likely that my copy of Barrow Hill is an official version.:)

[Manny_Calavera]

yeah i played...it sucked!
gamespot gave it 2.6
http://au.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/barrowhill/review.html?q=barrow%20hill

[Jackal]

I'm hearing wishful thinking, not reasoning. Of course a pirate would make it look legitimate. As I said, this exact cover is available at the Lighthouse site. Anyone could use it to create an authentic looking cover. That's child's play.

If the store is reputable overall, it's probably fine. But the fact that they were offering in several months ago is still extremely suspect.

[Hamham Chan]

I'm hearing wishful thinking, not reasoning. Of course a pirate would make it look legitimate. As I said, this exact cover is available at the Lighthouse site. Anyone could use it to create an authentic looking cover. That's child's play.

If the store is reputable overall, it's probably fine. But the fact that they were offering in several months ago is still extremely suspect.

That is quite suspect.Maybe the store was told in advance of the Lighthouse edition of the game?

yeah i played...it sucked!
gamespot gave it 2.6
http://au.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/...=barrow%20hill

I disagree, the game is really good.:)
Althought it reminds me a lot of Dark Fall.

[aries323]

HI :)

Nearly all game magazines do have adds in them to portray or help sell games coming out during the next month(s). I distinctly remember seeing several adds in the Danish PC Magazine for a game called Neverwinter Nights 2.

I don't think it is suspicius that the latest (probably the sept. 06 issue of the PC Gamer Magazine in Sweden) did have an add for Barrow Hill. Lighthouse interactive, which is handling the publishing of the game in the EU, probably
paid so that they could get the game exposed a bit, before the October (or september release).

Also, I'm have only been able to find the front cover of the Barrow Hill on the website. I'm pretty sure that no-one can make an exact copy of the game's back cover - especially since it is there the price marker or bar code is. And since each game, or product, has its own bar code, well - you get the point.
(I hope...)

Maybe the Swedish online site just pre-ordered some games at the Barrow Hill website to be sold through the online sites to Swedish customers ?



I don't know is this is the right way to it, but you have to understand that sometimes this is the only way that we Scandinavians can get hold of the UK version of an adventure game. [The most recent adventure game I've seen sold in stores here in Denmark is, in fact, BS4: The Angel of Death].

On a side note, I haven't seen Tunguska in any store yet, nor Paradise nor
Secrets of Da Vinci. (if its out yet ?) Only the high profiled adventure games like BS4 (or Syberia) do ever get to appear in Danish (or Swedish) stores, mainly because there aren't enough customers buying these games, i.e. adventure games.

Also, credit cards are not used as widely in Sweden and Denmark as a payment method; this means that the majority of the people in Sweden and Denmark don't have international credit cards like Mastercard etc. This again means that most of us can't order games online - as an international credit card seems to be required in order to do so.

aries323

[Terramax]

yeah i played...it sucked!
gamespot gave it 2.6
http://au.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/barrowhill/review.html?q=barrow%20hill

Not that I'm that interested in this game, but gamespot is for the mainstream target. Nothing without machine guns, decapitation and gangster really seem to go above 8.0 in sites like that.

[QFG]

Not that I'm that interested in this game, but gamespot is for the mainstream target. Nothing without machine guns, decapitation and gangster really seem to go above 8.0 in sites like that.

Don't forget zombies!

[Dale Baldwin]

Not that I'm that interested in this game, but gamespot is for the mainstream target. Nothing without machine guns, decapitation and gangster really seem to go above 8.0 in sites like that.
Please don't start this again.

[Panthera]

On a side note, I haven't seen Tunguska in any store yet, nor Paradise nor
Secrets of Da Vinci. (if its out yet ?) Only the high profiled adventure games like BS4 (or Syberia) do ever get to appear in Danish (or Swedish) stores, mainly because there aren't enough customers buying these games, i.e. adventure games.
aries323

Tunguska isn't out yet in Skandinavia. It's being released 27 oct... :)

[aries323]

Tunguska isn't out yet in Skandinavia. It's being released 27 oct... :)

HI :)

The point was more to point out that great adventure games like Paradise
and Secrets of Da Vinci and also Return to Mysterious Island as well as Voyage (to the moon) and also Journey to the Center of the Earth or
Anhk as well as Al Emmo.

To stay more on topic, the Nordic release for Barrow Hill was Sept 29 2006, according to this site:

http://www.tothegame.com/gamebrowse.asp?letter=b&platform=pc&category=3&status=released&page=1&sort=title&sortdir=asc

Also, Tunguska is being released in Scandinavia October 27th, and Secrets of Da Vinci were released in May 2006 (I think).

I haven't noticed this though :( ---

The point is also to tell that at least in Denmark (Europe) where I live, we may get the adventure gamers, but stores (like EB Games and such) will not have many copies of adventure games, since there isn't much sale in adventure games, at least not in Denmark. (However, if I can afford it, I tend to buy every (good) adventure game, I can get my hands on, just to show stores that there is a market for these games).

(If you're lucky, you might get adventure games at discount prices if they have been released again by sold out or best buy).

If stores (in Denmark) have adventure games, they tend to have them for maybe 2-3 months or so, and then other games take up shelf space at stores like EB Games or other stores that sells videogames. (EB Games or maybe Gamestop is the only stores in Denmark which exclusively focus on selling games).

This means that you have to be very quick and alert when buying adventure games like i.e. Barrow Hill - especially since most of us do not have unlimited funding to buy adventure games.

aries323

Tunguska isn't out yet in Skandinavia. It's being released 27 oct... :)

HI :)

Thank you so much for this information, You have just made my day :)

aries323

[Panthera]

Yeah, I know what you mean.. I convinced my fav. store to get Paradise but when they got it I hadn't the money to buy it, and when I got the money, the game had dissapeared.. :(

I've also been trying to get hold of Secrets of Da Vinci, but the store claims it hasn't been released in UK yet (that's where they import from) and it seems it hasn't got a Scandinavian publisher, so I doubt if we'll ever see it here.. :frown:

I've bought most of my ag's in the used section, because the store accept games from all parts of the world. I've seen a german Atlantis version among other things..

At least I can buy Tunguska soon.. :)

(here in Oslo we have two (that I know of) stores that specialise in selling games, EB games and Spiderman)

[aries323]

HI :)

Barrow Hill should come out as a UK release during this week, I think...

And Secrets of Da Vinci should have been released in Nordic countries by Nobilis and in the UK at May 12th 2006.

aries323

[BlueStinger]

HI :)

Barrow Hill should come out as a UK release during this week, I think...

aries323

It was released yesterday (6th) in the UK.

Hope play.com get mine to me Monday morning!