Overclocked/Has anyone played it?

[mgeorge]

This game looks very good to me. Seems like the storys coming before the puzzles which is fine with me.

Anyone played it or know if there's going to be a demo soon. It's gone gold and slated to be availible in the US on Mar 31st.

Thanks a lot.

[oerhört]

I've played it for five hours or so, the german version that is.

So far, I've found it to be quite mediocre. Lots of apparent holes in the progression logic, mediocre puzzles, mediocre animation/graphics and mediocre dialogue/voices. The music is excellent, as is the concept of the game, but so far it's really struggling to convince.

I remain hopeful that it gets better further on.

[aries323]

I've played a bit of the German demo. It seems to be a very good game. However, the game is also a bit weird as

you go through the memories of your patients.

As said, there is a German demo out. It can be downloaded from Filefront, I think. But it means you have to understand German, of course :)

[buddi]

I played the French demo for this game and I am anxious to play the rest. Today is the scheduled release, but I can't find any info about buying it online or at Canadian retailers. If someone finds this game, PLEASE let me know :D

[Ascovel]

I've played Overclocked. It's not for everyone with its depressing atmosphere, but at the same time it feels very fresh, because of the multidemensional approach to violence in human lives. Also, the game starts rather slow, the first two chapters are basically all about giving story & characters background information. It pays off in the end, however - the tensions and relationships felt so much more real. I wasn't too fond of the puzzles - I found nothing exciting about figuring them out. It's a game to be played for the complex storyline and its presentation. I've also heard there's a certain amount of alternative pathways in the way the main hero deals with his patients towards revealing the key information, so the game might be replayable.

[Igor]

Wasn't English version supposed to be out already?

[Ascovel]

On 31st March, Lighthouse started shipping to retail. Orientational release date in stores is 11th April. And that's only for U.S.

[misslilo]

And appearantly it will be on Gamersgate - by mid april

[Wouter]

What on earth is going on with pc game prices these days? I just pre-ordered Overclocked for 21 euro and perry rhodan for 24 euro on play.com. In a shop in belgium, i just saw assasin's creed for 35 euro, pc version.

Did i miss something?

[Stain]

I saw it in Walmart in Canada today. $40 Cdn

[Gamegirl]

You've seen it in Canada?! I can't wait to play it and it's not available on Amazon.ca. My brother went to Walmart today and looked for me but it wasn't there. Maybe next week. Thanks, now I'll keep my hopes up. :)

[Stain]

You've seen it in Canada?! I can't wait to play it and it's not available on Amazon.ca. My brother went to Walmart today and looked for me but it wasn't there. Maybe next week. Thanks, now I'll keep my hopes up. :)

That's right, I am not sure which part of Canada you live in, but I saw it at a Walmart in Edmonton, Alberta. Cheers.

[Buko]

Overclocked is number "4" at Gamespot "most popular games" in the PC section and number "10" in the "overall" section. Thats not something you see everyday for an adventure game!

:-)

[Nelza]

How do you think it will compare on PS3 to PC in terms of graphics, controls, etc.

[Gabe]

How do you think it will compare on PS3 to PC in terms of graphics, controls, etc.

LOL, game reqs. 1.3 GHz Pentium or AMD processor and
512 MB RAM so better to compare with ps2.

[CoyoteAG]

I received my copy today.

I'm very excited to play it!! I want to put it in right now, but I don't want to start it until I have a good chunk of time to devote to it.

[mgeorge]

Please let us know how it is!

Thank you.

[BlueSpawn]

I tried to play the German Demo, but because I have an ATI 2600 HD graphics card, the first cutscene of the demo is pure black. There's a patch for fixing this problem, however, the patch is only for the FULL german version, not the demo.

I tried to find the cutscene online, like youtube perhaps, but no such luck. I wonder if anybody has it posted somewhere.

[Sik]

I've played it for a few hours, and so far, I don't like it much. I can't quite put my finger on why, though. I like what it tries to do, it's just not working for me. There are so many little things I find annoying. The voice acting isn't bad, but dialogue feels flat, uninteresting and slow. Choice of camera angles is terrible at times. The dark and gloomy atmosphere looked great in screenshots, but it does nothing to draw me into the game. None of that would matter much if the story was interesting and the story-telling good. So far it's not, but I'm only a few hours in. I'll pick it up again later, and I really want to like this game, so I hope my first impressions are wrong.

[Gabe]

Overrated @
http://pc.ign.com/articles/865/865809p1.html

[Ascovel]

Overrated @
http://pc.ign.com/articles/865/865809p1.html

The review makes it seem like the game is only about solving the main mystery, which is not true.

[Fien]

The review makes it seem like the game is only about solving the main mystery, which is not true.

Agreed. It's like the review missed the point of Overclocked. I played the game in German many months ago and I don't want to repeat myself, so I'll just say I loved it. I find it interesting that the German reviews were generally positive, whereas the three English reviews I've just finished reading are much more negative. And since when is a B- (at JA) a just-don't-expect-too-much adventure? Talking of inflation of rating systems...!

[jonnyboy162]

It is true, this game is certainly not for everyone. It has a very depressing mood about it, but if you enjoyed the moment of silence (which is easily one of my top adv. games) you have to give this game a try. The story unfolds at a good pace i thought, and the graphics were very smooth, especially if you turn up the resolution. Some of the characters felt thrown in at times, but it never diverted me from the main story. One gripe i do have with this game though, is there isnt that many locations to explore, and it does feel pretty linear even though you play as separate characters, also the puzzles weren't that hard to figure out. Many of them are simple inventory based. All in all though, if you want a game with a good story, and a different approach to adventure games, get a copy ASAP.:D:D

[Ascovel]

And since when is a B- (at JA) a just-don't-expect-too-much adventure? Talking of inflation of rating systems...!

I often have the impression that JA is too forgiving to give a grade below B to a highly expected title. From only reading the text portion of the review I would guess the final grade for the game is not higher than C.

Personally, I think the letter grades rating system may be not the most fortunate one. It makes rating a game seem like giving a grade to a student - the reviewer wonders how to encourage the specific game designer - and for some students even B can be a bad grade.

[Fien]

I often have an impression that JA is too forgiving to give a grade below B to a highly expected title.

That may be true, yes. I'm not sure that's a good thing though.

On the other hand, JA often gives an A or even an A+ to games that, according to the reviewers themselves, are definitely not flawless. Voiceacting is important and if the voiceacting sucks, the game does not deserve an A+. Imo, imo. :D A recent example being the JA review of The Lost Crown. That's what I meant by inflating the grading system.

[Kazmajik]

I think I'll wait for the review here at this site. The reception so far is rather lukewarm, which is a shame since I was looking forward to this title. Comparisons to Moment of Silence don't really convince me that this will be that great of a game, but we'll see.

[CoyoteAG]

Overrated @
http://pc.ign.com/articles/865/865809p1.html

That review does absolutely nothing to temper my enthusiasm for the game.

[mgeorge]

I thought IGN gave a more postive review of the game than JA which I find a bit strange. I for one am going to pick it up because it sounds like it's right up my alley. Someone said pretty puzzles but good story. I'm there!

I've almost finished Tunguska, and while I like the game, it's mostly because of the story. Some of the puzzles are ridiculous and I've found in the few AG's I've played this is often the case. I really enjoyed Culpa Innata, but again, seems like some of the puzzles had little bearing on the story and were put there merely to prolong gameplay.

I guess that's what AG's are about though. Most people here seem to enjoy really difficult puzzles. The harder the better. But for someone like myself coming from more of an FPS/RPG background, it's kind of dissapointing to be playing a game with a very good story, and then find out I have to place a cell phone on a cat to record someones conversation. It takes away from the immersion for me.

So in the case of Overclocked, I'm really hoping it's a story driven game as it's been said it is, with logical puzzles.

[Ascovel]

I think Overclocked is not for everyone and the very varied opinions about it reflect that.

Regarding the general notion of puzzles undermining story progression, I hate nothing more than being stuck in a game with (supposedly) easy puzzles, and somehow that happens a lot for all kinds of reasons. In games with more difficult puzzles I have a completely different approach to trying to solve problems around me.

[Sik]

I haven't had much time for games lately, but a little further into Overclocked, one thing is bothering me to the point where I'm tempted to just play through the game with a walkthrough to be done with it. The game is incredibly linear. I'm fine with that in itself. It's a story driven game, and telling a good story in a non-linear fashion is tricky. The problem is that progression is based on triggers, and missing out on one such event means you are fumbling blindly unable to progress at all until you stumble upon it.

One example (full puzzle solution included):
I got a hint about a patient having a favorite radio channel. I talked to the patient, and got told that I needed something to help him remember. Very well, there's one in Dr. Young's office, but he won't let me take it so I'll lure him out somehow. I have an alarm pager, so I'll try to set it off. "I shouldn't use that unless I have to" ...oh well, must be something else. After looking for something to do for a while, I went into a cell with an aggressive patient, used the alarm pager, and Dr. Young came running. Hmm, maybe that triggered something.

I tried to fake an alarm again, but... "I shouldn't use that unless I have to". I was certain that was the solution, so I tried the pager in every location, but no luck. Frustrated, I talked to the patient who needed a radio show again, but it gave the same feedback as last time. Walked around some looking for clues, but I could only talk to that one patient, and there aren't exactly an abundance of hotspots to interact with in the game. At some point, completely at random, I tried the alarm pager again, and got "Good idea, but I should go outside so he won't see me." I went outside, used the pager, and hey, the doctor went out so I could get the radio and continue.

Turns out, what I was expected to do was:
1. Enter cell 5, get attacked, use alarm pager.
2. Talk to patient in cell 3
3. Try to take radio
4. Go outside the office and use alarm pager
5. Go outside the building and use alarm pager.

I had done all of this, but failed to repeat 2 and 3 after 1, so I spent more than an hour on a very obvious puzzle.

If this was a one time thing, I would be fine with it, but every time I get stuck it's because I failed to do something in the exact order the developers intended. I've done all the steps, just not in the right order, and there's no feedback to indicate what I'm doing wrong. I don't mind getting stuck, but trying the same things over and over in case it triggers something new this time gets old fast.

[ssa]

Press avarage rating is descent.
I want to see for my self how this investigating peoples memories plays out.
Comparisons to Moment of Silence sounds good to me.

3 good enough reasons for me to get the game, but I'm not in a hurry. I'll get it eventually regardless what else any reviews say. :)

[Aurebesh]

Was the English version of this game released on 1 dual-layer DVD or 2 single-layer DVDs?

[buddi]

I agree with some of the frustrations people have with this game, having played through a fair bit of it. I really like the flashback sequences and the way the story unfold in backwards order from different viewpoints. Unfortunately, the frame story is very limited and poorly executed. Often there doesn't seem to be a lot of motivation for what David is to do next, I find myself wasting a lot of time going over and over things trying to find the right trigger or right order of triggers. The animations that go with every character interaction make this especially tedious and detract from the immersion in the story, it really takes me out of it to have a big argument with someone and then just nod and say "see ya" or be told to "have a nice day."

I can't help comparing this game to Next Life. Next Life also had a frame story with limited environments and inventory items and most of the game play consisted of talking to people and gathering information, but despite poor voice acting and mediocre graphics, they managed to keep the locations and characters varied and interesting over several days of game time. So far I think the story of Overclocked is great, but I wish the developers had paid a little more attention to creating a mood to enhance it, rather than just repeating the same old generic sound bites.

[Thello]

I think the most worrisome part of the JA review is this:

"If you liked this game, then
Play: Indigo Prophecy"

Indigo Prophecy had one of the single worst-written plots I've ever experienced in any medium. This isn't the comparison they're trying to draw, is it?

[bingusdreggs]

I didn't see it like that... I kept thinking it was a bit more like the movie "Memento".

[NikolasFigaro]

First of all, I have to admit one minor thing: I generally despise european made adventure games (except for the ones coming from the UK), mainly because the production values (graphics, voice-overs, and therefore the whole atmosphere/experience) are utterly crap. Sometimes the story/plot is bearable, the puzzles are ok, but in general we are talking about games that we wouldn't even touch (let alone play) 10-15 years ago.

That said, when I first played Overclocked I was pleasintly suprised because of the above average production values. Nothing too fancy, but nevertheless better than the majority of adventures released in the recent past. I really insist that an adventure should have decent production values, since they can complete the whole "package". The atmosphere and the immersion of an adventure depend on these, throw in a good and addictive plot, and you are on the way to glory.

But the first good impression gave in to boredom, repetition and a lot of plot holes. I finished the game last night and my conclusions are:

1. Way too short. Most of the game you watch cutscenes.
2.The plot is -eventually- nothing to go crazy about, and there are a lot of holes.
3. From a certain point the game is very repetitive and extremely boring. I couldn't wait till the game was over so I could go on to something better.

Anyway, imho, production values+ intriguing story = success. In this case the nice wrapping could not cover up the generally weak plot. Another big disappointment in a looong streak of disappointments this year.

[Gabe]

I didn't see it like that... I kept thinking it was a bit more like the movie "Memento".

Exactly,why i remarked before as been there done that experience,compare to MOS this time quite unimaginative outcome even pushing hard on graphics aspect (unnecessarly repeating zoom in sequences trying to give a hopeless 3d feel,myst games used to do that and wondered coz of that game 2 dvds)doesnt hide actually not much going on out there and there's a lot less here than meets the eye.

[LGH]

Well, I actually liked the game.

Finding the right trigger when working with the patients may have been sometimes unnerving, the main plot may have had some minor holes and the final story outcome is nothing too world shaking.

BUT...

The game had A LOT of atmosphere. I liked the general mood, I loved the hotel and bar scenes. Music and cutscenes were once again gorgeous.

Martin once told that his ambition was to write a game that has a soul. And I think he succeeded...

When comparing Overclocked and The Moment of Silence, I must admit that I prefer TMOS. Overclocked's interface is much better (I just mention "hot spots" and "pathfinding"), but I loved the long and immersive dialogues in TMOS.

But when comparing both games, my recommendation would definitely be: play both ;)

[Snatcher42]

Agree with ya 100%, LGH!

[buddi]

I finished it this evening and I am really disappointed. There wasn't really much to the story, I pretty much anticipated everything from the very beginning. I'm surprised people credit it for having mood, I thought the voice acting was pretty deadpan and, as I said before, the repetitive and generic dialog animations totally ruined any sense of atmosphere for me. Furthermore, I didn't feel like I could identify with the main character at all. To compare it to Indigo Prophecy, In Indigo Prophecy I wanted Lucas to be a good guy, even though he did things that were irrational and violent, it just made me more determined to uncover the reasons behind it all. In Macnamara's case, he seemed to feel no remorse or inner conflict over his behaviour, I couldn't sympathize with him at all. I was really yawning by the end of this game, i had to sit on my hands to keep myself from skipping the final cut scenes, I was that ready for it to be over.

[MoonBird]

Yes, I played it through (english version) and here's my review --> http://kuulintu.net/overclocked.htm - Unfortunately it's in Finnish, but you can see the star and point ratings.

In short: Overclocked is a decent game, but it's definitely not at the same level with "Moment Of Silence", tough. I Think that the game is far too short considering the developement time.

I Liked: The graphics, Voice acting, Interface, Puzzles, Story, Six playable characters (altough you don't get to play them enough, that's for sure), and Sound effects.

I Disliked: Shortness and really small environment, Same weather night and day, Some weird, weird plot twists and I also hated the recordings with cell phone.

So my rating is 3,5 stars.

[Saturn]

First of all, regarding the IGN review, the guy seemed really put off by the loading times between cutscenes (which i havn't encountered at all). It was my impression that he would have scored the game at least 0.5 point higher if it wasn't of that issue.

As for the game, i really liked Overclocked. For starters, the game features a pretty high production values for it's genre. Voice acting,animations and cutscenes are solid. Gfx quality is high, any adv game that actually lets me change resolution and play it at 1400x900 gets a big thumb up from me.

The story may not be the most original but it's pretty well done and deliverd. At some point, the personal life of Dave gets the center of attention story wise, at least for me. Alot of adv. games dont touch the main character too much or dwelve into it, in Overclocked i got the feeling that the life of David are as much the "point" of the game as the case\overall mystery.
I don't know what there was to expect out of the case, the game is pretty much grounded in reality. Maybe it could have been a bit longer and taken us to more locations, but i wouldn't have want them to drag the game out just too add playing time.
Besides, the tie-in between Dave's life and the case was good.

The same goes for the gameplay, when i read all the previews and i was a little worried that the gameplay wouldn't sum up to a whole lot. I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent ammount of gameplay and puzzles. They weren't over the top, they didn't break the game world or required awkward logic. I don't get the comments of "empty environments" , i would rather have those, than screens filled with objects that i have to scan every inch of the screen to get them, or just add items and obstacles that really don't fit or make any sense in the game's case.

Invoking the memories of the subjects and controlling each one was nice and fresh. I may have struggles in one or two recroding triggers but mostly it was clear what to do. The game didn't leave you guessing too much of what to do next, whether with the recording or when to go the hotel or make a call.

Now, i really dont understand the "repetetive dialogue" comaplainment. It was pretty much inexistent for me and conversations didn't get on my nerves as other games did. Like, if you complain about that in Overclocked, then what would you say about The Lost Crown which is filled with those issues.

About the likabillity of the main character, this is where Overclocked stands out, while pretty much all other adv games have you as a purely good guy, in Overclocked it's ambigious and alot more "grey" which really adds to the game atmosphere and story. The protagonist of Moment of Silence too wasn't the most agreeable person for the players, but i like it as it adds depth and is though-provoking. Scenes like Dave throwing the answering machine, headbutting the mirror, pulling guns, getting mad were all intense and gripping and they aren't type of stuff you expect in any sort of a video game.

Overall, i really liked Overclocked, it blew out the last adventure game i played out of the water (The Lost Crown) and between this and The Moment of Silence, House of Tales are fast becoming my favourite adv. game developer.

[buddi]

Regarding the repetitive dialogue, I agree with you that Lost Crown suffered from the same issue. There I found it annoying, but not quite so jarring, since Nigel Danvers was consistently a sluggish, blase lout. I'm not saying I was a fan of the Danvers character but I found the location and puzzles interesting enough and the story compelling enough to hold my interest. What bothered me about Overclocked is that I felt the success of the frame story depended on a rising emotional intensity as David became more and more volatile, but the intensity either never developed, on account of the poor voice acting, or was immediately diffused at the close of the conversation. Spoiler: A perfect example is when David freaks out and pulls a gun on Mr. Flynn; David hardly seems to be shouting, there's long pauses in the dialog, and when it's over he just says, "I've gotta go, see ya." and Flynn replies with his customary, "Have a nice day." I think the characters would have seemed much more real if they had varied a bit from day to day in accordance with the changing relationships and circumstances.

BTW, I also encountered some very slow load times and the game crashed 4 times, both of which were also detrimental to the general pacing and atmosphere of the game. I can usually find something of merit in just about every game but this game let me down on every level, what's worse, I feel it failed the most where it should have tried the hardest.

[GreyFuss]

For those who are having slow load times here is a suggestion that worked great for me. The idea came from Inferno.

Copy this file Resource.200 from the DVD #2. Then add this entire file to your game folder on your hard drive. The load time dropped to about 6 seconds and many were less for me.

[Sik]

I finished the game, and I enjoyed the second half of it more than the first half. Probably because towards the end, gameplay turns into "click a button, watch a cut scene" instead of "activate triggers in the correct sequence, watch a cut scene". It may not be good game design, but at least I enjoyed watching the story unfold... and it's a decent story. Didn't quite hit the spot for me, but that's just personal experience. Better than average, but when the story is all that carries a game, I expect more.

I mentioned the voice acting bothering me before. I'd like to rectify that. The voice acting is actually quite good, and the casting as well. It's the voice directing that doesn't work. Sound clips just seem to be put together without paying much attention to the final result. Dialogue lines that sound good on their own don't fit together.... and I suspect they only recorded one "Sigh" sound for David. Whenever I saw *sigh* come up in the subtitles I just felt like skipping the line so I wouldn't have to hear it again. It's a loud groan that fails to fit the context 9/10 times.

Anyway, despite all my issues with the game, I'd recommend playing it. It's mediocre, in my opinion, but so are most new adventure games, and at least this one stands out because it's different and has a good amount of eye candy.

[Aurebesh]

Copy this file Resource.200 from the DVD #2.

Oh, so the English retail version really comes on 2 single-layer DVDs instead of 1 dual-layer DVD?? Odd. Was it like this for the original DVD version as well?

[Fien]

My German Overclocked has only one DVD.

[GreyFuss]

I did find it strange that the North American version came on 2 DVDs. I thought I had a bad copy figuring that the game had 2 disks I thought they were Cd's and put them in a Cd drive first.

I can't think of any other game that comes on 2 DVD's. You would think that one DVD-DL would be cheaper than 2 DVD-ROMs.

[fov]

I was going to wait for AG's review to buy this, but this morning my impatience got the better of me and I ordered it from Amazon.

I'm a fan of dark/depressing adventure games (sounds funny to say it, but it's true), so I'm hoping I'll enjoy this one. :D

I'm a little concerned about load times, especially since I have an older computer with a not-very-fast DVD drive, but I'll try that trick with the resource file if it's a problem.

[Snatcher42]

I got around the load-times issue by making a Nero image of DVD2 and mounting it as a virtual drive while I played.

[ssa]

Here's a nifty little prgr for turning any folder or file into an iso in seconds:

http://www.trustfm.net/divx/SoftwareFolder2Iso.php

[atyinbox]

(English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for the mistakes)

I played Overclocked for one hour yesterday, one hour today, and I disliked it so much, I already unistalled it and deleted the savegames. I see why someone people compare it to Indigo Prophecy, though I found that one to be a good game. This one is not. Maybe part of my dissapointment is because I had high hopes for this one, but in my opinion it's terrible.

The graphics are OK. Locations look good, and the weather effects adds a lot to the atmosphere. On the other hand, characters look ugly and animate even worse. It's really painful to watch them trying to interact with the environment and with each other. It's so distracting sometimes I couldn't even pay attention to the dialogs. Btw, it's good to have the subtiles option, because the volume of their voices randomly changes from too-loud to I-don't-hear-it. The voice acting is not that bad, but the dialog lines overlap horribly. When a character is about to end a phrase, the next phrase (from the same character, or from the other one) starts, and it gets really distracting at times. The music is good, though, and also adds to the atmosphere. Some of you already mentoned the problems with the triggers, and it is indeed one of the worst aspects of this game. You never know what to do, and you need to go back to every location and interact with every object for the tenth time, hoping to find that little thing you missed as is preventing you from moving forward. Your character sometimes tells you something like "I gotta tell him that", and you go, talk to that person, and the option to tell him "that" is not present, just because you missed looking at something before, or calling everyone on the cellphone for the eleventh time. The gameplay is just broken. I can understand if adventure games don't have enough money to add production value, but some things are unforgivable. For example you call a person over the phone, the screen splits and you see him answering. Days pass by, you call him again, and he's always standing in the same room, in the same spot, with the same cloth... C'mon! Anyways... I can go one for hours complaining, but you get the point. I can't say much about the story because I didn't play enough, so I guess that's the great aspect of this game. Hope they release a demo soon, so everybody can see it first hand before buying, and not get cheated by the great screenshots.

[Wouter]

Some of you already mentoned the problems with the triggers, and it is indeed one of the worst aspects of this game. You never know what to do, and you need to go back to every location and interact with every object for the tenth time, hoping to find that little thing you missed as is preventing you from moving forward. Your character sometimes tells you something like "I gotta tell him that", and you go, talk to that person, and the option to tell him "that" is not present, just because you missed looking at something before, or calling everyone on the cellphone for the eleventh time. The gameplay is just broken.

That was actually the main reason i didn't finish The Moment Of Silence so i'm a bit dissapointed that it's still the same with Overclocked. Still, i have it on pre-order and i'm looking forward to it.

I once saw a video about House of Tales and i was surprised at how small the team actually is. It made me realise that you can't expect miracles when it comes to production values. I don't think that House of tales is to blame for that. On the contrary, i'm still amazed that people can make a living out of producing adventure games.

[nomarch]

completed it last night and i think to call this an adventure game is a bit of a cheat, this played much more like an interactive movie, think Full Throttle; but EVEN easier!!

the only slightly difficult thing in the whole process is figuring out which recording you need to play to access the next flashback sequence and even that was pretty easy if you actually paid attention to what the people were saying.

also the voice acting was terrible, all flat and the emotion was really forced. plus a lot of the actual dialogue just didnt work or fit in particularly well with the rest of the game. i mean all that pointless bravado and male posturing from Ryker in the bar was just awful (i actually dreaded having to go back there it was so bad)

and asa someone else had already pointed outm what was with David pulling a gun on Flynn? that has to rate as one of the most stupid and genuinely painful scenes i have ever had to watch while playing an AG

it was also very short, but to be honest i doubt i would of bothered finishing it if it had taken any longer, overall while i enjoyed playing this interactive story (no, really i was sorta fun) i doubt i will ever bother to play it again.

[Zlatko]

Meh, it was an ok game.

The graphics really needed some work..the cutscenes werent too bad, but damn, it looked like something from 2002.

I think the funniest scene is when he pulls the gun on the porter...oh man, i BUSTED a gut laughing..

Oh shit..

The game wasnt bad, kinda had an unhappy ending and a lot of the stuff WAS interesting, but what was up with that doctor guy having like a robotic type speech?

[Hasimir]

Ended it.

The game is mediocre at best.
Terribly linear, puzzles were not puzzles at all ... too easy, not requiring any thinking or thinkering, just a boring trial-&-error with the session recordings.

BUT...

The story is awsome.
Characters are well portraied.
The mood is damn THICK, you feel every emotion that's in the air.
Voice acting was very good.
Graphic department was good enough in-game, while the cut scenes were TERRIFIC.

...

Bottomline.
Just grab a walkthrough and enjoy this beautiful story without bothering about the non-existant game :P

From 1 to 10 I'll rate it a solid 7 anyway, just to underline how good the story was in spite of all the game flaws.

[Snatcher42]

he pulls the gun on the porter...
What? When? I don't remember that! How could I have missed it? Was it optional?

[buddi]

I'm glad someone mentioned the clothes. I was already irritated that he never changed his clothes, and the he went to SLEEP in them for chrissakes! It just feels like so many corners were cut in this game... sigh.

[sue3737]

Just started playing today, so far I like the atmosphere and the storyline. I think I will be hooked on this one if it continues in the same standard.

[Ascovel]

If anyone would like to read, Adventure Classic Gaming has just posted their Overclocked review (http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/359/). There's also my own interview with Martin Ganteföhr (http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/347/) to mark the occasion. Plenty of violence and controversy in both articles ;) .

[buddi]

I wouldn't read that review if you are planning to play the game, it gives too much away.

[Lucien21]

I bought the game at the weekend and so far it is annoying me more than entertaining me.

Maybe i'm just in a nit-picking mood, but the unbearably slow loading of cutscenes is bloody annoying.

I'm also finding the graphics a disappointment. (Probably due to budget) For example while drinking in the bar, the bottle goes nowhere near the glass and David just lifts the glass to about a foot away from his mouth and somehow managed to drink without touching his lips. Bloody sloppy.

I hope the story is worth it.

[buddi]

I didn't think the story was worth it. I found the main plot line terribly predictible . I think the secondary plotline of David's personal history was intended to flush it out and give it more dimension, but the clumsy graphics, crappy voice acting and exagerrated mood swings made it impossible for me to feel any kind of attachment to the character or interest in his fate. The only emotion this game provoked in me was the pang of my dashed expectations.

[Keregioz]

I didn't think the story was worth it. I found the main plot line terribly predictible . I think the secondary plotline of David's personal history was intended to flush it out and give it more dimension, but the clumsy graphics, crappy voice acting and exagerrated mood swings made it impossible for me to feel any kind of attachment to the character or interest in his fate. The only emotion this game provoked in me was the pang of my dashed expectations.

So basically what you're saying is that is a bad adventure with bad graphics, bad storyline and bad voice acting...:crazy:.
I understand that maybe it's not your kind of game or you were disappointed because of your high expectations but I think you're exaggerating. Especially the voice acting was excellent. I won't say that the story was extremely unpredictable but at least it was well executed and with very good dialog that didn't make you roll your eyes with stupid lines like 90% of recent adventure games do. I also found the graphics to be just fine.

[Putrid Moldyman]

I'm digging the game ever so slightly, because it sorts of reminds me of "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream," though I definitely prefer that game.

I suppose I like the concept of coaxing the patients into working backwards to piece together what happened to them, but the location of the scenario that you play through lacks atmosphere for me, especially compared to the present city area. Frankly, it's a bit dull.

Character models and textures are well done, but about 90% of the animation is awful. I would've liked to see more attention to detail in that department for sure.

I don't feel the voice-acting is anywhere near "excellent" myself, but of course, that's mostly subjective. The game is decent enough for me to play the game all the way through, but as the first adventure game I've bought in quite a while... it leaves something to be desired.

[buddi]

There's a lot of ways that voice acting can be bad. Although the voice clips in Overclocked sounded more or less professional, they failed to convey the appropriate emotions - one sentence would be in a conversational tone, and the next full of anger and invective without a suitable transition. Several times it was stated that David was angry or yelling, but his voice sounded exactly the same to me. Even if it had been brilliantly acted, it still would have been difficult to create the sense of rising the tension that the game seems to depend on, how am I supposed to believe in David's fit of anger when the conversation closes with "have a nice day" or "see ya?"

[MadTricks]

Why would someone say that flashlight could be used as a good weapon and put gun instead of it to ventilator?

[Putrid Moldyman]

I definitely agree with whoever said they enjoyed the later parts of the game more so than the first chapter or two. In the end, I actually do feel this is an all right game, but yeah, these guys definitely should check out some animation tutorials or take a class, because that aspect was awful. I've taken an intro to animation class at my University, and I can say that our stuff outclassed what I've seen in this game.

I have to disagree with the person who claimed that the ending tied up all loose ends, because I still don't know....



Why/how the girl in cell 2 killed herself.

Where that huge puddle of blood came from in one of the flashbacks (the person having the flashback even intuited that whoever the blood came from had likely died -- so who was it?). If it was coming from the girl from cell 2's room like I think it might have been, then perhaps it was just some foreshadowing, but still...

Don't know what the guy walking through the corridor, shooting at the rooms was about -- was it the guy in cell 5, being that he was the only one who had access to the armory?

[Fien]

I don't know the answer to the first question, wondered about that myself, but the blood and the shooting guy were all part of the set-up by the baddies, to create fear and confusion. Wasn't there some video of the blood-pouring and the shooting?

[N.E.X.U.S]

Just finished the game a week ago. All what I can say is that the game was boring and too slow despite interesting plot. It can be compared to Indigo Prophecy aka Fahrenheit which is much much better and I still enjoy playing it. Overclocked is kind of one-night-stand:D

[Demonic]

I played quite a lot of Overclocked, and what made me finally give up on it was the painfully repetitive nature of puzzle 'solving', i.e. playing audio clips over and over to trigger new events is just not my idea of fun at all.

I loved the graphics, the scenery backdrops were fantastic. The voice-acting was okay except they seemed in a terrible hurry to go from one actor to the next so it sounded like they were just reeling stuff (they weren't, but the editing makes it sound like they were).

IMO it's a story desperately seeking a game to go along with it. The story is interesting, but not enough to make up for the very dull nature of the puzzle solving. Missed opportunity really.

[ILoveYou]

Just finished the game (and decided to give my view). To say this game is medicore is absurd. The game engine and the graphics are the best this genre has to offer. Medicore might be the word if you compare Overclocked to all the game genres but then again, why would you do that? It's no secret that adventure games aren't made with the latest technology, the graphics will probably never be on FPS-games' level.

I had my expectations very high for this game after finishing The Moment of Silence. MoS is still one of my favorite games ever. But in the end I was dissapointed. The story is great. But the way it was transformed to an interactive story was dull. Indeed, I got so bored with the game I ended up using a walkthrough to get it over faster, hoping for an exciting ending, at least. Didn't happen.

I would recommend this game to people who aren't familiar with "dark themed" adventures but this really doesn't live up to the expectations people had after MoS.

[CoyoteAG]

Just finished the game today. Perhaps because I read a lot of the reviews on this forum so I actually had a low expectation for the game but I found it pretty enjoyable. Best adventure game ever? Certainly not but not as bad as most here seemed to think it was.

I agree that some of the animations were poorly done, some of the voice acting could have used some work, the ending was a bit predictable and there were some inconsistencies.

However, I liked the format of the game as it kept me intrigued by piecing things together. I thought the art, overall, was well done and I played it through and the dialogue (while not always well voiced) was well written.

I think I agree most with the reviewer on this forum.

[noknowncure]

Okay, I quite liked this game, but - as others have mentioned - there were several frustrating sections where certain triggers had to be hit before you could carry out perfectly reasonable actions.

There were quite a few plot holes too - at least in my playthrough. It felt like I'd somehow missed a chapter that tied some of the disjointed sections together, even to the point where the protagonist mentioned something that I'd not actually come across myself.

The simple puzzles did help the story move along and I didn't come to a complete halt at any point.

Music was great.

Voice acting: It's the same bunch from - amongst others - MoS and Ankh again, isn't it. The main character's actor is brilliant again, with real gravity in his performance... although it was hacked up in the edit, going from perfectly calm to furious within less than a breath at points.

Pretty much the rest of the cast should get other jobs, seriously. Particularly the guy who plays Flynn - I'd like to make it official that I have a personal vendetta against him. As with his characters in MoS - eg. the news stand guy and the fat bloke at the office - and the Pharaoh in Ankh, he successfully manages to put the wrong intonation on just about every line he has... and yet he continues to get work.

[Marian]

I received a tip on another forum that significantly cut down on loading times with Overclocked:

Find the file on the DVD called resource.200 and copy and paste it into your Overclocked game folder. :)

[vivasawadee]

I still can't get over a game being called "Overclocked". Surely they could've come up with a sexier title?

[DEMON]

I received a tip on another forum that significantly cut down on loading times with Overclocked:

Find the file on the DVD called resource.200 and copy and paste it into your Overclocked game folder. :)

I believe the tip was given on this forum as well ;)

Anyway here´s my 2 cp. on Overclocked: I realy liked the game. For me the best AG I played so far this year. But then again I feel like I´m from a different planet, as I usualy like games that recieve poor reviews and hate those that are the most popular. Maybe I´m a bit too forgiving about this game, but I gave it 9/10.
I loved the plot, didn´t encounter any big plot holes and being story-driven as it is, I realy enjoyed playing it. Plus the main protagonist was a realy unlucky guy and I found myself feeling sorry for him with the hard luck he had troughout the game...
A have to agree with the no changing of clothes and weird drinking animation issues, but I didn´t consider it a key problem for the game...

[Codeguru]

But then again I feel like I´m from a different planet, as I usualy like games that recieve poor reviews and hate those that are the most popular

That being the case have you ever played Atlantis: Evolution? That was my first adventure game I played after I had not played them in a while...

Codeguru

[Aurebesh]

the blood and the shooting guy were all part of the set-up by the baddies, to create fear and confusion. Wasn't there some video of the blood-pouring and the shooting?

Are you sure there was a video of somone deliberately pouring the blood!? I don't remember anything like that, how is it triggered?


If anyone would like to read, Adventure Classic Gaming has just posted their Overclocked review (http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/359/).
This review mentions that David is 41 years old, is that mentioned anywhere in the game? Did I miss it?

[Ascovel]

This review mentions that David is 41 years old, is that mentioned anywhere in the game? Did I miss it?

I think this fact was mentioned only at the official website. Quite surprising. I was pretty sure he was around 30, when I was playing the game.

[Fien]

Are you sure there was a video of somone deliberately pouring the blood!? I don't remember anything like that, how is it triggered?

No, I'm not sure. That's the reason I added a question mark. I remember a video about the shooting though. It seemed reasonable to conclude that the blood was deliberate as well. The videos were at the end of the game.

[KasiaD]

I have just finished the game yesterday and what can I say… No fireworks or enthusiasm outbursts…

However the game itself is very pleasant to play, not very difficult but with some minot trigger issues.
The atmosphere of paranioa and hostility of environment is similar to Moment of Silence, maybe more depressing. The story is quite compelling, at least at the begginig, when everything is mystery and unveliling it despite resistance becomes a challenge.

I cannot refrain from commenting the "vices" some people attach to the game. Oh my, David wears the same clothes every day and Dr Young's voice resembles zombie… Well Gabriel Knigt as I recall never brushed his teeth either and we could not be sure if he changed his underwear after shower. Why would such a thing prevent me from enjoying a game?

For me the reason why Overclocked is not the best game ever is the fact it is short and the ending is rather obvious from the beginning - so the plot related reasons, not esthetic. But it is a quite good game worth its price - about 10 EUR in Poland.

[DEMON]

That being the case have you ever played Atlantis: Evolution? That was my first adventure game I played after I had not played them in a while...

No, I didn´t play A:E, but I kind of agreed to disagree with the majority of gamers about games like Siberia and S(t)inking Island (that I didn´t like at all) on one hand and Art of Murder and Overclock (that I enjoyed quite a lot) on the other.

And hello KasiaD, nice to see a neighbour Slavonian around here :)

[Keregioz]

I cannot refrain from commenting the "vices" some people attach to the game. Oh my, David wears the same clothes every day and Dr Young's voice resembles zombie… Well Gabriel Knigt as I recall never brushed his teeth either and we could not be sure if he changed his underwear after shower. Why would such a thing prevent me from enjoying a game?


Not to mention that the bartender didn't hold the bottle exactly above the glass.... :shifty:

Seriously though...it seems to me a lot of people are unfairly bashing this game. I think that whatever flaws this game had it's infinitely better than 90% of adventure games that came out this year.
I think that people, when they don't like a game that has received a lot of positive feedback and reviews, tend to exaggerate about its shortcomings.

[Drunken Irishman]

Seriously though...it seems to me a lot of people are unfairly bashing this game.

Yeah, and that's why I would like to mention, in case if Martin Ganteföhr is reading this, that I adored the game and I think it's one of the better adventure games of this decade. In fact, it's quite good for the previous decade also. Even Grim Fandango wasn't faultless. We need more these kinds of stories. Enough with those historical pulp mysteries.

[AFGNCAAP]

But it is a quite good game worth its price - about 10 EUR in Poland.Has the price been reduced already? Last time I checked it was still 80 PLN = about 20 EUR in stores.

(And welcome to the Forum. :))

[cwapitm]

I played this last month and really enjoyed it. I thought the way it unfolded, through flashbacks, was really unique. One of the better adventure games in recent years, IMO.

[Sik]

Seriously though...it seems to me a lot of people are unfairly bashing this game. I think that whatever flaws this game had it's infinitely better than 90% of adventure games that came out this year.
I think that people, when they don't like a game that has received a lot of positive feedback and reviews, tend to exaggerate about its shortcomings.I somewhat agree. If I had never heard of Overclocked, saw it in a store, and bought it on a whim, I would have been pleasantly surprised. It's not a bad game. Maybe it is better than 90% of other adventure games that came out this year, at least if you count Sam and Max season 2 as one game.

The thing is, that the 90% figure means little to nothing since it's so rare that a brilliant adventure game comes out. Top 10% when every game is mediocre does not make it good. Anyway, in my opinion it's an average game in every regard except quality of graphics. It's certainly worth playing if you've run out of good adventure games to play and are starved for more, but I find it hard to recommend. For people who are new to the genre, there are better games out there. For veterans, it lacks something to make it stand out.

I agree that the bashing is unjustified. There are worse games out there that deserve the attention more. :p A lot of people play games based on hype level, though, so it's easy to understand the disappointment when Overclocked didn't turn out as good as people hoped.

[KasiaD]

Perphaps people looking for advice whether to buy the game here on the forum would have the wrong impression that the game is weak. It is, comparing it to all time classics and favourite games ever. But If I look at the games I recently had contact with, Belief & Betrayal, Jack Keane and Reprobates, I must conclude That Oveclocked is a brilliant game comparing it to them, unbelievingly good, even. The other games annoyed me all the time with lame dialogues (B&B), failed attemts to be funny (JK) and last but not least manually impossible to perform timed sequences (Reprobates - there should be a warning on the box or something:frown:).

And hi all the guys that welcomed me to the forum I am very honoured:)

I also checked and am in shock because the game is vitually two times more expensive in shops than online - I bought it for 39.90 PLN (10 EUR), all new and packed, on the polish "ebay" - allegro.

[AFGNCAAP]

Ah yes, Allegro is a different matter. I would be surprised if any game distributed by Nicolas Games got an official price reduction so soon. They usually start out overpriced and don't seem to get cheaper until they land on a magazine's cover CD after a ridiculously short time (see: Daemonica, Undercover, etc.). :shifty:

[DEMON]

At least your magazines put the good stuff on their CDs. Here (when I still used to buy gaming magazines) they usually put the "abandonware" on it... :)

[KasiaD]

Yeah but you have awesome and cheap beer - that should be compensation enough:D

[DEMON]

Yeah but you have awesome and cheap beer - that should be compensation enough:D

:D You just scored a 100 out of possible 100 points for killer answer :D
But with the comming of EURO the prices of beer will probably rise :\

[schweinhundert]

Long time lurker, but I had to post with a question about the ending. I just finished the game, and it seemed to me that

when David's wife approaches him at the end, the camera pans over and we see a police car following her. Does this indicate that she has alerted the authorities to his violent meltdown and he is about to be arrested? Maybe not the happy ending IGN cites.

Just a thought.

[Melanie68]

Welcome to AG! Glad you put yourself in de-lurk mode. :)

[Deano]

Good fun, but at the same time a hugely frustrating game for two reasons:

1) - there wasn't enough direction where to go next. I'd normally check a walk through to see which patient I had to speak to next and figure out the recording myself. Some of them were obvious but some weren't.

2) - relatedly, it could have been so good. The 'playing back recordings' thing was the central mechanic of the game, and where at least 50% of the playtime and puzzles came from, but it was implemented horribly badly. Had they taken the time out to design a proprietary interface for the recordings and recollections you get it could have been so much better. Imagine having a timeline in 5 parts, with the recordings appearing at the correct points in time as you uncover the story, perhaps allowing David to draw connections (actual coloured lines between each) - basically making uncovering the memories and the story a mini-game in and of itself, a meta-puzzle of it's own (think: Le Serpent Rouge).
Using recordings to trigger memories is a great, great concept for an adventure game, but it was shoe-horned into the typical point and click interface when it really needed something new to truly define it as it's own thing. Had they done that, the game would have been awesome.

[Thorn]

Long time lurker, but I had to post with a question about the ending. I just finished the game, and it seemed to me that

when David's wife approaches him at the end, the camera pans over and we see a police car following her. Does this indicate that she has alerted the authorities to his violent meltdown and he is about to be arrested? Maybe not the happy ending IGN cites.

Just a thought.

Ah, I've never thought about that! I just thought

She came back because she decided she wanted to be with him. (And WHY the heck did she want to do that though? He was friggin' scary!)

I also thought that it was just the military/government searching for him?

I have a few questions also--

WHO closed his account if it wasn't his wife, and why? The military/government? Just to make him go insane?
Also... the ending indicates that only his senses and mind is left... And as you only see his eye, does that mean he's in a coma or something?

Or did the cops just pick him up and put him in prison, so he's sitting there and philosophing?

[Jadefalcon]

I also wondered at the ending.

Anyone else think that Terry was one of the most smug self righteous characters in the game that you would just like to punch? :)

[Shazzner]

Finished it just now, thanks again to VOLKANA who helped me out with a savegame, overall I liked it.

Some of the puzzles were a little too easy, and I agree though that the PDA did little but annoy the player.

Later puzzles were frustrating because:
When you lose your PDA and then have to remember various clues the character said: the exact point when your PDA might be a useful aid to the puzzle, you don't have access to it.
Really doesn't make a lot of sense. A few of the puzzles, like the simple physics and timing puzzles, were briefly touched upon and its sad they didn't really do more with that mechanic.

That being said, despite the weak puzzles, the story and atmosphere was enough to keep me hooked.
Seeing McNamara break down and everyone get paranoid and suspicious of you was interesting. Could have been acted better but I've suffered through far worse.

The plot has some stupid in it though:
The whole government conspiracy plotline is so overdone, and the video games = MURDER SIMULATORS was pretty wtf. I was hoping for more interpersonal drama with the kids, ie. an explination on why girl in cell #2 killed herself (although I'm pretty sure were to assume Dr. Young killed her).

Other cool bits including your relationship with Stryker and seeing the car outside the hotel getting destroyed was pretty funny.

Anyway cool game, looking forward to more from the developers.

Oh BTW, if you want a funny take on Moment of Silence, take a look at this thread (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2862602)

[Aurebesh]

Other cool bits including your relationship with Stryker and seeing the car outside the hotel getting destroyed was pretty funny.

How do you pull that off?

[Shazzner]

How do you pull that off?

It's just a background thing, whenever you leave the hotel you see the car parked outside slowly getting towed/destroyed.

[cw2381]

Unfortunately it sounds like it has the same actor doing the voice acting for the lead from the Moment of Silence. Overall I thought it was a fairly superior modern adventure. I liked Culpa Innata better, mostly because it had many more layers. It reminded me a bit of Still Life in terms being extremely linear but very enjoyable.

[noknowncure]

Unfortunately it sounds like it has the same actor doing the voice acting for the lead from the Moment of Silence.

It's pretty much the same cast entirely.

[DutchAdventurer]

I played out the english version, a very good story and a very good game!:)

[VOLKANA]

I played too and i enjoyed it very much... I was so curious to find out what happened that i keep playing for hours :-)

[OneFlesh]

The most interesting thing about the game to me was phoning the wife - I never really wanted to do it, since the protagonist was clearly just going to emotionally wound her again, but you could see why he'd need to do it almost every time he calls. That was much more interesting to me than any of the conspiracy nonsense.

The only other moment in any game I've ever played that made me so uncomfortable was in 'Barrow Hill'...
When the main character ditches his dad to sleep with the poorly drawn out love interest. It sucked not to get to make the choice of what to do. Between that and his bizarre death at the end, that was a weirdly structured game.

Unfortunately, it ended up a bit like 'Phantasmagoria II'...

...where it all ends up being the fault of aliens/a grand conspiracy, so you're just an innocent victim instead of a genuinely disturbed character.

[Jadefalcon]

I really disliked the Terry character. I realise he was meant to come across as a friend who had grown distant, but to me he seemed like a smug self righteous ass. I'd really like to know what the end means.

[Fantasysci5]

Okay, two things about this alright game.

First, every time before a cut-scene would come on, my coputer would freeze for seriously a few minutes, and then continue. It never crashed, just had HORRIBLE lag. I have good graphics and everything, so I'm wondering if there's something wrong with my computer or something. :P

Second, and more importantly, I have one question about this game...Who was the person that shot up the doors in the compound that freaked everyone out?! I just didn't get that part. And the ending were the police coming for Dave since he "kidnapped/put at gun point" Dr. Young. What did Jonthan do? What would happen to those kids?! lol Just it's really killing me...:P

[LGH]

Concerning your first question:

I think that was part of the experiment. To increase the subjects' fear and thereby their disposition for aggressiveness.

About the ending:

I think the scene with the police car is intended to be ambiguous ;) You could say that it is just normal that the police wants to ask some questions in order to bring light into all the events. But if you like conspirations, you could also argue that the authorities still want to prevent the truth from coming out. And you may even question if your wife is REALLY on your side right now ;)

I love it to end the story there, and to leave the rest to our imagination...

[Fantasysci5]

Thanks. And I agree with your first answer a lot. It probably needed a stimulus event to motivate them into it. Good idea. ;)

I like to think his wife is finally on his side, maybe understanding things, so they are finally back together before he may go to jail. I do believe the government is still going to try and keep this quiet. But where did the rest of the kids go? And why did they kill Moretti?!?! He was one of my favorite characters. :( I didn't see why the government couldn't just tell him to back off the assignment. No, they had to kill him...why?! :'( lol And I could have sworn the way it was palyed out, that Terry and Dave's wife were having an affair. "I'm taking care of her"...sure you are. There was just something about Terry I didn't like...AT ALL!!! :D

[LGH]

Yep. If you have friends like him, you don't need ennemies ;)

[Sandman]

Thanks. And I agree with your first answer a lot. It probably needed a stimulus event to motivate them into it. Good idea. ;)

I like to think his wife is finally on his side, maybe understanding things, so they are finally back together before he may go to jail. I do believe the government is still going to try and keep this quiet. But where did the rest of the kids go? And why did they kill Moretti?!?! He was one of my favorite characters. :( I didn't see why the government couldn't just tell him to back off the assignment. No, they had to kill him...why?! :'( lol And I could have sworn the way it was palyed out, that Terry and Dave's wife were having an affair. "I'm taking care of her"...sure you are. There was just something about Terry I didn't like...AT ALL!!! :D

I don't think govt knew much. It was a army+drug company or drug company alone which was doing this.

Rest of the kids got freed. They got their memories back & the brains into senses, except for the one who died.

[Fantasysci5]

I don't think govt knew much. It was a army+drug company or drug company alone which was doing this.

Rest of the kids got freed. They got their memories back & the brains into senses, except for the one who died.

Drug company? I thought it was only the army involved. Did I miss something?! I know drugs probably had to be in there somewhere for the simulator to "take control" of them, but I don't remember how they got into it.

So why DID the army kill, Morretti? :'( I loved him. And quick question. Cliff said the doctor and another familiar guy was arguing. Who? The "drug representative"? Or one of the otehr guy patients? And I kind of doubt Laura just killed herself, like Dave said it came out of nowhere. Did the doctor kill her, because she was going to tell Dave about how this started the next day?!

Sorry I'm so stupid! :P

[crabapple]

The only other moment in any game I've ever played that made me so uncomfortable was in 'Barrow Hill'...
When the main character ditches his dad to sleep with the poorly drawn out love interest. It sucked not to get to make the choice of what to do. Between that and his bizarre death at the end, that was a weirdly structured game.

That was Shady Brook, not Barrow Hill.

[Fantasysci5]

Barrow Hill? Where?! lol I love that game. Way off topic, but I've actually "met" and talked to Emma Harry. ;) One of my best friends. :D

[Sandman]

Drug company? I thought it was only the army involved. Did I miss something?! I know drugs probably had to be in there somewhere for the simulator to "take control" of them, but I don't remember how they got into it.

So why DID the army kill, Morretti? :'( I loved him. And quick question. Cliff said the doctor and another familiar guy was arguing. Who? The "drug representative"? Or one of the otehr guy patients? And I kind of doubt Laura just killed herself, like Dave said it came out of nowhere. Did the doctor kill her, because she was going to tell Dave about how this started the next day?!

Sorry I'm so stupid! :P

Oh sorry I am confused between couple of stories and this game. Guess I need a therapy. Its the army & the computer software. But AFAIR there was a mention of a drug company.

[kadji-kun]

Unfortunately, it ended up a bit like 'Phantasmagoria II'...

...where it all ends up being the fault of aliens/a grand conspiracy, so you're just an innocent victim instead of a genuinely disturbed character.

Ummm, no not really. The protagonist was apart of what was going on. If you listened and understood the story. Everything that went on was related to his experience in the army. Hence 'Combat Simulator'.

Concerning your first question:

I think that was part of the experiment. To increase the subjects' fear and thereby their disposition for aggressiveness.

About the ending:

I think the scene with the police car is intended to be ambiguous ;) You could say that it is just normal that the police wants to ask some questions in order to bring light into all the events. But if you like conspirations, you could also argue that the authorities still want to prevent the truth from coming out. And you may even question if your wife is REALLY on your side right now ;)

I love it to end the story there, and to leave the rest to our imagination...

EXACTLY! Absolutely how I felt. It was a game that worded things in a way that your imagination could play a role.

And why did they kill Moretti?!?! He was one of my favorite characters. :( I didn't see why the government couldn't just tell him to back off the assignment. No, they had to kill him...why?! :'( lol And I could have sworn the way it was palyed out, that Terry and Dave's wife were having an affair. "I'm taking care of her"...sure you are. There was just something about Terry I didn't like...AT ALL!!! :D

If you listened to the story, the company that did this was funded by the government. So the government had no DIRECT control. Now tell me. What mobster would tell a cop to back off if they know too much? They wouldn't. They'd wack'm.

I don't think govt knew much. It was a army+drug company or drug company alone which was doing this.

Rest of the kids got freed. They got their memories back & the brains into senses, except for the one who died.

Drug company? I thought it was only the army involved. Did I miss something?! I know drugs probably had to be in there somewhere for the simulator to "take control" of them, but I don't remember how they got into it.

Sorry I'm so stupid! :P

It isn't the army. Its a government funded company. The army has no direct control. This happens all the time over the world. Independent companies are funded for research thats nature is in the funders ebst interest.