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There's a reason why so many people are vigorously defending it can be played on a gamepad >>

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 25
Date: April 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The reason why so many people in so many forums are defending the fact that this game can be played on a PC if you simply also buy a gamepad as well and don't use the keyboard and mouse -->
It's because it is more or less unplayable without it.

Despite the logic that this game's predecessor was a PC game, Dreamfall was built for the XBOX. The version for the PC, as it is becoming more and more apparent, was duct taped together very quickly and without regard to the fact that it was a PC.

And whereas the story may be good, if it can't be played, get a book, or watch Final Fantasy. Seriously.

Here's the thing. On a PC, probably the biggest thing that is used differently from console games is the mouse, and the use of cursors on the screen either to pick stuff up, talk to people, click where you want to go, or give someone a hurtin'.

But, since this is an XBOX game, there is no cursor and no use of the mouse in that sense at all.

The second thing that would be useful, especially in this case where the mouse is essentially de facto put out of commission, is the fact that PC users can modify numerous controls on their keyboard for use. However, again, being an XBOX game, they only have a wee few number of controls, so as not to exceed what can 'fit' on the XBOX game. Numerous actions that would normally have been put in the game to aid gameplay are not there... only a small few things can be done, and so the character is not able to do much of anything.

And I'm sorry that so many people have to complain that the game is virtually unplayable in standard PC version, but being able to handle the controls is not the point of the game. That should not be difficult. The programmers should make that easy for us to do, as they most certainly did in TLJ.

the fact is, they could have left the same engine/backend/supporting matrix/whatever , as they did in TLJ, and then maybe there wouldn't be so many people talking about how it's not easy to simply get the game going.

there's simply no reason for that, regardless of all else.

Save your money

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 101
Date: April 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Funcom has lost its touch for making good games. Dreamfall is a sad follow up to The Longest Journey. The gameplay is boring, the graphics is ok, the music is ok, it has limited content.

Not worth your money.

Controls are Extremely clumsly. If planning to buy, please read:

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 26
Date: April 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am not writing this to bash Funcom / Aspyr / Whoever else put this game all together, but, I know there are folks like myself out there who probably don't play a lot of games but like the Adventure genre. The Longest Journey [TLJ] was a good, relaxing game that was fun to play, and it accomplished the goal of gaming in general I thought -- it was enjoyable. However, this is far from it.

It's difficult to get past the controls in terms of dissatisfaction - and dissatisfaction isn't really the right word. Dissatisfaction is what you would call it when you order a Caesar Salad and there isn't enough chicken, but it's okay otherwise. Here, it's unplayable for a number of people [and of course, it is playable for some, and some will undoubtedly write back to this stating that, but the fact that it's unplayable for a number of folks is true and something to consider]... and here are some reasons why this is so:

First example -- in TLJ, to get your character [April] from one place to the next, you'd simply click on the place you want to go. If you want to run, you double click. And if it's an item you want, you click the item. It involves common sense. There's not a lot to it. It was what programmers would call elegant, because it got the job done, it was easy, and it was good. There's nothing wrong with having a solution that's easy and good... in fact it's, well, good. In dreamfall, however, that is not how it works at all. You can use your mouse for movement, but only if you use it's rolling, not clicking. So, you end up with the keyboard, which is lacking, and also sort of odd... example two:

Another example -- the ability to simply slide to the left or to the right is not possible. For all of those familiar with virtually every game from Quake back in the 90's to today, one always has the ability to move the character forward and backwards, as well as being able to slide a little to the left and to the right.

This is helpful if your next to a door and you need to go through it, or anything along those lines.

In this game, you essentially are always going forwards, for your character is always facing the way you are running, so even when you click the button to move to the right, your character turns 90 degrees to the right [as does your view], and you move that way. What decides what is right/left/forwards/backwards is arbitrary in the room and can change. So, if you're standing to the left of a door and want to go through, you'd have to walk right, then walk forward [even though it's now to the left of your character, you'd use the walk forward key], and so on and so forth.

There are simply so many things with the controls that could be described that simply are not at all intuitive, and do not make this game enjoyable. The playing engine backbone they had from TLJ it seems they through out the door and put one in that makes it so moving around is the most difficult thing.

I really could go on... but I hope that this at least makes you pause before rushing out to get what you just knew was going to be a great game, because they had years to improve upon a good game, and it didn't occur to you that they'd go backwards, not forwards... that they'd use other companies examples of engines that just never worked. This game just doesn't work, and if you get it and start trying to mess with the controls you'll understand and wish you hadn't, no matter how the story might be. Hey, I wish it wasn't this way either.

Caveat Emptor...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 21
Date: April 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Believe what you want to believe... obviously there are some folks that like this game, and there are some lengthy reviews and some loyal followers to back them up. Nothing wrong with that.

And yes, this game has a good story [which even ardent fans will attest leaves us wanting, answering no questions, but simply leaving a standard of today's entertainment venues that don't believe in their own work -- leave 'em with cliff hangers, assault their curiosity, because goodness knows we're not getting them back on the game alone].

How many people bought this game without waiting for reviews, based on the great adventure of its Prequel? Most? Probably.

And some reviewers say that other reviewers [yadda yadda yadda] obviously didn't get very far. This is probably something that should appeal to your warning signs, spidey sense, hairs on the back of your neck, whatever -- for people who have waited 6 years for a game to come out, and in less than a week are so frustrated with how bad the controls are to not want to continue with it. Again, believe what you want, it's your choice, it's your forty dollars, and it should be your common sense that might tell you that people that were so excited about the game to come out were not waiting around for six years to just write a bad review -- on so many different sites they are appearing.

It's a fact that even people who like the game concede that the mouse and keyboard controls are pretty terrible (except a few, who will undoubtedly say this game is better than Pong if it had been introduced in 1940).

I don't think anyone in these reviews has even mentioned how often the PC game has to switch to the "Dremfall -- Loading" screen, because they cut the scenes to fit the XBOX.

Bottom line -- if you think that so many people waited this long to buy a game, only to just be thwarted by a little kink in the game, well, obviously that's your choice. But, I'd really consider finding a way to play it once before buying -- it'd be a good idea.

This is NOT an Adventure game.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 19
Date: June 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I LOVED The Longest Journey. I was so excited about Dreamfall that I was checking web-sites constantly for the past year to find out the release date. I was so disappointed that I wanted to cry when I started playing this game. I don't have stealth skills or fight skills. Big monsters and folks with weapons should be in other games, NOT adventure games. The interface is impossible to control. I run, I crash into the wall, I die. This is not my idea of fun. Where is the humor of the first game? Where are the quirky characters? I have not finished this game and I'm pretty sure I never will. I don't have the skills. I would love to see how it turns out, but I'm sick of being killed every 2 or 3 minutes.

DO NOT BUY PC VERSION

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 20
Date: April 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I really wish I hadn't pre-ordered this and waited to read reviews! I just installed it onto my PC last night and couldn't wait to start playing. I gave up after 10 minutes. 10 MINUTES! It's impossible to maneuver on the PC. They say you can use the mouse to move the characters, which is true enough, but that means the characters are ALWAYS moving. It's extremely difficult to actually view anything, and it takes twice as long as a normal game to do something as simple as walk out the door. I am so disappointed.

Why mix bad fighting with adventure?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 21
Date: April 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Why mix bad fighting with adventure? I used to love the adventure genere with puzzels and turnbased gameplay. Now adventure games must be action adventure. Please make a pure adventure game.

Don't leave your common sense at the door --

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 18
Date: May 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

-- I can obviously see that there are people rating this game at 5 out of 5 on both scales... yet there are numerous people bringing up serious issues with the game. So, either the people rating it 10 out of 10 are biased, or just want to pat Funcom on the back, because even the majority of people who have rated the game 10 out of 10 talk of "work arounds" for the controllers, for the consistent loading on the screen, for the clumsy controls... you are given work arounds.

In 2006, there really shouldn't be "work arounds" to being able to use the mouse and keyboard... they've been around a bit.

Work arounds is not quality.

And everyone who is raving about the game is mainly talking about the story, how grand it is, etc, etc... well, if that was the case, get a book. Because the challenge of the game should be playing it, not trying to actually use the controls to play it.

Even with a GamePad it's not great -- though you'll see folks say it works great with a GamePad -- but that's because it is so terribly bad without it, an Atari 2600 Joystick would be better.

If you haven't bought this game, and you're reading all these, you'll kick yourself for buying it if you do.

To give a disclaimer, yes, the game can be finished... with much effort and annoyance, it can be. But is that the point?

Seriously, you want a good story, get a good book. Watch a CGI movie if that's what floats your boat.

But if you believe people giving this 10 out of 10 when they acknowledge the issues with the controls as well... well, then, I've got some swamp land in Florida that I can sell ya... cheap.

worthless

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 23
Date: May 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Don't bother buying this "game."

The puzzles are easy or non-existent, the plot is cluttered and confusing, the story does not resolve, all of the good guys die, and the bad guys win. The interface is very poor, and the game contains bad action and combat sequences that really detract from the flow of the game (which is unbelievably choppy anyway). Really, the game was a waste of time and money.

Game? This was a GAME?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 14
Date: June 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This was one of the MOST disappointing letdowns I've had about a game in a LONG time. There was practically no game to play; it was really just a series of whichever character walking from one conversation to the next. I do NOT consider a puzzle to be finding a single object for 5 different people who need the SAME thing simply to give it to one another. I ALSO do not consider a puzzle running into an obstacle and overcoming it simply by touching a few matching symbols.

I hear people talk of the wondrous graphics of this game. All I seemed to notice were boxy, repetetive 3-D renderings that were fairly dull.

The original game on which this farce was based blows it out of the water. DON'T waste your money or time on this piece of garbage.

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