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NOTHING like the book...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 42 / 51
Date: November 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I bought Timeline The Game about 2 hours ago... I breezed through it in about 1 hour. I thought I would share some of my thoughts with you...

I was halfway through reading Timeline when I first heard news that Michael Crichton himself was overseeing the development of a game.. I heard that it was 'story driven', and he was the director and founder of the company that made the game.. I was VERY excited, though a bit apprehensive because I was aware of the readership and potential target buyers of the game...

I thought it would be VERY simple, but it would be overall worth it to experience the world of Timeline on my PC...

Well simple was a bit of an understatement.

Unfortunately, it was ANYTHING but accurate to the book. Sure, the 'tour mode' is interesting and informative, but I felt like I was in school taking lessons (albeit who gets the chance from taking lessons directly from MC himself?).

My favourite aspect of MC's books is the lay term science. I found I was very interested in the history of the 14th century and the explanation of quantum mechanics when reading Timeline (likewise, I enjoyed reading about Chaos Theory in Jurassic Park) - I had hoped to see that in the game as well, but WOAH, not even close...

I want to let others out there who may be regular game players looking for a great first person adventure which follows the plot of their favourite book: do NOT look here, guys, you will just be disappointed and felt let down.

If the game had followed the story better, I might even find myself suggesting it for casual gamers (or even non-gamers), but it didn't, and they will just see it as another video game.

I was going to start a topic on the politically correctness of Timeline, but I won't even bother. One of my major concerns when I first heard of the game was whether it would be heavily censored, since a lot of the plot consisted of utter violence. I saw the "E" rating on the box... "Oh well," I thought, "it is obviously a mainstream game, and they want it to sell as well as possible - I can live with that as long as I can experience the book on my PC!" Unfortunately, the game did not deliver any plot, besides using the same names for the characters.

The shortest game I ever played

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 21 / 31
Date: November 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I bought and installed this game on Saturday. I started playing on Sunday and finished it after playing for about 1 1/2 hour!! (this is no joke). I want to point out that I'm only a casual PC gamer and that I am not very talented. This is no real game, it's nothing more than an interactive screensaver (with very nice graphics). I don't know the book yet. Perhaps it's the only thing in this box with lasting value. Everyone who likes good adventure games should buy "The longest journey" (which keeps what the title promises).

Please, say it ain't so!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: February 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I read the book, and this follows it in about one place. They go back in time. This is so ridiculous it doesn't even deserve a long review. If you didn't read the book the game makes no sense.Some of the puzzles are so simple they are hard because you would never expects the damn thing to be so easy. The game is very short. There is absolutely no violence. When you hit someone with a sword, they surrender, not die. COME ON! The worst part is that Michael Crichton himself directed the project, why he would ever do that, and disgrace his book (which is very good). Just read the book and digest it, DON'T PLAY THE GAME. It RUINS THE BOOK. Thank you for your time. Now leave this page of the website and ask for forgiveness from G-d for even considering buying this book.

For children

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 31, 2000
Author: Amazon User

After reading the book, I was rather excited about the prospect of playing the game (the book, obviously, will help with initial sales of the game). Anyway, I finished it in just a few hours and was left with a gnawing feeling of, "that's it?" Between Kate getting in the way, blabbing out orders and giving solutions to the already simple puzzles, I came away with the feeling that the game should be marketed to children. The evil guys can be defeated simply by a couple of hits followed by an "I yield," something that should be fun for the kids. The simple puzzles, complete with orders from Kate, should also be confidence-boosting for children who are beginning to learn more complex games. As for adults who are experienced gamers, I recommend cherishing the memories of a good book and spending money on other alternatives.

This WILL NOT install on windows XP!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Don't get this game if you have windows XP. If you try to install the game, a little box will pop up telling you that this game will not run on a windows NT operating system. It will then kick you out of the installation and you're stuck with a game you can't play.

Stay with reading the book

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

First of all, the book is one of the best I have ever read. The game seems like it would be great for families with children, especially with the simplicity of the scenarios, tours of the locations, and the lack of violence. However, the scaled-down plot, lack of character development, and the simplicity of problem-solving scenarios accompanied by an annoying sidekick who gives the solutions anyway, combine to make it a somewhat frustrating experience for the few hours it takes to finish it. I won't describe myself as a "gamer," but I would assume that someone who is would also be frustrated by the game's simplicity, especially given the depth and complexity of the amazing book. I recommend the book to anyone and, if someone is a gamer, recommend other games (many by Eidos) that have richer plots with more challenging scenarios.

book is better

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

when you start out, it is hard because you don't get a 3rd person view. you can't kill a friendly. I knocked out kate erickson and all she did was stand there. of course I had to start over. my game was shipped with a deep gash in it. every time I got to a certain point, the game shut off. But that is not the worst part. the AI is so appalling. once, when i jumped the gears in the mill, i saw a guard on the corner of a ledge, blocking a door. he was looking of the ledge, the opposite direction of which I was coming from. I zapped him, and he fell of the ledge. inside the castle, i bumped into a guard. he didn't even turn around. it is like they are dummies. and there are only two characters to help you. I can live with that, but HAVEN'T THESE PEOPLE AT EIDOS EVER READ THE BOOK? and this decker dude. he gets no intro. how come he tries to kill you when you never did anything to him? in the begining, you have to jump a washed out bridge. I jump three feet short of it and some how get to the other side of the impossible jump unscathed. long story short, DO NOT WASTE THINE MONEY.

Could have been MUCH better.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 29 / 32
Date: December 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I purchased 'Timeline' last night, and just finished playing it this morning. I am STUNNED by the lack of difficulty, and the incredibly short story that this entailed. I did enjoy playing it, primarily because I loved the book so much, and it was enjoyable to interact with the world that I had read about. BUT, I have to say that from a game-playing stand point I am incredibly disappointed. But, I was happy to see a game with little violence, and no vulgarity at all. Too bad it didn't have the substance, the game-play, or the story line to make it a quality game. A "normal" gamer would expect to play a game for at least a month... NOT a hour and a half.

If you are looking for a supplement to the 'Timeline' book, then by all means buy this CD-Rom. It's a good chance to see the world visually. If you are looking for a good game to play, look elsewhere! Considering how excited I was when I purchased the game, trust me, I'm very disappointed that I had to write a review like this.

A Major Disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: December 18, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm sorry to say that this game, based on one of the best books that I've ever read, is a terrible disappointment. There is only one good thing about this game, and that is the graphics. They were very impressive and crisp. However, the rest of the game is a mess. First and foremost, I beat this game in under two hours. I wasn't even trying hard. As I played the game, I noticed I was getting pretty far into the story (which will translate into a great movie but ended up a very weak one in the game) and I had been playing for only about an hour. Next, the gameplay is awful. Fighting another person with a sword is awful, as is the jousting. There are other sequences riding through the castle grounds on a horse and a trip through an underground river that are sloppy, sluggish, and boring. Every puzzle featured in the game is very simple, and yet the answer is annoyingly revealed to you by your partner, Kate. All I can say is that you should only buy this game for any type of entertainment if you want to pay for the paperback that comes with it; otherwise, you're just buying a disaster of a game.

Too Much Edited Out!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Loved the Book,have & read many times- which is very good. The PC Game got into the general frame of the story, but,,, some key elements of the book were cut out for the sake of time saving? - a Good game is at least six dedicated hours - interesting & fun, but not enough of it for a clever game play. In the book, at least one person is dispatched every several pages, in the game it's the exact opposite- none at all... non-existant strategy scenario-lite entertainment.

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