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great potential... but......

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: June 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

so i bought this game expecting good things. unfortunately, it's quite overrated.. there are a lot of good things going for this game. there's an original idea, amazing graphics, and a cool story line (i guess, if you can stand playing it long enough to get to it). the problem with this game is the control and THE CAMERA!!!! the camera view is TERRIBLE, probably the worst i've ever seen in a game. people are complaining about tomb raider legend's camera view, well this one is a million times worse. it's obvious this camera should have been done in a way where you see the character over his or her shoulder and it moves in the direction you move. instead, the camera's moving all over the place. it makes it extremely frustrating to find your way around - even if you're just looking for a door in your own apartment! the sprint key is useless, too. if you try to sprint to get somewhere faster, your character just runs into something quickly. why? because you can't move your character while he's sprinting - he just sprints in a straight line. that's bad control. the other problem with this game is the "mini-games." you don't experience these in the demo, but in the full game, your every important action depends not on FPS-like moves, but on silly little mini-games that are exactly the same as a "simon says" game. so almost this WHOLE GAME'S GAMEPLAY depends on simon says? that's what i'm telling you, believe it or not. and the other part of the gameplay depends on that crappy camera. sound dumb? well, IT IS.

the problem with this game is it's a great game in theory.. and it could have been a great game in execution, but i guess the guy who made this game never really PLAYED many games. he's got a lot of cool ideas, no doubt about that. but when all your actions depend on "simon says," well it doesn't really get you into the action. instead of the success of "simon says" determining whether you beat off a bunch of spiders, why not let me actually beat off the spiders?? also, while the ideas here are original, most of the execution of the game is stolen from other games. the sims 2, grand theft auto san andreas, and metal gear solid, to be exact. at this point in the game i'm trying to navigate someone through a military base.. how is this done? exactly like i'm playing metal gear solid, except with the horrible camera control where i can't tell where i'm going or what's in front of me. fun? i think not. frustrating? very. you could just trudge through the game saying "ok, the story will kick in and things will be cool once i get past this dumb part," but these dumb parts are just too much of the game (at least the part before i gave up!) i'm not even a big adventure game fan, but i believe games can be good in any genre. however, you need to do something well. if you're going to make a good adventure game, don't throw in a bunch of crappy mini-games that ruin things. in fact i'd prefer if there were no action parts AT ALL if they're done this poorly. the glowing reviews of this game are given just for the story, graphics and immersion factor.

on the positive side, i did enjoy the execution of actual choices in an adventure game. you get some control over how the story turns out, and supposedly you can go back and play the game a different way and it will end differently. now that's the kind of original thinking that PC games need. also instead of choosing from a stock list of questions, the questions you ask actually change the course of things a bit. (although i didn't like the time limit on quickly choosing which question to ask based on a vague keyword - perhaps full sentences or removing the time limit would have been better). i also like how you get to play different characters on different sides of the same story. now that is some cool original stuff.

also a scene at the beginning where you have to clean yourself up and get dressed quickly was fun. although the camera made it hard and i had to try about 3 times to get everything done right, it was pretty fun. this game should have stuck with its strong points. there are many games that are very "limited" but stick with their strong points and succeed greatly.

and one more thing i forgot to throw in.. this game uses the ARROW keys. are you kidding me? how am i supposed to use the arrow keys and mouse at the same time? it's clumsy. i had to reassign the keys to the typical WASD thing that every game uses now. it's just another small sign of this game being more of a CONCEPT than a full-fleshed game. it IS, however, creative, at times very immersive (involving) and possibly a good sign of things to come from the creator, or other game creators in the near future.

I'm Not Quite sure to go with Indigo

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The writer/director David Cage put a lot of work and love into this production. He put too much in.

The controls get out of control. The bouncing ball at the top of the screen for dialogue and/or physical actions to be performed are executed by the mapped camera controls. Step out or too close of the area (that executes the bouncing ball) and instead of going through a door (for example) you are looking at a ceiling while stumbling over a policeman.

The player controls many characters in the game...but not really. Each character has a preset limit of actions and dialogue. If you don't choose a character's actions in a certain sequence, no matter how inane or unrelated to the story, you will be thwarted from your goal of what you want that character to accomplish.

The biggest frustration is having choices to be read and chosen before the timer runs out. I get flustered, and move the stick in the wrong direction for the choice I want to make...every time.

For dyslexic, near sighted players, such as myself, all the above overshadows the sophisticated beauty and story of the game everytime the game has to be saved. As far as I can tell, its AutoSave and Autoload or nothing...which is very annoying. I've started over so many times, I've given up.

This game would be so much better if one character's actions determined the reactions of the other characters. Choosing who you wanted to play (as) would turn 'Indigo' into four different games (to play), instead of playing four different games at once.

Its been long over due for an intelligent, sophisticated PC action-adventure game to be produced for adult PC gamers. 'Indigo' almost exceeded the requirements (that such a game would demand). The chilling musical score and eerie, very original storyline along with the gritty "set decor" almost made this game a breakthrough genre all unto itself. I've never seen anything like it. But because of the controls and the player put in the position of being a "blinded" writer of the game...its just another game.

I hope David Cage doesn't give up. I hope the game companies don't give up on him either. He's very talented and very bright. He just needs a better editor.

marf

I have played a lot of games...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing games on computers and consoles since the NES was first released on the market in the US. I have played a lot of first person shooters and I still do.

I have been very bored with video games the past few years; Halo, huge disappointment most likely the most boring game I have ever played.. Half life 2 had some interesting parts to it and in the end I admitted I had some fun.. Doom 3, looked damn good but ultimately boring in the end. That kind of trend goes for most games I have played over the last 6-7 years, that is until a friend introduced me to Indigo Prophecy on her PS2. The controls are a little weird at first and the graphics are decent for what they are designed to do, but I like game play, storyline and over all enjoyment over graphics any day of the week.

When I first started playing Indigo Prophecy with my friend I got really in to it after the first few minutes. After that first night of playing the game I went to Amazon and bought it for the PC. I have no idea how far through the game I am currently but I have enjoyed it so much it does not really matter. The storyline is well done so far, I can actually feel for the characters for the first time in a very long time which is another huge bonus to me. The game has it's limits just as any game does, but in terms of this game I find the limits to be unnoticeable.

All in all I have enjoyed this game more in the last few days than I have all the games in the last 5 years combined. Maybe that is because I am burned out on all of those types of games, but this is one that got me on the first try. I highly suggest it to anybody who is looking for a good game and is tired of the normal "I kill you" junk.

absolutely the best video game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My teenage son had to hound me for weeks to play this game, but when I finally game in, I LOVED it!! Takes a bit of dexterity, but if you can type, you can do it. I had to ask my son to help me out in the climbing scenarios. For some reason, I couldn't master that particular motion with the mouse. But, it was wonderful. Interactive, lots of decision making, some quick responses, some strategy, just a wonderful blend of everything that makes a great video game. Since completing the game, I have been suffering from "Indigo Prophecy Withdrawal". I enjoyed it more than anything I've ever played and can't wait to find something comparable (if such a thing exists).

Not for actionfans, maybe for adventurefans

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In short, Fahrenheit packs a heavy multi-bottomed story, with a whole sea of actions sequences. Depending on how well you suceed in the action sequences, the better the story goes. Theese action sequences are dealt with through pushing the right buttons after sequences displayed on screen.

The cross-genr? blend can best be called "Movie Game", although the only games I remember like it is Cinemaware's King of Chicago or It Came from the Desert.

Blending several genr?'s tend to be dangerous. Most who try fall flat, not giving enough impact on any of it's intended target groups.
Adventure gamers, who are the people most likely to enjoy a very deep story, tend to hate action sequences.
Action gamers, on the other hand, tend to be very picky about gameplay, the feel of playing the game.

So lets deal with the actiongamers first. If you are interested in gameplay above story, I have to say no, this game is not for you.

For the Adventure Gamers, however, Fahrenheit offers a multi-bottomed "mature" storyline. While it is not the best game I ever played, or the best story I ever heard, it's one of the most memorable experiences I had in years. It's a story that could as well have been made into a cult-classic movie, or even a mini-serie for television.

When the game begins, we see how a poor man called Lucas Kane is posessed and forced to commit murder. As the game begins the player get's to play Lucas as he covers up the scene and then flee. Right after that, the police arrives and we instead get to play Carla, the police who is put on the case, as well as her partner Tyler. For the rest of the game, the player will play the fleeing Lucas, desperate to find the truth why he was forced to do a such horrible act, but the player will also get to play Carla, who at once have a hunch that there's more to the case than simply a murder. The player also get to control Tyler, who have problems with his girlfriend who arent satisfied with his line of work.

Beyond the plot, there are also many scenes that doesnt actually build on the plot, but add depth to the characters. We can help Lucas to play his guitar for his girlfriend, we get to experience Carla's fear of narrow spaces and assist Tyler to win back an old debt through throwing basketball.

The voice acting is great, and the cinematography is also excellent, using many movie techniques such as scenes shown in several angles on screen at the same time. A negative point is the graphics though, which should have been better in a year from 2005... but gee-whizz graphics rarely tend to be a major feature in adventuregames so I cannot blame Fahrenheit for that.

So for the adventuregamers the only thing in the way is the action sequences. I say that if you arent overwhelmingly hateful against action sequences, you can learn to live with them. At worst you are forced to redo sequences, but they tend to be very short so it doesnt feel like a huge timesink to fail a sequence more than once. The storyline and the curiosity about what's going to happen next tend to make you force through them, even at times it might feel impossible.

Im going to review this game as a movie, skipping gameplay issues and only go by the story and cinematic experience, for which 5 out of 5 is the right score to give.

Where are the puzzles?!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I too was very excited about this game. However, it turns out that this is not really much of a "game". It is more of a interactive movie type software. -Where are the puzzles? I didn't had to think for one second while watching this software. I was very disapointed...

If you like figuring out the puzzles on your own, and actually doing something aside from coaxing the software to continue the cutscene by standing up from a chair. Then skip this one.

Very cool game, a MUST play!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is so cool, you can play different characters and you get to choose how the story unfolds and ends. You definately choose Lucas's destiny. The graphics are great. The game length is great. Its very entertaining, never boring. Its not too easy or too hard.
The only complaints which don't even matter much at all, is sometimes the camera angles were a little tricky and when your doing the "simon says" events (pushing the colored buttons)you can't see what Lucas is doing because your concentrating on what buttons to push. Also the whole Matrix-like fight scenes were a little cheesy I thought.
This game is movie-like, action packed, but not a shooting game. I'm very glad I bought it and with different outcomes I can play it over and over. Its HIGHLY recommended!!

Very Unique

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If forced to compare this to other games, I'd say it's most like the Myst family of adventures. Even that's not really fair. Indigo is more like an interactive movie than anything else.

After I banged my head for a few minutes on the unique interfaces for the mouse and keyboard (word of advice: don't remap the keyboard controls), I slid smoothly and addictively into the game and played almost nonstop to the end in two days. The liner notes say that they tried to make a game that engages your emotion, and I say they certainly succeeded. This is far, far more emotionally engaging than your typical push-the-button, ride-the-elevator, shoot-the-monster FPS. The challenge of it is not about shooting and dodging so much as it is about deciding and acting. What you do in every scene changes the way the storyline progresses. There are several endings, depending on what you do during the "film."

There are a couple of must-do type of interface controls, things you've got to do on the keyboard or with the mouse that determine how successful the scene is or whether or not you die. None of them were particularly hard, but enough is going on that you don't feel like you're just sitting and staring at the screen, watching like a movie. You feel like you're in control of the action. You play several different characters all through the game and must keep an eye on their moods. If they get so stressed out they can't continue, the story ends.

All the game elements aside, the story itself is very absorbing. I couldn't have predicted the end at the beginning, and part of the reason I played through it in two days was because it was like a good book -- you just had to see what happens next...play one more scene. It was darn hard to put down.

The only thing more you could hope for is a sequel.

Sleeper Hit

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: October 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is by far one of best games thus far this year (it definately has sleeper hit written all over it)in that it delivers an innovative and unique experience that is few and far between nowadays. The things that I refer to, to even suggest such a claim for this game are its openendness, the story is really up to you and what you make of it and how you decide to do things. For instance when questioning a witness you can ask various things about the suspect or nothing about the suspect at all, this is like Grand Theft auto in an adventure sense on the level of freedom that it provides to the player.
Other good points about this game is the very sharp voice acting that makes each and every character believable and seemingly worthy of your sympathy towards their situtation however it may seem. The music score is beautifully composed as well as each piece of music seemingly fits where it needs to be.
Of course a game of this caliber does however come with its faults as mentioned in previous reviews the controllers aren't as great as they could be along w/ the camera which you'll find yourself readjusting to focus on a vital clue in the game or when you're trying to avoid the heat (which creates even more sweat inducing tension if you look on the brightside). Also experienced players should be able to get through this game in less then 10 hours, but it's openendedness as previously stated keeps this bad point in check.
Nevertheless the good obviously outweighs the bad and is therefore a game that is the worth the money and time to all that choose to step into the world of Indigo Prophecy.
One final WARNING which is aimed at the PARENTS is that though this game may not appeal to the younger crowd (adolescents and children) PLEASE exercise good judgement as this game contains nudity, cursing, violence and a sex scene or 2 , so please don't heap anymore problems on the gaming industry by letting your little ones get a hold of this game. As for everyone else this is a must buy.

A poor, pretentious man's Shenmue.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 32
Date: December 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After playing the XBox demo I had high hopes for Indigo Prophecy. The initial encounter in the diner played out quite nicely. Split screen chaos, split second decision making, a simple interface, a 'mature' storyline - the complete package. Good times guaranteed.

Or not.

Unfortunately the rest of the setups stumbled from boring to lame to worse. After the first ten minutes (i.e. the demo) the choose-your-own-adventure gameplay goes out the window and the cliches start hitting you hard and heavy. First off, could they have made the black cop any more stereotypical? For whatever reason he's the only character in the game that swears, his apartment is a funkified joke (can't get enough that vinyl, aw yeh), brother-man loves the b-ball and the ladies too. Maybe that could be excused if he wasn't such a dunce of a cop. All he does it complain about how tired he is and can't wait to get home with his woman. Plodding along we hit every other cliche in the book: the devil made me do it, humanity is doomed (cue the child saviour foretold in prophecy), the priest brother, the headstrong chick cop (I'll get to the bottom of this in the insane asylum - oh no! the power just went out!), bullet time kung-fu sequences, crazy old woman with pets, the list goes on. At one point (spoiler) the chick cop and the serial killer fall in love (almost instantly), have sex, she gets pregnant and the hope for a new world is at hand. Unbelievable. Maybe if we drop in some nods to Shakespeare and Nietzsche it'll sort itself out. Nope. Sorry.

It almost seems like the game's 'director' would prefer to make movies. Maybe he even bounced this script around a few studios and when they finished laughing kindly asked him to leave. And so we're left with Indigo Prophecy, a game where you spend half the time looking at pointless mini-games that distract you (purposely?) from any meaningful action on the screen. Surely in this day and age we can expect more from a video game. For all its faults and flaws Shenmue (2000) on the Dreamcast is an infinitely better game. You can actually explore and interact with other characters and surrounding environments. Mini-games are in fact 'games' and involve some sense of play. The story is hokey but at least it doesn't take itself so seriously as to consider itself high art.

...the one star Indigo Prophecy earned here goes to the soundtrack and voice acting. Maybe audio presentation fooled people into thinking there's a game in here somewhere...

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