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Great Gaming!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: February 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Jack the Ripper lives up to the hype. It has excellent graphics, speech, and a storyline that drags you in. I hope they make a part 2!

Dreamcatcher's usual standard

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: March 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Not a bad little game overall, though I emphasize the little (a day or two should see you through, and that's without a walkthrough). Graphics, acting, and interface are all unimpeachable. Game play is *extremely* linear, to the extent that you sometimes can't end a day without revisiting every scene and clicking on every dead end to see which one you missed. They've mixed in a fair amount of historical detail from the actual Jack the Ripper case, such as letters and so on, with fantasy and speculation. The most impressive part of the game is the authentic feel of fin de siecle New York City -- and that should tell you something.

Still, it's an enjoyable enough way to spend a weekend. Parents, don't worry; there's no on-screen violence and very little gore (except for written descriptions in autopsy reports). The creepiness is all in the ambience.

Be aware: There are a large number of bugs in the game, some of which will stop you in your tracks. Save early and often!

Ehhh.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: March 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Goodness, I never had a game that gave me so much trouble (on a new system, too), and my time and effort was not even worth it.

First of all, the system requirements are much more than what is put on the box. It's kind of bad when you have tech support state system requirements that are higher than the "recommended" requirements on the box! For those that have problems, you either have to update your graphics card, shut down all your start up programs, or update your DirectX. This will not solve ALL your problems (because there are bugs in the game), but it's a good start.

Okay, quick summary: You play a reporter, trying to get a story for your irritating editor about some mysterious deaths that echo the Jack The Ripper cases back in London years ago. But as you do your own investigation, you have to decide if your life (as well as others) is worth the story of a lifetime. This game is a mystery, so there is lots of interviews, snooping, and collecting objects. The game box states "challenging puzzles", but there were only about 3-4 puzzles (and most of the time you can just click everything to get it right). The cursor was annoying and sometimes did not work for me many times.

The ending was a big disappointment. It was somewhat clever but irritating with no resolution whatsoever. The songs that the "Irish Nightingale" sing in the game I did enjoy to an extent.

This game is 20 bucks, but I would wait until it reaches ten dollars-or less. Too many bugs (major to minor) and nothing new nor stellar about the plot and game play. It's not like I had high hopes for this game, but I would think that it would be less buggy and more interesting than what I have encountered. Wait for a sale for this one.

Very disappointing

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I had heard about this game before it came out and how it was so great and all. Well this game could have come out 7 years ago and looked the same. It's very archaique, the graphics are quite blurry, the animation is not good, since you don't really move around freely but click in a section of the screen that takes you there if you can. After you click it takes you to the next scene, it's not linear, it's just frame after frame. You don't have that much freedom in the game, it's not like you can go talk to anyone you want or try things that could seem cool. The game is too easy to play too, i don't even think the atmosphere is that great, it's just plain boring.

I usually love role playing games and i'm very interested in jack the ripper, and thought the two put together would be a great combo but it's a huge disappointment. With all the technology that's available today, the creators of this game could have come up with something a whole lot better. I would have rather spent 10 or 15 more bucks and gotten something decent. I guess you get what you pay for.

Major flaws in this game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: March 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm vacillating between two or three stars on this game so maybe it should be two and a half. The story is pretty obvious - Jack the Ripper or a copycat is in New York in 1901 killing off prostitutes in what the game calls the "Lowside District" of New York. Why in the world the developers decided to call lower Manhattan the Lowside District is beyond me. Or why the Pinkerton detective agency is called the "Pinterten" Detective agency. Or why a deranged raven shows up at the crime scene of a couple of the murders and then disappears until the very end of the game when you hear the words, "Nevermore, nevermore." What's Poe got to do with this game? They even have a story line about the World Series which didn't even exist in 1901.

OK, but all that aside what drove me the most crazy about this game was that it was very linear. You have to keep going back over the same locations over and over because something wasn't done in the correct order. In the final chapter I ended up visiting every location three times. The only positive note is that navigation is easy. It you want to leave a location, just right-click and the map comes up so that you can visit another spot - again and again.

The graphics are pretty good. There's really isn't an abundance of dialogue but the acting is fine. The music is something I rarely pay attention to - in fact if there is an option to turn it down I usually do because it interferes with the speaking voices and I find it annoying. This game did not have that option and there was only one time that the music was a problem. There really aren't any puzzles - just when to use inventory items in the right place at the right time. They were pretty straight forward. There was one timed sequence in the morgue that I actually thought was kind of a bit of sick humor - I had to use a walkthough for it. I never would have figured it out myself.

After all that - the ending. It was terrible. Absolutely awful. All that detective work (reporter work actually)for nothing. I expected some big confrontation between the reporter and the villain or the heroine to be in actual danger and saved by the reporter - nope. Nothing, except a stupid, "Nevermore, nevermore."

great

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoyed this game. I thought it was pleasantly different from most of the "go through the weird lands and solve puzzles" games. There were some moments of anticipation of someone jumping out and catching you--fun! And as far as the ending people are complaining about--I thought it was a frustrating but great way to set us up for the sequel--which I will purchase as soon as it comes out.

A Deadly Mystery

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Jack the Ripper harkens computer gamers back to earlier times, in more ways than one. The new release from The Adventure Company represents a nostalgic return to the point-and-click affairs, of which 1993's Myst is the archetype.

What's more, Jack the Ripper is a well-crafted adventure that for many will rekindle interest in the grisly Whitechapel murders that panicked London and frustrated Scotland Yard in 1888. The topic has rarely been treated in the video-game medium, and never so well.

Far from a rehash of the English case, Jack the Ripper moves the investigation across the sea and 13 years into the future.

The year is 1901, and the setting is New York City. Over the course of a fortnight, two prostitutes are found butchered. The killer's bloody handiwork is reminiscent of the famed Whitechapel case, but local police are quick to place the blame on feuding opium traders. Gamers, of course, know better.

Players assume the role of James Palmer, an ambitious but untested reporter for a turn-of-the-century New York newspaper.

Driven by a hard-bitten editor (hmmm, this part sounds vaguely familiar), Palmer takes to the streets of New York in search of a story. While Palmer can jump freely among crime scenes, the police station, his newspaper office, and other locations, his progress is strictly linear. He must complete specific activities to advance the plot.

Using the mouse, Palmer interacts with other characters and objects by clicking on them. Humans are well-rendered, with shifting, blinking, photorealistic eyes as well as lips that move in proper synchronization with spoken words. Jack the Ripper's period settings are also well-done, creating a plausible Big Apple, circa 1901.

Solving the Ripper mystery requires Palmer to meet with a variety of quirky characters, including cops, hustlers, and a beautiful Irish singer named Abigail. He will dig through old documents from the Scotland Yard case, and even receive correspondence from the evil Jack, who takes a liking to Palmer's punchy stories. The game also throws several challenging puzzles in the reporter's path, although these are not convincingly related to the story and thus seem for the most part like stereotypical video-game devices.

Once mastered, Jack the Ripper's game interface is easy to use. The mastery is the tricky part, however; my copy included neither manual nor Help file. I was fortunate to locate a kindred Jack player in the GameFAQS Forum (www.gamefaqs. com) who was able to ease my frustration. This surprising lack of documentation adds to the game's mystery, although not in a good way.

Despite the spooky subject matter and the occasional gory image, Jack the Ripper is not an especially violent game. It will appeal to puzzle and adventure fans, as well as those with even a passing interest in the Whitechapel murders.(...)

It Never Worked! I Was "Jacked"!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Why did I waste my hard-earned shekels on this ca-ca from Adventure Gaming? I have a state-of-the-art Gateway desktop but the game always locked up tighter than a frog's sphincter at the menu screen. I had to unplug my main power cord to break the stranglehold on my computer every time I tried to click on 'New Game!' Their Technical Service had me jump through numerous hoops (install new drivers for my cutting-edge Nvidia graphics board, uninstall/reinstall, shut off programs during install, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah). Nothing worked. Save your money and in my humble opinion be wary of Adventure Gaming's future offerings. You've been duly warned.

Lovely to look at, but could've been better.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Beautiful graphics and music, dark ambiance and a fair amount of Ripperanna, but it could have been much more satisfying if there had been a few more scares; perhaps a confrontation or two with ol' saucy Jack? The ubiquitous raven was puzzling, albeit creepy-cool, and the "Nevermore" reference at the end I supose is to conjure a connection between those ravens and the Ripper? Are they are accusing EA Poe, or are they just milking the popularity of that great poem for all its worth? In any event, the ending is a disappointment, but I did enjoy the journey. I did hope that once the game was over a second level would be unlocked allowing for an increased level of challange, intensity and further pursuit of Jack...maybe a few more years in the future, and with a final resolution. I supose the creators wanted the game to end just as the Ripper murders ended - without closure. I do hope there is a sequel because then I'd feel a bit better about paying twenty dollars for a game that leaves the player feeling a bit cheated. In conclusion, on a scale of one through ten: Graphics-10; Ambience-10; Music-8; Characters-8; Challenge-7; Ease of Use-9; Fright-8; Action-6; Mystery-7; Storyline/writing-6; overall satisfaction-6.

Not worth it

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I hate nonspecific reviews that just say "this game sucks" but. . . this game sucks!! Ahhh, where to begin? The first thing that bothered me was all the little glitches and idiosyncracies. You WILL sometimes get stuck in an area and not be able to get out- the interface does not always work. If you don't get the puzzles right the very first time, be prepared to go back to your last save because even if you eventually get it right, the game will not let you pass. And, be prepared to do a lot of fiddly walking around to areas that never ever come in useful. And also be prepared, unless you get every character to say every phrase and talk to them in EXACTLY the right order, you will have to retrace your steps-- even if you show up at the correct location with exactly the right idea in mind, it may not do you any good. I would not mind all this stuff if the story was good, but. . . SPOILER WARNING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE ENDING IS NOT REALLY AN ENDING AT ALL!!!!! IT IS ACTUALLY A HUGE LETDOWN/SETUP FOR A SEQUEL!!! This seems to be a recurring trend in Adventure Company games (ie Syberia). That said, the graphics were nice, and the soundtrack definitely kept the spooky mood going (although it was sometimes repetetive). My character occaisionally needed some sort of laser surgery or corrective lens that was not supplied (the backgrounds tend to be blurry). I wish they had started out the first day telling me I would never ever find the killer so at least I went in with my eyes open. Then I would realize that I was spending all this time on eye candy, and not even very good eye candy, and things would have been straightforward.

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