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A great concept translated well

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 20
Date: October 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

So I receive my copy of Indigo Prophecy last week and I can't help but be intrigued by all of the hype about playing a "movie". I'd read the reviews on the gaming sites and I kept saying to myself that this is an awesome concept if it can be pulled off right.

It's been done right. From the onset you know you're controlling something truly different. The tutorial will walk you through the basics, as this game play like no other. Basic movements, slight shifts of the right analog button and you;re controlling every slight action the character has from opening a refrigerator to closing a window.

You start the game as Lucas Kane, but you dont know that. basically you're the murderer in a restaurant killing and the police are now after you. You manage to escape, but now the entire story unfold in a very detailed, very story oriented fashion.

Split screens, flashbacks, odd lighting and off the beaten path chapters make this game unreal. You play through the eyes of a few characters, and some acts may have you simply pouring some coffee and heading to work, or having a workout in the gym, but overall everything you do affects the storyline somehow.

As the game progresses you have tons of mini games which can feel frustrating or reptitive, but they downright make you sweat as you help one of the characters do what they need to do.

You almost always get the feeling that something is lurking behind you or about to flash before you and sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesnt. But everytime you get chills from every corner.

This game is downright addictive, I've played it just about through in my first week, and I never do that.

Terrific melding of video games and movies

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Note: I own the Xbox version of the game. From what I've seen, the two games are about equal in terms of graphics so my review should be accurate for the PS2 version as well.

There have been games throughout the years that have truly done something original, different and completely engaging. It always seems to be that these games fall by the wayside in terms of popularity which is a shame. Indigo Prophecy falls into this category as an original game with a fantastic premise and incredibly exciting gameplay.

Never before have I played a game that was so interactive in its story-telling. When trying to describe this game, I would point to God of War, a PS2 game in which there were scenes where you have timed button presses that would move forward a cutscene. It helped bring you into the story, the cutscenes so that it was you that were doing all of the cool acrobatic manuevers killing the hydra. Another game that used this to a lesser effect was Resident Evil 4, for example with the knife fight that you had to push buttons to keep Leon safe. Indigo Prophecy takes this idea and pushes it to the extreme.

IP is basically and incredibly interactive movie. It mixes the adventure genre, which is seldom seen on console, and movies and melds them into a cohesive and incredibly engaging story. It starts off with a bang as you immediately find yourself killing someone you don't know in a diner. You feel like you're not in control of your actions and as a result you have a body in a restroom and a policeman drinking coffee in the restaurant. What do you do? You're free to act from here on out. Do you leave the body and rush out? Do you hide the body? What about the blood? What about the blood on you? What about the knife? When you leave do you pay your bill? You can take care of all or none of the options above. And the story will be different, sometimes marginally sometimes drastically. Oh, and by the way, that cop sitting outside needs to use the restroom and soon the screen will split and you better be out of there before he makes it to the restroom.

This opening sequence exemplifies everything this game is about. Choices, story and gameplay all merged into one. But innovation doesn't end there. As soon as Lucas (the murdering protagonist) is free of the diner, you take control of two police detectives who investigate the scene. You can switch between the two on the fly and you have to find clues, make theories and basically do everything in your power to catch Lucas. Its this give and take gameplay, where you have to play one side against the other, that truly gives the game a sense of urgency and excitement.

Going back to the God of War example, when you have cutscenes in this game, you better not put your controller down. Gameplay pushes forward the story-centered bits as well. Whether its doing a simon says type control scheme to manuever your character past cars that are hurtling toward him, alternating between the L and R trigger as fast as you can to save someone who's drowning or using the R stick to make dialogue choices on the fly (you're timed) to hear all you can, the game makes sure to bring you into the story. Its very effective and really ratchets up the tension.

If there is one sore spot in the game its the graphics. While not bad, exactly, they don't necessarily push the Xbox in the way that this last year of Xbox life should. It looks like a first or possibly second generation Xbox game. Artistically the game is good. The characters in the cutscenes move really well and realistically. And there is never a moment of lag or skipping seen in a lot of games today. The character's faces have some nice emotion to them and the graphics aren't stellar, like I said, but they do a decent job. There's a ton of aliasing, however, which is sad.

Another sore spot is the controls. When you are in direct control of your character (i.e. actually moving them as opposed to having control of the cutscenes via button pressing) the game is pretty loose. It reminds me of playing the old Resident Evil games. You have the cinematic camera which causes some confusion as to which direction you should push your character. As a result, you will do a lot of figure 8s in the game which can cause a lot of problems when you have to hide the evidence because a cop is at your door and the timer is going down. Character animation while moving is also very stiff and a big difference from the cut scene animation.

The audio is terrific, however. While the box says the game does not run in 5.1 in game, I think it lies. My receiver lights up whenever 5.1 is being used and its always lit with this game. And it sounds like 5.1 is being used. The voice acting is absolutely wonderful and professional. Each voice matches the character and it helps enhance this feeling of playing a murder mystery movie. With voice acting becoming so important in games today, this is most welcome and really helps sell the game. Musically, the game also excels by using the very talented Angelo Badalamenti to score it. That name might not mean much on the outset but he has created scores to many Hollywood movies including most by David Lynch (Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., Twin Peaks) but also Dark Water, Arlington Road, etc. The score is absolutely beautiful and moving; it really fits in with what is happening on screen.

What this game does best is meld the story-telling of a movie with the gameplay of video games. It exposes the limitations of both and yet uses the best of both to create an engaging, moving and very interactive story. For me, this game is a perfect building block for video games. I can overlook most of its flaws because it is so different, so exciting and so damn cool. It warrants a 5 star review simply because of what it did. I would most heartedly recommend this game to those who love a good story, like action adventure games and want to be impressed with what video games and movies can accomplish together.

Most innovative and original PS2 game ever created!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: January 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game back when it was released, because the description on the back of the case was very intriguing. It seemed as though the gaming experience would be so different from anything else I had ever played, and it was!

Indigo Prophecy offers a gaming experience unlike any other! Nearly everything that takes place in the game is completely dependant on which actions you choose to take and the order in which you perform them. The story will unfold differently each time as you make different decisions and how well and proficient you execute a variety of tasks. Every time I have played this game, my journey to the end always seems to lead me down alternate paths.

The story is totally engaging! The player is drawn deeper and deeper into the enveloping plot as well as the realistic and interesting characters. You really get to know all of them and are able to completely empathize with each one. They truly make the story come the life as they each provide a new perspective to the events and contribute their own importance to the plot. The player will find that he/she is able to relate to each of the characters in his/her own way. I do not want to give any of the engulfing storyline away, but all I can say is that you will definitely be left satisfied and happy that you gave this one a try!

The graphics are not spectacular, but they do offer a beautiful gaming experience. The environments are very realistic and are rendered with precision. There were points in the game where I actually felt that I was watching a movie as each of the cutscenes were excellent and directed with such perfection. The programmers did an outstanding job creating a frigid world as the setting that will make anyone shiver and really feel the coldness surrounding the characters.

The music in this game had to be my favorite aspect! I even went as far as seeking out the music featured, because I had to own it! There is a variety of different genres that were touched upon, including orchestral, rhythm and blues, contemporary rock and even cultural music. The score certainly punctuated the emotional moments in the game and helped to create a chilling atmosphere and very memorable gaming experience.

The game controls are straightforward yet undoubtedly unique! No other game that I have played left me as physically exhausted after major events as Indigo Prophecy! The game does a very good job making sure that you feel the burn in every activity you do. This will only help entwine you into the whole experience and make you thirst for more and more!

Another aspect that sets this game apart from many others is the necessity for a player to take control of multiple characters in the game. Not only do you see events unraveling from different perspectives, but your actions greatly affect the outcome of the current task and also subsequent events in the game. What you choose to do with one character will alter the information they obtain and therefore, place them at different levels of understanding every time you play.

I thoroughly enjoyed Indigo Prophecy and cannot recommend it enough! You will not be left unfulfilled or unsatisfied with your experience! Definitely give this one a try and judge it for yourself as it may even become your favorite game on the PS2 console!

Different than I was expecting...but in a good way.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I would like to point out, before we go any further, that I am a huge Silent Hill fan and I purchased this game solely based on the fact that it seemed a lot like my favorite series. It isn't much like Silent Hill at all, but now that I've played it all the way through, I am not disappointed in that at all.

It begins much like any survival horror game. You wake up, and discover that, oh no, you've killed someone. And why have you done this? You have absolutely no idea. And that isn't the worst part. You spend the rest of the game (or at least the next two-thirds of the game) covering for what you've done. Of course, you'd love to look into, say, the reason why you committed this crime, but much of your time is spent running from the police, hiding evidence and so forth.

This is where the game gets creative. You not only play your main character, Lucas Kane, but you also control the two detectives who are responsible for catching you and tossing you in the nearest prison, or rather, mental institution. I found this fun, especially since I knew exactly where I had hidden all the evidence, although I think I kind of screwed myself in this one part while making a composite sketch of the murderer (me). I made it exact, and then when one of the detectives came to question me, he knew exactly who I was.

It's all in the little details, you see. Every action, and I mean EVERY action makes a significant difference in what happens to all of your characters.

And then, there's your mental health, a very important factor that is reminiscent of the same feature from Eternal Darkness, although it isn't nearly so integral. All of your characters are stressed out, especially Lucas, who can't seem to get a grip on reality ever since he became a murderer. It's all the psychic visions, I think, but he seemed like an unstable guy to begin with. Just keep all your characters as calm as you can. Give them water. Let them sit down for a second. There's no need to rush...unless your being timed, which you usually are.

The gameplay itself is innovative, and I have to say that overall I approve of the new techniques that were explored. You do move your characters with the classical analog, pick up items and move things around in much the same manner as any other action oriented game, but there's a lot more that you'll have to become familiar with if you want to make it past the first scenario. I strongly suggest that all players, even the most seasoned, make use of the convenient tutorial offered at the beginning of the game. Now, even I was hesitant to use this feature, but trust me. I was so glad that I did.

You never truly have to fight your boss battles. The game uses a strange sort of Simon Says system by placing two dials in the center of the screen. You move your analog sticks up, down, left, or right, to mimick the flashing lights, and, presto! Your character survives, dodges, jumps out of the way, or does whatever it is he has to do in order to not die. It simplifies the gameplay immensely, and the patterns never become too complex or too quick to follow. It's almost like watching a weird movie.

Another less innovative but still mentionable facet is yet another creative use of the right analog stick. You move it according to the choices presented to you at the top of the sceen in a conversation, interrogation, ect. You are also timed, so move the stick quickly, or the game will choose your answer or question for you, and usually it picks the most suspicious or useless choice available. You'll also use this to do things like climb, open doors, sit down, turn on computers, look at stuff...yeah. It's real important, but it never varies, and you will get very used to it.

Now, here are the downpoints, and these are only the things that stick out to me after having beaten it. Firstly, while I love the idea of making the action sequences based on your movement of the analog stick, I rarely got to see what was going on with my characters in moments when I was having to copy the commands being shown. The problem is in two parts. You have to copy the patterns in a timely manner, and depending on how quickly you repeat them determines whether you pass or fail. So I am heavily concentrating on watching the pattern and executing it through my two analog sticks. Meanwhile, all the action is happening but I'm too busy to watch. This wouldn't have been such a big deal, but you only have to do the analog controlling DURING the most important and exciting scenes in the game. And the second part? The dials are right in the center of the screen! Even if I did want to look up for a split second to watch my character act out what I told him to do, there's these two big dials right over all the action.

The second downpoint isn't nearly so important as the first, but it is worth mentioning. I bought the game from my work, around four o'clock in the afternoon, and I immediately went home and played it, until about midnight. I woke up the next morning, played on the computer for awhile, and then picked the game back up around three pm. It is now 7:20 pm, and I am writing this review. I just wish that it had been a little longer. This isn't to say that the plot is short or boring. Trust me, it isn't. The game that I started to play in the very beginning almost seems like a completely different game than the one I finished. Major character development, and a plotline worthy of an eighty hour RPG. I was HOOKED. I could barely put it down to go to sleep, and even the most frustrating parts didn't chase me away for a break. I cared about Lucas Kane.

Overall, I would definitely tell you to buy this game if you are at all interested in doing so. The game gets mildly frustrating at times, especially when you realize that you have to play each and every scene over and over again until you get it right, but even in that there is some fun. You never run out of replays, so you have as many opportunities as you need to become familiar with your surrounding. The game is never boring, and even though I missed all the good parts because I was too busy making them happen, you unlock every scene in the bonus features when you beat the game. So I've already watched everything I missed.

And just so you know, there is an opportunity to make your characters woohoo (sim language: sex!) But only one, so good luck finding it! It's relatively hard to miss, but I bet you'll never guess which characters.

And a side note to all of you who hate timed missions.This game is full of them, but fear not, for they are all easy enough to be completed in a few tries, and you are rarely forced to watch the same dialogue over and over again. I've had a deep seated fear of time based gameplay ever since FF8, and Indigo Prophecy has helped me admit to my fears, which is the first step towards recovery. Tom Clancy, fear me! I am no longer afraid!

I wanted more...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was intrigued when I first played the demo; the "choose-your-own-adventure" books that I enjoyed as a kid were back in grownup form, in a video game! I certainly appreciated the dynamic of first playing as the killer, Lucas Kane, then turning right around and playing as the cops that would be chasing him.

One of the most interesting aspects of IP is first playing through a section as Lucas, then when it's time to control the cops -- Karla and Tyler -- you (the player) know exactly what to do to zero in on Lucas, but they do not. It's amusing to steer Lucas in one direction and the cops in another, making them chase a completely useless lead. For example, at the beginning, you can make Lucas escape the restaurant by taking the subway instead of getting in a taxi, and when controlling Karla/Tyler, have Karla go near the parked taxi outside the diner. She'll have the idea to grill local taxi companies for information regarding passengers. You can do little things like this if you're a sadistic bastard who likes seeing cops on wild goose chases.

Which brings me to one of the problems in this game: although IP is supposedly an open-ended game with multiple endings and an "ever-changing" storyline, this is hardly the case; the game only gives the illusion that this is so. Many of the different "endings" are nothing more than "you are dead" message screens, game-over screens if you will. There is only one "true" ending, and there really are no branching storylines at all. Quite disappointing.

IP also falls victim to the 2 classic problems that seem to plague just about every adventure game ever made: stiff, awkward controls and bad camera angles. Walking feels like wading through waist-deep water, and when you try to run by holding down X, you'll have trouble turning and stopping. I know Atari was going for "lifelike" here, but when simply moving around the environment becomes a chore, you know you've got problems. Interestingly enough, the cinematic movies and cut-scenes are very well animated: they're smooth and fluid (owing to the motion capture), and they are the sequences that you can't control (how ironic).

As far as the camera goes, 95% of the game suffers through static, fixed camera angles. When you're in an outdoor environment you have the ability to freely rotate the camera, but indoors you only have pre-set, fixed camera positions. And yep, you guessed it: you spend 95% of the game indoors. This, combined with the stiff controls, can raise your blood pressure, especially when trying to solve timed puzzles (i.e. Lucas has to hide incriminating evidence and answer the door before the cop breaks it down). There are two instances where the game switches into 1st person as you're controlling Karla; I actually found it easier to move around and control the action in this view. I kinda wish the game gave the option to play in 1st person all the time.

And this game has two major flaws: one, it is just too darn short. I bought the game, played it, and finished it in one day -- a little over 7 hours. Second, the game's script tries to do too much (including a romance subplot that comes out of absolutely nowhere); near the end, the game frantically tries to tie up all the loose ends as quickly as possible, so the ending doesn't quite feel satisfying.

Excellent

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I recently purchased this game for the PS2, though I wanted it for XBOX. The graphics aren't mind blowing anyway (they don't need to be) so it doesn't really matter what system you get it for. Just get it. The story and gameplay are all top notch. Being an adventure game, there are "puzzles" but not in the tradition sense. Since the game is set in the real world, all items and puzzles are things you would find and use in the real world in a real fashion. You won't be killing a giant wolf to find a magic amulet or pixel hunting, you'll be using your brain the way a normal human being does. As for replay value, the jury's still out on that. Being an adventure game, it does have a fairly linear story, but the overwhelming number of choices you have in your actions and dialogue really do affect what path you take. I've only been playing the game for about 5 hours and already I can think of 8 or 9 things I would have done differently. A definite must rent for everyone, and a definite must by for gamers with more mature, discriminating tastes.

One of the creepiest and most well written games you'll ever play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Indigo Prophecy is one of those surprisingly great and terribly underrated and unnoticed games that come along every now and then. Despite it's low-res graphics and textures, Indigo Prophecy features an incredibly dark and gloomy atmosphere thanks to some creepy and bloody cinematics, as well as one of the most well written and original stories you will ever find in a video game. From it's opening cinematic, which will stick in your head for quite some time, you control Lucas Kane; a seemingly normal guy who doesn't seem to recall that he just violently murdered a man. As you progress through the game, you will be introduced to Detectives Valenti and Miles, of whom you will also control as everyone involved is on the course of a collision that will feature many events you won't see coming, and plenty of twists as well. What really makes Indigo Prophecy is the fact that the choices you make really do effect later outcomes. The game has no linear feel to it at all as cause and effect have never had this kind of impact on a game in, well, ever. As you play through the game, you will also participate in mundane tasks to boot, much like playing the original Shenmue from years ago. There's also some inventive elements in the game's core gameplay in terms of action mechanics; taking advantage of the controler's analog sticks as well as your reflexes. The game however, does have it's share of drawbacks, most notably being the game's graphics engine. Nearly every character you encounter moves and reacts in the same caricatural way, while their features (faces, clothing) are all so low-res that it occasionally looks kind of ugly to look at. It's not that bad throughout most of the game, but it does have it's noticable moments nonetheless. Other than that and some plot holes, the only other real downside to Indigo Prophecy is the game's somewhat schizo camera that at times has a mind of it's own. Those are the only real flaws in a game that features superb storytelling, wonderful voice acting, an ultra eerie environment, and some inventive gameplay; so all together the game is a different and worthwhile experience. All in all, if you missed out on Indigo Prophecy when it was first released, now is the time to pick it up. It's one of the best and most original third party games made for the PS2, and it's one of the most memorable to boot.

Cinematic Gaming At Its Best!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

So many games have attempted to bring a cinematic experience to the video game medium. This game actually is a movie (the main menu says "Play Movie"), but the interactivity that "Indigo Prophecy" features is truly awesome.

Lucas Kane, just another New York citizen, enters in a hypnotic trance, and murders another man in the restroom. When he snaps out it, he realizes what a brutal murder he's just committed. After escaping the diner, police inspectors Carla and Tyler investigate the crime. I refuse to reveal any more than that for two reasons. One, I'm a purist who hates spoilers.

But more importatnly than that, what happens in this game is, mostly, up to you. What questions do you want to ask? How successful do want to be in combat? Writer-director David Cage claims that you control the story. Well, you do and you don't, but more on that later.

So how does one play a game that's a movie? The best way to sum it up is that one-half is third-person gaming, while the other one-half is actually a collection of mini-games with a story beings used to drive the experience. To comment on the latter, you will participate in timing-based exercises. For example, when Tyler and another cop play a basketball game, you won't play as if it's a traditional NBA game. Instead, two compasses will appear in the middle of the screen, and you will have to push on the analog sticks in the direction(s) that light up. Do it right, you score in very cool fashion. Do it wrong, and you get schooled by the nerd. You will always be using the controller, and very rarely just watching. The whole game is a collection of cutscenes that have slight variations depending on how attentive you are. I don't want to give away much more than that, but this game will always throw something new at you.

The other half of the game is played in a traditional third-person perspective. You will interact with a lot of your surroundings, and with it comes more choices. Want to turn on your radio while solving the mystery...suit yourself! Feeling like playing a guitar instead of gettings some sleep...go for it! Don't feel like saving that drowning kid in the lake and risking being noticed by the cops...don't! To be fair, these portions of the game are very clunky in controls, but they work well enough.

The voice-acting is superb, and Angelo Badalamenti's music score is very memorable. Also, some licensed tracks made their way into the game. Most of them are actually cool beats and hip-hop songs, instead of modern rock (though there are a few of those).

So what's not good about this revolutionary experience?
I have a few problems, and one huge one! My little quibbles are that the third-person controls could've been smoother, the few stealth-portions in the game aren't much fun, and the the graphics' framerate gets choppy (especially in the PS2 version). Because the tale is so captivating, you won't care too much, but these problems are there.

Here's the big complaint: This game's goal was to allow the player to control the story. As I said, for the most part you do, but the plot is painfully obvious about what it wants you to do. In the game "Deus Ex", when you made certain unwise choices, your experience wasn't ruined, but instead forced you to find alternatives. There are some sequences in "Indigo Prophecy", mainly the ones where you ask questions, where you get the feeling that you're not 'controlling' the story, but instead putting little variations on it. For example, you getting caught by the police doesn't change the story, it downright ends it with an inner-monologue saying "I'll never know..." Well, who wants that ending? I respect that David Cage had a vision, and wanted gamers to complete a game, but what about more branching paths? Because it's not as free-forming as the creators have claimed, I kind of felt a little disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, this is a top-notch character-driven tale that I won't forget; "Indigo Prophecy" is a great story that I would gladly revisit because it has redefined rrelationship between the gamer and the story. As a rookie-critic, I'm giving the game an overall 4 stars because of its technical merits. But I had so much fun with this game before it was all over. Once in a while, a game comes along and redefines genres. This is one of them, and I eagerly await to see what kind of impact this game has...

Action or Story?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you like playing games for the story then you will like this game, but if your a looking for action you will be disappointed.

For the most part you control the story, whatever you do will have a consequence good or bad. If you die you can let the game end there or load and try again.

Through out the game you will play as four characters, a man who was possesed and murdered another man, and two cops who are on his trail. Everywhere in the game there will be minigames, that can be a bit redundant, but are fun just the same.

So if you're into story like games you might want to look into this one.

Do and say what you want!

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

Indigo Prophecy is in some ways a very innovative adventure game, and in other ways, extremely old fashioned with regards to the devices it puts you up against to get you through the story. Luckily, the game as a whole survives the weird amalgam of new and old school, and makes for an intrigueing and exciting experience.

The story is what makes the game stand out the most, though. You play as the hero Lucas Kane, who suddenly finds himslef commiting a brutal murder while seemingly under some kind of possession. It's up to you to figure out what made you (him?) do it, which involves evading the police and gaining the trust of people who can provide clues to unlocking the mystery. Gameplay is different to most 3rd person adventures I have played. You can control your character movements, but all actions other than moving around can only be performed when you see an icon on your screen that relates to a certain "hotspot" you have found. Opening a door, using the bathroom and pouring a drink are probably not the most exciting things you can do in a videogame, but they all have to be done in this one, and you do need to get comfortable with the quick response controls because when the tension rises, you have to start making some pretty sharp decisions. The best parts of the game are the bits where you have a crisis situation suddenly develop, such as suspicious police knocking at your door, or a pitch-dark basement crawling with escaped lunatics to escape from, and you need to think fast as well as control what your character does, often with an onscreen timer counting down on the time you have left. I enjoyed these sequences a lot, and you really do get the outcome you deserve based on the decisions you make in those vital seconds. This time-attack approach is also applied to many question and answer conversations with other characters...to get the most out of some encounters you must think quickly and choose appropriate questions (or responses ) from a limited choice before a timer runs out. This can be fun too, and as you can imagine, outcomes vary considerable based on your judgement.

At other times, a different control scheme comes into play. At certain critical moments, the screen will present you with pictoral representations of directional commands that you must apply with both the left and right analogue sticks, to ensure the best outcome to a sequence. This could be Lucas taking flight from mysterious apparitions, or just playing his guitar tunefully enough to win back his estranged girlfriend. The on screen prompts can be quite punishing, as they invariably get faster and more complex as an action sequence nears its conclusion. Sometimes you are even told to repeatedly mash two buttons as fast as you can to perform some strenuous task such as lifting something very heavy - see what I mean about old school? All good finger-aching fun, though.

The look of the game is fairly polished, although the graphics are not incredibly detailed, but the atmoshphere is quite impressive. The characters are particularly well rounded, with good looking and well animated faces. Lucas makes an effective and realistic hero, and he's not the only playable character. You also get equal playing time with two police officers, Carla and Tyler. All three of these main characters have subtle personality traits and distinct emotions that make them really come alive. The voiceover work in the game is excellent, and there is a lot of it, as all conversations are spoken in full by the voice actors, and they do really good jobs.

I've enjoyed the experience of Indigo Prophecy so much I don't really want to draw attention to any flaws, but I think it would be positive to point them out as the game overall is so effective. Firstly the movement control for the characters is problematic. This is because the in-game camera is totally fluid, so it's constantly swooping around and changing viewpoint, which means your control over the direction you want to head in is continually and repeatedly undermined. In timed sequences (such as a flashback where the young Lucas must quickly find three boys hiding in a dangerous building before it explodes), this movement handicap is a hazard that can potentially ruin the mission for you. Secondly, the action sequences where you must move both analogue sticks in the directions flashing up on screen are some of the most exciting sections of the story...but you can't possibly watch the drama unfolding as your concentration has to stay glued firmly to the on-screen prompts so as not to muck up the sequence you have to follow. I only have a vague recollection of a very striking sequence in which Lucas' apartment literally disintegrates around him, because I was staring at coloured dots and trying to keep him alive, and I could not afford to blink and miss a single one. For the record, game designers, please don't show the best visuals in the game at a time when the players attention will be totally wrapped up in watching something else! A better idea would have been to run a "wait for it" visual sequence under the button pressing promtps, and then show the unfolding visuals as a reward.

My last point is rather more of a niggle - throughout the game, you switch between playing as Lucas, and the two police officers Carla and Tyler - yet your motivations for playing them are in direct opposotion to each other! As Lucas you must evade the police, and as Carla or Tyler you must track Lucas down and catch him. Yet whenever you play as either party, you are expected to play your hardest to make that character succeed. This seems most nonsensical in one sequence when, playing as Lucas, you must hide in an apartment as Tyler searches it. If you are found it's game over - yet from Tyler's point of view this would count as a victory. I found this very odd. I suppose the idea is to keep both parties heading forwards, but on a parallel course, so that the mystery can be fully unravelled before Lucas is wrongfully incarcerated by the law. I guess it doesn't ruin the game, and as the characters were all so well crafted, I did want them ALL to succeed, so I always appreciated victories on both sides. Even the rather salacious ones like helping Tyler's attempts to get some lovin' with his girlfriend, which shows the lighter side of the developers intentions.

I think Indigo Prophecy is a success, most obviously because I found it very hard to switch off every time I started playing, and if the few control issues are fixed, I would really relish playing a sequel. The storyline does take increasingly bizarre turns towards then end, and the pay-off is not as epic or rewarding as the mystery-filled early stages might have promised. Even so, with a "choose your own adventure" game like this, there's always replay value if you think you could have made better choices along the way, and I'm definitely glad I tried it.

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