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Sometime's ambition get's overshadowed by problems

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I had seen relatively negative reviews about this game, and how it is plagued by faults, and it is faulty, don't get me wrong. But through all it's faults, there is much more to this game than one might believe. As someone who occassionaly buys a game despite overwhelmingly bad reviews, I've learned that many people give bad reviews because of something not being perfect, some people can't be pleased no matter what. Then, there are the games that are completely hyped, and once I play them, my disappointment leads me to believe people are stupid. For instance, for many years a game called Metal Gear Solid was raved about, but once I played the remake for Gamecube, I was left with one of the most boring games I've ever played. I first saw content of this game atleast 6 years ago, but never got around to playing it because my computer can't handle it. That's when I found a copy at Flea World for 15 bucks and picked it up. For awhile, I had alternating opinions about it, between it being one of the dumbest games ever, to one of the best games ever. I will list certain aspects of the game

fairly low quality graphics due to large enviroments and a pretty amateur development team
sound- parts are totally devoid of sound, cities are fairly quiet- David Bowie lends his music to the game, as well as his voice acting- I'm not a real fan of Bowie's emo-style of singing, but he adds a human element to the game. His voice acting is suprisingly good, it's actually some of the better voice acting of the game. Voice overs are sometimes low volume and plagued with distortion, like chattering.
The combat system is pretty lame as well, especially first person shooting, which wouldn't be so terrible if the controling was a lot easier. Fighting is also pretty subpar, and the animation only makes it seem worse. The overall large size of your enviroment was a first for it's time, and you can see it's inspiration on later games like GTA3 and beyond. Character animation is pretty stiff and unreal looking.
But despite all it's problems, lies a game with a really unique and intriguing story that keeps you guessing. It's puzzle mechanics are very intellegent, and sometimes downright complex, adding a level of maturity to the game. Rougnly 80% of the game revolves around exploration, leaving relatively little combat situations, which is good because that aspect is almost completely useless. It's not for everybody, but this game deserves more credit than it has been given.

Must have!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is a must have game!Its my favorite Dreamcast game.I wish I could live in Omikron.The characters must have a good time.If I were you I would buy this game for ....Youll come to chalenging parts but it is a blast! Hope you like it too!!!!!!!

Best Game in the World!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I heard about this game on Bowienet. I bought it originally for the PC. It is the best game I have ever played. The interactive world of Omikron is superb, graphics are very good, soundtrack was LOVELY!! This has influenced my life, I either want to be an architect, or fashion designer, or musician like the lovely Mr. Bowie. I haven't recieved my game for dreamcast yet, but the only complaint I've heard from my friends is that the sound quality is not as good as on PC, but it is still wonderful. This is such a good game, MAN! I wish I lived in Omikron. I am totally the Nomad Soul. This game makes you think and isn't very easy which makes it SO FUN TO PLAY! I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying the PRIMA STRATEGY GUIDE for Omikron if you buy the game.. you'll need it unless you're a mastermind. It's cheap, don't worry.... If you liked that Fifth Element movie, you'll like this even better. ^_^

PERFECT! BEAUTIFUL! STUNNING! LOVELY! BOWIE!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game combines shooting (1st person shooting), Swimming, Fighting, exploring, and role playing. Hot d**n. This was the greatest gaming experience I ever had! It took me awhile to complete it, but that's what made it fun. This is a game that realistically approaches the depiction of an alternate, futuristic universe. I definetly would love to live there! I have the PC version and got the Dremcast version yesterday, but haven't played it yet. The only complaint I have about the PC version is that the controls were really awkward, but once you got the hang of them, they were mindlessly easy. I've heard from my friends that the controls are much easier with dreamcast. The soundtrack is FANTASTIC!! It would have won the best gametrack of the year, but it didn't have its own CD, it shared a label with DAVID BOWIE. That's what I heard on Bowienet, so it's official. And hey.. all the PC versions are sold out! So you know it's great! It's a MUST HAVE! You should go and buy the Prima Strategy guide, it does help.

Not for kids

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: November 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Omikron is big adventure game set in an interesting futuristic society. You begin the game by inhabiting the body of a missing police officer and you must track down what has happened to you and your partner.

Although the game has arcade elements and few combat sequences, it is primarily a fairly simple RPG type game set in large, partially interactive environment. A welcome change in Omikron is it's adult atmosphere. If you are tired of large headed anime characters with silly soundtracks, then the more complex and identifiable characters in Omikron will be more appealling. Caution, this game is not for kids ... there are strip clubs, sex shops and love scenes.

Some of the cut scenes are long and can not be skipped, which is an annoyance which probably generated an unfair amount of criticism. Otherwise, this is a solid RPG.

Unhappily Disapointed

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: July 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When the game first came out I thought that it was going to be in the realm of Soul Reaver which has extremely good graphics. But after playing the game the graphics were less than spectacular and more to the realm of comic strip. It did not have the great control and speed that it should have for the game, the controls were haphazzard.

You're a stranger in a strange land...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: July 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The Dreamcast version of Omikron: The Nomad Soul addresses the problems associated with the Windows release that generated the many mixed reviews. Gameplay is silky smooth, the controls are very sensitive and responsive, and the graphics and animation are superb. The music, most of which is done by David Bowie, is exceptional and fits in very well with the game.

The one negative I can think of regarding the Dreamcast version is that the dialog text is very small, and even borders on the unreadable at times. And this is on a one year old Sony 35 inch television. However, the Dreamcast supports S-Video out with an optional cable, and with this installed and connected between the Dreamcast and the Sony I am able to read the text just fine.

Another bit of hardware that is absolutely necessary is a VMU. You will be saving several games in progress, and a second VMU isn't a bad idea. But you will certainly need one, at least. And optionally, you may want to run the Dreamcast sound output through your audio system, since it is that good.

One thing I have to mention right off is that Omikron: The Nomad Soul is not a children's game, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there are scenes and story segments that youngsters should not be exposed to, such as an adult sex toy store where you, as the main character, can make purchases. And this is not a criticism. The creators of Omikron: The Nomad Soul have indentified a market niche, and this product will fill it nicely. I am delighted to see a game for the thinking adult that combines great action and gameplay, an intriguing storyline, and adult themes.

Secondly, the story itself is quite deep, with a strong political undertone, a thorough examination of human interpersonal dynamics, hardcore science fiction, and an interwoven metaphysical subplot. Taken as a whole, an entire world has been created here that unfolds majestically, providing visual, aural, and intellectual delights along the way. The majority of people under twenty years old or so simply will not understand what is going on.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is a one player game, though it is a lot of fun to play with others looking on. But it's main focus is on individual play, alternating between fast action sequences and slowly deliberating your next move, with every game session as a voyage of discovery. The basis is simple enough, you are a soul in an alternate dimension, moving from body to body at times, charged with freeing a people from an evil that manifests itself in several different forms. But there are plots within plots, and logical twists and turns that are combined with outstanding visuals that make this game very hard to put away. And there are plenty of fighting opportunities as well, and these contests rival the commercial arcades with the Dreamcast.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is a feast on all levels, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. There are numerous websites dedicated to this game, even with all the known problems with the Windows release. But the Dreamcast version brings the game into it's own, allowing everything to flow smoothly as it's designers intended. This game is a welcome respite from the many flashy but brain-dead game titles around. You will have a great time!

Not so bad...Not so good

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: May 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

To describe Omikron in 1 word, i would call it inventive. Maybe even groundbreaking. A few other words that come to mind are also tedious, mind numbing, and repetitive (not to mention obsessively frustrating). Omikron has a few things down pat: An amazing soundtrack, which sounds like Bowie actually tried to write some great music, instaed of putting some background music to a game. Another feature that was both surprising and really fun was being able to switch from 3rd person perspective (the usual when exploring the cities) to 1st person shooter perspective when faced with a firefight. A few of the quests are fun (controlling a mech-type police bot remotely, for example) and the sheer size of the cities is impressive. But the list starts to end there. It has a really unresponsive fighting system, the quests (when they work properly) get old fast, and while the cities are huge, they are also empty. U can go into a few select shops and bars, and then they just become rows upon rows of endless, nameless buildings. Just controlling your character in 3rd person mode can be a chore, with the ability to turn sharply at a fast run, leaving you to run into traffic and be struck by a car! All in all, Bowie is awesome, and if u like his music, buy the game like you would buy an expensive import record of his. But the game can get old REALLY fast. It grabs your attention at the beginning, and lets go within 20 minutes.

Original and entertaining but not without faults

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: May 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game has intrigued me ever since I saw the ads in game magazines. Now having expended close to several weeks effort on the game I can only say that the game is original, entertaining and fun if you can overlook some of the faults in the design. You play a 'nomad soul' that jumps from body to body living and interacting with the game world as a host of different people. Each new person you inhabit has his/her problems and goals which you try to solve as that character.

The good parts: a great story, an original idea (for a PC game), smooth 3D graphics, a chance to experience several different lives in a single game. The not-so good parts: clumsy controls (expecially combat) and the fact that while you can generally control when you want to jump bodies, at several points this is forced by the game (usually just when you thought the current one was perfect). It may just be me, but I don't really like being railroaded just because the storyline demands it. The new game 'Messiah' has a similar idea but allows you total control over when you want to enter or leave host bodies. Also you may want to web over to the publisher's website to check for patches - the game seemed a little unstable, at least on my PC that no amount of tinkering with drivers, Direct3D, etc could fix.

If you love great epic games, buy this...play it for months

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: March 25, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Talk about mind-blowing! This game is something resembling the movie "Fallen"-(Denzel Washinton), as you have the ability of virtual reincarnation. What it means is you can switch your personality into the body of over 40+ characters in the game to help improve your chances of succesfully completing objectives. When you experience this in the game its mind-blowing at what the possibilites are. From professional wrestlers to call girls; scientists to sports stars, a new experience is only a bullet to the head away. The graphics alone are no incredible, with characters being realistic as in Resident Evil-and the enviroments as vast but deffinetly more crisp as the ones in Zelda-orcina of time. You'll deffinetly keep playing this over again just to mess with all the different personalities. This will keep the dust from collecting adding to the reply value. Control is aight, nothing too complex--too simple to handle, its just right. The audio on the other hand is fantastic! Most of the in-game music is done by David Bowie. Teamed with long time friend and guitarist Reeves Gabrels, the two have put together one whopper of a soundtrack. Industrial Techno-Rock at it's finest, every tune in the disc claims a lofty position in the coveted hollows of great game music (especially the title track, Omikron - New Angels of Promise, that song rips!). All i can recommend is, when this hits statewide, it would be a wise addition to your library. If your a lil sketchy about others reveiws and opinions--by all means rent it, you wont regred it.

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