Another Code - A View To An Irk?
The Functional Autonomy blog has an interesting post analyzing DS title Another Code, aka [EDIT: Uh, not Lost in Blue, duh!] Trace Memory, and comparing it to traditional adventure games.
The overall take, though? "Basic verdict: Does many tricks of old media while not playing to any of the strengths of games." Looks like this is usability-related, but some fine points are made: "# As the player, I often feel like I’m solely there to double tap in appropriate places to advance the decidedly linear action."
What's more: "# Dialogue is long winded, and interrupts the game without warning. Scripts initiate it far more often than the player, and it’s also so linear that the efforts at making it interactive are laughable... # It often won’t let you pick up items that will obviously be needed, until dialogue pertaining to the relevant puzzle has been activated and sat through." Too harsh? Some claim this is a 'hidden gem'.
Comments
Uh, Another Code is aka Trace Memory. Lost in Blue is completely unrelated: the sequel to the Game Boy Color game Survival Kids.
Posted by: antitype | September 20, 2006 12:12 AM
Uh, what antitype said.
Posted by: Nick | September 20, 2006 12:45 AM
I was goning to say something, but I see others are on the case.
We all get confuzzled sometimes.
Posted by: d | September 20, 2006 2:00 AM
Didn't mean to be rude, of course, but, uh, I was a little bewildered at first. Glad to see it's fixed.
In any case, yeah, I'm with The Functional Autonomy on this. Trauma Ce— I mean, Trace Memory is a tepid little puddle of a graphic adventure. I'm holding out for official releases of the old LucasArts SCUMM games on the DS! Actually, Hotel Dusk (by the same design team, I think) looks potentially interesting...
Posted by: antitype | September 20, 2006 10:08 AM
I believe the best explanation was done by Eurogamer here (it is not their review, but was written time later). The game is short, straightforward, but it opens a world with just two puzzles, that was also used by Lost in Blue.
While there are only two good puzzles, they're two really good puzzles, asking you to recognise the DS as a distinct object, separate from the game it's displaying, as well as a tool within the game it's displaying.
Disclaimer: I own both games.
Posted by: ReyBrujo | September 20, 2006 8:23 PM