Another acronym that Indigo Prophecy brings to us is PAR, Physical Action
Reaction system. Here there are two side-by-side circular displays on screen
with each being divided into four sections. As one part of the display lights up
you press the corresponding control stick in the same direction. Some times
Lucas does this and he is able to see into the future or hear what people are
thinking. Other times this system is used in action sequences like dodging cars
and fighting funky looking demons. Both the MPAR and PAR are interesting
additions to the standard adventure game.
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| Carla is on the case. |
The overall style and vibe of the game is able to bring about some very
stressful moments with clean and unique controls. One aspect that is so cool is
how a decision that you make can affect things later in the game. For example,
if you forget to pay your bill on the way out of the diner in the beginning the
waitress may stop you from leaving thus giving the cop enough time to venture
into the bathroom and find the body. Since the story is so well told and
enjoyable I can't really tell you much more about the decision making, but let's
just say that there are some tough choices you need to make and you usually
don't have time to think too much before you need to react. This is because much
of the time when you need to make decision or decide which line of dialog to use
there is a timer going and you must make a choice before time runs out or be
stuck with a choice you might not have wanted.
IP does a wonderful job in its presentation. The cutscenes often use multiple
frames on screen to show you different action going on in several places. For
example, at the beginning when you have just killed the guy in the bathroom the
screen splits in two. One side shows your unfortunate situation in the bathroom
while the other frame pans outside the bathroom into the dinner and shows you
that the cop is right outside. This certainly gets your blood flowing and
rattles your nerves. This technique is used very effectively throughout the
game.
There are some problems, though they are minor. The PAR system can be hard to
see at times and this leads to some frustrating moments. If the game ends, and
it will, you have to site through the cut scenes every time as there is no way
to skip past them. And in a world where graphics are constantly getting better,
this may not be the best looking game. Then again it isn't the worst
either...I'm just trying to find something negative to say about a very
enjoyable game.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
91%. Indigo Prophecy may very well
be the best adventure game for the Xbox...not much more needs to be said than
that.
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