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Yelsent better be a fucking Christian
Hardcore Veteran
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Edinburgh, UK
Posts: 8,993
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Quote:
from me on another 'Rouge' thread over a year ago-
Whilst being nearly 3 years old in current stand-alone game form, the spin-off of the original and apparently highly popular mod for Half Life has been and will be for a while my gaming poison.
Essentially, you are stuck on a hijacked ship set possibly in the 1920s (although timelines accuracies go out of the port window) and have been forced to kill a selected passenger which you have to do discreetly, away from the prying attention of other passengers, security guards and cameras.
When the game begins, you are automatically assigned a character which you have no choice over. You can fit them out with whatever clothes you may find in wardrobes. If your quarry happens to spot you, turns tail and runs, he/she will know what you look like (though you can fool any random person into thinking you're their hunter only for them to kill you and be punished) so it is wise to frequently change your attire to throw people off your scent, effectively.
You have a plethora of weapons to choose from/find (in room wardrobes, dressing tables, lockers, fallen guests, etc) but the game discourages you from using the same one over and over by implementing a list of favoured weapons which updates frequently as people use them. These can range from a nearly ineffective 'knitting needle' to a blunderbuss. If you use a weapon in that list, you know how much you'll receive for killing your quarry, obviously the higher up the list, the more money.
If you are caught, depending on the weapons you have on you at the time, you are charged and send to the ship jail for up to 1 minute (a long time in game context). You are discouraged from going on a killing spree of random people since as you may be fined (though not jailed) a wad of cash. If you happen to be the victim of a cold blooded murder, you will wake up in another room with everything present at the time of death apart from maybe whatever you had in your wallet/purse.
There are various ships in which you ply your murdering trade, with various degrees of complexity. Getting to grips with map layouts are almost essential as you will become familiar to where certain weapons may be kept.
You also have Simesque needs in which you will be required to keep 'topped up' such as eating, drinking, sleeping, socialising, maintaining proper hygiene, using the bathroom and even reading.
Although they may sound annoying, I find they actually give the game extra atmosphere in which you will maybe walk into a bar full of potential hunters or quarries, where people will be either chatting (a mere click on someone for 5 seconds), drinking at the bar or reading a book in the corner, or even snoozing on a comfy chair.
Once you become proficient with the controls and have a grasp of the general gameplay, you find the enjoyment comes from slowly stalking someone as they stalk someone else. They may be standing in a bar and decide to go for a bite to eat, just as you walk by appearing aloof to their presence when in actual fact you're telegraphing their movement without appearing to alert their suspicions.
The atmosphere of appearing to be on a pre-WWII recreational ship is perfect. The gameplay, graphics and sound all contribute significantly in giving off the idea that you are actually on a ship set in the 20s (albeit with CCTV) in the middle of some vast ocean with no help in sight.
The graphics are fine. Not amazing but appropriately comical since you will find many of the skirmishes you participate in can quickly become humorous exchanges of calamities, especially if caught or are ignorant to your impending doom. There is a little problem with the collision detection but the game isn't meant to be frenetic. When it does though, it can be a little hard to keep track of your target, especially if there is a small crowd of people all trying to secretly kill each other, which you only find happens occasionally and usually at the end of the round.
The sounds are decent and again appropriate. The music is one of the best elements of the game. It sounds utterly authentic and can be heard here if so desired. Music generally blasts from radios dotted about the ship, usually found in guest rooms. If you were to wander into a restaurant or bar, there will also be appropriate and soothing background music while you quickly munch and top up the hunger/thirst levels.
Some of the music, I warn ye now, is catchy and has a tendency to stick in your head for days at a time. My favourite would probably be the menu music as it registers in your brain that you are about to jump into a relaxing, semi-time warp full of murder and deceit.
Footage in glorious technicolor:
Plenty of murders but you may find you could be stalking someone for a good few minutes and generally running through the corridors with a brandished weapon is the foolish outcome of frustration at hunting a good player.
If you do some bargain hunting, you could pick up a physical copy for about £5 or if less-inclined and want some console action, the sequel will be out later this year entitled 'Hollywood Murder Party'.
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Not played it for a while but if I can encourage a few GGers to hop on. Might even check to see if I have any invites!
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03-22-2010, 06:28 PM
