I was mildly excited about this game before. New videos of the game were posted on IGN yesterday and now I'm climbing the walls for it. It looks like mana from heaven for Phoenix Wright and LucasArts/Sierra adventure game fans.
I half expected her to say, "I'm selling these fine leather jackets..."
[quote name='Tybee']I was mildly excited about this game before. New videos of the game were posted on IGN yesterday and now I'm climbing the walls for it. It looks like mana from heaven for Phoenix Wright and LucasArts/Sierra adventure game fans.
I half expected her to say, "I'm selling these fine leather jackets..."
Videos of these kinds of games don't really interest me when I'm not the one playing, but I can tell from the footage that it's the kind of game I will definitely get into when I'm sitting at the controls. I've been looking forward to this game since I saw the ad in Nintendo Power.
[quote name='lebowsky']Actually since the character is a Dectective, wouldn't she be a "Dick?" Touch Dick! Wasn't there already a DS game named that?[/QUOTE]
It was actually "Touch Dic"- it was a dictionary- but yes.
[quote name='lebowsky']The 3.5 score is pretty low but Trace Memory got 5.5 to 6.5 scores and I thought that it was decent.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, this is EGM we're talking about. When was the last time Shane or Crispin had any idea what the they were talking about with an adventure game? Between this, Phoenix Wright, and Hotel Dusk, the DS looks like the console to play Adventure games so far (besides PC of course).
[quote name='Tybee']I was mildly excited about this game before. New videos of the game were posted on IGN yesterday and now I'm climbing the walls for it. It looks like mana from heaven for Phoenix Wright and LucasArts/Sierra adventure game fans.
I half expected her to say, "I'm selling these fine leather jackets..."
Ah, it's refreshing to hear a good ol' Lucasarts graphic adventure reference.
I hope Touch Detective is good, but I sort of doubt it would be. It's nothing specific against the game, but I basically assume all new adventure games will be crappy, because let's face it, they usually are.
Even Phoenix Wright, while well-written, was an all too straight-forward title with some really annoying flaws like not being able to speed up text, or characters not showing up until you've done one very specific thing. Ugh. And the sad thing is that that's the BEST adventure game we've had since Monkey Island 4. Damn LucasArts for setting the bar so high!
I preordered it with some leftover GS credit (After Contact, Yoshi's Island 2, and Twilight Princess), so hopefully it'll be sweet. I saw the video and it looked clever, but what made me really want to try it was the ad for it in the newest Game Informer:
"THE USUAL SUSPECTS: The Butler, the Girl...THE FUNGUS!"
[quote name='soonersfan60']Pushed back to when ? GS was taking pre-orders for it when I got the PS3 and was promising it at its "old" release date.[/QUOTE]
Ah, that explains it. EB clerk told me it wasn't out yet and I could have sworn Tuesday was the drop day. Definitely would love to pick this up in the B2G1, but I'll be astonished if it's on the shelves at TRU.
But I was planning to get another newer release/popular game I already have (like Mario vs. DK2) and then trade it later when TD comes out. Worst case, I guess I would sell it on eBay and then buy TD later.
[quote name='soonersfan60']Same here. Touch Detective is listed on the TRU website, so I can live with 10/24. When is Hotel Dusk coming out?[/QUOTE]
Hotel Dusk is tentatively set for a 6 Nov launch from what I understand. Hope it holds true to that.
Old school adventure games seem to fit so well with winter in my mind... I remember playing the crap out of the old Sierra and Lucas Arts games during the long Ohio winters, so it's all warm and fuzzy for me.
[quote name='boyward']So far the reviews aren't too good. One of the EGM editors gave it a 3.5, and the average score of all the reviews to date is about 5/10.
Apparently all of the mysteries have puzzles that make no logical sense, and you have to make great leaps in logic when solving them.[/quote]
Yes, but does it have a rubber chicken with a pulley in it?
[quote name='Tybee']Yes, but does it have a rubber chicken with a pulley in it?[/QUOTE]
At one point you have to huff shrooms to solve a mystery involving a dream theif, and also inflate a landlord with a bicycle pump. Sounds ing awesome to me.
[quote name='boyward']So far the reviews aren't too good. One of the EGM editors gave it a 3.5, and the average score of all the reviews to date is about 5/10.
Apparently all of the mysteries have puzzles that make no logical sense, and you have to make great leaps in logic when solving them.[/quote]
You're implying that EGM is logical? That's a leap right there.
[quote name='munch']I was excited about this game, but it's getting pretty bad reveiws so far. Does anyone have opinions on here?[/QUOTE]
A lot of the reviews I'm reading (Mark Bozon's review on IGN, for one) seem to be written by people who have little experience with or affection for the classic PC adventure games of the 80s and 90s. Their only frame of reference is maybe Phoenix Wright. And by Bozon's own admission, his favorite games are first person shooters (he said in a recent podcast that he doesn't even have patience for first person adventure tiles like Metroid and Zelda). So of course he's going to find something like Touch Detective slow and inpenetrable.
I like these kinds of games (I've played a lot of the old Sierra King's and Police Quests), but I am concerned that some of the puzzles in this game supposedly have no decent rhyme or reason to their solution.
[quote name='Hollow Man']I like these kinds of games (I've played a lot of the old Sierra King's and Police Quests), but I am concerned that some of the puzzles in this game supposedly have no decent rhyme or reason to their solution.
-HM[/QUOTE]
That does seem to be the primary gripe...But that's why GameFaqs was invented.
Its reviews are all over the place. I remember Phoenix getting mediocre reviews and I really liked it, so whatever! Not to mention it's already paid in full at GS. I'll pick it up this afternoon.
Well, I finished part 1 of the first case, and the game is pretty much as I expected. It's a point-and-click style game at its core, with movement controlled entirely by tapping the screen. Mackenzie (the main character) moves wherever you tap, and investigates whatever you tap. There is a "Touch Book" which details things you've touched, which can be accessed from the main menu (these are things seperate from items you pick up. Everything from the water temperature of the pond in the park to the feeling of someone's skin). Most of the game is moving about the various locales, checking objects, and questioning people you come across.
Since the game is so heavy on dialogue, it's a damn good thing that most of the writing is entertaining. In addition to having something entertaining to say for the most part, all of the characters have very interesting personalities and general aesthetic: Your mechanized butler Cromwell who invents bizzare items to help you on your casses(and speaks in a very proper English way), your friend Penelope who is a banana-loving, ditzy, potentially bisexual airhead, Chloe who is your over-reacting, easliy angered friend who likes to work cases with you whether you like it or not, Funghi, your bizzare living mushroom pal, and a host of other oddities like a cockney shark who loves cake, a prim and business like landlord who is a ...giant bird, and a bunch of "general townspeople" who look like zombies (literally. Gray with sunken eyes). While talking to these people, be sure to read Mackenzie's reactions to what's being said on the top screen. It's entertaining and could give you a hint or two. The mood of the game is consistently odd, yet light-hearted.
Most of the gameplay is slow, but those who've played adventure gamres should know all about that. The main issue I have with the game is that it starts out a little slow, and it takes a while to get used to how things work. Additionally, not being able to view your Touch Book without exiting to the main menu is a little irritating, but since the book itself is merely a humorous distraction it's not that big of a deal. Be advised that this game WILL confuse you at points, and you MUST CHECK ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. Skipping over something, no matter how small, will probably mean that you're going to get lost at some point. Additionally, you must remember to check your items when you get them, and to RE-check them if you properly use/combine them as the can change. Also remember that items can be used on both people and objects. If you can't use it on a person, try using it on an object in the room. You'll be surprised by the results.
Other issues...hmm, the music isn't spectacular or anything, but it's nice and adds to the mood.There are a couple of clipping issues, especially if you investigate something behind a person and then immediately talk to them. The sprites tend to overlay a little at that point and it looks kind of strange. Otherwise, the production values are pretty nice.
The art direction is pretty cool, borrowing some ANIME-KEKEKEKEKE expressions, and mixing it with a strange Hot-Topic/Tim Burton-esque design. It works pretty well, and is a nice change up from the typical anime character types in these games. The colors are well-used, but relatively muted (in keeping with the style of the game). The visuals are one of the game's high-points.
Other than that, I can say that if you like adventure games, I don't know why you wouldn't like this. It's confusing at times, yes, because of just how Non-sequitur certain events are, but it seems that (from what I've played, which admittedly is not much) you're never really hung out to dry as long as you try investigating, and trying items on, absolutely everything. So far, it's just required a little thinking outside the box:
Early on you need three parts to make some crazy dream device, so you can catch a dream theif. One of the parts is "shock absorber" which turns out to be a pillow. Mackenzie refuses to use her pillow (as it's the only one), so you can amble on over to your friend Penelope's apartment and gank hers
.
Stuff like that is common, and it's nice to finally come up with a solution. My tentative verdict is that if you enjoyed Phoenix Wright and Trace Memory, you're bound to enjoy Touch Detective.
they were talking about with an adventure game? Between this, Phoenix Wright, and Hotel Dusk, the DS looks like the console to play Adventure games so far (besides PC of course).
