Metareview - Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
by Alan Rose 
{ Apr 20th 2006 at 12:55PM }
It's been over
five years since Funcom released The Longest Journey, one of the most enduring adventure titles in gaming
history. At the time, Ragnar Tørnquist's narrative style and his world-hopping 3D heroine, April Ryan, breathed
new life into a genre filled with Myst clones. However, Tørnquist's emphasis on dialog (lots of
dialog!) was a bit draining for many gamers, and stood as Journey's only major criticism. Those who toughed it
out were left with a memorable experience.In Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, we return to the worlds of Stark and Arcadia where the balance of technology and magic is once again in danger. New main character Zoë Castillo exhibits all the charm of her predecessor, and the game's presentation quality doesn't disappoint. But if you combine that with Dreamfall's relatively short experience, its seemingly unnecessary gameplay elements, and some overly simplified puzzles, you're left with a genuine mixed bag.
- GameSpy (100/100)
gives Dreamfall the benefit of the doubt in the gameplay department, but shares other critics' admiration for
the sights and sounds: "The graphic beauty of the game is matched by the sounds. The voice-cast is extraordinary,
something that's particularly important for a game as dialogue-intense as this one. Leon Willett's soundtrack also
deserves a mention for the languid, dream-like emotional quality it brings to the whole experience."
- GameSpot
(81/100) elaborates on platform variation: "The differences between the PC and Xbox versions of
Dreamfall are slight. Mouse and keyboard controls are fine, but gamepad controls are best suited. The PC
version is capable of looking substantially cleaner and more colorful if you've got a good graphics card."
- IGN (74/100) is
at odds with the game's crossover aspirations: "Though Dreamfall retains a few of the best parts of the
original, it tacked on a lot of unnecessary gameplay elements while stripping down traditional adventure mechanics,
leading to a decidedly less satisfying experience."
- 1UP (40/100) didn't find many redeeming qualities: "Dreamfall comes to the line between adding dimension to characters and giving too much information, and smashes through it without so much as a thought of applying the brakes. The fighting, hand-to-hand or armed depending on the character, is a numb, mushy, button-mashing mess."
See also: Keepsake's unforgettable adventure
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sinergy @ Apr 20th 2006 1:08PM
Gamespy really needs to revamp that rating system.
5/5? Please. No game is perfect.
Rob Stevens @ Apr 20th 2006 1:27PM
5 out of 5, or 100 out of 100 doesn't mean that they think the game is perfect, and I don't know of any review system on the planet where maximum points means a "perfect" title. Personally, I interpret such a score as "an example of the best a genre has to offer at the current time."
adventure_man @ Apr 20th 2006 1:58PM
Looks interesting, but I'll wait and see what gamers have to say about their experiences before picking this one up. Keepsake looks like it might also be worth a look.
mike @ Apr 20th 2006 2:00PM
is that SUPPOSED to look like the chick from G4 TechTV...?
I'm thinking it is..
corny
Ryan Williams @ Apr 20th 2006 2:11PM
GameSpy's system is good. No game can really be summed up with one number, so seperating it into five basic classes such as “terrible”, “bad”, “alright”, “good” and “excellent” is far more sensible. Five out of five never has and never will mean perfect.
There's a reason that the film industry follows a similar rating pattern to GameSpy, and that's because it works better — the games industry will one day realise this. You can make a basic judgement on the general rating, and then read the actual article (*GASP*) to find out what it's really all about, and what is good and bad.
The kids of today need to get their daily reading quota from somewhere, anyway. ;)
Chris @ Apr 20th 2006 3:58PM
You shouldn't have put the Gamespy's score as 100/100, but as 5/5. That would make it look a lot more sensible compared to the others' scores.
Rivendale286 @ Apr 20th 2006 4:01PM
This sounds like my kind of game. "Relatively short" and "oversimplified puzzles" are the biggest drawing pionts. Maybe an adventure game I actually won't get frustrated with and quit on...
Guises @ Apr 20th 2006 7:16PM
5/5 = 81%-100%
I'm not fond of the five point rating system (not nearly enough gradation) but as long as you report the actual rating, and not the rating translated into some other system, people will at least know what you are talking about.