Fahrenheit : First Impressions

[Ferral]

Got my copy delivered this morning and have had a chance to play the first 2 scenes on it after doing the tutorial.

Tutorial has the writer of the game (guy from the begining of the demo) taking you through a few basic commands, jumping out the way of the cars is quite tough initially as you have to press 2 keys to do it not just the one but it takes you through the control interface nicely.

You start by doing the diner level with the murder, which for anyone who has played the demo knows, its a standard cover youre tracks and get outta there before the police go into the toilets.

Second scene is the 2 police officers you can control, go over everything with the woman then same again with the man, question the diner maid and take a look around to see what you can find. If you try to leave to early then the woman says she wants to look around a bit more for whatever reason, giving you a hint that you have missed something. After scoping the place out and you have collected all the evidence you need you are free to leave.

Sound is fantastic, feels like you are taking part in a crime / horror movie. You try to cheer up teh diner worker and music slightly changes to be a bit lighter and softer giving you a real feel that you are affecting everything you say and do within the game.

Graphics are generally good, facial expressions are really good and environments look nice and have a good feel to them. Only minor gripe I have is that some of the textures could have been a little better, seem like they dont have a great amount of detail on them or in the case of character clothing seem quite blocky (think some of this has been ported from X Box or PS2 looking at it), look at the male police guy when he gets out of the car at the start of the 2nd scene, upper part of his right arm looks a bit weird and square shaped.

Controls at first seem quite difficult, however when you get used to them it flows nicely with the game itself, remember on Black & White when you start doing spells and you have to move the mouse in directions to pull them off, this is exactly the same. You use this interface so that minimal use of keyboard is needed and different options can be chosen by moving the mouse in the right direction.

All in all you can see alot of hard work and time has gone into this, the old cat and mouse scenario but this time you play killer and hunters, so actions you choose have cause and effect for both parties, very clever stuff. I can see me playing this quite a bit till I reach completion, then will probably play through it again taking a different route just to see what happens if I do something different (like escaping, I took the taxi but the subway is also available)

If you liked Parasite Eve on the PS1 and like the Silent Hill series you really cant go wrong with this at all.

[Dooms]

Yep im about 17% though the game now and really enjoying it - the whole style is really good however it does get a bit harder after the starting 2 sections when you have to start playing 'lights out' where it shows you what you press and you have to mimic to escape. Story is getting very weird and very cool - freaky too.

[Ferral]

Just done the appartment scene, its really tense. Missed the simon type game and failed that bit then was running around like a looney trying to hide evidence. Absolutely fantastic the way its put together.

Then chose to go to meet the priest in the park, very interesting scene, gave me a cross so I got a +1 life then I chose to save the kid that fell in the icy water and sucessfully resusitated him, police from the bar that discovers the corpse in the 1st scene recognises you and all I can say is wow, voiceover was superb and the outcome really made me feel I had achieved something.

One bit in the apartment made me jump I have to say, very much like Silent Hill games this more than anything else. I am now hooked, I hope people buy this or it will end up like Nomad Soul, a forgotten classic superb piece of gaming.

[Dooms]

Its doing very well in the charts it would seem (the online ones that go by sales instead of in shops where they just put new releases or games they really want to flog )

I stop choosing who i wanted to play next and started doing it in order since you have to play the other scenes anyway and havnt notice them affect each other.

Dam you i want to go home and play it now... stupid work.

[Ferral]

This game is getting better all the time, done the mortuary and face fit (failed the first simon bit at the mortuary but got the rest, like how if you get it right she gets so info on how the guy was killed) facefit was actually harder than what I thought it would be, I got 25-50% on it saying somewhat similar !

Bit in the office was fantastic, just have to get used to the simon bits, towards the end of it I was pulling off loads of decent stuff to escape then it gives you a sequence that is way to fast and hard to do (just outside the lift) so you get he dead guy making a 2nd appearance, quite weird !

Really pleased I bought this game, draws you right in and doesnt let go. I'm now back at Lucas apartment but took pills then drank and he collapsed due to mixing so have to start that section again ! Really have to think about what you are doing.

I love the bit in his apartment where you play the guitar (simon game again to be able to play properly ! ) to get stress levels up, only thing I dont like about the simon mini games though is that its over the main part of the picture and you are to busy watching the sequence of lights to actually watch whats going on, at least it gives you a few seconds break between sequences so you can watch key points.

Who else has got this other than me and Dooms ? What you think on it ?

[XA04]

Played the demo and found it quite good. Gona get a copy on the weekend.

I like the way that you can play differently and get different outcomes and stuff, but it's also slightly annoying, because it's irritating knowing that I've missed something.. but also fun at the same time, maybe these emoticons will express how I feel..

[Dooms]

I havnt managed to play it for the last 2 days due to not being home, i think im a couple scenes ahead of where you are Ferral, all i know that there is a scene coming up that hurt my fingers alot once i finished it.

[MAS]

Just about to get this. Really looking forward to it; hoping it's going to be one of those games where your actions really do affect the outcome. Not like most games, where the result is the same regardless, or if you cock something up you can just do it again until you get it right.

[unreal]

I got my copy right here, going to install it soon

If this had graphics like the Unreal 3 engine, it would be ultimate. The graphics ain't too shabby anyway tbh

[MAS]

HELP.

Okay need some help chaps. I think this is a bug but not sure....

*Not really a spoiler but dont read on if you're not sure*

In the bit after Lucas has saved his brother from the airbase fire (when they were kids) and you're back at the police station as Carla....she goes downstairs to look in the archives for something. But she is claustrophobic, so you have to control her breathing....that I can do fine. It's annoying, but I can do it. But I can't seem to get her into the archive. I turn the wheel on the right hand side, which moves the shelves...but when I try to walk down there, she just gets stuck. I've tried to turn the wheel on the left hand side of the shelves as well but she can't reach it because there are boxes and stuff in the way.

Is this a bug, or am I doing something wrong?

[Dooms]

If there is nothing in her way then its a bug, i managed that fine.

[MAS]

Argh Dammit.

[ajbrun]

I just got past the bit where the police officer comes to Lucas' house (near the start). That part is done really well I think as it got quite tense.

It's an amazing game so far - so glad I brought it .

[specofdust]

Unfortunately, it gets worse. Without giving anything away, they should have stuck with the earlier feelings of the game, instead of what they did as it progressed, imo.

[Ferral]

I'm at the archive bit also, I got stuck in one of the first corridors you open, just back up a little and square yourself up. To get the file you open the right side one and as you walk down the opening its on the left. Trouble is though had a momentary lapse of concentration when I picked it up and she freaked !

Bit in the gym was just like the old decathlon games, hammer the buttons to suceed, at least you can do that at a steady pace and not have to have it at the very top of the bar.

[Dooms]

on PC that gym would of been easier - doing it on xbox while hammering left trigger, right trigger really started to hurt