Late Shift

I didn't initially desire giving Late Shift a negative recommendation, as I appreciate the idea and hope to see it applied in other games. There are actual choices you can make which can change the story quite a bit, and these choices do tend to flow together nicely enough. Even the acting and cinematography are quite good or at least serviceable. It's a good game in a technical sense, and impressive on the surface. But the most important aspect of a game like this is the overall story, and I hated it. Take heed that there are some spoilers ahead. I despise stories in which the entire point of taking the logical/rational decisions are met with condemnation compared to senseless braindead actions. It'd be one thing to have a story which does that and acknowledges the stark difference with some deeply thought-provoking discussion on the matter, but that's not what this story is about. To get the best ending, at least, it is about you digging yourself further into a ring of crime than is necessary to get the girl and save the day. The game starts off alright, what with you essentially being kidnapped at gunpoint, but soon problems arise. There's no reason to chase the girl, for instance, who is part of this criminal enterprise you've been sucked into. Because she's purdy? Whoop-dee-doo. At one point early on, everyone in the group except you and, of course, the girl, are dead, what a coinkydink. The protagonist happens to act like a complete buffoon when interrogated by police, and it can't be helped because story (otherwise the game would be over, but in a "not fun" way). There's no implication that you'll face future problems due to your actions even in the best ending, when in real life you'd likely end up with some form of punishment or even be on TV. These wouldn't be problems if this were clearly a silly B-movie game, but it's not clearly produced as such. I simply can't take this game seriously with these off-the-wall occurrences and rash decisions, which would more than likely actually screw you in the long-run, winning the day. I would love to play more games like this, certainly a viable idea with quite a mass of potential to it despite any potential roadblocks along the way. I even understand why it was short, since films don't build and operate like video games, and even if they did end up being as long as the likes of Elder Scrolls the file sizes would be enormous. And, actually, there are good FMV games out there, Contradiction and The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker being two examples on Steam worth your attention. I hope to see more of them, but I don't think Late Shift in particular is worth the attention. I will at least give the creators props for trying and for their hard work, they deserve that much. I'd even be willing to give them another shot if they produce more, but I hope the next effort is, if not great, then at least better.