Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh

Lets not mince words, Phantasmagoria 2 might as well be an entirely different game when it comes to the first. So lets treat this as an entirely seperate game. The story of Phantasmagoria 2 is terrible absolutely dreadful, but that is the appeal. The sheer hammyness and terrible lines and plotlines along with the transparency of the plot makes for an enjoyable experience. At times it doesn't seem to know if it is a horror game or a drama. The main character is so lovable in a punching bag sort of way that you want to see him succeed just as much as you want to see him bumble at the most easily avoided moments. Don't let this fool you into thinking it is a mediocre adventure game with a wonderfully bad storyline, if the game has one failing it its gameplay elements. If you arn't using a guide I hope you enjoy walking around to every location looking for single objects or scenes to activate. I hope you enjoy needing solutions to simple puzzles with the worst kind of Point and click nonsense that has ever graced the genre. While it can lead to funny moments, one of the very first puzzles, this wears thin rather fast. While I did give it a 2/5 I also think the game deserves a 4/5 at the same time. If you only play Point and Clicks for the story and generally guide your way through them, then Check this out. Though I personally don't think this game is scary it does feature a lot of gore so keep that in mind.

A Puzzle of Flesh is something of an enigma, a game released in the mid-90s as part of the interactive movie craze that launched a slew of terrible "games". But with the FMV fad long gone we can look back at the dozens apon dozens of bad titles as lessons of how not to make games and the few select great titles as examples of how great game design can overcome the limitations of technology. Wheras the first game in the series belongs in the latter category, Phantasmagoria 2 falls into the former, and it's all the better for doing so. Infact, A Puzzle of Flesh seems to find it's way into every pitfall the interactive movie genre has to offer. The production values are low, the special effects are shoddy, the writing is awful, the acting is a mixed bag and there is little if any actual gameplay to be found anywhere from beginning to end. And yet, I love Phantasmagoria 2 as much as any real Sierra classic. This game has become a cult classic for it's "so bad it's good" quality. The story revolves around a loveable loser named Curtis Craig. Fresh out of the insane asylum Curtis has obtained employment at WynTech, an evil pharmaceutical company, as a writer for the warning labels on the pill bottles. Obviously the women at Curtis's office find him more loveable than the player does because they both seem to have the hots for him. All is well in Curt's world until he starts losing his mind all over again and the company asshole Bob gets himself mudered, with Curtis losing touch on reality he isn't sure if he killed Bob or not. It's up to our hero to solve the mystery with the cops hot on his heels and he'll stop at nothing to find the truth, except of course taking a quick breather at the local S&M club for a little experimentation and a stop at the nearest Chotchkie's for some extreme quesadillas. Can curtis survive the memories of his nightmarish past? Will he be able to choose between the office slut and the girl next door? Will he finally express his true feelings for his best friend Trevor? And will he finally uncover the secret of WynTech? The story, is laughable to say the least but the game is notable for being one of the first to tackle issues such as sadomasochism and bisexuality, albeit in a very poorly conceived way. Where the game does succeed is in it's atmosphere. The attention to detail is surprising and the quality of the video and the still images far surpasses other FMV games from the time. If you're going into this looking for a great story wrapped in fantastic gameplay than you will be sadly dissapointed, the game will make you sit through some genuinly boring and mundane stuff as you search for that one click that will move the game along. but if you're a fan of B horror films and you have a friend that's willing to play with you if only to add his commentary to the terrible cinema than grab a beer and this game for some fantastic fun.

Strange and sometimes shitty puzzles (for the few they are), strange story and a few game stopper moments (mail can only be looked at in the living room; one time you got to right click the screen when normaly you're supposed to left click it, etc.). But its great and I love it! The athmosphere is bizarre as well as the acting - but its fun! Recommendation for all FMV-Fans!

I played this when I was younger, at the of its release it was great! played it almost daily. Violent and not so much scary as it is creepy. You play the role of Curtis who (with out ruining anything) is having some issue's people all around him are being murdered, brutally. Curtis is also, seeing and hearing things, for example when you get to your cubicle, call yourself a few times, This has to be on of Sierra's Darkest games, and my favorite classic. if you like horror and suspense, this is worth it!

The story and presentation is right up my alley with cheesy but intriguing office drama, Hellraiser style practical effects and paranormal horror. However in the gameplay department the game is overly cryptic and lacks direction. There are no clear goals for each chapter but instead you just need to interact with everything and hope something happens that moves the story forward. Also story progression can rely doing trivial things and even repeating some actions, which makes the game very difficult without a walkthrough. The game doesn't have any sort of journal or notes which can make some parts even more confusing. With a walkthrough in hand it is a very enjoyable and cool story. I would give this a 3.5/5 but rounding due my personal tastes.