I have to conclude that the many positive reviews of this game a driven by nostalgia. The graphics did not age well, and the game play leaves a lot to be desired. All in all, not a good racer. There are many out there that are better for both single and multiplayer.
1954 Alcatraz is a solid point and click adventure game. It is challenging without falling into being as frustrating as others of the genre, avoiding falling into the pitfall of forcing the player to click around randomly in the hope of simply getting lucky. The cartoonish art style and animations are enjoyable for the most part, and the story is very good and holds the attention throughout. Unfortunately, the story takes a big left turn out of no where at the end and although you get a choice as to which direction things will take, it does break the character development which had been so good up to that point. The game is also short, taking only about a day to finish to completion. All in all though, great game.
From the senseless story to the invasive and annoying sound effects to the obscene AI mini games, no part of this game is worth the time. Endless anagram puzzles are followed by repeatedly visiting the same few areas over and over while watching the occasional poorly acted cut scene. The only redeeming part of this game comes from the logic mini games, but that is not enough to save this one.
Among the sleep puts the player in control of a young child seeking out his mother with the help of his stuffed bear. This seems as far from being a horror game as it can get, but through the use of terrifying enemies and fantastic environments, it becomes a truly frightening experience. Fortunately, the game manages to avoid the major pitfalls of other horror games, avoiding the use of jump scares and creating vibrant colorful environments in addition to the dark and bleak. The one downside I could find in this game is that it is short, though I suppose it's better to leave the player wanting more than to drag out merely for the sake of increasing game length.
This game does have solid artwork and fair, though not perfect, animations. However, the dialogue is terrible, slow paced and unnatural as well as poorly voice acted. In addition, the environmentalist angle is excessively preachy and is populated primarily by captain planet-esque villains nearly too ridiculous to be believed. The story is somewhat salvaged near the very end, but getting to that point is rather tedious. Fortunately, the puzzles are well done. Little pixel hunting or off the wall solutions, most of the puzzles can be solved with patience, logical thought, and attention to the environment. Despite this however, I personally found the overall game disappointing.
Redshirt is driven entirely through "spacebook", which is exactly what it sounds like it would be. Though the general premise is interesting at first glance, the actual game play is very limited in the choices available and the outcomes seem to be too random to effect much through what choices are made. All told, it's a rather dull facebook simulator.
Amerzone is a beautiful game, with lovely environments and sound effects that sound as though they were actually recorded in a rainforest. However, the game is extremely short and the puzzles can be frustratingly obscure in their solutions. Be warned also of a potential game breaking bug at the end of chapter 7. No big deal, just make double-sure to save at the end of chapter 6.
7th guest does a great job of creating a spooky setting, using lighting and music to send shivers down the spine. However, this effect rapidly wears off over the course of solving puzzles which, as challenging as they can be, seem arbitrary and disjointed, serving no purpose other than to magically unlock the next room or scene. The scenes are acted out well, far better than many games that used live actors, but still leave the story feeling somewhat untold, as though there is something that is missing from the narrative. It's worth a play for anyone who values the nostalgia or can pick it up on sale, otherwise I'd pass on it.
