This version of the game is simply awful. Its laggy, the controls don't work properly, I can't save it, I don't get any options to when in port, and every time I enter the bank to pay my crew, the game ends. Don't waste your time or money!
MoO3 in priciple when properly patched works and works well. My main concern is the balance is all wrong. Whenever I play Ithkul, its always the same. I always modify the existing specs, to make the civ more technically capable, basically by binning, spying and ground defence capability and maxing on Research, Bioharvest, Industry and Mining. In the finace panel, I always have 2 green bars additional research spending and always build at least 2 research DEAs on every panet buigger than 3 regions. You get to a certain point, normally when you can produce dreadnaughts and it all goes pearshaped. With 2x the number of planets as my nearest rival and in 1st place, according to the victory panel, I find myself 4 or 5 tech levels lower and even with 140 planets, I can only produce 1 armarda every 2-3 turns, whereas my enemies can throw 10 armardas at me every turn. Once, ! had 800+ planets, my nearest rival had 20, and he was still a higher tech level than me and he produced more ships per round. I think it doesn't matter what you do, you will always be matched by the computer controlled players, so it becomes a pointless exercise. Most dissapointing.
I didn't play the original, so I can't compare the two. Syberia 2 is a rather sad story of an old man trying to fulfil his dreams. Our heroine, Kate Walker, chooses to make it happen. The gameplay is straight forward with no "against the clock" puzzles that require a high degree of dexterity. The Solutions are sometimes a bit obtuse and it is advisable to have a pencil and paper to hand to make notes and sketches as the game progresses as sometimes things that are seen are not required straight away. I think in retrospect, I should have bought and played Syberia before playing this one as it introduces many of the characters. The phone scenes with the office people did not have any purpose and were therefore superfluous to gameplay. The ending snuck up on me like a 20 ton mammoth and was a bit abrupt. All in all though, I enjoyed the game and would recommend it to anyone with a love of puzzle solving.
I found that Still Life 2 was challenging, as I like my games to be, but not in physical sense, in that dexterity is not important but mental agility is. The puzzles are not particularly difficult, but occasionally you have to think and solve faster than the clock or you're dead. The balance is right and poor Vic has to deal with some pretty twisted stuff. My only deficit is that the game is too short. With six sections to download, each around 2GB, my internet link needed nine hours to successfully download the game. I completed it in around seven hours. Not that matters with such a good selection of functioning games available form GOG, thanks guys. It is easy to find something else to play and not have to wait for game fixes so that the off the shelf game works, let alone being dependant on Steam!
This is what I have always enjoyed about gaming. Level 1 was a good intro and then it got harder. The puzzles are excellent and the monsters can be tough. Unfortunately, I am disabled,(I can't use my left hand for anything other than holding) and I can't beat the timed switches to get past level 4. I won't go into detail because it might spoil it for someone. So if you are unable to react very swiftly, move and change direction with the keyboard, press switches with the mouse, then move using the keyboard again, this is not your game. A pity the speed element can not be an option in the controls where it could be switched off. I find myself unable to get past a certain point and therefore cannot complete level four and so, early on in the game I realise once again, that no thought has been given to those with disabilities.
