First of all, I have to admit, while I own the GOG version, I played this on Dreamcast. I've been told the Dreamcast is the bad version, but then I see the complaints in reviews about the PC controls, and I'm not so sure. I am very tolerant of old 90s control schemes. I love tank controls. I found the controls fine. There's not a great need for precision during gameplay anyway. The story and environment is the real winner here. I just love it. This futuristic dystopian setting is just awesome. And if I place myself in the mindset of a gamer in the late 90s, oh, wow. I get the comparisons to Shenmue in that respect. It's a big, "living" world. But interaction with the world is not anywhere near the level of Shenmue. But that's okay. Most games today still don't have the level of interaction Shenmue did. The big, big negative is combat and the first person segments. They are a chore, and they do not feel good at all. I set the difficulty to easy, and I'm thankful for that. I loved going through this game, getting to the next environment, searching for the next secret concert of David Bowie's band, and I didn't want frustration to make me quit. So don't be ashamed, and set it to easy. The adventure aspects are fun, in my opinion. There's exploration and some puzzle solving. It's worth it. I've liked most of Quantic Dreams' games, though the recent ones are more interactive movie than video game. This is probably the game-iest game he's made, and it's worth it for those who can tolerate 90s-era game design.
I own and have played the original Saturn release for years. You can tell the team that made this loved the game a lot. It's beautiful and faithful to the original, runs great on PC. One observation is I do notice it is easier than the Saturn game. Can't say exactly why, but I can complete this game reliably, while I sometimes struggle with the last couple levels on Saturn. Not a bad thing necessarily, and I could up the difficulty. I'm just comparing the "normal" difficulty level of each. But I highly recommend it! I hope they remake the sequel and Orta (and Saga!).
I have played every Disaster Report game, from one through three AND the Japan-only Kyoei Toshi spinoff featuring Japanese kaiju. These games are unlike anything else out there, and they are great, in my opinion. I still hold out the second game as the high water mark for the series. It had the most complex story, and it had the most involved crafting system. Starting with three on PSP, they started streamlining things. Maybe this is a budgetary thing -- who knows. But the soul is still there. Disaster Report 4 sees you surviving an earthquake, with a heavy focus on the breakdown of society during a crisis. It essentially plays out in levels that are marked by new areas, and they vary a lot -- a completely flooded apartment building, an area that's been taken over by a CULT. Yeah, it's wild. Most gamers will not like this. The story in this one is this weird mix of goofiness (which is present in all these games) mixed with really serious moments. Kind of jarring. But I still love this game, and I really hope we get a fifth one someday.
I am so glad to see this on GOG. My old copy is a PAIN to get working on Win7. I had to install the game, patch it, install the expansion, patch it IN THAT ORDER or it wouldn't work. This game simply works with expansions included! And what a game! It's one of the most polished and well-presented sim games ever. It really doesn't feel a decade old, like a lot of sim games of the time do. The graphics remain beautiful, and the gameplay is just as engaging. For $6, you MUST buy this. The one thing I always wondered about this game though is why every guest is a man -- even though some of them have women names!
