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| TimeLine | // review |
| I've been wondering how to approach this review. I really enjoyed the novel this game is based on, and was looking forward to playing the game. The few screenshots that had been released looked spectacular, boding well. Visually, the game lives up to it's promise, with what appear to be broad vistas displayed very well within the game. It's only when you actually get going in the game that it's drawbacks become apparent. Each level is very short, sometimes only a couple of minutes of play time long, and there's almost no scope for exploration - you have a task you must perform, and that's it. Aurally there's nothing outstanding to talk about. Ambient sounds are appropriate and the voice acting is clear and concise. There is a combat system built it, yet despite completing the game I'm still not entirely sure how it works, except that in some instances some weapons are totally ineffective. You get to use a shock wand, which is supposed to stun enemies, a sword with which to hack and slash for all you're worth, and a bow and arrow. You're not allowed to kill anyone, and if you defeat your opponent they will concede and kneel in front of you. Some opponents can be stunned with the shock wand, however once you've alerted them to your presence, the shock wand will no longer work, leaving you to hack award with the sword. On top of this, switching between your weapons is a laborious process, and you have to cycle through each one individually until you get the one you want. Billed as an Adventure game, Timeline falls down in most regards. Your viewpoint is first person, which is very handy in some places, and interaction is achieved through the use of an appearing 'hand' icon, allowing you to open doors, use switches and so on. Interaction is still severely limited though. If you lose health for whatever reason, you can replenish it by walking over food, although sometimes you walk on top of the food rather than automatically picking it up. The use of the health meter is also almost pointless, as if you 'die', you simply restart at your last save point, or the beginning of the last loaded level. Movement will be familiar to most people who have played a first person style game in the past, however will feel clumsy and spongy, especially when jumping and there is no feel for the character's place in the environment. Level loading takes an enormous amount of time as well - sometimes longer than it takes to play through the level, which is a shame. One level involves you working your way past some guards. This level can be completed in under a minute, leading to another level load, and a continuation of the story. Some levels are variations on traditional first person levels, such as the first slide level where all you do is press jump occasionally to jump over rivers as you slide down a path, or the boat level where you choose which path to take at a fork - although I never managed to take a wrong turn. This game is a real disappointment, as I thoroughly enjoyed the novel it was based on. The developers could have done a little more work and made a much better game, with a lot more interaction, and removed the vast amount of hand-holding evident. As I mentioned before, you have a task to complete in each level, and that's essentially all you can do. There may be several parts to the task, but once you've completed what you were supposed to, the next level loads. Unlike traditional adventure games, you're not given the option of discovering exactly what you're supposed to be doing at each point in the game. Puzzle solving is almost non-existent, and limited to the simple 'flick this switch' type. The one mitigating factor in this game is the game engine itself, which does a very good job of dealing with the environment and displaying in some case quite large open areas. This would also serve as a good introduction to the idea and control system used in most first person games for those new to the genre. other than that, this game doesn't really have a lot going for it other than the association with Michael Chrichton and perhaps the idea that the game might be something like the book. The scope for an adventure game that exists in the original novel was what made the idea of this game so exciting - it's just a shame they couldn't capitalise on it. | |
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