A SLIMMER ME, INSTANTLY (Syberia (PC))

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Syberia (PC)
Date:	28/11/06 (200 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great graphics, wonderful scenery.

Disadvantages: Limited playability, limited puzzles.

Syberia.

I have played computer games for a few years, and particularly like the genre of games such as Myst, where you role play. Sounds a little corny doesn't it, but you take the part of a character within the story, have to seek out clues in order to progress. The shop that sold me my Myst series told me that this game was a very similar kind of game, though they were misleading me.

Installation : Installation of the game, which comes in two discs, is simple and does not take up the vast amount of space that the Myst series does. (540MB). You do need to keep the disc handy, as you are asked to insert it each time that you play.

--o0o--

The main difference between this and the Myst series is that in the Myst series, there is no animated character for your role. You have a hand, and can point which way you want to go, lift levers, etc., and generally find your way around without being some Barbie doll female or warlord of any kind. When I began to play Syberia, I was surprised that my role was played by a lady with a very small waistline, and a wiggly bum, and bad attitude.

The role that the player takes is that of Kate Walker, who at best is a little rude and abrupt in her interaction with other players. I don't like the fact that repetition comes into play so much, and when she stops to talk to people, the same phrases are repeated over and over again. I realise that this may be useful for those with low retention levels, but to me it is irritating. Kate Walker is sent from her Lawyers Office to acquire a toy factory. The designer, French Beniot Sokal has placed the story in some remote area in the mountains of Europe, and his graphic ability really is astounding, although I feel wasted on this game. The houses and scenery really is lifelike and amazingly detailed, almost Art Nouveau in appearance, and it's a shame that it was wasted on a game that is shortlived.

Little by little Kate interacts with the people and environment around her, when she finds that the owner of the Factory who was to sell it has died, though apparently left an heir, whom she has to seek out. The factory produces mechanical toys, and here the graphics really are wonderfully entertaining and fun, though what is lacking in the game is substance, in that the clues are easy to find, and the variety of options limited when compared with games like Myst. It's hard to define what age range the designers had in mind when they made this game, as the subject matter is a little too adult for the 11 year old range that is noted on the cover, and the play is a little too childlike for adults.

Myself, I enjoyed the first two nights with the game, though after that it became tedious. Myst, however, at a better price, offers much more and I have yet to unravel the whole mystery after over a year of playing. Now that takes some beating, and Syberia doesn't come anywhere near as playable. It's a shame because as I say the graphics are wonderful. Having a character playing your role is quite fun, but the movements of the lady are jerky at best, although I certainly enjoyed finding out that she could run with the click of the mouse button instead of walk, because it made the tedious parts of the game go faster.

Collecting pieces of the puzzle as you travel is quite neatly dealt with and you can see these at any time during the game, and use them easily to advance. Kate also has a portable phone and you can make and receive calls, although what irritated me was that you cannot stop a call once it has started and some really were banal. At least in life, you can put the phone down, or shorten the conversation, and many of these held no clues and seemed to be added for no reason.

I think I shall go back to being invisible in my playing of Myst, since I found Kate to be a bad immitation of Lara Croft, and was the biggest spoiler of the game.

--o0o--


Minimum System Requirements:

Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
Pentium II 350 MHz processor
16 MB compatible Direct3D (DirectX 7) 3D graphics card
64 MB RAM
400 MB free on hard disc
16X CD-ROM drive
DirectX 7 compatible sound card


Recommended system requirements:

Pentium III 500 MHz processor
32 Mb compatible Direct3D (DirectX 7) 3D graphics card
128 Mb RAM
CD-ROM 24X

My overall rating of the game is probably a generous 7/10, because of the wonderful graphics which are an experience on their own, though the reason for writing the review was to tell people that there really is no comparison between this and the Myst series, and that it really doesn't offer much more than a week's play, even taking the game to the conclusion. If you can rent it, do so. It's a good entertainer for a weekend, although certainly doesn't justify a price tag of 15.00 GBP. There are better games out there at the same price.

--o0o--

Summary: A game that will bore you after a very short time playing it.