Mobygames (307)

Shellshock Nam 67

 

 Shellshock takes you back to the years of the Vietnam war. You take on the role of a rookie soldier on his first tour of duty. Using a third-person perspective, you experience napalm bombardments of civilian villages, sneaky night missions along the river banks, claustrophobic tunnel systems and huge battles in temples and open fields. Most missions are played as a team, but your team members cannot die and do not influence the mission objectives. You will have to assassinate enemy generals, take out crucial boats and guide your team through unknown territory.

The game does not have drivable vehicles, multiplayer options or extensive environmental interaction, but it features a particular system of dismantling the many bombs and traps: in a race against time, you have to perform a long key sequence in the correct order to clear the path. The atrocities on both sides are clearly shown in the cutscenes, filmed as through a shaky hand-camera. Either side is not afraid to abuse civilians for their cause and this sense of realism gives the game a rather raw edge. You can even purchase the services of hookers in the base camp.

Shenmue

 

 On a November day when the snow turned to rain, Ryu Hazuki arrives home just in time to see his father killed by Lan Di, a man Ryu's father obviously knew very well. Ryu attempts to stop Lan Di, but is effortlessly beaten to within an inch of his life. After recovering from his injuries Ryu sets out to track down his father's murderer, as well as uncover his family's secrets and the mystery of the Phoenix and Dragon mirrors that Lan Di seeks.

Shenmue is a hybrid game that incorporates elements of adventure and fighting with light role-playing. The game is set in a 3D environment that can be freely explored by the player. Much of the gameplay involves talking to Ryu's friends and the various people around town, hoping to find hints or clues that lead to the next step in the story. Any details Ryu learns are written down in his notebook for future review. Ryu can buy items from stores or try his luck with capsule toy machines, but most items that can be bought have no purpose outside of filling his inventory. Ryu can also visit an arcade and play accurate versions of Hang-On and Space Harrier, as well as games like darts and pool.

Ryu is a trained martial artist, and while a true martial artist knows it is better to avoid a fight, sometimes it is still necessary. Ryu can train his moves, either by repeatedly doing them while training, or by sparring with his friend Fuku-san, which constitutes the role-playing element of the game. Fighting system is similar to that of Virtua Fighter, although with toned-down air juggling. Ryu's training also gives him heightened reflexes, and sometimes during a cutscene the player will have only a moment to press a button (displayed onscreen) to get Ryu out of danger. Failing an input prompt is not always fatal, but whether Ryu survives or not depends on the danger he was in.

Included with the game is the Shenmue Passport disc. On this disc players can receive tutorials about various aspects of the game like mini-games or the battle system, watch cutscenes they've already seen in the game, and listen to music from the game. This disc also includes the option to go online to a special site where players can review world-wide mini-game rankings, get hints for the game from Nozomi, review game maps of Yokosuka, trade uncommon items found in the game for even rarer items only available on the passport, and visit the official homepage. This service went offline along with the rest of SegaNet, and all online features are currently impossible to access.

Shenmue II

  

 After his father was murdered by a mysterious Chinese man known as Lan Di, Ryo Hazuki swears to avenge his death. After a futile search for Lan Di in Yokosuka, Ryo is contacted by Chen Yao Wen, a Chinese master who advices him to travel to Hong-Kong and seek out Master Lishao Tao, who might be the only one who knows what had happened between Lan Di and Ryo's father in the past. Ryo arrives in Hong-Kong and starts searching for a man who is his only link to the elusive murderer.

Shenmue II is a direct sequel to Shenmue, continuing its story. The game's structure and basic gameplay elements are similar to those of the first game, incorporating elements of adventure, fighting, and light role-playing. Ryo explores vast 3D environments, talks to people to gather clues, and occasionally participates in fighting sequences. Like in the previous game, Ryo can train to become stronger in battles, and gradually learns new moves, which constitutes the role-playing element of the game.

The game's environments are based on real locations in Hong-Kong. The game world is significantly larger than that of the predecessor. The game also has a somewhat more linear story progression with numerous precise objectives, though free-form exploration is available during most of the game. Earning money plays a more important role, and many objectives are built around Ryo having to take part-time jobs (most of which are shaped like action mini-games) or participate in fights to win money. Like in the first game, Ryo can visit the arcades and play exact replicas of older arcade games, e.g. OutRun.

The sequel features a larger amount of characters who take part in the story. Some of them also accompany Ryo on his journey, helping him in fights or other dangerous situations. The game also noticeably increases the amount of quick-time events (QTEs). Several key sequences are composed entirely out of cutscenes during which the player has to rapidly press combinations of buttons in order to execute the correct action. Many major fights in the game also include extensive QTE segments, often serving as a culmination of the fight.

The Xbox version of the game comes with an additional DVD called Shenmue: The Movie, which contains a summation of the first Shenmue made into a feature-length movie.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective I

 

In this game, the player is cast into the roles of Sherlock Holmes, the greatest fictional detective of all times, and his friend and partner Dr. Watson, as they have to investigate and successfully solve three criminal cases:

• The Mummy's Curse deals with the horrifying death of three men, which were apparently murdered by an ancient mummy;


• The Mystified Murderess involves a woman who has been convicted for murdering her beloved one, but cannot seem to recall anything of what had happened to her;


• The Tin Soldier concerns the murder of an old general, whose past must be investigated in order to find the killer.

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective can be described as a hybrid of adventure game and simulation. Gameplay process involves traveling to various locations in London, interrogating suspects, gathering clues, checking out the newspapers, and eventually presenting all the evidence to the judge; if the latter finds the circumstances incriminating, he will accept the results of the investigation, and the case will be considered solved. Though the basic gameplay is rather typical for adventure games, the amount of real detective work and the focus of the game on purely case-related actions rather than exploration and manipulation of items makes it comparable to a simulation of a criminal investigation.

The game is notable for being one of the earliest "multimedia" titles, having been released on a CD ROM and featuring rather long (though windowed) video sequences with live actors as introductions and cutscenes, which frequently occur when the heroes investigate suspects.

 

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective II

 

"What they said about Sherlock I, you'll say about Sherlock II"...reads the advert in the box, based on the nice critics about Volume I.

- The same video technology (this is 1992), keeps offering true interactive environment: actually letting you "feel" the traffic in the streets of the old London…

- The same structure brings a familiar look, inviting to channel all attention to the task of solving mysteries: your intelligence, skills and patience are required to find clues by listening to people, observing details, or even reading the London Times - but don't let yourself be misguided by a wrong hint.

- The same number of cases: 3

But, each situation is completely different: “The Two Lions” involving the murder of circus lions, “The Pilfered Paintings” just bought by The National Gallery...and “The Murdered Munitions Magnate”, where hints reveal different possible motives...have nothing in common, except the detective in charge: you…

 

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective III

 

In this third installment of Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective your task is to solve three separate crimes by visiting various locations, listening to the dialogues and reading the in the package included mock London newspapers. Once you have gathered enough evidence, you have to present your case in court and answer all of the judge’s questions correctly. The three cases are:

* The Solicitous Solicitor

This case involves the sudden death of Melvin Tuttle, a solicitor who apparently has died of a heart attack. You are visited by Inspector Lestrade, who believes that Tuttle was murdered, poisoned to be exact.

* The Banker's Final Debt

This case involves the murder of Oswald Mason at his home. Scotland Yard believes that the murder was a result of Mason disturbing a burglar, but the Treasury wants you to investigate the case as Mason was dealing with sensitive Treasury work at the time.

* The Thames Murders

This case requests your assistance in solving five murder cases in which the bodies are all found on the bank of the Thames, this at first being the only thing linking the murders.