In its attempt to make their trip as cinematic as possible, there are no in game cursors or always-on indicators. A keyboard and mouse can theoretically be used, but they are ungainly and mechanical next to a gamepad whose control is exercised primarily through dual analog joysticks. For instance, if I want Lucas to lift the dead man, I walk him over with the left stick and an icon will appear in the black bar at the top of the screen that indicates an action is available and the manipulation of the right stick that is needed. Sometimes, like when sitting at a desk, there are multiple options, such as pushing the right stick up to stand, pushing it to the left to open a drawer, to the right to use a phone, and down to use the computer. When any action is taken, an in-game cut scene takes over to show it unfold. I was surprised that these, at least on a first run, never become tiresome, which is good because it is impossible to skip any of them or any of the dialogue, for that matter.
Fortunately, the voice work is consistently high-quality and interesting. The developer has done a fantastic job finding talent to portray the numerous characters and hours of spoken lines. Had the performances been cheesy or lackluster, caring about the characters and their plight would have been significantly more difficult to empathize with. Music is also used well to underscore tensions of just provide atmosphere. I particularly enjoyed how Tyler got to play records in his apartment and then have the music follow him as he went into work, which then felt very much like a Shaft movie.
However, the visuals representing people and their New York surroundings are a bit behind the times. While the movements used in exploration and cut scenes are meticulously motion-captured to wonderful effect, the models used have low polygon counts, making people and objects look blocky. Even though extra attention has been given to faces, they still have awkward lip-syncing a fair share of the time. While the dated graphics are serviceable, as I played I couldn’t help but wonder what the same game would look like using the Source engine’s advanced character models and facial features.
Carla looks passable, but her eyebrows often angle weirdly, making her appear cross. If she and the other characters looked as natural as Alyx and the rest of Half-Life 2’s crew, it would be easier to empathize with them. Relatively speaking, the PC version offers the best graphics because of the anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering not present in current-generation consoles, but the bottom line is that the graphics do their job consistently and, compared to audio, are ultimately less important in this type of game.
Exploring the unfolding narrative is engaging, but to add variety and simulate actions that involve skill, luck, or both, mini-games appear frequently. The most common challenge is moving the two control sticks in directions indicated by rapidly flashing lights. While the on-screen directions resemble a pair of Simon games, instead of repeating a memorized pattern, you have to follow directions as they appear, making it more similar to DDR (but without the need for rhythm) with your fingers. These sequences are used when the characters fight, play basketball, and even dance. Other times, you must use the right and left trigger buttons rapidly or with careful timing to simulate physical exertion or to keep panic at bay, respectively. These situations provide fun challenges for your dexterity, and are a satisfying way to control how well you perform without forcing the game to dabble in the shooting, fighting, swimming, and dancing genres, much less providing a quality experience. The downside is a certain element of corniness that should have been avoided. Before a sequence begins, a bold “GET READY” flashes in the middle of the screen. When finished, either “GREAT!” or “FAILED!” appears, and it feels a little like kindergarten. After the hundredth time, you might be insane, but you’ll probably not even notice it.
