"It leaves a bitter taste"

There was a lot of hype and promise surrounding the release of Fahrenheit. The game takes on the form of a mix between the action adventure genres and the old fashioned point and click Myst/FMV style of game, a type of game which has quite obviously disappeared off the markets in recent years.

Fahrenheit or Indigo Prophecy for the NTSC version hoped to breathe new life into a tired genre and set out something ground breaking, but for it to really fulfill the potential of this title, Fahrenheit really needs to be something special.

To say that the premise of Fahrenheit is intriguing is an understatement. Players take control of a four people with an interconnected storyline surrounding a brutal murder at a New York diner. The development team has constructed this game as if it is a movie - even pausing the game will reveal VHS buttons as game icons. Cinematic references are abound from the brilliantly directed opening credit sequence to the end of the game.

How the game plays is difficult to explain at first. For the most part of the game, players play from a third person perspective investigating clues and what not, whilst interacting with other characters. As the game progresses, characters are led into danger and take part in various action sequences which can be negotiated by pushing a button when prompted. The action sequences in Resident Evil 4 are as similar to this as you'll get. Other times there are special sequences in first person perspective.

The different ways in which the game is played gives the gamer plenty of variety in the game which goes some way towards making the game less samey.

The drawback to these action sequences inevitably is that players cannot concentrate on what is happening, and this is usually an interesting set piece, as they are frantically mashing the Directional buttons.

Conversations with other characters are one of the key elements of this game. Interactions can lead to new scenes of dialogue and players can find new ways of accomplishing their goals. The player also has several choices which affect the plot and characters, including endings. Unfortunately, these choices ultimately lead to the same thing and rarely affect the game except for perhaps a couple of lines of dialogue and the odd scene. The point is the game leads people to believe choice in dialogue is critical yet it doesn't matter. Even the 3 found so far endings can be completed from one save towards the end of the game which drastically reduces the games replay value.

One of the best points about Fahrenheit is the changing of characters to give a fresh and new perspective to the storyline. Players take on the roles of Lucas, the man who finds himself unconsciously murdering a stranger in the diner, the two cops on the case and Lucas' brother. Imagine trying to cover up your characters crime in one level, or scene, and trying to catch him in the other? I was also very impressed with the CSI style precision detective work that occurred early in the game.

I wasn't a major fan of the graphics in the game, there was something about the characters facial features and expressions that seemed robotic at times and the interiors don't seem at all special. When we look at the audio, the voice acting is top draw as is the moody soundtrack.

Fahrenheit is a very small game and can be completed very quickly. It is also remarkably easy, as there is no real learning curve or escalating difficulty in the game save for the action sequences, where the difficulty can be altered mid game, and at the end of the day there is really very little on offer to come back for except for some minor Easter eggs.

The plot of the game, at least in the first half, is very succinct and interesting. The characters are likeable and have interesting back stories and the early chapters are excellent as the mystery slowly unravels. Particularly good are the scenes where Lucas covers up his crime as Carla and Tyler get closer to catching him. But the second half of the game throws everything that was good from the first half right out the window. The plot which showed much early promise degenerates into a horribly cliched affair, and this is a feeling of many who have played through this game. The cat and mouse feeling from the beginning is totally lost and the conclusion is particularly unsatisfying.

Far from being a ground breaking title, Fahrenheit remains a title full of good ideas but let down by poor execution. It is refreshing to see such a new type of game and it was certainly fun, but the lack of replay value, disappointing lack of choice despite its non linear indications and disintegration of the plot make this a gross disappointment in the end. One for the rental store, perhaps.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/06