Well, what do we have here? Another
point-and-click adventure game. It seems it was just last week that I reviewed
an adventure game which still proves that people are still playing and buying
these games. But what happens when a game comes out that’s already been
released? In fact the "release" of the game isn’t even the entire game since the
game is still being developed but in episodes.
This is the dilemma facing AGON for
the PC. You see the release of AGON is really a collection of the first three
episodes that are available for download. Point you browser to
http://www.agongame.com to
find out all about AGON. The recently released boxed version is only part of the
entire AGON series. According to the Web site the game is broken up into 14
different episodes that will available for download. Currently only episodes 1,
2 and 3 are available with episode 4 (titled Toledo) being mentioned as coming
soon. Besides the convenience of having a boxed copy of the game is there any
differences between the online versions and boxed version? Not really. The big
difference is not having to purchase all three episodes individually from the
Web site. Now on with the proper review.
AGON is based upon the adventures of
Professor Samuel Hunt, who works at the British Museum. Professor Hunt receives
a mysterious letter one day with a puzzle regarding artifacts recently taken
into possession at the museum. Determined to solve the meaning of the puzzle and
mysteries of the AGON (Ancient Games of Nations) the Professor will search for
clues in three cities: London, Lapland and Madagascar. What the Professor
uncovers is the AGON is a series of board games that he must win in order to
unlock the next mystery and the next game. Instead of just having an adventure
game AGON is an adventure game and board game in one package.
The point-and-click (P/C) portion of
the game is presented in the same viewpoint that the majority of P/C games are
played out in, first-person view. AGON thankfully gives players the ability to
see the entire area in a 360 degree view. Simply drag the mouse in any direction
and your view will follow. This creates more of a challenge in looking for clues
(which is a good thing) since you’re not just searching a static location. Now
you need to search every angle for each location you explore in the game. You’re
still limited to moving your cursor until an arrow comes up letting you know
that you can move to a different room or area in the game.
As in every other P/C game out AGON
follows the same formula of signaling that an item can be picked up by changing
the cursor. If you see the cursor change to a hand or gear then you can either
pick up or use the item. The rest of the game is spent trying to figure out the
various puzzles and mysteries scattered everywhere in order to unlock the next
location to explore. Puzzles are usually solved by picking up an item that can
be combined with another item or reading books to solve various puzzles.
Combining the items together is a piece of cake since the game provides you with
obvious clues if you can or cannot use an item. However you will need to get
your notebook and pens ready for the text puzzles.
The game doesn’t include a memory
inventory of the various articles and books that you read in the game. For
example, early in the game you will read several books that have a variety of
phone numbers and clues included. When I finally found a particular item that I
could input a specific number or text clue the game didn’t offer any reminders
or auto populate the information. It was up to me to either keep these fresh in
my mind or written down somewhere to reference. This probably isn’t a big deal
to the majority of you out there that play P/C games but it’s something that
I’ve seen become less of a burden in other games.
Visually the game is a nice-looking
title with excellent textures, colors and detail for all of the various
locations in the game you explore. I was particularly impressed with the water
effects during an early part of the game that produced a very nice reflective
feature that looked great. The game included a feature that took me by surprise
at first which was seeing the reflection of Professor Hunt in windows. The
character models were adequately detailed but just didn’t match the quality and
details found in the building and area graphics. The game included short
cinematic cutscenes during segments of the game between some of the characters.
Even though the characters looked the same as their in-game model the cutscenes
would made the characters look washed out.
The storyline of the game is really
where the majority of P/C gamers get hooked. If the story is great then it’s a
pleasure playing the game, but if the story is weak then it can become a task
trying to finish the game. I would say that the story in AGON is a mixture of
great parts and equally dull parts. Learning the mysteries and legacy of the
AGON is interesting but reading through pages of pointless information for
nothing is never fun. The voice acting in the game is well done for most of the
characters, such as Professor Hunt, but sometimes the voice acting becomes
aggravating. When the voice acting is great it helps to keep the story
interesting.
By this point you probably already
know if you’re going to play this game. If you’re the P/C gamer that’s been
hooked on these games since Myst, or even earlier games, then you might have
already downloaded the first three episodes of AGON. If you have, then there is
no reason to pick up the boxed copy unless you want to have the boxed copy as a
spare. For those that haven’t downloaded the episodes already then AGON is
another interesting point-and-click adventure game. The storyline is interesting
at times, the graphics top notch in most of the game and the board games are a
great challenge to play (and change the tone of the game). Once you beaten one
of the board games that game becomes playable at any time. The AGON Web site
even has an online version of the board games (called NetBoard) available for
download.
|
Review Scoring Details for AGON: Ancient Games of Nations |
Gameplay: 7.5
This is a solid point-and click adventure game. The puzzles range from easy to
extremely challenging. The board games are a nice diversion that can become
their own obsession.
Graphics: 7.7
All of the location graphics look great with impressive texture and details.
Nothing that will have your 7800 graphics card begging for mercy but the game
won’t make you cringe in disgust.
Sound: 7.7
The majority of the voice acting in the game was well done but at times the
voice acting can get on your nerves. The music in the game is kept to a minimum
except during the cutscenes. Usually only a few notes are played in most of the
game to help set the atmosphere of the game.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.2
I like what the game is trying to do, which is offer players the ability to
download an adventure game in episodes. Unfortunately the actual game isn’t much
different from the countless other point-and-click adventure games on the market
today. Hopefully the remaining 11 episodes will get released.
Multiplayer: N/A
The boxed version of the game is a single-player-only game. You can try out the
NetBoard versions of the board games on the
http://www.agongame.com
Web site, which supports online multiplayer.
Overall: 7.5
AGON is another point-and-click adventure game that won’t impress gamers who
swore off the genre long ago. But it still offers a competent and entertaining
adventure that will keep games busy at least for a short while. At least if you
buy the boxed copy you know where to go to find the new episodes.
