When is a game not really a game? When it’s Tender Loving Care.
This “interactive movie,” which was released by Digital Leisure Inc. and developed by Aftermath Media LLC in 1999, tells the story of Michael Overton and his struggle with his psychologically disturbed wife Alison who just hasn’t been the same since a tragic accident that struck the family a while back.
To cure his wife of her withdrawn state, Michael, on the advice of psychiatrist Doctor Turner (played by the famous John Hurt), hires a sexy psychotherapist famous for her abilities in curing the mentally unstable…and taking off her top, or so it seems.
For the sake of this review, let’s assume that this interactive movie is a game, which I believed it to be when I bought it. That way I don’t have to keep typing out “interactive movie” and perhaps it will better explain my feelings towards this “game.”
Throughout Tender Loving Care, you, as “the viewer,” spend most of your time clicking from one lifeless room to another, reading journal entries and patient files, clicking TV’s that play strange video clips from the forties and fifties that deal with psychology then morph into what was probably considered pornography during those time periods.
Once the game decides you’ve had enough of that, you’re able to take a psychological test on what you’ve seen in the videos, read in the diaries and questions that pertain to your own psyche. The choices you make determine the outcome of the story and the ending you’ll get…I think. These are then followed by video sequences which tell the story. The story itself isn’t half bad on a B-movie level, though it’s pretty predictable. The video itself is grainy and cheap looking (there is a DVD version that has better video available, which you can still order through their website), but it gets the job done.
One of my biggest complaints about Tender Loving Care is the game play, or lack thereof. There’s no inventory, no puzzles and very few locations. For most of the game, you’re confined to the inside of a house which very well may contain a total of 15 things to interact with, and by interact, I mean read. The backgrounds are completely static and would be considered boring by anyone who isn’t a fan of slideshows featuring somebody else’s house. There are no gears to turn here, no switches to flip, no changing scenery - nothing.
But that’s not to say I didn’t have fun here. The tests that you have to take ask you some really ridiculous, laugh out loud things like “Have you ever thought of having sex with your mother?” and true-false questions like “I enjoy watching animals suffer.” Through the course of the game, you can look at your own file that diagnosis you with a psychological condition, which is determined by the answers you choose. The house also features many famous works of art for your viewing pleasure.
As far as a movie goes, it’s really not that bad. It’s on par with a really good student film and is about what you’d expect from a feature that only has one identifiable actor. I will say this though; the woman who plays Alison should rethink her career, or at least stop playing crazy people. I lost count of how many times I cringed during her nudeless and emotionless sex scene with Michael. The rest of the major characters do a decent job of acting out their roles.
Now, I know a lot of people, especially guys under the age of 15 will buy this solely for its porn factor. Well, I hate to be the barer of bad news, but even the nudity and sex in the game isn’t that thrilling. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it at least a little, but don’t expect Hustler here; It’s soft core at best. You do get to see a lot of boobies, but it’s all from the same woman (unless you count the aforementioned dirty clips older than your parents), and for every boob shot you get, you get a shot of Michael's man-body, and to me they cancel each other out. Plus, why buy the game just for that, when you could subscribe to Cinemax or HBO or use that miraculous tool of the porn industry called the internet.
Tender Loving Care also has multiple endings, which, for the ambitious gamer, will keep it from being dust bait just a tad bit longer. Problem is, getting up the will to play through it multiple times will prove to be a challenge, even to the most jaded gamer, which I have yet been able to do.
To be fair, Tender Loving Care was never marketed as a game, but as the aforementioned interactive movie, but I remember when it was released, it was sold in game stores in the PC gaming section, which in my humble opinion is somewhat deceitful.
As a movie, Tender Loving Care is worth watching. As a game, it’s hardly worth playing. Combining the two makes for a mediocre experience in which watching, reading, testing and repeating over and over again rules supreme. If you’ve played every other game out there, and have nothing left, give it a try. It’s not a totally awful experience; just don’t except to be confused as to why interactive movies never took off after Tender Loving Care was released.
I rate Tender Loving Care 5 ½ boobs out of 10.
