First of all, regarding the IGN review, the guy seemed really put off by the loading times between cutscenes (which i havn't encountered at all). It was my impression that he would have scored the game at least 0.5 point higher if it wasn't of that issue.
As for the game, i really liked Overclocked. For starters, the game features a pretty high production values for it's genre. Voice acting,animations and cutscenes are solid. Gfx quality is high, any adv game that actually lets me change resolution and play it at 1400x900 gets a big thumb up from me.
The story may not be the most original but it's pretty well done and deliverd. At some point, the personal life of Dave gets the center of attention story wise, at least for me. Alot of adv. games dont touch the main character too much or dwelve into it, in Overclocked i got the feeling that the life of David are as much the "point" of the game as the case\overall mystery.
I don't know what there was to expect out of the case, the game is pretty much grounded in reality. Maybe it could have been a bit longer and taken us to more locations, but i wouldn't have want them to drag the game out just too add playing time.
Besides, the tie-in between Dave's life and the case was good.
The same goes for the gameplay, when i read all the previews and i was a little worried that the gameplay wouldn't sum up to a whole lot. I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent ammount of gameplay and puzzles. They weren't over the top, they didn't break the game world or required awkward logic. I don't get the comments of "empty environments" , i would rather have those, than screens filled with objects that i have to scan every inch of the screen to get them, or just add items and obstacles that really don't fit or make any sense in the game's case.
Invoking the memories of the subjects and controlling each one was nice and fresh. I may have struggles in one or two recroding triggers but mostly it was clear what to do. The game didn't leave you guessing too much of what to do next, whether with the recording or when to go the hotel or make a call.
Now, i really dont understand the "repetetive dialogue" comaplainment. It was pretty much inexistent for me and conversations didn't get on my nerves as other games did. Like, if you complain about that in Overclocked, then what would you say about The Lost Crown which is filled with those issues.
About the likabillity of the main character, this is where Overclocked stands out, while pretty much all other adv games have you as a purely good guy, in Overclocked it's ambigious and alot more "grey" which really adds to the game atmosphere and story. The protagonist of Moment of Silence too wasn't the most agreeable person for the players, but i like it as it adds depth and is though-provoking. Scenes like Dave throwing the answering machine, headbutting the mirror, pulling guns, getting mad were all intense and gripping and they aren't type of stuff you expect in any sort of a video game.
Overall, i really liked Overclocked, it blew out the last adventure game i played out of the water (The Lost Crown) and between this and The Moment of Silence, House of Tales are fast becoming my favourite adv. game developer.
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