[terhardp]

The Next BIG Thing

From what I've read, it seems that I'm one of rare posters on these boards who thinks rather highly of "Runaway" series, especially of the first game. While many fellow adventurers seems to loathe the key ingredients of the game, especially the geeky main protagonist and somewhat cheesy story, I find those elements charming. But the strong points of the games from Pendulo Studios are certainly graphic style, music and voice-acting. Yes, even though many of the characters sound irritable, they're convincingly portrayed.

The Next BIG Thing continues the tradition of "Runaway" series in many ways. The world is cheesy and colorful yet stylish, the characters are wacky and memorable, the story is "cheap" yet intriguing enough. Humor ranges from Seinfeld to Police Academy, but this is also trademark of Pendulo, which I appreciate. Music is diverse and adds to the setting and atmosphere of the game. The puzzles are also somewhat standard: they range from obvious to illogical.

As a "Runaway" fan, I was very excited when I've first heard of Pendulo's new project, but this excitement dropped slightly when I've learned that this game will feature monsters and creatures. Although this is the main reason why I don't like this game as much as "Runaway", I was pleasently suprised how well they've profiled the characters.

Speaking of characters, the game features a colorful cast, as well as "Runaway" series, but the main star is IMO Liz Allaire. I think she is one of the better portrayed female characters I've encountered in adventure games and I suspect that the players who loathed Brian and Gina might find Liz much more amiable and funny.

I would also like to mention the narration element of the game which I've found great, both in the terms of voice-acting and the narration style. I've particulary liked how the actor accented some phrases, most notably "-said Dan, -said Liz, -said Fly". This adds up to the story, which IMO isn't that good as in "Runaway", let alone comparing to some other games.

The biggest flaw of the game, in comparison to "Runaway" series, is IMO the lack of diversity. Although the designers captured the setting very well, the entire game takes place on a limited space. "Runaway" games are much richer in that respect.

To conclude, I would definitely reccomend this game to the fans of "Runaway" series as they share many elements that one can associate with the games from Pendulo Studios. And for those who hate "Runaway" this might be even pleasent suprise.

Verdict: 4,2 / 5