[mpopp]

i just finished runaway recently and when i look back on it, it didnt meet my expectations. I havnt played an adventure in a few years but i remember i used to become obsessed with whatever game i was playing like i would think about heaps after a session of playing, i would just wanna go back and keep playing. But although runaway is my style of game, it didnt really do it for me. It falls short in the humour area, the jokes are lame and unoriginal (though not the purpose of the game, im used to some good one liners you would probably find in a sierra or lucas arts game) And the pixel hunting is frustrating, the actual problem solving is not hard, you know what you need most of the time it just takes a lot of talking and searchin to uncover it...argg. Maybe i expected too much from it, as all the reviews i read pumped it up a lot, or maybe my adventure gaming days are over?? What ya think?

[OneHitWonder]

I enjoyed Runaway a lot. I liked the art style, and it was light-hearted. The song in the intro was awful, however. My only real complaint is that some items were so small that I missed them and got confused as to why I couldn't advance. But I guess that's adventure games for you. I guess I like it because it was bright and kept my interest.

I find most adventure games that are meant to be funny to not be that funny. So I can't really comment on the humor of this game.

[dazsin]

Runaway is extremely underrated if anything.

[michael1123]

runaway overated??

Yes.

I find most adventure games that are meant to be funny to not be that funny. So I can't really comment on the humor of this game.

Have you played Sam and Max?

I personally don't find the Monkey Island games (especially 3 and 4) and similar games to be that funny, but Sam and Max is an exception to that I think.

[Veovis]

I think Runaway was a good game. Not great but not bad either.

[Dasilva]

ITs just like Syberia, its good but not good enough for classic status.

[Kurufinwe]

I'd personally consider even a 1/5 overrated, but maybe that's just me.

[simpson_yellow]

The animation was quite good and the attention to detail in the backdrops was decent. However, the art direction in general was totally uninspired; the script weak; the character development appalling; the puzzles average at best; and the protagonist one of the most boring I've ever come across.

I'm surprised it sold as well as it did, and amazed that it's still stocked by my local games retailers.

I'll be steering clear of the sequel unless I hear that it's going to be a dramatically different game from the first.

Sadly, mpopp, if you're looking for a recent, high quality comic adventure, I think you'll be frustrated. Maybe wait for Sam & Max to show up later this year.

[Toefur]

I don't think it is overrated at all.

I also don't think that it is that highly regarded. From what I can tell, it filled a void that was there, and it tried really hard to be something great, but I think the thing is that most people acknowledge that it largely failed at this. I think, though, at the same time that people appreciate that it tried and will generally consider it only an 'okay' game.

The characters were bad, it wasn't funny, and the script was very weak; but for me there was still... something... that I thought it did right, and overall I found it a bit more enjoyable than a lot of other recent games I've played.

I have a feeling a lot of the stock still selling in Australia is overstock, as a lot of EB stores didn't have it, but then did receive a lot of copies of it for sales.

[simpson_yellow]

[Off Topic]
Hey Toefur . You moved back from Bunbury? Having trouble keeping up with the hectic pace?
[/Off Topic]

Considering the panning adventure titles have gotten over the years, I think the bulk of the reviews on metacritic are a little generous (it's only a couple of bad reviews that really drag the metascore down). In a good mood, I'd possibly give it about a 3 out of 5, but most of that would be for the effort that was clearly put into the game.

[mpopp]

hey thanks, good opinions, iv come to the conclusion that i probably just expected too much. Toefur i was frantically scanning through all the eb stores in my area to find it, it was hard but i finally found JUST ONE copy hiding on the self amongst heaps of CSI and HALF-LIFE 2 games. $20, i was chuffed! Needle in a haystack.

[KriD]

I`d rather say that it`s underrated.

[After a brisk nap]

I hated the game enough that I threw it away after half an hour, but I wouldn't call it overrated since I think most people agree that it sucks.

[Dobee]

sorry to bring up a few months old thread, but I've just finished Runaway for the sake of the oct release of its 2nd instalment.
I have the exactly same feeling as mpopp....but i admit the cartoon art of the game is good. This seems to be the only thing I like about the game though

It took me weeks to finish this game which didn't happen with Broken Sword, Fahreheit, Dreamfall, the Longest Journey....

Maybe liking of the characters in a game is the motivation for me to keep playing day and night. I don't like anyone in Runaway, and Keepsake too, which took me over months to finish that game off

I now doubt if I will ever get a copy of Runaway 2, for the reason that Brian and Gina aren't 'attractive' at all to me, same to their relationship
Just wonder how could a guy end up loving a woman who big lied to him and got him into big troubles, except for the reason she's a fox and 'shares' USD20Mio with him (i actually wonder if brian has any male dignity).

[Captain Blondebeard]

Who is overrating htis game? I loved it because it is old school style but I have not seen anyone give it high regards.

[Coop]

It's over-rated, even if someone says the game was okay. it's over rated. It is everything that is wrong with this genre. It is a horrible game.

[Spricee]

Not for me, it's okay, not the best, but not horrible.

[Kolzig]

It could've been so much better, but it wasn't.

[Laser Eyes]

I don't know if Runaway is overated or underated but I can tell you that Runaway saved my adventure gaming life. In 1998 I bought my first computer and started playing games on it. In the beginning I didn't know what I was doing and bought games off the store shelf at random. Fortunately I was lucky to make some good choices like Half-Life and System Shock 2.

But I wasn't so lucky with adventure games. I heard about a game called Myst and bought it. It was so boring it put me off adventure games completely. For the next seven years I lived on a diet of first person shooters, flight sims and Tomb Raider style action adventure games. Since trying to play Myst and hating it I didn't buy or play another point'n'click adventure until 2005.

One day last year I read some good things about a game called Runaway A Road Adventure. I had been trying to expand my horizons and try games of different genres so I decided to give it a go. I loved Runaway and since then half the games I play are adventure games. I've played Grim Fandango, the Monkey Island games, The Longest Journey, The MOment of Silence and lots more. Oh how I hate Myst even more for making me miss out on adventure games for so long.

I owe Runaway a great debt and I can't wait to play Runaway 2 when it's released next month.

[Tiocfaidh]

I dunno if it´s overrated ...

Fact is, I expected much, much more

The best thing about the game is the inventory.
I liked that the game character (forgot his name, talk about memorable heh ) was talkin to you about the items, got them out of an invisible bag to combine them etc.

The controls and the IN-game graphics are the best thing about RUNAWAY.
Cutscenes were pretty lame IMO. The faces and especially the eyes were godawfully undetailed.

Storywise it was a huge let down as well.
I didn´t feel any kind of suspense and the locations were as boring as RANDOM HEARTS (if you´ve seen that movie, you´ll get the idea).
Hospital, museum, bland desert area with a bunch of drag queens (I got the movie reference-still annoying), Western city in the middle of nowhere etc.

I´m left under the impression that many people just gave it high ratings, because Pendulo Studios at least had the balls to publish an adventure game with classic interface at a time w/o many other genre represantatives (or any at all).