[Draiden]

Perhaps someone can create a spoiler thread saying whether the game ends the same way as MH's life did. mm beyond that...I forgot what I was going to *wanders away confusedly*

[Maruca]

Maybe a bit Off-topic, but I played the "wrong" Mata Hari game. There is another one called "Mata Hari and the Kaiser's submarine". A very easy game, that is a bit repetitive, but with some nice puzzles. The music was always the same but I kinda liked it.

anyone played both of them, and if so: which one did you prefer? I will start on the new Mata Hari game now. Intersting, that there are two of them.

[AndreaDraco83]

The Frogwares' game seems more like a casual take on the subject, rather than a full-fledged adventure.

On the other hand, I can't wait for an English release of dtp's Mata Hari. Anyone knows anything about it? I checked their website and English forum, but I can't find an answer...

... If they will present the same problem even for Gray Matter, I've got to learn German. And pretty fast!

[Ascovel]

Gamersgate gives the 31st January as the release date. I think the English version is worth waiting for even if the date is off since it is the language in which everything for the game was originally written.

[veruncheek]

Originally Posted by Ascovel

Gamersgate gives the 31st January as the release date. I think the English version is worth waiting for even if the date is off since it is the language in which everything for the game was originally written.

Thx for the info, I will give it a try for sure.

[Jehane]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

What a pity! I still hope that they are wrong (yay, all of them! )

Sorry. They're not I've played the game myself a couple of weeks ago and it does have major flaws. Basically, the story fails to keep the player interested; it is disrupted by an awful load of stupid minigames that you can skip - but then you lose experience points and money. The puzzle design is ridiculous; for example, if Mata Hari wants to sign up for a new dancing show, she first needs to get permission from her impresario. Then he sends her on her way to find inspiration for a new dance. Once she found it, she is allowed to dance. Sounds simple enough but gets really annoying when you have to repeat that process over and over again. Same with travelling through Europe; it doesn't make sense, for example, for Mata Hari to travel to Berlin just in order to make a simple phone call. Are there no phones in Paris?

It's not overall bad, however. There are some strong points; the graphics are beautiful to look at, the visual effects are nicely done (you get sunlight streaming in from windows, reflecting shadows on the floor, people's garments move along when they walk...), the German voices are excellent, and the interface is easy enough to handle. The first two chapters were pretty nice to play, probably because the minigames weren't dominating them; from the third chapter onwards, I lost interest in the game. I finished it, of course, but I can only recommend it to those who don't care much about lousy puzzle design, illogical story or an overabundance of minigames.

[AndreaDraco83]

It's indeed sad news, Jehane. I still want to play the game, but my personal hype is pretty low now

[AndreaDraco83]

I just wanted to tell that Mata Hari is out in Italy, and - if you're interested in the adventure and can't wait for a proper English release - the game is fully voiced in English (the Italian subtitles can be easily turned off). It's not the optimal choice, I know, but if you - like me - are dying to play the game, it could be worth trying.

I'm now in the Third Chapter of the game, and I'm liking it

[veruncheek]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

I'm now in the Third Chapter of the game, and I'm liking it

That is great, Andrea!
Really good news. I want to play the game because of its historical settings and also because of its innovations.
Thanks for the info.

[Tiocfaidh]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

I'm now in the Third Chapter of the game, and I'm liking it

Nice

please keep us up to date !

[Kyliesthebest]

hi, i was wondering where can we buy the italian version?...also when is the english release coming? thanks

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Kyliesthebest

hi, i was wondering where can we buy the italian version?...also when is the english release coming? thanks

I don't know about the English release, but if you want you can buy the Italian version (bear in mind the all the text are in Italian, although the voice over is in English), from the Italian Internet Book Shop. Here's the link at the page of the game.

[Jehane]

So, Andrea, have you finished the game already? What are your final impressions? I'd really like to know because I still haven't met anybody who actually enjoyed the game thouroughly from beginning to end - you'd be the first

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Jehane

So, Andrea, have you finished the game already? What are your final impressions? I'd really like to know because I still haven't met anybody who actually enjoyed the game thouroughly from beginning to end - you'd be the first

Well, I've written a review for Adventure Gamers, so I can't fully reveal my secrets (otherwise no one would read the review ), but I can say that I really liked the game, from beginning to (especially) the end.

[Ascovel]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

I don't know about the English release, but if you want you can buy the Italian version (bear in mind the all the text are in Italian, although the voice over is in English), from the Italian Internet Book Shop. Here's the link at the page of the game.

I would probably order it if it were not for my bad experiences with the Italian postal service.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Ascovel

I would probably order it if it were not for my bad experiences with the Italian postal service.

Effectively, I must admit that our postal service, especially toward foreign country, is sloppy...

[Kyliesthebest]

hi, just wanted to find out from those who have played the german version of Mata Hari, does it have an option for English Subtitles? thanks

[Jorz]

Is there an option to have english subtitles in the italian version of the game?

I understand italian, but I find it really annoying when voices and subtitles are in two different languages and I understand both. It's like hearing each sentence twice.

[AndreaDraco83]

No, but you can turn the Italian subtitles off (apart from the animated cutscenes, which are pretty sparse).

[dmeps]

Is there an intro to the game, please? I was presented with a Russian copy which throws me straght in the gameplay, with Mata standing at the entrance, but no prologue whatsoever. Quite a rare thing not to have a backstory... So is there a movie at the start?