[Niko]

Hi, looking for any reccomendations/advice/input on a couple of games that look interesting.


Alter Ego - Looks similar to Black Mirror/Dead Reefs. http://uk-adventureshop.gamesplanet....G?affiliate=AG

Lost Horizon - Looks a bit like Indiana Jones. http://uk-adventureshop.gamesplanet....l?affiliate=AG

Either or both good value for money to play ?

Thanks

[dekaneas297]

I rate Lost Horizon 4.5/5, whereas Alter Ego 3.5/5. If I were you, I would buy Lost Horizon. You can try Alter Ego at a later time when its price gets lower.

[Niko]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I managed to find a hard copy of Lost Horizon easily for a little less than the Adventure shop price, on Amazon. Although i cannot seem to find an alternative to Alter Ego so the Adventure shop looks to be the only & best place for that title.

Both the trailers look good, and snippets form youtube look promosing. I will have to consider it then, as you say its a bit over priced atm.

[terhardp]

I've got Lost Horizon a few days back, and I'm currently playing it. Although, I'm a bit dissapointed in some aspects of the game for now, mainly when it comes to puzzles and humor, I would most definitely recommend the game to every mainstream adventure fan, who enyojed titles like Broken Sword, Secret Files, Runaway, etc. I also suggest that you download and play the demo available on the official site if you're not convinced enough.

As for the Alter Ego, the game is a mixed bag. It's strong points are atmosphere and settings, though the locations are not very diverse. The puzzles are mediocre and not very challenging, the story is not too suspenseful, but still gripping enough, while the ending itself is controversial at best. I would recommend the game to the fans of the Black Mirror games, as it has similar elements.

[Niko]

Hi, well at least they will be enjoyable enough, i am not expecting allot from them, but at least your not saying they are awful games. Lost Horizon is on its way to me, while i am about to install Alter Ego as i couldnt resist playing that one.

I will let you know some time, what i thought of them

[Niko]

Well so far i have put in a few hours on Alter Ego and

Spoiler:

I have just taken over as Detective Briscol, and done the Cemetrymurder scene

so far its as you guys said, the puzzles arent all that challanging & it plods along a bit slowly. Alhtough visualy it is very nice, and i was spot on with the Dead Reefs/Black Mirror combo, i like it

[Niko]

Finished Alter Ego today. I'd say a score of about 3/5 is about right for it. very long winded game, easy puzzles, then finishes abruptly considering all the plodding around you had to do.


Lost Horizon arrived today, so hopefully that will be a bit more exciting.

[oron]

I played the demo of Lost Horizon
while the game seems to have an interesting story i didn't enjoy the gameplay very much
and this is coming from someone that his fav genre is quest games

[Niko]

Hi, i am upto chapter 3 on Lost Horizon, its awsome!

The puzzles & inventory items are a good mixture & work well, the interactive cut scene action puzzle solving is nice, along with the mini game puzzles. Good story, game looks & sounds great with a spoonfulls of humour along the way. love it.

[oron]

really? well maybe i'll give it a another shot
i'll just have to wait until one of my friends buy it try it
and then i'll decide if it's worth it

what level will you say the puzzles are ? easy, good or hard ?

[Niko]

I recommend Lost Horizon for sure, its kinda like being in an Indiana Jones film playing as George Stobbart's(Broken sowrd) English, more charming double

I would say the puzzles, inventory-combos + usage & the mini puzzles are a good balance, so Lost Horizon sits in the middle imo.

Easy<- Lost Horizon ->Hard

finding the items & where to use them can be a bit tricky in places. but certainly one of the most enjoyable adventures i have played over the years

[sierramindy]

Hi Niko,
Did you play the bonus after you finished playing Lost Horizon?
I finished the game today and I liked it a lot, hated to see it end, so I was happy to stick around and checked out the bonus. It was about the early prototype of the game when they first started making it, very interesting. It seems the game originally was started with Kim as the main character, and while she was nice, I think Fenton Paddock was a much better choice. Part of the prototype was used in the final game, had the same scenes and puzzles, but with Fenton instead of Kim. There also was a jigsaw puzzle to put together and a surprise when it was finished.

[Niko]

Hi, not finished it quite yet, I am in chapter 6 or 7(7 i think) so i am guessing quite near the end now. Interesting facts, i agree about Kim, i think she would had been a boring main character compared to Fenton imo. He is hilarious & funny, where as Kim would be more serious & stuffy.

[Niko]

WOHOO! finished it

Great game, the last level had me running in circles for a bit, but i soon had that finished. Overall i only needed to use a walkthrough once(geting rid of the shark). So i am pleased with myself in that respect.

The bonus parts at the end were nice to see, and the finished game was much better than the original attempts. Although for me it was all in German, i couldnt understand a blooming word. I only watched it upto the murder, and from that I am not sure if Kim was to be the main character, i think they held that part back just to show us what happend to that guy, and left it out of the finished game. i suppose ?

[millenia]

Both games seem interesting enough.
Alter Ego is currently on Halloween Sale on Steam 14,99€(29,99€), wondering if I could spare that. At least grabbing the Lost Horizon free demo.

Dragula: Origin 5€ and Dark Fall: Lost Souls 6,5€ btw too.

Oh and more on the matter. I guess both games are "for me" since I like history and myths in my games, I don't require fully resolved endings and I don't mind easy at all since I play for the story.

[Lee in Limbo]

Originally Posted by millenia

...I don't require fully resolved endings and I don't mind easy at all since I play for the story.

*like*

[Origami]

I recommend staying away from Dracula:Origin

I am one of the most lenient gamers and always do my best to find enjoyment out of games and most flaws don't hold me back.

But Dracula:Origin...I don't know.
It misses a soul(no pun intended). The storytelling flow is one of the worst I have seen. The game lacks a climax. It doesn't have any build-up at all. It starts out promising but turns out be a mess the further you get.

The only redeeming point is the inclusion of some very good puzzles.
But don't play it for atmosphere and story.

[jannar85]

I have no idea why I think this way, but I never got that nice feeling while playing either. I have completed Lost Horizon a while ago, and while the concept was nice, I felt like I had just finished an unimpressive book.

I'm playing Alter Ego as well, at the moment, but it doesn't feel anything like Black Mirror. I would compare both to gameplay similar to Black Mirror 2. So if you liked that one more than the first game, then you'll probably love both.

[millenia]

Originally Posted by jannar85

I have no idea why I think this way, but I never got that nice feeling while playing either. I have completed Lost Horizon a while ago, and while the concept was nice, I felt like I had just finished an unimpressive book.

I'm playing Alter Ego as well, at the moment, but it doesn't feel anything like Black Mirror. I would compare both to gameplay similar to Black Mirror 2. So if you liked that one more than the first game, then you'll probably love both.

I get you. Playing Lost Horizon now and it's nice but that's it. Will see when I progress with the story more but I don't find it amazing or anything. The silly picking up everything, digging through every trash can and carrying around planks and road signs I don't mind that much, that's one of the styles of adventure games, but the fact that I have a small goal and 100 silly obstacles getting to it is kinda getting old already. I'd like more progression to the story but at chapter 4 I feel like after the opening demo I've moved forward in the story once.

About the obstacles part: some silly puzzles are fine, like in SF2 you tied a cell phone to a cat, silly but okay and somewhat logical in a weird way. But Lost Horizon has loads of puzzles that are just completely absurd. The big guy adventurer travels around the world without as much as pocket knife with him. And no passport or money either, ofc not. Then basically you need a pen but instead of buying, borrowing or stealing one, you need to get a stick from this guy and ink from that guy. And in order to get the ink you need to get they guy potatoes that you have to go dig from the ground but they are guarded by a guy that you have distract once again with something equally stupid. So far this has been 80% of the game. I don't mind a few roadblock puzzles here and there but they can be done just a little better than this. At least half the game should revolve around the actual plot.

On the other hand, Indy feeling, the smooth interface from Secret Files and most of the dialog I find good. I guess the game will get better when the plot actually advances a bit but I doubt it will totally redeem all the stupid in it.

I liked Black Mirror 2 more than the original really but mostly because the original wasn't so smooth and the ending was way too obvious (I guessed the ending in BM2 also but it wasn't as painfully clear from the second chapter). BM2 got some negative response about having roadblock puzzles and being dumbed down but honestly I found it interesting and almost completely logical, very different than Lost Horizon.

I think I will try out Alter Ego at some point too but going to play Broken Sword DC after this (played the original just once years ago), already started it out a bit a couple days ago and despite being aged it still easily outshines Lost Horizon.

[millenia]

Finished Alter Ego now and contrary to most people here I found it much better than Lost Horizon. The atmosphere, the puzzles and the unfolding of the story were all a lot better. I had to play this through with one sitting. And there lie also the negatives of the game. It was quite (cut) short and there is an actual point with all the whines about the ending, it is indeed quite unsatisfying. With a sequel it wouldn't be that bad but will see. The game would have been truly excellent if the ending wasn't so rushed, a lot of the detective work could have been done by the player instead of just talking through it.

It's no Gabriel Knight but I wouldn't say Alter Ego really loses to Black Mirror games. It reminds me of BM games many ways: the eery atmosphere without being a direct horror game and the obnoxious yet lovable protagonist. Alter Ego has two but they both are great. I'd easily give it 4/5 when Lost Horizon was "lucky to get" 3.5/5. If they had wrapped this up better it would be 4.5.