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-   -   Red Johnson's Chronicles (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/adventure/29109-red-johnsons-chronicles.html)

Interplay 06-05-2011 08:06 PM

Red Johnson's Chronicles
 
I just finished this game and really enjoyed it. It is a PS3 exclusive. I thought it was a very entertaining mix of different game styles. However, at its heart it's a true point-and-click adventure game (on the PS3!). There are also a good amount of puzzles. It also has quick time events similar to Heavy Rain (I wish there had been more of these). Finally, to round things out, there are conversations/interrogations that are similar to the Phoenix Wright series. It wasn't perfect (the voice acting could use some improvement), but it has great animated backgrounds. The game looks to be set up as an episodic series. Hopefully, it will get enough response that the studio will release more.

Has anyone else played the game? I hope the site is able to review the game.

Jackal 06-05-2011 09:31 PM

We'll be reviewing it shortly, for sure. Unfortunately, we could only wait out the PSN downtime like everyone else to get our hands on it.

fov 06-05-2011 10:33 PM

I might buy it, especially since it's available at a discount with PlayStation Plus. (Thank you, Welcome Back program!) But I'm kinda waiting to see AG's review. I had a preview at GDC and was impressed by what I saw, but I've got a lot of games waiting to be played right now and I have a hard time buying a downloadable game if I'm not ready to play it right away. (And yet, I have a bazillion unplayed boxed games on the shelf...)

Out of curiosity, about how long did it take you to finish?

BluWacky 06-06-2011 08:33 AM

I bought this at the weekend and am rather enjoying it.

If you've ever played those Japanese Flash puzzle games where you have to dismantle alarm clocks and other machinery much of the gameplay is like a (much easier) version of that, with some QTEs and dialogue puzzles along the way (and a little bit of evidence analysis/matching, like in Telltale's CSI games).

Presentation is nice - short load times, nice art style, decent voice acting. And it's quite good fun.

I don't think it's going to be anywhere near as long as the PR material suggested (8 hours or so) as I'm sure I'm over halfway through after a couple of hours, but for the £4 I paid for it it's been a lot of fun.

Interplay 06-06-2011 09:47 AM

The final playtime when I finished the game was about 6.5 hours. Overall, I felt I got my money's worth as the game was fun throughout. Also, I plan to play it through again to clean up on more trophies. Damn those trophies; they're impossible to resist!

I really hope this game doesn't get lost in the shuffle because of the extended PSN outage (I have yet to see a review on any site). Having E3 this week will make it only more likely to get overlooked.

fov 06-06-2011 05:20 PM

Here are a couple of reviews:

Diehard GameFAN

Digitally Downloaded

They refer to it being 50% off for PSN Plus subscribers, but when I checked this weekend I think it was only 25%? Guess they changed the pricing due to the whole downtime debacle (can't say I blame them). I also hope this game doesn't get lost in the shuffle, it was the worst possible time for them to launch. :crazy:

I think I'll go ahead and buy it. It'll give me something to do while I wait for an LA Noire price drop. :D

EDIT: Just did a search to try to find more info about the pricing and I saw this video on the Red Johnson Facebook page. At least they've got a sense of humor about the whole thing. :D (The Facebook page also describes what's up with the pricing; it's still a 50% discount in Europe if you were a subscriber before the outage, but only 25% in North America since they can't determine whether or not North American PSN users were subscribers previously.)

Maria-Fritsche 06-07-2011 07:21 AM

Where can I buy this game (I don't have a playstation plus account, and that's the only link I'm offered at the PS3 website)? :)

fov 06-07-2011 08:39 AM

You should be able to buy it through the PlayStation Network on your PS3... unless it hasn't been released worldwide?

I bought the game and played for about 90 minutes last night. I've had a few annoyances with pixel hunts but overall I'm enjoying it. I liked the logic puzzle with the clock cogs.

fov 06-19-2011 01:59 PM

Finished the game on Friday. According to the tally at the end it took me just under 7 hours. I enjoyed it overall... really liked how the puzzles are integrated into the story, in general I thought they did a good job of including Layton-type puzzles but tying them (more or less) into the story. I guess the style of puzzle felt like Professor Layton but their presentation and context felt more like traditional adventure game puzzles.

Some of the puzzles were very clever, too. I think my favorite was
Spoiler:
the crossword puzzle type thing at Sonia's.
I also liked having to
Spoiler:
recreate the sketches of suspects based on the witness's physical description of them
and
Spoiler:
figuring out the combination to the suitcase.
Oh, I also liked
Spoiler:
the logic puzzle with the clock parts.


My biggest issue with the game was the pixel hunts, especially while searching an environment for clues. I missed
Spoiler:
Teresa's suitcase
and
Spoiler:
the keypad for Sonia's secret passage
until I asked for hints, which only sort of pointed me in the right direction. In general I thought the hints were all right but I wish they had been contextual, with the informant's hint changing based on how much of the puzzle you'd already figured out. For example, with the
Spoiler:
tarot cards
I got stuck on the last part, and it was annoying to have to go through all the hints for the parts I'd already solved before I could get the one I needed.

Thought the story was just so-so. It had an interesting twist at the end (which I didn't entirely piece together until Red explained it -- although I did manage to scrape by with the indictment). I liked that they set it up for a sequel. I'd play another Red Johnson game.

Oh... I got a little annoyed with some of the QTEs, especially the one
Spoiler:
when Ringo attacks you after you search his toilet.
Sometimes I have to glance at the controller to make sure I'm hitting the right button and couldn't press it in time. I wish it was more like Heavy Rain, where you could mess up once or twice without dying.

Overall I did enjoy it though. Stylish graphics and menus, clever puzzles, decent hint system, kept me entertained and engaged throughout. The objectives list and hints kept me from ever getting too stuck (in spite of the pixel hunts). If I were reviewing it I'd probably give it a 3 or 3.5.


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