[mszv]

I looks interesting, but, from that description, doesn't it seem more like a combination of a simulation/rpg game with some adventure elements?

Not that I'm knocking that.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I can't believe none of you even thought of finding out if there is any trailer available of this game.

Aren't you glad I'm around? Here's the Pathologic media page from Gametrailers.com. The gameplay walkthrough movie is a hefty 117MB, but will answer a lot of questions you may have and take you deeper into the game's world and workings.



It's most definitely a first person RPG with a heavy handed Adventure atmosphere and action if you want it, and a large amount of dialogue to explore. The graphics are outdated but seem to be more on the unique side, not much beyond that (reminds me a tiny bit of Deus Ex and Call Of Cthulhu). Extensive exploration yields lots of goodies, lots to see.

I just downloaded and watched the walkthrough. You have the choice to play one of 3 different characters, each with his/her own 'scenario' - a scientist, a chemist, and a mysterious survivalist. They claim you can do mostly whatever you want - keep from getting infected by the plague, buy/sell items, double-cross people, just try to get by day to day, or set out to find a cure for the mass affliction.

Official site (at least, I think it is)

Gamespot screenshots menu

Gamespot E3 '05 pre-show report:

PC publisher Buka Entertainment is looking to put a scare on you with the release of Pathologic, a horror-themed first person action game that also manages to pack in some role-playing game elements. Slated for release later this year, Pathologic tells the story of a provincial town called Ancient Steppe, in the grips of a mysterious epidemic. As one of three playable main characters--the Bachelor, Ripper, or the Devotress--it will be up to you to solve the mystery behind the evil infecting the town and battle whatever nefarious forces stand in your way.

Things get increasingly complex, however, as your interactions with the game's non-player characters begin. Pathologic will feature more than 25 characters and dozens of lesser NPCs to interact with. In an interesting twist, the two other main characters in the game will continue in parallel with you as you progress through the game's plot, sometimes even working against you as you work to uncover the mysteries of Ancient Steppe. This nonlinear storyline will culminate in several possible endings to the plot, determined by the choices you make in the game.

The concept of a disease as an enemy has been done in movies before (think "Cabin Fever") and even in games (think the T-virus in Resident Evil), so it will be interesting to see how Pathologic makes use of this concept. Will your main character be one of the infected, or will he/she be looking for a cure to save a loved one? We don't have these answers yet, but the game's nonlinear storyline suggests a wide variety of plotline possibilities. We do know that NPC behavior and their reactions to you will be dependent on outside influences such as time of day.

Graphically, the game's design seems heavily gothic in flavor, featuring ornate indoor environments, heavy wooden furniture, and a muted color palette with occasional bright splashes of red roses and colorful paintings lining the walls, which should add a little life to the overall haunted look of the game's locales. Sultry raven-haired beauties abound in the screenshots we've seen so far, though whether these are NPCs or playable characters remains to be seen.

[squarejawhero]

I found a video playthrough. Now you fail!

[squarejawhero]

Oh no you don't. Serves me right for not reading thoroughly.

Fovily, pass the hat of not reading.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

I can't believe none of you even thought of finding out if there is any trailer available of this game.

Aren't you glad I'm around?

http://forums.adventuregamers.com/showthread.php?t=3627

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Damn. WAAAAAAHHHH!!!

[fov]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

Fovily, pass the hat of not reading.

It's kind of a girlie hat. It might look funny on you.

[squarejawhero]

The feminine look is all the rage in Japan.

[Jackal]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

Actually, I'm not kidding. The general idea of an adventure game seems so different to what it was only two years ago that you guys surely find what to cover and what not to more and more difficult.

Yes, it is difficult, definitely. I don't think it's so much that the general idea of adventure has changed at all; just that there are a few more games being made that don't fit into tidy genre categories these days (which is fantastic). But that's why we need to see them before we can really know for sure. Trailers and game footage help, but they still don't say anything about proportions and focus. Hell, you could make Diablo look like an adventure with deceptive editing. The staff here were divided on Metronome after seeing it demonstrated at E3, but we gave it the early benefit of the doubt.

So, everything case by case.

[squarejawhero]

Damn, I thought a select group of highly intelligent baboons did that bit for you.

Still, not that different.

*runs*

[Jackal]

No, they're off writing some Shakespeare. We have to do the game work ourselves.

[squarejawhero]

Those damn baboons. They never write original material.

[RLacey]

Ah, but they're actually writing Shakespeare. Then we use the time machine to send it back to the man himself...

[TangentBlack]

Signome. Xeto ligo ellenika alla mathaino tora apo mia thaskala. Katalavenes ellenikamou? If not I will speak in english. Anyways, I live in Russia but I visit Greece often because my family is from all over Greece. Some are from Hios, Sparta, Athens, and the lower Peloponese. This summer I'll be going down to Athens to visit some of my cousins. I'm glad to have met a fellow Greek gamer, not much of them visit American sites that I go to.

[Mattsius]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

Damn, I thought a select group of highly intelligent baboons did that bit for you.

Still, not that different.

*runs*

Don't insult the baboons. They're quite cranky this time of year.


That said it's indeed great that cross-genre games are more common these days. Without them nothing much would happen to the industry really.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by Mattsius

Don't insult the baboons. They're quite cranky this time of year.

Oh, okay. In that case, I'm sorry if I offended you, Matts.

[Mattsius]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Oh, okay. In that case, I'm sorry if I offended you, Matts.

That's quite all right..... hey wait a minute!

Trepzilla

[Intrepid Homoludens]

[squarejawhero]

You pesky kids!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

The feminine look is all the rage in Japan.

That mean you'll come back to London as a trendy transvestite? Nice new look for you, love.