[Erwin_Br]

Just wanted to say I agree with almost everything written in Dan Ravipinto's review.

There's only one opinion I don't share with Dan: the acting. In my opinion the acting was at soap-opera level, which means not *that* bad, but not very good either. I've seen better acting in FMV games. It didn't spoil the game or anything, but it caused me to force myself to get 'inton the game'. Eventually you get used to it and then the game's really starting to get interesting.

--Erwin

[Kolzig]

Originally Posted by Erwin_Br

Just wanted to say I agree with almost everything written in Dan Ravipinto's review.

There's only one opinion I don't share with Dan: the acting. In my opinion the acting was at soap-opera level, which means not *that* bad, but not very good either. I've seen better acting in FMV games. It didn't spoil the game or anything, but it caused me to force myself to get 'inton the game'. Eventually you get used to it and then the game's really starting to get interesting.

--Erwin

Well, yeah the acting is really the thing that has always bothered me while playing GK2.

It's not as bad as in many other games, but still not too good.

[Wormsie]

I enjoy the sexual tension between the characters.

[Cellardoor]

I agree that the acting isn't great. Also, Dean Erickson makes Gabriel much to unsure, and even a loser at times.

BTW, it's Schattenjäger, not Schaatenjager. What's up with you Americans and speaking German? :eek:

Oh, and some of the screenshots have horizontal black lines running through them... I've heard that they are always present when watching movies in GK2, but I have never seen them.

[ragnar]

There were a couple of negative points that were (deliberately?) not mentioned:

• The acting, which was not the best (and I would say that even soap operas most often have better acting).
• The really horrible attempt at making a "Wagner" opera. Just that thing took away one star from the score in my opinion.

[Snatcher42]

Maybe not the best acting, but it got the job done. Von Glower was especially good...

Somewhat OT, but anyone here ever played Privateer 2? Not an adventure, but man that had some good (and quirky) acting!

That's probably my favorite FMV - strange, British flavored, and completely OTT.

Originally Posted by Erwin_Br

Just wanted to say I agree with almost everything written in Dan Ravipinto's review.

There's only one opinion I don't share with Dan: the acting. In my opinion the acting was at soap-opera level, which means not *that* bad, but not very good either. I've seen better acting in FMV games. It didn't spoil the game or anything, but it caused me to force myself to get 'inton the game'. Eventually you get used to it and then the game's really starting to get interesting.

--Erwin

[Cellardoor]

The acting's quite crappy indeed. Also, not only the Wagner opera is bad, but the music heard throughout the game isn't of very good quality. Some tunes were simply re-used from the first game, and the overall quality was much worse.

Also, it's Schattenjäger, not 'Schaaterjager'. What's up with you Americans and speaking German?

Oh, and I noticed some screenshots have black, horizontal lines running through them. Why is this?

[syntheticgerbil]

Especially Grace. Oh god, Grace. Egh.

[DomStLeger]

Originally Posted by syntheticgerbil

Especially Grace. Oh god, Grace. Egh.

I thought Grace wasn't too bad.

Originally Posted by Cellardoor

Oh, and I noticed some screenshots have black, horizontal lines running through them. Why is this?

Ingame movies were shown like that. I think it's called Interlacing - you remove every other line (or every 3rd?) to save space. Twas the days before mpeg and divx

[Erwin_Br]

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

Maybe not the best acting, but it got the job done. Von Glower was especially good...

Somewhat OT, but anyone here ever played Privateer 2? Not an adventure, but man that had some good (and quirky) acting!

That's probably my favorite FMV - strange, British flavored, and completely OTT.

Yes! That's a great game! Did you also play Wing Commander 3 and 4? They're from the same makers as Privateer and the acting is fantastic, which shouldn't be surprising since these games feature quite an impressive cast of movie actors. Chris and Erin Roberts really knew what they were doing back then.

Wing Commander 4 is probably my all-time favorite FMV game. Did you know they used real sets instead of traditional blue screens and computer generated backgrounds?

--Erwin

[Cellardoor]

Ingame movies were shown like that. I think it's called Interlacing - you remove every other line (or every 3rd?) to save space. Twas the days before mpeg and divx

Am I the only one then whose movies are shown normally? I have played through this game many times, and all movies were of normal quality. 8-)

[DomStLeger]

Originally Posted by Cellardoor

Am I the only one then whose movies are shown normally? I have played through this game many times, and all movies were of normal quality. 8-)

Maybe I'm remembering the game wrongly but mine was interlaced

[Erwin_Br]

Originally Posted by DomStLeger

Maybe I'm remembering the game wrongly but mine was interlaced

Maybe it was a setting that could be changed? Or maybe there are different versions... Interesting.

--Erwin

[Kolzig]

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

Somewhat OT, but anyone here ever played Privateer 2? Not an adventure, but man that had some good (and quirky) acting!

That's probably my favorite FMV - strange, British flavored, and completely OTT.

I have never played Privateer 1&2, but did Privateer 2 have Christopher Walken?

Originally Posted by Erwin_Br

Yes! That's a great game! Did you also play Wing Commander 3 and 4? They're from the same makers as Privateer and the acting is fantastic, which shouldn't be surprising since these games feature quite an impressive cast of movie actors. Chris and Erin Roberts really knew what they were doing back then.

Wing Commander 4 is probably my all-time favorite FMV game. Did you know they used real sets instead of traditional blue screens and computer generated backgrounds?

--Erwin

Wing Commander 3&4 are great, they feature my favourite actors, Mark Hamill & John Rhys-Davies

Wing Commander: Prophecy wasn't so much fun anymore because Hamill was an Admiral and only appeared on couple of scenes

[Cellardoor]

Maybe it was a setting that could be changed? Or maybe there are different versions... Interesting.

In the game itself, there are two possible settings for the movies; Big and Small. I just checked, and neither of them are interlaced on my screen.

Also, I happen to own both the original GK2 and the later 'SierraOriginals' re-release, and both have normal quality movies.

[Erwin_Br]

Originally Posted by Cellardoor

In the game itself, there are two possible settings for the movies; Big and Small. I just checked, and neither of them are interlaced on my screen.

Also, I happen to own both the original GK2 and the later 'SierraOriginals' re-release, and both have normal quality movies.

Hmmm, maybe I'll check it out this weekend. I only have the SierraOriginals version of GK2 though.

--Erwin

[Mimus]

Originally Posted by Kolzig

I have never played Privateer 1&2, but did Privateer 2 have Christopher Walken?

Yes, It had a few great actors. Clive Owen, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, and Brian Blessed. Also, Dani Behr did the voice over for the ship's computer. A great game, great acting.

Originally Posted by Kolzig

Wing Commander 3&4 are great, they feature my favourite actors, Mark Hamill & John Rhys-Davies

Wing Commander: Prophecy wasn't so much fun anymore because Hamill was an Admiral and only appeared on couple of scenes

Don't forget Malcolm McDowell! (and Tom Wilson as 'Maniac' )

Speaking of those games, only last weekend I dug out the boxes for those! I've got them on my desk right now. I was thinking of going through and playing them again, but technology has advanced a long way since then and graphically they are way behind the times... Not sure whether I'll be able to tolerate the graphics, not after newer games like Freelancer...

It's just a pity that when they went and created a feature length Wing Commander movie, they ditched most of the established background history and ship designs (not to mention the Kilrathi designs!), replaced the actors, and created a terrible film.

[Christina]

Originally Posted by Cellardoor

In the game itself, there are two possible settings for the movies; Big and Small. I just checked, and neither of them are interlaced on my screen.

Also, I happen to own both the original GK2 and the later 'SierraOriginals' re-release, and both have normal quality movies.

GK2 is interlaced in all versions that it was released in. For whatever reason, the lines look more defined in those screenshots. When you have the game set to 'Big' it places a black horizontal line every other line to make the image appear larger than it actually is. The small version is not interlaced. So when you are viewing it in the big setting, it is just the 'Small' movie with lines through it to make it look bigger. That is why the movie is clearer when you are viewing it in the small setting.

As for the acting in the game, I agree with Dan. I don't think there are any "bad" performances in the game from the main or supporting cast. They all range from 'just good enough' to 'excellent', as far as I'm concerned.

Also, I don't agree at all that the music is of poor quality. It's alright to think that the Opera wasn't excellent because, well, it is supposed to be Wagner. But given the fact that this is a computer game with budget and time restraints I think they pulled it off as well as they could.

And I also thought that reusing music from GK1 was a good move. You should reuse themes when you are making a sequel; the same themes are used again in GK3. Movie sequels almost always reuse the same musical cues because they continue a motif or theme. It is an integral element to maintain a mood across the span of a series.

[fov]

yeah, well, I like the acting, the music, Dean's portrayal of Gabe, what's-her-name's portrayal of Grace, the black lines thru the movies, AND the Wagner opera. So there!

Hadn't realized there was a SierraOriginals version of this game....

-emily

ps oh, and Von Glower... yummy.

[D.C.]

GK2 is a pretty awesome game. I didn't like the acting very much and the music was kinda over the top.