Hotel Dusk

[Kotatsu Neko]

I got this yesterday and like what I've seen so far. It's linear but then so are most Japanese adventures and it doesn't really bother me. Phoenix Wright is also incredibly linear but that doesn't stop it being a great series.

The art style is indeed fantastic and the music pretty good too. The only gripes I have so far are with the navigation which for some weird reason is limited to angle increments of 22.5 degrees... so it looks really lumpy as you walk around. No idea why they would implement such a bizarre system. It's also a bit of a shame that you rarely get a chance to actually look at the 3D instead of the 2D top down map.

But it's a nice piece of work all the same, and a huge step up in quality over Trace Memory.

[INSOMANiAC]

Its definitely better than trace memory, not as good as phoenix wright. i was really looking forward to this game and I just dont think it lives up to my expectations. It does in its artistic style but the other things ive mentioned that make it a bit disappointing. Theres definitely room for improvement and hopefully it will help to revive the graphic adventures.

Come on lucasarts, make another day of the tentacle for gods sake !

[NekoFever]

My copy finally arrived this morning. I've somehow clocked up three hours so far, which surprised me since I've still only played about twenty minutes on the in-story clock

I'm well impressed so far. My only real complaint thus far is that, for a game so reliant on text, the text all scrolls way too slowly. Is it too much to ask that they let us tap the screen to advance to the end of the line? This isn't the only game that does it; it just happens to be a pet peeve of mine.

I love the visual style, and the writing is just quality. I sense that the story has another gear to move up to so I'm not going to properly pass judgement on that just yet, but what I've seen so far has intrigued me.

Great game.

[MattyD]

I've just finished the first chapter and although it's too early to make any serious judgement, I've got some general observations about the way this game works.

I suppose a game like this is structured basically like a novel so the first chapter or two is naturally very heavy on introductions and info dumping. The characters are each have a distinct voice so thumbs up for that, but some of the dialogue could have been sharper. There's a lot of fluff in the vein of "I know you!" "You know me?" "Yeah, I know you alright". One character even makes a joke about it. Perhaps it's a stylistic thing to do with pulp novels? Oh yeah there are definately some corny lines too but that's part of the appeal I guess, and it's not as bad as Max Payne so far.

The controls in the 3D exploration bits respond a little too fast with the stylus and the swishing around made me feel a bit dizzy, whereas the D-Pad was just confusing. The D-pad points are mapped to compass directions relative to the map rather than the first-person view, so if for example you wanted to walk in a westerly direction you'd have to press left even if you're already facing west and naturally think you should to press 'up'.

One feature I quite like though is the end-of-chapter quiz. Ostensibly your character trying to order things in his mind, these quiz sections round off the chapter nicely, giving you a reminder of all the important plot points and making sure you've understood them before you continue, so that you can't miss anything by accident or end up confused because you forgot something.

[El Leone]

My only real complaint thus far is that, for a game so reliant on text, the text all scrolls way too slowly. Is it too much to ask that they let us tap the screen to advance to the end of the line?

While the text is scrolling if you hold the right trigger it'll go faster.

I'll post/edit in my impressions later, I'm pretty impressed

[NekoFever]

While the text is scrolling if you hold the right trigger it'll go faster.

OK, cool. Not particularly intuitive, but cool.

I agree about the quizzes at the end of chapters being useful. The story is a bit patchy at first and those really help get things straight. It'd be even better if you could go through them at any time in case you left the game for a while for forgot what was happening.

[nietzschedancing]

Got mine. Love it very much. I think some the stilted dialogue, as you say Matty, is a deliberate imitation of the pulp genre. It works really well in places but can be a wee bit tiresome. Otherwise, top stuff so far...very beautiful, that's for sure.

[INSOMANiAC]

One feature I quite like though is the end-of-chapter quiz. Ostensibly your character trying to order things in his mind, these quiz sections round off the chapter nicely, giving you a reminder of all the important plot points and making sure you've understood them before you continue, so that you can't miss anything by accident or end up confused because you forgot something.

Yes that is a good feature. Im on chapter 6 now and although it doesnt open up any more in terms of exploration the story keeps you plodding on. Some parts are plain silly though. 'hmmm theres something suspicious about that notebook'........... is there . Some of your questions are blatantly there to make sense of the story later on and hold no relevance to what your doing at the time.

Still, im enjoying the game and would recommend it to fans of the genre

[MACO]

Beautiful game, absolutely love the artstyle and animation. Have only played it for a bit, but the way it plays brought a big smile to my face, which must have made fellow commuters think i was a loon. With this and Phoenix Wright the journey to work is never long enough. Finally I have become a DS fan > unique hardware, unique software, two weeks travel on one charge =win!

[nietzschedancing]

Finished it. Took over 16 hours in all. An absolute beauty and it becomes incredibly compelling towards the end when everything really starts to fall into place. Ending chapter is absolute genius. Very, very impressive experience.

[spagmasterswift]

Great news, just got given this and not touched my DS for an age. May come back in here soon for some hints&tips. Only checked out the intro screens but loving the style.

[gunrock]

Picked this up about a week ago whilst in NY on business. Just started it yesterday. I'm loving the cheesy Muzak and the art style is incredible.

Anyone other than me, think that holding the DS portrait feels unnatural?

[nietzschedancing]

Picked this up about a week ago whilst in NY on business. Just started it yesterday. I'm loving the cheesy Muzak and the art style is incredible.

Anyone other than me, think that holding the DS portrait feels unnatural?

I like it - reinforces the interactive book feel. Gets uncomfortable after a while mind.

[Mayhem]

Am I right in what I've heard that there are multiple paths... or different things happen in the game depending on your questions and answers? So playing through again could take you down slightly different sidepaths?

Just completed the first half hour here last night and it's already rather intriguing. Might volunteer to write the review for this place if no one else is doing it. Already know how I'd start it

[smokedog]

Am I right in what I've heard that there are multiple paths... or different things happen in the game depending on your questions and answers? So playing through again could take you down slightly different sidepaths?

I'm on Chapter 4 and the structure seems very rigid. Any wrong answers/actions and it's game over... GAME OVER MAN!