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Amerzone

Amerzone

List Price:
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Elegantly programmed beginner's game
Review: (I would actually give 2-1/2 stars to this item, but it's not allowed.)

Amerzone is an adventure game from Dreamcatcher in which you must return an egg to the white birds of the imaginary country Amerzone.

Like most Dreamcatcher games, the graphics are very inspiring and eye appealing. Amerzone is a graphically beautiful, typical point-and-click, Mystlike adventure game. Much went into the programming, as it is a very stable game, with few crashes. My only complaint about the programming is that you're not allowed to skip the opening credit sequence, even after you've gone through it once. Every time you start up the game you have to see the Dreamcatcher logo/multimedia sequence.

The developers obviously took pains to make a more elegant interface, but this proved to be a double-edged sword. The inventory management system, for instance, automatically deletes items which are of no use anymore after you end a chapter in the game. When combined with a cursor that changes when you need to use an inventory item, however, the game becomes too easy. With so few items in inventory, all you had to do was experiment with each item until something happened. If the cursor said that I needed something to complete a puzzle, but I had tried all of my inventory, then obviously I had to go looking for other items in order to solve the puzzle.

There are a couple of appropriate reasons why you should get this game:

1. You really like adventure games or games with great graphics.
2. It's for someone young, probably around junior high school, or someone completely new to computers/adventure games.

Otherwise, I'd recommend a pass. Definitely don't buy if you don't like adventure games. Amerzone will not change your opinion. If you still want it, try looking around for a used or discounted copy.

Tip for those who do decide to buy: Pay close attention to the animation sequences when they come on. Many times you're not allowed a way to replay them, so you have to either go back to a saved spot or catch what they say the first time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Loved it! Loved the beauty!
Review: A bit difficult at times and I used a walkthrough.
But this game is a must for the pc gamer. Not to be missed.
More specifics seemed to be already described.
There are scenes of such beauty that I still recall!
A+++++

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An imaginative exploration of the Amerzone
Review: A dying French explorer tells you to take a mysterious white egg back to its rightful tribe in the Amerzone. So begins your fascinating journey across continents and time. Amerzone is a short game, but full of unique creatures, modes of transportation and an original storyline based on Benoit Sokal's comic books. The graphics are simply gorgeous. The Amerzone journal contains pen and ink sketches of the flora and fauna of the Amerzone, watercolours of important scenes, etc. It is like an interactive gallery, but there are clues hidden in the notebook as well.

Music is scarce. Sound effects are brilliant, especially nature sounds: birdcalls, hoots and groans from unknown species of the Amerzone. Voice acting is so-so, although like Myst you do not meet many people (somewhere around four or five). There are some awkward translations from French to English.

You start your journey in the windswept, rocky, drab grey region of Brittany (the Celtic region of France). The game will whisk you away to a South American country (obviously modelled on Brazil) oppressed by a dictator. The natives have been exploited, and their white egg was stolen by the aforementioned explorer. Your mission is to return it to them. Along the way you will discover that the explorer/inventor left behind many interesting gadgets and modes of transportation. Yes, there are some flaws of logic: floppy discs in the 1920s? But this is a beautiful, unique adventure game that always feels real. You have the chance to explore a lighthouse, a sleepy Hispanic village, a native village, an abandoned airplane hangar and bar (complete with poster of Casablanca on the wall), a jungle and a volcano.

If you are a fan of Myst and exploration games, this is for you. This is a slow-paced beginners' game that is different from the rest, both in visual style and in content. Amerzone is worth the trip, believe me.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A lovely right-brain game
Review: A sweet little game that's not too hard and has some gorgeous graphics and sounds. Acting and writing are also strong points, though you shouldn't expect high logic. Think Myst as written by the French and you're not too far off.

Amerzone was designed by the same guy who did Syberia. If you loved that game, this is sweet without being nearly as good. If you like Amerzone, Syberia will knock your socks off.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fun, but short and morbid
Review: Amerzone was a very fun game- don't get me wrong. It has beautiful graphics and puzzles that aren't easy enough to offend you and not so hard you scream. Really, though, it was short, only an hour at best, and their are too many irrelevent bits of information and places that you could spend hours wandering even though there isn't anything important there. The voice acting isn't too great- I could only identify two different voice types for the whole thing- foreign and old. People also have a very annoying tendency to die right after you finish talking to them- 3 out of 4 people that you talk to do. The conversations are totally one sided- you yourself never get to talk. It's worth what you pay for it, but nothing special.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Short, easy, pretty
Review: I actually enjoyed this game quite a bit and I'm not entirely sure why. It shared a number of traits that I have found quite annoying in other games, but for some unknown reason they did not annoy me here.

Except for the initial "chapter," Amerzone is very, very linear. There is only one way you can go and one thing you can do at any given time. The linearity becomes more and more pronounced as the game progresses. This is partly due to the plotline, in which you have to travel up a river, making stops along the way.

Every puzzle in the game except for one was either inventory based or a simple matter of flipping a switch. So gameplay was essentially a matter of looking around and seeing what you could pick up. Solving the puzzles was VERY easy, especially since you could simply keep trying various inventory items until one worked, but this was never really necessary. There were one or two puzzles that I solved without knowing what I did or why. I think I would have liked it if there had been just a little more information about certain things.

The first thing that struck me about Amerzone was the beauty of the graphics, particularly the watercolours in Alexandre's journal. This is a very restful game to the eyes. The human characters are very cartoony -- almost resembling Terry Gilliam animations. This is not surprising as designer Benoit S. is a French cartoonist. Weirdly, though, the cartoony-ness of the characters didn't stand out horribly as it does in some other games.

The ending is abrupt and a little lame. I think this might be a good game for a younger person who hasn't played an adventure game before and wants to see what it's all about. I personally played Amerzone at a stressful time in my life, and found it soothing; I liked looking at the pretty pictures and the puzzles were merely a way to see more pretty pictures so I was kind of glad they were easy. If you want a challenge, though, this isn't the game you want.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A fantastic voyage!
Review: I enjoyed going through this adventure as I enjoyed every single Jules Vernes book I read. Do not expect amazing animation (although they are pretty good) or complicated puzzles. THis is a trip into the imagination of the author. Recommended!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Mixed review:
Review: I'm on a new game kick right now, so you might notice my page has many game reviews crunched together. I am trying to find that "just right" game. If you have a 12 yr. old, or are an adventure game "beginner" ...this game is sure to delight. It's literally a junior version of "Myst". It is riddled with beautiful graphics, rich color, and has a great mystical story line. Unfortunately, for all of us average gamers (who did solved the fantiscally frustrating Myst a while ago) this is not for us. The game's puzzles are too simple, many times, unrelated to the plot, and frankly, I just can't see it holding an advanced gamer's attention for more than an hour. It's just too easy. I give it 3 stars for a junior player, but 1 for young/average adults. Don't waste your money. Since I am "test-driving" a few others after this, please feel free to check my page here at Amazon for the others I try out (you know, for that perfect "game fit"):)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Feast for the Eyes
Review: If you like Myst and Riven, and are waiting for a nifty treat to get you through until the next Cyan game is available, consider Amerzone. It is a gorgeous game! The plot is fun: you need to return a sacred egg to a jungle volcano, to redeem a bad deed done years before when the egg was stolen. Amerzone's puzzles are not very hard, so the game won't take long to finish. But if you like "rides" in games, you'll love the Hydrafloat! Also the game has a subtle sense of humor which is fun. But most of all, it's beautiful. And it doesn't cost much! I recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AMERZONE: MYSTLIKE
Review: If you loved Myst - you'll love this game! It of course is not AS good as Myst 3 or Riven, but IT COMES VERY CLOSE. The graphics are pretty good although kinda see through in spots, but up close: VERY GOOD. And, it WORKS WITH XP. I was worried about that, but had NO problems at all. The journey was very good and the storyline good - the puzzles weren't too hard but they were a challenge - I was very pleased and had a good time, wish it would have lasted longer and not ended so soon. I am looking forward to more games from Microids.


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