Auryn Quest

Rating:
Summary: not what I was hoping for...
Review: *sigh* I went in search of a Dreamcatcher game...usually they are your standard original Myst, click and move, puzzle games. I saw this, thought it was one of those and got it. This is NOT a puzzle game. This is a platform jumping, energy ball collecting piece of junk! I read a review somewhere (sadly AFTER buying it) that said this was a game made by people who HATE the Neverending Story...I have to agree. If you like not being able to save, having to do the same levels over and over and over so you can find that last energy ball (can't save the level 'til you have all 10), obnoxious platform jumping and running along ledges that there's no way your avatar could be running on, then this is for you. If you're sane...stay away. The graphics are gorgeous, but it just isn't worth it. Oh, and I got 9 out of 10 of the energy balls on the first level. I've seen the 10th ball, but only by leaping to my death...as I fall off the edge of the world, I turned and saw the ball through a grate...but I have NO idea how to find it and live...

Rating:
Summary: Annoying
Review: Adventure games are the only type of computer game I am interested in, and I have played all of them I could find. This one is, without a doubt, the worst of all. Absolutely the only challenge to the game is trying to avoid falling off planks and rocks, something that becomes increasingly difficult as the game progresses. I got into the fourth world before becoming so annoyed and even angry that I quit and almost threw the thing in the trash. Not only is the game itself a flop, but my computer didn't even like it, freezing up at times in its own frustration.
Another major problem with the game is that there is no way to save, so that unless you make adequate progress in a given world, you are forced to continue or else start that segment all over again in your next session.
Graphics and some of the concepts are interesting, but those good points dimmed as my blood pressure rose. This is the only game I feel I totally wasted my money on.

Rating:
Summary: Neverending Disappointment
Review: I'm completely obsessed with Michael Ende's book The Neverendung Story, and so was thrilled when I learned that a computer game was going to be based on it. I waited for two years for this, and now I am extremely disappointed. (First I should say that I only played the first world and part of the second, so my opinion is entirely based upon that.) Ende's story is rich and infinitely creative, but AURYN Quest seems bland and typical. The premise is that the magical amulet AURYN has been stolen and you must play as Atreyu to find it. The Neverending Story is nothing like that! AURYN is more of a symbol rather than a magical object, and it is never stolen! The Neverending Story is about following your heart and discovering the true meaning of desire - not about mindless quests! I feel as if the makers of this game decided to take the easy way out and rework The Neverending Story is make it like any other boring story out there. This is very sad because Michael Ende tried his hardest to make his book anything but ordinary! The graphics seemed okay, but the levels were mostly uninteresting. I noticed many elements of Ende's book, but they were all changed and lacked any depth. AURYN Quest may not be a bad game (I didn't play the whole thing again,) but I'm just disappointed that its creators made hardly any effort to capture any of the depth and richness of the original story. I hope some other company decides to make another game based on The Neverending Story one day, because if done properly, it would blow the gaming world away!!!

Rating:
Summary: An updated scroller
Review: Pay attention to the description of this game as arcade style. With that name and the connection to "Neverending Story," I was expecting something lush, complex, intriguing. Instead, it's a 3D version of the old-fashioned scrolling arcade games. Your only mission is to run, jump, and collect "Energy Balls." Oh, the scenery is attractive enough, and some of those jumps are pretty nasty -- but it's not exactly taxing, and only marginally interesting.