Microids: Still Life2

I was really looking forward to this game. Like many, I really enjoyed the original Still Life. It had style and a great story that stuck with you after you finished it (except for the cookie puzzle).

This new game, however, really spoils the fond memories I have from the first one. It wraps up the story from the first game in a very unsatisfying manner. There was no real investigation. Just a few flashback sequences that basically tell you "The killer was _____, now onto the new mystery!"

Not to mention, the new mystery is a garbled mess by the time you have all of the answers. Add to that the game takes place mostly in one location and it adds up to Still Life 2 being a total dud. I wanted to love this game based on my love for the original, but it just didn't come together.

Oh yeah, and it was buggy and sluggish and annoying.

Yes, definitely a let down. The original Still Life and it's unofficial precursor Post Mortem were both strong games with interesting story lines and sensible puzzles (except for the cookie puzzle!!!). Both of those games also had a supernatural element in them that was done with a very light touch and did not distract from the mystery part of the story. And in my opinion Still Life's artwork was beautiful, if a little disturbing. Still Life 2 has none of those finer qualities. The only positive thing it has going for it is I think the voice actor is the same for the main character (Victoria McPherson) but other than that the game is just a complete disappointment to Still Life fans.

As the previous reviewer remarked, the story line is a mess and at some points unintelligible. I think Microids originally planned to have Still Life continue online but because of financial/managerial reasons couldn't do it. I think this is the result, a cobbled together version of an installment game that never quite makes sense (because some installments were cut?) and heads toward a conclusion very, VERY slowly. The timed puzzles, the multiple character viewpoints, the out of nowhere characters (there is little character interaction, you just learn by reading reports how someone is known to/by Vic) just did not make for a fun or interesting game.

To add to the frustration, the load times were sloooooowww. Seriously walking from room to room there was a three second lag between screens...this doesn't sound like a long time until you have to walk from room to room, level to level, searching for something REPEATEDLY.

For those new to this franchise, this might be an ok game, but for someone who was a fan of the original this was a bust.

I am kind of surprised at the poor ratings this game received from other reviewers. I agree with all the reviewers that there are quite a lot of bugs in this game. That part of is granted. No arguments there whatsoever. And I have no idea why this game should have so many bugs when Still Life I did not.

However, the way Still Life I ended was perfect in my opinion, since it added suspense to the storyline and it was a good marketing strategy on the part of Microids if you really give it some thought. They are basically telling you - "You want to know what happened afterward? Then buy our next game!" I think that part of it was brilliant. Nothing to be ridiculed at. However, in the end, for whatever reason, the gamers did not like it. So, ultimately the strategy seems to have failed. But, I don't blame Microids for believing it will work. Any reasonably sane business person in the gaming world would have thought it will work.

As for the completing the Still Life I storyline in this game, I do not see how it can be an after thought when they explicitly indicated from the very beginning that that was not the main focus of this game. I think the intention was pretty clear here. From the very beginning of the game, Microids pointed out that they are bringing in a new investigation, and that this new investigation will be the main focus of this game. When they have clearly indicated that from the very beginning, they obviously cannot do things to take that focus away. So, I personally feel that the Still Life I storyline was completed in this game in the appropriate and if I may say so "PERFECT" manner.

And the new investigation storyline was perfect, much more suspenseful than the first, and to be entirely honest, a little more nerve-wrecking for the weak heart. The music fit the scenes perfectly well, and the game had everything it could possibly have to make a reasonable civilian sick to his/her stomach, what with all the gruesome murder scene, photographs and videos. I do not see how Microids could have done a better job with this.

It is way too easy for some gamer who loves shooting games to come play this and say - "Hey I hate this game. It stinks." That is because these types of gamers do not know anything about this type of genre for a game. In all honesty, that is precisely what is wrong with the other reviews here. It is severely biased and unfair because it has been reviewed by an entirely different genre of gamers. It is also way too easy for any gamer, regardless of genre, to come out and say - "This story stank. It was stupid. That stank. This stank. This game is not worthed." It is much harder for writers to write a good story, for gamers to design a good game, and for game manufacturers to put everything together in a good way. We live in a world where everyone believes they are writers. That is the problem. That is why we have so many blogs full of nonsense. Not everybody is, and can be. My point is that this story was written by an "ACTUAL or LEGITIMATE" WRITER. And I think the writer did a great job of it.

Having said all this, I once again admit that there are plenty of bugs in this game. That part of it was inexcusable, especially from Microids; a company that is damn good at game design. At any rate, I would give this game five stars for fun and four stars overall. Certainly not just one or two stars. That is just harsh judgment. And this game is very reasonably priced and is definitely worth buying for gamers interested in crime-solving games. This is not a game for the weak heart, for kids, or for those interested in action games. This is for those who have a taste for a good murder mystery.

I am not looking for great acclaim here. If anyone is frustrated with my review and disagrees with it, give me all the unhelpful ratings you need to. In fact, I expect it, because of the poor ratings for the game. I am not looking for fame. This is not a popularity contest. If anyone finds my review dis-interesting, it is purely a matter of difference of opinion. I recognize such difference of opinion, and request those who are wondering about buying this game to look at some other good reviews besides mine. And I mean good ones with good criticisms. Not just purely positive ones or purely negative ones. There are very few of them who write a good review, and I am not saying that I am one of them. You have to use your judgment in figuring out what is a good review.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 16 reviews  3.0 out of 5 stars