Games section
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Games section
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"The greatest Amiga game ever!" That's what Clickboom claim for their work. Normally I start a test with a description of the package and the background story but this time I want to begin with the installation.
On the CDs there was no script for installation. The reason was the file format used on this CD - not the usual Rockridge format but the Juliet format which is not recognized by every file system. So I had to install a new file system, for example the one of the OS 3.9. But then that led to the next problem: The CDs are not shown by their correct name "Q", but as "unknown". An assign (assign Q: cd0:) solved that. Oh dear.
Clickboom has promised to solve this problem when new CDs are pressed. Registered users will be able to change their CDs for the new one. But this fault is rewarded with 0 points in the category "start/manual". The manual is not bad but such problems should not happen.
But with the game running the test can start.
Nightlong is delivered on three CDs in a big jewel case with manual and background story. It is the year 2099, the whole world has changed. Large technical improvements have been made which enable mankind to tap cheap and effective energy. The most powerful nation in the world, "The United States of the New Order" has promoted this advance but in its capital "Union City" all is not as peachy as it should be. Science has made governments rich, and countries are controlled by bureaucrats who work for large multinational companies. Genesis is the largest multinational and responsible for transport, energy supply, medicine and laser technnology. Peace has raged for decades but only under the strict control of the multinational companies.
One of the most important advances of this time has been in cyber space and Genesis is responsible for that. Cyber space allows interchange between networks, so it is possible to work, to shop or to have fun sitting at home in a comfy chair. But who is pulling the strings in the background and controlling the population?
The game starts with high quality logos and an approx. 5 minutes long intro. Here it is good to have a PPC processor: in the 68k version the intro runs on a quarter screen window, with PPC on the full screen.
The quality of the film is very good and the spoken words are perfect. This is important because the game starts where the film ends. The short sequences in the game are also very well made. The whole game seems to be a film in which one plays the main role of a private detective looking for a missing agent who was investigating a terrorist action.
Nightlong is a classical point and click adventure like Simon the Sorcerer or Monkey Island. The main part of the screen is occupied by the current scene. This is not scrollable.
Moving the mouse pointer over the screen the "active" objects are shown by their names appearing. Objects can be examined (left mouse button) or used (right mouse button). Of course there is also the classical inventory to show all the things being carried. To open it just move the mouse button to the bottom of the screen. For every object there is an icon. To examine an object press the left mouse button, to use it the right button. If you click on another object they will be combined, for example lighter and stick = torch. If you click on a person the object will be given to or be used in some way, e.g.: baseball bat and a person = violence. That's the handling, now a look at graphics and sound.
Nightlong comes on a 16 bit screen in 640*480. The whole screen is completely animated. This need a lot of power! Nightlong can run on computers with an 030 processor but an 060 would be much better and with a PPC it runs really smooth.
The sound is also very good. The sound effects are atmospheric but unfortunately there is a bug, the effects disappear after some minutes. This is solved in the 68k version. The best of all are the spoken words.
Nightlong has two bad points. First the problems with the installation, although the Canadian company will do a new pressing. And on the other side the price. Approx. 100 Euro for the PPC version is a lot. But it is a game of high quality and so it might be justified: a game is only worth publishing when the company can earn money with it.
I recommend buying the game, it is worth the money and youŽll get a good chunk of it back by selling it after playing.
