Phantasmagoria 2
gogo
Has anyone bought this game yet? What's it like?
Ken Williams
I am Sierra's CEO, so obviously my opinion is biased, but here is my
mini-review of the game:
My wife Roberta wrote the original Phantasmagoria. She was hard at work
on Kings Quest 8, so another designer, Lorelei Shannon, who had worked
with Roberta on prior games, designed Phantasmagoria II. Phantasmagoria
II is a VERY different game from Phantasmagoria.
Here are some ways that it is different from the original...
It is much more controversial. Roberta and I are tough to shock -- but,
Phantas II did so in several places. You will definitely remember
playing this game for a while. The story is much deeper than the
original, more complicated, and many will find it much more involving.
The game is roughly the same length as the original, which Internet
hackers may slam us for. Those in search of a tough game should buy
Lighthouse instead -- Phantas II is not a 'puzzle game,' it is an
experience to be enjoyed.
Here's the perfect way to play Phantas II: Dim the lights, crank up the
sound, don't let anyone interrupt you, and then play the game over five
successive nights, along with your 'significant other'. The game is
broken into five chapters, so it is perfect for this. Skilled adventure
gamers will be able to complete any chapter in 2 to 3 hours. Total play
time with getting a few hints should be in the 10-20 hour range. Roberta
and I had people to call for hints, so actual playing time might be
longer for others. Don't rush through this game! Pace yourself, and
enjoy. Try not to read too much about the game on the Internet. The plot
has plenty of surprises and you will damage some of the fun for
yourself.
Roberta and I really enjoyed Phantas II. Unfortunately, it is Sierra's
last movie game for many years to come. Even though Phantas was such a
hit -- and advance orders on Phantas II indicate it also will be, live
action is not cheap to shoot. This industry really isn't big enough yet
to support the big live action projects like Phantasmagoria. We were
definitely depressed to finish the game, realizing there wasn't a sequel
in development, nor anything else like it in the industry.
The bottom line: I highly recommend the game to those looking for a few
evenings of fun that they'll remember forever, especially those who
liked Gabriel Knight or Phantasmagoria. You may not like the game if you
are looking for a "tough challenge with Myst-style puzzles" or are
easily offended.
Thanks - Ken Williams, Sierra
PS It is in stores now
Ben
Ken Williams wrote:
> Roberta and I really enjoyed Phantas II. Unfortunately, it is Sierra's
> last movie game for many years to come. Even though Phantas was such a
> hit -- and advance orders on Phantas II indicate it also will be, live
> action is not cheap to shoot. This industry really isn't big enough yet
> to support the big live action projects like Phantasmagoria. We were
> definitely depressed to finish the game, realizing there wasn't a sequel
> in development, nor anything else like it in the industry.
This is true and yet not true. Most companies do not have the financial
backing to undertake such a project, definitely. But others do and have,
and with a great deal of success. Origin's Wing Commander games feature
a story driven by live action video (and actual film with real sets, in
the case of WC4), and they have been wildly successful. As far as I have
heard, Origin plans to continue making big-budget interactive movies. So
I would not say that there is nothing else out there like it, per se.
Many companies are NOT doing it, however- here I would agree. FMV has
gotten a pretty bad rap over the years, and with good reason. Bad
acting, bad scripts (and, no offense, but the first Phantasmagoria
suffered from both these afflictions in places), and generally poor
production values makes for a game which, while expensive to produce,
generates little excitement in gamers. I think most people would rather
have a well-done game with no video than a poorly done FMV game. I
bought Phantasmagoria, and for my gaming dollar (well, fifty of them,
actually) I got a game which featured:
mostly mediocre acting, with some really bad overacting at points
an interface which was much less rich and varied than games which Sierra
had previously released- few inventory items, not a lot of hot spots,
and a remarkably small game environment
poor sound quality (the actors sounded like they were talking in a
warehouse- even while outside or in small rooms)
about ten hours of gameplay, total, from start to finish
...I would agree that the industry can not now (nor, I hope, will it
ever) support games of this nature. People just will not pay $50 for
this sort of experience, regardless of what it cost to make.
But I would not say that the industry is too small to support big budget
productions. Origin IS doing them. The key is to make the game GOOD. Not
as simple as it sounds, perhaps, but a necessity nonetheless. I would
say that Wing Commander 3 was more fun than WC2, and that the video
added to the game without necessitating the removal of other fun
elements. WC4 was even better. I will continue to buy Origin's games,
because they have proven to me that they can put video in a game without
allowing the video to ruin the game.
I would buy such games from other companies as well, if they could prove
the same. Gabriel Knight 2 was on the right track. Phantasmagoria was
not...
Just my $.02...
Regards,
Benjamin E. Sones
feld...@sprynet.com
Carl C. Chi
>last movie game for many years to come. Even though Phantas was such a
>hit -- and advance orders on Phantas II indicate it also will be, live
>action is not cheap to shoot. This industry really isn't big enough
yet
>to support the big live action projects like Phantasmagoria. We were
>definitely depressed to finish the game, realizing there wasn't a
sequel
>in development, nor anything else like it in the industry.
>
few
>evenings of fun that they'll remember forever, especially those who
>liked Gabriel Knight or Phantasmagoria. You may not like the game if
you
>are looking for a "tough challenge with Myst-style puzzles" or are
>easily offended.
>
>Thanks - Ken Williams, Sierra
>
>PS It is in stores now
>
>gogo wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone bought this game yet? What's it like?
I'd love to buy this game - was looking forward to it for several
months! I went to EB to buy it today as a pre-holiday treat, but was
shocked to find out IT ONLY RUNS ON WINDOWS 95, NOT GOOD OLD DOS OR WIN
3.1 :+( !!!!! Ken, what gives??? Not everyone has or wants Win 95!
Are you making a DOS or Win 3.1 version? Please tell me "Yes" !!!
Michael Cecil
On Tue, 26 Nov 1996 14:32:34 -0800, Ken Williams <ke...@seanet.com>
wrote:
>I am Sierra's CEO, so obviously my opinion is biased, but here is my
>mini-review of the game:
>
>Roberta and I really enjoyed Phantas II. Unfortunately, it is Sierra's
>last movie game for many years to come. Even though Phantas was such a
>hit -- and advance orders on Phantas II indicate it also will be, live
>action is not cheap to shoot. This industry really isn't big enough yet
>to support the big live action projects like Phantasmagoria. We were
>definitely depressed to finish the game, realizing there wasn't a sequel
>in development, nor anything else like it in the industry.
>
>The bottom line: I highly recommend the game to those looking for a few
>evenings of fun that they'll remember forever, especially those who
>liked Gabriel Knight or Phantasmagoria. You may not like the game if you
>are looking for a "tough challenge with Myst-style puzzles" or are
>easily offended.
>
>Thanks - Ken Williams, Sierra
>
>PS It is in stores now
>
I just finished my first session with Phantasmagoria 2. Looks pretty
good so far. The Sierra ordering rep I spoke to on Friday said it
wouldn't be out for several weeks but there are so many games due out
or overdue that I've been checking the stores in my area daily. I
played both GK2 and Phantasmagoria 1 and thought that Sierra had
nearly reached Origin's level of cutting edge excellence. Besides
Origin and Sierra, it has seemed to me that most other game companies
are all vaporware or bugware (I won't buy from Sir-tech or Bethesda
again). I rather like the video sequences in games like
Phantasmagoria and Wing Commander. It seems like a logical evolution
of the graphical aspect of many games. Now that DVDs are on their way
I expect that high quality video sequences will be more, not less,
common in the future. I just hope that Sierra and Origin don't
abandon it entirely because it's too costly, because the other crappy
companies will no doubt try to slap some FMV into their games in a
band-aid effort to quick fix their lousy games. Anyhow, I will
continue to buy Sierra games if they continue to be of the same high
production and plot quality.
BTW, Myst was pretty but boring and simple - 2 hours at most. The
only reason it was successful was that it was the first widely
marketed CD-ROM game. If it came out today, it would be about as
successful as Qin or Jewels of the Oracle - that is to say, not at
all.
Michael Cecil
mce...@cyberramp.net
The Polychromic Dragon of the -=[UDIC]=-
Ken Williams
> This is true and yet not true. Most companies do not have the financial
> backing to undertake such a project, definitely. But others do and have,
> and with a great deal of success. Origin's Wing Commander games feature
> a story driven by live action video (and actual film with real sets, in
> the case of WC4), and they have been wildly successful. As far as I have
> heard, Origin plans to continue making big-budget interactive movies.
Wing Commander 4 sold well, but was not a profitable project for EA.
After the project, Chris Roberts, the designer of WC4, called to say he
was 'looking for something new to do.' We passed -- this industry simply
can't afford those kinds of productions at this point in the ballgame.
When computers are as pervasive as televisions, you will see similar, or
higher budgets, than the film industry has, on computer game projects.
For now, when you do see it -- you can have a fairly good suspicion that
someone lost some money.
With respect to production values: You are right that Gabriel Knight had
much higher quality video and sound than Phantasmagoria. We learned
quite a bit from the first project. Phantasmagoria II is better yet than
Gabriel Knight in this area. The special effects in Phantas II are as
good, or better, with a few exceptions, than you will see in major
motion pictures -- and the writing is far better.
Thanks - Ken
Ken Williams
We are working on a DOS/Win3.1 version. It should be out within a few
weeks.
-Ken
Alan Davis
car...@ix.netcom.com(Carl C. Chi) wrote:
>In <329B70...@seanet.com> Ken Williams <ke...@seanet.com> writes:
>>
>>I am Sierra's CEO, so obviously my opinion is biased, but here is my
>>mini-review of the game:
>>
>>
>I'd love to buy this game - was looking forward to it for several
>months! I went to EB to buy it today as a pre-holiday treat, but was
>shocked to find out IT ONLY RUNS ON WINDOWS 95, NOT GOOD OLD DOS OR WIN
>3.1 :+( !!!!! Ken, what gives??? Not everyone has or wants Win 95!
>Are you making a DOS or Win 3.1 version? Please tell me "Yes" !!!
I agree!! He complains how unprofitable it is to make a game like
this and then releases it in win95 only, ignoring the many millions
who still only have win3.x and Dos. Brilliant business decision.
When MS does this, its motives are obvious; what's his excuse?
Ken Williams
> Nice to have the CEO here.
>
> Would this mean we are going back to the pre-FMV days? I;ve noticed that it
> is common for a game world to lose its richness when FMV gets in the way.
> Pandora Directive used this medium well. So did Gabriel Knight 2. But the
> most satisfying adventures Sierra has released, IMO, has been KQ6 and the
> QuestforGlory series. Did these games do so badly commercially that Sierra
> has to turn to something new to sell its products? And there is Conquests
> of the Longbow (as well as camelot) which had good design and was value for
> money (also IMO, underrated). KQ7 didn;t have enough to attract my
> attention to play the 3rd time like KQ6.
> Sierra should consider going back to General Midi since a lot folks like
> us have invested in wave table soudncards. At least let us have a choice of
> music format (digitized or synthesized). the mono sound in Gk2 was
> disappointing.
>
> just my 2 cents.
I agree with most of your comments -- we are in a "back to our roots"
frame of mind. I am strongly considering going back to midi -- it
doesn't sound as good on most systems, but there are all kinds of
technical problems running digitized sound -- streaming the audio can
hurt the interactivity of the game. Also, as I already mentioned, we
have no FMV games currently slated for development. There is something
magic about them when they are done right; Phantas II when it is great,
is really great -- there is no similar feeling playing an animated game
-- but overall, because of the budget problems, and because of the
problems in providing long playtimes, we're out of the FMV market for a
while. I felt pretty good about this until I played Phantas II last week
-- it really caught my attention -- it'll be interesting to see what
everyone else thinks...
-Ken
RoyBoy
> >3.1 :+( !!!!! Ken, what gives??? Not everyone has or wants Win 95!
> >Are you making a DOS or Win 3.1 version? Please tell me "Yes" !!!
>
> I agree!! He complains how unprofitable it is to make a game like
> this and then releases it in win95 only, ignoring the many millions
> who still only have win3.x and Dos. Brilliant business decision.
> When MS does this, its motives are obvious; what's his excuse?
You may have missed Ken's post regarding this. Win 3.1 and Dos versions
will be out shortly.
royboy
R Art
Ken Williams <ke...@seanet.com> wrote in article
<329B70...@seanet.com>...
> Roberta and I really enjoyed Phantas II. Unfortunately, it is Sierra's
> last movie game for many years to come. Even though Phantas was such a
> hit -- and advance orders on Phantas II indicate it also will be, live
> action is not cheap to shoot. This industry really isn't big enough yet
> to support the big live action projects like Phantasmagoria. We were
> definitely depressed to finish the game, realizing there wasn't a sequel
> in development, nor anything else like it in the industry.
>
Led Mirage
In article <57g9mo$f...@dfw-ixnews4.ix.netcom.com>,
Carl C. Chi <car...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>I'd love to buy this game - was looking forward to it for several
>months! I went to EB to buy it today as a pre-holiday treat, but was
>shocked to find out IT ONLY RUNS ON WINDOWS 95, NOT GOOD OLD DOS OR WIN
>Are you making a DOS or Win 3.1 version? Please tell me "Yes" !!!
Welcome to the future. DOS is dead, long live DOS.
Dark Knight
>We are working on a DOS/Win3.1 version. It should be out within a few
>weeks.
>
>-Ken
Could you give some information about Phantas 2 in Australia. Will it
be a cut version?
Thanx in advance!
Agustinus Harjono
Hi, I think the reason why Sierra did not make it in DOS or Windows 3.11 is
because of DirectX 3 which only supported in WIndows 95.
I think you should upgrade your O/S to WIndows95
AshT
Anyone play Phantasmagoris 2 yet? I'm stuck... I've gotten out of my
apartment and now at work, I've talked to everyone, got some weird
things happening to me, and now my computer lost my file, but I can't
figure out how to get the right password... or am I supposed to do
something first?? AHHHHH
AshT
RoyBoy
Ash, goto Sierra's web site @ www.sierra.com, click your way to the
Phant 2 product page, click on hints and you can get all your questions
answered.
royboy
Kara Johnson
Are we *really* expected to take your words for this? I mean, I do not
necessarily feel that it's going to be horrid, as Lorelei Shannon seems
like a very capable writer--but I hardly think that anyone who was going
to be making so much dough off of something could write an unbiased
review. There's no way you would ever say, "don't buy Phantas 2, it
sucks!" Am I right, or am I right? :-)
As for going back to "old style gaming", I'm afraid to admit that
you're only about 95% correct. You can't just revert to Sierra's glory
days(I'm talking 'bout when ya'll made virtually no money, but made
excellent adventures:-) without a big bang. You have to do something
truly revolutionary--and I'm *not* talking about technological
advancement!
I'll tell you what I think of A Puzzle of Flesh when it's finally
released in Erie!
--Kara
Ken Williams wrote:
>
> > Nice to have the CEO here.
> >
> > Would this mean we are going back to the pre-FMV days? I;ve noticed that it
> > is common for a game world to lose its richness when FMV gets in the way.
> > Pandora Directive used this medium well. So did Gabriel Knight 2. But the
> > most satisfying adventures Sierra has released, IMO, has been KQ6 and the
> > QuestforGlory series. Did these games do so badly commercially that Sierra
> > has to turn to something new to sell its products? And there is Conquests
> > of the Longbow (as well as camelot) which had good design and was value for
> > money (also IMO, underrated). KQ7 didn;t have enough to attract my
> > attention to play the 3rd time like KQ6.
> > Sierra should consider going back to General Midi since a lot folks like
> > us have invested in wave table soudncards. At least let us have a choice of
> > music format (digitized or synthesized). the mono sound in Gk2 was
> > disappointing.
> >
> > just my 2 cents.
>
Led Mirage
In article <329D13...@seanet.com>, Ken Williams <ke...@seanet.com> wrote:
>
>I agree with most of your comments -- we are in a "back to our roots"
>frame of mind. I am strongly considering going back to midi -- it
>doesn't sound as good on most systems, but there are all kinds of
Many systems these days come with wavetable cards or chips. Although they
aren't as good as some of the better cards (like my Yamaha daughter
card), its still a mark improvement over FM and the very *weak* sounding
streaming audio of many Sierra games (and others. Most notably Wing
Commander 4. Who cares if its real orchestra? It sounds like its sampled
at 8-bit, 11 KHz mono.)
>technical problems running digitized sound -- streaming the audio can
>hurt the interactivity of the game. Also, as I already mentioned, we
>have no FMV games currently slated for development. There is something
Does this mean GK3 will be back to the graphic novel style? HURRAH!!! I
played GK1 5 times and GK2 only once. The difference? the FMV and the
weak characters. In GK1, the voice acting of Gabriel and Grace were top
notch and thoroughly charming, but in GK2 although the acting wasn't bad,
their characters were just flat. The only redemption was Von Glower, and
he's the bad guy. Go Figure.
>while. I felt pretty good about this until I played Phantas II last week
>-- it really caught my attention -- it'll be interesting to see what
>everyone else thinks...
I haven't played Phant 2 yet (the Voodoo patch for Tomb Raider was out
and I'm totally hooked on that right now). But why doesn't LSL7 use
DirectX?? You guys obviously know about it and know how to programme for
it, since Phant 2 utilises DirectX. I'm just sick and tired of having to
change screen resolution to play your games.
R Art
I hope we have Sierra's word on general Midi. Streaming music via DAC is
IMO pointless. I remember the most astounding music i;ve heard was on my
Sound Blaster 1.0 - Monkey Island 2. The IMUSE system was beautiful and the
synchorization un-surpassed. I think The Dig used this technique well. It
sure sounded like came from my GM board. I'd preffer GM anyway.
"FMV done well" is very much a lost cause. I cant see if i'll ever enjoy a
TOTALLY FMV game. Look at 11th Hour.... boring. I;ve yet to see it. Wc4 was
not perfect, but look at the budget...
The point is, a game has to appeal and not alienate.
And i regret my Phant 1 purchase.
Am getting Phant 2 though....
RoyBoy
> it, since Phant 2 utilises DirectX. I'm just sick and tired of having to
> change screen resolution to play your games.
Just an aside here: Download power tools from the Microsoft web site
and it contains QUICK RES. This program allows you to change depth and
size quickly without rebooting Win 95.
royboy
Robert Merritt
On moon date 27 Nov 1996 02:40:24 GMT, car...@ix.netcom.com(Carl C. Chi)
wrote:
>I'd love to buy this game - was looking forward to it for several
>months! I went to EB to buy it today as a pre-holiday treat, but was
>shocked to find out IT ONLY RUNS ON WINDOWS 95, NOT GOOD OLD DOS OR WIN
>3.1 :+( !!!!! Ken, what gives??? Not everyone has or wants Win 95!
Dos is dead. Get over it.
Rob Merritt
Might and Magic lives at http://www.jagunet.com/~robertm/homm.html
"If you got to have delusions, you might as well have the really satisfying ones.", Marcus - Babylon 5
Robert Merritt
On moon date Tue, 26 Nov 1996 14:32:34 -0800, Ken Williams
<ke...@seanet.com> wrote:
>I am Sierra's CEO, so obviously my opinion is biased, but here is my
>mini-review of the game:
I guess its good to be the boss? :)
<snip>
>Roberta and I really enjoyed Phantas II. Unfortunately, it is Sierra's
>last movie game for many years to come. Even though Phantas was such a
>hit -- and advance orders on Phantas II indicate it also will be, live
>action is not cheap to shoot. This industry really isn't big enough yet
>to support the big live action projects like Phantasmagoria. We were
>definitely depressed to finish the game, realizing there wasn't a sequel
>in development, nor anything else like it in the industry.
I know its not what you want to hear, but I'm glad this is so. I perfer
cartoon and polygonal animated characters. I am looking forward Kings Quest
8.
Wes Plate
Ken said...
> Wing Commander 4 sold well, but was not a profitable project for EA.
> After the project, Chris Roberts, the designer of WC4, called to say he
> was 'looking for something new to do.' We passed -- this industry simply
> can't afford those kinds of productions at this point in the ballgame.
> When computers are as pervasive as televisions, you will see similar, or
> higher budgets, than the film industry has, on computer game projects.
> For now, when you do see it -- you can have a fairly good suspicion that
> someone lost some money.
Only half true. WC4 never made its money back because of its (I've
heard) $12Million budget. PH2's budget, even though it is notoriously
over, isn't anywhere NEAR that. Sierra and Ken Williams will make a
bundle from PH2. Frankly, Sierra did a lot of smart things to keep the
budget lower. WC4 was shot on 35mm and was post-produced much the way
feature films are. The scope they made that game at was huge.
PH2, however, hired a production crew of mainly very young people that
could be paid less. The production values are very high, yes, but costs
were dramatically lower by using DigitalBetacam and post techniques that
made the production cheaper.
So you can't compare WC4 and PH2 financially, you'll make plenty of
money on this game, to claim otherwise sounds fishy. It sounds good to
say the industry can't handle these kinds of games, but technology is
finally making it possible to make them right, so why not remain the
leader in the industry and continue to break new ground?
Thanks for hearing my side.
-Wes Plate
ALVAREZ_GARCIA__R.
In <329D13...@seanet.com> Ken writes:
> I agree with most of your comments -- we are in a "back to our roots"
> frame of mind. I am strongly considering going back to midi -- it
> doesn't sound as good on most systems, but there are all kinds of
> hurt the interactivity of the game. Also, as I already mentioned, we
> have no FMV games currently slated for development. There is something
> is really great -- there is no similar feeling playing an animated game
> -- but overall, because of the budget problems, and because of the
> problems in providing long playtimes, we're out of the FMV market for a
> -- it really caught my attention -- it'll be interesting to see what
> everyone else thinks...
>
About the midi, I think that games should support BOTH midi and
digitized music, at player's will. The game PRISONER OF ICE, from
Infogrames, has this option and it works really well.
About FMV games, I really like them, and I think that there is place
for them. I mean, it would be nice that Sierra produced one every year
or two.
Raul Alvarez
Kara Johnson
R Art wrote:
>
> I hope we have Sierra's word on general Midi. Streaming music via DAC is
> IMO pointless. I remember the most astounding music i;ve heard was on my
> Sound Blaster 1.0 - Monkey Island 2. The IMUSE system was beautiful and the
> synchorization un-surpassed. I think The Dig used this technique well. It
> sure sounded like came from my GM board. I'd preffer GM anyway.
>
> "FMV done well" is very much a lost cause. I cant see if i'll ever enjoy a
> TOTALLY FMV game. Look at 11th Hour.... boring. I;ve yet to see it. Wc4 was
> not perfect, but look at the budget...
Scarlette
RoyBoy <roy...@cris.com> wrote in article <329EE3...@cris.com>...
I just thought I would mention something about this particular power toy.
My video card and it hate each other. If I use it to change my screen res
I start having all kinds of problems. I use a Number Nine Reality 332 and
Quick Res really messes up my video. Just be careful if you decide to play
with this. At least if you do and have problems perhaps this note will
help you fix the prob.
Scarlette :)
Felton
Ken Williams <ke...@seanet.com> wrote:
>We are working on a DOS/Win3.1 version. It should be out within a few
>weeks.
>-Ken
>> I'd love to buy this game - was looking forward to it for several
>> months! I went to EB to buy it today as a pre-holiday treat, but was
>> shocked to find out IT ONLY RUNS ON WINDOWS 95, NOT GOOD OLD DOS OR WIN
>> 3.1 :+( !!!!! Ken, what gives??? Not everyone has or wants Win 95!
>> Are you making a DOS or Win 3.1 version? Please tell me "Yes" !!!
I was also disappointed to see that it was only for Windows 95. Ken,
can you please post when the 3.1 version is shipped out to the stores.
Thanks. I sure hope it will be before Christmas.
Lisa
Stat. Data-Analyse
Scarlette (scar...@bbs.phantasy.com) wrote:
: RoyBoy <roy...@cris.com> wrote in article <329EE3...@cris.com>...
On the other hand most other programs don't show any problems at all.
So Just try it you can always remove it if you want.
: Scarlette :)
Elroy Coltof
: