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It usually takes a lot of courage to point out the flaws of a game that has a huge fan base. Such games usually achieve 'cult status', which leads the players to happily ignore their numerous shortcomings and exaggerate their positive aspects. This game is a perfect example.
Zak McKracken is an incompetent reporter who is searching for something that would make him big. Meanwhile some Aliens are using the phone system to make the population of earth become dumber day by day. Zak realizes this in a dream, he knows he must stop this, but he can't do it alone. In the course of the game he gets teamed up with an Anthropologist and her friends, on the quest for three magic crystals that are needed to stop the aliens and save the planet.
The game uses the SCUMM engine that was used in many other LucasArts games such as Maniac Mansion. The graphics are nice and there are many locations to visit and many characters to interact with. The game is also humorous at some points.
However, I can't believe how overrated this game is! Let's look at this game for what it really is, not for what everybody says. Stupid plot, mundane puzzles (which only half them make any sense) and very disjointed. On many many occasions you will end up trying to 'just do something' because the game doesn't set a proper goal for you...you will be wandering around aimlessly hoping that giving object X to person Y may get you object Z that helps to open the door P in location Q.
The switching between people is a nice idea but it is not exploited as it should, so it becomes nothing more than a wasted opportunity. Not to mention the repetitive actions you have to go through over and over, for example traveling between the cities. This causes the game to become one tedious ordeal. And while we are at the subject of traveling, again as you have no idea what you are trying to achieve you end up wasting all your money on plane tickets and resorting to the stupid lottery system.
The interface is clunky and slow (specially switching between characters and scrolling the items in your inventory); this results in a lot of trouble at the later stages of the game where many actions have to be performed very quickly by more than one character. The humour could've saved the day, but most of the attempts at being humorous end up as being cheesy. And last but not least, the mazes. Not just one or two of them...and you have to go through them not just once or twice, but many times. I wish I could get the hold of one of the designers and ask him "Hey buddy, what was the point?!"...
Maniac Mansion is far superior to this. Skip this one and play "Rex Nebular and The Cosmic Genderbender" instead.
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The graphics are quite good, but not among the best Amiga had to offer.
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The music is limited to short tunes here and there plus some of the cutscenes. The sound effects just get the job done.
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An aimless, disjointed and confused adventure.
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| This game serves no purpose other than to firmly establish the bottom of the barrel of LucasArts adventure collection. It should be ignored just like America's borders. |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
It also contains the original Amiga ROM-files, 100% legally!
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