With all the hype surrounding Sega's upcoming Dreamcast
system comes speculation of what killer-apps Sega's new
baby will feature for its November launch in Japan. The
first confirmed non-Sega game for Dreamcast is Warp's "D2",
a sequel to the Japanese cult-hit that was released for the
3DO/Saturn/PSX in both Japan and the US in 1996 (under
Acclaim's label). Under the guidance of the weird but
talented Kenji Eno (the Dennis Rodman of the Japanese
gaming industry), Warp has become one of Japan's most
well-known and recognized development houses with
cutting-edge and different games like "Enemy Zero", the "D"
series, a game with no graphics (just music/dialogue/sound
effects), and other secret projects not yet public. It is
also one of Sega's biggest second-party developers, since
Mr. Eno and the management of Sony of Japan are at odds
about the company's approval policy of outside games.
Think of it as the Japanese equivalent of the Working
Designs/Sega debacle from the 1997 E3 show, but in reverse;
the same way we American PSX gamers will be the lucky
recepients of WD's exclusive quality titles, the Dreamcast
crowd will get the best Warp has to offer. Touche baby!
Which means that "D" will probably be the only Warp game
ever released for the PSX in North America, which is both a
darn shame (this is quality product) and a blessing in
disguise (because it is FMV-based, there are major flaws).
You play the role of heroine Laura, the daughter of a
well-known Los Angeles doctor that has gone postal, shot
several of his patients, barracated himself inside the
building. Since the police don't know if Dr. Richter
Harris is holding any hostages (he ain't talking), Laura
drives to the hospital and volunteers to go inside and try
to ration with his old man. All hell breaks loose,
literally, when Laura walks through the doors and witnesses
her father's carnage (gruesome stuff) and a mysterious
"warp" gate opens out of thin air... your on your own from
here sweet little Laura, good luck!
GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: B-
You can't judge the gameplay of a FMV game the same way you
judge the gameplay of games like "Bust-A-Move 2", "Croc",
"NBA Live" or "Einhander"; apples and oranges my friend,
because just like with "Myst" and "Riven" you are judging
the amount of excitement, fear, involvement and polish that
went into the details of the game (do the puzzles make
sense?, is the look of the hospital gothic enough?). "D"
has plenty of good graphical touches that lift it from
dreck like "Corpse Killer" and "Double Switch" (I'll take
CG characters over cheesy actors anyday), but the puzzles
are too obvious and the length of the game an irritatingly
short two hours or less (much less if you know the way).
There won't be need for you to look for any FAQ's because
this game is 1/100th the difficulty level of toughies in
the genre like "The 11th Hour". The game could have been
longer, tougher, better designed and/or taken better
advantage of the PSX's graphical capabilities to make "D" a
more involving experience, but I guess that is the price of
being 3DO code ported as first-generation PSX fodder for
the hungry masses (did anyone actually pay $59 for this?).
What little control you have over the on-screen actions of
Laura is limited to touching the control pad in the
direction you want her to move, and the use of a single
button to select an item from the one's you pick as you
walk through the hospital (except for a "Dragon's
Lair"-type sequence deep into the game).
Laura has a magic mirror that can guide you when you are
truly stumped (which won't happen often if you have an IQ
above single-digits), but its clues aren't too helpful and
the thing will only allow you three chances, so don't be
greedy! Like with any movie, TV episode and/or media form,
your first time(s) playing "D" will be the best simply
because, despite all the above-mentioned flaws, it is an
intriguing game that wraps the player into the plight of
poor little Laura. Like a good director, Kenji Eno and his
programmers cut the camera toward Laura and captures the
emotions she is going through at certain key moments of the
game's plot. Playing "D" is like controlling an
interactive version of a Hitchcock-directed version of
"Rosemary's Baby", while better-known horror games like the
"Resident Evil" series go for the "Dawn of the Dead"
thrills and gore. You can go for weeks without playing the
game, but then pick it up one stormy night and play it in
the dark, and still get your fair share of kicks out of it
IF YOU ARE A FAN OF THE GENRE.
GRAPHICS / VISUALS: B-
The best-looking version of "D" by far, easily erasing the
painful jaggies and diluted colors of the badly-compressed
Saturn and 3DO versions, although it took three CD's to get
the game on PSX while the Saturn/3DO version fit on two. A
game that has managed to age gracefully despite the
cutting-edge advancement in graphics since the game's
release in early 1995, "D" was rendered with Amiga
computers and animated without the benefit of SGI
workstations, which gives the game that "artsy" look of an
independent film (someone's baby). Laura, Dr. Harris and
the surrounding environments animate as believably as CG
could in the early 90's, and to watch it today is to wonder
why did so many FMV games relied on cheesy and mood-killing
FMV when rendered actors are twice as believable for half
the price (and the pleasure of not dealing with union
thugs).
There are moments of intense violence and gore throughout
"D" (including rotten corpses and canibalism), but they are
not as troubling as they used to be in the days before "Bio
Freaks" and "Resident Evil" desensitized the 32-bit crowd.
The game's 'T' rating is more than adequate, but gamers
with impressionable children might want to think twice
about letting their toddlers be exposed to these 'warped'
scenes of violence. And yes, by the time you reach one of
the game's three endings (depending on your actions and
feelings toward your father) you will know and see what the
"D" stands for... I ain't telling, no sir!.
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS: C+
The "Resident Evil" curse strikes again.
The music and sound effects in "D" are movie-quality, with
the eerie footsteps of Laura walking through the marmol
hallways of the gothic hospital filling your heart with
anticipation, and the surprises around every corner (like
any good movie should) punctuated by bladder-shaking
moments of loud noise and shrieks (watch out for that room
full of spikes, or you're gonna loose your lunch!) that
wouldn't be out of place in a Hollywood horror flick. The
music switches between an eerie and never-ending background
noise (a "Quake"-like sound without the murmurs), and your
usual musical scores designed to raise the pressure and
make you seek cover behind the couch. As good as "RE", but
since there is less game here the amount of music and sound
effects is very limited and not red-book; Grrrrr!
The voices, though, are an abomination that single-handedly
brings down the score of what could have become a strong
'B' title, just like with Capcom's horror series. Laura
has this annoying "Ahhh!" shriek that she utters every time
she encounters danger, and she has no other words or
phrases throughout the game (a heroine without a
personality?). Dr. Richter Harris' head pops up every once
in a while to give her daughter clues of his whereabouts
(don't ask), and his erratic and emotionless lines are out
of synch with the lips. Why didn't Acclaim redo the crappy
dialogue from the 3DO version localized for the States by
Panasonic is beyond me, but it almost sinks "D" into
oblivion and undermines Laura's emotions and feelings at
every turn; it's almost as bad as watching Italian movies
that are badly dubbed (:-P).
OVERALL: C+
Funny that, when reviewing the Saturn version of "D" for
another site, I scored the game much higher than the
better-looking PSX version because (a) there are higher
standards for games to stand out on the crowded PSX market
(there are other FMV games like "Riven" and "Broken Sword"
that have raised the standards), and (b) because I lumped
"D" together with its Saturn-exclusive sequel "Enemy Zero"
to make it a coherent whole (Laura, a CG actress of sorts,
returns for "EO" playing a totally new character). A solid
rental will satisfy most gamer's curiosity for what "D" has
to offer, but it might become part of your collection if
you're in the mood for a game light on puzzles but strong
on atmosphere. Just remember that, if you become attached
to Warp and the whereabouts of their digital actress, a
Sega Saturn ("EO") and a Dreamcast ("D2") are required to
follow the saga of the blonde babe that walks softly, but
carries a big stick. Recommended!
