Kenji Eno is to the Japanese gaming scene what Dennis
Rodman is to the National Basketball Association, and that
more than anything says bucketloads about the cultural
differences between the Land of the Free and the Land of
the Rising Sun. While Mr. Rodman has made a name for
himself by kicking, yelling and insulting referees, camera
people and mormons (not to mention several league records
for rebounding), Mr. Eno has thrown tantrums and enacted
all sorts of publicity stunts previously unheard of in the
usually polite-riddled Japanese videogaming scene.
Picture this guy announcing a previous PSX-exclusive title
("Enemy Zero") becoming a Saturn exclusive during a
PSX-exclusive trade show. Or a weekend videogame trade show
in which Mr. Eno used his company's booth (Warp) to reenact
some sort of seasonal tradition, and then showed their only
game ("D2") at the last few hours of the event. How many
times have you heard of a game company making the showing
of their product look almost like an afterthought? Yep,
Warp is a unique Japanese gaming company, elevated to
almost cult-like status by Mr. Eno's antics. And all of the
above hype has largely been the result of a single game
that, although flawed, has truly phenomenal silver linings.
"D" is the story of Laura, a young blonde lady who is
summoned to Los Angeles in order to talk some sense into
her father, Dr. Richard Harris, who has gone bananas and
killed people at the hospital where he practices. All hell
(literally!) breaks loose when our heroine enters the
hospital and the whole place metamorphosizes into a
medieval gothic-looking palace. It is here where you take
over this puzzle-filled two-hour FMV game, with your
primary mission being to reach your father and survive the
horrors thrown at you. And poor Laura will learn some
terrible secrets that explain some black holes in her past.
GRAPHICS / VISUALS: B+
Considering the Saturn isn't the best machine when handling
FMV, "D" looks stunning. Sure, it's super-letterboxed and
the dithering when the character moves is noticeable (as
are the load times when moving from location to location).
But considering the style of the game and the mood it sets
to achieve, the visuals are adequate. The detail and look
of the mansion, along with the gory scenes accompanying it,
makes "D" the must-play-in-the-dark-until-Resident-Evil-is-
released-in-September game for the Saturn.
MUSIC / SOUNDS: C+
The music resembles "Tomb Raider" in that there isn't much
of it throughout most of the game, but whenever the action
peaks it comes through with bladder-shaking intensity. It
is suitable scary, mysterious and (at points) touchingly
sad. The sound effects are movie-quality in their echo and
tone (Laura's footsteps, swords clashing, water dripping,
etc.), and the eerie background tune heard while you play
is suitable for the unstable menace that surrounds you.
If the music is heavenly, then "D" has as its water-deep
graveyard the voice dubbing; seriously! Not since the PSX
version of "Resident Evil" have we been exposed to such
vomit-inducing, God-awful, Gigantor-quality dubbing.
Laura's father, whose head appears periodically throughout
the game, can't seem to synch his irrational speech with
his moving lips. Laura doesn't say much, but her constant
"Aaahhh!" will get in your nerves. Acclaim should be shot
for not replacing the dialogue with new voice actors,
instead of relying on the audio inherited from the folks at
Panasonic (who originally had the initial English release
of "D" for the 3DO, way back when...ahh, forget about it!).
GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: A-
"D" has received mostly mixed-to-low scores, based on its
numerous shortcomings (which are all valid): it can be beat
in less than two hours, the player cannot save his/her
progress, the puzzles are so easy you won't even need the
FAQ from Internet sites, and the three endings are
relatively simple and easy to get, etc.. However, you can't
see a game like "D" and compare it to the gameplay of
"NiGHTS", "Bust-A-Move 2" or "Super Mario 64"; its an apple
and oranges comparison. Within the realms of FMV-based
games (which I remind you includes such dreck as "Myst",
"Double Switch", "Corpse Killer" and "Wire Head", just to
name a few), this game comes through with flying colors.
I believe "D" achieves such a level of involvement in its
own unique atmosphere as to be considered in the elite of
FMV games worth owning and replaying. Don't expect to play
it once a week for the rest of your life, or to worship the
elements and designers that came together to make it
happen. The characters facial features, expressions and
unique dilemma are rare in that they make you care deeply
for Laura; considering the lack of finesse in the graphics
(keep in mind this was completely done on Amiga computers,
before the SGI-based era of FMV was ushered into game
intros), Laura is a character the player can relate to.
Very few FMV can pull that much emotional attachment from
the players; i know "Torico" definitely didn't do it for me
(who gives a s#*@ about Fred?).
OVERALL: B+
Like a good book worth owning even if you've read it before
a hundred times (in my case it would be Flora Rheta
Schreiber's "Sybil", or the Bible itself), "D" is worth
having in the collection if you can find it cheap. At $20,
I feel I've got my money's worth. If you dislike FMV with a
passion (and plenty of "Sewer Shark" players do!), at least
rent this puppy from Blockbuster and give at an old
Thursday-night-in-the-dark try (you know, NBC is in reruns
and the shows are definitely not new to me anymore). Just
remember that playing it in the dark is a must.
"D" has plenty of untapped potential, mostly because it was
a track-based, puzzle-oriented FMV game originally designed
for the under-powered 3DO system. Since the sequel "D2" now
lays in limbo, Kenji Eno is in talks to Sega about making
this Warp-produced sequel available for Sega's next console
and that's good news. The Panasonic/3DO M2 project has
proven to be the biggest piece of vaporware this side of
Virgin's "Heart of Darkness", and Mr. Eno needs to pay the
bills. If "D2" becomes a Sega exclusive, then Japan will
go crazy over the game and the new machine will have a
strong start. And since "D2" will have a "Resident Evil"-
caliber engine, it may have a big impact here in the States
as well. It all depends on how Warp's other exclusive,
"Enemy Zero", performs on Saturn later this year.
Isn't amazing how a small and "replay-value" free FMV game
has built such an aura and cult around its developers? Name
me other game of its kind that has made as much noise as
"D", besides "Myst" jumpstarting the masses' acceptance of
computer games...? OK, OK; bad analogy!
