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They say that the devil has the best tunes, and while I can't say that's definitely the case, as far as games go it can be a real blast to play as the bad guy. Take Hitman: Blood Money - for example, a game which I enjoyed thoroughly because it allowed me to be deeply twisted in many ways. Granted, the game doesn't specifically cast you as an evil person, but having the ability to push people down the stairs was just too much of a temptation to resist. As was being able to drop a piano on someone.
So I was pretty excited to hear about Lucius II: The Prophecy, a game that pretty much steals wholesale from The Omen, casting you as Lucius, the son of the devil. The first game had you roaming around a mansion, ensuring the demise of a variety of characters. I never played it, to be honest, because I was put off by the mediocre reviews the game received, and the fact that you could only kill the characters off in fairly limited ways. Lucius 2, on the other hand, takes place in several locations, including a small town, and reportedly gives you the ability to dispatch enemies and witnesses in a wide variety of ways.
Okay, maybe I'm not sounding like the most balanced person in the world right now, but there's no denying that half of the fun of slasher films like Friday the 13th et al is seeing the cardboard cutout protagonists get offed in a range of creative manners. And, given that Lucius II offers all manner of creative executions, if you're a fan of horror films in general, Lucius II may well appeal to you. At least, that, is, until you actually play it.
Y The game, which takes place from a third person perspective not unlike Hitman, starts off with you, as Lucius, in an insane asylum. It's your job to bust out, achieving a number of sub objectives as the game progresses. And the tutorial level does a good job of explaining the different ways you can accomplish this. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here.
But I'll get the good-ish bits out of the way first. The graphics are okay - though not brilliant, and the sound effects are good enough, though the speech is a bit poor. And the game does actually give you the chance to use different execution methods. For example, on the first level, you have to get rid of a guard. You can do this by dragging a defibrillator over and electrocuting the water faucet they use. You can also launch a gas cannister at them, or knock the ceiling down on them. All of which sounds great, in a really macabre way.
Unfortunately, everything else about the game is a mess, and it plays like an Early Access or Alpha game. Take the controls, for example. You have to be ridiculously precise to use an object, whether you're dragging it or throwing it. Or levitating it. Yes, you read that right. Lucius's default method of carrying an object is to have it floating in the area. Want to use a pair of plyers? You can't hold them in your hand, they have to float, which will in turn freak out anyone watching.
At least, you'd think it would. But in fact, the AI is utterly incompetent. Lucius can crawl to avoid detection but I hardly ever used this, because people would spot Lucius doing something spooky, say they were going to get him, and then go right back to drinking their coffee, staring blankly at a wall , or whatever else they were doing. And the AI in this game also fails to react to other NPC characters, ignoring the fact that mental patients were running around screaming.
Probably one of the stupidest moments that occurred during my playthrough was when I spilled some cola, trying to get a nurse to fall down a lift shaft. She slipped in it, but not down the lift shaft. Which is fair enough. She instead slipped into a wall. And got up. And slipped into another wall. Of of which was observed by several other characters who were completely unperturbed. In the end I used Lucius's upgradeable mind-powers to get her to walk down there on her own. Which again sound cool, but in practice are as disappointing as the rest of the game.
Then again there's also the time I had a character yelling at me because he saw me mind-pulling a trolley. This would be fair except that the game refused to let me release the trolley till I focused on exactly the right pixels. This was the same trolley that flailed around when I tried to point in the right direction. I eventually used the trolley to fire a gas cannister at another character, who didn't die because it only exploded next to her not on her. She then carried on with her movements, oblivious.
I could go on- there's the game's horrible ragdoll physics, with bodies you can drag along with your feet, and more. Basically, the game is a terrible mess and shouldn't have been released in this state. If you want a decent stealth game that lets you get up to all sorts of mayhem, Hitman: Blood Money is the one to go for. It's a real shame to see a great idea wasted this way, but Lucius II can just go to hell. A case of 'great idea, poor execution' (I thank yew).
Score: 3 out of 10.
Pros:
It's a good idea for a game.
Cons:
The controls are wonky.
The AI is stupid.
Everything else about the game is terrible.
So I was pretty excited to hear about Lucius II: The Prophecy, a game that pretty much steals wholesale from The Omen, casting you as Lucius, the son of the devil. The first game had you roaming around a mansion, ensuring the demise of a variety of characters. I never played it, to be honest, because I was put off by the mediocre reviews the game received, and the fact that you could only kill the characters off in fairly limited ways. Lucius 2, on the other hand, takes place in several locations, including a small town, and reportedly gives you the ability to dispatch enemies and witnesses in a wide variety of ways.
Okay, maybe I'm not sounding like the most balanced person in the world right now, but there's no denying that half of the fun of slasher films like Friday the 13th et al is seeing the cardboard cutout protagonists get offed in a range of creative manners. And, given that Lucius II offers all manner of creative executions, if you're a fan of horror films in general, Lucius II may well appeal to you. At least, that, is, until you actually play it.
Y The game, which takes place from a third person perspective not unlike Hitman, starts off with you, as Lucius, in an insane asylum. It's your job to bust out, achieving a number of sub objectives as the game progresses. And the tutorial level does a good job of explaining the different ways you can accomplish this. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here.
But I'll get the good-ish bits out of the way first. The graphics are okay - though not brilliant, and the sound effects are good enough, though the speech is a bit poor. And the game does actually give you the chance to use different execution methods. For example, on the first level, you have to get rid of a guard. You can do this by dragging a defibrillator over and electrocuting the water faucet they use. You can also launch a gas cannister at them, or knock the ceiling down on them. All of which sounds great, in a really macabre way.
Unfortunately, everything else about the game is a mess, and it plays like an Early Access or Alpha game. Take the controls, for example. You have to be ridiculously precise to use an object, whether you're dragging it or throwing it. Or levitating it. Yes, you read that right. Lucius's default method of carrying an object is to have it floating in the area. Want to use a pair of plyers? You can't hold them in your hand, they have to float, which will in turn freak out anyone watching.
At least, you'd think it would. But in fact, the AI is utterly incompetent. Lucius can crawl to avoid detection but I hardly ever used this, because people would spot Lucius doing something spooky, say they were going to get him, and then go right back to drinking their coffee, staring blankly at a wall , or whatever else they were doing. And the AI in this game also fails to react to other NPC characters, ignoring the fact that mental patients were running around screaming.
Probably one of the stupidest moments that occurred during my playthrough was when I spilled some cola, trying to get a nurse to fall down a lift shaft. She slipped in it, but not down the lift shaft. Which is fair enough. She instead slipped into a wall. And got up. And slipped into another wall. Of of which was observed by several other characters who were completely unperturbed. In the end I used Lucius's upgradeable mind-powers to get her to walk down there on her own. Which again sound cool, but in practice are as disappointing as the rest of the game.
Then again there's also the time I had a character yelling at me because he saw me mind-pulling a trolley. This would be fair except that the game refused to let me release the trolley till I focused on exactly the right pixels. This was the same trolley that flailed around when I tried to point in the right direction. I eventually used the trolley to fire a gas cannister at another character, who didn't die because it only exploded next to her not on her. She then carried on with her movements, oblivious.
I could go on- there's the game's horrible ragdoll physics, with bodies you can drag along with your feet, and more. Basically, the game is a terrible mess and shouldn't have been released in this state. If you want a decent stealth game that lets you get up to all sorts of mayhem, Hitman: Blood Money is the one to go for. It's a real shame to see a great idea wasted this way, but Lucius II can just go to hell. A case of 'great idea, poor execution' (I thank yew).
Score: 3 out of 10.
Pros:
It's a good idea for a game.
Cons:
The controls are wonky.
The AI is stupid.
Everything else about the game is terrible.
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They say that the devil has the best tunes, and while I can't say that's definitely the case, as far as games go it can be a real blast to play as the bad guy. Take Hitman: Blood Money - for example, a game which I enjoyed thoroughly because it allowed me to be deeply twisted in many ways. Granted, the game doesn't specifically cast you as an evil person, but having the ability to push people down the stairs was just too much of a temptation to resist. As was being able to drop a piano on someone.
So I was pretty excited to hear about Lucius II: The Prophecy, a game that pretty much steals wholesale from The Omen, casting you as Lucius, the son of the devil. The first game had you roaming around a mansion, ensuring the demise of a variety of characters. I never played it, to be honest, because I was put off by the mediocre reviews the game received, and the fact that you could only kill the characters off in fairly limited ways. Lucius 2, on the other hand, takes place in several locations, including a small town, and reportedly gives you the ability to dispatch enemies and witnesses in a wide variety of ways.
Okay, maybe I'm not sounding like the most balanced person in the world right now, but there's no denying that half of the fun of slasher films like Friday the 13th et al is seeing the cardboard cutout protagonists get offed in a range of creative manners. And, given that Lucius II offers all manner of creative executions, if you're a fan of horror films in general, Lucius II may well appeal to you. At least, that, is, until you actually play it.
Y The game, which takes place from a third person perspective not unlike Hitman, starts off with you, as Lucius, in an insane asylum. It's your job to bust out, achieving a number of sub objectives as the game progresses. And the tutorial level does a good job of explaining the different ways you can accomplish this. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here.
But I'll get the good-ish bits out of the way first. The graphics are okay - though not brilliant, and the sound effects are good enough, though the speech is a bit poor. And the game does actually give you the chance to use different execution methods. For example, on the first level, you have to get rid of a guard. You can do this by dragging a defibrillator over and electrocuting the water faucet they use. You can also launch a gas cannister at them, or knock the ceiling down on them. All of which sounds great, in a really macabre way.
Unfortunately, everything else about the game is a mess, and it plays like an Early Access or Alpha game. Take the controls, for example. You have to be ridiculously precise to use an object, whether you're dragging it or throwing it. Or levitating it. Yes, you read that right. Lucius's default method of carrying an object is to have it floating in the area. Want to use a pair of plyers? You can't hold them in your hand, they have to float, which will in turn freak out anyone watching.
At least, you'd think it would. But in fact, the AI is utterly incompetent. Lucius can crawl to avoid detection but I hardly ever used this, because people would spot Lucius doing something spooky, say they were going to get him, and then go right back to drinking their coffee, staring blankly at a wall , or whatever else they were doing. And the AI in this game also fails to react to other NPC characters, ignoring the fact that mental patients were running around screaming.
Probably one of the stupidest moments that occurred during my playthrough was when I spilled some cola, trying to get a nurse to fall down a lift shaft. She slipped in it, but not down the lift shaft. Which is fair enough. She instead slipped into a wall. And got up. And slipped into another wall. Of of which was observed by several other characters who were completely unperturbed. In the end I used Lucius's upgradeable mind-powers to get her to walk down there on her own. Which again sound cool, but in practice are as disappointing as the rest of the game.
Then again there's also the time I had a character yelling at me because he saw me mind-pulling a trolley. This would be fair except that the game refused to let me release the trolley till I focused on exactly the right pixels. This was the same trolley that flailed around when I tried to point in the right direction. I eventually used the trolley to fire a gas cannister at another character, who didn't die because it only exploded next to her not on her. She then carried on with her movements, oblivious.
I could go on- there's the game's horrible ragdoll physics, with bodies you can drag along with your feet, and more. Basically, the game is a terrible mess and shouldn't have been released in this state. If you want a decent stealth game that lets you get up to all sorts of mayhem, Hitman: Blood Money is the one to go for. It's a real shame to see a great idea wasted this way, but Lucius II can just go to hell. A case of 'great idea, poor execution' (I thank yew).
Score: 3 out of 10.
Pros:
It's a good idea for a game.
Cons:
The controls are wonky.
The AI is stupid.
Everything else about the game is terrible.
So I was pretty excited to hear about Lucius II: The Prophecy, a game that pretty much steals wholesale from The Omen, casting you as Lucius, the son of the devil. The first game had you roaming around a mansion, ensuring the demise of a variety of characters. I never played it, to be honest, because I was put off by the mediocre reviews the game received, and the fact that you could only kill the characters off in fairly limited ways. Lucius 2, on the other hand, takes place in several locations, including a small town, and reportedly gives you the ability to dispatch enemies and witnesses in a wide variety of ways.
Okay, maybe I'm not sounding like the most balanced person in the world right now, but there's no denying that half of the fun of slasher films like Friday the 13th et al is seeing the cardboard cutout protagonists get offed in a range of creative manners. And, given that Lucius II offers all manner of creative executions, if you're a fan of horror films in general, Lucius II may well appeal to you. At least, that, is, until you actually play it.
Y The game, which takes place from a third person perspective not unlike Hitman, starts off with you, as Lucius, in an insane asylum. It's your job to bust out, achieving a number of sub objectives as the game progresses. And the tutorial level does a good job of explaining the different ways you can accomplish this. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here.
But I'll get the good-ish bits out of the way first. The graphics are okay - though not brilliant, and the sound effects are good enough, though the speech is a bit poor. And the game does actually give you the chance to use different execution methods. For example, on the first level, you have to get rid of a guard. You can do this by dragging a defibrillator over and electrocuting the water faucet they use. You can also launch a gas cannister at them, or knock the ceiling down on them. All of which sounds great, in a really macabre way.
Unfortunately, everything else about the game is a mess, and it plays like an Early Access or Alpha game. Take the controls, for example. You have to be ridiculously precise to use an object, whether you're dragging it or throwing it. Or levitating it. Yes, you read that right. Lucius's default method of carrying an object is to have it floating in the area. Want to use a pair of plyers? You can't hold them in your hand, they have to float, which will in turn freak out anyone watching.
At least, you'd think it would. But in fact, the AI is utterly incompetent. Lucius can crawl to avoid detection but I hardly ever used this, because people would spot Lucius doing something spooky, say they were going to get him, and then go right back to drinking their coffee, staring blankly at a wall , or whatever else they were doing. And the AI in this game also fails to react to other NPC characters, ignoring the fact that mental patients were running around screaming.
Probably one of the stupidest moments that occurred during my playthrough was when I spilled some cola, trying to get a nurse to fall down a lift shaft. She slipped in it, but not down the lift shaft. Which is fair enough. She instead slipped into a wall. And got up. And slipped into another wall. Of of which was observed by several other characters who were completely unperturbed. In the end I used Lucius's upgradeable mind-powers to get her to walk down there on her own. Which again sound cool, but in practice are as disappointing as the rest of the game.
Then again there's also the time I had a character yelling at me because he saw me mind-pulling a trolley. This would be fair except that the game refused to let me release the trolley till I focused on exactly the right pixels. This was the same trolley that flailed around when I tried to point in the right direction. I eventually used the trolley to fire a gas cannister at another character, who didn't die because it only exploded next to her not on her. She then carried on with her movements, oblivious.
I could go on- there's the game's horrible ragdoll physics, with bodies you can drag along with your feet, and more. Basically, the game is a terrible mess and shouldn't have been released in this state. If you want a decent stealth game that lets you get up to all sorts of mayhem, Hitman: Blood Money is the one to go for. It's a real shame to see a great idea wasted this way, but Lucius II can just go to hell. A case of 'great idea, poor execution' (I thank yew).
Score: 3 out of 10.
Pros:
It's a good idea for a game.
Cons:
The controls are wonky.
The AI is stupid.
Everything else about the game is terrible.