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Typical - you don't wait for one FMV detective game and then two come along at once. But whereas 'Her Story' featured only one character and one single location, Contradiction - Spot The Liar has you wandering around a small English village trying to solve a murder. FMV abounds but unlike some of the 'interactive movies' that were around a few years ago, it's actually quite good.
The game is pretty much an FMV version of the Ace Attorney series, without the actual courtroom sequences. You play Jenks who comes across as a strange blend of Phoenix Wright and David Tennant's Doctor Who. Jenks is supposed to be a police detective but in fact he comes across as more as a private investigator, doing all sorts of stuff that would render evidence inadmissible in court.
In fact, I suspect the idea originally was to have him be a PI, till the designers realised that would give him absolutely no authority at all. Which is probably a good thing since, as Jenks, you roam around interviewing people about the murder that took place in the village. It isn't your average village and houses 'Atlas', a business school that apparently has some shady practices. I
Contradiction started life as an iPad game, which is pretty obvious given the fact you can't use the mouse to play the game, which takes getting used to. You wander around the village using the mouse, but you can use the in-game map to quick travel. You do pick up the odd bit of evidence but gameplay mostly involves going from place to place, as time ticks on, speaking to suspects and spotting the contradictions in what they say.
Finding a contradiction can in turn lead you onto another subject to discuss which you can then talk about with other character. I won't give too much away, but there are plenty of surprises to be had. The acting - full motion video takes up most of the game - is excellent, as is the video quality. You do get a real sense of being a dogged detective, hunting down the truth. And you do eventually find out who dunnit,
However, the ending is something of a let down. Without spoiling it, the ending does seem kind of tacked on, as if the game just stops. You also could have worked out the culprit earlier if you hadn't gone around the houses interviewing everyone else, but the game wants you to learn about the intricate backstories and events that you find in in the village. Before fish-slapping you with an ending that has little to do with half of what you've discovered. It also leads a lot of threads hanging, which is annoying in something that promised to be a full out detective game.
So is Contradiction any good? It's fun to play, there's no doubt, but the ending is such a disappointment. It's not too pricey so is worth a look but be prepared to be a bit put out at the end.
Score - 7 out of 10.
Pros:
Great acting.
Excellent writing.
Cons:
The ending is a huge letdown.
The game is pretty much an FMV version of the Ace Attorney series, without the actual courtroom sequences. You play Jenks who comes across as a strange blend of Phoenix Wright and David Tennant's Doctor Who. Jenks is supposed to be a police detective but in fact he comes across as more as a private investigator, doing all sorts of stuff that would render evidence inadmissible in court.
In fact, I suspect the idea originally was to have him be a PI, till the designers realised that would give him absolutely no authority at all. Which is probably a good thing since, as Jenks, you roam around interviewing people about the murder that took place in the village. It isn't your average village and houses 'Atlas', a business school that apparently has some shady practices. I
Contradiction started life as an iPad game, which is pretty obvious given the fact you can't use the mouse to play the game, which takes getting used to. You wander around the village using the mouse, but you can use the in-game map to quick travel. You do pick up the odd bit of evidence but gameplay mostly involves going from place to place, as time ticks on, speaking to suspects and spotting the contradictions in what they say.
Finding a contradiction can in turn lead you onto another subject to discuss which you can then talk about with other character. I won't give too much away, but there are plenty of surprises to be had. The acting - full motion video takes up most of the game - is excellent, as is the video quality. You do get a real sense of being a dogged detective, hunting down the truth. And you do eventually find out who dunnit,
However, the ending is something of a let down. Without spoiling it, the ending does seem kind of tacked on, as if the game just stops. You also could have worked out the culprit earlier if you hadn't gone around the houses interviewing everyone else, but the game wants you to learn about the intricate backstories and events that you find in in the village. Before fish-slapping you with an ending that has little to do with half of what you've discovered. It also leads a lot of threads hanging, which is annoying in something that promised to be a full out detective game.
So is Contradiction any good? It's fun to play, there's no doubt, but the ending is such a disappointment. It's not too pricey so is worth a look but be prepared to be a bit put out at the end.
Score - 7 out of 10.
Pros:
Great acting.
Excellent writing.
Cons:
The ending is a huge letdown.
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Typical - you don't wait for one FMV detective game and then two come along at once. But whereas 'Her Story' featured only one character and one single location, Contradiction - Spot The Liar has you wandering around a small English village trying to solve a murder. FMV abounds but unlike some of the 'interactive movies' that were around a few years ago, it's actually quite good.
The game is pretty much an FMV version of the Ace Attorney series, without the actual courtroom sequences. You play Jenks who comes across as a strange blend of Phoenix Wright and David Tennant's Doctor Who. Jenks is supposed to be a police detective but in fact he comes across as more as a private investigator, doing all sorts of stuff that would render evidence inadmissible in court.
In fact, I suspect the idea originally was to have him be a PI, till the designers realised that would give him absolutely no authority at all. Which is probably a good thing since, as Jenks, you roam around interviewing people about the murder that took place in the village. It isn't your average village and houses 'Atlas', a business school that apparently has some shady practices. I
Contradiction started life as an iPad game, which is pretty obvious given the fact you can't use the mouse to play the game, which takes getting used to. You wander around the village using the mouse, but you can use the in-game map to quick travel. You do pick up the odd bit of evidence but gameplay mostly involves going from place to place, as time ticks on, speaking to suspects and spotting the contradictions in what they say.
Finding a contradiction can in turn lead you onto another subject to discuss which you can then talk about with other character. I won't give too much away, but there are plenty of surprises to be had. The acting - full motion video takes up most of the game - is excellent, as is the video quality. You do get a real sense of being a dogged detective, hunting down the truth. And you do eventually find out who dunnit,
However, the ending is something of a let down. Without spoiling it, the ending does seem kind of tacked on, as if the game just stops. You also could have worked out the culprit earlier if you hadn't gone around the houses interviewing everyone else, but the game wants you to learn about the intricate backstories and events that you find in in the village. Before fish-slapping you with an ending that has little to do with half of what you've discovered. It also leads a lot of threads hanging, which is annoying in something that promised to be a full out detective game.
So is Contradiction any good? It's fun to play, there's no doubt, but the ending is such a disappointment. It's not too pricey so is worth a look but be prepared to be a bit put out at the end.
Score - 7 out of 10.
Pros:
Great acting.
Excellent writing.
Cons:
The ending is a huge letdown.
The game is pretty much an FMV version of the Ace Attorney series, without the actual courtroom sequences. You play Jenks who comes across as a strange blend of Phoenix Wright and David Tennant's Doctor Who. Jenks is supposed to be a police detective but in fact he comes across as more as a private investigator, doing all sorts of stuff that would render evidence inadmissible in court.
In fact, I suspect the idea originally was to have him be a PI, till the designers realised that would give him absolutely no authority at all. Which is probably a good thing since, as Jenks, you roam around interviewing people about the murder that took place in the village. It isn't your average village and houses 'Atlas', a business school that apparently has some shady practices. I
Contradiction started life as an iPad game, which is pretty obvious given the fact you can't use the mouse to play the game, which takes getting used to. You wander around the village using the mouse, but you can use the in-game map to quick travel. You do pick up the odd bit of evidence but gameplay mostly involves going from place to place, as time ticks on, speaking to suspects and spotting the contradictions in what they say.
Finding a contradiction can in turn lead you onto another subject to discuss which you can then talk about with other character. I won't give too much away, but there are plenty of surprises to be had. The acting - full motion video takes up most of the game - is excellent, as is the video quality. You do get a real sense of being a dogged detective, hunting down the truth. And you do eventually find out who dunnit,
However, the ending is something of a let down. Without spoiling it, the ending does seem kind of tacked on, as if the game just stops. You also could have worked out the culprit earlier if you hadn't gone around the houses interviewing everyone else, but the game wants you to learn about the intricate backstories and events that you find in in the village. Before fish-slapping you with an ending that has little to do with half of what you've discovered. It also leads a lot of threads hanging, which is annoying in something that promised to be a full out detective game.
So is Contradiction any good? It's fun to play, there's no doubt, but the ending is such a disappointment. It's not too pricey so is worth a look but be prepared to be a bit put out at the end.
Score - 7 out of 10.
Pros:
Great acting.
Excellent writing.
Cons:
The ending is a huge letdown.