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Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119946
01/23/05 10:42 AM
01/23/05 10:42 AM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 503
NY, USA
UpToo Late Offline OP
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From what I've read, everyone seems to prefer the original game to the sequel, but for me the sequel was definitely better -- is there anyone who agrees with me, lol?

Except that.... ********* SPOILER ALERT *********
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I don't get the ending, any more than I got the ending of Dark Fall! For those of you who have played Lights Out, could you please tell me what happened? That is, I know I got Malakai working and sent back out into space/time, but exactly how had he driven the lighthouse keeper(s) mad, if in fact that's what he did? And what, he shifted them back and forth between the times, and that's how anachronistic stuff got left lying around? I loved playing this game, but I'm confused as to exactly what happened, lol! Any elucidation welcome! smile

Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119947
01/23/05 12:01 PM
01/23/05 12:01 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 50
Islington London England UK
Dumbledore Offline
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It was inevitable of course, now that JB has published 2 games under a common banner, that comparisons would be made, preferences expressed and battle lines drawn. The Journal vs Lights Out? Bearing in mind that each player brings along with them their own experiences when setting out on such an interactive gaming venture. Its not possible to be objective.
The most we can do is say, in this instance, what we liked and what we liked less ( I found nothing to dislike!)

So here goes, what did I think………

The storytelling was excellent in both games. JB is able to weave each individual thread so carefully that we can only stand back and admire the whole cloth set out before us. Both are full of suspense and atmosphere, we readily suspend our disbelief and become immersed in his finely drawn worlds. The settings were good and wholly believable. The attention to detail is obvious and serves to draw us in further. The sound reaches out of both games and has us literally on the edge of our seats. The voice acting is good in both games. There are loose threads at the end of both that make me ask, “yes but what…..” So I find myself thinking, then what is it that makes me prefer The Journal to Lights Out? I struggled with this for a while, but finally came to the conclusion that the lives of the characters in the first game are just more finely drawn for me than in the second game.
As simple as that.
My opinion!

Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119948
01/23/05 01:12 PM
01/23/05 01:12 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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To add to Dumbledores wonderful comments, I think the other thing which made Lights Out less flowing was the fact that you played during the daytime too, whereas Dark Fall was all at night in the dark smile The lighthouse 1912 had the same feel as Dowerton, do I Really dare open that door??? Whereas the later visits were not as creepy. OK, so I was brought up on the old horror movies so that does colour my judgement somewhat!!


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119949
01/24/05 02:14 PM
01/24/05 02:14 PM
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 920
West Seattle, WA
ces Offline
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I enjoyed both DF games, but did enjoy DFI a smidgeon more. Why? Like Tigger said, it was a game played at 3 am in the morning, when it was dark dark dark outside & extremely quiet, and the game occurred in a dark dark dark deserted hotel. My husband was travelling quite a bit at the time I was playing DFI, so it was great to be up all night in a dark house playing DFI.

I found myself using hints a lot more for DFII - I am not a scientist, and so all of the science-oriented situations were not intuitive for me.

It also seems to be that in most anything, games/tv/movies/books, that folks always enjoy the first in the series more - maybe because the first is always new, while the followers of the first are familiar.


Christine
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119950
01/25/05 09:20 AM
01/25/05 09:20 AM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 623
Saxton
JonathanBoakes Offline
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Huge Gigantic Spoilers!!! Do not read below if you wish to play "Lights Out" fresh.
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Ok, deep breath.....

Malakai has been waiting since 2090BC for the right candidate to reprogram his spatial and timecode settings. The probe (number 4 in the series) was sent on his mission to discover 'dark matter' by Corbin Hart in 2090AD. The probe, after a mishap, arrives back in the same place, but in 2090BC, crashing into the sea by Fetch Rock. The Bronze Age people of the island build a seahenge to mark the arrival point, and place the probe in the caverns immediately beneath Fang Rock (the pointed stone). Time passes slowly, and eventually the camp (and caverns) are abandoned.....There he sits, and waits, for the right candidate to "free him". This event begins in 1912, when the local smugglers use the caverns as storage. The proximity of human minds awakens Malakai's AI......



As Malakai says himself: "Many have tried, and many have failed. The primitives, the Drake Creature, the Magnus Creature, The White Creature.... all have tried, and all have failed, but now there is you mapman, now there is you..."

Malakai's will cannot extend much further than the island, which is why he uses pawns, like Oliver Drake, the lighthouse keeper in 1912. Drake influences Robert Demarion to contact Parker. Demarion (from his notes found in the journal, and toilet!) already suspects there is something awry at Fetch Rock, and believes it to be a power beyond human comprehension. He has also been finding strange items washing up on the beach, like a floppy disk from 2004!

Malakai needs Parker. He senses he is the right candidate. But why...?

Both Malakai and Parker have something in common. They have both been exiled, from their home and peers. The isolation (4000 years in Malakais case!) has driven both characters a little mad, which is why Parker is a more suitable canditate. He shares a state of mind. Polly White's regression tape (found in 2004, in the rucksack) reveals that she is also less stable than the norm, but the cause of her instability is less extreme: she is the descendant of James Woolf, and has a memory of being in the lighthouse in 1912. The failure of her 'ghost hunt' in Dark Fall 1 has also left her feeling less than adequate.



Parker's involuntary sympathy for the probe, also means he is able to hear its thoughts, and share the visions, which he does throughout the game. The other, less suitable, candidates have less sympathetic minds, which in turn get 'burnt out' (literally. They are also damaged, at a genetic level, by time travel). Drake's (and Magnus's) body actually glow after performing Malakais tasks. Whether Malakai is purposely vicious is something I didn't want to state. He knows that his return to 2090AD will result in him never dwelling beneath the rocks, or encountering any of the island dwellers. Effectively, none of the events witnessed will occur, and Malakai will return to the DEOS base. But, does the end justify the means? I quite like to think of Malakai as a spiteful child, who behaves badly, but has no conscience.

Phew.

Jonathan

P.s. Of course, that doesn't explain what happened to Parker at the end of the adventure, but I quite like the idea of him waiting on the island, till I need him. Try not to worry too much, I send him a package of tea and Cornish Pastys on a regular basis. I hear he has also made friends with a very chatty seagull.


The ghosts are waiting, in the dark places, the forgotten places. Waiting for you: Darkling Room Games
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119951
01/25/05 10:15 AM
01/25/05 10:15 AM
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 69,973
MaG Offline
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Wow! smile bravo

Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119952
01/25/05 01:36 PM
01/25/05 01:36 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,046
Ontario, Canada
colpet Offline
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Thanks, Jonathan. thumbsup
That really helps tidy up some loose ends for me.

Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119953
01/25/05 03:00 PM
01/25/05 03:00 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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Nice to hear your summing up Jonathan, I got most of that from the game but wasn't sure if I was correct or another who is slightly deranged... (my strait jacket is on the peg next to yours!!) - only kidding!!

Quote:
I hear he has also made friends with a very chatty seagull
Wouldn't happen to be a Jonathan Livingston Seagull would it?? Or is that another story whistle


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119954
01/25/05 04:59 PM
01/25/05 04:59 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 623
Saxton
JonathanBoakes Offline
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Ha ha, Tigger! I do talk to gulls, but their conversation can be rather dull. The vocabulary of the Squawk Dialect is rather limited. Squawk.

I'm glad to have clarified a few points. Mostly, there are clues to the above points, but a few areas were snipped from the game for time budget reasons. They were not essential to the story, but would have helped cement some ideas into place. For example, the lift shaft in 2090AD was originally built to extend all the way to the surface of Fetch Rock. Climbing out onto the surface of the island would have allowed you to see Fetch Rock partly submerged, and decorated with hundreds of radio masts, blinking against an orange storm threatening sky.


The ghosts are waiting, in the dark places, the forgotten places. Waiting for you: Darkling Room Games
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119955
01/25/05 06:01 PM
01/25/05 06:01 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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England
Are you allowed to post pictures of the unused portions on your website??

Hugs

Tig


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119956
01/26/05 12:03 AM
01/26/05 12:03 AM
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,027
USA
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Jonathan:
Quote:
Effectively, none of the events witnessed will occur, and Malakai will return to the DEOS base.
That brings up some questions. Polly White presumably will conclude that she has had another unfruitful search for parapsychological phenomena. Drake will not have gone mad and he and the other two lighthouse attendants will have lived out full lives. Demarion will not have had the occasion for calling in Parker in the first place and Parker will still be brooding over not getting any significant map work. The prehistoric islanders will not have built the seahenge.

However, will Malakai also be renewed? No rust or corrosion? No memory of what happened? Similarly in 2090 would the launch have gone efficiently and uneventfully ahead, Corbin Hart never having to grieve for now a non-existent loss. All is squeezed down to an infinitesimally short period of time, which vanishes from history. Hmm?

Oh, Jonathan, I was going to e-mail you to tell you how very much I have enjoyed both of your games. They are very high on my "List of Favorites" and I will snatch up any games you produce in the future, sight unseen. bravo praise

They each had their own emphasis, though both dealt with paranatural events, and I appreciated what each had to offer that was different in tone. I really have a hard time deciding which game I preferred. They were different -- they were delightful.

I am looking forward with great anticipation to your next effort. You have made it rather tough on yourself be setting such a high standard in your first two games. Good luck!

As an aside, you are dealing with a very difficult subject when you venture into "time travel." I think you handled it a bit more deftly in DARK FALL than LIGHTS OUT, but there was a little more to deal with in the second game.

There is one picayune annoyance that I might mention, just so I don't seem effusively laudatory. I don't mind the fair amount of reading involved in playing. In fact, I definitely enjoyed it, since it was all closely connected with the plot and character development, but do you use a speller in your editing of what is written? laugh


It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -- Aristotle
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119957
01/26/05 03:49 AM
01/26/05 03:49 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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England
Advpuzlov, just remember you Americans don't spell all words the same way we do... whistle


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119958
01/26/05 11:40 AM
01/26/05 11:40 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 79
West Texas
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Just a few days ago I loaded up the Journal again. Every once in a while, I fire up a game that I've really enjoyed in the past. I'm currently engrossed in Traitor's Gate, and although the game is a great deal of fun, it can be slow progressing through it (You know, map the sewer, explore an exit, get nailed by the guards...repeat). In agreement with other comments in this thread, I really found the story and characters of DF1 entrancing, and still do.

One of my favorite parts of Lights Out was the inclusion of Polly White. Paging through her journal brought back memories of DF1 and gave further closure to that story. Still, I can't help but feel a bit sorry for her. After all, she's a dedicated investigator/researcher who's been stymied in two attempts to prove the existence of supernatural activity (unless, of course, because of the time reversal, Polly never ended up going to Fetch Rock). While we certainly don't want supernatural energies running amuck, particularly not the likes of that in The Journal, I hope that Polly is ultimately exonerated, and finds the evidence she's been hunting for.

A quick story about DF1, just to attest to how spooky Mr. Boakes' games are. I was playing through DF1 for the first time one evening. Our computer sits in one end of our family room, while a sitting area and television are at the other. My wife was watching television while I was exploring the Station Hotel. I had just accessed Polly and Nigel's room, and was listening to Polly's taped message about venturing outside the safety of the room. My wife, overhearing the message, got spooked. laugh Mr. Boakes certainly makes the scariest games around!

Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119959
01/26/05 01:20 PM
01/26/05 01:20 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 50
Islington London England UK
Dumbledore Offline
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Islington London England UK
Hi all,
Me again, I keep finding things to wax lyrical about!

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about playing both games was the wealth of peripheral writings.

I felt they helped provide depth to the stories. It was a constant joy to come across such beautifully titled tomes as 'The Piskie Folk of Duloe', flyers for upcoming performances such as 'The Mourning Bride of Bodmin Moor' I was even left feeling that I needed to read the rest of 'Bright Spark'

Is it just me? Maybe I should start a new thread...
Peripheral Writings in DF games?
What do you think?

Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119960
01/26/05 02:02 PM
01/26/05 02:02 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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tigger  Offline
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England
I read all of the books I could get my hands on smile More please thumbsup


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119961
01/26/05 03:13 PM
01/26/05 03:13 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 623
Saxton
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Duckandcover, I thought you were going to say you had encountered the truly strange Dark Fall TV phenomena.

A handful of people reported their televisions turning on by themselves when playing the games. I can honestly say that it's not a stunt on my part, as I do get emails from players reporting the fact. It's a worry, but rather exciting.

Dumbledore, The Piskie Folk was a pleasure to write. I thought a little humour and whimsy was called for, occasionally. The games can't all be spooky, damp and dark. There's actually quite a bit of (attempted) humour in both games, which keeps me sane when writing the larger overall narrative. Matilda Fly's theatre reviews were a favourite, poor thing. She'll never tread the boards of London's WestEnd again.

I have been a bit mean on Polly White, but I can say (whisper) that she hasn't hung up her ghosthunting gadgets just yet. She will achieve her final vindication, back in her start location of Dowerton. Whether Nigel decides to attend is another matter.


The ghosts are waiting, in the dark places, the forgotten places. Waiting for you: Darkling Room Games
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119962
01/26/05 05:12 PM
01/26/05 05:12 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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tigger  Offline
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England
It will be nice to see Polly again smile

You just hit the right style with the stories in the game too, I'm sure they have tales like that in the area smile


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: Dark Fall The Journal vs. Lights Out (includes spoiler) #119963
01/28/05 03:09 AM
01/28/05 03:09 AM
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,027
USA
Advpuzlov Offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by tigger:
Advpuzlov, just remember you Americans don't spell all words the same way we do... whistle
Ah, but I allowed for that. I am familiar with British/Canadian spelling.


It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -- Aristotle
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