Posted By: Gameman007
Black Dahlia - 04/09/01 03:23 AM
This could possibly be one of the best games ever created (Iknow I'm going to be in for it here, LOL). The whole game is an adventure game lovers work of Art.
Briefly, you play an agent for the OSS (what will later become the CIA)whose predecessor mysteriously disappeared while investigating a series of serial killings by the torso killer, as well as trying to find more about and possibly find,a mysterious gem known as the Black Dahlia, sought after by Hitler for it's supposed secret occult powers.
The game engine is a 360 degree mouse controlled environment, similar in a lot of ways to the Tex Murphy games, particularly Pandora Directive and Overseer. It could very well be that the creators realized the Tex games for the innovative classics that they were, as they used the FMV approach in a 360 degree environment. Also the method of traveling from one location to the other is extremely similar.
As stated the game is done in the interactive movie format and is extremely well done. You really feel like you are the central chacter in a movie trying to solve the case. Dahlia is a wonderful mix of really great acting, including one of the most obnoxious characters in the history of gamedom, and a fantastic sound track (only wish it was available as a separate CD, like the soundtrack CD that came with Tex Murphy Overseer). It would be advisable throughout this game to follow that old adventure game rule, save and save often, as you can get killed in this game.
The puzzles in this game range from relatively easy to figure out to some of the hardest to ever be included in a game. They are not thrown in just for the sake of having puzzles, however, and each solution advances the game. I must admit that I had to use a walkthrough for some of them (unfortunately I didn't know about this fantstic site and all you wonderful people out there at the time I played this game)
Now for the part that's probably the most controversial part of this game. The endgame is either really liked or hated with hardly any middle ground. I thought the 2 possible endings were both really well thought surprises. Yes people, life does not always have happy endings, and sometimes it's refreshing to not have everything work out the way you'd expect or hope them too. But then again how many times have we seen movies that ended on a down note as a setup for a sequel, hm interesting thought there!
To wrap up let me say if you want to play a game that has it all, great story, acting, music, and some really great innovative puzzles, then Black Dahlia is the game for you! By the way torso killings actually happened in Chicago exactly as decribed in the game. There also at the time was a bit part actress in California known as the Black Dahlia (her fiancee was killed or died, I forget which and as she always wore black from that time on she got that name)whoi was killed in the same fashion as the Chicago Torso killings and many feared that the Torso Killer had come to California to start a string of killings there. Everything stopped after the Black Dahlia murder and the case was never solved. For further info go to any search engine and type in Black Dahlia, which will yield many sites pertaining to the case.
[This message has been edited by Gameman007 (edited 04-08-2001).]
Briefly, you play an agent for the OSS (what will later become the CIA)whose predecessor mysteriously disappeared while investigating a series of serial killings by the torso killer, as well as trying to find more about and possibly find,a mysterious gem known as the Black Dahlia, sought after by Hitler for it's supposed secret occult powers.
The game engine is a 360 degree mouse controlled environment, similar in a lot of ways to the Tex Murphy games, particularly Pandora Directive and Overseer. It could very well be that the creators realized the Tex games for the innovative classics that they were, as they used the FMV approach in a 360 degree environment. Also the method of traveling from one location to the other is extremely similar.
As stated the game is done in the interactive movie format and is extremely well done. You really feel like you are the central chacter in a movie trying to solve the case. Dahlia is a wonderful mix of really great acting, including one of the most obnoxious characters in the history of gamedom, and a fantastic sound track (only wish it was available as a separate CD, like the soundtrack CD that came with Tex Murphy Overseer). It would be advisable throughout this game to follow that old adventure game rule, save and save often, as you can get killed in this game.
The puzzles in this game range from relatively easy to figure out to some of the hardest to ever be included in a game. They are not thrown in just for the sake of having puzzles, however, and each solution advances the game. I must admit that I had to use a walkthrough for some of them (unfortunately I didn't know about this fantstic site and all you wonderful people out there at the time I played this game)
Now for the part that's probably the most controversial part of this game. The endgame is either really liked or hated with hardly any middle ground. I thought the 2 possible endings were both really well thought surprises. Yes people, life does not always have happy endings, and sometimes it's refreshing to not have everything work out the way you'd expect or hope them too. But then again how many times have we seen movies that ended on a down note as a setup for a sequel, hm interesting thought there!
To wrap up let me say if you want to play a game that has it all, great story, acting, music, and some really great innovative puzzles, then Black Dahlia is the game for you! By the way torso killings actually happened in Chicago exactly as decribed in the game. There also at the time was a bit part actress in California known as the Black Dahlia (her fiancee was killed or died, I forget which and as she always wore black from that time on she got that name)whoi was killed in the same fashion as the Chicago Torso killings and many feared that the Torso Killer had come to California to start a string of killings there. Everything stopped after the Black Dahlia murder and the case was never solved. For further info go to any search engine and type in Black Dahlia, which will yield many sites pertaining to the case.
[This message has been edited by Gameman007 (edited 04-08-2001).]