So here we are back again,
picking up exactly where we left off in chapter 1, and with very little
real world time in between. If you haven’t read the first review, hop to
it and then come back and I will fill you in on where to next.
Which is, don’t play this until
Chapter 3 comes out, and then play the whole lot in one go.
I say that primarily because
this really did feel a bit like filler, all the more so after a good
first chapter. It’s way too short for a standalone game, is short on
many things (dialogue, puzzling challenges) and recycles some old
events, albeit from a different perspective.
The music all sounds the same
too, which is not a bad thing as it was rather good the first time
around, but some variety would have been nice. It does help hold it
together as a continuing adventure, but it also adds to the sense that
this is really just one game broken into three bits for not much more
reason than to pay three times. That might be a little uncharitable, but
it does feel like that.
The abrupt halt once again at
the end simply reinforces that feeling. Things just stop. I thought that
the first time, then reflected on the events and thought perhaps it was
justified, but on reflection after the end to chapter 2 I have decided
they are really just unnatural breaks for the purpose of having another
chapter. Which might also be a little uncharitable.
I am in fact going to stop very
soon, before I do the series a disservice from which it might not
recover.
The voice acting was still
strong, and there is still much to like about the main characters. The
museum in Cairo is impressive, and the little touches in sound and light
make it a good location to visit. Some of the revelations fell a little
flat, and there is a comparative lack of conversations compared to the
first chapter, which is a shame as some of the banter and chat was part
of the appeal first time around.
The Raven deserves a strong end,
and if it gets it, then this chapter will just be the lull in the middle
and will get lost in the greater wash. Which makes it all the more
disappointing standing alone. You really will be better served waiting
for chapter 3 and playing it from start to finish.
C+
I played on:
OS: Windows 7
Processor: Intel i7-3820 4GHz
RAM: 12GB Ripjaw DDR3 2133 Mhz
Video card: AMD Radeon HD 7800 2048MB
