| Author | Review |
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porschephiliac
230,605
TA Score for this game: 1,258
Posted on 05 January 09 at 03:53 |
This review has 25 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
Based on the hit television documentary series Deadliest Catch, which follows the Northwestern crabbing ship and the crews' experiences on it. The show is a wild adventure that is exciting to watch, but sadly it hasn't translated well into the game. Honestly, I enjoy the show, and the drama portrayed on it, and was wishing I could have the same sensation. After about an hour of dropping pots over and over again, I was well asleep...
Graphically, the game has some high points. The menus are comfortable, and the ships are beautiful. The character models and movements mimic those of the real guys on the ship from the show, and it seem obvious to me that they took some extra effort in this aspect of the game. However, the neglected the rest. The scenery, other than the ocean (which is like-like actually) is bland and boring. There is nothing worth mention more about this dismal neglect from the developers. However, since most of the game is focused on your ship, which you can customize, and the crew, you will find yourself pleased at the effort.
Controls are easy to manage after you've spent a few minutes at sea, and although the mass of controls can be overwhelming at times, you'll never find yourself frustrated at trying to mash buttons to get something to work. The multiple interfaces between Dock menu, Plotter Menu, ship controls and etc... are quickly learned.
This game sadly features a multiplayer mode in which you can compete with up to 7 other boats in a season to see who can make the most money. However neat that might seem, the multiplayer is dead, and the one achievement that can be earned is usually scheduled by a set of buddies. I managed an online game and the lag was almost disgusting. Not an admirable aspect of the game. The game also features mini-games which can be fun, but also redundant.
Overall, the game is actually a beast to play, requiring lots of time in which you must be overly patient. I had more fun then I expected, but couldn't recommend a purchase unless you are a big fan of both the show and boating games. The realistic experience of the boat hitting the waves can make some folks nauseous, so the develops added a function to turn that off. For the gamerscore folks out there, it is a long game, but a relatively easy 800-900 or so. |
DrkStar47
90,632
TA Score for this game: 2,099
Posted on 07 April 09 at 21:47, Edited on 09 April 09 at 22:00 |
This review has 15 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
I can't argue with a single thing that porschephiliac noted. In spite of the fact that I have ridden a lot of ribbing for liking this game. I do.
I too really enjoy the show and the characters. I can't help but think at some point through the process of game development Sig and Edgar Hansen thought they were going to be Video Game Stars. Deadliest Catch 2 will never and should never be made.
This game was developed to be painstakingly accurate. The boredom of being at sea, the sameness of the environment, the mundane repetition of the tasks. All of those things and more are components of game play. Is that a bad thing or does this make this a bad game... no. It makes it a crab fishing simulator. If the player chooses first person views from the wheel house you can get a true sense of what it is like to be in the Bering Sea hunting for the elusive catch. If you play at the more difficult settings you to can face all the perils that the skippers in the show must face. You can also get a great feeling of satisfaction when you bring in the big catch, your crew survived, is happy and you made it back to port.
This game takes patience! If you want a game that does not require a lot of your time, don't get it. If you feel the need to do everything there is to do, get every achievement there is to get you will be in heaven.
The game has more than a few issues. Thought the ocean looks 'real' and the boats look great, the graphical representation of the characters is barely adequate and there movement is reminiscent of Super NES 2D graphic movement. The online is broken and will not be fixed. When the game was launched, trying to access the leader board would crash the game. The auto-save would cause the game to freeze. There has been one update that I am aware of that remedied those problems. The game is still flawed.
I will give this to Liquid Dragon, when emailed about the post launch issues, the CEO himself emailed me back to apologize.
Bottom Line: I played Deadliest Catch to it's fullest, got all the achies, and put the game away. I do still pull it out to 'Hit The High Seas' but I am realistic enough to know few players will.
I liked and still like this game. If you like sim games, this may be for you.
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