Game Over Online ~ Hopkins FBI

GameOver Game Reviews - Hopkins FBI (c) Kult, Reviewed by - DToxR / SpitteR /

Game & Publisher Hopkins FBI (c) Kult
System Requirements Pentium Based System, 16mb RAM, 4x CD-ROM
Overall Rating 66%
Date Published Wednesday, June 17th, 1998 at 11:48 PM


Divider Left By: DToxR Divider Right

I had absolutely no idea what type of game this was going to be when I first got wind of it. Considering how much of the gaming industry is built around hype I wasnt really expecting much from an unknown title (not to mention a release crew primarily known for trainers and addons). But in this line of work we aren't paid to stand around and whine like a bunch of girlie reviewers so I bit the bullet and went for that 'install' icon. "Not bad!" were my first words on seeing the installer Warrior did up for this title. After hearing CLS's South Park installer with the cheesy hard-on-the-ears fat kid remix, the short and sweet little Drum 'n Bass track really sounded great. A good-looking progress marker was also a nice touch on the installer.

But what the hell, we don't play the installer, we play the game! So on to the action...

The story here is that some criminal mastermind behind a terrorist nuke detonation has escaped from prison during what was intended to be his execution. Since you were the FBI agent to get the original collar, the Agency calls on you once again to bring him in. If you think that is easy, try also juggling a bitchy boss and a relationship with some sexy bird named Samantha who works down the hall from you and then toss in a few everyday cases as well for good measure. Ahhh it's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it...

The graphics in the game are split between a number of different formats. All movie and still shots are done 'comic book' style with some small amounts of animation. They have a nice lightweight feel to them that keeps you from taking the game too seriously. Player control is done in a 'Bladerunner' type pseudo-3d view with your character getting larger and smaller as he moves closer and farther away on the landscape. You can set the FPS the game uses for moving its characters around but the default is very smooth so there is really no need to mess with it. The other view you will be seeing a lot of is the overhead map. You use it to get around between sites in your car by clicking on buildings. And finally, on occasions you will zoom in for a very smooth looking rendered 3d closeup view for manipulating small objects (like defusing the bomb). One thing I have to mention is the gore. Don't let the cartoony atmoshpere throw you - there is plenty of gore and also some nudity thrown into the game for good measure. I just about fell out of my chair after seeing the slo-mo closeup of some guy's head disintegrating in a shotgun blast early in the game. So if you are the type of person that doesn't like Itchy and Scratchy, definitely avoid this title. Having said that, I recommend getting the movie addon because it really clears up the plot and without it you often aren't sure exactly what's going on. Despite the fact that there is no 3dfx acceleration, it really doesn't hurt the game and the graphics suit the game type very well.

One of the first pleasant surprises I got was in the main menu: MUSIC! And good stuff too at that! There are a number of songs throughout the game with a Tarantino-esque flavor to them. They have full vocals and really add to the atmoshpere, this was one of my favorite parts of the game. Unfortunately most of the music is slightly lower quality and sans vocals but at least they have spaced out the good tracks so you are sure to hear them on a regular basis. The other in-game sound effects are nothing special... small .wav files now and then to represent in-game events like a clipping sound when you but the leads to the bomb detonator. Out of all of the areas of the game, sound effects was definitely the weakest.

Kult: fire your sound FX guy and get someone decent. Better yet, stop making the janitor do your sound FX for you and hire someone with talent.

The game is easy to control with your standard single player adventure game 'point-and-click' interface. Talking is done similar to Monkey Island where you have a list of 5 responses to continue a conversation and what you choose will have some effect on the outcome. One of the great anti-frustration features they added was the ability to skip some of the boring walking sections. If you double click with the mouse instead of single clicking, it will often skip right to the next area. This is really a big deal and lets you keep your sanity while you play the game as well as preventing you from smashing your keyboard in frustration. The overhead map is well thought out with pop-up labels for all the buildings so you don't get lost.

In adventure games there is always a fine-line between an enjoyable difficulty level and Zork "I HATE THIS @#$@$ GAME *SMASH* *SMASH* *SMASH*" aggravation. Hopkins FBI does a pretty good job of keeping you playing with a series of puzzles that range from easy to medium difficulty. The hardest puzzle I found while I was testing was how to get that @#$# flirt Samantha in the sack. No luck yet but I'll keep you posted.

Overall I really enjoyed this game. If you are a fan of the classic Police Quest games, don't miss this one. It has some great funny parts and a nice interface that won't drive you up the wall. It's too bad all of the music wasn't as good as those few tracks with vocals, but I guess a rip is a rip and usually music is the first to die.

The Good: A few kick-ass music tracks with full vocals, solid interface and good looking artwork

The Bad: Sound effects are few and far between, it's too hard to seduce the women in this game

 

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Rating
79%
 

 

 
 

 

 

Divider Left By: SpitteR Divider Right

Well, if you like collecting games, and if you loved Police Quest, then this one is for you. With Hopkins F.B.I. you've got the old quest-style game like Police Quest. It's a 2D quest in which you play a FBI Agent. You drive your car in the city to the Bank, Museum, Shooting Range, deal with crimes, etc. You need to try get things from the area, talk with people. There's a cool story line.

Sound: (11/15)

Sound is nice, could be better; music is very cool and changes in every room. This is one of the good facets of the game. It gives more sense of action to the game. But other effects that happen when you take things and shooting and stuff get boring.

Graphics: (8/20)

Here I was really fair; I would say more than fair. The graphics are the old kind that we wanted to forget. This game should come 3 years earlier and it would have been great, but life sux and it came when we almost all have 3D accelerators; it doesn't support 3D cards. It supports SVGA and TSVGA: no option to change resolution. One more thing to drive up the rating here is the movie addon.

Gameplay: (6/20)

Use / Take / Go - these are the commands, easy but not new. Clicking the mouse and inventory, that's it... the same as Lesiure Suit Larry's series. The game is difficult; if you do something that could kill someone your boss will kick you out.

FunFactor: (14/20)

Forget for a moment the graphics, and in all it's fun. If you like Police Quest it will be more fun for you (get it if there are no other games to get). And for those who hated Police Quest, get away from this because it's not better then PQ.

The Good: For you Police Quest addicts, here it is again with not a lot of changes; like some old-style games.

The Bad: Old style, nothing new ;)

 

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Rating
79%
 

 

 
 

 

 

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