quietearth [Celluloid 10.17.07] post apocalyptic review video game



Year: 2007
Developer: Linden Research
Company: Linden Research/Warner Bros.
Platforms: Windows/Mac/Linux
Cataclysm type: Biological
Game website: link
Post apocalyptic concentration: 9 out of 10
"Mad Max" level: 0 out of 10
Review by: Anglebender
Rating: 2 out of 10





Overview:
As a highly contagious plague spreads across the globe, chaos reigns in the streets of New York City. Those who become Infected turn into ravenous blood-suckers who avoid the light. Those few who are Uninfected search the numerous body bags in the streets for salvageable items that can be used in safehouses to make items. Second Life has its own economy outside of I Am Legend, but since the government has collapsed in the game, there isn't an economy aside from what the players hash out on the spot.
The constant warfare between the two factions of Infected and Uninfected makes for an interesting backdrop. Since players can't go to the store to buy more bullets, they just have to hope they find some or barter some from another player. Supposedly bullets can be made in safehouses, but I can't confirm this.



Gameplay:
1/10
There doesn't seem to be any guild, party or grouping system, but I could be mistaken. There aren't any quests, aside from the need for the Uninfected to find a cure, and for the Infected to stop them. The bartering system, while interesting, creates an unnecessarily complex dynamic and inconveniences the player. The USP pistols uninfected players start out with have infinite (ineffective) bullets, but the better weapons don't. Better work on your bartering skills before you get all cocky and go to Central Park. Even then, control issues and client-side lag will prevent you from getting into any kind of firefight, let alone surviving one. If only the Second Life graphics engine could realize the lofty ambitions of its creators, then this game would be fun. Instead, it is a chore.

Graphics:
6/10
The graphics engine for Second Life is an extension of the text-based MUDs from the olden days. It's really just an instant messenger with 3D avatars and considerable interaction with the virtual world. It was never designed to support the framerates and responsiveness required for a first-person shooter. Bump mapping, anistropic filtering and other graphical stuff is available under the Options Menu, but I ran with all the settings minimized for combat. I got 12-18 frames per second.



Sound:
1/10
There isn't any music or ambient sound, just the soundtrack from any nearby ads (like Anarchy Online, but nowhere near as numerous). The sounds are simple, rough samples with no variation. Everything sounds the same, if it makes a sound at all. No footsteps, no yelling or screaming. Just silent pixilated puffs of red in the night.

The Rating:
My first thoughts about Second Life: it's not my cup of tea. What is Second Life? It's an online roleplaying game similar to “World of Warcraft” or “Star Wars: Galaxies”, but that's where any comparisons end, because Second Life is a “reality simulator”, and the realities that can be simulated are limited only to the user's imagination and their craftiness at scripting. Second Life is a 3D avatar-based descendant of text-based multiple-user dungeons (or MUDs) from the 1970s. The inhabitants of the Second Life servers have many unique pedigrees that could be the subject of many topics, none of which have to do with zombies.



You must be able to move in order to fight, and if there's a one second lag, combat becomes a futile effort. I have a 1.5 megabyte per second cable download speed and a fairly good graphics card (ATI 9800XT w/ 128MB), so why am I getting owned by three people in melee? Is it because I just suck? No, as a virtual reality fairy tale adventure, Second Life is stupendous but as a zombie hunt-or-be-hunted splatterfest, it just doesn't work.

Brandon (4 years ago) Reply

Well i saw the movie i am legend about 9 times. I think that they should remake the game so that the grafics are better and noooooo! lag. The plot sounds good and that oyu can do whatever you want with no quests. Sounds great but the makers just have to work on it a little more.

Brandon (3 years ago) Reply

id like to know if there going to reset it because i was goin to play but it said some body found cure

poop (3 years ago) Reply

sweet

Anonymous (3 years ago) Reply

Its not that bad, but with new version of second life out, it means that you need to have a brilliant computer to run it. Oh and the fact that if you live in england the gameplay hours are really annoying

Lemondo todd (3 years ago) Reply

this game is hot and cool.

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