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Strangely enough, this game had me very psyched by its demo at E3 and its release date (which was supposed to be on a day during E3). I was so very psyched by all of this that Chris, Travis, and Aaron ventured to the 2K booth to attempt to help me get a copy of The Da Vinci Code to take back and review. I was ecstatic, completely and utterly goose-fleshed over the idea of getting an actual intelligent game to play, something that was more deciphering than action. Don't get me wrong though, I absolutely love my action games but this seemed meatier than what I'd been previously privy to.
I cast this back story for purpose, so just go with it and let me finish my tale of the trials and tribulations of the DVC. Okay? Cool.
Upon actually starting up the game, you're delightfully transformed into the world of the book AND the movie, and for some of you gamers, that's a huge thing. The voice acting is top notch, and the graphics seem to be almost dragged from the movie with only a few inconsistencies. I'm almost positive that the reason why the main character of Robert Langdon did not resemble Tom Hanks (who played him in the movie version) is due to the lack of a release to use his likeness. What kind of tears at me about this is the fact that you can't have a straight-to-game release from a movie and a best-selling, worldwide accepted (except by the darn Vatican) novel and not have at least the likeness the guy who portrays him in the movie. It's just wrong. It's where the Fight Club game went wrong, and it's just as big a downer here. Not having at least a momentary resemblance to your characters can be somewhat displeasing to the eye.
The gameplay has some of the same problems as the presentation. For example, if you've read the book, you're golden. If you've only seen the movie, let's pray that you remember the puzzles, clues, and hints. Why do I say this? Because it's mandatory that you know the answers to every puzzle in order to progress further in the game. You must finish the anagram of "The Mona Lisa" from another form of words that was scrawled next to the body of the murder victim before you. Now, if you didn't read the book or scan the many walkthroughs, perhaps even bugged your Mom for the answers – you will not get this puzzle nor the many that proceed thereafter. It's not that the average gamer is unintelligent; it's more or less a question of: who is going to be able to figure these puzzles out if they're not wholly invested in the world of the Da Vinci Code?
Consequently enough, there are other strange peaks to the game. Faint action sequences are loosely based on a GTA-styled hit-punch-kick-shake sequence where you have to punch a button in the right timeframe and the right sequential order for you to get out of the fight. Shaking the enemies off can be even more daunting, and I had hoped that it would maybe be a bit more simplistic. Why would they put so much emphasis on a puzzle game but then give you the absolutely wretched task of trying to fight off Museum security, red-eyed monks and the like? It makes absolutely no sense.
The reward system isn't much better either unless you're a fan of Dan Brown from way back. With clips from the movie, scenes to unlock, and character stories; you'd have to be seriously emotionally invested to really care about this at all. While I appreciated the care that they went to in preserving the atmosphere of both the book and the movie, they didn't really set themselves apart in a gameplay aspect like some other titles did. Take the Lord of the Rings games for instance, or the games based off of movies like Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Those brands were taken to a level that was both pleasing to the fan and to the gamer's distinctive eye.
If you've read the book, if you've seen the movie, and you are a seasoned fan of anything having to do with the Da Vinci Code – then this is most certainly something you'll want to pick up. If you're just an average person, and you've got nothing else to play; then you should stay far, far away from this title. Not only will your brain shrivel up and die inside your skull, but your senses will explode from just how mind-blowing some of the puzzles can be.
Hey, come to think of it, 2K should do a game based on The Wedding Crashers. It'd be a hit, don't you think? Why don't they do good games based on comedies? Nobody? Anyone with an answer? Eh, get back to me. |
