PixlBit

Well here it is as promised. So as I mentioned I decided I was going to go ahead and review bargain bin games that I've bought on the cheap. These games may range from "Huh!? What's that!?" to "Oh I heard about that, but I never bought it!" As such I wanted to bring you all into the world of Bargain Bin Buys. This is where I take a look at some notable or not so notable titles and say whether or not you should look into giving it a chance or steer away from such cheap, tempting fruits. Since Nintendo is in my name, and Nintendo consoles are where I game...I'll be focusing on bargain bin Wii titles.Today I am going to review a title never released in the U.S.A., but gamers may know of. This weeks Wii Review... Another Code: R- A Journey Into Lost Memories. A game I bought for $15

"Read and Solve like a Mystery Novel!" the cover exclaims (Or in my case for the German copy I received "Ein bewegende interaktiver Roman!). For those not in the know, Another Code R is a sequel to Trace Memory for the Nintendo DS or as it's also known as Another Code: Two Memories. To talk about why this never came to the U.S. is to talk about it's troubled developer Cing. I absolutely loved Cing and the fact that they attempted to bring the interactive visual novel game to fame in games like Hotel Dusk, Another Code, Last Window, etc. However, bad business decisions along with 256 million yen worth of liabilities caused Cing to go bankrupt.

The story is set two years on from the first Another Code (so spoilers for the first game will be present if you read this paragraph), in which Ashley unravelled the events surrounding her mother's death.  Ashley is invited by her distant, absent  father for a camping trip at a resort called Lake Juliet, near the lab where he works. This idyllic and sunny location turns out to hide secrets that deepen the mystery of her mother's murder. There is also a parallel story involving a runaway 13-year-old orphan boy called Matthew Crusoe, whom Ashley befriends. The pair set about trying to uncover their parents' pasts and get closer to the truth together.

Now unlike the brilliant Hotel Dusk and Last Window games (Seriously play them!), you don't solve anything by figuring out plot clues and guessing characters' motivations and opportunity. The game does that for you. Instead, you unlock the next part of the story through a series of specific, situational item-combinations, logic puzzles, and motion interactions. It's more of a traditional videogame point and click adventure.

It also doesn't read like a mystery novel because it's not written like one. Allow me to explain that. There's plenty of reading to do in Another Code R- Hours in fact - but its a bit plain and flat. The themes of loss and memory are swept aside until the games later half where the stakes kick into high gear (more or less). And it's only until your last couple of chapters that the game truly becomes what I hoped it would be in the previous 7 or so chapters before. If Another Code R is a mystery novel at all, it's from the Ages 10-16 section of the library next to the likes of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

None of this is necessarily a bad thing. A game about being a confused teenage girl is certainly a welcome change in a world of games about being in the body of a soldier /space marine / mutant / mutant soldier /mutant space marine. But most of  Another Code R  is less engaging than you might expect, a problem compounded by the fact that Another Code R is so... very... slow.

For the first three or four hours,  Ashley doesn't do much more than recycle cans of pop, putz around the campgrounds looking for her missing bag, and lighting barbecues while creeping exposition is explained to her. Actually, creeping is a bit too fast...what I mean is "agonisingly snail paced". Conversations usually have the last few words of every sentence repeated as a question. As a question? A question? You mean a question? A question you say? Well you get the idea.

No Ashley? Don't ask about the weird stuff? The weird stuff?

You can already guess that Lake Juliet doesn't look anything like the haunting, lonely atmosphere of the DS game's Blood Edward Island.  The game's presentation is superb. It's a pretty, open and reassuring place. The cel shaded style works wonderfully with the aesthetics. Another positive factor is that the cast of characters are broadly likeable. Everything is attractively drawn and expressively animated. The emotions expressed are poignant. And as mentioned Another Code R itself does move quite nicely in the second half. The location starts to open up, the pace quickens, the plot-threads build until there are enough to sustain your interest, and the twin story lines begin to resonate nicely with each other... if only the first half of the game could match it.

The controls have a logical, easy-to-use interface. You can control the game entirely with the Wii Remote's pointer, and basic movement is mapped to the d-pad. The first Another Code was known for its inventive use of the DS' stylus and dual screens. The sequel does the same for the Wii remote, which stands in for many objects and devices in the game, from key code inputs, test-tube mixing and pouring, fishing, to folding flaps of cardboard. These are amusing but disposable interactions to put you in the scene whether it is throwing something or shaking a test tube full of chemical solution.

But there are also several highly ingenious, fourth-wall-breaking puzzles that require you to really use your imagination. Developers who were obsessed with punctuating their Wii games with novelty motion-control interludes should have studied Another Code R to see how it's done. One such clever puzzle that comes to mind is using the home menu button that brings up a screen giving you the correct number combination. Overall, puzzle design is very good, a little narrowly-defined at times but usually logical. Moments where you're reduced to clicking on everything are rare and I even had the satisfaction from that "AHA!"  moment you get when you solve a particularly enjoyable puzzle to find the solution...an all to rare feat these days.

Another Code R is a finely-crafted mystery adventure that's recommended for fans with some time and patience on their hands. Another Code R's main quality, for better or worse - is that it's a subtle game. It has a nice, colorful palate. But it too often crosses the line into flat-out boredom, especially in the first half. The atmosphere, charm and writing don't really pull you into the story before the game itself does, and the game takes its sweet, sweet time about that. So if you are looking for a slow paced point and click adventure this game is for you, However it may not sway people disinterested in the old style point and click puzzle format.

Personal Opinion: I really enjoyed this game and would recommend it as a bargain bin buy- 7.5/10

Critical Opinion- Fans of the series and point and click puzzle click fanatics will enjoy it. If you don't fall under that category... stay away- 6.5/10

Overall Determination: 7/10- What a Bargain!