culpa innata

Rating:
Date: 2008-07-21
games like this will kill the genre for good
buggy, impossible pathfinding and the occasional asinine puzzle will make sure to ruin your experience like culpa innata writers did to me. Too bad because there was a n overall intriguing story behind this clunker of an adventure game. The misses are just unforgivable. Avoid

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-03
An engrossing mystery
It's the year 2047, and you play as security officer Phoenix Wallis, who is assigned to investigate the murder of Vassily Bogdanov, a World Union citizen killed during a visit to his homeland of Russia. Most of the gameplay involves interviewing Bogadanv's friends and associates for clues to the victim's character and activities. As other reviewers have noted, there is a LOT of talking in this game, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. At times it feels more like an interactive movie than a game, but to be fair, it is a good movie. Most of the voice work is pretty good, too - some of the accents are a bit off, but there are only a couple of actors who are so bad that they brought me out of the game.

Puzzles are pretty much split into investigative puzzles, for which you'll use Phoenix's PC, and more traditional adventure game fare. Most of the puzzles are easy-to-medium, although there are a few that can really hang you up. There's one puzzle that pretty much requires you to have seen the movie "WarGames" - I suppose you could eventually figure it out without the movie reference, but it would probably seem like a bizarre solution.

I should point out that the game really earns its "Mature" rating. Casual sex is normal in the World Union, and while you won't see (or really, hear) anything graphic, there is an awful lot of sex talk. There's also a bit of profanity, although it's nothing compared to some games on the market. There isn't much violence, but you do eventually see a flashback to Bogdanov's murder, and there's also a dream sequence which contains some nightmarish scenes of dead bodies.

My biggest complaint with Culpa Innata is that there are so many plot threads and hinted-at conspiracies that never actually go anywhere. The murder itself is wrapped up pretty well, but there's an optional side-story in the tunnels that has no payoff. There are also a lot of hints about the dark underbelly of the World Union, but Phoenix never had as much interest in those topics as I did. Plus, and this is a pet peeve, it's kind of irritating that she tells everyone how top-secret her investigation is, and then proceeds to blab to just about anyone who will listen. Have some discretion, Phoenix!

Bottom line: this is a really fun game, although it might not be for everyone. Yes, it is very talky, and you won't find closure for every storyline. Hopefully there will be a sequel, because this is an incredibly rich world that could use more exploration.

Rating:
Date: 2008-05-27
An Almost Great Game!!
This is one of those "could of been great games". The gameplay suffers from unimportant facts being spewed out much too often. And as usual the storyline ending goes nowhere. SAVE your money and don't buy this game!!!!! Frequent program crashes even with most up to date patch and drivers!! Use your Stimulus Check for gasoline instead!!

Rating:
Date: 2008-04-27
Serious mystery game, not for everyone
I have to say this game isn't for everyone, and you can count me among the unimpressed. If you enjoy lighthearted adventures with sharp, excellently-written dialogue like The Longest Journey or Sam & Max, then Culpa Innata is pretty dull and lacking by comparison. The focus here is much more on the plot and mystery, with a healthy dose of Myst-style puzzles involving cracking locks and rearranging parts of mechanical devices. While there are many people who will find this game highly enjoyable, make sure you like this type of adventure game before you jump in and buy this one. Overall, an OK game, but nowhere near great.

Rating:
Date: 2008-03-13
forgettable game
A half-baked story that goes nowhere, interspersed with some mediocre puzzles that have nothing to do with solving the case. A lot of unanswered questions, inappropriate attempts at humor, some of the worst voice acting ever, and a frustrating control system completely negate any attempts at creating an original adventure here. I recommend you look elsewhere for a good adventure game. This one will be forgotten soon enough.

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