Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen Collector's Edition

[h1]Short version: 73%[/h1] The first Final Cut has a kooky plot and padded gameplay, but it is also a fun and charming hidden object game with plenty of playtime for its age. [h1]Long version:[/h1] Exploring a giant mansion is always a good way to create an atmospheric adventure, and Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen knows that. This time, the building belongs to an erstwhile filmmaker and inventor, while we play as his daughter, who has to uncover the family secrets to save her kidnapped brother. The secrets are plenty, and they contain twists that would put South American soap operas to shame. Even better, the game uses live actors, and their performance and voice acting bring a charming amateurish vibe to the already hammy script. As zany the writing is, the gameplay is a stark opposite. The conventional puzzles are remarkable, but everything else is drab. The hidden object scenes are monochrome and unintuitive, and the backtracking is downright painful at times, as the mansion is gigantic and we lack any map feature. On the plus side, the game can easily last at least 4 hours.

run-of-the-mill 5-hour big fish hidden object adventure, developed by eipix, released in 2012, clearly before the invention of widescreen. entries in the [i]final cut[/i] series are standalone and I don't like hogs to begin with, so I only play the ones with cheesy fmv. not many of them altogether, not even every game in this series, and sadly not all of them are on steam, but if you like one, you'll like the rest. the usual trimmings: various difficulties, basic settings, hidden object scenes, map (without fast travel), diary, hints, puzzle skip for the way too many rotary puzzles, strategy guide, collectibles, cut content restored, soundtrack, concept art, making of, etc. the game saves constantly and when you quit, what's missing besides fast travel is an inventory lock button to make it stay on-screen all the time. and since I have no patience for hidden object crap, I always find it annoying when the game doesn't let me quickly click all over the place to get it over with faster, like here.

The game's story asks you to suspend disbelief in a big way. You are in a house with a woman threatening your life, but you don't consider calling the police or just leaving? The villain doesn't tell you not to and she needs you more than you need her so calling the cops would end the problem immediately. Its not as though you're trapped there and though she threatens your brother, she needs to keep him alive to make you do what she wants so again, not really much danger. Same thing in the bonus chapter. The villain sets a trap for you and tells you that you're locked in, but then you run into another character from the game who just wandered in after some birds. Kind of takes the wind out of the danger sails. If he can get in, that means you can get out. And if you can get out, then why go on with this charade of a game? You don't need to stay there and the villain is in jail already so is no danger to you or your family. This game got really dumb toward the end when the brother and the villain/maid took center stage. They used FMV for the cinematics and for some of the game itself and boy were the actors Bargain Basement quality! The villain was dressed as a maid, then changed i…

Old school type HOG not bad recommend on sale !

For me this is a solid nostalgia play, and the game play, atmosphere and story still more or less live up to what I can recall, I can't wait to play the other ones that follow in the series... P.S. My only critique would be; why the hell didn't they just keep the character interactions live action when it goes to dialogue?? The character animation is clunky and it would have looked fine having the full segments live action. I mean the Myst series did it and it's up there as one of the most successful...

Good HOG game, puzzles are thinkers but not hard.