Amazon Maximum Age: 20 years Amazon Minimum Age: 204 months Binding: Video Game Brand: Sega Of America, Inc. EAN: 0010086510362 ESRB Age Rating: Mature Label: Sega Of America, Inc. Manufacturer: Sega Of America, Inc. Platform: Sega Dreamcast Publisher: Sega Of America, Inc. Sales Rank: 4047 Studio: Sega Of America, Inc.
Editorial Review: The long-delayed cinematic adventure game D2 has finally surfaced on the Dreamcast. Despite several years in development by innovative Japanese game design team Warp, D2 seems to suffer from a lack of solid gameplay. Fortunately, the gaming environment is stunning to look at.
D2 offers gamers a curious combination of adventurous exploration and first-person shooting. Gamers assume the role of airplane crash survivor Laura (not to be confused with game icon Lara Croft of Tomb Raider infamy). The game begins with Laura embarking on an airplane flight that soon goes horribly wrong. The plane is hijacked by a handful of terrorists--but that effort is foiled when a meteor crashes into the plane. Laura emerges as one of the few survivors of the plane wreck, which has occurred somewhere in the mountains of Canada. Laura must try to survive the icy elements by routinely killing and cooking cute bunnies for food as she travels through the snowy terrain. Animal activists might object to the casual nature of these deaths, which are essential to winning the game.
Several tentacle-wielding creatures attack Laura frequently during her travels. When this occurs, the game immediately shifts from third-person to first-person perspective. While these point-and-shoot segments are challenging at first, they soon become tedious. It is impossible to travel more than a few feet without being attacked--and Laura must travel quite a bit to advance the game. Despite the presence of impressive graphics, these action segments amount to little more than a glorified version of the mass-market PC game Deer Hunter.
Still, the ambitious world of D2 is worth a look and a listen. This game is highly stylized in design, including several artistic cinema sequences that will keep you riveted. A stunning new age-meets-opera soundtrack accompanies the title screen, while creepy instrumental music adds tension in all the right places.
With an awkward balance of both adventure and action elements, D2 ultimately succeeds more as a curiosity than a remarkable gaming coup. --Brett Atwood
Pros:
Art-house appeal for eclectic gamers
High-quality animation
Cons:
Awkward gameplay
Tedious and repetitious action sequences
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - GREAT SPOOKY GAME WITHOUT ALL THE GORE!
This game was awesome! The original "D" was good because it had a lot of puzzle, and mysteries to solve like why your father went crazy and killed everyone only to find out he was a vampire(Sorry for the spoiler!).
In D2 the game starts off as Laura being in an air plane that crashes and all passengers disappear! Now Laura must investigate why the plane crashed and why it happen.
The first time playing this game it was just amazing! because they changed everything from the original D. You are no longer 1st person but now 3rd person view. Laura carries a gun and the new combat system works great! The mystery in this D2 game is strange but fun. Such as the end after the final boss everything clicks together and after the credits roll it gives you the date and time that the world will be no more! It's freaky! Sadly there aren't much of a replay value to the game, only when it comes to the fact you haven't played it in a very long time and want to relive it.
If you thought Resident Evil or Silent Hill was a scary, try D2! It's not as scary as them but it's a very good mystery thriller game!
Rating: - Contains nudity
As the editor mentions, it is very tedious and repitious. You will find a monster in the exact same spot where you had previously killed another one. And you can not bypass any of the monsters, you have to fight all of them.
One good thing, you'll get to fight a topless woman who has alien tenticles protrouding from her stomach. I guess that's a good enough reason to buy a video game, right ?!
Rating: - The Complete Trilogy
Alright... You have "Enemy Zero", "D", and "D2" all three are great games, but not for everyone.. "Enemy Zero" (which is a little hard to get hold of) Is a little weird compared to the rest but a great game. "D" is one of the best.. But slow slow slooooooowwwww moving and puzzle solving game. Very frustrating and you have to sit there and play it all in one shot.No saving... you have two hours to beat it. But otherwise graphics are great the creepiness vibe is awesome and it's just damn cool. "D2" is a little different.. Really it doesn't have anything t do with "D" other than the main character. But still fun and a unque twist on the "D" thing... It comes down to this.. You know how three's though "Arthouse" movies? and thse "Underground" bands? the types of media that do not get worldwide recognition and is only known by a few? well, these three games are it for the video game world.. Definetly not for everyone... but for some... check them out...
Rating: - D2 - a different kind of survival horror
I have to give credit where credit is due - Kenji Eno's artistic vision have given birth to a brilliant game world that touches on the pristine beauty of the Canadian countryside, the graphics convey the landscape wonderfully from the blowing snowflakes, the endless valleys of snow, the bouncing bunnies that run away once your presence is discerned -- the environments are breathtaking, the shadows draping down with the sunset, the flocks of birds that can be seen flying overhead, it is all psuedo-realistic in its execution. the inside environments are wonderful too - every little detail is wonderfully rendered down to the grainy wooden boards making up the cabinets to the hinges on the cabinets to the frosted window panes, Warp has outdone themselves in graphical presentations. The character models are equally impressive with a wide range of facial expressions and moving lips (which are not in senc some of the time but still impressive) to the details in the clothing and assessories. Even years after its release, the swaying trees, the figure of Laura moving through the snowy landscape is still breathtaking, even long after the Dreamcast has become defunct. The same loving care can be said about the characters, they are given more than enough emotional depth from the poetic yearnings of Kimberly to the childish innocent and desire to see her grandfather that characterizes Jeannie. The voice acting does a lot to add emotional depth, it is excellent in most respects save for a few laughable lines and some volume problems (Kimberly seems to be speaking in a whisper for the 1st half of the game) -- but the characters do a lot to add to the story which despite a slow, deliberate pacing keeps you hooked after a few cinematic set pieces put the mystery in motion. The gameplay is interesting, mainly consisting of random encounters with mutated creatures that is handled in an on-rails 1st person shooter engine -- it is difficult at first, the encounter rate is somewhat high, but the experience points and leveling up more than help add incentive. Also an interesting gameplay mechanic is hunting for food using a rifle, shooting rabbits, birds, and caribu -- it is quite immersive and fun to crest a snow bank and see caribu feeding, taking a quick aim and letting off a shot. The idea of getting food and using it for health is also innovative (though there is a plethora of healing items around like first aid sprays). There are some rough spots about D2, the random battles get monotonous, the environments are stunning to look at but also get quite repetitive after some time since the majority of movement is back and forth from one place to another and then back to the original. The plot points are interesting though some people might be turned off by the infrequency of them as well as the length. And the pacing is slow, things that happen take a long time to build and there is a lot of down time between major scenes (though there is a lot of random battles between there, they get old too). I can understand the mixed reaction this game got when it was released, it does have some flaws, but the overall immersive atmosphere of the game hooked me, it is a different kind of game, like all of Warp's games. It might not be for everyone, but for the certain type of gamer, it will be a masterpiece.
Rating: - D 2,not a game: an interactive experance!
First I must say if your considering buying this game, drop all expectations. It's unlike anything I've ever played. This is definately an adult game. The graphics are excellant, the storyline is supurb, and unless you have 72 straight hours to devote to this game, you'll find it very difficult to put down. This is a four disc game. Alot of the disc space is devoted to mini movies which tell the story as you progress through the game. The voice overs are on a par with cinema, and the gripping realism kept me enveloped throughout the game. The graphics consist of cg, and real video images, which really bind the whole story together. The game is played through first and third person perspective. Ultimately this game has a truley inspiring theme, and an ending worth playing four discs to reach. This game could have been a motion picture!!!
- GREAT SPOOKY GAME WITHOUT ALL THE GORE!
- Contains nudity
