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Now on Xbox.
Curse: Eye of Isis is Dreamcatcher Games and Asylum Entertainment’s attempt to bring some survival horror to the Xbox. Now, why did I mention the companies? Because neither of them are known for their survival horror games! Regardless, while there are some things that bring Curse a tad down, it’s a solid first attempt.
Curse: Eye of Isis is an action-adventure game played in the third person. Two main characters are found in the game but you’ll need the help of several others to discover what’s going on in a British museum. Dr. Darien Dane is the main character. He is visiting to see Victoria Sutton’s Egyptian Artifacts. When he arrives, he is told that these Egyptian Artifacts hold a curse. Victoria doesn’t believe this and plans to go along. Before the opening of the artifacts, several people are found dead and Victoria is missing. You decide to play hero and go into the museum and investigate what’s going on.
Though Curse is an action-adventure title by definition, it’s more of an adventure game than an action game. As you progress through the various locations you’ll need to explore and solve some puzzles as well as defeat the enemies you’ll find there. You’ll spend far more time exploring than doing anything else, though puzzles and action are split up pretty evenly. Each of the areas in the game has its own list of objects and enemies unique to it, which is good because it diversifies the game. Along the way you’ll find Non Player Characters which follow you around. These characters hold some of your inventory and can save your game.
The action portions of the game bring it down a tad. Controlling your character doesn’t feel as natural as it could be. The controls are further complicated by the camera which doesn’t always follow you as it should.
Asylum Entertainment used the ever-popular Renderware engine. The engine provides some neat character models, levels and objects. Asylum did an excellent job with the texture and animation work, which look very nice.
On the audio side, Curse performs very well. The sound effects in the game are sharp and there are many. You’ll hear every battle and every creaking of doors. The ambient sounds heighten the atmosphere. The voice overs sound pretty good although the dialog isn’t all that great. The soundtrack also fits the game rather well.
Does Curse have its problems? Yes, it does. Is it still a fun game? Yes, it is. While some will be put off by the demanding controls, those that stick with it will find a rewarding experience.
Minimum System Requirements:
Pentium or Athlon 600 MHz, 128 MB RAM, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, DirectX 8.0a, DirectX-compatible video card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 4x CD-ROM drive, and 700 MB hard-disk space
-- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Feb 16, 2004
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