::kicks the air::
Jun. 23rd, 2003 06:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teddogI just finished Zak McKracken and The Alien Mindbenders. Now for a review ('cause I'm bored):
---
Game: Zak McKracken and The Alien Mindbenders
First published by LucasFilm Games/LucasArts in 1988.
Version: 265 colour/FMTowns
Played using: Mac G3 running Virtual PC and SCUMMVM
The Lucas Empire is famous for it's adventure games, but a few have fallen through the cracks of history and disappeared from the memories of most people. Such is the case with "Zak McKracken and The Alien Mindbenders". It's the third Lucas adventure game and second to use the SCUMM engine. The game is what you get when you mix Maniac Mansion and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with a few random b-movies. Heck, the bus line that goes past Zak's house is number 42, after all...
Story:
50 millennia ago the Earth was protected by an alien race called the Skolarians. Since then the Skolarians have left our dimension, but before going they left humanity a device that would protect them from threats from other alien races. Since then, most of Earth has forgotten about the Skolarians and their device.
The year is now 1997. A Elvis worshipping group of aliens named the Caponians are trying to rule Earth by taking over The Phone Company and hooking up the telephone lines to a machine called the Mindbender. This machine emits a hum that slowly drains alway people's intelligence while they use their telephones. Meanwhile, a loney tabloid reporter named Zachary McKracken is sent to research a two-headed squirrel, but along the way he has a very wacked out dream and discovers a strange blue crystal. When he comes home, he meets Annie Larris, a historian who has been working with her friends Melissa China and Leslie Bennett to stop the Caponians by rebuilding the device left by the Skolarians. They have been waiting for the last person picked by the Skolarians to come forth and help with their mission. Turns out that the lucky person is Zak...
Gameplay:
This game is built on the SCUMM engine, so it's full of point and click goodness. The puzzles are fun and not too "out there", but at some points you'll ponder about what the heck you need to do next. Like Maniac Mansion, each character has his or her own skills. Zak is the only one who can use the crystals' powers outside the machine, Annie is skilled at ancient languages, Melissa has brought things to Mars that only she can use, but Leslie is more of a risk taker, etc. Some puzzles need several characters working at once to complete them. Zak and Annie can travel around the world on their mission, but you need to watch that they don't run low on funds. Like all earier Lucas adventure games, you can die and get stuck. Prepare to save often and restart even more.
Graphics:
They're fine. I don't really care about graphics too much. They're pretty detailed (in the 265 version) and you can easily make out what everything is supposted to be.
Sound:
No comment. Most of the music and sound effects didn't work because of the illegal copy of the game I was using. :-( I like the main theme and have every known remix of it. :-D
Replay Value:
I'll probably replay it again. Most Lucas adventure games are like interactive movies, so I view them as such. ::shrug:: The ending isn't worth the effort, but the process of getting to the end is a lot of fun.
Final Thoughts: It's a good solid game from the early years of LucasFilm Games/LucasArts that will keep you busy for a while.
---
Game: Zak McKracken and The Alien Mindbenders
First published by LucasFilm Games/LucasArts in 1988.
Version: 265 colour/FMTowns
Played using: Mac G3 running Virtual PC and SCUMMVM
The Lucas Empire is famous for it's adventure games, but a few have fallen through the cracks of history and disappeared from the memories of most people. Such is the case with "Zak McKracken and The Alien Mindbenders". It's the third Lucas adventure game and second to use the SCUMM engine. The game is what you get when you mix Maniac Mansion and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with a few random b-movies. Heck, the bus line that goes past Zak's house is number 42, after all...
Story:
50 millennia ago the Earth was protected by an alien race called the Skolarians. Since then the Skolarians have left our dimension, but before going they left humanity a device that would protect them from threats from other alien races. Since then, most of Earth has forgotten about the Skolarians and their device.
The year is now 1997. A Elvis worshipping group of aliens named the Caponians are trying to rule Earth by taking over The Phone Company and hooking up the telephone lines to a machine called the Mindbender. This machine emits a hum that slowly drains alway people's intelligence while they use their telephones. Meanwhile, a loney tabloid reporter named Zachary McKracken is sent to research a two-headed squirrel, but along the way he has a very wacked out dream and discovers a strange blue crystal. When he comes home, he meets Annie Larris, a historian who has been working with her friends Melissa China and Leslie Bennett to stop the Caponians by rebuilding the device left by the Skolarians. They have been waiting for the last person picked by the Skolarians to come forth and help with their mission. Turns out that the lucky person is Zak...
Gameplay:
This game is built on the SCUMM engine, so it's full of point and click goodness. The puzzles are fun and not too "out there", but at some points you'll ponder about what the heck you need to do next. Like Maniac Mansion, each character has his or her own skills. Zak is the only one who can use the crystals' powers outside the machine, Annie is skilled at ancient languages, Melissa has brought things to Mars that only she can use, but Leslie is more of a risk taker, etc. Some puzzles need several characters working at once to complete them. Zak and Annie can travel around the world on their mission, but you need to watch that they don't run low on funds. Like all earier Lucas adventure games, you can die and get stuck. Prepare to save often and restart even more.
Graphics:
They're fine. I don't really care about graphics too much. They're pretty detailed (in the 265 version) and you can easily make out what everything is supposted to be.
Sound:
No comment. Most of the music and sound effects didn't work because of the illegal copy of the game I was using. :-( I like the main theme and have every known remix of it. :-D
Replay Value:
I'll probably replay it again. Most Lucas adventure games are like interactive movies, so I view them as such. ::shrug:: The ending isn't worth the effort, but the process of getting to the end is a lot of fun.
Final Thoughts: It's a good solid game from the early years of LucasFilm Games/LucasArts that will keep you busy for a while.
