Jack The Ripper

Rating:
Summary: Lovely to look at, but could've been better.
Review: Beautiful graphics and music, dark ambiance and a fair amount of Ripperanna, but it could have been much more satisfying if there had been a few more scares; perhaps a confrontation or two with ol' saucy Jack? The ubiquitous raven was puzzling, albeit creepy-cool, and the "Nevermore" reference at the end I supose is to conjure a connection between those ravens and the Ripper? Are they are accusing EA Poe, or are they just milking the popularity of that great poem for all its worth? In any event, the ending is a disappointment, but I did enjoy the journey. I did hope that once the game was over a second level would be unlocked allowing for an increased level of challange, intensity and further pursuit of Jack...maybe a few more years in the future, and with a final resolution. I supose the creators wanted the game to end just as the Ripper murders ended - without closure. I do hope there is a sequel because then I'd feel a bit better about paying twenty dollars for a game that leaves the player feeling a bit cheated. In conclusion, on a scale of one through ten: Graphics-10; Ambience-10; Music-8; Characters-8; Challenge-7; Ease of Use-9; Fright-8; Action-6; Mystery-7; Storyline/writing-6; overall satisfaction-6.

Rating:
Summary: Ehhh.
Review: Goodness, I never had a game that gave me so much trouble (on a new system, too), and my time and effort was not even worth it.

First of all, the system requirements are much more than what is put on the box. It's kind of bad when you have tech support state system requirements that are higher than the "recommended" requirements on the box! For those that have problems, you either have to update your graphics card, shut down all your start up programs, or update your DirectX. This will not solve ALL your problems (because there are bugs in the game), but it's a good start.

Okay, quick summary: You play a reporter, trying to get a story for your irritating editor about some mysterious deaths that echo the Jack The Ripper cases back in London years ago. But as you do your own investigation, you have to decide if your life (as well as others) is worth the story of a lifetime. This game is a mystery, so there is lots of interviews, snooping, and collecting objects. The game box states "challenging puzzles", but there were only about 3-4 puzzles (and most of the time you can just click everything to get it right). The cursor was annoying and sometimes did not work for me many times.

The ending was a big disappointment. It was somewhat clever but irritating with no resolution whatsoever. The songs that the "Irish Nightingale" sing in the game I did enjoy to an extent.

This game is 20 bucks, but I would wait until it reaches ten dollars-or less. Too many bugs (major to minor) and nothing new nor stellar about the plot and game play. It's not like I had high hopes for this game, but I would think that it would be less buggy and more interesting than what I have encountered. Wait for a sale for this one.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but wish I'd bought it used
Review: I enjoyed this game while I was playing it, even though it does constrict your movements some, as has been mentioned in other reviews. I thought the graphics were good, and had no problem playing it on a 2 yr old laptop (didn't need to upgrade anything.) My 11 yr old daughter sat next to me most of the time I played, and she enjoyed watching it (and it wasn't too graphic for her.) We both have the same complaint, though... the ending was lame, and came too soon (after only 12 days, game time.)

I bought this brand-new less than a week ago and am now ready to sell it, because it is not one to play over and over again, discovering new things each time. It was fun to play, once, and because of that I wish I'd bought it used!

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I had heard about this game before it came out and how it was so great and all. Well this game could have come out 7 years ago and looked the same. It's very archaique, the graphics are quite blurry, the animation is not good, since you don't really move around freely but click in a section of the screen that takes you there if you can. After you click it takes you to the next scene, it's not linear, it's just frame after frame. You don't have that much freedom in the game, it's not like you can go talk to anyone you want or try things that could seem cool. The game is too easy to play too, i don't even think the atmosphere is that great, it's just plain boring.

I usually love role playing games and i'm very interested in jack the ripper, and thought the two put together would be a great combo but it's a huge disappointment. With all the technology that's available today, the creators of this game could have come up with something a whole lot better. I would have rather spent 10 or 15 more bucks and gotten something decent. I guess you get what you pay for.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth it
Review: I hate nonspecific reviews that just say "this game sucks" but. . . this game sucks!! Ahhh, where to begin? The first thing that bothered me was all the little glitches and idiosyncracies. You WILL sometimes get stuck in an area and not be able to get out- the interface does not always work. If you don't get the puzzles right the very first time, be prepared to go back to your last save because even if you eventually get it right, the game will not let you pass. And, be prepared to do a lot of fiddly walking around to areas that never ever come in useful. And also be prepared, unless you get every character to say every phrase and talk to them in EXACTLY the right order, you will have to retrace your steps-- even if you show up at the correct location with exactly the right idea in mind, it may not do you any good. I would not mind all this stuff if the story was good, but. . . SPOILER WARNING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE ENDING IS NOT REALLY AN ENDING AT ALL!!!!! IT IS ACTUALLY A HUGE LETDOWN/SETUP FOR A SEQUEL!!! This seems to be a recurring trend in Adventure Company games (ie Syberia). That said, the graphics were nice, and the soundtrack definitely kept the spooky mood going (although it was sometimes repetetive). My character occaisionally needed some sort of laser surgery or corrective lens that was not supplied (the backgrounds tend to be blurry). I wish they had started out the first day telling me I would never ever find the killer so at least I went in with my eyes open. Then I would realize that I was spending all this time on eye candy, and not even very good eye candy, and things would have been straightforward.

Rating:
Summary: great
Review: I really enjoyed this game. I thought it was pleasantly different from most of the "go through the weird lands and solve puzzles" games. There were some moments of anticipation of someone jumping out and catching you--fun! And as far as the ending people are complaining about--I thought it was a frustrating but great way to set us up for the sequel--which I will purchase as soon as it comes out.

Rating:
Summary: An OK Game
Review: I think this game is just OK. I don't think it's as bad as everyone is saying it is. I love adventure games, even though I am not that good at them. I usually end up looking at walkthroughs like 10 times in one game. But this game was so easy, I didn't have to look once. There's only like 3 puzzles. The Nancy Drew games for younger girls are even much more complicated. The graphics were kind of outdated. The game was short. I did like the story, the bad ending doesn't matter that much to me. I'm in it more for the gameplay, which was good. There are lots of places to go, and lots of characters to interact with. It was more like an interactive movie than a real hard adventure game.

Rating:
Summary: Major flaws in this game
Review: I'm vacillating between two or three stars on this game so maybe it should be two and a half. The story is pretty obvious - Jack the Ripper or a copycat is in New York in 1901 killing off prostitutes in what the game calls the "Lowside District" of New York. Why in the world the developers decided to call lower Manhattan the Lowside District is beyond me. Or why the Pinkerton detective agency is called the "Pinterten" Detective agency. Or why a deranged raven shows up at the crime scene of a couple of the murders and then disappears until the very end of the game when you hear the words, "Nevermore, nevermore." What's Poe got to do with this game? They even have a story line about the World Series which didn't even exist in 1901.

OK, but all that aside what drove me the most crazy about this game was that it was very linear. You have to keep going back over the same locations over and over because something wasn't done in the correct order. In the final chapter I ended up visiting every location three times. The only positive note is that navigation is easy. It you want to leave a location, just right-click and the map comes up so that you can visit another spot - again and again.

The graphics are pretty good. There's really isn't an abundance of dialogue but the acting is fine. The music is something I rarely pay attention to - in fact if there is an option to turn it down I usually do because it interferes with the speaking voices and I find it annoying. This game did not have that option and there was only one time that the music was a problem. There really aren't any puzzles - just when to use inventory items in the right place at the right time. They were pretty straight forward. There was one timed sequence in the morgue that I actually thought was kind of a bit of sick humor - I had to use a walkthough for it. I never would have figured it out myself.

After all that - the ending. It was terrible. Absolutely awful. All that detective work (reporter work actually)for nothing. I expected some big confrontation between the reporter and the villain or the heroine to be in actual danger and saved by the reporter - nope. Nothing, except a stupid, "Nevermore, nevermore."

Rating:
Summary: Jack the Ripper: fun to play but leaves room for improvement
Review: In Jack the Ripper you take on the role of a writer for the New York Today newspaper. When a series of killings begins in the Lowside district of New York, it's up to you to unmask the killer...
Sounds great huh? Well basically it is on some levels. For instance, I'm not really good at these games, but I was able to beat it with only a few glimpses at the guide. Other people will tell you it was easy. Hmmmm. Most of it was. The story overall is pretty good. The gameplay is a bit on the glitchy side. For example some puzzles won't work unless you click on things in a certain order. You might figure out the answer, but the game won't register that you did and then you're stuck. So why did I buy it?
1. I'm intrigued by the whole Jack the Ripper story.
2. I like adventure/mystery games.
3. I like adventure/mystery games that I can beat.
4. i like adventure/mystery games that are scary.
FLAWS:
1. Some predictable events.
2. Minor glitchy gameplay.
3. An ending on the weaker side.
Jack the Ripper has a few parts which are eerie and is best played at night in the dark. I suggest waiting a little while till it drops down a few bucks though. But if you're really itching for a game that's puzzling and creepy and will entertain you for a few nights, then go out and buy it. :)

Rating:
Summary: A Deadly Mystery
Review: Jack the Ripper harkens computer gamers back to earlier times, in more ways than one. The new release from The Adventure Company represents a nostalgic return to the point-and-click affairs, of which 1993's Myst is the archetype.

What's more, Jack the Ripper is a well-crafted adventure that for many will rekindle interest in the grisly Whitechapel murders that panicked London and frustrated Scotland Yard in 1888. The topic has rarely been treated in the video-game medium, and never so well.

Far from a rehash of the English case, Jack the Ripper moves the investigation across the sea and 13 years into the future.

The year is 1901, and the setting is New York City. Over the course of a fortnight, two prostitutes are found butchered. The killer's bloody handiwork is reminiscent of the famed Whitechapel case, but local police are quick to place the blame on feuding opium traders. Gamers, of course, know better.

Players assume the role of James Palmer, an ambitious but untested reporter for a turn-of-the-century New York newspaper.

Driven by a hard-bitten editor (hmmm, this part sounds vaguely familiar), Palmer takes to the streets of New York in search of a story. While Palmer can jump freely among crime scenes, the police station, his newspaper office, and other locations, his progress is strictly linear. He must complete specific activities to advance the plot.

Using the mouse, Palmer interacts with other characters and objects by clicking on them. Humans are well-rendered, with shifting, blinking, photorealistic eyes as well as lips that move in proper synchronization with spoken words. Jack the Ripper's period settings are also well-done, creating a plausible Big Apple, circa 1901.

Solving the Ripper mystery requires Palmer to meet with a variety of quirky characters, including cops, hustlers, and a beautiful Irish singer named Abigail. He will dig through old documents from the Scotland Yard case, and even receive correspondence from the evil Jack, who takes a liking to Palmer's punchy stories. The game also throws several challenging puzzles in the reporter's path, although these are not convincingly related to the story and thus seem for the most part like stereotypical video-game devices.

Once mastered, Jack the Ripper's game interface is easy to use. The mastery is the tricky part, however; my copy included neither manual nor Help file. I was fortunate to locate a kindred Jack player in the GameFAQS Forum (www.gamefaqs. com) who was able to ease my frustration. This surprising lack of documentation adds to the game's mystery, although not in a good way.

Despite the spooky subject matter and the occasional gory image, Jack the Ripper is not an especially violent game. It will appeal to puzzle and adventure fans, as well as those with even a passing interest in the Whitechapel murders.(...)