Lightbringer

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing change...
Review: I have played several adventure/action games in my time, but Lightbringer is by far the most innovative and unique. I usually refrain from using superlatives to describe most of today's games, but I was extremely intrigued and impressed by this game. My wife and I spent several hours of fun playing this game and trying to figure out its puzzles. The fantastic story line is well supported by excellent graphics and integrated puzzles. I will recommend this game to all of my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Lightbringer Review
Review: I must say, when I played this game I was very dissapointed. I found it overpriced for such a poor game. The graphics were pretty good (though not the best i've seen), but it was dark and hard too make out certain areas. It relly annoyed me as you can only move certain ways at times. I found the puzzles a little too difficult, tireing, and I think they took way too long for one section of the game. Overall, I think the idea is of the game is appealing, but the overall game could defenatly be better.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good for Dream Catcher
Review: I own several of the Dream Catcher games and this one is by far one of the best. The rating is more 31/2 than a four, however I enjoyed the graphics and the story line. The puzzles were challenging but not to hard. Further, the game wasn't hampered by continual technical problem like some of Dream Catcher's products. The game was boring in places, and the game could have used more dialogue. Over all, I thought it was worth the investment.

Rating:
Summary: Choppy and annoying game play, may not work with XP Home
Review: I purchased this product without having gone to the Dreamcatcher website first to check XP compatibility. Unfortunately they describe this software as being NOT compatible, and there is no form of patch available at the time of me writing this review.

Despite this, I installed the software, and began playing the game. Although swapping the 5 CDs becomes cumbersome very quickly (there needs to be an option to load more on the HDD to eliminate the swapping and choppiness caused by frequent cd access, but there is not), the colours and images seem crisp, though all pre-rendered. When characters talk, their mouths just do a random open close motion, but that really wasn't a big deal to me.

You can't interact with a lot of the environment, and wide open spaces that you'd think you can move towards aren't available. There are three major zones of interest for your character, and I had no issues with exploring two of them, with no game play issues. Every so often, the game will "zoom out" and show your actual character doing something, like getting in or out of the hovercraft, or running across the desert. I'm not sure what the purpose of that is, other than to add a little cut-scene to the game. You can't play the game in 3rd person like that.

The puzzles are mostly easy, and do not provide brain killing challenges like those in Schizm for example. Ringing gongs in a certain order based on translations of the martian text using your in-suit computer was interesting. I like the concept of the in-suit computer, it's got a dictionary, translator, mission logs and archives, as well as real data from the NASA programs.

The showstopper for me, which I've yet to find references to on their website (because XP isn't supported), was when i went to the third location and used the remote arm to remove the top of the capstone, allowing me down into a chamber to perform an incredibly tedious process to get a translation disc.

After performing the same process 9 times to get the pieces of the disc, i wanted to leave the building and move to the next phase of the game, unfortunately, my hovercraft, which had no problem climbing up the mountain to get to the capstone, is now stuck on top with no way of moving. Therefore, game over for me. My character can't walk down by himself, and since the hovercraft won't move, it's all over.

Another issue is that when you use the jumpers in your hovercraft, the craft spins to the right because the mouse is so close to the right of the screen, it thinks you want to move right.

If you want a Dreamcatcher game with better graphics, get schizm on DVD...the graphics are very crisp, but the gameplay is disappointing and the puzzles are too einstein-esque for me. Perhaps they will come out with a new game that blends good dvd imaging and gameplay with an actual lengthly storyline and indepth characters. Unfortunately, this one isn't it.

As an addendum, I tried the website recommendation to set win98 compatibility mode on the program. This did not change the gameplay, or allow my game to continue. Nor did installation of the patch (the patch actually caused my game to crash, as you apparently must start a brand new game to use it).

Rating:
Summary: A so-so game
Review: I should start off by saying that I adored Myst and generallyliked Riven. My family and I have made a group pastime of solvingadventure games like these, and found this one to be only mediocre. I think this game had a lot of potential but was released entirely too early. The graphics are alright but your exploration of the surroundings are extremely restricted. The puzzles are also pretty decent; some are easily solved by intuition, some are pleasantly challenging but some are flawed--either convoluted or buggy. Overall, if you crave good adventure/mystery games like Myst, this is a good buy. It is worth the money, just don't expect a masterpiece. Some other games worth checking out are Beyond Time and Lighthouse. END

Rating:
Summary: Gameplay is not open enough
Review: I was first attracted to Lightbringer by the storyline, in which you explore the famous "artificial" structures located in the Cydonia region of Mars. However, after playing, I found that "explore" was a bit of a stretch. You have a very limited range of movement, travelling only in one or two directions that the game will allow. The graphics are nice, but they get repetitive, and are also a bit too dark to make out detail. This inability to see detail will lead to problems in some of the puzzles. I also had to use a walkthrough to play, as most puzzles have no real explanation of their prupose or the goal. Without a walkthrough, it seems the only way to get through most of the game's puzzles would be random clicking until the puzzle is solved.

Rating:
Summary: neat
Review: I'm surprised to see some of the negative reviews, so I had to put in my two cents. This game was very challenging, and I play lots of adventure games. I especially liked the challenge of deciphering the martian language with a decoder and alphabet! While it became a little tedious to travel from one cite to another, as this involved graphic sequences and CD changes, the puzzles and the storyline were intriguing and complex enough to keep me engaged for hours at a time.

Rating:
Summary: I liked this game!
Review: I'm surprised to see some of the negative reviews, so I had to put in my two cents. This game was very challenging, and I play lots of adventure games. I especially liked the challenge of deciphering the martian language with a decoder and alphabet! While it became a little tedious to travel from one cite to another, as this involved graphic sequences and CD changes, the puzzles and the storyline were intriguing and complex enough to keep me engaged for hours at a time.

Rating:
Summary: Reasonable Game with Some Serious Bugs
Review: Lightbringer is a re-release of the game Cydonia, that was put out about a year ago. Nothing in the game is supposed to have changed except the title. Despite the fact that the game has been in circulation for over a year, it is still plagued with some serious bugs. One bug is so serious that there is no way to continue the game once it hits. Fortunately, there is a patch available from Dreamcatcher's web site. However, a word of warning -- install the patch BEFORE you start playing the game. If you try to install it after you've hit the bug, the patch does no good and all of your saved games will be useless.

Once I installed the patch, I naturally found the game much more enjoyable. The graphics and animations are pretty decent and you do get a good feeling of exploration as you cruise around the Martian surface. My only complaint here is that there are only three locations to explore once you leave your landing capsule. I suppose, in reality, there wouldn't be all that much to see on a barren planet, but I would have liked a few more rooms or chambers to explore inside the few buldings that you do encounter. Another, although minor, complaint is that the animations get old fast. You start seeing the same scenes over and over, even when you are in a new location or travelling in a different direction. It would have been nice if the designers added a little more variety.

The puzzles in the game are fairly good, but most seem tacked-on instead of blended into the story. I found most to be a decent challenge, although a few were ridiculously easy, while others were just a matter of random guessing. But, if you like the puzzles more than the story, you should enjoy Lightbringer.

Overall, Lightbringer is a reasonably entertaining adventure game, but I'd save it until you've run out of some of the better titles to play.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and noble game
Review: LIGHTBRINGER used to be called CYDONIA. The adventure takes place around the potentially "artificial" structures on Mars, such as the "face" and the "pentapyramid". I was intrigued with the idea of playing an adventure on Mars, let alone near these purported features on that planet. Well, my expectations of the game were exceeded. The immersive experience of flying in your hovercraft over the desert planet and the truly marvelous (and realistic) spectacles that are seen are breathtaking. To come up to the steps of the pentapyramid for the first time really humbles you.

The puzzles that are needed to solve this adventure aren't extremely frustrating, so they're great (and VERY satisfying) for the novice and experienced adventurer alike. All in all, the game was so impressive that I am very eager to experience another title from DREAMCATCHER INC., like THE CRYSTAL KEY. Fans of MYST will love this game. Haters of MYST will also.