|
 |
|
The Da Vinci Code Review for Xbox |
|
| Saturday, May 20, 2006 |
| | Title:
The Da Vinci Code
..............................................
System:
Xbox
..............................................
Genre:
Adventure
..............................................
Publisher:
2k Games
..............................................
Developer:
The Collective
..............................................
Release:
May 19, 2006
..............................................
Online:
No
..............................................
ESRB:
RP
..............................................
 |
Who hasn't heard of The Da Vinci Code? It's the hottest novel since Harry Potter debuted a few years ago. So hot, in fact, that as of May, 2006 there were over 60 million copies of the novel in print. That's Bible-like numbers! Not only has the book sold an incredible number worldwide (translated into more than 44 languages), but this past week marked the official release of The Da Vinci Code movie. Of course, with a title this hot, it's natural that they would want to make a game as well. But is the game any good? Or is it just another way to make a decent size of pocket change?
The Da Vinci Code game is based off of the novel, not the film adaptation. On the bright side, you don't have to spend 15-20 hours staring at Tom Hanks' awful haircut. However, if you've already read the book (and if you're considering buying this game, you most likely have) a good chunk of the game will be familiar territory to you already. In a game based on solving puzzles and figuring out what to do next, this can make it extremely easy at points.
When you begin to play, you'll find yourself taking the role of a Harvard professor named Robert Langdon. A murder has just taken place, so Robert and his partner—cryptographer Sophie Neveu—decide to solve it. However, they end up uncovering much more: a centuries-old conspiracy involving a prized holy artifact all protected by a secret society.
As mentioned earlier, this should create feelings of deja vu among those who have read the book (or see the film) and are familiar with the plot. On the bright side, The Collective decided to add some new puzzles, areas and twists in the story not seen in the novel or film. So even if you are familiar with the tale, after a while it will branch off to include new side stories.
Labeled as a “unique blend of puzzle-solving, stealth, combat and exploration,” The Da Vinci Code manages to incorporate a few of those genres, yet ultimately it remains primarily a puzzle-based and exploration-based game. Most of the time playing the game, you'll find yourself either walking from one locale to the next, and trying to solve a puzzle to move on or gather new evidence. You'll find yourself traveling to famous locations such as The Louvre, Westminister Abbey, and Saint-Sulpice in your pursuit of finding the truth. Along the way, members of the secret society will try to stop you from uncovering any information—even if they have to kill you.
Most of the time, this means trying to stay in the shadows or pulling Metal Gear-esque maneuvers to make it through a crowded building. While it plays semi-well, the stealth aspect is nothing too groundbreaking. It is much better than the alternative, though, which is fighting.
The combat in The Da Vinci Code is easily the weakest point of the game. While The Collective tried to do something new and innovative (which they did—to a degree) it ultimately made the combat incredibly boring and mundane. How does it take place? Simple. You and the enemy will grab each others shoulders (or grapple), and an interactive cutscene-type event will take place, with buttons popping up on the screen. Press the buttons at the right time in the right order, and you'll execute kicks, punches, grappling maneuvers, etc. Sadly, that's basically all there is to combat. It's very simplistic, and much more could have been done with it—especially since most of the smaller objects in the environment can be used as weapons.
However, the game is all about puzzle solving. To that degree, it does fairly well. As mentioned earlier, many of the puzzles come straight from the book itself; if you've read it more than once, you'll likely know what to do without much searching. One of the nicer aspects of the game is that you'll find yourself playing as not only Robert Langdon, but also as Sophie. This means that while a puzzle or event may be something you're already familiar with, you get the opportunity to see it from a different perspective. Even if you haven't read the novel, many of the puzzles remain fairly simple to solve. There are a few tougher ones, though, including a few I spent nearly an hour on cursing at my television and friend, who was familiar with the novel yet refused to give me any clues. The punk...
Besides the puzzles required to move the story along, The Collective decided to throw in a few bonus puzzles as well as some secrets to uncover. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of incentive to finding all of these other than the added information to your encyclopedia, as well as unlocking the soundtrack and two subpar bonus levels.
What's the encyclopedia, you ask? As you play through the game, solve puzzles and collect information, it gets added to a database which you can access. In some instances, it will help you look for a clue for future puzzles. Mostly, though, it's only good to look through to see how the things connect to each other, and trying to piece together what it all means.
Visually, The Da Vinci Code looks pretty good, especially considering it's an Xbox and PS2 title. The environments are spot on—at least for the landmarks I've been to and can vouch for. Character models have some slight jerkiness in situations, but movement is usually smooth. It's disappointing that The Da Vinci Code made no debut on the Xbox 360, because it would have been a great excuse to really capture the feelings of such famous locations like The Louvre and Westminister Abbey.
Despite the tedious combat and usually-simple-puzzles, The Da Vinci Code remains a solid puzzle-solving and adventure game, but it's nothing groundbreaking or incredible. For a game based off of a movie (more the book in this case, but I'll let it count as a movie game due to the timing) it's actually not too bad. However, the game is finished within 20 hours at the most, and due to the nature of the game you'll most likely never play it again. Because of this, it's hard to recommend anyone but the diehard Da Vinci Code fans buy the game; a rent should more than give you enough time to fully beat the game.
If you're a fan of The Da Vinci Code, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. If nothing else, it expands upon the story and lets you see events from various perspectives. If you aren't a fan, though, there are plenty of similar games out there which are much better.
| The Core Score |
Overall
7 |
| Fun |
|
7 |
| Gameplay |
|
7.5 |
| Graphics |
|
8.5 |
| Audio |
|
7.5 |
| Replay |
|
4 |
|
| | | |
