Reviews GNA Review
| GNA Review |
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| Written by Earl of Kent | |
| Tuesday, 21 September 1999 | |
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The Generic New York Apartment Building Author: NewKid Before I begin, I have to admit to a certain bias: I really like this game. It's an extremely original concept, and for the most part, it's extremely well-executed. I've introduced the game to several people, each of whom is struck by I thought I had the first time I played it: "Why didn't someone think of this before?" NewKid did a great job on this game, and he can be proud of the fact that it sets the standard for AIF: this is how a good AIF game _looks_, and, more importantly, _plays_. Aesthetics Enjoyabilty Other than "An Afternoon Visit", this is the AIF game that I come back to play most often. Part of it is out of seeing if I can think of anything new (I still haven't found out how to get Jane in the bedroom, or even if it's possible), but mostly because the game is just plain fun. There are a few frustrating points, especially Amy's fax machine, but once you get past that, the game is very enjoyable. Score: 8 Style NewKid is obviously someone who either A) is a naturally good writer, or B) is a tenacious re-writer. The prose can be a little clunky in some parts, but for the most part the text is excellent. The sex takes place in cut-scenes, which are long, but well worth the read. More importantly, you can get different responses depending on theexact situation, and repeating some actions can lead to whole new scenes to read. There has been some debate on this newsgroup over which style is better: cut-scenes or "Moist-like" descriptions based on specific actions. I'll throw my two cents in here and say that variety and quality take precedence. If you're going to use cut-scenes, they have to be well-written, and allow for at least a little variety; if you're going to use decriptions tailored to the player's actions, there has to be a lot of variety, even though the descriptions would probably be a little easier to write. In many AIF games (particularly in many X-trek games), the cut-scenes are poorly written, to the point of being embarassing. GNA _definitely_ does not suffer from this problem. Score: 8 Game Mechanics Puzzles Nothing too difficult, with two exceptions. The Sundae Nazi puzzle might be hard to figure out if you've never seen the relevant episode of "Seinfeld"; but then, if you _have_ seen that episode, you'll know what to do right away. The other exception is Amy's fax machine. The problem is, it's not listed in the room description. Thus, I got to a point in the game where I had done everything I could think of, but couldn't proceed because I didn't know about that damned fax machine! I eventually had to consult a walkthrough (which I am loathe to do), and found out that it _is_ there, if you type "examine all". This is an oversight that definitely needs to be corrected, since it can make the game unwinnable. Score: 6 Synonyms Well above average. There are some annoying points (the game recognizes "porkchops", but not "pork chops", even though the text uses the two interchangably), but for the most part, items are recognizable by common synonyms (even when they don't make sense: "PUT BULB IN LIGHT"). More importantly, the characters are recognizable by names other than the ones used in the text of the game. Thus, if you forget that you're pursuing Monique and Rochelle, not Monica(TM) and Rachel(TM), the game will forgive you if you accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) type the name from the TV show. In fact, it'll even recognize the name of the _actress_ that plays the part, if you're so inclined. Score: 8 Story Characters If you've seen the television shows this game parodies, the characters are fantastic; they all act as you would expect them to act, sometimes even quoting dialogue used by their television counterparts. Even if you've never seen the show, there's a great deal of characterization in this game. Each "conquest" has different tastes, desires, and limits. While not exactly believable (if these women lived in my apartment building, I'd never get any work done), they certainly are fun! Score: 8 Plot Well, to begin with, none of NewKid's games have an absolute ending; in all three I've played, you get to a point where you've achieved a certain goal or passed a certain point total, at which point you're giving the ending message and allowed to continue. From this standpoint, the games (including this one) are poorly plotted, since there's no resolution. On the other hand, I usually don't _want_ the game to end, so I don't particularly mind this aspect. For GNA in particular, there _is_ a stated goal, and events that proceed from the player's actions; the game _isn't_ static, which is a lot more than can be said for most AIF. Score: 7 Structure Concept Very open-ended. You've got a specific goal to complete (getting all the tennants to renew their leases), but you've got multiple paths to take to get to that goal. One unique aspect is the answering machine, which is kind of a built-in guide to what the player needs to accomplish; if you ever run out of things to do, just go check your answering machine. Plus, the game is _big_, with lots of areas to explore. Score: 8 Execution For the most part, the execution is excellent. Some puzzles have more than one solution, which in and of itself is a unique concept to most AIF games (and many conventional IF games, for that matter). The only problem comes with the fax machine in Amy's apartment; it's not there if you don't know to look for it, and you can get to a certain point in the game where you can't proceed until you can send Amy faxes. It can be extremely frustrating. Granted, it's only one mistake, but it's a big enough onethat it has a major impact on the game (and this review's score). Score: 5 Technical Proficiency Programming For the most part, above average. In the HTML-TADS version, there are a couple of bugs that can mess up the display: in the basement, while fixing the furnace, it's possible for the game to print the pictures in such a way that the display area becomes wider than the screen, and you can't see the cursor; and after fixing the furnace, during the encounter with Amy, it is possible at one point for several lines of text to be printed over other lines of text, rendering them unreadable. These display bugs don't show up if you play the game in standard TADS, though. There are a few errors that show up regardless of the version you're using, too. The excess wire in the grille under the stove in Carmen's apartment is removable even without opening the grille itself; just type "TAKE ALL". In the laundry room, after Rochelle leaves, the room description lists the panties as being _on_ the dryer, but when you try to take them, the parser responds, "I don't see any panties here"; they are, in fact, _in_ the dryer, and you have to open it first in order to get them. Finally, after fixing the furnace, if you try performing oral sex on Fee while she's still wearing her dress, you'll get an error message (TADS-1026 in the HTML version). Score: 6 Syntax Very few errors. Almost no grammatical errors, probably none that will interfere with one's enjoyment of the game. A few forgivable spelling errors ("breath" for "breathe"), and a few that are debatable ("grille" vs. "grill", although the author's spelling is understandable given the placement of the item in question). Now, a caveat has to be proffered here: I've worked as a proofreader (both paid and on a voluntary basis) off and on for fifteen years, so I've developed an instinct for both spelling errors and grammatically incorrect prose. What I call "errors" in the text of this game may not be errors at all, but they do trip my instincts. The author is to be commended for at least taking the time to make sure his prose is as readable as possible. Score: 8 =============================================================================================== TOTAL SCORE: 72/100 I welcome any and all comments on this review from everybody. Earl of Kent |
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