A FABULOUS STROLL THROUGH THE WILD, WIRED WEST
A Review of Dust: A Tale of the Wired West
by Susan Davis
When Windows 95 was released, many of us hurried out to get a copy. Like many others, I found myself motivated by the promise of incredible new and wonderful games that we could play on our new operating system. Then, like so many of you, I discovered just how few such games were available. Ever since that moment, I have searched, and searched, and surfed, and surfed ... looking for those elusive games. With Dust, I've found the first such game for Windows 95 that really lives up to its potential.
Don't get me wrong ... Windows 95 is great. NT isn't too bad, either, and Windows 3.1 is, well, Windows 3.1. Anyway, like most of you, I've been looking for that game that I really can't wait to get back to, over and over again. Dust wins the prize.
From the moment you open the package, Dust proves itself a winner. The
documentation, including the installation instructions and
troubleshooting section, is the most complete that I've seen in eons.
The back of the troubleshooting section even lists support numbers for
a wide variety of sound cards, video cards, and CD-ROMs. So, if you
have a problem they can't fix, they make it really easy to take the
next step. I've never had a software game company be so wonderfully
thorough in even their manuals. You'd think they were gamers, too!
So, you get the program loaded, and start it up. From the cinematic opening scene, complete with a nifty narrator, right down to the little quirks of the other characters, you can tell that Cyberflix has created a true adventure game masterpiece. Once the opening scene finishes, you find yourself outside the town of Diamondback. You have an empty holster, no boots, and a rapidly approaching appointment with a ruthless gunfighter.
The town comes peopled with a variety of
fabulously intricate, interesting, and entertaining characters, all of
which can help, hint, hinder, or hurt you, depending on how you treat
them.
They can even mislead you, so watch out!
Thanks to the innovative Dream Factory technology that Cyberflix
incorporates into Dust, your interaction with these characters is
exceptional. They remember previous encounters, and sometimes your
decision-making can profoundly change the way the game plays out later
on.
Several plots are interwoven into the adventure, including your
upcoming encounter with the nasty gunfighter, your chance to find lost
Native American artifacts, and your explorations of a town full of
surprises. From the beguiling Santa Marta Mission to the rough and
rowdy Hard Drive Saloon, you'll find plenty of surprises and plenty of
mystery to keep you busy.
In addition to the adventure game fare, you also have the opportunity to play checkers with the storekeeper (and maybe learn something useful in the process), play poker or blackjack in the saloon and win some much needed cash, practice with your Colt .45 (once you get one), and play the slot machines.
And if all of that isn't enough to turn you into a Dust addict, add the fact that you have over 20 buildings to explore, more that 35 interesting characters to try to figure out, and as many ways to play out the game as you have ideas to try.
I've spent days with this game, unable to shut it down for hours at a time, and I keep coming back for more.
Still, plot and playability aren't the only factors involved in making
a great game. Graphics and sound are critical, too. While Dust isn't a
photorealistic game, its graphics are much, much more than adequate.
The 3-D detail is quite elaborate, both inside and outside, and you'll
never catch yourself wishing "if only the graphics were decent ..."
I've seen graphics this good in other games before, but usually it was
at the expense of either the sound, the interface, the speed, or the
plot. Dust actually sacrifices nothing, and gives you everything.
Also, the sound is particularly crucial to the plot, since each character reveals a tremendous amount about himself with his tone, speech mannerisms, and vocal patterns. Radisson Bloodstone-Hayes just wouldn't be himself without the fantastic accent built into the dialogue. It is quite possible to get so caught up in exploring, that you forget to work at "winning" the game.
Once you begin exploring, you'll quickly find yourself immersed in the
town, its history, and its precarious future. You might even get
yourself elected sheriff. But if you do, watch out! That sheriff's
badge is guaranteed to bring a problem or two. The plot is richly
designed, and the programmers boast of over 400 pages of unique
dialogue. You never know what will happen next, even if you've played
the game before, because your actions will trigger other things to
happen to other characters "off stage" and you might not find out the
consequences of some act of yours for a considerable period of time.
Dust is wonderful entertainment, both within the adventure and with
the arcade elements. It is truly one of the most engaging games I've
seen in a long time.
One of the things I especially appreciate about
Dust is that -- despite the fact that the opening scene concentrates
on the tension between your character and the upcoming confrontation
with the gunfighter -- most of the game is centered around a wide
variety of other activities. Unlike "shooter" games, where violence is
the key, Dust emphasizes teamwork, deduction, and creativity much more
than the simple negativity of violence. This multi-level game truly
has a lot to offer to teens and adults alike.
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
Dust: A Tale of the Wired West |
| Company: |
Cyberflix, Incorporated
|
| Cost: |
$49.95 |
System Requirements:
486 or higher; Windows 3.1, Windows 95,
or WindowsNT 3.51; 8 MB of RAM (12 MB recommended)
SVGA monitor and video card with 256 colors;
Double Speed CD-ROM or faster;
100% Windows compatible sound card.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 5
Graphics 5
Sound 4
Interface 4
Replayability 5
Overall Score:
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