Fahrenheit on PS2 (2005)

Average rating: 71%

from 561 members

15 Members' reviews

Certificate:
Format:	PS2
Released:	16/09/2005
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Brief synopsis of Fahrenheit

It's 2009, and New York is rocked by a bizarre series of murders. People are killing other people that they don't know for no apparent reason, and each murder bears the same strange ritual hallmarks. At the same time, the temperature is dropping as it gets colder and colder every day. The latest person to commit one of these strange killings is Lucas Kane. Suddenly entering a sort of trance he carves a symbol in his arm and murders a person he's never seen before, all the time hallucinating about a small, helpless girl. As he regains his senses, he flees the scene and realises he is now a criminal on the run. This is the plotline in Quantic Dreams' pitch at the growing genre of cinematic thriller games, Fahrenheit, published by Atari. The game's makers boast that the eerie style echoes that of the films of Alfred Hitchcock, and while we're not so sure about that, it does have some interesting ideas in it. You can switch between four characters in the game: the damned Lucas himself, his brother Marcus, and two police detectives, Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles, as the drama unfolds and you try to make sense of the mystery. This being a psychological thriller, you have to look after your character's psychological well-being by helping them to make the right decisions. The game certainly has a distinctive look, too, with split screens keeping you abreast of what's going on elsewhere, cinematic camera work and movements and motion captured from real live stuntmen. There are 44 acts to work your way through as you try to uncover the mystery. In the background is the slightly implausible legend of the Indigo Child: an ancient prophesy states that one day a powerful and pure child will be born somewhere in the world. A desire to possess the child's birthplace is - they say - what drives man's compulsion to wage war and accumulate land, power and wealth. Whatever's behind the strange events, here is an ambitious game that seeks to give the player a unique experience.

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Members' Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

More fun than doing my tax return

PeterSays from Romsey [Highly rated reviewer] , 14/02/2007

Cynics may say that many Hollywood films are so formulaic they could be written by computer. Well, this is a computer game. Dressing up the same tired, old plot lines in new clothes doesn’t breathe any life into them, like in the comic book style of Renaissance. Likewise, the similarly mystic/conspiracy theory-based Fahrenheit would not work as a film but as a game it does have some merit.

I have little experience of computer games and very little skill. This may well have meant I missed out on lots of fun things. Who knows perhaps I may have kept my gal if my geetar strummin’ was better? The variety of tasks could be more varied; there’s a danger of repetitive strain injury, me thinks, if not a little boredom. The story mode put me in mind of Grand Theft Auto games but without their wit, nor the violent racist elements that got them into such hot water.

Fahrenheit has been given a ‘15’ rating probably because of its gore and its sex scenes, which at least raised a smile. However couldn’t games be better classified by how much they distract the work or studying you really should be doing? On this basis, Fahrenheit is a reasonable waste of time.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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More fun than doing a tax return

PeterSays from Romsey [Highly rated reviewer] , 25/02/2007

Cynics may say that many Hollywood films are so formulaic they could be written by computer. Well, this is a computer game that thinks it’s a film.

Dressing up the same tired, old plot lines in new clothes doesn’t breathe any life into them, like in the comic book style of Renaissance. Likewise, the similar mystic/conspiracy theory-based Fahrenheit would not work as a film but as a game it does have some merit.

It is a brave attempt at a new ‘interactive’ story-telling format and I hope more are developed. But these are early days and really, Fahrenheit is little different from other story-based games.

I have very little skill at computer games. This may well have meant I missed out on lots of fun things. Who knows perhaps I may have kept my gal if my geetar strummin’ was better? The variety of tasks could be more varied; there’s a danger of repetitive strain injury, me thinks, if not a little boredom. The story mode put me in mind of Grand Theft Auto games but without their wit, nor the violent racist elements that got them into such hot water.

Fahrenheit has been given a ‘15’ rating probably because of its gore and its sex scenes, which at least raised a smile. However couldn’t games be better classified by how much they distract you from the work or studying you really should be doing? On this basis, Fahrenheit is a reasonable waste of time.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

Report offending content.

Read all reviews