Dark Side of the Moon (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.7 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Stephen Poole
• Reviewed on: 01/07/1999
• Updated on: 05/01/2000
• Released on: 11/30/1998
• Originally published on GameSpot: Dark Side of the Moon (PC) Review

When SouthPeak Interactive released its first adventure game, Temujin, back in 1997, it achieved only a few of the lofty goals it had set for the project. Utilizing a proprietary game engine called Video Reality, Temujin was designed to combine the high level of interaction of traditional graphic adventures with the realistic look of digitized video sequences.

But instead of giving gamers the best of both worlds, Temujin wound up giving them very little of either: Movement and character interaction were limited, the digitized backgrounds blurry and hazy. And while the story was undeniably a gripping affair, the puzzles were of the boilerplate variety - the kind designers tend to ladle on top of a product when the lion's share of the budget has gone toward film shoots and developing new technologies (can you say The 7th Guest?).

Now, after a year of tweaking, the Video Reality engine is back in Dark Side of the Moon - a game that proves not only that phrases in the public domain can't be copyrighted no matter how popular a rock album is, but also that SouthPeak learned some valuable lessons from Temujin. Unfortunately, SouthPeak will also learn a lesson from this game: The Video Reality engine, at least as it stands now, is woefully inadequate in handling exploration and movement, two of the most critical components in an adventure game.

Part sci-fi thriller and part murder mystery, Dark Side of the Moon casts you as Jake Wright, a young man whose uncle supposedly committed suicide on a moon called Luna Crysta in the Cepheus-6 star system. A megacompany called Brave Hope Corporation has set up shop on Luna Crysta to reap the bounty of minerals and ores residing in the multitude of underground caves; besides company employees, the moon's also home to a collection of fortune hunters looking to strike it rich. And then there are the Cepheids, the natives that Brave Hope hires because of their tireless work ethic and knowledge of the moon.

Your uncle's left you his mining claim on Luna Crysta, but even before you arrive on the moon to settle the inheritance, you receive a scathing vidmail from your sister wherein she says the claim should have passed to her. And things only get more suspicious when you disembark the space shuttle: The president of Brave Hope wants to buy your claim, and a PI hired by your sister finally admits he's there to make an offer on her behalf as well. Hmm... that's a lot of interest in a claim that, to the best of your knowledge, never brought your uncle anything but long hours and hard work. Eventually, you'll meet up with that PI to talk things over - and when you do, the plot begins to take some wicked twists that I can't reveal here.

Like Temujin, the acting in Dark Side of the Moon is generally good, and the video clips used during conversations are crisp and clear; unlike Temujin, nearly all Dark Side of the Moon's puzzles are integrated solidly into the plot and gameplay. Many involve finding ways to surreptitiously enter offices, where you can locate clues about your uncle, the Brave Hope Corporation, and the Cepheids working in the mines. But there are also lots of object-based puzzles in which you have to figure out creative combinations of inventory objects - and while the clues are definitely there, keeping track of everything can be daunting. Nearly everything you see, hear, or read contains at least a kernel of useful information - especially when it comes to the item descriptions at the General Outfitters, the only place you can acquire a couple of very necessary pieces of equipment. And because there's no type of description displayed when you access inventory items, you'll need to keep notes of what each device is and what it can do.

Continue reading

Compare prices for Dark Side of the Moon

This product is currently not in stock at any of our online merchants.

Email me when this product is available