GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
OK
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 05/01/1996
- Updated on: 05/09/2000
- Released on: 11/30/1995
- Originally published on GameSpot: The 11h hour (PC) Review
The 7th Guest was one of the biggest selling CD-ROM games ever made, and many cite it as a major reason for the explosion in CD-ROM drive sales around the time of its release. That was almost three years ago; reported sales results of The 11th Hour suggest that history will not repeat itself.
After spending two-and-a-half years in development, Trilobyte has released a game that is somehow dated and innovative at the same time. It seems dated because its puzzles are only beautiful, 3-D renderings of puzzles that have been around since time began. Moreover, the game's overall structure and objective make it nearly identical to its predecessor. The 11th Hour is innovative, though, because it includes loads of well-produced video clips that make up the game's storyline - and also because that video plays so fast at full-screen that it could be mistaken for television or movie-speed images.
Not surprisingly, these conflicting aspects of the game go together like oil and water. The only way the game designers could think to link these disparate parts was by creating an out-of-place sci-fi prop: a personal digital assistant, called the gamebook, that plays events back in full-color video. As you move deeper into the game, the gamebook's role becomes increasingly undefined, as it also serves as a communication device for Stauf, Ms. Morales, and an unknown entity who provides clues to help you solve puzzles if you can't figure them out by yourself.
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