The "Retro" Money-Making Machine
Alas, good old nostalgia! What is better than idling in a slightly melancholic mood while pondering the past? Almost anything was better in the good old days: Colours were more intense, one-liners smarter and verb lists longer. We were content with the little things. Who needed more than peeps, pixels and bizzareness?
Nowadays you can turn those nostalgic feelings into hard cash. At least if you can offer some familiar faces from back then too, which keeps you from getting lost in that flood of Kickstarters. Of course Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick had no problems with that.
So, apparently, I'm playing a guy called Steve. Steve's dad is the prime suspect in the murder of David Walker, his business partner. Since the police is incompetent (surprise, surprise), Steve has to prove his old man's innocence. Let's begin!
After going through Steve's incredibly plain address book (with entries like 'girlfriend' – very convenient for people who can't be bothered to remember these ever-changing names) and checking the records in his dad's computer, I decide to go 'home' first. Turns out Steve is still living with his parents. Now I'm wondering how old he's supposed to be. Steve's mum seems to take it all rather well. She even makes Steve some fresh cookies. Next, I decide to have Steve vandalise the church. Hint: This is not the greatest idea in the world. So let's check out that generic girlfriend. She tells Steve he's mad to suggest to get married, because they're not old enough. Although she looks just as old as his mum. She also refuses to split up. Women!
Admittedly, the master detective has always been a great attraction to me and the reviews of this game have sounded extremely positive throughout. The previous part was quite recommendable and I already reviewed it. In the end, curiosity triumphed over my commitments and I spent the good 10 hours of playing time in order not to miss the latest developments in crime fighting of the master detective. For connoisseurs of the series, it should be mentioned that even more recent developments have already been realized in a successor to this 6-year-old title. My judgement will not be objective, like someone who didn't grow up with the books of Arthur Canon Doyle, and perhaps thinks more of Pikachu in terms of a Master Detective.