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By Al Giovetti, 03/16/97
Price:$50
Genre:adventure
Release:
Developer: Tribeca Interactive
Lead Artist: Mark Ryden
Programmer:
Producer:
Publisher: GT Interactive
Phone: 800-610-4847
Website: www.gtinteractive.com
Requirements:486 DX2, 66 MHz, 16 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM, sound card


9

History

Everything that has to do with Robert DeNiro is named Tribeca. In New York a few months ago The Computer Show went to a star studded game premier and screening at the Tribeca screening room with Dennis Hopper and his new girlfriend, Christopher Walken, Kevin McCarthy, Tanya Roberts, Ritchie Havens, and a bunch of other stars.

De Niro has been involved at least peripherally as a screening room and now he produces an adventure game, the enigmatic 9. 9 was inspired by the personalities and music of the toxic twins of Aerosmith and the art of Mark Ryden. 9 first appeared for the Macintosh and now its out for Windows 95.

Company Line

Enter the World of Thurston Last! It is up to you to discover the secrets of one man's vision, one incredible machine, and one bizarre Resort. It will take sharp thinking, quick reactions, and divine inspiration to complete your quest, but if you do...the powers of the Last Resort are yours!

Once a retreat for the artistic elite, the now dilapidated house replenished the fonts of creativity with its magical opulence and the mysterious Muse Machine, capable of tapping into a spring of unlimited artistic inspiration. Now, following the death of the hotel's founder -- your uncle Last -- the home and its contents lie in a state of utter disrepair and decay...

Inspired by the music, lyrics, and personalities of Aerosmith's "Toxic Twins," and the artwork of surrealist Mark Ryden (whose album-cover credits include Michael Jackson, Screaming Trees, and Aerosmith), this psychedelic and visually arresting new CD-ROM adventure is slated for release this fall.

Game Play

Cher dispenses hints and administers save games. Belushi as a diminutive pilot in a small prop plane with an oversize head flys around you spouting monologues. Most every object can be clicked on and a little animation will result complete with synchronized sound effects.

Plot

You inherited a resort, which is more like the funhouse at a fair. The resort is in disrepair and needs you and others to put it back in shape.You need to explore and solve puzzles and finally save the resort.

Graphics

The three dimensional rooms are a large tapestry for Mark Ryden to spill out his schitzophrenic visions on in shades of green, olive, orange, and tan. Some blue and red is used in the scenes with Cher which brighten up the otherwise drab earth tones. The graphics have a combine scarey and odd effect and the jumble of the many objects does not fail to overwhelm the most avid background clicker.

Animation

Moving from place to place is simulated by a blur which is unique in these games and with this uniqueness comes an artistic way to transition from one location to the other without being overdone.

Voice Actors

De Niro has obtained Christopher Reeve as the unknown relative named Uncle Last who beqeathed you the resort funhouse, James Belushi as the pilot maniac named Salty, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith as the melodramatic twins, and Cher as a solemn fortune teller named Isadora. Christopher Reeve, James Belushi and especially Cher in a computer game seems like computer games have arrived. As of this time The Computer Show has been unable to obtain an interview with any of the stars even though Steve Tyler was seen recently at one of the computer shows. It is star power like this that often kills a game, so what about 9?

Music Score

The music of Aerosmith blasts out of the speakers whenever some effect or other triggers the music score.

Sound Effects

Utilities

Cher is the save game. There are no autotravel maps or autonote taking devices.

Multi-player Features

Cheats, Hints, Walkthrough

  • 9 Cheats Isadora handles the hints within the game but you need the coin under the stairs to get her to give you any.

    Journalists

    References

    Peter Olafson, PC Games, volume 3, number 12, December, 1996, pg. 133, 85%.
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