| [Review] Hotel 626; A review of the lesser-known game. :] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 14 2010, 11:09 AM (708 Views) | |
| Niivalue | Jan 14 2010, 11:09 AM Post #1 |
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noob
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Hotel 626: A Snack Strong Production Link: http://www.hotel626.com/ Genre: Horror Console: PC (online) Price: Free to play Players: Single-player //__________Quick Summary Gameplay || 9 out of 10 Plot/Storyline || 3 out of 10 Graphics || 7 out of 10 Sound || 8 out of 10 Fun Factor || 10 out of 10 Hotel 626 is one of the most underrated and lesser-known games out there. Few gamers know about it, and consdering it was produced by Doritos to advertise their chips, most people wouldn't expect it to be any good. Regardless, it is a beautifully constructed and highly innovative nightmare of a game, and I would argue it beats plenty of other PC or even console games. The plot centers around a haunted hotel with the main character (you) trapped inside. By completing a series of tasks, you survive the demonic hotel and manage to escape. Or do you? ***Note: You can ONLY play this game between the hours of 6 PM to 6 AM. It is a horror game, and Doritos intends to keep it as scary as possible, so you can only play it during the hours of night! You can bypass this (if you're too scared) by changing the clock on your computer, though. It also helps if you have a cellphone, microphone, and webcam, which I'll explain later. //__________Gameplay The actual gameplay isn't anything particularly impressive. A lot of it is clicking around or on certain things to accomplish some puzzling, strategic goal in order to escape the level alive. (Hence why I didn't give a perfect 10.) So if the gameplay isn't particularly impressive, why did I give it such a high rating? Despite the fact that this game lacks in certain areas, in other ways it easily makes up for this with its creativity and innovation, and considering it's a free to play game, I'm not complaining. The opening screen asks you to check into the hotel. As I said earlier, you are only allowed to check in between the hours of 6 PM and 6 AM. The game wants to try to ensure that you are playing at night, to make the experience more scary. The website won't even let you in during the day. It also asks that you turn off your lights, so that you're playing in the dark. In addition to your name, email, and other basic information, if you allow the game to access your microphone and webcam, these are implemented later on in the game. The microphone is used for one of the tasks you must complete, and the webcam will take your actual photo for another task. Using both makes the game even creepier, because it becomes more realistic since you can actually see and hear yourself. If you give it your cellphone number later on in the game (only applies to US players), you'll even receive a phone call on your actual cellphone! A creepy voice will give further instructions on how to escape from the hotel. There are several levels you play through, some of which are extremely easy (running through a hallway while being chased and trying to locate a correct door) and others are rather difficult (snapping a picture of a zombie/ghost maid before she devours you). On most levels, if you choose incorrectly or take too long, you'll end up dead, but luckily the hotel is nice enough to let you try again or proceed to the next level. By far the scariest level is the one with the baby... All of these features combined truly immerses the player in the game, creating a frightful experience. //__________Plot/Storyline I gave the plot a lower rating because... Well, it's not the most original plot ever, nor is it complex or deep. It's very simple: you're trapped in a haunted hotel, you need to get out. That's pretty much it. //__________Graphics The graphics of this game aren't anything on the level of say, Final Fantasy or Assasin's Creed, or anything like that. Keep in mind: it's a free to play game developed by a company that produces snack chips. Rather than CG graphics, the game uses realistic video instead. The game is also told from a first person view, but you can see your limbs and such, at least in the beginning of the game. It's not a beautiful game, but it does look pretty real considering they filmed actual people for it and just lightly CGed it afterwards. This adds to the whole "immersing the user" aspect though, so I rather like it. //__________Sound There's no beautiful orchestral music here, but man some of the noises are BEYOND creepy. The phone call on your actual cellphone, the random creeks and squeaks on the floor, the subtle whispering in the background... All of it freaks you out, guaranteed. Don't expect any background music; aside from all the creepy noises that get your adrenaline rushing, it's just dead silence and the noise of your panting as you run away. //__________Fun Factor All of these things combined make for a truly amazing game. It works really hard to make the experience as real and as scary as possible for the user. Though, how it relates to Doritos, I have no idea... I'd HIGHLY recommend playing this game at least once--at night, alone, with your lights all off. Edited by Niivalue, Jan 14 2010, 11:11 AM.
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| Techno-Gamer | Jan 14 2010, 07:45 PM Post #2 |
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Epic Gamer
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Great review, Niivalue. I'll be sure to check this out when I get the chance as it sounds rather unique. And free... how can you beat free? XD *Admin mode* [EP] awarded. Thank you for the well written contribution. |
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