So, here I am, just finished playing Black Mirror 2 (a great game), and I find myself looking for the next adventure. I'd spotted 15 days for quite sometime, and I was waiting for the final release to play what seemed to be a very promising game. Well, the game is finished and I must admit it was (for me) a very disappointing experience.

- The strong point of the game is the story. In fact, the story is split into 2 different stories evolving at the same time, and are starting to connect together as the game progresses. On one hand, we have our 3 Robin Hood robbers who steel famous art pieces and offer their reward to charity. On the other hand, we have an American agent who is investigating the murder of England's Foreign Office Minister. These two stories will finally connect on a remote island in Africa, where everything will be revealed.

- Yes, the graphics were overall good. There is also a good amount of details in the environments of the game. It is obvious that the developers tried to present a game that would be pleasant to the eyes of the player. The game supports high display resolutions something that offers in some points the advantage of zooming with very good results.

- Yes, the sound is superb. Excellent music and sound effects add a positive tone to the atmosphere.

- The same goes for voice acting also, which was very good. The game does not fall into the trap of having over-dramatic dialogues (I personally hate that), and offers a good experience in that aspect.

-Yes, the end is satisfying, offering an overall tone of originality to the whole atmosphere.

So, what's wrong with this game, then? What's wrong, is that "15 days" is NOT an adventure game. An interactive story, YES. An adventure game, no way.

- The one-button point-and-click system the game uses is rather cumbersome, and in some cases confusing (to your nerves, not the plot of the game:-).

- The games has NO riddles!! Yes, there are some things need to be done, but guess what!! If you can't solve it, the game solves it for you!! A countdown starts, and then the solution is provided. This was extremely disappointing for me, as I was spending my time listening to the characters, and connecting dots that a 10-year old would do as easy as I did. The only elementary challenge I faced in this game was the part when you visit the catacombs in Paris. But even there, you have a map to show you where to go, a compass, and only a few tunnels to visit (they must be the smallest catacombs in the world!!). In another instance, the agent goes into his van and searches 3 leads on the internet. When he finishes he says something like "I should call these 2 people and visit this company". You expect to make these calls, visit the site mentioned, question people and make some conclusions. Alas, the good detective has already done it by himself, and he just announces to you his findings. You have just interrogated 2 murder suspects, and you as a player have done nothing!! The game is full of this type of scenes, a very disappointing feature.
To summarize, the only thing I seemed to be doing in this game was finish some short chores with minimal use of inventory items, do some fetch quests, and just visit the right locations. That's all there is to it.

- The game could compensate for this lack of riddles by offering choices on game progression. This is exactly what "Heavy Rain" did, and avoided the trap "15 days" fell into. But, if you remove the riddles, and you don't give other choices to the player, there is not much left.

-The characters, although extremely interesting as people, seem to be trapped into lifeless ("wooden") models, something that leaves a taste of an incomplete job in this area of design.

-Finally, the bugs. I've been "kicked out" to my desktop 3 or 4 times, but since this is a new game and a patch will most probably come out, well... it didn't matter too much to me. Actually, there was a really funny part where I had to search some names in a particular order to avoid the crash.

In the end, everything positive this game has to offer, cannot make me forget it's biggest problem. That in essence, it's not a game. "15 days" offers minimal challenge to the player and it literally guides him/her to a very original, but linear story.
For those players who just want a good story to spend their time, and value script more than the challenge, this game is an excellent choice.
For all the others who seek a good challenge and an adequate level of difficulty, I would suggest you avoid this one.

That's it, thanks for reading this review, and I hope I didn't bore you too much

How did you work that one out?

Hi ya Leo and to GameBoomers.

I very much enjoy interactive fiction so that point is actually a plus for me.

Thanks for the review.

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How did you work that one out? [/quote]

I realised that it kicked me out after calling one of the 3 contacts. I first called the two that didn't give me trouble, then saved, then got out of the van, took a stroll around the area (REALLY!!) then came back and called the 3rd contact. I also ran the game in xp compatibility mode (I did that after the first crash earlier in the game). Don't know how it worked, but it did. Oh, the stroll is a MUST, as by just saving the game after the first 2 calls didn't do much good.

Thanks looney4labs, I'm glad I'm here!!

Thanks a bunch, leo! While adventure games often remind me how fast my grey cells are popping, just going along for the ride doesn't do anything for me. I had been on the fence about this one but now I know that I'm going to pass on 15 Days. Unless somebody gives it to me, of course. <g>

Totally agree with you about Black Mirror 2, by the way.

Gil.

Thanks for the tip, and congratulations on figuring out a workaround.

Glad I could help Gil.

Yes this game was releashed in an atrocious state. The only response I had from the makers was that people with certain hardware/software combinations were having problems, and no, there are no plans for a patch (before they moved my post to a less prominant part of their forum). Apparently, a Dual Core, Windows 7 machine with nVidia graphics is far too esoteric for their game. Truth is they didnt test it properly.

I've been running the game on exactly the computer you describe, mj2c, without problems. And although it has a strong story, I wouldn't describe it as just an interactive story either -- though I am still early in.

Odd how perceptions can differ.

I was enjoying it, I just couldnt get very far in because of the instability. Got as far as playing the male character but had to give up because of the crashes. Hopefully they will eventually pull there finger out and sort out a patch. Unfortunately, the impression I got from them is they dont seem too bothered about supporting their own product. Pretty shabby IMO.

I also have the same computer specs and am having no problems what so ever. I also love the fact that you can have the game clear the puzzles for you if they get too frustrating... I absolutely hate when I can't figure one out and have to spend hours before asking for a saved game (would have definitely had to with that match the wave frequency puzzle). Wish all new games would have this feature. Black Mirror 2 BTW has the same featuyre. You can get out of puzzles and get on with the game by just clicking a button. Just love it. Game developers take a hint from thse 2 games Please. This is definitely the way an adv game should be in my view. Great story line and graphics, puzzles that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out and as in this one and Black Mirror 2 a button to get out of them if they're driving you nuts and strong character interaction. I haven't finished it yet but based on what I've played so far I'd definitely give this game an A. No cons what so ever.

Regards,

Barry