Psychic Detective (video game)

Last updated
Psychic Detective
Psychic Detective cover.png
Developer(s) Colossal Pictures
Electronic Arts
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Studios
Producer(s) Don Howe
Sally Bentley
Designer(s) Jim Simmons
Michael Kaplan
John Sanborn
Writer(s) Michael Kaplan
Composer(s) Patrick Gleeson
Platform(s) DOS, PlayStation, 3DO
ReleaseDOS
  • NA: November 30, 1995
  • EU: 1995
PlayStation
  • NA: April 4, 1996 [1]
  • EU: April 1996
3DO
Genre(s) Interactive movie
Mode(s) Single-player

Psychic Detective is a 1995 interactive movie video game that uses extensive amounts of live-action footage and features dozens of professional character actors. It was written by Michael Kaplan and directed by John Sanborn.

Contents

This game is not to be confused with the Japanese-only Psychic Detective series of adventure games developed by DataWest.

Plot

The game is set in San Francisco where the player assumes the role of Eric Fox (Kevin Breznahan), a psychic who earns his living doing a magic act in a seedy nightclub. One night, he is approached by the exotic Laina Pozok (Beata Pozniak), who senses that Eric is more powerful than he imagines. She trains Eric to "hitch hike" into people's minds. He sees what his subject sees, and hears what his subject hears; meanwhile, his body continues to interact with the world around him in an "automatic pilot-like" state. Laina hires Eric to attend a wake being held in honor of her father, who has died under mysterious circumstances.

The game begins when Eric enters the Pozok household, and is given the choice to remain in his body, or hitch hike aboard any one of a number of characters he encounters. Eric also has the ability to pick up objects and take a psychic reading of them, providing more clues to help solve the Pozok murder case. Before long, Eric is embroiled in a conspiracy involving a powerful religious cult, spies, and family intrigue, and he also has to deal with his growing romantic attachment to Laina. Occasionally throughout the game, Eric obtains access to "psychic collectors" which amplify his abilities and allow him to affect the moods and attitudes of the people around him, but at a cost.

Gameplay

Psychic Detective is generally presented in first person (except during cut scenes), with icons appearing at intervals on the screen signifying people and objects Eric can interact with. Each game generally takes about 45 minutes to play, however multiple plays are required in order to uncover all aspects of the storyline, and there are a dozen alternate endings possible; depending upon the choices made by the player, many different storylines are uncovered, including one that occurs if the player makes no choices and simply watches events unfold. Occasional cut scenes timed to occur at certain points break the storyline into chapters, but which cut scene is viewed depends upon Eric's actions. The endgame portion of Psychic Detective breaks from the linear narrative and involves Eric playing a surreal board game against the villain.

Development

Psychic Detective was the brainchild of producer Jim Simmons, but the project ultimately involved nearly 200 people: 21 game developers at EA Studios, 80 film crew, and 95 actors. [2]

The filming of the video sequences was handled by Colossal Pictures. The footage was shot on location in San Francisco and Oakland, California on twenty days [3] over roughly six weeks. [2]

According to John Sanborn, development took over two years: Three months of brainstorming, six months of writing, and one year of editing and programming. [4] The individual segments were edited in Adobe Premiere and authored in a proprietary Electronic Arts software. [5]

Release

The game was released on the PC, PlayStation and 3DO.

Live action footage from Psychic Detective was edited together to create a short film that was shown at a film festival in the mid-1990s. [6]

Reception

The game received mixed reviews on its first release. Arinn Dembo, writing for Computer Gaming World , gave the game 4 stars. [7] GameSpot gave the PC version a 4.7, calling the game "innovative", but asserting that the overabundance of interaction and storyline branches turns the experience into a confusing mess. They concluded "Instead of being like a good movie enhanced by interactivity, Psychic Detective is a more like a movie... clouded with interactive options that eventually detract from the project." [8]

GamePro gave the 3DO version a positive review, calling it "an entertaining interactive mystery game with an adult sensibility." They found the game an engaging challenge due to the need to be head-hopping in the right person at the right time and listen carefully to the complex dialogue, and praised the sharpness of the full-motion video graphics. [9]

Reviewing the PlayStation version in Maximum, David Hodgson complimented the uniqueness of the "more 'adult' storyline", but contended that full-motion video-based games are not worth playing regardless of gameplay or content. He scored it 2 out of 5 stars. [10] GamePro, while warning that the game is strictly for older players, praised it for having a good murder mystery, "Clean full-motion video (although mostly in a small-screen format), great sound, and more fun than Snowjob. [note 1] " [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Snow Job (consistently misspelled in GamePro as a single word) was a contemporaneous release for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer which also uses extensive live action full motion video with a mystery storyline.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 3DO Company</span> American video game company

The 3DO Company, also known as 3DO, was an American video game company. It was founded in 1991 by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, in a partnership with seven other companies. After 3DO's flagship video game console, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, failed in the marketplace, the company exited the hardware business and became a third-party video game developer. It went bankrupt in 2003 due to poor sales of its games. Its headquarters were in Redwood City, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

<i>Myst</i> 1993 video game

Myst is an adventure video game designed by Rand and Robyn Miller. It was developed by Cyan, Inc., published by Broderbund, and first released in 1993 for the Macintosh. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and traverses the environment by clicking on pre-rendered imagery. Solving puzzles allows the player to travel to other worlds ("Ages"), which reveal the backstory of the game's characters and help the player make the choice of whom to aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trip Hawkins</span> American businessman (born 1953)

William Murray "Trip" Hawkins III is an American entrepreneur and founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company, and Digital Chocolate.

The Panasonic M2 is a video game console platform developed by 3DO and then sold to Matsushita, a company known outside Japan by the brand Panasonic. Initially announced as a peripheral chip for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, it was later unveiled as a standalone console. The console was cancelled in 1997, but the M2 technology was incorporated into other devices.

<i>Brain Dead 13</i> 1995 video game

Brain Dead 13 is an interactive movie video game developed and originally published in North America by ReadySoft on 15 December 1995 and in Europe by Empire Interactive on the same year for MS-DOS. Unlike Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, which began as laserdisc arcade games, it was only released for personal computers and video game consoles. In the game, players assume the role of young computer expert Lance Galahad to defeat Dr. Nero Neurosis at his castle and its residents. Its gameplay is primarily presented through the use of full-motion video (FMV).

An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, often through the use of full-motion video of either animated or live-action footage.

<i>The 11th Hour</i> (video game) 1995 video game

The 11th Hour is a 1995 interactive movie puzzle adventure game with a horror setting. It is the sequel to the 1993 game The 7th Guest. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was planned but never released.

<i>Dracula Unleashed</i> 1993 video game

Dracula Unleashed is a 1993 video game created by ICOM Simulations and published by Viacom New Media for the DOS, Macintosh and Sega CD platforms.

<i>Corpse Killer</i> 1994 video game

Corpse Killer is a horror-themed rail shooter developed and published by Digital Pictures for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers. An interactive variation on the zombie film genre, it utilizes live-action full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Reviews for the game were mixed, generally criticizing the repetitive gameplay and low video quality, though many reviewers enjoyed the campy nature of the cutscenes. Corpse Killer was the first CD game released for the Sega 32X. It was later remastered for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beata Poźniak</span> Polish–American actress

Beata Poźniak is a Polish-American actress, film director, poet, painter and an Earphones Award-winning narrator. She is also a human rights activist who introduced the first bill in the history of US Congress to officially recognize International Women's Day in the United States.

<i>D</i> (video game) 1995 horror adventure video game

D is a horror-themed interactive movie and adventure game developed by Warp and directed by Kenji Eno. It was first published by Panasonic for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1995, later being ported to the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and MS-DOS. The story follows Laura Harris as she goes to investigate a hospital after learning her father went on a mass murdering spree and barricaded himself inside. The hospital morphs into a castle upon her arrival, which she must explore to find her father. The player controls Laura through computer generated full-motion video (FMV) sequences, and must complete the game within two hours without a save or pause function.

<i>Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels</i> 1995 video game

Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels is a video game published by Electronic Arts in 1995 for the 3DO, which was later ported to PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows. It is based on Games Workshop's board game Space Hulk and is the sequel to the 1993 video game Space Hulk. Like its predecessor, Vengeance of the Blood Angels combines first-person shooter gameplay with real-time tactical elements. Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels is part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

<i>Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold</i> 1992 video game

Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold is a live-action laserdisc video game produced by American Laser Games, released for the arcade, Sega CD, 3DO, CD-i and DOS, the first release being in 1992; the quality of the video is the lowest on Sega CD. A sequel to the moderately popular Mad Dog McCree, the game abandoned the rather simple style of the original, introducing elements that can be considered "Hollywood", including dynamic shootout scenes and in-game music, as opposed to the original's almost complete lack thereof. Like the first game, the player follows the storyline and is required to quickly shoot certain enemies to proceed on the quest. The game was re-released by Digital Leisure in 2003 on DVD-Video and again in 2009 on the Wii as part of the Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack, a compilation that also includes the first Mad Dog game as well as The Last Bounty Hunter.

<i>Slam City with Scottie Pippen</i> 1994 video game

Slam City with Scottie Pippen is the first FMV basketball video game. It was developed by Digital Pictures for the PC and CD-ROM-based video game consoles such as the Sega CD. Scottie Pippen stars in the game, and performed the theme song. Ron Stein, who had previously directed the video footage for Prize Fighter, directed the video footage for the game. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was announced but never released.

<i>Demolition Man</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Demolition Man is a pair of action video games based on the film of the same name. Acclaim Entertainment published the 16-bit version, which features run and gun gameplay, for the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD. Virgin Interactive released a completely different game for the 3DO that combined several distinct gameplay styles. In both games, the player controls John Spartan, the main character from the film, as he attempts to find and defeat his nemesis, Simon Phoenix.

<i>The Need for Speed</i> 1994 video game

The Need for Speed is a 1994 racing game developed by EA Canada, originally known as Pioneer Productions, and published by Electronic Arts for 3DO in 1994. It allows driving eight licensed sports cars in three point-to-point tracks either with or without a computer opponent. Checkpoints, traffic vehicles, and police pursuits appear in the races.

<i>Shockwave Assault</i> 1994 video game

Shockwave Assault is a science fiction combat flight simulation video game developed by Advanced Technology Group and published by Electronic Arts for various home video game consoles and PCs. The player takes control of a futuristic fighter plane to defeat extraterrestrial ships and tripods.

<i>Loadstar: The Legend of Tully Bodine</i> 1994 video game

Loadstar: The Legend of Tully Bodine is a video game developed and published by Rocket Science Games for the Sega CD in 1994 and MS-DOS compatible operating systems in 1995.

<i>Chess Wars</i> Chess video game

Chess Wars is a 1996 computer chess game released for DOS by WizardWorks and developed by Art Data Interactive and Digital Arena Software. It is the last game to be released by Art Data Interactive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Data Interactive</span> Former American video game developer and publisher

Art Data Interactive was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1993, associated with its port of Doom for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, which was met with negative reception. The company became inactive by 1997, and defunct as a business in 1999.

References

  1. ↑ "Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com". 1998-06-11. Archived from the original on 1998-06-11. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  2. 1 2 "Psychic Detective". Next Generation (11). Imagine Media: 108–9. November 1995.
  3. ↑ The 1996 Psychic Detective Postmortem. GDC. Event occurs at 24:52. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  4. ↑ The 1996 Psychic Detective Postmortem. GDC. Event occurs at 25:49. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  5. ↑ The 1996 Psychic Detective Postmortem. GDC. Event occurs at 52:05. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  6. ↑ Executive producer Jim Simmons, quoted on Beata Pozniak's official website Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine , accessed Feb. 14, 2011.
  7. ↑ Dembo, Arinn; Looking Through the Mind's Spy: Play Head Games in an Interactive Movie that Lives Up to the Name, p. 120. Computer Gaming World, Issue 144, July 1996
  8. ↑ Young, Jeffrey Adam (May 1, 1996). PC version review, Gamespot.
  9. ↑ "ProReview: Psychic Detective: The Case of the Black Diamond". GamePro . No. 89. IDG. February 1996. p. 76.
  10. ↑ Hodgson, David (May 1996). "Maximum Reviews: Psychic Detective". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (6). Emap International Limited: 123.
  11. ↑ "Quick Hits: Psychic Detective". GamePro . No. 94. IDG. July 1996. p. 78.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.