80 Days is a Adventure Game for the PC, based of Jules Verne's popular book.
When i heard that there was going to be an 80 Days Vidio Game, i said to myself : "i have to OWN this game at all cost!".
When i got the game in 2005 i wasn't dissapointed at all. Infact, i acctually dug the game! And now, after 4 years, after joyning Gamespot, i'm going to give my impressions and review of the game!
***STORY***
A spoiler alert for anyone who read the book :
The story is almost EXACLY the same, so there are no major suprises or revelations.
You play as Oliver, a traveler that is, let's say, "hired" by his unckle to travel around the world in 80 days... Sounds weired, but if he won't, his unckle will lose all of his money and inventions... It may sound tense, but all that is just an excuse Oliver uses to "escape' his wedding.
So you explore Egipt, India, Japan and America, meeting varios characters, finding your unckles inventions, and uncover secrets of Olivers family.
Just like the book, the story is engaiging, rich, intresting... You get the point.
To begin with, the voice acting, is TERRIBLE! It's simply pethetic.
Another problem is, just like the book, the story is extremely cheesy.
(My faivorite part of the game, is when after completing the Egipt, and selecting to go to India via Train, you have to solve the mystery of Drakula).
***GRAPHICS***
When i was playing the game, back in 2005, i thought the graphics were cutting the edge. Later, i went to my friends house to play Resident Evil 4 on his Gamecube (that was the first time when i played Resident Evil 4)... Resident Evil 4's graphics had blown 80 Days's graphics straight out of the water! Yet 80 Days was realesed before Resident Evil 4, so i probably shouldn't be complaining.
Graphics-wise the game IS preety. Models look decent, shadow effects look great, and the best part - the switch between day and night.
***GAMEPLAY***
In terms of gameplay, what can you expect from an adventure game? :
You run, walk, use stealth and your logic, solve puzzles, solve mysteries and find objects that you need to solve these things.
In termns of puzzles, this game is quite hard.
You can also you all sorts of gatjets in your disposal - cars, donkeys and flying carpets... and i'm serious.
One of the major problems is that the game is quite buggy. You sometimes can't pick up objects or get hung up on the STAIRS.
Another problem is that the controls are a bit akward, even for a PC game.
***ENJOYMENT***
80 Days is a superb game adaptation of a book wich is known and remembered for quite some time now. I really enjoyed it.
Some game bugs cab make it a bit frustrating bu the game works.
With hard puzzles and rich story, in game time the game will take you from 10 - 20 hours, but in real time it will take 80 days and probably even more.
From how many User Scores here at Gamespot i've seen, only fans of the book, like me, will love the game.
FINAL SCORES :
*STORY : 8 / 10 - Rich but terrible voice acting "assits' it.
*GRAPHICS : 9 / 10 - Somewhat cutting edge for 2005, but RE4 blows them away.
*GAMEPLAY : 8 / 10 - Good adventure game, but akward controls and bugs.
*ENJOYMENT : 9 / 10 - Really enjoyable, but a bit frustrating.
OVERALL : 8.5 / 10 - A superb game adaptation wich fans of the book, like me, will love.