| Ten Interactive Musicians
By Orb Most adventure gamers are intimately familiar with Myst and the whole surrounding gaming phenomenon following its initial release. During the time after its release and for quite a few years beyond, gamers have been subjected to what some wiltingly call "Myst clones." When Myst was released, one of the initial aspects that hooked gamers almost as much as the game itself was the fact that it came on a CD-ROM—a device new at the time and most definitely the latest thing for gamers to acquire. Another interesting, albeit lesser-known, child of this phenomenon was a burst of gaming and quasigaming titles published by and for various musicians in an attempt to ride the wave of what was then the newfangled CD-ROM device, as well as in some instances the Myst sensation. Surprisingly enough, a handful of musical artists did extend themselves beyond the music CD to the interactive CD-ROM just before, during, and directly after this time period, from 1992 to 1996. Each produced one or more CD-ROMs that accentuated their individual style and presence. For the most part, these interactive pieces come the closest (as in kissing cousins) to adventure games. Some hit that mark squarely in the bull's-eye, and some meander around it. But each of these are titles that likely would appeal to run-of-the-mill adventurers to one degree or another, especially ones that are also fans of these varied musical talents. So how do they measure up? Let's take a look. Laurie Anderson Like everything Anderson has set out to accomplish, this sets the gold standard for extravagant and indulgent performance art. Puppet Motel gives the player the feeling of being immersed in a game; nevertheless, it is more an experience than anything else. Fun and entertaining, this disc will keep the player looking for, and finding, something strange to experience. Check out our full review here. David Bowie
Most avid players have heard of Bowie's famous (or infamous) dive into gaming with Omikron. But does anyone remember this one? Jump is a virtual world based on David Bowie's song "Jump They Say" from his Black Tie, White Noise album. The disc is comprised of a number of rooms in a skyscraper that the player is free to explore. In these rooms are a number of music-related items, including videos, pictures, interviews and a video editor. This is mostly just Bowie straight, no chaser, no frills. Devo
Adventures of the Smart Patrol was developed and published up by Inscape, makers of Bad Day on the Midway and The Dark Eye, which were quirky, groundbreaking titles. Smart Patrol is the lesser of the three, but it remains a full adventure game, unlike some of these others. And just in case anyone thinks the other two titles top out the Inscape weirdo Richter scale, Smart Patrol should be loaded up and checked out. Devo, the seminal late 70s/early 80s New Wave headliners, obviously had some serious artistic control here. This game really reflects the sensibilities of a band whose very name is short for "de-evolution." The design of the game is sharp and colorful and reflects that eighties style of color with corners. The gameplay is at best mixed, as the player must travel from one location to another to complete specific actions at the correct time of day. There is a bit of a learning curve, but the game itself is big and it is designed in such a strange, over-the-top manner that it completely manages to hold the player's interest despite its flaws. Peter Gabriel Of all the titles included here, these two pieces by Peter Gabriel have probably become, for whatever irrational or mysterious reason, more of a collector's item on the 'net than any other. Both of these are quality pieces of work that are very interactive and playable, and of the two, Eve is much more a full game and less just a musical experience. Check out the Four Fat Chicks reviews here. Prince
The funny thing here is that when this CD-ROM was produced, Prince was hip-deep in his bitter battle with Sony and so was not actually using his name on anything he produced at the time. So theoretically we could call this one "Glyph Interactive," but if we did that, you wouldn't know who the hell we were talking about. Glyph musings aside, this is actually quite an entertaining little piece of work and, strangely, probably one of my favorites. It's designed as an adventure game, with areas to explore and puzzles to get done. The environments are stylish and the gameplay entertaining. There are a lot of rooms to explore, and whoever did the work on it really made the rooms capture the whole feeling of Prince's artistic style, from the purple hues to the scantily clad women and sexual innuendo. It is not a hard or long game, but then again, when it comes to this subject matter, something easy to play with is de rigeur. Queensryche
Promised Land is probably the most commercial, and least successful, of any title in this collection. Sure, it was mass-marketed, and at the time of publishing it could be found in any game aisle side by side with Myst and The 7th Guest. But this has little to do with any sort of artistry by the members of Queensryche. No, it has much more to do with some record company wanker who must've been one of the millions who bought Myst and had the strange idea that he could use that business model to sell more headbanger music to Queensryche fans, as well as fans of Myst. The game is comprised of four worlds, one for each musician, and a hub world, a la Myst Island. The hilarious and truly campy portion of this game lies in the fact that the developers apparently interviewed each musician to get his "artistic vision," and this they then attempt to incorporate into each world. You will just have to find a copy of this and give it a whirl to get the full gist of what I'm saying. These fellows actually try to get artsy and melodramatic, based likely on a stunning decision by one and all that guitar players and drummers have something profound and earth-shattering to tell us. Preachy and slow-witted, Promised Land is a true point-and-click camp classic. The Residents The Residents are brilliant and strange. Or maybe that is strangely brilliant. Whichever way you load that gun, the fact remains that the Residents are the gold standard for offbeat musicians buried in their art taking the capabilities of music and interactive graphics and actually producing some titles that are entertaining, disturbing and riveting all at once. Each one of these is a home run in what the Residents were trying to accomplish, and each is in varying degrees gamelike. Check out the Four Fat Chicks reviews of these here. The Rolling Stones
This disc has the usual suspects, lots of music and some interactive playing. What it has that is unparalleled by the others obviously is the Stones, as well as the Stones' money, which makes for production values a tad more extravagant than some of these other players could muster. It does not, however, break any new ground but rather plays it safe with all of the action occurring at a party in a big mansion, where the player can have a look-see and click on things in the environment. Soundgarden
For Soundgarden fans, this release had to have been pure bliss. Firstly, the disc itself functions as a full regular music CD. But it also doubles as a multimedia experience that allows a bit of playing and exploration. The player starts out at a main menu, where five paths are available. In taking these paths, the player is treated to videos, pictures, and areas of exploration with little games in them and things to do. It's not a monster title, but it does well in what it sets out to do, and it is actually quite entertaining and well-produced. But you have to be a Soundgarden fan. Todd Rundgren Published by Electronic Arts and called an "Interactive Music Experience," No World Order is more a music toy than anything. It allows the player to rewrite, reorganize and remaster Rundgren's 1994 album of the same name. Rundgren, a ground-breaking musician who got his start in the 60s with
the group Nazz, also created the second music video ever seen on MTV,
led the progressive band Utopia, had a few top-40 hits, and has produced
over 60 artists, including Cheap Trick, Patti Smith, Meatloaf and XTC.
But he really missed the boat with this, on what was going to be the
"next big thing." In an overblown swollen-head festival, here
he renames himself "TR-i" and pronounces this will allow the
player to "overthrow conventional expectations and create something
entirely new." The effect of noodling with his music quickly wears
off, and the player finds that the studio work is best left to the professionals. |
