![]() What I do like about the story is that neither Christine nor Joe is a particularly good person. There are only a few very obvious choices that affect the game's outcome, and everything still comes down to a single melodramatic decision. It's an intriguing dynamic, but it's handled with zero subtlety. Both have opportunities to be unfaithful throughout the game, and Christine can ultimately decide to split with the money and leave Joe to rot. Joe's being in prison naturally puts a strain on things, and it doesn't help that he said he was cheating on her in an attempt to establish an alibi. Though it's clear Joe and Christine love each other, their relationship is (if you'll pardon the turn of phrase) on the rocks. The game's sole saving grace is its bumpin' jazz soundtrack, which perfectly complements the beatnik aesthetic and gives otherwise drab scenes a bit of dramatic punch.Īs I said, there are some interesting ideas at play here. Though based on some interesting ideas, poor execution leaves the story middling at best. Stumbling at almost every turn, Alcatraz is ugly, frustrating, and worst of all, interminably dull. Unfortunately, a good recipe is nothing without a good cook. A point and click might not be the best medium for that concept, but in my books it's still a recipe for success. Meanwhile, Joe's beatnik wife Christine has to track down the money he stashed on the outside and secure their way out of the country. He has to smuggle and barter his way out of captivity, avoid rousing the guards' suspicions, and use improvised combat gear to take down a psychotic inmate who's out for his blood. The game stars Joe, an ex-military convict orchestrating an escape from America's most infamous correctional facility. In theory, 1954: Alcatraz should have slaked my thirst (in more ways than one, seeing as it's Daedalic's first adventure written by a native English-speaker). A few notable games have taken a crack at the setting, but The Suffering was more supernatural horror than I'd have liked, Prison Architect and Prison Tycoon put you on the other side of the bars, and the less said about Prison Break: The Conspiracy, the better. Staging a prison break, or just trying to survive on the inside could form the basis of a truly compelling stealth or horror title. The cramped quarters, arbitrary rules, and microcosmic social and political structures make for unique gameplay dynamics. As long as he gets to the doctors and gets treated it's alright.I've always thought that a prison, used right, would make for a great game setting. Video Game Cruelty Potential: Go ahead, sic the guards on a prisoner and have them unceremoniously beat him even if he didn't do anything.The player is capable of going inside the buildings, where the individual inmates, staff and guards can walk about with everything to scale. Shovelware: Both the developers and the publishers were infamous for developing this type of games.Completely averted by Under New Management, which has far more varied colors. The most colorful things you'll see are the prisoner uniforms. Real Is Brown: The Virtual Playground-era games are infamous for their drab and dark color palette.Luxury Prison Suite: Not quite, but it is advised that you pay extra attention to the cells/beds of gang bosses.Guards will rush toward any escape tunnels they find while under alert, even when off duty. Command & Conquer Economy: Justified, seeing as it's a prison facility. ![]() Cardboard Prison: You start with a poorly designed minimum security prison.There's even an island map in the fourth game. The Alcatraz: This is a well-designed high security prison.Prison Tycoon: Under New Management (Early Access in July 1 2021).Prison Tycoon 2: Maximum Security (2006).Another one is available on mobile devices and smartphones. However, the general quality of the games has steadily increased with each installment - relatively speaking, anyway the fourth game in the series still received a reviewer score of 2.5 out of 10 on IGN. It has thus far received four installments, all of which received poor to mediocre reviews by critics. Prison Tycoon is a series of video games produced by ValuSoft, with the goal of building and administrating a penitentiary facility in the United States.
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