Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6015 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Atari
• Released on: 2005-09-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Platform: Xbox

Amazon.co.uk Review
In a nutshell:
The term "interactive movie" is justly associated with misguided attempts at combining games and film. Fahrenheit’s cinematic leanings, however, incorporate the elements that make movies different (characters, tension and plot) with well thought-out game mechanics, and the result is uniquely thrilling.

The lowdown:
Making decisions against a rapidly dwindling timer, your character wakes up having just committed a bizarre ritual murder of which he has no memory. You must switch between playing the fugitive and the cops on his trail, your conflicting jobs are to help the anti-hero escape and conversely to help put him behind bars. But what mysterious force drove him to kill in the first place?

Most exciting moment:
Frequent interludes of rapid button pressing simulate physical exertion as your character escapes a looming threat you can see catching up with you. Your heart will be palpitating. Your nerves will be frayed.

Since you ask:
The introduction and brief tutorial from the game’s "writer/director" David Cage, is actually the head of the title’s French development team, Quantic Dream, animated as a videogame character.

The bottom line:
Utterly superb movie-style thriller with genuine frights and a superbly tense climax.
Nick Gillett

Manufacturer's Description
New York January 2009

For no apparent reason, ordinary people are killing total strangers. Although there are no direct links between the murders, they all show the same ritual patterns. Lucas Kane becomes one of these murderers, and haunted by strange visions he must try to keep one step ahead of the police to discover what is happening to him.

Inspector Carla Valenti and Agent Tyler Miles are heading up the investigation. A series of disturbing clues takes them into a world they can only dream of. Meanwhile the early onset of winter paralyses Manhattan in an unbearable grip of snow and cold. Each day the temperature drops as the winter conditions draw over the dark streets of New York.

The final countdown has already begun!

Customer Reviews

Innovative game
Let me start by saying this is not an action game at all in the conventional sense. It is geared more towards those who like adventure games and even then it is completely different to what you may have experienced before.

You are effectively playing an interactive movie. The game consists mainly of 'simon says' type games where you have to match movements on the analogue sticks to create reactions on screen and responses to questions from a list within a small time limit. The upshot of this is that you never have any direct control over a character during action sequences as this is sacrificed in favour of cinematic visual displays during the game.

This game is also very adult in nature. That's not to say that this is used as a cheap gimmick to get adolescents to buy the game as the content is a part of the story but profanity and adult themes are in there. This is not really an issue as I suspect that this game only really appeals to the more mature gamer. There isn't enough here to even remotely accommodate the graphics and action obsessed youth.

This may sound like a negative review but its not. I really enjoyed this game. It was like picking up a good book where you had to persevere to the end to see what was going on. Your actions can have repercussions and you may need to replay some chapters in order to see a different outcome at the end (which by the way you will see in about 6-7 hrs)

This is a novel and refreshing change to games found on a console and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the adventure genre and is willing to put in the time to uncover the mystery but don't have any expectations of it - experience it. Try a demo if you aren't sure.

100 degrees
What can I say a fantastic blend of set pieces and free will,You play as main character Lucas Kane who wakes up after commiting a murder with no recollection of doing so or one of three other secondary characters, detectives Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles or Lucas's brother Marcus.You must evade police in search of the killer or end up being put inside for life.This game plays very much like watching a movie BUT! don't let that this put you off,I nearly did and would have missed out on a truly thrilling experience. This is unlike any game you will ever play making the right decision with split second timing and the use of both analogue sticks in life threatening sequences in order to succeed prove to be a heart racing experience.Graphics aren't particularly ground breaking but do the job, characters are involced and voice acting passes the requirement needed to keep you involved in the story and plot,a welcome release from Atari.All in all a fantastic experience not to be missed!

Good game - but you still may not like it
I have no arguments with most of the positive reviews here. This is undoubtedly a worthy and interesting new take on the adventure game genre. Anyone who plays it will recognise this as a 'significant' game.

But I want to introduce a note of caution: this game is not for everyone. There is a very good chance that long before the end you will give up through boredom or frustration. It's that sort of game. You can appreciate it's quality and strengths but that doesn't mean you will enjoy it.

The story, the strongest part of the game, starts brilliantly but tails off about halfway through and ends up quite daft. The interactive/action elements (so called gameplay) at first seem engagingly different but, like the story, slowly you realise they've deteriorated to become tediously frequent, often unnecessary punctuation. It actually inteferes with your enjoyment of the story.

But the main problem is that the hype would have you believe this is that almost mythical thing: a true interactive story which branches as you progress, dependent on the choices you make. It isn't. It is much more linear than most reviews would have you believe. Very little of what you do actually makes a significant difference to the way the story pans out.

What you're left with is a decent, if familiar, refreshingly mature, well presented and involving story, FOR A GAME. The characters are well defined and well acted, FOR A GAME. But is that enough for many gamers?

Look at it and compare it to any well made investigative/detective police series on TV - you see this sort of material, and better, week in week out. The point is that it can just about hold it's own in this company - that is what really makes it a unique game.

But then you have to consider the interactive/action elements which help define this as a game rather than just a story. Are they relevant, interesting, or even well done? Answer: often not.

Somebody else described Fanrenheit as "a murder mystery married to a dance game". I would refine that and call it a flawed murder mystery in an uncomfortable menage-a-tois with a dance game and sports game.

If that sounds like the sort of thing you may like, give it a go. But please do not expect Fahrenheit to be the best gaming experience you've ever had.