Hotel Dusk: Room 215

[gamegirl79]

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/hotelduskroom215/index.html

Who else is picking this up on the 22nd? Somehow this passed me by when it was first shown at E3 last year, but the latest issue of Nintendo Power has a pretty thorough review of it and I'll definitely be getting it. The noir look and feel along with a good story just does it for me.

There hasn't been a whole lot of talk about this game though, at least I haven't heard much about it. I wonder if it's going to be one of those great games that just fall under the radar?

[cyberfluxor]

I'm one of those that hasn't heard of it. Seems interesting enough to look into and wait to see how it takes off. The text is Japanese and it seems wierd considering that's what they have posted and the release is soon. Any reviews of this game out yet?

[koster]

The February issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has a short review (positive) of the game, with a few screenshots.
Looks like it's worth picking up.

[Daria]

Looks pretty cool. I generally like point and clicks and enjoyed Trace Memory. But they're also the sort of game you play once and never touch again so I may just be renting or borrowing this one.

[njiska]

I'm trying to get myself a review copy, but if nintendo doesn't send us one then i'mm damn well be buying it. Looks to be a lot more fun then Trace memory.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Ive been wanting this game since I saw it at E3 and have been spreading the word about it since. Its US release date was sitting in limbo for awhile, but I heard of this definitive date awhile ago too. Glad to see more people are becoming interested in it. It looked and souned great back then, and it looks jsut as great now. Hurry up, 22nd!

[MarkMan]

I should be getting my copy soon. Can't wait to play through it. The vid made me O_O with excitement.

[Julio III]

I'm definitely getting this game, been looking forward to it for a while as i really enjoy point 'n' clicks. I think its not coming out in Europe for another month or 2 though

[Schenley]

Anyone find this game yet? I checked 5 stores today, and none of them had it in yet. One guy told me it was delayed, but didn't know when it was coming out.

[Funk Buddy]

A friend in Ark said Gamestop had it, but wanted $5 more than suggested.

[heybtbm]

I've seen this at both Target and Best Buy in the past two days.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Damn...I haven't even heard of this game. I'll be sure to check into it. I haven't seen anything about it at my GameStop.

[Rabid Peanut-Butter]

I've checked my local EBs, GameStops, and Best Buys with no success. I finally found some at my local Toys R Us though. They only recieved eight copies.

[sega-trader]

Ebgames wouldn't take preorders and didn't get any copies. Couldn't find anyone in town who got copies so I ordered from buy.com. I'll have to wait a couple more days, but it was cheaper.

[segagamer4life]

I picked up a copy for the wife yesterday, just from watching over her shoulder it looks like a nice game, and the use of the ds like a notepad, ala brain age is a nice added touch as well.

[Schenley]

Yea, I gave up looking locally and got it from buy.com as well.

Even had a 7% discount coupon sitting around that I was able to use...

[Gapporin]

If you can swallow your pride, I've also seen it here locally at Wal-Mart.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Man, I was out in Vegas this week and it was a BITCH trying to find this game!! Every store gave me a different reason as to what happened to the game (from they were only shipped from preorders to the game was outright cancelled)! I finally found it in Target on Wednesday and have been playing it since (mostly on my flight home. I am liking it so far. Its slow, yes, but I like it like that. Not bad, not bad...

[gamegirl79]

I have it on the way from Buy.com and I can't wait to try it out. Is it more like an interactive novel?

[maxlords]

Weird....I found it at my local supermarket 3 days ago :) Snagged it as soon as I saw it. Haven't had time to play it tho :(

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I have it on the way from Buy.com and I can't wait to try it out. Is it more like an interactive novel?

I think thats the best way to describe it, as an interactive novel. You pretty much walk around, talk to people, figure some puzzles out here and there and repeat. Sounds dull to some, but between the artwork, music, storyline, etc., I'm liking it :)

[Schenley]

Got mine from buy.com today, and started playing it right away.

I love it! The art style is fantastic - right from the very moment you start the game.

[joshnickerson]

I plan on buying it eventually, but I already bought my DS game for the month with Phoenix Wright (which I still haven't even opened yet)...

[DaBargainHunta]

Picked it up yesterday. Haven't played much yet, but I LOVE it so far. I absolutely adore it. Based on my limited playtime, I'd already say this is a MUST GET.

It even got a 10 in EGM! (Along with two 8's, but hey, that's nothing to sneeze at either.)

I also got Phoenix Wright 2. I haven't even finished the first one yet, but I wasn't gonna risk this becoming hard to find later on (it was a pain in the ass for me to track down a copy of the first one). Besides, I paid less for 2 than 1, so I came out ahead.

[njiska]

Picked it up yesterday. Haven't played much yet, but I LOVE it so far. I absolutely adore it. Based on my limited playtime, I'd already say this is a MUST GET.

It even got a 10 in EGM! (Along with two 8's, but hey, that's nothing to sneeze at either.)

I also got Phoenix Wright 2. I haven't even finished the first one yet, but I wasn't gonna risk this becoming hard to find later on (it was a pain in the ass for me to track down a copy of the first one). Besides, I paid less for 2 than 1, so I came out ahead.

I imported Pheonix Wright 2 from Japan and reviewed it for Blogcritics back in decemember. You won't be disappointed.

[DaBargainHunta]

I imported Pheonix Wright 2 from Japan and reviewed it for Blogcritics back in decemember. You won't be disappointed.
I just googled your review, and you've definitely got me anxious to play the game. Nice job!

I just have to finish Phoenix 1 first...

[njiska]

I just googled your review, and you've definitely got me anxious to play the game. Nice job!

I just have to finish Phoenix 1 first...

So worth it. Be warned though the 5th DS only chapter is ridiculously long. So much fun though.

I'm getting my review copy of Hotel Dusk this week so expect a review of that to be up in the near future.

[meancode]

So far its quite fun. I completed Chapter 1.

[sirhansirhan]

I had to look around some (I went to at least four places before I was able to find a store that still had this in stock... ), but I finally found and bought a copy of this today. Despite my recent gaming overload (I've bought way more games than I actually have time to play in the past few months), I played Hotel Dusk until my DS ran out of batteries today, which is to say that so far, I really like it. It's nice to see a Deja Vu-style game; that's one of my all-time favorites.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Well, I took my time with it so as to lengthen my fun, but I have beaten the game and it turned out everything I thought it would be :) Nice little plot twists towards the end..not too obvious, but also not too far fetched. I don't know how some people are complaining about the ending, but I thought it was very well done. It was a bitch to find originally, but thumbs up Nintendo/Cing!

[Snapple]

Finally got my copy today. There's no way I was going to let a point-and-click adventure for the DS slip by me.

It's neat so far. The dialogue is great, and I'm really into it. I'm pretty far into the game, I'd say. I'll probably finish it off tomorrow if I don't get stuck.

I think it's superior in every way to Cing's last DS outing, Trace Memory. The story is more interesting. The art is more interesting. No more of those lame puzzles. And it's longer than Trace Memory, too.

[Mayhem]

Well it plays like a bigger version of Trace Memory and RE DS combined, and the characters look like extras from the video for "Take On Me". And I'm really enjoying it so far :)

[Snapple]

It really is exactly like the A-ha video.

Well, I just beat the game tonight. Everyone on the Hotel Dusk board on GameFAQs is saying they got different endings, where different people will leave the Hotel with Kyle at the end. (I left by myself, so I guess I made some major screwups)

But it seems like there are multiple endings, and it's still not clear how to obtain all these different endings. I'd like to find this out.

My favorite character was Melissa. I thought she was cute as a peach. I was hoping that Kyle would kill Kevin and then adopt Melissa in the end.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

It really does have to do with how and what you say to certain characters throughout the whole game. I got the "best" ending where....

**spoiler begins**

I was able to say goodbye to everyone (you can only hear Rosa and Mila through the door) and, when I left, Mila ran out after me and we left together. After the credits, a small clip plays between Dunning and Rosa and guess whos hows up? Jenny!

**spoiler over**

Now I gotta play again and try to get into room 220...

[Snapple]

*Spoiler*


So I guess that thing about Jenny returning really is true. In my ending, Jenny didn't return, and Mila didn't run after me. I just left. And also, Iris didn't even say goodbye to me.

I'll play through again when I have a better understanding of what affects the endings.

[calgon]

I've seen a couple of reviews that are all over the scope in terms of gameplay. Call me old, but I was sucked into the story and atmosphere right away. It's a shame this game didn't sell better, I hope that doesn't deter other games of this ilk being released for DS

[Oobgarm]

Existing topic:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95258

[geneshifter]

All the dialogue killed it for me. EDIT: I should say the incredibly S...L....O....W... pace of the dialogue killed it for me. Loved the art, though.

[killersquirel]

you're old...

but so am I and I dig it as well

[sav127]

I loved it to death. It is in my top 5 favorite games of all time.

[Graham Mitchell]

I bought it in August this year for my birthday. Haven't finished it yet (I so rarely play my DS now...) but I intend to as it's a great game that evokes elements from a long-gone era in gaming. I thought it reminded me of Snatcher a little bit!

[PapaStu]

Existing topic:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95258

By the powers of the MERGE! I HAVE THE POWERRRRRRRRR

[blissfulnoise]

I beat Dusk over the holidays actually. I guess I stunk too because I left the hotel by my self (though leaving with Iris should have been a priority).

I enjoyed it a bit even if it was unevenly paced and featured a LOT of repetative dialog.

I'm not longing for a sequel but I would like to see Cing do something else in the adventure genre.

[Jorpho]

So... Just how many hours does it take to finish this game, roughly? Is it a 10-20 affair, or much shorter, or much longer?

The local rental place happens to have a copy, and I bet it will be a lot easier just to borrow it for a day or two than it would be to try to track down a copy for myself - though there'd be no point if it takes much longer than that to see most of what the game has to offer.

[Sudo]

So... Just how many hours does it take to finish this game, roughly? Is it a 10-20 affair, or much shorter, or much longer?

The local rental place happens to have a copy, and I bet it will be a lot easier just to borrow it for a day or two than it would be to try to track down a copy for myself - though there'd be no point if it takes much longer than that to see most of what the game has to offer.

I'd say 10-20 hours is a fair estimate. It's by far my favorite DS game, definitely worthy of a purchase IMO. I hope they make a sequel since the ending(s) leave the door wide open for one, but I'm not gonna hold my breath.

[Julio III]

I just finished this sometime this year (looking back at this thread, I said I was definitely buying it on release, whoops). Really enjoyable game. Anyway, I hope they DON'T make a sequal. Games like this don't need one. After finishing the game I was surprised to find out that Cing are all Japanese. I assumed it was made by Americans given the setting.

[calthaer]

I just acquired this game a few weeks ago; am making my way through it. Definitely worth playing if you enjoy the adventure game model.

[carlcarlson]

Anyway, I hope they DON'T make a sequal. Games like this don't need one.

Yeah, I saw Lost in Blue 3 at GS today. ...the hell? There are three of these now? Talk about overkill, I hate it when this happens. The first game is great, then a second is released to piggyback on the success of the first. Unfortunately the second is just more of the same, so it loses a bit of credibility. When the third comes out, then that's game over.

[Jorpho]

Ahh, finished. Would have been nice to take my time with it, I do admit. I even got the good ending! Sure did involve a lot of restting of my DS, though.

It's pretty good, and it owes a lot of its quality to the atmosphere and art style. Still, it does contain one or two very small but prominent bits of adventure-game stupidity, and the ease with which you can get a Game Over is reminiscent of the old Sierra games. On the other hand, at least there's not a large area to wander aimlessly through if you happen to get stuck, and there is some cleverness in the way that you are prevented from picking up unnecessary inventory items. It's also nice to be saved from trying to use each inventory item on each other inventory item.

By the way, is solving the vending machine puzzle optional? Can you give away candy instead of the special prize, perhaps? And does something different happen if you start the game over from a completed save? And it's not really possible to get into Room 220, is it?

[calthaer]

I believe I read somewhere that the vending machine thing was a sidequest and was optional. I know that there is only one point in the game where you can get the coins to complete it, because there's only one point at which you have your money and you are able to talk to Dunning at the front desk. It doesn't let you ring the bell whenever you want and have him come make change. So that is kind of dumb.

I found a lot of the "game over" scenarios to be pretty intuitive, actually. I mean, you have the option of asking people certain things, or saying certain things to them, that, if you think it through, you can reason: "Wait - if I say that to that person, they'll be able to tell that I went somewhere I wasn't supposed to be" and things like that.

But yeah, there were some stupid things. One of those stupid things for me, Jorpho, was when you find yourself in the position of having to hide some things in your inventory and not have them on your person lest you be caught.

I'm sitting here thinking: OK...there's an extra key to my room, and they reveal that someone else could get in there. Furthermore, my suitcase isn't locked. So that's a bad place to hide it. But there was a room across the hall where the only spare key was the one I had, so why not hide these items somewhere in there? Or even in the linen closet? Because if they're found in my room, I'll be just as condemned as if they're found on my person.

But no, the only place the game lets you stash them is in your suitcase. Took me a little while to figure that out. It was the one place that I thought was an abjectly stupid "hiding" place.

[Jorpho]

But yeah, there were some stupid things. One of those stupid things for me, Jorpho, was when you find yourself in the position of having to hide some things in your inventory and not have them on your person lest you be caught.

I'm sitting here thinking: OK...there's an extra key to my room, and they reveal that someone else could get in there. Furthermore, my suitcase isn't locked. So that's a bad place to hide it. But there was a room across the hall where the only spare key was the one I had, so why not hide these items somewhere in there? Or even in the linen closet? Because if they're found in my room, I'll be just as condemned as if they're found on my person.

But no, the only place the game lets you stash them is in your suitcase. Took me a little while to figure that out. It was the one place that I thought was an abjectly stupid "hiding" place.

Indeed. On the one hand, the suitcase is lockable and thus theoretically secure; on the other hand, it is demonstrably possible to break into it! But since the game explicitly tells you to hide the client list in the suitcase, it was at least rather intuitive to me to try to stuff other things in there. It's clever little nudges like that which particularly impress me about the game.

What I didn't like is later on when someone will for some reason only answer the door if you have a particular item in your inventory - as if the fact that you're carrying something should have any influence on his behavior, especially since he already know you have it stashed somewhere anyway! And it's one of the items that would have gotten you thrown out if you were carrying it a minute ago! I literally went screaming to GameFAQs for that one.

I should add that I really like the soundtrack for this game, which someone thoughtfully ripped and made available here (http://buttonbasher.wordpress.com/2007/02/06/hotel-dusk-soundtrack-download/). I particularly like two tracks from near the end, #26 and #27. The former has that neat and highly appropriate little riff on Hotel California, and I wish I knew where to find more awesome jazzy organ music like the latter. (Seriously, if you can suggest something along those lines, let me know.)

So... No one's managed to get to Room 220? There is something on GameFAQs that suggests you can get in there if you start over from a completed save.

[Jorpho]

Bump. Anybody?

[Snapple]

If you start over with a completed save, you get a new code for the code breaker that willl help you get in room 220. Inside is something related to Mila. I haven't actually done it yet, because I heard it's probably not worth playing the whole game again.

[Jorpho]

Apparently this game is finally getting re-released this week.

[Oobgarm]

Indeed. Best Buy on Wednesday, $19.99.

[Graham Mitchell]

I still haven't beat it. Damn, it's long! I would have LOVED this to death if it were on console or the PC. It's an epic, even in comparison to most classic Sierra games, I think.

[Oobgarm]

Saw it today. It has a G-Touch Generations tag and bar across the top of the insert.

Same with Clubhouse Games.

[joshnickerson]

Sweetness. I never got a chance to pick it up before it went out of print.

[Jorpho]

Saw it today. It has a G-Touch Generations tag and bar across the top of the insert.

Odd that the bar says "A Detective Novel" (and "Un Roman Policier") here in Canada. (Less of a novel than Phoenix Wright, I'd say.)

[Zing]

After buying and playing the horribly boring and badly designed Trace Memory, I am hesitant to buy anything by this developer.

[Sudo]

After buying and playing the horribly boring and badly designed Trace Memory, I am hesitant to buy anything by this developer.

Don't be. While I enjoyed Trace Memory, it isn't even in the same league as Hotel Dusk. Hotel Dusk is still my favorite DS game, and I've played a ton of them.

[slip81]

hmmmm, reprint huh, I wonder if this is why I saw a ton of used clubhouse games and hotel dusk's sitting on the shelves at eb the other day?

I'm not sure I'd be surprised if eb was in the practice of pulling OOP games off the shelves and just leaving one or two out there once in a while so they know they'll sell, and then dumping the rest of the stock back onto the floor when and if it gets a reprint.

cause it just seems odd that i would always look for this and clubhouse and never see them, and now with the reprint there are a ton of em.

[Jorpho]

I hope this gets even cheaper sometime soon. It was such a pleasant experience that I think I'd like to play it again (and get to room 220!), but maybe not $20-like.

[Porksta]

Saw it today. It has a G-Touch Generations tag and bar across the top of the insert.

Same with Clubhouse Games.

Yup, I got mine from CC.com the other day, so now I have to return it. Sigh..