Still Life 2, ironically enough, is a work-of-art doomed to muuuurrrrder. I absolutely loved the first one back in '05 and just recently found out (06-2014) that the sequel actually got released. And, though I loathe online videogame criticism because of the era of repetitive flash we live in, (i.e. the move forward and shoot, and do it again games) ya just can't help but accidently read them as you learn when the hell the game got made. I know I'm a hypocrite -- so doesn't that nullify itself?

Still Life 2, according to every review I've read anywhere, was supposed to suck like a '93 hoover -- reliably, but you have to lug it around. The whole time I was waiting for this horrible game to happen. Ya know what? The game is great -- the era is wrong. See, if this game came out before we were spoiled be an entire Saw movie franchise and golden globe actors voicing over in games like Mass Effect, than people would remember this game as a tense sequel worthy of a trilogy -- that I wish would happen, but now can't (Post Mortem to me is more of a pre-series). It's the same reason you can't have "iso-games" like Baldur's Gate anymore. Anybody growing up with videogames just after Pong -- like my 80's generation, can appreciate games that are older. We'd rather have awesome gameplay and out-of-the-box thinking over next-gen graphics. I.E. we'd take this game over your leading flashy graphics, first-person "move-forward and shoot" game (not mentioning titles so people don't get distracted off the point).

I hate listing bugs because it's almost like when you do people seem to think that the game in question is the only one with them -- ever. Pong use to freeze -- every game has bugs. The only two I saw through this game was one that blacked the visuals when I talked to a person without first having an item in my inventory (you'll know when you walk away from the npc and your screen blacks-out for a second that this bug will soon happen to you unless you fix the cause by getting that item, then talking to the person), and the fact that when the "that won't work" speech happens it's always Hernandez and not McPherson no matter who you are playing (I image they are missing a line of code that signifies McPherson is b*****ing -- or when she gets frustrated she does impressions). Those were the only bugs seen in a game that was release online in Germany and almost not released in the US. Usually games that end with that sentence are for your iPad-Tabl-a-Phone -- so the fact that a game that looks like it's comparable to the first one visually and has the same feel made it on the pc should be celebrated more than it is. Kind of like the Star Trek 25th Anniversary sequel Judgment Rites -- which had no bussiness not getting a graphics overhall -- but back then we didn't care 'cause it was it's sequel (it was suppose to look the same).

This game will not go over well with people who strictly like Call of Duty or MMO's -- 'cause it's an adventure/detective game. That said, many people had trouble with the puzzles and found them agitating. Puzzles are agitating -- that's why they are puzzles, that's why they are fun. Again with the generational thing -- in a world where we purchase things online and text each other for instant gratification -- this game will be lost on some due to the hours of thought that may go into one puzzle. I know kids in this generation that, if they can't figure out a reply to their text message will put people on ignore -- so yeah. Some puzzles make no sense at all to the player -- because they only make sense to the bad-guy -- if you think "what would I do if I were a pixelated linear homicidal bas**** with the need to write things down somewhere?" you'll do alright.

The Plot. Let’s start with Sarah Leger aka the voice of Victoria McPherson. I like her voice and her commitment to a videogame character -- back before people started to really give a s*** about the how artistic that kind of thing was. She was great in Still Life and she's great in Still Life 2. Worthy of her own mini-series. The other characters... Vary. Now, again we live in an age where Martin Sheen will act in your videogame -- we use to live in an age when Scott McCulloch would voice your Player 1. Who the hell is Scott McCulloch? Chris freak'n Redfield, Resident Evil Director's Cut on the PS1 -- that's who. My point is it's a videogame and they get a very limit budget compared to hollywood -- if the gameplay is solid and fun and the plot drives it forward then do you really expect the Sheriff of Mayberry to quote Hamlet?

So the plot. Again, if it wasn't for the fact Saw made so many of these damn things it would've been cutting-edge *snicker*. But it's still good. I don't know what people wanted. It's the only game of its kind -- where it doesn't focus on the brutality of Saw, and for the most part you are in the aspect of the Agent after the killer. It also fills in the gap between the first game and second -- affirming what you should've known about who the first killer was, but didn't get spoon-fed.

This also confused people: so let me just say -- if Victoria is wearing a black turtleneck sweater she's in a flash-back just after the events of Still Life 1, and if she's not then she's naked. Well she's not ever -- never mind. Also they flash the date -- so, if you are one of the people that still can't get this new-fangled plot concept I hear the latest battlefield has new DLC again.

The problem is despite the negative reviews, it's not the plot, it's the execution *snicker*. See, the killer (I don't want to give any spoilers) doesn't believe in his own motivations because the writer didn't (unlike in the first where they mirrored Jack the Ripper -- so they didn't have to understand -- they had a pallete). Speaking as a psychopath (that is not synonymous with killer) with no real respect for modern day society I can tell you my reasons are more adult then "it's liberating" to not care about society. The motivation for an intellectual is to realize that society as a whole is a lie to cover up what we don't want to expose to others. Dexter was a great show that captured this ideal. The killer's motivation in this game is more like a teenager that didn't get his way, than an adult who's tired of watching people stupider (yes that's a word -- stupidest didn't use to be a word -- now who the hell knows) than him destroy possibilities around him.

But that's the only undertone I think people don't like here. Take away that melodrama and the plot is solid and fun. And hell -- with the melodrama in -- had Leger not had to carry everyone, it could've been a made-for-tv movie.

What I'm saying is -- it's a videogame -- it was a truly interesting sequel being that it took the Agent-to-victim twist like you didn't expect from a sequel that almost didn't happen. It also closed all the question you had in the first one. I hope for some reason Microids of France releases a Still Life 3 and they mail me a copy.

Recommendation: Still Life 1 = Ripping good time, Still Life 2 = Buzz Worthy.

Rating 6/10

Overview
Point and Click adventure game with severe flaws


I was enjoying the game to a certain degree but this game does so many things wrong in the genre its hard to recommend this to anybody who is a fan. For starters the dialogue and voice acting is terrible making it very hard to care about the characters and story. The story is suppose to be something serious but characters act and say the most nonsensical things you can imagine. It also doesn't help they changed the voice actor from the first game which doesn't fit the character at all.

The worst offender though are the puzzles are so confusing to figure out and the game gives little direction in what your suppose to you feel you have no choice but to use a walkthrough. To top it off they introduced a limited inventory system so you can only carry a few things with you at one time and put the rest in storage. You don't even know if you have the right items to even solve these puzzle. The inventory system belongs in a survivor horror game not a point and click adventure game. Collecting items feels like a pixel hunt which only adds to the frustration.

However the absolute worst thing I experienced which is why I decided to write a review for this game, is a game breaking bug near the very end of the game. The offical websites and forums are taking down so their is no longer a save file to download to progress any further. Apparently I did something out of order which caused this to happen. Essentially if you do play this game, you need to follow a walkthrough thoroughly or you will be screwed.

Their are a few positives. The music is good in addition to the atmosphere, and for a game in this genre, its actually pretty long.

Overall, their are plenty of other games to play than this one. The first game although flawed, is better.

Quick review:

Short Verdict: I didn't really like the first game, but it was playable enough for me to get to the end. Then, I decided to play this game to know what happens after the prequel. For a second, I thought this crime point-and-click adventure game was gonna be better than it's predecessor. Then came the bugs. Although most of the changes were good, the bad changes were absolutely terrible! Stay away, don't even bother! The bugs were so many that I had to quit playing after a couple of hours.

Pros:

• Improved 3D graphics
  
• Now we actually have BGM... yay!
  
• The forensic kit seems really nice (I only got to use it once, though)
  
• Cool objective list and hint system
  
• The atmosphere when you play the captive is really intense
  
• Interface icons are really clear (read the manual!)

Cons:

• LIMITED INVENTORY! Absolutely annoying feature, only adds to pointlessly having to run back and forth
  
• Boring and confusing story with boring characters
  
• A LOT OF BUGS! (see list below)
  
• Some puzzles don't make any sense (I drank a vial or something that healed me, I don't know why... Was it supposed to be trial and error? Because I couldn't find any clues about it)
  
• Voice acting changed for some characters, always for (even) worse
  
• To sum it all up, seems like a game that should've been made in 2 years, but was made in a week

Bought on / for: Arctic Bundle by Bundle Stars. Paid an average of US$ 0.36 per game. But this is not worth a penny, unfortunately.

List of bugs I've encountered:
(Note that I've played for less than 2 hours and those are the bugs I remember)

• I got two mattress when there was only one. I got the first one, the mattress disappeared. Then I got the second one and the mattres showed up again on the bed
  
• The reporter drank the vial and kept holding it forever
  
• Sometimes, my character got teleported like 2 meters away
  
• When I died, the image seemed to freeze, like she was sitting before she died... Really weird

No where near as good as the first, although the quality of the puzzles are great especially for the veteran point and click adventure gamer. Since they make you stop and think instead of automatically knowing the answers like some of the more modern titles.

Only two bad thing I can say is there seems to far to many unexpected moments where you only have x amount of time to do something before dieing which keeps you on edge and frantically saving after each puzzle. There are loads of numbers and codes throughout, which while making it feel more real does mean having a notepad at hand is useful.

Overall it has plenty of puzzles that stop you in your tracks throughout. Dont expect to many hints though, this game doesn't spoon feed you all the answers and some it damn right forgets but mostly theres enough to on. it was an enjoyable experience and would definitily rate it if you have a habbit of flying through games without getting stuck give this ago it will challenge you.

A far cry from the first game. The controls are mouse only, but the view shifts as the character moves, making navigation tedious at times. This is especially bad when what you want to click on is just off screen. Some puzzles have timers, and doing things in the wrong order (or taking too long when the clock is ticking) will result in death. Still Life 2 adds a pointless and very frustrating inventory system, where you have X blocks in your inventory and items take up blocks based on their size. Items cannot be dropped, though there are storage containers in select areas (these are not universal). Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing what you'll need later on and what's outlived its usefulness.

The story isn’t terrible, but the developers seem to like M. Night Shyamalan way too much. Near the end, it seems like there’s a new “twist” every 5 minutes. It’s not nearly as interesting as the first game’s story. The two also aren't related in the slightest. Speaking of… the “ending” to Still Life is interspersed in schizophrenic flashbacks, which only last a few minutes each (trying to stretch the “surprise” out) instead of like the first game where the alternate scenes are a whole chapter each, and actually tell an interesting (and related) story.

I can only speak for myself and not one else. For me this game tends to pull more resources than it should need and I find it a little bit boring. I wish I hadn't spent my money on the game at the very lest I am happy I bought it during the summer sale and hadn't wasted the 20 some USD for the package. The first one was a lot better than this one however and I would recommend you play the first just be warnned it can tug on your heart strings and you should brace yourself for it.

A great Mystery Adventure, good story, nice graphics
and a decent length game.
I did prefer the first game over this one but it was still good.

Not as good as Still Life, but worth a play.

Not too great, easy to lose track of the investigation and get stuck.

I made the mistake of reading a few reviews before finishing the game, but after I had started it. I had been frustrated by a glitch and because of the way I had saved, I'd have to start the game over to get around it. The reviews I read were very critical, and now I can't stand to play this game. It's awful.

My own frustrations are this:
1. I expected to continue the very good story with a strong female protagonist that the first game set up. Now I have some stupid girl obsessed with "ooh recording clues on my smartphone!" It doesn't even follow the same story. Once we get to Los Angelos, we look through a few clues ther incriminate a person (no spoilers here) and then we end up time leaping to the ♥♥♥ end of nowhere to resolve the case of a MUCH less interesting copycat.

2. Now we have to play as some other stupid character. Some "savvy" reporter who probably sucked about half of the interesting out of the protagonist, but still doesn't have enough to be fun on her own, bumbling about because she can't really do anything.

3. Gameplay. It's awful. Still Life was ten times as visually appealing and fifty times as easy to play. It's so glitchy and only so they could get some totally cool 3D graphics in that weren't even as good looking as the previous game.

Microids, I implore you because I know you are capable- pretend this game never happened and write and produce a new Still Life 2.

This murder mystery sequel has you take on the role of two characters. One is in charge of tracking down a murderer, and the other is the murderer's latest captive. So this game is part detective work and part survival...an interesting combination.


Gamers-Haven


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdZ_dTKZdEQ

A disappointing sequel to a great game. Lower budgets, less locations, worse voice acting, new nonsenical systems added, dumb plot that doesn't come near the first game and an overall feel of disappointment. If you haven't played Still Life 1 yet, play that instead, it's much better than this atrocity. Avoid like the plague.

A disappointing and a bad sequal to such a great point & click game.

When I got this I was very excited to play it since the first game is my all time favourite. But not only was I majorly disappointed, disgusted and frustrated when playing, I also stopped two times because it was so bad and finally promised myself I would finish it. And let me say it has been the worst 15 hours of gaming I have ever had. I kept torturing myself just because of an promise... to myself. Sigh.

After the events of the first Still Life FBI Agent Victoria McPherson is tracking down another serial killer, this time in Maine. It uses the same storytelling of switching between characters when Vic investigates and a journalist Paloma Hernandez tries to survive.
This time the story just isn't interesting. It feels more like a Saw game and it would be okay if this actually was about Saw. And if you thought the voice acting was bad in the first game then I'm glad to announce in this game they are the worst of the worst. You will come to hate Paloma because of her voice.

Along with those there are multiple bugs which didn't even exist in the first game (walking in the air, Vic's voice switching to Paloma's in a wrong place, pointing a cursor to a place where there should be something but the mouse doesn't indicate so, etc), really bad performance (game lagging and freezing and the screen is really dark and you can't change that), the graphics look worse for a never game and a new inventory system which was nothing but frustrating and time consuming when you had to pointlessly run between bins and cupboards dumbing items which you didn't need to get the ones you did need. Finally I'm sad to say that not only in the first game but in this you will likely know pretty soon who the man behind this game's events is.

The only good thing I can say that it offers more challenge because you can actually die. There even seems to be more challenging puzzles whereas in the first game there was just a couple of them.

So if you very much would like to play a good point & click game with adventure, murder, mystery, I suggest to only play Still Life.

+ Comparing to the first game this is much harder so it's good for those who like a challenge
- Uninteresting story
- Very terrible voice acting
- Bugs
- Bad performance
- Graphics look worse than in the first game
- Inventory system which proved to be frustrating and time consuming
- Guessing who the man behind all this is easy
- The first game's killer's identity is told so poorly it feels rushed

God how I hate this game. Mere words are not sufficient for me to describe my bitter hatred of this game. I wish I were artistically inclined so that I could funnel my rage in a violent abstract painting or in a Shakespearean tragedy so that it can be used as a warning for future generations against still life 2.

I liked the first game, but I regret wasting time on the sequel. Just to put this in perspective, I played this game two years ago and I still get angry when I think about it. Shouldn't I have gotten over this by now? Clearly I have been psychologically damaged by playing Still Life 2. Hopefully this review will help me find the closure I so desperately need.

The dangerous part is that the first 3/4 of the game is not bad, but the last bit is horrible and makes no sense. The ending pushed me over the edge from irritated to enraged. Go play still life 1 instead, and avoid the PTSD this game instills.

I would recommend buying this game and gifting it to all your enemies though.

I hate to write negative reviews, but I am ready to make an exclusion for this "game". 1) This is pixel hunting erected to absolute. 90% of the "game" is evidence finding, moreover all this "action" takes place in the same house. And don't be shiny if you think that you found all of the evidences, in the next chapter you will do exactly the same in the same house, but at night. Interesting, isn't it? 2) "Puzzles". All "puzzles" in this "game" fall into one category: "Flew two gooses, one of them due east-west, and the other is an elephant. Guess safe code." So, if you are interested in all that I said above, you are welcome to try this "game". But in all other situations, run from this "game" as far as you can.

How the ♥♥♥♥ did a good game like Still Life get a ♥♥♥♥ty sequel? Well I'm going to explain what is wrong with this game.

Cons:

1. The Storyline is bland & boring

2. Terrible Voice Acting

3. I'm honestly going to tell you that all you do in this game is hunt for evidence or solve the terrible puzzles the game has to offer

4. Limited Exploring

5. Limited Inventory (There are shelves or garbage bins throughout the game to put your items in but you always have to backtrack all the time just to get a certain item you need, It's really ♥♥♥♥ing annoying)

6. Terrible Animation on the 3D models

7. The Suspenseful music plays at the wrong time like for example if you discover a certain piece of evidence the music starts playing & honestly what is so exciting about evidence?

8. Sometimes the voice actors talk silently & I had to lower down the music volume to hear what they had to say

9. The music is repetitive and annoying

10. There is no steam overlay (It's that useful tool to access stuff like the internet while your playing a game)

11. Terrible Cutscenes

12. Too many time limits

Pros:

1. The inventory for holding your FBI tools has been improved

2. I'm the only one that thinks this but I noticed that the killer in his gas suit looks just like the NCR soldiers in Fallout: New Vegas

Overall I would just stick with the original Still Life because the Devs failed to make a good sequel. (I personally think the devs were trying to experiment with new game mechanics but they overdid it with the new ideas). If you don't believe me on how bad this game is then I suggest reading this steam post http://steamcommunity.com/app/46490/discussions/0/846945955350435179/ & please avoid this game like the plague.

For point’n click adventure gamers Still Life 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the original serial killer hunt. SL2 to is true to its style meaning that it’s still as bloody and violent as the original – exceptional thing in adventure game. The game is really compact and all the events take place in a small environment which works out surprisingly well. Puzzle design is fairly good, but there’s awful lot of pixel-hunting and running to and fro. The plot twists are good but the overall storyline has many flaws. All in all Still life 2 isn’t as good as its predecessor, but it’s still worth a try if you’re into serial killer cat-and-mouse-things.

One of the more buggy games I've played. Add that to the so-so plot and so-so puzzles and spending way too much time "analyzing" blood samples and... well im stuck on a bug right now where the game freezes when I enter a certain room, i know how to get around it from finding others who had the same issue... but... i don't really feel like continuing. It's a chore. It'll just be more searching for blood spots that mean nothing to the plot. Seriously, how is finding what must be 50 blood, hair, shoe prints, tire tracks, random other samples, half of which are from the same person, all in the same boring location, just to advance to the next cut scene worth my time? They could have cut the clue finding in half, added more story, location and artistic value, and the game would be much better. But they didnt. They made this, a point and click "adventure" "horror" story... with tons of clicking and not much adventure... or horror... or story.

A solid murder-case adventure game. If you're familiar with Syberia you'll love this. Just make sure you first play Post Mortem then Still Life and then Still Life 2 as this is a trilogy.

Don't buy this. Seriously, just don't. The interesting concept is ruined by an extremely shoddy design.

First of all, the voice acting is poor. Like worse than your avarage kid's show poor. One of the main characters is supposed to be of latino heritage, yet often speaks with a Swedish accent. And she tells you how something you try can't possibly work even when you're playing with the other main character.

The music is so loud you can't hear the dialogue but if you stay in an area for long enough, the music stops completely. Even if it's suspense music. It just goes away, and takes the illusion of suspense with it.

You can't find certain necessary items, unless you happen to walk to the exact small spot on the screen, and the camera moves so you see it. And this isn't around the corner stuff, I mean when you're in the open front yard you can see an important portion of it only if you stand right next to it.

You have to look around places but sometimes after zooming in the character simply makes a comment about what you're looking at, and then pulls away. Nothing there to take, she just needed to see that thing. Right? Wrong! You have to click it again, and search it meticulously for anything and everything on it, even the writing you can't see but which the character makes an important note of when you click it (the changing cursor is your only aid).

The camera also likes to move so that it's sometimes extremely awkward for you to get out of the room; in a few places you have to click each step for about seven steps until the camera let's you see the exit (when you're close enough). It's so frustrating I'm amazed this game got the metascore of 67 back in 2009. Even back then, I would've given it maybe 45. But I don't know, maybe I'm not harcore enough point and click adventurer to appreciate the game more, even if the plot did compel me to see it to the end.