Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a HUGE Agatha Christie fan, and have read numerous of her novels. EVIL UNDER THE SUN is not one of them. I thought it might be fun to play the game instead, so, when I recieved it as a Christmas gift, I was eager to pop it into the Wii and give it a shot.

EVIL UNDER THE SUN is not your average Wii game. In fact, it is more like a PC game on a Wii console. You do not use Wii motion sensors for hardly anything (okay, maybe one brief thing). There is no aiming, or shooting, or swinging, or anything like that. This is an entirely point-and-click game. So, anyone looking for a Wii physical game won't be satisfied with this one.

If you're still with me, I'll tell you what it's like to play the game. It is not an action-packed game. There aren't any gunfights or weapons or fighting. It is a mystery game, in which nothing is given to you. You really must use your "little grey cells" to navigate through the game. There are several tricky spots that might require some online aid. However, I find it a completely riveting game. Some might find it slow, but I think it's fun. If you like to solve puzzles and you don't mind thinking while you play a video game, I think you'll enjoy it too.

Another review has mentioned that it gets slow watching Poirot walk everywhere. Indeed, you don't have unlimited access to the entire island where the game takes place. You must walk everywhere. However, once you figure out where everything on the island is, it gets less frustrating. I also found that if you press the "A" or "B" button while Poirot is walking, it automatically brings him to his destination.

What are the graphics like? Good enough to tell the story, but not better. The music is beautiful, but is rarely heard. The voice-over for Poirot isn't quite a Suchet, but is satisfactory. All of the suspects are voiced quite well also. In addition, if you have a hard time hearing the characters, all of the dialogue is subtitled at the bottom of the screen (which can be very helpful).

Summary:
PROS: Great plot, lots of twists and turns, and very riveting. I never quite got over the thrill of being able to control the great Hercule Poirot!
CONS: The graphics could be better, and some aspects of the game (like Poirot walking) will be tedious for impatient players like me.

If you want a respite from mindless fight games, here's your game. However, if you're not willing to exercise your "little grey cells" all throughout the game, stick to SMASH BROTHERS BRAWL.

I am an Agatha Christie mystery fan, and they did a good job with this game. There are parts that are a little annoying at first, like the time it takes to walk all over, but when you figure out where everything is, and you can figure out what is going on so you know where you need to go, then that part isn't a problem anymore. It is a point and click game, but it is a mystery game- not a action game- so it works well. I have other games for action. The characters and voices are done very well, very consistent with the books. If you like Agatha Christie, you will like this game. I'm hope they make more A.C. books into Wii games. I can't compare this game with similar titles, as I haven't played 'And then they were none', or the nancy drew game because of poor reviews, but if they don't come out with another one of these soon, I might have to try those out too.

I just finished this game. It has enough variety of directions to be interesting. The culprit is not so obvious, which is good for keeping your attention. Good response of the guiding elements. Confess I used a walkthrough after getting stuck a couple of times.

Keep in mind that, aside from a few maneuvers with the remote that simulate utilizing tools (screw driver, file, brush, wrench, etc.) and playing darts (yes, playing darts), this game is completely point and click. Graphics are kind of choppy though there are some nice ones to be seen throughout the game (hotel lobby, guests' rooms). Game play is intuitive for the most part (You find a clue at one point and will eventually figure out where it can be used at another), however there were several items that just didn't make much sense initially. There is a sense of logic to the game ( For example, I HAD NOT found the secret keyhole before i found the key, but based on where I found the key (the character who had it hidden) and what else I had found along with the key, I had a hunch on where it might be used. Upon further investigation, my hunch was correct and found where it belonged.
I did have to find an internet source to decipher zodiac signs (thought the lending library in the game would have helped me on that) and had to repeat,from a previously saved point, the "bath salts test" (there should have been a way around this if you got the order wrong, but instead the game just sat at standstill until I reloaded it: So DO SAVE THE GAME OFTEN). Other than that, I was able to finish it in a few days without the aid of a walk through.
Personally, I did enjoy it though it was short. You will enjoy the game if: A. You're an AC & Poirot fan B. You don't mind some watered down graphics C. You have some patience (Instead of resorting to an internet walkthrough, think about things awhile and apply some common logic, it will often pan out for you (Isn't it better to gain through your own little gray cells than just grabbing it from a walk through?)
Once you finish the game- And you will- Check out BOTH the Ustinov and Suchet film versions of Evil Under the Sun or better yet, read the book: You'll find the developers of the game borrowed from all three!

Great, Great mystery game. My wife was finally stumped with this one. Great game. She's excited to get even more mystery game because of this one.

This is the second game I have bought for the Wii. This game is awesome!!! It is pretty realistic and you have many choices of how to proceed, just like the PC game "And Then There Were None", and nothing like Murder on the Nile(lame). You use the controller to turn and twist things. I was very impressed. I can't wait for the next Agatha Christie mystery to be made!!!!

Could not take how slow this game plays... we play Nancy Drew on the computer as a family (my husband, me, our teen, 9 year old and 6 year old) and really love it. After seeing bad reviews for Nancy on Wii, and good reviews for this game, we decided to try it. If we can have the same amount of fun but sit on the couch and relax while playing together, it would have been perfect. But none of us could take Poirot. He drove us all crazy. The walking was incredibly tedious... and we have played many Nancy Drew games with seemingly tedious transportation issues, but this one was so horrible that after an hour we simply turned it off and downloaded a new Nancy Drew game for PC. I gave it 3 stars because so many people who finished the game really did like it -- but I wanted to make sure other folks understood that it is an incredibly slow starting game. We will try again when we have LOTS of time and LOTS of patience. IF WE DECIDE WE LIKE IT, I will update this review.

Evil under the Sun (wii) is a typical point and click game. So if you dont like point and click games, avoid this one like the plague. I find this game absolutely boring and irritating. If you consider going from one end of an island to the other end and back again, then back again, and so on and so forth adventurous, then you must have a pretty lame life. The story is OK, but it is not at all gripping, its all work. There are not enough clues to really play on, at least common sense ones, and You spend most of the time traveling from one end of the island to the other trying to find one person to speak with in order to progress. Or in some instances if you just fail to pick up an item that is barely seen to the naked eye, you will find yourself just pointlessly running back and forth trying to figure out what you missed so you can progress. It was impossible for me to beat without looking at a walk through at times. Why did I give it 2 stars? I am merciful.