Category: Tycoon Games

Bionic Heart (Tycoongames.eu)

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Luke Black’s just a regular guy living in 2099 London, a world that’s constantly raining.  His fiancé of ten years, Helen, wants him to stop toying with her and tie the knot.  Later, a bionic being named Tanya comes to his home on the run from her creator.

This sounds like Catherine except set in a sci-fi world.  While the plots are similar, the game is nowhere near as great.  Vincent, Katherine and Catherine all seem to have their own hidden depths.  Vincent’s afraid of change but later realizes that change isn’t so bad.  Katherine wants to get married but there are hints that her parents are pressuring her.  Catherine seems like a fun loving girl but then you realize just how crazy she really is.  When Vincent is on the latter’s path and eventually chooses her, you get the feeling that his sanity is slipping.  The case is the same in this game; a normal guy is having trouble with his girlfriend when this mysterious woman pops into his life.  Helen just wants to get married, no explanation why.  At the start of the game, she gives an ultimatum not getting the hint that if a guy doesn’t marry you after ten years of engagement he probably never will.  No matter how badly you treat her, she doesn’t leave.  You know that Helen runs her own shop, but she seems to have no life outside of Luke.  Luke is equally guilty in this, because he led a woman on that eventually he would marry her even though he despises the idea.  Still, the fact that Helen sticks with this guy doesn’t say much about her.  Sometimes I wonder if women this pathetic secretly don’t want to get married.

Tanya has a psycho side and Luke never seems to get the hint that he needs to get rid of her.  I’m well aware of Tanya’s back-story, but it doesn’t make up for what she’s capable of.  One wrong move from Luke and Tanya does something psychotic.  Luke claims that Tanya’s kind and polite, but we don’t see that.  At least Vincent admits that Catherine’s trouble.  There are endings that involve Tanya showing exactly what she’s capable of.  Not to mention that Tanya’s life revolves around a man, much like Helen’s.  There’s another hint that as long as a man keeps Tanya under control she won’t go psycho.  It’s like a sci-fi Bewitched.

The only woman who has potential is Tina, and even she constantly hits on her partner Roby, who is revealed to be engaged.  I have no problem with women hitting on men, but I do have a problem with people hitting on someone who’s taken.

Luke also has a friend named Tom who’s just a perverted mouthpiece for Luke.

The game is a visual novel, so you just read the plot and make decisions.  The decisions you make affect the endings you get and your relationship with Helen, Tanya and Tom.  You can end up with Helen, Tanya or no one at all.

This game has a decent plot, but is a poor representation of men and women.  I give it 1 out of 10; I hope the sequel will be better.

Heileen 2: The Hands of Fate

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After the last adventure, Heileen is shipwrecked on a mysterious island with Robert and Ebele. In order to survive, Heileen must rely on her friends. Meanwhile, a pack of tarot cards wind up on the island that hold the key to Heileen’s past.

In the last game, other people pushed Heileen on a certain path. However, in this game Heileen takes a more active role. Instead of people deciding for her, Heileen is asked to make decisions for the people in her life. Her choices influence her relationship with Robert and Ebele. It is also her decisions that can either lead her and her friends on a righteous path or throw them into the depths of sin. She can also decide if she wants to remain in limbo.

During the game, you select tarot cards that represent the seven deadly sins and the seven virtues. When you go to sleep, you select a card and you make a decision in your dream. After the dream ends, a card flashes to show if you chose the path of virtue or sin. It also affects what situation you find yourself in on the island. Like the last game, you can find quests to complete. Finding a quest gives you two points and completing it gives you three more points. Gathering items in the dreams also helps you complete your quests.

This game has an intriguing concept and can become very addictive. I give this game 6 out of 10, far more superior to its predecessor.

Heileen

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Heileen’s uncle just received stock to take to the New World. On the journey, Heileen meets many interesting people and discovers what secrets her uncle has been hiding from her.

This one is nowhere near as good as it sounds. It’s just some spoiled girl whining on a trip, and yet everyone wants her, even the women. I know, you’re probably thinking “homosexuality in 17th Century England, no way!” Yes, there actually is, and the characters are a little too open about it. Before I get over a hundred comments telling me that homosexuality did exist in the 17th Century, I’m not saying that it didn’t. I’m just saying that due to very strong bigotry, you wouldn’t find many open homosexuals walking the streets. No, that is not the only historical inaccuracy they committed in this game. I don’t really know that much about the 17th Century, but I do know that according to this article, some behavior we regularly take part in today would be considered crude in that time period. The characters partake in this behavior regularly, especially Lora. There are some references to historical events in the 17th Century, but the characters behave like they live in this time period. It’s very much like the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, only without their charm driving the movie.

The characters themselves are not intriguing in the slightest. Despite Heileen’s whining, she’s loved by everyone on the ship. Come to think of it, that’s actually believable considering that the only other women on the ship are Lora, her uncle’s mistress, and Marie, who does not meet the standards of 17th Century beauty. It’s hinted that Marie is such a reject that she’s not even considered to be worthy of rape. Just so this review doesn’t become long and boring, I’m just going to sum it up in one sentence. Rape is not about beauty, it’s about power. Not to mention that Marie isn’t even that ugly. Sure, she doesn’t meet the standards of 17th Century beauty like Heileen does, and she doesn’t wear as little as Lora, but she’s not completely hideous. No wonder Marie has so many emotional issues. As for Heileen, I said earlier that it’s believable that she would be the most sought after on the ship. However, that does not explain why everyone is completely in love with her. Anyone who hates her is automatically labeled evil. The other characters Heileen can have a romance with are John and Lora. John is the bad boy sailor that Heileen’s drawn to, and I can see that. I just don’t see how she can fall in love with him in such a short amount of time. As for Lora, I’ve already said that she’s Heileen’s uncle’s mistress, so she and her uncle watched Heileen grow up. Yes, that’s right, Heileen hooks up with a woman who has been a parental figure to her. Anyone else thinks it sounds like lesbian wife husbandry?

The story is not historically accurate and the main character is a Mary-Sue. However, it’s still an interesting play through. I give this game 2 out of 10.