In Sproing Interactive Media did not resemble Pendulo Studios, vayayuschey version of Runaway 2 for Nintendo DS, which for the most part will copy the original. Undercover: Dual Motives - a different story, different from a good friend Undercover: Operation Wintersun for PC. However, with the same main character: our protégé, a physicist named John Russell, was again at the wrong time and wrong place. Events taking place before the plot Operation Wintersun, so that Dual Motives is the background, rather than a logical extension. As it turned out, at the dawn of a career, Russell was suspected of treason, and the main purpose of adventure - to find out the reasons for such distrust. And find out quickly, without waiting for security staff to spy on you get tired and they will come to the conclusion that the doctor's time would be forcibly transmit to places not so remote.
So, we have a typical quest: the pixel-hunting, inventory, puzzles, jigsaw puzzles - all fans of the genre have long known to and overhaul, it seems, did not require it. However, the authors Dual Motives are not looking for easy ways: not only that they did not carry the original Undercover on Nintendo DS, providing a completely new development - they also figured out how to surprise us by shifting to the shoulders gamer controlling two characters at once. Throughout the game, we are free to switch between John and his boss's secretary, named Audrey. Yes, let several concurrent playable characters - not news, but still a rarity. Offhand player, more or less familiar with history can be called unless the episode, Goblins and its domestic analogue of the adventures of Brothers to the pilots. Someone will find in addition to the memory freeware-design Two of a kind. But the relatively recent games - only last year's The Secret Files: Tungguska, but it has only a few "pairs" of scenes, and no more. In general, we were bored.
 | |  | Characters can be arbitrarily far from each other. Some of the puzzles are based on this. | | Dialogs reading as comfortable as in the same Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - each character is selected the whole screen. |
Developers Dual Motives easy to understand: a good game, where most of the puzzles have been solved through the interaction between the characters themselves, oh how difficult. But Sproing Interactive Media have succeeded. Want to slip into the chief's office? Nothing could be easier: one character is distracted, the other is looking for workarounds. Can not get out into the street, as Russell was ordered not to produce beyond its SRI? Switch to Audrey! And this is only the bare minimum - to reveal features the adventures of a couple and on it would be unfair.
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Having two characters at once, to realize a comfortable control even for the Nintendo DS is not very easy, but the developers have successfully coped with this problem. While using a considerable part of the buttons (besides the stylus!), A failed scheme will not name - to the same, releasing valuable space on the bottom screen. So: Right Shift is responsible for switching characters (you can use the «X» - on request), the left allows you to open a map - by the way, it can be navigated with a stylus. When you press the cursor up a list of things that are present in the pocket of our hero, and when you click "down" displays all the active points, which are available on the screen. To transfer a thing from one actor to another is very simple: you open the screen with the contents of the selected pockets of the hero, to take the stylus right thing, close the screen and just point the stylus on the second hero. Similarly, you can give subject to any other character. In words, all sounds rather complicated, but try to come up with something more comfortable - hardly succeed. In addition, the fingers themselves are getting used just a few minutes of play.
 | |  | If desired, you can highlight the active zone - it will simplify and speed up the (so better some times think before you take this opportunity). | | Puzzle briefcase with a lock will require you to good hearing, so do not forget to include the sound if you have it for some reason turned off. |
Incidentally, unlike the original game, the protagonists are not dragged into the pockets of all that is bad, and new puzzles were surprisingly even more interesting! True, there are several contrived obstacles: for example (as is usual in such games), a screwdriver is the only person within miles, and give it away just so he did not want to. Laws of the genre! But such frills quickly lost on the general background, and even seasoned players will not seem strange. In any case, most of the decisions is always at the surface and figure out exactly what we expect from the authors, it is easy. Note, not "just", namely "simple". In other words, the head must be included.
Graphically Dual Motives pretty good: two-dimensional backdrops and carefully rendered 3D-characters go perfectly on the smaller screen Nintendo DS. There are some misunderstandings with the animation, but after 10 minutes, most players probably will stop paying attention to them - still would be yes because we face a real UK 1930-40 years! Unfortunately, the developers did not bother to voice characters, taking into account the small amount of dialogue in the game, as well as overall its duration, it's a little sad.
 | |  | Not all characters are willing to cooperate with you - you will either perform a certain task, or consider how best to use feminine charm. | | Let the mini-games in Dual Motives are not very many, but the existing pleasantly entertained - by the way, they all involve both the console screen. |
And, of course, any quest - fun does not hurt for long, spend the whole week will only the most leisurely. In relation to Operation Wintersun prequel looks like a demo version, so it is short, even taking into account the laws of the genre. All other disadvantages compared to this - baby talk. On the other hand, if you are not confused, and the same Another Code: The Two Memories, passed for one or two evenings, relished - and highly recommend to try this dish. And for lovers of adventure that Another Code: The Two Memories, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Phoenix Wright all the little, Dual Motives - and far more reason to buy Nintendo DS. Believe me, this is only the beginning, because for Undercover, Runaway, and Nancy Drew likely will be pulled and the other quests.
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