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  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3y9voPGUSo Welcome, everyone, to Deja Vu! This is Miketopus, an old face to screenshot LPs, only recently come out of an unexpected retirement from the scene. Given how I'm getting back in the saddle, I thought I'd take a different direction and guide everyone through a lesser known game by ICOM Simulations known as Deja Vu. You may be more familiar with their most famous title Shadowgate, which recently enjoyed a very successful remake. This title takes a different direction in point-and-click adventure, however. It's 1941, December, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The streets of Chicago are rife with crime and violence. Greed and corruption are rampant, and the USA is feeling the harsh reality of a world at war with itself. It's a city of detectives, people who cross the line between civilian and police to rough up the tough guys and put down the gangsters! Delicious exposition aside, Deja Vu is one of several point-and-click games that experienced a cult popularity during the 1980's. Mindscape published the games on Macintosh computers, and Kemco published three of the titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System soon after. Deja Vu, in particular, experienced a re-release of both the original title and its sequel, Deja Vu II, on Gameboy Color as well. So, with so many choices of platforms, what is our medium of choice? I spent a lot of time debating this. By far, the easiest platform would have been NES, since emulation screenshots and video captures are easy as pie. However, I just couldn't get over how much worse the game looked, in terms of quality and Nintendo censorship. It took a bit of doing, but I decided to go with the Apple IIGS version. But, since the Apple versions don't have music, and only the barest of sound effects (gunshots, punching noises, etc), I will be regularly posting links to the soundtrack from the NES version. This will give you a "best of both worlds" LP, which this game deserves with how awesome it is to play even nearly three decades after its release. Three decades? We are getting old, aren't we.  Anyway, on with the show!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeRx124RfHY Good [morning]. Welcome to a nightmare come true. You are waking from a stupor that feels like a chronic hangover after a week in Vegas. There is a throbbing bump on the back of your head, big enough to make your hat size look like an Olympic record. You notice your right palm is covered with dried blood, but you neither see nor feel any open wounds on your body. On your left forearm you feel a sharp pain under the shirt sleeve. Rolling up the sleeve, you discover what looks like a fresh needle mark. "Have I been injected with something?" you wonder. Then you realize, "I? Who am I?" YOU CAN'T REMEMBER! As you come out of the fog you are able to make out your surroundings. You have no idea where you are and why you're here. You have no memory ... WHATSOEVER! Our forgetful hero wakes up in a bathroom still with no recollection of himself or what he's doing. And, while this game is awesome, the interface really does its part to give you that "What the hell am I doing my brain hurts" sort of vibe. If you're familiar with these type of adventure games, you may already be finding some familiar territory with the interface. The center of the screen is, naturally, the scene in which we're currently at, the top two rows are commands, and the bottom is the descriptive text. The inventory window is on the left by default, and the map indicating areas where you can go is on the right. "Self" is a separate command in case you need to target yourself for an action or for using an item, which happens semi-regularly. You're not missing much in the menu options up top; it comes with a fairly typical early-PC save/load game system where you name the file, and it becomes the heading for your descriptive text window. There's also "Clean Up" and "Mess Up" options under the Special tab, but for the life of me I'm not sure what these do even after clicking them. One more point: You may have noticed I put brackets around "morning". The game goes off of your internal clock, and wishes you good morning, afternoon, or evening as applies. Pretty cool for the era! Things will make a little more sense as we go along. For now, let's start by checking the trench coat. It's a gray trench coat that matches your trousers (and probably your taste). I'm not really sure how I taste, to be honest, but thanks for the input ICOM.  This is part of why you saw a big gray area on the right before. Opening up containers of any kind opens a new window. This is going to get even sillier in a second, because you can open up containers inside of containers sometimes.  As you can see, there's a lot of... stuff here, and only some of it will actually come in handy. But, I'm taking everything for now, and I promise you it will be wonderful.  Yup, they were hiding one more thing in case you weren't being thorough, and a pretty important thing at that. From left to right and top to bottom: Office key, card key, $20 bill, quarters, trench coat, lighter, sunglasses, handkerchief, cigarettes, and wallet. Naturally, the second container you saw before was a wallet, and not a "leather wall" as the game would have had you believe. It's a key with the word, "OFFICE," inscribed on it. It's a card with several tiny holes punched into it. Printed on it are the words, "PRIVATE ACCESS CARD, PENTHOUSE SUITE, SIEGEL, APT. 1A." It looks like a twenty dollar bill. It's a quarter with the picture of some dame on it. It's a gold-plated lighter with the initials J.S. on the side. It looks like a pair of sunglasses. The lenses are very dark, obviously for those who are very cool. It's a handkerchief with the initials J.S. embroidered in the corner. It's a fresh pack of Luckys. It's a wallet made of fine black leather. It has the initials J.S. embossed in a corner. Also taking the gun. The gun is vital now and again for saving your life, but since this is an adventure game it is by no means a free pass from all danger. Anyway, time to exit this stall.  Let's check ourselves in the mirror, see how we're holding up.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baAgbLa4c7k Should probably see a doctor about that case of sand-face, too... oh well. Let's get out of here.  Bar or women's restroom? Well, you can go into the women's restroom, but there isn't much point as there's no items or anything unique to speak of.  Naturally, I went in to check and make sure. But, notice the headache? That isn't just flavor text; you're running on a clock right now from the start. If you don't recover from the amnesia before time runs out, you fall into a vegetative state and eventually die. This was removed from the NES version, with one exception that we'll get to down the road.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CutvlHN4Y On the bar is a shot. It looks like a shot of rye mixed with something. Three ways out, one leading outside, one to the basement, and one going upstairs. The front door to the streets is locked. Let's go upstairs.  Two of the posters read as follows: It's a poster of "Puff" MacMuffen. No boxer ever took a dive so gracefully as he. It's a poster of "Doghouse" Riley. A boxer who never did get very tall, but always tried to be. The third poster, however...  So, we're some kind of boxer? Or, based on the theme of the other posters, an ex-boxer. Interesting. Moving on through the door.  Not much to do in here. There's an envelope inside the desk. It looks like a standard legal-size envelope. The lamp doesn't have a light bulb in it (  ), and while the game does give you a text box to dial a phone number, the line is cut.Going through the next door...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyJD-PynHKU  Well that's... not good. See you guys in the next update!
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Nov 23, 2014 09:56
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I remember trying to play this on the NES. Being about four years old I did not have a grasp on what the hell you could do. My father also stumbled around with this game, never knowing what to do. Can't wait to see what we missed.
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Nov 23, 2014 10:34
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Welcome back! When last we left off, our forgetful hero just stumbled upon a corpse in an office just above a bar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyJD-PynHKU Naturally, our first move is to "Open" the corpse. Must be plenty of goodies in there!   The desk can be opened as well. This yields a total of two keys, a pencil, and a piece of paper. It's an unmarked key. It's a key marked, "FRONT." It's a common #2 pencil. those who had schooling usually become ill at the sight of one. It appears to be a blank piece of paper. The safe on the left is a combination safe. We don't know the combination yet, so not much to be done there. However, the shutter behind our dead pal leads outside.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CutvlHN4Y It's a bit hard to tell with this perspective, but you can either go back through the window, up a level, or down a level. Going down a level would lead to the alley outside the bar, but it's a one way trip. Besides, we're not quite done with Joe's.  Going up a level reveals a fourth floor, accessed via another window.  It almost looks like an electric chair, but it has no power supply leading to it. It has restraints for the arms and head. Perhaps it's a dentist's chair. Interesting, a restraining device in a hidden room atop a bar.  In addition to the syringe in the wastebasket, there's three vials of medicine on the table. The syringe is currently empty. It's a vial labeled: SODIUM PENTATHOL. The vial is empty. It's a vial labeled: DIETHANOL TRIMENE. The vial is empty. It's a vial labeled: MEDREZINE. In the NES version, the syringe is replaced with capsules, but the system itself works like this: You can use medicine you find on yourself with the syringe. The syringe itself doesn't break or cause you any harm, but some of the medicines you find aren't entirely beneficial... more to follow in a bit.  I don't remember seeing an elevator anywhere, do you? Let's see where it goes.  Top button does nothing, but the next one down works. Also, brain damage from drugs. Who can forget?  Hrm, secret elevator passage... if this guy is the owner, maybe he isn't as innocent a victim as we thought. Let's head back downstairs.  Unlocking the door just to be safe is a good idea at this point. S'EOJ RAB is almost done, but it may be necessary to come back in a pinch. Just one more area to explore, and that's the door under the staircase.  The wine cellar seems simple enough, although checking one of the bottles on the far right reveals a telltale "lack of dust" that is worth investigating with commands like "Operate" or "Hit".  More secrets? Not entirely surprising, given what we saw upstairs. Let's check this out.  Weird is right. Maybe Joe was trafficking something down here. What's in that other room?  Huh... a hidden underground casino. This is starting to make more sense. Gambling in the 1940's was... complicated. Secret casinos were fairly common, and operated fluidly with or without unofficial support by authorities. No wonder Joe needed easy access to the sewer system; he needed an easy way to move product and clients in, and a bolthole to move them out if needed. Oh well, since we're here, nobody will notice if we throw a couple quarters on the machines. Say... the one on the right.   I put two quarters in. The slot machine is expanded upon greatly in the NES game, with rolling slots and semi-random outcomes. While definitely an interesting "spin" on the original game, in this version the right slot machine appears to be much simpler: two quarters, and then you've got pretty much enough of them for the rest of the game.  Pretty soon I'll have to tidy up the inventory for a bit, but for now I'm just going to admire my windfall. Also, pictures of a couple pretty infamous gangsters there. It was also at about this time I realized that I never opened up the envelope in my inventory.   Interesting, a bill of sale for the medicine we're toting around. And an address! This is our first major lead.  But first, let's finish up the exploration with the sewers. Don't worry ICOM, I'm not that easily excitable.  Not much going on in this tunnel, so let's head back and-  JESUS CHRIST!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFip1UyrG94 The alligator in the sewer is a semi-random encounter, and you don't get a lot of time to react to it. Maybe this is the real reason why the casino was empty...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbIDMQfQjfk Naturally, I go back and have some revenge.   It's best to get the alligator out of the way early, since I believe it only happens once and killing it makes the sewers a safe place to go to ground.  It also leads to this important area, which will become clear towards the end of the game.  For now though, let's take a dip!  Okay, enough suicides... well, okay, maybe a few more.  All that work just to wind up outside the bar. Let's go back in for a minute.  Two of the three vials were empty. The third...   Anyway, going to the right from Joe's Bar takes us to the police station. Let's go in and say hello!  Hi guys!   Yup, you can go turn yourself in at the police station at pretty much anytime in the adventure. In fact, you have to go there at one point to actually beat the game. I hate to keep saying this, but we'll get back to that point much later in the LP. Oh, but sometimes there's also a very important random encounter on the way over to the station.  Well hello there toots! How can I hel-    Rubbed out by a hooker... and not in the way that encourages you to leave a tip. A femme fatale if ever there was. See you in the next update! Incidentally, if you're a history buff or simply interested in a bit of Chicago history, this site presents interesting articles on gambling in the early half of the twentieth century: http://online.sfsu.edu/hl/g.ec.html
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Nov 24, 2014 09:32
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I played a lot of this game and never got super far, this and Shadowgate. Uninvited too, come to think of it. Looking forward to seeing how it pans out.
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Nov 24, 2014 11:28
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I loved this and Shadowgate when I was little, although I didn't get very far with shadowgate I completed everything in this game up to the point where I was gonna go to the police. However that's where I got really stuck, I even downloaded a walkthrough for the game but it just told me to drop everything except certain things in the sewers and the game told me I couldn't do that. Will be cool to see what the actual solution to that puzzle is. Fredrik1 fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Dec 2, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 09:40
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Hey guys, hope you're ready for the next update, because it's a doozy. One thing I wanted to note before we begin proper: You remember that time limit I mentioned before involving the amnesia turning our hero into a vegetable?  Yeah, turns out that happens really fast in this game. I'd say ten minutes, tops, before instant game over. So, finding the cure actually takes a much higher priority than it did in the NES version. I bring this up because you may see some inconsistencies between certain screenshots. Even though I'm in roughly the same place, I had to start the game over and speedrun back up to where I was before. This also means item sorting is out the window while I do this, so the inventory will be a mess in the meantime. Anywhere, where was I?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CutvlHN4Y Oh yeah, this bitch.  Got a surprise for you too, you gun-toting harlot!   Yup, the solution to this puzzle is violence against women. Welcome to the 1940's!  Good thing that description box is there at the bottom, or that container name might get pretty awkward. Completely incorrect coloring aside. Anyway, inside of the woman's purse there's a makeup kit, a twenty dollar bill, and a gun. Taking everything, naturally. It's a makeup kit. Don't get any funny ideas. It's a small Saturday Night Special. All right, let's get out of here. ... But first.    On the way back, I get mugged by a second random passerby.   Seriously, it's the same solution. Maybe you're starting to see what inspired the title for the thread. This guy is actually very, very annoying and dangerous, however. More on that in a bit. We need to open the car, and since there was only one person in the bar, chances are Joe's unmarked key goes to his vehicle.  Success! Let's check things out. ...  I did dawdle a little at the beginning, but most of this is necessary to get to the cure in time. Humorously enough, replaying the game turned out largely the same, except I skipped the gator and ran through the bar. Still got mugged on two consecutive screens by two bitches, though.  Sweet, my own Mercedes. Let's drive to the hospital and-  -die a horrible flaming death, apparently! Although, that hooker did mention an unpleasant surprise for Joe, looks like it's a bomb.  The glove compartment reveals a few items of interest.   A photo and a map? Ohhhh, I get it. The map was supposed to make me drive the car. Clever, clever. Still, it sounds like there's something important in the trunk. The trunk release is just to the left of the steering wheel, but... Seriously, how would you rig up an explosive to a trunk release? Oh, the third item, the sheet of paper, is Joe's registration for the vehicle. It's a car registration made out to Joey Siegel of 1212 West End St. We already picked up his room card in the bar, so that sounds like as good a place as any to head for. But if we can't drive a car, we'll have to find alternative transportation.  ...Seriously? I just went into a car and came back out! The suckiest part about this guy is how random he is. He can show up nearly anywhere outside in this particular neighborhood, even if you just punched him on the previous screen.  Seriously, HOW is he getting to do this in front of a police station!?    You can't actually kill him, of course, because that would make too much sense. Saving often is about the only thing I can recommend, because it's not a good idea to keep encountering him.  Just west of the bar is a newsstand that's apparently operating in the middle of the night. Oddity aside, you can speak to the kid, but I haven't found anything to say that gets him talking. You can also buy a newspaper for a quarter, but all it does is mention Pearl Harbor. Time to keep moving.  You can randomly encounter this  His advice is pretty useful, although how he knows this is beyond me. You can also shoot him, but all that does is get you arrested instantly.  Further west is a gun store.  It's a pretty good idea to stock up here when you have time, but sadly that's one thing we just don't have. You give the storekeeper money, and for some reason it counts as a "deposit" that lets you take an item of equal or lesser worth. The gun is twenty, bullets are a quarter each.  You may not be surprised, but stealing or attempting to harm the gun shop owner is pretty fatal.  Just west of the store is a blue taxi. I don't like to use this taxi, however. The driver is described as "nervous" when you get in, and I'm pretty sure it increases the chances of police searching for you in the area if you use this one. Oh yeah, I don't think I went into this mechanic. If you're outside, there's a small but ever-present chance that you'll hear police sirens, and the game will advise you to get off the streets. Going into a building is usually enough to reset this. Anyway, there's another screen west it looks like so let's try there.  Oh, for gently caress's sake. Yup, you can hit the same mugger twice in a row. Guess even an ex-boxer has pretty quick reflexes.  This cab is a lot better. I'll take impatient over nervous any day.  If you want to change locations, you have to Speak the location directly to the driver. You may have noticed this is actually the location on the medicine bill of sale and not Joe's registration, but no harm done; each taxi drive is 75 cents, and I did still visit the slot machine before leaving the bar. Our real destination is 1212 West End Street.  Not exactly a lot of choices on this street, so let's go inside.  Pretty fancy little penthouse here. The elevator up ahead has a card reader, which responds to the card from the bar. Did they have card-reading elevators in the 1940's? I'm genuinely curious here.  Geez, Ace, lay off the morbid humor. Joe needs a joke like that like another hole in the head.  Inside here are a few magazines, and rather hard to see photograph above the fireplace. "Physical Culture" magazine has many a fine article to enlighten the human race where the human race enjoys to be enlightened the most. It's a photograph of a very stout-looking brunette. On the back you find an address: 520 S. Kedzie in Chicago. Oooh, another address. To the taxi-mobile!  This place seems substantially less fancy than the last area we visited. Also, the door is locked and none of the keys work. So...  Kind of makes you wonder why Ace doesn't just do this with every locked door he finds; this game would be a lot shorter if he did.  See, even speed-running, I'm still racing the clock very closely; that's your last warning before game over.  There's lots of items in here, but I'm seriously in a hurry at this point. The most important thing for the moment is the key, which the game doesn't really bother to explain to you. Still, we can come up with some vague theories. The doctor's bill of sale wasn't in Joe's desk, it was in the receptionist's. And, we've identified that the woman we met on the street knew Joe and probably booby-trapped his car. Since Joe has a picture with this woman's address in his penthouse, it's not a far conclusion to draw that she may be his receptionist. It's a long shot, but the only possible lead this key goes back to is the doctor's office. Literally racing the clock, we have one more destination to go in this update: 934 West Sherman.  Another small destination, and the door's unlocked.  Sticking to the first floor for now.  The name of the doctor from the bill! And the unmarked key from the receptionist's bungalow works!  There's loads of medicines on the cabinet.... drat! How will we know which one works? Find out next update! Miketopus fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Dec 18, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 09:58
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Sweet corn casserole! Miketopus is back! And is LPing a game I've been interested in seeing for years!
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Nov 25, 2014 17:36
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I too remember trying to play this game when i was younger, and had a heck of a time. all i can really remember is You have a gun, but the game will be damned if it will let you use it without getting a game over!
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Nov 25, 2014 17:50
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MaskedHuzzah posted:Sweet corn casserole! Miketopus is back! And is LPing a game I've been interested in seeing for years! Good to see you too, old friend. I need to see what projects you've been up to. Weren't you working on Master of Magic a while back? Aishlinn posted:I too remember trying to play this game when i was younger, and had a heck of a time. all i can really remember is You have a gun, but the game will be damned if it will let you use it without getting a game over! Yeah, the gun is surprisingly situational with all the different types and the ammo you can buy for it.
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Nov 25, 2014 20:34
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I think I tried to play this on a friend's Amiga, back in the day. I ended up getting so flustered at the time limit and the escalating warnings that I quit pretty quick--I love Uninvited and Shadowgate, though, so I always wanted to see how this one came out. Thanks for helping me in that regard. 
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Nov 25, 2014 22:00
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I remember Nintendo Power showing off something funny in the sewers (at least I thought it was funny when I was a kid) but I'll wait and see if you show it off.
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Nov 25, 2014 22:34
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I'm sure I had a version of this game a long time ago, but never had the patience to get anywhere with it. Isn't smoking the cigarettes supposed to extend your time limit?
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Nov 26, 2014 00:22
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Wow. Talk about Déjà vu  I played this game on my Apple IIGS back in the day but couldn't get past the time limit. Despite trying repeatedly. Looking forward to seeing you finish this.
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Nov 26, 2014 05:56
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Welcome back, everyone! Can we cure Ace's amnesia before he dies (again)? Let's find out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeRx124RfHY At this point, you have one of two options. The lock on the filing cabinet has a combination, but you're never told what it is. So, in the grand fashion of one other lock puzzle, you can shoot the lock open without repercussions. Inside the filing cabinet is a very long list of files, with descriptions of each medicine and what they do.  Like so. From these files, you can find out which of the many vials will cure your amnesia. Or, you can save your game, throw something into your syringe, and see what happens. Since the description box above is describing Ace's birthday and/or exodus from home, you can probably guess which decision I had time to make. There's seriously a lot of  with the first option, so I'll include the entire contents of the cabinet files at the bottom of the update. Those of you with some chemical know-how can tell me how much is true, and I'd actually like to hear your input on those chemicals, and their most likely fictitious functions, based on some of the other "disease" files also included.Anyway, short answer is: bisodiumitis cures the amnesia juice. Bottoms up!  Once you take the medicine, you get time-based flashbacks of your memory back. One dose is all you need, and most of the rest of the game will probably keep going long after the flashbacks are done. Still, you'll see why it's important to let them play out eventually.  I promise, it'll be relevant! Well, not Taco, but the flashbacks. (so help me god if any of you mention Albino Black Sheep I will close this thread and go back into seclusion another two or three years)  Also, examining a few of the items we've been lugging around now has different effects. The photo in Joe's apartment sheds a bit of light into our hooker friend. Also, boom, phrasing!  God, the thumbnail of that picture looks horrifying. Still, sounds like we know what the original crime we're being framed for may be related to. If she's still in the trunk of Joey's car, it's anybody's guess if she's still alive.  The map from before gives us the address to Joe's Bar, which means we can go back that way now... but first, if you recall, there was a staircase in this complex. Let's go there.  Goddamn, flashbacks, give me a second.  Huh... interesting. The second floor leads to our office? What's even more unusual is that the same key that unlocked Dr. Brody's office unlocks ours. The silhouette looks like that of a man. Shut up, narration! It's probably a trick of the light!  See? Told you! Nobody's there!  Oh, for the love of-  God, finally, I can just shoot somebody trying to kill me and it's the right answer.  Our office isn't really much to look at, but it has a few important items we'll need to clear our name.  The box helpfully marked "Ammo" contains six bullets for the gun we started the game with, so that's nice. In fact, if you wait this long before going to the gun shop, it pretty much makes the visit unnecessary. There's also several important files here that should be taken along. It's a file that reads, "CASE OF THE BLACKMAILED ALDERMAN: Solved when Sugar Shack was discovered to be the blackmailer. I destroyed her evidence and got the alderman off the hook. Sugar Shack is doing 5 years in the pen." It's a file that reads, "GRUDGE BETWEEN JOEY SIEGEL AND SUGAR SHACK: Be on the lookout for anything suspicious between these two... Sugar Shack is known to have a burning hatred for something that Siegel did to her (Sugar Shack) in the past. Be prepared for fireworks."  So! Looks like we've figured out a bit more about the major players in this plot, and why we were roped into it. Sounds like Joey wasn't such an innocent victim in all of this. But even so, there's a couple of accomplices unaccounted for. We'll have to find out more about them, but we should also check to see if we can find the kidnap victim. If everything is accurate, she's probably still in the trunk of the Mercedes. Come to think of it... Vickers' bungalow had a scrap of paper with a safe combination in it, and it didn't work in Dr. Brody's office. There's only one other safe we've seen so far, in Joey's office.  More flashbacks on the way out. Most of this will make sense after what we've read already. To the taxi-mobile!  Goddammit.  drat you, random chance! Time to run!  Really? One screen over!?  Piss off!  Oddly good timing for this flashback, too.  With nary a second to spare, ducking into the gun shop throws off the police sirens. Ironic, considering how many times guns have killed me up to this point.  Also flashbacks.  Thanks, Gun Bank!  Almost there, the newsstand is next to the bar.  For god's sake!  Unfortunately, four Hits is all you get before there's no way to avoid getting mugged by this guy. At this point, you have to pretty much save every screen he doesn't appear, and reload when he does.  These flashbacks are starting to get a bit annoying too, but at least they help fill in the blanks.  Heading up to Joey's office with its new paint job still undiscovered, the combination from Vickers' bungalow (33-24-36) opens the safe.  Inside we find quite a few useful items. The unmarked key is a bit enigmatic at first, but what else could Joey have the keys to that we haven't unlocked already except the trunk of his car? Also, the folder contains a nasty bit of evidence against us. It's a bundle of checks that have been stamped "INSUFFICIENT FUNDS." The checks are all made out to Joe's Bar and signed by 'Ace' Harding. The total value of the checks exceeds $1000. It's important that we take both of these, though the key of course has a more immediate function.  Pretty sure that was the last flashback. Anyway, the fire escape is a bit quicker of a way down, so...   Dammit. This guy is bad news. You can't shoot him or it's game over. And no matter what, he knocks you out and takes all your money and guns. Reload time!  There we go. The key in the safe unlocks the trunk. Let's see...   Let's... well, take the gag off I guess so she doesn't suffocate. Unfortunately, this woman is unconscious, and nothing we are able to do will wake her up. If for some reason we were major douchebags we could shoot her and kill her, but that's instant game over. The answer to this puzzle is, believe it or not, going to repeat itself, so perhaps one of Dr. Brody's drug files would be handy here: The file says, "SODIUM PENTATHOL." You find a description of the drug's use as a "truth serum." "By injecting the subject with sodium pentathol," it says, "you induce the subject into a state of unconsciousness that, at the same time, makes him or her particularly conducive to veracious behavior *i.e. speaking the truth). Under such conditions, the subject is liable to divulge his or her darkest secrets without the least inhibition." There were three full doses of this exact drug in the good doctor's office. Maybe this lady would be prompted into talking about what happened leading up to the kidnapping. You know what this means!   Not exactly information by itself, but I have a sneaking suspicion there will be something important at her home. For now, we'll have to leave her and take a taxi over there.  Thanks, babe. Chill out here for a bit while I investigate.  Swanky place!  The solution is neither to Hit/Shoot the door, nor to Operate the door knocker. Nope, you have to Hit the door knocker!   OH GOD WHAT IS THAT THING  Scary. Anyway,  Sorry, Jeeves. Have a nice nap.  The kitchen on the first floor has nothing useful, although there's some delicious edible salami on the table if you want to give Ace a little treat for getting this far.  The second floor contains two doors, both unlocked. Let's try the left door first.  Well now! Things are suddenly making a lot of sense. Vickers, AKA Sugar Shack, AKA Gun-Toting Whore, is shacking up at Mr. Sternwood's place. Three guesses what she's doing there. Just kidding, we don't need to guess. We're going to inject her with science!  Interesting... we've not only identified a possible motive for the kidnapping of Mrs. Sternwood, but also Joey's killer.  A pen, notepad, and glasses are in the nightstand, but there's only one item we care about here. It's a blank notepad. You notice that the top sheet of the pad has several indentations that appear to be the result of someone's having written on the sheet that was formerly above it. Because the indentations are light, you are unable to read what was written. Anyone know the solution to this kind of puzzle? You might, if you were into the forgery business. Or if you were really keen on reproducing doctor's notes for skipping school. Using the pencil to shade over the indentations on the pad, you are now able to read the indentations. The shaded notepad reads as follows: "2:15 AM: Be sure Joe's Bar is closed up and all employees are gone. 2:30 AM: Have the Mrs. situated in the Women's stall. Make sure she is thoroughly bound, gagged and unconscious. 2:45 AM: Be waiting near the bar front door for Ace's arrival. 3:00 AM: Have Ace situated in stall. Make sure he is properly unconscious. Inject him with 10cc of diethanol trimene. Take his: gun, office key, any previous kidnap material, ransom note, delivery instructions, misc. notes, etc. 3:15 AM: Be prepared for Siegel's arrival. 3:30 AM: Get Siegel comfortabe behind his office desk, then plug him with Ace's gun. Get Siegel's things from his pockets. Make sure you get his car keys. 3:45 AM: Plant Siegel's things on Ace. Put Ace's gun back in his holster. Be sure that Ace's fingerprints are on the gun. Put Ace's prints on the new set of kidnap material. 4:00 AM: Dump the big Mrs. into Siegel's car trunk. Put the new kidnap material in the glove compartment. Put Siegel's car keys into Ace's jacket. Put the door/trunk key in the small box and stash it in Siegel's safe. 4:30 AM: Leave bar and lock up. Make sure not to leave the ransom case behind. 5:00 AM: On the way home, plant new Siegel letter in Ace's file." A bit lengthy, but you can see why it's important. The police definitely need to see this. One more bedroom to check out.  Oh 1940's logic, of course couples engaging in an extramarital affair sleep in separate beds. This would be Mr. Sternwood, presumably. Guess what happens next? We have one more dose of truth serum.  This whole thing did seem pretty elaborate for the machinations of a jailbird like Sugar Shack. I guess Sternwood is the one who really organized the operation; Vickers just assisted with some of the dirty details.  Inside of his desk, a box of chocolates, some tissues, and an envelope. The briefcase on the stand is empty.  Doesn't take a lot of guesses to figure out that this letter is from Joey. This must be what prompted Siegel's dirt nap in the timetable. You know, it makes the game unwinnable if either Sternwood or Vickers dies, even if you don't get caught shooting them with a gun... ...But science, on the other hand...    Also dosing ourselves for good measure. But why should it all be bad?  Aww yeah.  Okay, enough horsing around. Sadly, any actions that result in either Vickers' or Sternwood's deaths makes the game unwinnable. At any rate, we know how and why this horrible event occurred, and how we were supposed to play into it. But how do we save ourselves from becoming the fall guy for this scheme? Next time, on Deja Vu:  Final boss get! Extras:  I wish I could punch this rear end in a top hat more. Seriously.  You like dying, right? Free death just to the east of the police station! Notes and items from Doc Brody's Office: It's a vial labeled: SPECIMEN -- 11/13 TODD ZIPMAN It's a vial labeled: SODIUM BICARBONATE. It's a vial labeled: OFREEALL. It's a vial labeled: BISODIUMITIS. It's a vial labeled: SODIUM PENTATHOL. It's a vial labeled: MEDREZINE. It's a vial labeled: DIETHANOL TRIMENE. The vial is empty. The file says, "OFREEALL: Drug used in the treatment of patients with spastic heart palpitation. Can be fatal to those without this condition." The flie says, "DIETHANOL TRIMENE." Diethanol trimene is a drug that miraculously blocks all memory. It even achieves permanent memory loss if the subject has been injfected and left to the effects of the drug for a period of a few hours. In order ot coutneract the process, the subject must be injected with the antidote within that period. An overdose of diethanol trimene can be fatal. The file says, "BISODIUMITIS." Bisodiumitis is the antidote to diethanol trimene. The file says, "SODIUM PENTATHOL." You find a description of the drug's use as a "truth serum." "By injecting the subject with sodium pentathol," it says, "you induce the subject into a state of unconsciousness that, at the same time, makes him or her particularly conducive to veracious behavior *i.e. speaking the truth). Under such conditions, the subject is liable to divulge his or her darkest secrets without the least inhibition." The file says, "CHEMOPAPAIN: Drug used to induce a state of gooey euphoria." The file says, "SODIUM BICARBONATE." Harmless, slightly alkaline solution. How do you spell relief? The file says, "MEDREZINE: Drug used in the treatment of patients who have been exposed to nerve gas. Can be fatal to those who have not been exposed." Under the Harding file it has a report of 'Ace' Harding's last checkup with a strong advisory for Mr. Harding to quit smoking. The file says, "TYPICAL SYMPTOMS OF MOTOBOOTERRUPTUS." 1. Sudden rise in pituitary secretion. 2. Loud, high-pitched laughter. 3. Swift, jerky motions. 4. Rapid lip palpitation. 5. Bulging eyeballs. 6. Convulsive flailing of the arms. 7. Strong desire to be honored in France. The file says, "CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF GYROTOMIC INPHLEGMATION." 1. Sudden protrusion of tennis ball-sized eruptions. 2. Rapid-fure bursting of eruptions, emitting thick balls of phlegm that can cause serious damage to the surrounding environment. 3. Slight headache. The file says, "SYMPTOMS OF CARDIOVASCULAR SHUTDOWN." 1. Death. The file says, "SYMPTOMS OF SKELETAL DISSOLUTION." 1. Sudden collapse of the body, resulting in a shapeless pile of flesh that measures roughly one foot high and three feet in diameter. The file says, "SYMPTOMS OF SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION." 1. Smoke ...
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Nov 26, 2014 06:55
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Miketopus posted:There's also "Clean Up" and "Mess Up" options under the Special tab, but for the life of me I'm not sure what these do even after clicking them. I believe these buttons clean up your inventory window (e.g., after the slot machine). Can't remember what mess up does but I guess it restores your inventory window items to their previous position.
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Nov 26, 2014 09:02
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I feel like there's a good reason that they wouldn't actually *sleep* together in the same: Sugar Shack seems to be awfully murdery while dozing. I wouldn't want to share a room with that.
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Nov 26, 2014 14:18
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I am pretty sure that Vickers and Sugar Shack are different people. Sugar Shack is the prostitute that got sent to jail by Ace, who happened to have a grudge against Siegel. Vickers was Siegel's secretary/lover, who ended up offing him so that she could be with Sternwood instead.
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Nov 26, 2014 14:39
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Can you not simply keep one quarter on your person to pay off the mugger, or does this not make him gently caress off? It strikes me that you could just drop your cash in a container just off the street, walk around until you find that douchepurse, give in a quarter, and go on with your life. Bonus points for how funny it is that he gets two black eyes, a broken nose, and a cracked jaw for two bits.
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Nov 27, 2014 18:59
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Final update, but first some Q&A.dbcooper posted:I believe these buttons clean up your inventory window (e.g., after the slot machine). Can't remember what mess up does but I guess it restores your inventory window items to their previous position. This was in response to the "Clean Up" and "Mess Up" options in the game. Makes sense, definitely. Thanks for the tip! Nemo2342 posted:I am pretty sure that Vickers and Sugar Shack are different people. Sugar Shack is the prostitute that got sent to jail by Ace, who happened to have a grudge against Siegel. This is possible, but the game doesn't really point it out either way. True, when you see Sugar Shack out front, she doesn't really indicate that she did anything to Siegel beyond putting a bomb in his car. I found their similar appearances striking, however (Ha ha, get it? Because I punched her.  ), and their motives and hatred seem to coincide pretty closely. If they're not the same person, I would be about as surprised as if they were. Coolguye posted:Can you not simply keep one quarter on your person to pay off the mugger, or does this not make him gently caress off? It strikes me that you could just drop your cash in a container just off the street, walk around until you find that douchepurse, give in a quarter, and go on with your life. He doesn't accept quarters, just twenty dollar bills. There's a grand total of two of these in the game, which means even if you buy the gun, there's technically one left for you to give him. But, crime doesn't pay.  Anyway, on with the update!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CutvlHN4Y So, here's the final "boss" of Deja Vu. The police station is the final destination in the game, and there's a few circumstances that determine whether Ace Harding proves his case, or winds up in the pokey. Also, notice the game being emotionally abusive. It does this quite a bit. Thanks ICOM. If I wanted this kind of treatment, I would go back to failing miserably at Bard's Tale 2.   If you'll notice, I've made references to this specific area of the sewer a few times. This is because the sewer contains the only item destroying hazard in the entire game. Anywhere else you drop stuff, you can go back and pick it up. More importantly, so can the police if you try to simply hide things. This is particularly important because not all of your evidence is good evidence. Among other things, Ace still has the gun that shot Joey, and the good detective's fingerprints all over it (Would be even if you never even picked it up and got a different gun instead, either Sugar's or the gun store). Plus, Joey's safe contains a stack of Ace's bad checks, which gives Ace a pretty solid motive for whacking him. This is where the game diverges. There's three significant factors that determine what happens when you barge into the police station.  Hai guys!   Above all else, you have to get rid of the murder weapon. All the other evidence pales in comparison to that gun.   Even if you do that, the game still counts other evidence against you. And, if you missed something important along the way, then even without the gun you can still get a bad end. As near as I can tell, you need to meet all of the following factors in order to get the final, good ending: 1. Recover Ace Harding's memory 2. Dispose of the gun that killed Joey Siegel 3. Do not kill anyone, even using silent kill methods such as lethal drugs 4. Have Joey's ransom note, the murder timetable, and Vickers' diary 5. (Unconfirmed) Drug a confession from Vickers and Sternwood while they're asleep 6. (Unconfirmed) Dispose of Ace's bad checks, instructions during the kidnapping, and anything else damaging to his reputation I can't confirm the details on the last two, because I've never seen a reason not to drug those two with truth serum, and because sometimes the good ending has happened to me while I've had one or two pieces of damaging evidence in my inventory but have done everything else correctly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezvSMrBpdNM   Now that's how you solve a case!   And with an awesome little certificate that showcases how profoundly outdated the Apple IIGS' graphics system really is, the game is complete! Still, as well-earned as victory was, I would be remiss if I didn't show the awesome little ending the NES version added on. So, here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZIV2zKEt5w Say what you will about the NES version and its odd control scheme and strange censoring, it gives you a bit more closure on Ace Harding's case. Plus, it really sets the mood for a sequel. So, what's left? Eh... well... here's a list of things I found in the game that you can eat: -Twenty dollar bills -Quarters -Photos -Keys (Except the card key) -Todd Zipman Specimen ( ) -Shot of rye -Cigarettes -Bologna -Chocolate -Notes -Pearl earring -Bullets Not really sure why there's even a "Consume" option in this game at all, since you don't have to actually eat or drink anything to survive in anything but the NES version (Popping pills instead of re-using syringes, thanks for setting the course Nintendo!) Anyway, that's the end of Deja Vu. Sorry it was a bit short, but it's good to crank out an LP after being on a creative hiatus for so long. I hope you all found something to enjoy or amuse you in this LP. I hope to be doing another for you soon. In the meantime, this is Detective Miketopus. See you in my next LP. Somebody had better look out. 
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Dec 2, 2014 10:32
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That was fun. Thanks, Miketopus!
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Dec 2, 2014 13:57
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Yes, thanks for the LP! I played around with these games on the NES but never got anywhere with them. They're frustratingly obtuse despite not being very long if you're doing them right.
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Dec 2, 2014 20:11
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So I seem to recall Nintendo Power showing a funny scene with the whirlpool where as you're recovering your memory you see your childhood rubber ducky going down the drain. I'm not sure if it was in this game or Deja Vu 2. Or even if there's a Deja Vu 2.
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Dec 2, 2014 20:59
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Having played other ICOM games, this was a hella comeback, Miketopus, and I enjoyed it immensely! (Less so the reminder of how obtuse some god-drat games were when I was wee!)
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Dec 3, 2014 05:51
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This was great. I never could beat this game. Glad to see you handled it like a pro.
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Dec 3, 2014 13:23
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Thanks for showing this off. I was surprised to realize it hadn't been LPed before.
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Dec 3, 2014 15:56
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Oooh man, the IIGS was my first computer. Sadly I was too young to understand adventure game logic; in fact I remember trying (and failing) to play an adventure game I think was called "Tass Times in Tonetown" or something like that. Whatever, I had cheap Mindscape ports of Gauntlet and Paperboy to play. And Softdisk games. Lots of Softdisk games. I loved that machine. Oh, and thanks for the LP, Miketopus.
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Dec 4, 2014 04:45
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Grimthwacker posted:Oooh man, the IIGS was my first computer. Sadly I was too young to understand adventure game logic; in fact I remember trying (and failing) to play an adventure game I think was called "Tass Times in Tonetown" or something like that. )Thanks for the LP, Miketopus. Any plans to go on to cover Deja Vu 2, The Uninvited, or Shadowgate?
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Dec 4, 2014 04:50
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Grimthwacker posted:Oooh man, the IIGS was my first computer. Sadly I was too young to understand adventure game logic; in fact I remember trying (and failing) to play an adventure game I think was called "Tass Times in Tonetown" or something like that. Whatever, I had cheap Mindscape ports of Gauntlet and Paperboy to play. And Softdisk games. Lots of Softdisk games. I would love to do an LP of Tass Times in Tonetown, but there's so little content and most of it is either moving through endless (literally, in a few cases) identical screens or getting information from the newspaper that came with the game. I beat it on my own, though, which was quite an accomplishment when I usually had a hint book handy for every game and had lost the newspaper. The Softdisk games were also usually a treat. I had a copy of Cavern Creatures in one issue. Shame I never cared about the articles, though.
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Dec 4, 2014 04:54
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Hirayuki posted:That's one tough game. I was not afraid to send away for hint books when I was a kid playing that and similar games on my first computer, a Commodore 64. Hell, some of them I never solved until I grew up and found walkthroughs online. (Asylum Thank you for reading, and thanks to all of you who read this LP as well. It was a fun, brisk game to play. I'm considering Deja Vu 2. I haven't actually played it at all, whereas I played the first game quite a bit as a kid, so it'd be fun to see how it goes. Also, years later and Nidoking's avatar still makes me chuckle. drat you, Mask of Eternity.
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Dec 4, 2014 06:26
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Miketopus posted:
Our defense attorney is literally Phoenix Wright.
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Dec 4, 2014 14:28
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Thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks for playing. There's something about the admittedly primitive graphics of the Apple II that I find really enchanting. Give me old-school any day.
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Dec 9, 2014 01:03
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