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 Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is a 4-part episodic point-and-click graphic adventure game released by Phoenix Online Studios. Erica Reed is an FBI agent with psychic powers and who seems to only investigate serial killers. There are four episodes focusing on four killers, and a prequel comic that gives a bit of backstory, but mostly just tries to be mysterious. All you really learn from it is that the Cain Killer's MO is to kidnap a guy and then lure his sister to try to rescue him, but then kill them both, and Erica has a brother. You can probably see where this is going. Oh, also Cain has a prisoner who's helping him construct his elaborate traps, and there's some sort of conspiracy or something. The actual gameplay is your standard point-and-click adventure, pick up, use and combine items to solve puzzles talk to people, etc. with the addiction of the psychic powers. At first we just get the ability to see past events by touching certain objects, but other powers become available later on. The interface and puzzles are a bit clunky but nothing too out of the ordinary when it comes to this type of game, and the cutscenes are done in a kind of comic book style, which is kind of cool. Where it really shines though is in the animation, and by "shines" I mean the exact opposite of that. You'll see what I mean. I'm playing the game myself and then doing the commentary with CosGit. I've played ahead a little bit but not far, and he hasn't played it at all or read or heard anything about the game, so we don't know what's coming up, so if anyone wants to post any spoilers put them in spoiler tags. And I guess I should warn anyone who might be bothered by it that there's a lot of blood and stuff in this game, people getting stabbed and so forth, but it's done in a sort of comic-book style, so take that as you will. That said, here are the videos. Prologue (hints) Episode 1, Part 1 Episode 1, Part 2 (emails) Episode 1, Part 3 (photo) Episode 1, Part 4 (photo, emails, etc.) Episode 1, Part 5 (map) Episode 1, Part 6 (victim's info, case notes, etc.) Episode 1, Part 7 (killer's notes) Episode 1 recap Episode 2, Part 1 (new case files) Episode 2, Part 2 Episode 2, Part 3 (inter-agency request form) Episode 2, Part 4 Episode 2, Part 5 (message from the Oracle) Episode 2 bonus video Episode 2 recap Episode 3, Part 1 Episode 3, Part 2 Episode 3, Part 3 (Smith case files) Episode 3, Part 4 (killer's notes) Episode 3, part 5 (killer's notes, FBI cover-up) Tiggum fucked around with this message at 11:32 on Nov 12, 2017 |
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Feb 9, 2015 05:33
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Looks real stupid and lovely so far. Hope the game is just as dumb as the opening, because I love terrible point and click adventures.
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Feb 10, 2015 01:12
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Cool, that's about as far as a friend and I got before uninstalling it.
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Feb 10, 2015 05:23
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The comic book scenes vary really wildly in quality. I kinda like em, but man.
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Feb 10, 2015 05:46
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Oh dear lord, this game. I couldn't help myself and beat it, just to see if the story gets good. It loving doesn't
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Feb 10, 2015 06:43
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Episode 1, Prologue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=155ot3uaVEA Here's how the hint system works:  Second, I just can't get over how bizarre John's face looks when he's talking:  Also, I forgot to mention it in the video, but how did that mausoleum door open?  That key/wheel/dinner plate is sticking out, but there doesn't seem to be any gap for it to fit into when the door moves. 
Tiggum fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Nov 30, 2015 |
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Feb 10, 2015 08:18
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Tiggum posted:Just the first episode or all four? All loving four, three of which I got in a bundle and spent couple bucks on the fourth one. While I wouldn't call it worst money spent ever, it ain't far from that.
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Feb 10, 2015 08:52
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This really looks like a spiritual sequel to Hopkins FBI.
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Feb 10, 2015 19:44
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Speaking of Hopkins FBI, what is the worst point and click adventure ever?
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Feb 10, 2015 23:45
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There's a question with a million answers. There are just so many bad adventure games and so many reasons why they're bad. Obnoxious characters, awful dialogue, puzzles that make no sense, mistakes that kill you several hours later, mazes, mazes that can't be mapped because they don't make sense in real space... it's easy to think of examples of games that do one or two things really badly, but the absolute worst adventure game? That's a tough one.
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Feb 11, 2015 02:42
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Hot Dog Day #89 posted:Speaking of Hopkins FBI, what is the worst point and click adventure ever? Limbo of the Lost.
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Feb 11, 2015 02:44
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I actually kinda liked this, but not enough to go past the second episode
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Feb 11, 2015 02:50
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Episode 1, Chapter 1 - Introducing the Hangman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERQKZcmoGHg
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Feb 13, 2015 02:53
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I apologise for the delay, and in case anyone's forgotten, last time we visited the crime scene, where "the hangman" had killed some guy. Then Erica visited Rose M'dear the psychic antique-shop owner for some advice on her powers, and then went home to sleep for whatever remained of the night. We rejoin our protagonist the next morning. Episode 1, Chapter 2 - The office. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlDkzXlRp4o I said in the video that I hadn't read those other emails, or the Cain Killer file, but I did go back and look at them later, so here they are:      And in case anyone wanted a closer look at some of those whiteboards we saw:  Gom? Mum ma? Tubman?  Forensics? And some miscellaneous other stuff.    
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Mar 6, 2015 15:05
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So, there is a huge half empty morgue, but no autopsy table to work on? Autopsy on a stretcher without proper drainage... sounds delightful.
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Mar 7, 2015 13:11
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This game would be wayyyyy better if they used more of those still comic book sections. The models are really bad.
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Mar 11, 2015 21:23
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SSNeoman posted:This game would be wayyyyy better if they used more of those still comic book sections. You may change your mind after you see the ones in this update. Episode 1, Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ks759Deg8 And here's that photo in case anyone wanted to have another look at it. At this point, it means nothing to me. 
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Mar 25, 2015 19:36
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This game just makes less and less sense.
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Mar 25, 2015 21:03
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Tiggum posted:And here's that photo in case anyone wanted to have another look at it. At this point, it means nothing to me. Take me little bug to the Shining World.
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Mar 25, 2015 22:39
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Huh. You know, I'm beginning to suspect this wasn't a conventional suicide. Still not sure, though, since the game is playing awfully close to its vest here.
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Apr 2, 2015 15:53
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Finally, the exposition is over (I hope)! I almost felt like I was actually playing a game this time. It's still a lovely game, but there are more puzzles and less dialogue now. Episode 1, Part 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDGiMTXLMTI And there's more bonus material to look at this time, too. First up, the Sarah Goodman case file.  And a close-up of the "clue" that gave us her name and the locket:   And here are the details we got on her and her husband from the FBI database. If that's what we were looking her up in. I really don't know. Try to guess if any of this information is going to be useful or relevant. I'm betting on "no".     But there was also some stuff to look at in Davies's office. Like this whiteboard of useless garbage.  The shredded note.  And those emails.    Wait, who is Clarence? He's not even in the contact list.  And let's not forget those photo fragments.   I believe this is what's known as "a clue". And just a few random bits and pieces. That note hanging in the post office. What could it mean?  And the options we have for searching the FBI case database.   Keep in mind, you can mix and match these any way you like. Suicide by werewolf? Accidental theft? Unexplained bank robbery? Natural death smuggling? None of them yield any results other than the ones immediately relevant to Erika right now though. I guess the FBI hasn't been doing much investigating lately. I blame the vampire drugs. And that's probably it for this update. Except... wait a minute... What's that you're working on, Sully?  Zoom.  Enhance!  Sully, are you working on the Cain Killer case behind our backs? Mother fucker! 
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Apr 20, 2015 19:25
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The real question is whether this game is worse than Jane Jensen's Moebius: Empire Rising, also published by Phoenix Online Studios. The game where you famously get a skimpily-dressed teenage girl bend over to distract a middle-aged man and the kitchen counters are roughly knee height.
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Apr 20, 2015 20:22
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I have a feeling that photo is actually supposed to give you a code for something, if you sort it by "She's my next victim" Which is horrible.
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Apr 20, 2015 20:29
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Thesaya posted:I have a feeling that photo is actually supposed to give you a code for something, if you sort it by "She's my next victim" Yeah that's my guess too. I mean at least it's -a- puzzle. So far most of this game seems to be busywork coupled together with an unintuitive UI.
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Apr 20, 2015 22:46
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Tiggum posted:And the options we have for searching the FBI case database. Voodoo/Werewolves/Vampires are of course the antagonists of the three Gabriel Knight games in order.
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Apr 21, 2015 04:32
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dreezy posted:The real question is whether this game is worse than Jane Jensen's Moebius: Empire Rising, also published by Phoenix Online Studios. Thesaya posted:I have a feeling that photo is actually supposed to give you a code for something, if you sort it by "She's my next victim"
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Apr 21, 2015 05:37
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Tiggum posted:I haven't played that one, but Jane Jensen and Phoenix Online is obviously a winning combination, so I'm sure it's great. Jane Jensen's Gray Matter was pretty dumb, and I have played enough of Phoenix Online's Face Noir to know that Cognition is just the tip of iceberg in terms of how crazy their games get, so I'd expect anything they work on together to be pretty special. To be honest, I kind of expect the game to just gloss over the fact that it isn't the entire photo.
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Apr 21, 2015 12:50
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Tiggum posted:
Theft Vampires sounds good. Does that mean the vampires are stealing from the blood bank, or someone is stealing vampires?
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Apr 21, 2015 13:50
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Tiggum: I didn't mention this earlier because I thought maybe I was misremembering things, but I think something must be wrong with your in-game graphic settings or something. Here's a comparison between your LP and a random LP I found on youtube (the first one's yours). 
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Apr 27, 2015 05:21
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whitehelm posted:Tiggum: I didn't mention this earlier because I thought maybe I was misremembering things, but I think something must be wrong with your in-game graphic settings or something. Here's a comparison between your LP and a random LP I found on youtube (the first one's yours). I have "graphics quality" set to "fantastic" (the highest) and anti-aliasing set to 8 (also the highest). Changing the graphics quality didn't really seem to do anything that I could detect, but since it's already at the highest setting it should be fine? Anti-aliasing is noticeable (O, 2, 4, 8) but again, is already at the highest setting. The only other thing is that maybe I'm screwing something up when I edit the video (I have no idea what I'm doing so I just use "recommended settings"). If you can think of anything else I should check or try, I'll certainly look into it (although I've now recorded the video for the rest of episode one - three updates to go, whenever CosGit and I get around to doing them - but if there's something I should be doing differently I can take that on-board for the episodes two to four).
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Apr 27, 2015 09:05
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There is a non-zero chance that the game is horribly written and freaks the gently caress out whenever it's played outside of laboratory environments. In my case I had several occurrences of characters being a bit to the side from where they were supposed to be. I would have people at the FBI office levitating with their chairs a bit away from their desk. That also meant Erica was talking to thin air, as the camera angles are fixed on their designated positions rather than characters themselves. Basically :thatscognition:
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Apr 27, 2015 10:08
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Tiggum posted:I have "graphics quality" set to "fantastic" (the highest) and anti-aliasing set to 8 (also the highest). Changing the graphics quality didn't really seem to do anything that I could detect, but since it's already at the highest setting it should be fine? Anti-aliasing is noticeable (O, 2, 4, 8) but again, is already at the highest setting. The only other thing is that maybe I'm screwing something up when I edit the video (I have no idea what I'm doing so I just use "recommended settings"). If you can think of anything else I should check or try, I'll certainly look into it (although I've now recorded the video for the rest of episode one - three updates to go, whenever CosGit and I get around to doing them - but if there's something I should be doing differently I can take that on-board for the episodes two to four). That's definitely an in-game problem, not something that could be caused by your editing. Other than that I'm not sure, it could just be the game doesn't like your videocard/driver. It's probably not worth working on beyond what you've checked.
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Apr 28, 2015 01:19
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DoublePLayer posted:There is a non-zero chance that the game is horribly written and freaks the gently caress out whenever it's played outside of laboratory environments. Yeah, stuff like that (and the weirdly geometric curtain in both the screenshots whitehelm posted) are obviously just the game being weird, but for some reason the floor texture in the screenshot from my video is all blurry as well, and that seems like it might be something else. 
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Apr 28, 2015 06:00
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I know it's been a while, but I promise you, it was absolutely not worth the wait! Today's video covers roughly the first half of the interview with Robert Goodman, the guy who's wife was apparently murdered, possibly by the same killer we're looking for now. Episode 1, Part 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3YAnQqyIZM And after all the stuff we got to look at in the last update, this time we've just got the map.  As I mentioned in the video, this map doesn't seem to match what Robert says. If the Curry Palace is on Boylston Street, then apparently Boylston Station is not. I guess that could be the case, but it seems odd. And looking at it now, those train stations seem way too close together. It would probably be quicker to walk between some of those places than wait for a train. Another thing CosGit and I were discussing after the recording was just how lovely the puzzles in this section are, starting with the two times within the one section where you try to give Robert an item only to be told there's no reason to, but then have to give it to him a moment later. It seems like a really sloppy design. The other problem we discussed was how the psychic powers all seem to basically be one-off things. It seems like it would have been better to just introduce a single power in each episode, so that there'd be more to use it for. It's like they wanted to cram everything in as soon as possible, rather than building it up more gradually.
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May 21, 2015 16:45
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Tiggum posted:As I mentioned in the video, this map doesn't seem to match what Robert says. If the Curry Palace is on Boylston Street, then apparently Boylston Station is not. I guess that could be the case, but it seems odd. Those are actual streets and stations. That horizontal road above Basil Leaf is still Boylston Street (it actually continues farther east to the F, but that part isn't shown on the game map).
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May 21, 2015 17:16
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whitehelm posted:Those are actual streets and stations. That horizontal road above Basil Leaf is still Boylston Street (it actually continues farther east to the F, but that part isn't shown on the game map). Huh. Fair enough then, I suppose. I still maintain that as a puzzle it's confusing though. 
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May 22, 2015 01:46
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Once again it's been longer than I'd planned, but the LP is still going. Last time we began interviewing Robert Goodman about his wife's death on the hunch that it might be related to our current case. It turned out that he recognised the photo of our current victim, but couldn't remember the guy's name, so we're reconstructing his memories to try to get that out of him. Episode 1, Part 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDMKroLiMeI This was probably the worst part of the whole game, just really long and dull. But it's over now and we're almost at the end (of episode one). Cosgit and I have recorded the next section already, so hopefully it won't be a whole month before I update again. No promises though, I was sitting on that last bit for almost a month. Anyway, here's some stuff you may or very likely will not find interesting. That notepad we saw with our psychic powers  Our dead guy's records  Amy Lewis's information  And the file on her death  And, why not, here's the full version of that song (video contains what appear to be minor spoilers for the remaining three Cognition episodes). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO4FExFrQ0E Some trivia: Sarah Goodman died in 2008. The Scarlet Furies formed in 2009 and released their first album in 2010. The Taking was actually written for this game and so didn't exist before 2012. It's fiction, so none of that's particularly relevant, but they could have just said that the song was by Raleigh Holmes and still name-dropped The Scarlet Furies by having Erica mention them. Additional trivia: Raleigh Holmes is the daughter of Robert Holmes and Jane Jensen. Robert Holmes composed the soundtrack to this game and Jane Jensen was a story consultant. That family seems to have done pretty well out of this game. Tiggum fucked around with this message at 12:00 on Jun 22, 2015 |
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Jun 22, 2015 11:56
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Tiggum posted:And, why not, here's the full version of that song (video contains what appear to be minor spoilers for the remaining three Cognition episodes). I checked this out and the only spoilers are a very minor one for later in ep 1 and a couple medium ones for ep 2 (basically what the episode is about). There's absolutely nothing from episodes 3 and 4. I'd recommend waiting to watch until after the opening of episode 2 but thats it. whitehelm fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Jun 22, 2015 |
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Jun 22, 2015 16:09
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I like the puzzle that gives you the name. Its needless complexity is part of the fun. Piecing together random details from fragments of information seems like a pretty cool mechanic. Certainly a better premise for a puzzle than "FEED ME" or "FEED ME MORE".
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Jun 23, 2015 03:03
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LoseHound posted:Piecing together random details from fragments of information seems like a pretty cool mechanic. Honestly I was waiting for something like this the whole time. I'm surprised the devs were more interested in Erica's petty office politics.
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Jun 23, 2015 03:31
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