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About the Game

The Next BIG Thing is the new, hilarious adventure gem from the creators of Runaway. A great adventure game in high definition, loaded with laughs, tributes, mysteries and wacky puzzles!

Thanks to a production worthy of a great animated movie, an awesome soundtrack, delightful dialogue and a great art style, The Next BIG Thing will make you live an unforgettable adventure which brilliantly takes players across the fantastic movie genres of a totally crazy Hollywood.

Hollywood

What if horror movies' monsters were actually played by real monsters? And what if they were now forced to play in movies for kids, romantic comedies or even musicals? And what would happen if, eventually, they were to rebel?

In that context, Liz Allaire, talented journalist who can't count up to 4, and Dan Murray, a tough macho who can't stand beetles, attend the horror movies award ceremony… there is the starting point of an incredible story, full of twists and turns! Help Liz and Dan solve the numerous mysteries of an amazing adventure that you won't forget any time soon!
Key features:

The new adventure game from the creators of the million-copy seller, the "Runaway" saga.
Production, graphics, and sound worth a great animation movie.
A cast of colorful characters, including some of the most legendary monsters and creatures from fantastic movies that our heroes will encounter during their adventure.
Many crazy mysteries, puzzles and situations to solve.

Spanish:

De los creadores de la trilogía Runaway
En 1994, cuatro amigos unidos por su pasión por los videojuegos fundan Pendulo Studios y crean su "opera prima": Igor - Objetivo Uikokahonia. Era el comienzo de una brillante carrera con éxitos como Hollywood Monsters y la trilogía Runaway, con más de un millón de unidades vendidas en todo el mundo.

Los personajes cobran vida con la tecnología "Cartoon Shading"
Hollywood Monsters 2 es la primera aventura que también se puede disfrutar en Full HD. Además, incorpora la tecnología “Pendulo Cartoon Shading”, que acerca el mundo de la aventura gráfica al cine de animación.

Una aventura al más puro estilo cinematográfico
Hollywood, años 40. ¿Qué pasaría si las películas de terror fueran interpretadas por monstruos reales? ¿Y qué ocurriría si, en un momento dado, los monstruos se rebelaran? Aquí comienza nuestra historia...

Un homenaje a los clásicos del cine
Dos hombres y un destino, Taxi driver, American beauty, Blade Runner, X-Men, Apocalypse now, Malditos bastardos… La historia está cargada de guiños a los clásicos de Hollywood. Descúbrelos.

Dan y Liz, atracción fatal
Él es un tipo primario, seguro de sí mismo y con un punto de chulería, un periodista deportivo de éxito que, sin embargo, ha caído en desgracia. Ella, una niña de papá, hiperactiva, excéntrica y dispuesta a todo para conseguir el reportaje de su vida.

Nadie ha querido perderse el casting
Drácula, Frankenstein, el Hombre invisible, Igor, la Momia... Descubre a los alter ego de los monstruos más célebres de la historia del cine. Unos te intentarán ayudar a resolver el misterio; otros te harán la vida imposible.

Más de 120 escenarios ilustrados a mano
Los estudios cinematográficos de la MKO, el truculento laboratorio de Zelssius, una pirámide en pleno Sunset Boulevard, el "zeppellin" de William FitzRandolph, el mundo de los sueños de Liz… El nuevo sistema de juego creado por Pendulo permite disfrutar de los escenarios de una forma tan ágil que te va a sorprender.

HOLLYWOOD MONSTERS 2
Una historia repleta de comedia, terror, acción, misterio, romance, suspense, mentiras, cerebros robados, moscas de medio metro, momias egipcias de 90-60-90, hombres lobo aficionados al tequila, cocodrilos australianos y... ¿Qué pasa? ¿Acaso crees que te lo vamos a contar todo?

HOLLYWOOD MONSTERS 2
Internacionalmente conocida como THE NEXT BIG THING, llega a España con el sello FX:

Traducido y doblado por el mismo equipo que te trajo la saga Runaway.
Edición coleccionista que incluye Hollywood Monsters, la primera entrega de la saga.
Completo manual a todo color.
"Guía Oficial", la solución paso a paso de Hollywood Monsters 2. Consúltala sólo en caso de imperiosa necesidad.
Atención al cliente en español, incluidas pistas por teléfono.
Todo por sólo 19,95€.

 

[Acidote]

English text and the steam page (with videos) added. If a mod could fix the topic title it would be appreciated.

Edit: Thank you so much.

 

[vareon]

Oooooh an adventure game! I like what I see.

 

[DiscoJer]

Is that supposed to be Kratos? And grrr, it's Frankenstein's Monster (or El Monstero del Frankenstein? My spanish is rusty), not Frankenstein (that was the guy that made him)

 

[Salsa]

I like Runaway enough to get this, but not atm since im low on cash D:

Always keeping an eye out for more Adventure goodness

 

[Peff]

The first one was a big hit in Spain back in 1997 (I don't think it was released internationally though), but to be honest it was rather lacking, so hopefully this one is better. There's an English demo on the official site

 

[Acidote]

Is that supposed to be Kratos? And grrr, it's Frankenstein's Monster (or El Monstero del Frankenstein? My spanish is rusty), not Frankenstein (that was the guy that made him)

El Monstruo de Frankenstein.

 

[neorej]

After the God of War trilogy, Kratos joined a Goth band and took up a subscription to Domino's Pizza.

 

[bathala]

Adventure game that looks better than Telltale. Sold

Got Runaway long time ago just never got the chance to play it

 

[Boerseun]

This game looks absolutely gorgeous, and I love the Runaway series. The adventure scene has been fantastic these last five or six years!

Adventure game that looks better than Telltale. Sold

Got Runaway long time ago just never got the chance to play it

The reported quality of Telltale's games is greatly exaggerated because of a certain sentimentality some gamers hold for certain members of their staff.

 

[Tokubetsu]

AMAZING looking game. Definitely interested.

 

[Lafazar]

Adventure game that looks better than Telltale. Sold

That's because it's not realtime 3D. That's not to say that realtime 3D is better, though. I am also not a fan of the 3D in the earlier Telltale games and would have preferred 2D.

The reported quality of Telltale's games is greatly exaggerated because of a certain sentimentality some gamers hold for certain members of their staff.

Well, while the Runaway games are really great in terms of graphics, puzzles and so on, the writing and story are beyond terrible, well some of the puzzles are also debatable. That's something the Telltale games are miles ahead in, it really shows that they put a lot of thought, work and care in this.

This article sums up my feelings on the terrible writing in Runaway quite well:
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/runaway/runaway.htm

So I don't think it's fair to dismiss Telltale games by only focusing on the graphics.

You should also consider the episodic release model that makes quite a few constraints on the game design. I think Telltale is doing a great job with their limited resources and they are actually improving over time.

 

[Boerseun]

That's because it's not realtime 3D. That's not to say that realtime 3D is better, though. I am also not a fan of the 3D in the earlier Telltale games and would have preferred 2D.

Well, while the Runaway games are really great in terms of graphics, puzzles and so on, the writing and story are beyond terrible, well some of the puzzles are also debatable. That's something the Telltale games are miles ahead in, it really shows that they put a lot of thought, work and care in this.

This article sums up my feelings on the terrible writing in Runaway quite well:
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/runaway/runaway.htm

Ever since discovering the superior writing and voice acting in the German-language versions of various adventure games I am very reluctant to judge any game on its English-language script and acting.

The difference can be like night and day, as if you're playing two completely different games. As an example, people are calling the English-language version of Lost Horizon a terrible game, while those playing the German-language version reckon it's an absolute classic in the genre.

So I don't think it's fair to dismiss Telltale games by only focusing on the graphics.

You should also consider the episodic release model that makes quite a few constraints on the game design. I think Telltale is doing a great job with their limited resources and they are actually improving over time.

Your probably right about Telltale, in that they have a small canvas and do great work on it. It's just, considered for all its merits, their games are incapable of standing toe to toe with much of the adventure game competition.

I realise that comparing an episodic game to a full length affair is probably not fair. Using a metaphor from the boxing world - in their weight class Telltale is tops. It's just that I'm looking for something with a bit more substance than what they are putting out. And going by the feedback of the adventure game market at large, many would agree.

Having said that, I like Telltale games for what they are. They do have some good puzzles. And sometimes a quick little breakaway is all you need.

 

[From The Dust]

I really like the toon shader in these screens

 

[Lafazar]

Ever since discovering the superior writing and voice acting in the German-language versions of various adventure games I am very reluctant to judge any game on its English-language script and acting.

The difference can be like night and day, as if you're playing two completely different games. As an example, people are calling the English-language version of Lost Horizon a terrible game, while those playing the German-language version reckon it's an absolute classic in the genre.

I did play Runaway in German. It was still terrible, I had to force myself to finish the game. And I disagree on the superiority of the German version of Lost Horizon. The English version was translated by this guy, and I think he did a pretty good job touching up the script (I played both language versions through Steam, he made a lot of little modifications to the script that balanced the serious and the goofy elements of the game story much more elegantly):
http://sites.google.com/site/tjubert/reviews

Deep Silver games in general have very mediocre (German) writing. The Secret Files, while being really fantastic adventures in terms of locations, scenarios and puzzles made me groan lots of times with the lazy German high school style writing.

Edit:

Your probably right about Telltale, in that they have a small canvas and do great work on it. It's just, considered for all its merits, their games are incapable of standing toe to toe with much of the adventure game competition.

I realise that comparing an episodic game to a full length affair is probably not fair. Using a metaphor from the boxing world - in their weight class Telltale is tops. It's just that I'm looking for something with a bit more substance than what they are putting out. And going by the feedback of the adventure game market at large, many would agree.

Having said that, I like Telltale games for what they are. They do have some good puzzles. And sometimes a quick little breakaway is all you need.

Oh, I completely agree that the Telltale games can't compare to the classics of the genre in terms of epic length, variety, substance and complexity. But neither do a lot of these modern full length adventure games, in general you get less items, less hotspots and less locations.

And I'd say that's by design and not by lack of ability. Modern Adventure games have to address a more casual audience, since the majority of hardcore gamers experience enough Adventure elements in their hardcore games to care about true Adventure games.

 

[Radogol]

I did play Runaway in German. It was still terrible.

To be fair, it's a Spanish game.

 

[Boerseun]

Deep Silver have published three adventure games that I can think of (Secret Files 1 & 2, Perry Rhodan). I played them all in English. They were fine that way, especially Rhodan which is one of my favourites of recent years.

For the most part though, having owned various games in both incarnations, my experience has been that the German-language versions are generally superior to the English-language ones (including Lost Horizon). But to each his own. Anyone who is able to try both should do so and make up their own minds about which they like best.

Back on topic --

I was in Germany when this came out. All the magazines raved about it. They also reported one major negative however, and that was the game's length.

I have the February issue of Gamestar with me and they say the play time is only 5 hours. This doesn't compare favourably to a game like Gray Matter (December 2010 issue), for which Gamestar state the play time as 15 hours. It should however be noted that The Next Big Thing launched at 35 Euros, compared to 45 Euros for Gray Matter (the collector's edition was 50 Euros).

I still have to pick up The Next Big Thing, and will do so when I return to Germany next month. I expect the price would by then have dropped by 5 Euros or so. But regardless of play time or price, as a fan of Pendulo's previous work I would rather not miss out on this sumptuous-looking title.

 

[Lafazar]

Yes, German LOCALIZATIONS are usually excellent and better than English localizations, I fully agree with you there. Original German WRITING tends to be very, well German (I am half German myself so please don't take this as an insult). Which is why I can imagine quite well how the "Secret Files" games are improved in English.

The game does indeed look gorgeous, but 5 hours? That's actually getting close to a Telltale episode length...

I will pick it up nonetheless, we need to support all the adventures we can get, there are not enough quality productions around to start picking favorites...

 

[Tampinha]

Got Runaway long time just never got the chance to play it

You're not missing anything,really.

 

[Ceebs]

Just gave the English demo a spin and I think this has the potential to be fantastic. It looks amazing in motion and the dialog was really snappy and fun. The characters were fantastic as well. The reporter girl you are playing with is amazing and also a wee bit batshit crazy.

The one puzzle in the demo was about as easy as you can get though, so hopefully they are a bit more challenging in the full game.

They have my money whenever this releases.

 

[Versipellis]

It's always nice when a new adventure gets announced, but I find Runaway to be a mediocre adventure (at best), thus I don't have too much faith in this one...

That tree... where have I seen it before? It reminds me of an avatar I've seen here on GAF (and it was probably Zelda's Great Deku Tree).

 

[jim-jam bongs]

So purty.

 

[Vitet]

Amazing, I will follow this

 

[∀ Narayan]

This looks really nice!

 

[filetefrito]

Beautiful, gotta keep an eye on it!

 

[MBison]

This is available for download now from the official site and will be available today via Steam.

Support adventure games!

 

[Dog Problems]

Looking forward to starting Runaway 3 later today and then afterwards I'll move on to The Next Big Thing. It'd be nice if the first Hollywood Monsters got a re-released in the US.

 

[Alrus]

It looks really nice but if the puzzle are as mediocre as Runaway I'm not really intersted... I would love a new adventure game though, hope we can get some impression soon

 

[MBison]

So this thread died before release... anyone get it? I just finished it.

Quick review:

It's definitely quirky, but I really enjoy its humor. There are some very funny, offbeat moments in the game. Plus, Liz Allaire is one of the most interesting game characters in a long time. She has personality quirks that show up throughout the game and they are both hilarious and charming. Some very well written parts of the game.

It is a little on the short side. There are 6 chapters and my game time at completion was about 8-9 hours. I tried to catch every conversation and took my time in most environments. The graphics and animation are absolutely beautiful.

I wouldn't say it's a tough adventure game. I only got stuck once or twice. You can play with a help feature on or off (I played off) as well as hot spot feature on or off (I played on). With hot spot on, you can click at the top of the screen and it will reveal all of the screens hot spots. Most of the puzzles are straightforward, only a couple leaps of logic.

The game seemed to have a few bugs, no crashes but like the wrong character lip syncing a line or an object mislabeled. Only like 2-3 things I noticed.

I definitely recommend if you're looking for an old school adventure with great graphics and animation, quirky characters, and an offbeat storyline.

 

[bathala]

Thanks for the review.
8-9hrs is not bad. Gonna check out Steam

 

[MBison]

Let me know if you or anyone else have any questions about the game. Definitely want to encourage support of the adventure genre.

 

[vareon]

8-9 hours sounds like the right amount of playtime for me