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I can't say I like the new look very much. Bionic Heart 1 was much better when it came to the "visual" part of VN.

That said, the text and especially the humor are really great. I LOLed so much when Othello introduced Tina I had to stop playing for a few minutes. There is definitly a "what comes next" suspension built, too. So the "novel" part of VN is great, even better than in the first part. I just hope the rest of the game is of the same quality, beyond what I did see in the demo (and what I could see in the demo-extension bug...)

Yes, the remaining part is on the same level
About the look, I think depends on tastes, first game was same artist as Heileen series, this new one is Loren artist (another colorist though). Personally I prefer the new characters, but I liked the first one too.

About the look: It's of course very subjective. And Helen did get better, but she is the exception. And besides purely esthetic: The faces might be a bit larger, they are supposed to support the story by showing emotions, but the different expressions come across poorly. (Or maybe I am just blind again.) Also some characters do not look believeable: Tina and Rob, the policeforce. I suspect neither would pass a physical examination, considering they would be judged of being able to overpower a drunk from time to time. (Raving mad cyborgs are a rarity, but drunks on saturday night...)

OK, but let's focus on the good parts - the story. I fear a bit that Otherwise, the suspense picks up. Less Humor now, but that was to be expected. Less that the story did get a political bend like this. Did you read much Ayn Rand in preparation for the story?

And I am going back to finish the story - and after that again with different route and again and again...

Personally, for my tastes, I think:
Tom=old better
Tanya,Helen=new better
Julia = old better
Tina and Rob I'm unsure, I like both versions.

Lonestar51 wrote:Otherwise, the suspense picks up. Less Humor now, but that was to be expected. Less that the story did get a political bend like this. Did you read much Ayn Rand in preparation for the story?

Heh I don't even know who you're talking about but in general I only setup the plot beginning and end, and some general "guidelines", but the story was completely written by the writer in full autonomy.

Well, someone does - and the game is much better for it.

Lonestar51 wrote:Otherwise, the suspense picks up. Less Humor now, but that was to be expected. Less that the story did get a political bend like this. Did you read much Ayn Rand in preparation for the story?

Well, "Atlas Shrugged", mostly. That's why the cinema on Mars has the ad for "Atlas Shrugged Again" and the "Martians" are as they are. I think the book's entire premise is quite ludicrous, which is why the same plan in "Bionic Heart 2" fails so spectacularly. Also, "Atlas Shrugged" assumes that successful industry magnates always combine the best possible traits of human nature, and I found it difficult to believe that there wouldn't be at least a few dicks among the economically relevant people, so of course I put a few in there too. Of course, as the example of Nanotech shows, assholes aren't exclusive to Mars

Oh, and about Othello: In at least a few of the endings, I'm certain Tina will have taken care of him. She's definitely a cat person.

Well, I know "Atlas shrugged" only from wikipedia but the connection did stand out. And considering the brains in a jar, competion in the future is even more cuthroat than it is now. Anyway, I really like the story, did I say it before?

Oh wow, I've been so distracted with other games and exams I completely forgot Bionic Heart 2 is out. :O I know I came late to the party, but I will definitely try the demo. The art and screenshots look interesting, even though I didn't care for the first game. (Plus I want to support more VNs, since they have such a limited fanbase!)

Taleweaver wrote:

Lonestar51 wrote:Otherwise, the suspense picks up. Less Humor now, but that was to be expected. Less that the story did get a political bend like this. Did you read much Ayn Rand in preparation for the story?

Well, "Atlas Shrugged", mostly. That's why the cinema on Mars has the ad for "Atlas Shrugged Again" and the "Martians" are as they are. I think the book's entire premise is quite ludicrous, which is why the same plan in "Bionic Heart 2" fails so spectacularly. Also, "Atlas Shrugged" assumes that successful industry magnates always combine the best possible traits of human nature, and I found it difficult to believe that there wouldn't be at least a few dicks among the economically relevant people, so of course I put a few in there too. Of course, as the example of Nanotech shows, assholes aren't exclusive to Mars

Oh, and about Othello: In at least a few of the endings, I'm certain Tina will have taken care of him. She's definitely a cat person.

I've been meaning to ask you this and is everyone on Mars a dick, like in the movie Elysium? You said that assholes aren't exclusive to Mars so good people shouldn't be exclusive to Earth. Sorry, I just believe that people should judge the individual and not the whole group. I hope I'm not offending you.

Edit: Beware of the spoilers, here and on the next page

My take on the question is this: Take a random sample of the population, you get some dicks but many decent people. However, Mars in the VN is a special case: Only a few are told about the Mars colony, and invited (or allowed to go there, if they find out themself). And the main criteria of being invited is basically: 1) Be good at something, usually hoarding money; and 2) feel superior to the common herd back on earth. (In short: Being a dick) In theory 1) might be more important, but group pressure will enforce 2) much more.

This is why a asked about Ayn Rand ...