The highlight! 2
| The highlight! 2 | |||
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| Studio |
 Neo software
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| Publisher |
JoWooD
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
July 2001 | ||
| platform | Microsoft Windows | ||
| genre | Simulation, puzzle | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Keyboard and mouse | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | CD-ROM | ||
| language | German, English, French, Russian, Polish, Spanish | ||
| Age rating |
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The highlight! 2 (in North America The Sting! ) Is a computer game developed by the Austrian studio neo Software from 2001. It was published by the publisher JoWood Productions . The intrusion simulation is the successor to the point-and-click game Der Clou! Which appeared in 1994 for MS-DOS and Amiga . .
action
The player slips into the role of the legendary burglar Matt Tucker, who returns to his hometown "Fortune Hills" after serving a prison sentence of several years. With little start-up capital and little equipment, he has to revive himself to its former glory with increasingly difficult burglaries.
Game world
Free card
The fictional city "Fortune Hills" consists of a freely accessible 3D map, which is based on a 3D engine specially developed for the game. The approximately 70 buildings, almost all of which are accessible, include a tool shop and a car dealer where the player can purchase equipment and vehicles, a fence for depositing stolen property and various bars. In addition to police officers and dogs, you will meet over 60 characters there, with whom you can come into contact and many of whom are available as accomplices for the missions.
The taxis that drive around serve as a long-distance travel system, with the help of which you can visit all locations on the map for a fee.
Mission mode
The 20 increasingly extensive missions are started from the computer in Tucker's motel room, where Tucker was quartered by a friend. After selecting the object, tools, escape vehicle and optional accomplices, the planning phase begins. With the help of a timeline, the functions of which are very reminiscent of those of a video recorder, the break-in can now be planned. After everyone involved has returned to the getaway vehicle, the project can be saved in a file that can still be modified.
In the live phase, the player lets the planned job run (or accelerated if desired). This shows whether the thieves' actions went unnoticed and whether the job was successful. The residents and guards patrolling the objects are not allowed to see or hear the characters of the player, and many check certain windows and doors on their paths for tampering. Other hurdles for the player are cameras and alarm systems that have to be deactivated and bypassed. If the player is discovered, the order is considered to have failed and must be modified in the planning mode.
The loot goes into the inventory in free mode and can be converted into cash when you visit the fence.
Game mechanics
camera
The third-person camera can be infinitely varied in position and distance to the character. When covering longer distances, for example by clicking on a location on the minimap, it changes into dynamic movement. The camera zooms in automatically so that the character remains visible when he disappears behind a building.
Character traits and skill system
Every character has a certain level of knowledge in cracking locks, safes and dealing with alarm systems, which changes in percentage. In addition, there is a level of awareness in the police files, which increases depending on the value of the booty and can be interpreted as criminal fame. Movement speed and carrying capacity force the player to plan exactly which tool is to be taken by which figure and who can take the various loot.
Accomplices
The accomplices have their own composition of the characteristics listed above, which improve with each use, depending on how intensively the characters are involved in the missions. The proportion of the booty they receive depends on this. On the one hand, it is an advantage to train these qualities in early missions in order to be able to fall back on the most competent staff possible in the later game, on the other hand, almost all missions can be handled by Matt Tucker alone and taking the accomplices with him ultimately leads to an unnecessary loss of fame , Ability and of course money for the main character.
Tools
The tools have different weights and are limited in the number of their uses. In addition, they have different levels of efficiency when processing wood, glass, metal and the alarm systems, and they cause an individual noise level in relation to this. Some destroy the processed object in the process, others leave it undamaged, which affects whether patrols register the manipulation or not. Each character can take up to three tools with them. The selection of these must be based on the one hand on the barriers that secure the booty, on the other hand it must be ensured that the available load-bearing capacity is maintained in order to be able to transport the sometimes heavy individual items. The player should also be aware of the cost of each application of each tool to maximize returns. So it makes perfect sense to use a hand drill instead of taking the drill press with you. The latter is not only significantly heavier and louder, but also considerably more expensive to use. However, the prerequisite for this step is that the necessary time is available, because the efficiency of the hand drill is of course significantly lower.
vehicles
Only the load capacity and the number of seats are important, so basically only buying a few trucks makes sense. The specified maximum speed of the 50 available and sometimes extremely expensive cars has no effect on the performance of the jobs. So most of the types are more for the player's pleasure and offer the opportunity to spend the money made during the break-ins.
reception
The reviews of the game were mixed. The somewhat somber comic style à la film noir received a special mention . The missions are considered successful, entertaining and reasonably difficult to solve.
The complete renunciation of violence increases the demand, because guards often have to be bypassed several times and notice noise and tampering with doors and windows throughout. In addition, Matt Tucker's "gentlemanly honor" means that the main content, ie burglary and theft, is not reprehensible and the characters are quite likeable. In connection with the appropriately unrealistic representation, the game was therefore approved for ages six and over.
Overall, however, most testers attested to the developers that they had not exhausted the game's potential. The implementation of graphics and sound seemed too flawed and, above all, the latter as too loveless. According to this, the game would have benefited from another six months of fine-tuning the software. The hardware requirements, which were quite high for the time, could have been partially corrected.
The lack of opportunity to swap tools and loot with accomplices during the missions and the poor use of the PC's path were also criticized.
| Tester | rating |
|---|---|
| games.de | 85% |
| PC action | 7/10 |
| PC player | 71 |
| PC Games | 7/10 |
| jeuxvideo.com | 12.6 / 20 |
| 4Players.de | 69% |
| BRAVO Screen Fun | Grade 2 |
| GameStar Germany | 64 |
Trivia
The name of the game world was selected in the course of an invitation to tender (“In search of the city without a name”). The suggestion to christen the fictional city “Fortune Hills” immediately appealed to the entire development team and came from a 16-year-old student from Bavaria.
An earlier working title for the game was The Blag Simulation . The now obsolete English verb to blag sth. Means to deceive yourself .
The name of the game is based, like that of the first part, on the German title of the American crook comedy Der Clou from 1973. In North America, unlike its predecessor, which was also called The Clue! appeared, the title The Sting! .
The full version of the game was included in the game magazine Bravo Screenfun 07/2003.
Web links
- Homepage neo Software ( Memento from April 17, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
- Homepage The highlight! 2 ( Memento from August 3, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
- extensive game preview
- Unofficial walkthrough (in English)
- Playing card in the English language Wikipedia
- Views of different covers of the game by continent
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Sting! (2001) Windows box cover art. Retrieved April 29, 2019 .
- ↑ The highlight! 2: The highlight! 2. May 3, 2001, accessed on May 12, 2019 (German).
- ↑ The Clou 2 - The Burglary Simulation - Game Guide NRW. Retrieved May 12, 2019 .
- ↑ A highlight! 2 - test, strategy - 4Players.de. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! for Windows (2001) MobyRank. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ IGN Staff: The Sting! In: IGN. August 1, 2001, Retrieved April 30, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Original continuation of the break-in simulator with technical weaknesses. June 1, 2001, accessed April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! for Windows (2001) MobyRank. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ Original continuation of the break-in simulator with technical weaknesses. June 1, 2001, accessed April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ Test du jeu The Sting sur PC. Retrieved April 30, 2019 (French).
- ↑ Test (evaluation) on Clou! 2 (strategy) - 4Players.de. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! for Windows (2001) MobyRank. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! for Windows (2001) MobyRank. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ Wayback Machine. April 17, 2001, Retrieved April 29, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! for Windows (2001) Trivia. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .
- ↑ The Sting! walkthrough - Strategy Guide. Retrieved April 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Cover: Bravo Screenfun 7/2003 - test reports, editors, scans, information, magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2019 .