Reviews for LifeLinesAction/Adventure Game - PlayStation 2 - MPN: 083717200710 
By member:
wampa8jedi
- Jun 20, 2005
LifeLinesStrengths: Voice control Weakness: Everything else This is basically a cool gimmick, backed up by a horde of bad game design. Lousy graphics, bland gameplay, average sound, no connection with the characters/plot... and even the gimmicky if faulty. The voice control (which is required--yes, there is no way to play it except to yell at your TV) works only some of the time--other times you'll find yourself saying "shoot" or "run" a dozen times in a row while your character has the snot beaten (or as the case may be, eaten) out of her. Cool for a few moments, but gets old fast. Real fast. 0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
whitereflection
- Oct 28, 2005
LifelineStrengths: Innovative gameplay, interesting story. Weakness: Microphone clarity could be better. Lifeline revolves around an interesting concept; the game is played by voice. Your character finds himself trapped in a security room with access to all the cameras and doors to the building. You don't directly play the game, and are supposed to guide a nonplayable character. The puzzles in this game are fairly simple; the most challenging/frustrating part is saying the exact phrase the game's looking for to proceed. Combat is unnecessarily clunky because the AI doesn't react fast enough to your commands, and speaking faster certainly doesn't help. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
Alive741
- Oct 25, 2005
Life LineStrengths: Great concept Weakness: Graphics, story line was lacking This game had a GREAT concept in my opinion. This game is voice only. You can only use the headset and use voice commands to make things happen. I played this game through, and found it to be rather short and lacking good graphics. Worth playing once though. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
JDreborn
- Sep 20, 2005
Unique gameplay experience hindered by horrible...Strengths: Nice attempt at something new by using voice recognition system to move character around onscreen. Weakness: Voice recognition is faulty, have to buy a headset to play the game, and game is too short. Lifeline is a voice recognition action/adventure game for Playstation 2. The game requires the USB headset for PS2 to play the game. I'm a big fan of games that try something new. This game builds on the voice recognition type of games that Seaman for the Dreamcast started. Its a nice little adventure if you can get the voice recognition to work without any problems. Which is definitely not the case. Some times you have to say specific words for the character to move other times it has to be pronounced properly. Its a pain, but the game can be enjoyable if you give it time to grow on you. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
jenbowie
- Jun 24, 2005
LifeLinesStrengths: Interesting plotline, interesting form of game control Weakness: Game has difficulty understanding simple commands Lifeline is an interesting game that certainly has potential. The plotline is unique, and the animation and movements are quite nice. My biggest concern with this game is based on its method of action - through voice commands - where frequently a lot of gameplay is wasted trying to get a character to react in the most simplest of ways. I would still recommend this game, as it is certainly interesting, but for all the voice command hastles, it can be a bit daunting to play. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
MER71
- Jun 23, 2005
LifeLinesStrengths: Great concept for gameplay, the controls Weakness: Gameplay is confusing, so-so graphics I love the concept of using voice command to control gameplay. It was a risk the developer took and it did not turn out as hoped. Sometimes you have to repeat what you say, before the game responds correctly. This causes you to have to repeat parts of the game over and over. The graphics, sound and story are average at best. If you are looking for a use for you headset, check this out. I give the developer a A+ for trying something different, even though it's not a good end result. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
fever
- Jun 22, 2005
LifeLinesStrengths: Innnovative voice control system, simple controls Weakness: Voice recognition is not consistent. Generic game design This game really stands apart from others by using a voice control system to move a character in a 3d environment. Unfortunately, to get the best out of this game then commands should be kept simple and short or the game quickly becomes frustrating. The games graphics a reasonably well done for playstation 2 and the animation looks good too. The story is very limited and basic and the sound is generic. The game is also very short and there is limited replay value Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
FOnewearl
- May 2, 2005
LifeLinesStrengths: Gameplay makes use of USB headset Weakness: slow paced, fighting is plain Lifeline is an action adventure game much like the Resident Evil or Silent Hill series that also makes use of the Headset for the PS2. When the game starts you are stuck in a control room & befriend a girl named Rio which you can use the headset to give simple commands to & she will do them. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
MaxBiaggi2
- Apr 28, 2005
LifeLinesStrengths: Use of voice recognition provides an interesting new take on survival horror, gives you another use for your SOCOM headset Weakness: Voice recognition doesn't work well much of the time, leading to considerable frustration Lifeline: Voice Action Adventure provides an interesting new take on survival horror by allowing the player to guide a fellow survivor aboard an alien-infested spacecraft to safety. Using onboard cameras and your SOCOM headset, you literally "talk" your companion through puzzles, alien attacks, etc. Unfortunately, Konami's voice recognition software often doesn't function as intended, and both you and your companion can become confused and flustered as a result. This becomes especially irritating in the middle of an alien attack when your fellow survivor argues with or completely misunderstands your directions when she should be defending herself or seeking safety. Needless to say, frequent deaths and mounting frustration will be most people's rewards for playing this. There's still fun to be had here, but make sure you know what you're yourself getting into before laying any money down. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
TopTenREVIEWS.com - Mar 17, 2008
Lifeline
Lifeline receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS rating of 2.56 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #4,956 game of all time, #171 game of 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and #975 PlayStation 2 game of all time. The rating and ranking is based on an average of 51 critic scores, awards and other criteria. To see a breakdown of the game ranking, read individual critic reviews, or see how other games ranked, click on... Top
GamePro.com - Mar 26, 2004
LifeLine
LifeLine can hear you talking, but it?s not clear whether or not it?s really listening. Top
GameZone - Mar 9, 2004
Lifeline
"The green bottle," I say, hoping that she'll get the hint. It's been a long time since we've shared a bottle of wine. "Move toward the table." "Go to the table." She doesn't respond. Clearly she can see the shiny object sitting on the table. Could it be an engagement ring? At this rate she'll never know. Shockingly, these aren't signs of a failing relationship. They are the result of a game... Top
IGN.com - Mar 3, 2004
LifeLine
Originally created by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. internally in Japan, Lifeline, the North American name for the Japanese game Operator's Side, is a unique, innovative and yet exasperating game that delivers equal amounts of pleasure and pain. Top
GameSpy - Mar 2, 2004
LifeLine
Text adventures have a long and storied history that is still being written today. Games like Zork and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy wove a convincing, interactive world around the player through words alone. However, their reliance on words for input was also their fundamental flaw. Players had to guess the precise words that the game parser could understand, which led to many wasted... Top
games.net - Jan 1, 2000
LifeLine
It's time to put down the game controller and speak up! Lifeline is a heart-pounding action adventure epic set high above Earth in a futuristic space station hotel that is suddenly rocked by a massive attack. In the first-ever voice activated action-adventure game, players will find themselves inexplicably trapped in the hotel's security control room with their only link to the outside world... Top 
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Her name is Rio and she barely understands....
Strengths: One of the first true "voice action" game of it's kind.
Weakness: Sadly, this technology is still in it's infancy, therefore, it might be the last true "voice action" game of it's kind.
"What the heck? I didn't tell her to do that."
"Why can't you simply listen closely to what I say?"
The above statements are only some of the things you might be saying to yourself or telling others after attempting to play this game for the first time.
From the get-go, "Life Line" by Konami and Sony Computer Entertainment America seems like it's going to be an innovative step forward into more input oriented gaming, namely, using a microphone to command onscreen characters. Unfortunately, since the technology to recognize millions (if not billions or trillions) of words or phrases in different pitches, tones and accents is still far from perfected, Life Line tries it's best to use it's little legs to propel itself forward.
That's not to say that the game itself isn't good. But, the game isn't entirely great, either.
Gameplay:
Now, if you were to strip the whole 'voice activated' aspect of the game, you'd have a typical, run-of-the-mill action platformer in the tradition of similar titles like "Resident Evil", but without the excitement or organization of the battle sequences/instances that a Resident Evil game title can provide.
As you've probably already guessed, the whole game is based upon using your voice to issue word commands and phrases to the main protagonist of the game; Rio. A waitress by trade and a seemingly lost woman in all other areas, Rio literally relies on the player (known in the game as the "Operator") to give her specific commands when it comes to moving around to specific locations, searching areas, finding items and even going to battle against inhuman monsters.
The core of the game goes like this: You come upon an area where you'll need to find something in order to open a shutter or door at another location. Along the way, you'll encounter denizens of these strange beasts who want nothing more than to dispose of Rio and you'll also uncover bits and pieces of the storyline as you progress. Once you've finished doing the above mentioned tasks, you move onto the next area of the Space Station and do it all over again, until you finish the game.
Sound monotonous? It can be, but that all depends on how patient you are when it comes to giving Rio voice commands.
Just remember this: IT'S ALL ABOUT HOW YOU ENUNCIATE WORDS AND PHRASES.
In the game, Rio openly admits that she can't really make good decisions by herself, so she's relying on you to guide her 90% of the time. You have to tell her what specific spot to shoot enemies at, when to reload her weapon, when to flee from impending enemy attacks and even when to "shake off" enemies who are already attacking her. (Yes, she doesn't seem too bright of a girl, but that's what makes her so charming.)
The controller is still used, but only at points where Rio will need you to do specific things, like unlock doors, open shutters, activate voice locks and input codes into combination locks/devices.
Voiced by Actress Kristen Miller of "She Spies" fame, Rio is determined to finish her mission (play the game and you'll find out what it is) at all costs.
Surprisingly, the storyline is quite entertaining and is a fresh turn of the page when compared to other games in this genre. By 'genre' I mean the action-adventure/survival horror type of genre.
From looking at the game, you immediately think "Oh boy, aliens attack the station." but it's actually a bit more complex than that.
Sound - Obviously, you'll be providing a lot of the voicework in the game, but Rio has a lot to say as well. The music is either some sort of techno/dance beat when you get into a battle sequence, or cut scene where you have to intervene in order to save Rio's (sometimes clueless) behind.
Overall-
Life Line could easily have faded away into obscurity, but will definitely go down in history as the first game of it's kind. It's not perfect, but it's not entirely horrible either. If you've got the patience and discipline in trying to control a game character by using your voice, by all means, Life Line is definitely a game title for you to try.
Practice makes perfect.
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