Reviews & Awards
Thanks to Gravedigger at
for
this very kind review
from 2003 (a time when it had not been commercially available for half a decade)
CDROM WORLD (Oct.'94, Todd Harris) says: "a kitschy
classic."
ENTERTAINMENT
WEEKLY (Oct.14,'94, Ty Burr) says: "crafted with intelligence."
CDROM
TODAY (Oct.'94, David Wade) says: "deserves good marks for attempting
some ingenious solutions to the problems of digital world building."
CD-ROM
Magazine (Vol. 5 Issue 1) says: "This is a landmark game: unlike any
other computer game, this really does start to feel like real life... this
could well be the way first person adventure games will go..."
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NEWMEDIA
MAGAZINE (Sept.'94, Reed Rahlmann) says: "The navigation is speedy
and the pacing satisfying. This is one weird city!"
The
editors of NEWMEDIA, in AMERICAN WAY MAGAZINE, named Midnight Stranger
one of the ten best CD-ROMs of 1994, and said: "...the greatest achievement,
we think, is the mood this title creates - a dark, urban attitude in a
place where a lot of people might not go, but would like to visit from
the armchair."
WIRED
(Dec.'94, Jim Gasperini) says: "the first use of an ambitious approach
to interactive drama... it has the flavour of close collaboration with a talented
group of actors, and as such gives a sense of what theatre people might do with
the interactive medium...The writing neatly samples what would in reality be
a lengthy conversation, creating a naturally flowing sense of high point and
ellipsis..." For the full review go here.
CAMPUS
CANADA (Nov.'94, Drew Carnwath) says: "often hilarious, occasionally
unexpected, but almost always true-to-life... The creators of MS deserve
kudos for dialogue that is extremely funny, intelligent, and, well, REAL...
and much credit goes, too, to the actors who bring the characters to life...
Technically, MS is truly a trip... the quality of the images and the fidelity
of the soundscape combine to create a total experience ... Slick yet gritty,
mysterious yet revealing; it is the first computer game wherein the player
can learn something about himself..."
AXCESS
MAGAZINE (Vol.II No.5, Matt Foley) says: "The best thing about Midnight
Stranger is that it is not really a game; there is an interesting story
going on behind the scenes, but you can do whatever you want. This disk
is like going out on the town with no set plans, only a vague mission to
have fun."
COMPUTER GAMING WORLD (Oct.'94, Eden Maxwell) says:
"Mature audiences will find themselves captivated by Midnight Stranger
from the opening screen... What distinguishes Stranger is an intelligent
script that elevates characters from objects to people you develop feelings
for ... Directing the characters, including yourself, in this free form
cinema verité experiment is exciting and habit forming..."
ELECTRONIC
ENTERTAINMENT (Mar.'95, James Daly) says: " ... an early example of
the way multimedia titles can bust out of their niche as glorified cartoons...
delivers enough intrigue and hidden surprises to keep anyone interested...
And the disc never plays the same twice."
The
TORONTO STAR (Feb.16,'95, Gerry Blackwell) says: "... a pioneering
effort... brilliant innovations... a knockout adults-only game... interactive
entertainment as you've not seen it before. It opens up new vistas."
NAUTILUS (Feb.'95, Steve Stein) says: "...cool,
totally cool... a multimedia tour de force... the game's characters respond
to you in surprisingly realistic ways... I cannot recommend this game too
highly... There's nothing like it."
SHIFT
(Winter '95, Jeremy Lowell) says: "...a full night out... wildly unpredictable
adventure... relentlessly compelling... Role-playing has never been this
realistic. And combined with the voyeuristic quality of the environment
and the bizarre cast of characters, MS truly redefines the term interactive
-- for the better."
Glenn Collyer of SFU says: "This is a landmark product
that should be in the Smithsonian Institute."
The most recent review was from May
of 2004 from
,
at a time when Midnight Stranger had not been available for sale for many years.
The reviewer saw Mode first, and that greatly influenced his review. Read it
here.
Take a look at scans of some of the full reviews here.
Awards
1993
Macromedia People's Choice Award
E2
Magazine's 1994 Murphy Award for Best Story in an Interactive Multimedia
Title