Interesting enough as an FMV based adventure game on the surface. Unfortunately, it doesn't really excel as a gaming or cinematic experience underneath.

The Bunker is another FMV based game released by this publisher that came out within the past couple of years. I recommend that one over this one as it doesn't overstay its welcome as much as this one does and has a bit more interactivity.

I hope an FMV game really nails it for me someday. I'll keep looking/waiting.

Originally posted here: https://cultclassiccornervideogames.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/late-shift-2016-review/

You would think that in the age of high definition quality video and more money to spend developing games, that the few FMV (Full Motion Video) games that show up would have the same level of bizarre creativity that they did in the 90’s when CD’s became the hot new item. But it feels like that each and every FMV game is just taking advantage of the fact that they could copy movies and television to create something that just feels like anything else you could stream or rent online, which is a shame.

Our main protagonist is Matt, a college student who is working as a parking lot attendant as one night, he finds himself dragged into the criminal world of London when he is forced to work with a group of armed robbers looking to steal a valuable item that has gone up for auction. He ends up befriending one of the members of the group, a woman named May-Ling.

As a movie, Late Shift looks like your standard film. It doesn’t look terrible, but there’s nothing amazing to look at. It’s all well shot for what it is. The plot is bare bones, and it kinda has to be so the “choose-your-own-adventure” style choice system wouldn’t get too complicated. There isn’t any real gameplay to speak of. Every now and again a choice will pop up giving you 2 to 3 options to choose from that progress the game. Depending on your choices, this will lead to one of several endings.

Let’s face it, if this was just released as a movie, it wouldn’t do too well. It’s too by the numbers in terms of acting, plot, and everything else. It would be that film that would appear every now and again in someones “Recommended For You” feed on their streaming service of choice but not a lot of people would click on.

I don’t hate Late Shift. But when I can go back to the gold era of FMV’s and get something crazy, weird, and out there even if it’s a so-bad-it’s-good. And considering that some of those games even had other things, like actual gameplay in between the FMV, such as puzzles and action, the FMV felt more like a neat bonus, or hindrance on who you ask, rather than the focus of the game. And considering that the TV series Black Mirror has come out with it’s own choose-your-own-adventure with “Bandersnatch”, Late Shift can’t really hold a candle. Unfortunately, all this game does is fall into mediocrity, only to be forgotten hours after playing it.

Didn't expect an interactive movie to be interesting, but it's definitely worth playing. With my more than amateurish movie experience, it all feels well played out, though it hardly pulls off any inspiring shots. I know that all the 'choose-your-story' narratives, like the ones in some books, are difficult to write and tie together, but it's the usual kind where you barely know what you're choosing and despite whatever expectations you might have, the outcome might as well be entirely random. The ending's good though.

A crime thriller FMV, you play an unlucky chap trying to survive through a heist. This played like a movie with the occasional choice. It ran solid; I had no issues with stuttering. The acting was good.

I'm guessing the studio had a healthy budget. There were expensive cars, homes, sets, costumes, etc. They give much credit to the services that helped made this possible. I was really impressed.

My main negatives would be to add a fastfoward/skip mechanic, chapters system, or a manual save. Trying to hunt the achievements and the seven different endings was a bit of a drag. You have to watch the ENTIRE run each time. It would have been greatly appreciated. The writing doesn't always make sense. Very questionable at times.

A really high quality FMV game with good acting, a large cast, and real sets.

The choices you can make are also interesting, allowing you to essentially shape the personality of the main character. Unfortunately, you can't skip scenes, which makes replaying the game to get all the endings a chore (like Until Dawn).
This is really one of the most aggravating things about CYOA games in general: they make you repeat the same content over and over. And it's not a matter of padding the game's length, either. The game is short either way.

But aside from that QoL issue, this game is good.