The Case of the Cautious Condor (Amiga CD) - A Playguide and Review - by LemonAmiga.com
55Let's transport ourselves BACK to the 1930s; a time of Past Futurism; were we board an air ship and get tangled up in a plot of murder. We must follow suspects and crack the case, but can we pin the finger on the culprit before the aircraft touches down? (Read More...)
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Production Notes:
Captured: 25th Oct 2020
Narrated: 25th May 2021
Edited: 25 May 2021, Aug 21, and Jan 2022
I can't remember how I found this game. Perhaps it was downloaded along with some CD32 games many tears ago. I guess I happened to be looking over the CD collection for games to play for the series, and loaded it up. After clicking around on a few things it was time to reset the emulator and start the cameras rolling to capture my adventures. I had just about got the hang of what I was doing by the end of that recording, or at least I had enough insight to review it.
As there is so much narration in the game, I knew it would be a good idea to talk around the action rather than over the top of it, so I spend some time adding a red square to the screen whenever there is a pause in the game speech. During the narration I kept quiet until the red square came on the screen, which was my cue to speak, and then tried to time my thoughts so they ended as the red square disappeared. Then there was still the matter of moving the narration around to fit the gaps better. I added a few things in post production, including snapshots of the game manual for the end credits, which I found on Amiga Hall of Light. The credits for the voice actors is also in the game itself, which can be seen when the character gets shot by the Japanese diplomat. But the manual also contained a story of how they produced the game, which was fun to add in to the end credits.
I enjoyed this experience, as much for the atmosphere, and this game really does feel like one of those 1930's American radio dramas, and like so many futuristic movie of the day, like Non Stop New York (1937), Streamline Express (1935) mixed with Sam Spade or Philip Marlow movies like Farewell My Lovely (1944). I've watched many thousands of black and white movies in years gone by, and this game takes me back to that period, which feels like a warm and welcoming time before modern media and CGI.
Danscore
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It was a new day, but not for me. I learned back over my chair, trying to put my humble toils into some kind of perspective. The air was warm, but smelled stale due too many cigarettes and half a bottle of whiskey. Sweat rolled down my arms, as a reached for cup of cold coffee. My mood was weak, but not as weak as the coffee. My desk was a mass of scraps of paper, notes from past cases, a set of keys, a single glove, an empty dish, an empty pie tray; on top of years of grime and dirt. I peeled open the pages of my notebook. It was Friday, 5 o' clock; almost time to go home.
My latest case was baffling, like trying to crack a walnut open with a tooth pick. By the light of my desk lamp I would just about decipher my own handwriting. The Case of the Cautious Condor - a fancy title - depicted the scenario perfectly. There was only one murderer, but many suspects, and it was all too easy to follow the wrong leads. I'm sure if I went over the case enough times, the evidence would eventually come out for all to see. The hand drawn sketch art presented with the case is limited on colour, but high on detail, making the experience feel like an old comic book. The pace of the action, and the style of the voice recordings fit the scene perfectly, and bring the case to life. I can see why this was a huge sensation in Japan when it was originally released. Yet I have to wonder who this was aimed towards, as teens and most middle aged adults probably wouldn't choose to get involved, and perhaps prefer to run a mile instead.
I close the worn pages of my faded red leather-bound notebook, stretch myself out into a standing position, and move over to the hat stand where my trilby and trench coat languish pathetically. I light another Lucky and throw the match into a cheap standing ashtray nearby. Something makes me hesitate, perhaps the draft of cold air on my neck as I open the shabby wooden door with my name on it. How to rate the experience was difficult in today's world of high tech machinery and fancy-smancy graphics. There were no easy answers. To me the case was worth 6.5 out of 10, but something was nagging me to lower this number, as who would bother with such an old trifling story today? It feels like a relic of an ancient bygone age; known in Latin as MəltēˈMēdēə; which came and went, and took no prisoners. I resign myself to 5.5 out of 10, close the door, and make my way down the hall towards the elevator.