Recommended

Personally, when I get a new game, I look at the System Requirements when I judge whether I can play it or not, but allow me to warn you ahead of time for Nocturne... You Need The Recommended System!. This game was clearly targeted for the high-end gaming system, so if you don't have the horsepower to run Nocturne, you're out of luck. The worst part about it, you're about to miss one of the most stylish and unique action-adventure games to come along in quite some time.

In Nocturne, you take on the role of an agent (Stranger) of a secret government agency called Spookhouse. Commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt, Spookhouse investigates and deals with supernatural and paranormal activity. The game is played out in a series of four episodes, spanning four different locales. The game plays like a collection of short acts, rather than one big story. In other words, you get to choose which episode you wish to adventure through, rather than having to progress through each episode as dictated by the developers. Each episode features a myriad of gameplay, ranging from bloody combat to puzzle-solving settings.

Here's a list of the four acts along with a little info about each one. Don't worry, there are no spoilers here.

Graphically, Nocturne is an astounding title. Supporting resolutions of 640x480 all the way up to 1280x1024 , the environments are stunning to look at and I found myself staring at the screen for minutes at a time, rather than advancing in the game. The characters and creatures in the game are incredibly detailed. It's no wonder the system requirements are as high as they are. The game also features real-time multiple-source lightning that supports illumination and shadow casting. The realism and atmosphere created in Nocturne is certainly one of it's high points. Simply put, Nocturne is a gorgeous game to look at. In terms of audio, Nocturne is full of it. The game features over 1000 lines of spoken dialogue and over 1500 unique sound effects. Everything you can imagine is covered . The sound compliments the game extremely well and along with the cut scenes, advance the story quite smoothly.

Nocturne resembles a third-person adventure game (Tomb Raider). The environments are portrayed through a series of static camera angles that allow you to explore by walking from scene to scene. Like many other third-person games before it, a myriad of camera angles are implored throughout the game and this can become a bit tedious at times. Just when you think the camera will remain fixed, it has a tendency to do a 180 on you, zoom in or widen out. While it produces a great cinematic feel, it also becomes a problem when in the midst of combat. I died several times during the game simply because the camera panned and I was unable to adjust before getting impaled by a zombie. The cameras seemed to move randomly and became irritating at times.

Nocturne also features 8 NPC characters found in various episodes. It's your job to interact with these characters in order to advance the storyline. Besides the NPCs, there are over 80 different monsters and non-interactive NPCs that you'll have to deal with. The game can be difficult to play with the pre-set controls. I suggest you fiddle with the options to setup your keyboard/mouse/gamepad properly. There are also plenty of weapons in the game to use, including shotguns, hatchets, dynamite, and much more.

Simply put, Nocturne is about as beautiful a game as you're likely to see this year. The environments are visually stunning, the attention to detail impeccable, and the suspenseful atmosphere goes unmatched. The controls in the game are less than spectacular, as are the camera angles employed throughout the game, but Nocturne delivers a terror filled experience that is sure to have gamers looking over their shoulders for ghouls and ghosts, as long as their system can handle the horror that is the system requirements.