"Eros, Volume 1, #1" from Wave Interactive
Mac & PCDigizines (digital magazines) normally aren’t my favorite reading. They are generally produced too quickly by the inexperienced and the unskilled, with expectations far higher than the publication really warrants. In summary, a lot of hot air.
But this disc is different. The producers have done two extremely important things: they’ve preserved the look, feel, and “flavor” of an actual paper magazine. You turn “pages” with a “paper” background texture. They’ve also done some extremely creative things with ordinary bitmaps, sounds, and QuickTime. For example, the eight-color Eros banner is actually subtly animated so that at first the naked eye simply can’t see it. With multimedia it’s easy to do this kind of “look at me!” trick; but rarely do I see it executed with the subtlety that marks this quality publication.
This disc is organizes like a magazine; “Features”, Specials”, “Fun and Games”, etc. Each sections is packed with pictures, stories and even 3-D animated stereograms (which I still can’t see!) But the text is a big disappointment. I had great hopes of intelligent, educational and sexy articles. Nope. It’s the usual women talking dirty via text and pictures, inane legs-spread, “I like bunnies and reading the Bible” nonsense that makes my stomach churn. I expected a certain amount of this. I mean, it is an adult digizine, but jeez! I hope they keep producing these mags, but I also hope they fire their editor and hire the brilliant editoress Darklady, instead.
A hint to the producers: the word “sodomize” is probably one of the biggest etymological turn-offs you could have chosen. Real women don’t use it in a romantic way during the actual act. Were the Muses just too disinterested to provide even one colorful euphemism for “driving up the old tan track?”
"Anal Rom II" from VCA Interactive
Mac & PCAs porn-games go, this one’s really good. It’s so simple, it’s pathetic. Remember Simon, the game where you mimic a patter of lights and beeps by pressing colored lights in a specific sequence? Same story here, only they’ve but the “butt” into button. But these butts can become very complex or turned off entirely, allowing you to concentrate on video.
I’m glad to see the industry is using the new QuickTime code. The video is obviously pared from VCA’s vault and the `plot’ in the videos has no relation between one another or to the game. Likewise, the soundtrack doesn’t always match the video clip it’s with...but it usually does.
This is a cutely designed disc with a game that will entertain all intelligence levels; it’s even got some halfway convincing porn.
Thanks to DK Wilds for letting me play with these discs. They should be available at any adult shop carrying recent CD-ROMS.