A Fork in the Tale
{{refimprove|date=April 2018}}
{{Short description|1997 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = A Fork in the Tale
| image = forkbox1.jpg
| developer = Any River Entertainment{{Cite web |date=1997-02-27 |title=OGR: NewsNet |url=http://www.ogr.com/news.html |access-date=2023-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970227122429/http://www.ogr.com/news.html |archive-date=1997-02-27 }}
| publisher = Electronic Arts
| designer = Rob Lay
| released = {{vgrelease|NA|February 26, 1997}}
| genre = Adventure
| modes = Single-player
| platforms = Windows
}}
A Fork in the Tale is a full motion video (FMV) comedic adventure game developed by Any River Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts on February 26, 1997. The game draws a heavy influence from Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair games and features Bay Area actors Dale Morris, Fred Smith, Michael Ronin Orlando, Eric Carlson, Kaliopi Eleni, Jett, Pamela Herron and Jody Mortara among the fifty plus roles, as well as voice-overs by comedian Rob Schneider. Because of the large number of video sequences, the game was originally released on 5 CDs.
Plot and gameplay
The protagonist finds himself in the land of Eseveron. The player must click on certain icons at specific times to proceed, all in an effort to figure out what is happening and how to escape.
Development
The game was in development for three and a half years with a budget of $2 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalleisure.com/pr980529.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19981202013555/http://www.digitalleisure.com:80/pr980529.html|title=E3 Expo/Digital Leisure acquires "A Fork in the Tale" rights for DVD-ROM and DVD-Video|website=digitalleisure.com|archivedate=December 2, 1998|date=May 29, 1998|accessdate=May 25, 2022}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| CGW = {{rating|1.5|5}}{{cite magazine | first=Charles | last=Ardai | authorlink=Charles Ardai |title=Forking Awful |magazine=Computer Gaming World |issue=155 |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=June 1997|page=104|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_155/page/n107}}
| GSpot = 3.7/10{{cite web |last=Anderson|first=Rebecca |title=A Fork in the Tale Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/a-fork-in-the-tale-review/1900-2537843/ |website=GameSpot |accessdate=29 September 2018 |date=March 13, 1997}}
| NGen = {{rating|1|5}}{{cite magazine|title=Finals: A Fork in the Tale |magazine=Next Generation|issue=30|publisher=Imagine Media |date=June 1997|page=124|url=https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n125}}
}}
PC Gamer US called A Fork in the Tale "a dismal flop, uniformly panned by critics and avoided by gamers, who bought less than 1,000 copies."{{Cite web |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news070797.html |title=TEN to Absorb AnyRiver? |access-date=2018-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971012044946/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news070797.html |archive-date=1997-10-12 |url-status=dead |date=July 7, 1997 |website=PC Gamer Online}}
A Next Generation critic complained about the small amount of interactivity and said Rob Schneider's vocal delivery is mediocre. Charles Ardai of Computer Gaming World also criticized the limited interactivity and Schneider's performance, but focused most of his commentary on the repetitiveness of the video clips. He summarized, "At its best, it's reasonably funny; at its worst, the comedy is abysmal. But since the gameplay involves going through the same FMV scenes over and over and over, even the best comedy in the world couldn't stave off a creeping sense that you have been damned to some sort of Sisyphean penance." Game Revolution thought the game was short and easy, yet fun.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/a-fork-in-the-tale|title=A Fork in the Tale Review|website=www.gamerevolution.com|date=June 5, 2004|access-date=2017-03-17}} In contrast, Rebecca Anderson of GameSpot considered the plot interesting but the gameplay frustratingly difficult, saying that the game demands the player to make decisions on a split second's notice, and sends the player back too far after failures.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{moby game|id=/a-fork-in-the-tale|name=A Fork in the Tale}}
- {{IMDb title|id=0281862|title=A Fork in the Tale}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fork In The Tale, A}}
Category:Electronic Arts games
Category:Full motion video based games
Category:Interactive movie video games
Category:Single-player video games