My rib cage is deformed

I've been feeling a dent in the right side of my rib cage for as long as I can remember. All this time, I thought that it was normal, and that's how rib cages are supposed to be. To be more exact, one of the bones in my right side isn't as far out as it's supposed to be.

That was until yesterday, when I had the extraordinary idea to actually compare the two sides of my ribs. And what do you know, the left side didn't have a dent.

The first thing I did was laugh my ass off for being so stupid. How the hell could I NOT have noticed it for so many years?

Next thing I did was some research on the internet. I didn't find much, except that rib cage deformities of that kind (there are some other more severe cases) aren't so uncommon, and most of the time it's just the way the rib cage has grew for some people. There is no need for treatment except in the case where there are chest pains and/or respiratory problems (cause it can limit lung expansion). I don't have any of these symptoms so I think I'll be alright.

I also found a video from a guy who seems to have something similar. Although mine is less visible.

Still Life review

Story: 5/10

The year is 2005. You are Victoria, an FBI agent on the tracks of a serial killers whose victims are prostitutes. After investigating the crime scene of the 5th victim, you decide to go over your dad's place to relax. It's there where you discover an old chest containing your grandfather's personal items. Among the items, you find his diary, and upon reading it you discover unsettling similarities between your case, and a case that he was working on in the 30s in Prague. Coincidence? Unfortunately, Still Life fails to deliver its promise of a strong story, and that's mainly to the reason that the game's story is incomplete, as posted to a forum by a alleged member of the game's developing team. The company apparently had financial problems, that led to its closing just before the game was released.

Quote:

-- but I'm curious as to what you had planned and what might have been scrapped due to time / budget / reality constraints. Any chance you can tell us what was supposed to happen at the end?

There was the entire part in LA 1954 and 2005 and Chicago 1932 and 2005. We played Gus again but in Chicago of the 30s; Gus chasing Mark. This part would introduce LA 54. The LA 54 part would explain the link between the murderers. Look closely at the painting “The Pupil”. In the original script, there were two endings. It was more of a choice really. The player could choose between arresting the killer or putting a clip into him. Now that’s closure. The player decided the fate of the killer. I really liked that idea simply because I thought it could be fun to empower the player with how he or she wanted Vic to end her story. -Se7en

Graphics: 8/10

The game's graphics are on par with other Adventure Company titles. Beautiful prerendered backgrounds and satisfying 3d characters. I especially liked the water and fog effects, they really gave the scenes life. As for the characters, despite their basic design, they appropriately blended with the backgrounds. The only problem I noticed were some funky "skin-toned" lines around Vic's hair when viewed from a distance.

Sound: 6/10

I don't have any complaints about the music. The "electro-mysterious" style fitted perfectly on those moments when you are close to a startling discovery. The sound effects were also satisfactory. The voice acting on the other hand, was mediocre to terrible. Vic sounded more like a college girl than an FBI agent in a serial killer investigation. On a particular scene, after having a fight with the killer, she falls unconscious. When she wakes up, I expected her to sound nervous and dizzy. I nearly laughed when I heard her talking like she was shopping at the mall. Gus was even worse, as he sounded exactly like he was reading his lines straight from the script.

Puzzles: 6/10

Here's where Still Life falls flat on its face. Almost all of the puzzles are there just to increase play length by stalling the player. Rarely does a puzzle have any relation to the plot. Most of them are some kinds of slider puzzles which take less time to beat by trial and error than by plan. The rest are inventory puzzles, and while some are interesting by having to examine them in 3d in your inventory for example, there are some that are made easy, if not completely given off, by the fact that the game signals you when you are standing next to something upon which you must use an item you carry. The best puzzle of the game, the lock-picking, was too difficult, but was actually the only one that required planning. All in all, it gave a good feeling of achievement after solving it, and it was one of the two memorable puzzles of the game. The other one was the cookie baking puzzle, although for completely different reasons. This puzzle was probably the worst player-stalling, totally unrelated to the plot, puzzle I have encountered in any adventure game in my entire life.

Gameplay: 7/10
The gameplay is smooth. There are no path-finding problems, and fortunately the characters can run by doubleclicking. The character you control alternates between Vic and Gus in each new chapter. Controls aside however, there is a major problem that is much common to new adventure games. There are a lot of transitional-only screens. You can't click and examine anything while on those screens, and once you pass them you don't return to them again. It's more than just a waste of artistic design. The lack of items/hotspots to click upon and examine, getting the feedback of the character you control, while making the game somewhat easier by most of the times leading you exactly to what you need to do, actually halts character development, and seriously reduces the player's connection, empathy and identification of/with the character. Extending further from those transitional screens, the only items you can click on on regular screens also, are those closely related to the plot. For example, just imagine what Sam & Max would be if you couldn't click on anything else than other characters and items you can pickup and use, without the random comments about everything you encounter.

Conclusion
Still Life left me expecting more. I can't easily recommend the game. If you are an adventure junkie, and want to solve some puzzles while engaging in an interesting, yet somewhat incomplete story, then you should probably get it. But if you're looking for a strong story-driven game with great character development, you'll be disappointed.

Final Score 6.4/10

Most ridiculous adventure game puzzle

And the award goes to... Still Life and the Cookie Baking puzzle!

That's right! What do you do after a long and hard day chasing serial killers and interrogating suspects? Why, bake the cookies your dad asked you to bake using your grandma's recipe, of course! But it's not so simple as it sounds, as grandma's recipe is written an a cutesy style, for example: 1 cup of love, 1/2 cups of sweetness etc. So you have to figure out to which normal ingredient each cute thing corresponds. What a twist! Seriously, I can't think of a better puzzle to progress a serial killer investigation plot, than baking cookies. The producers hit bull's eye!

More details on the game on a review I may or may not post.