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| 17 DEC 2004 at 9:13pm | |
Lady KestrelGuild Master  Posts : 4038 Joined: 27 SEP 2004 Location: US, NJ Status : Offline | #26 Zork Grand Inquisitor [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/ZGI1.jpg[/IMG] I like saying the word Zork. There’s something special about it. Zork. It feels good on my tongue and somehow makes me want to giggle. Zork, Zork, Zork. Maybe it’s just that so many “z” words are fun to say, like Zambezi, fuzzy, nozzle, and snooze. I’m not sure, but I do know that I loaded Zork Grand Inquisitor with a smile on my face and wore it all through the game. I blame it mostly on the letter “z.” The game began with an announcement regarding a curfew in Port Foozle. “What a funny name,” I thought with a chuckle and went to visit this town. By solving a series of puzzles, I acquired a talking lantern with the humorous name of Dalboz, who became my witty and sometimes sarcastic sidekick. I had a grand time zipping [he,he] around on a nonstop subway, zooming [ha,ha] through teleporters, and zigzagging [ho, ho] through time tunnels. I learned to cast wizards’ spells like “rezrov” [chuckle] and, after getting zapped several times, eventually won a maze game against Beelzebub himself [relieved laughter]. I met some plant life that belonged behind bars in the zoo, and some crazy characters who helped me in my quest to restore magic to the land of Zork once again. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/ZGI2.jpg[/IMG] In my travels, I learned about a company called Frobozz Electrics and their sinister machine called a Totemizer, but I just couldn’t take it too seriously because... well... those names made me grin. In fact, when fate led to my own Totemization, I found myself chortling at the results. Yes, even making mistakes was fun in this zany game. Zounds! Who knew that being repressed by a crazed megalomanic could put such zest into my life? Pass the Zorkmids! It’s time to play it again. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/ZGI3.jpg[/IMG] "Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?" -Rabindranath Tagore |
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| 17 DEC 2004 at 9:55pm | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate Detective  Posts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #25: Riven This review was written by Lady Kestrel I’ve been to Riven. Don’t laugh! It’s true. If aliens did a mind probe on me, they would find memories of this beautiful broken world embedded in my long-term memory. You see, I spent such a long time there exploring, pondering, and trying to make sense of the place that it has become an integral part of me. Since it was only the second time I ever visited a game world, it set a standard for me of what an adventure should be. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/Riv4.jpg[/img] It all started when I met this guy named Atrus who claimed he needed my help. Well, I’m a helpful sort of person, so I said I would do what I could. Because he was so busy writing something important and couldn’t stop, he gave me a journal to read and a special book that was supposed to trap someone. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but I took the books anyway. I remember staring at another book Atrus held up, and then suddenly I found myself behind bars in strange world! A man (I think his name was Cho) took one of the books from me, but someone else came to my rescue and opened the cage door. Feeling a bit dazed and confused, I stepped from my jail into the light and began to explore. It was a lovely but lonely journey. I met very few people in my travels, and most of them ran away from me, but I did manage to get around the place quite easily by just pointing myself in the direction I wanted to go. One quick click of my heels moved me ahead to the next spectacular view. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/Riv1.jpg[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/Riv2.jpg[/img] There were many fascinating areas to explore. I found a rotating room that seemed to be some sort of temple and hub, and a large funnel-shaped device which I couldn’t figure out for a long time. I rode in amazing transport vehicles that took me on wild rides to other islands. I learned to control strange spinning domes, played with machinery that was a topographer’s delight, drove a submarine, learned strange numbers in school, read interesting journals, saw and heard many unusual animals, and gradually began to put together widely scattered clues and solve complex puzzles. I discovered less conventional means of travel to secret places, confronted an enemy, and met some friends. After many mind-boggling moments and several missteps, I finally succeeded in my mission. I won’t tell you how I did it because there are innocent lives at stake, and I promised not to tell. However, I do recommend that you take a trip to Riven yourself. It may prove to be the journey of a lifetime, and one you’ll never forget. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Lady_Kestrel/Riv3.jpg[/img] |
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| 17 DEC 2004 at 9:57pm | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #24: King's Quest V This review was written by Randdom The King quest serie is, in my opinion, THE most influencial one of all times. By each game, legendary game designer Roberta Williams tried to push the boundaries, and King Quest 5 : Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder is perhaps the most representative of the ambitions of Sierra at the time (KQ5 being the first game to have a million dollar budget). [img]http://img100.exs.cx/img100/7316/kq522ho.jpg[/img] First of all, the graphics of this fifth opus are simply amazing, even by today’s standards - if you don’t mind low-resolution that is. The hand-drawn backgrounds are colorful and majestic, thanks to the full use of the VGA’s 256 colors that later became the norm for « modern » adventure games. Each screen is a feast for the eyes, from the witch’s forest to the crystal caverns and the evil sorcerer’s gothic castle; everything ooze the fairy tale ambience. All this eye candy was superbly supported by an incredible MIDI soundtrack (I can’t believe it, but I can still sing you some of it and it’s been 10 years since I played this game!!). In 1990, only a small proportion of PCs had soundcards, and Sierra surely helped to the audio avancement by hiring professionnal composers for their games. Consequence : every locale has its theme and each dramatic event is dynamically followed by the music, giving it the first true cinematic feel to an adventure game. Moreover, King Quest V have a full speech CD-ROM version (another first), which I didn’t own so I can’t comment. [img]http://img93.exs.cx/img93/16/kqv16of.jpg[/img] The gameplay itself is another branch in which the game inovated by introducing the mouse-driven icon-based interface (i.e. walk, talk, take, etc.). The game features mainly medium difficulty inventory puzzles, spreading into a large « map » for the first part, then into several little areas until the last castle. This line of progression works extremely well in giving you an epic journey feel of the storyline. [img]http://img93.exs.cx/img93/70/kqv0si.jpg[/img] As in every King Quest title, the story is somewhat cliché : you control King Graham in his quest for saving his familly and his entire castle, kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. While the approach is very classical and a little too politically correct for my tastes, the storyline is surprisingly involving and never turns childish (like KQ7), making it great for everyone. Add an incredibly intense end-game and a satisfying ending, and you get what is King Quest V : an historically important game and a must-play altogether. |
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| 18 DEC 2004 at 5:17am | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #23: Alone in the Dark [IMG]http://img146.exs.cx/img146/8010/title5in.png[/IMG] Considered to be the grandfather of the “Survival Horror’ genre, which was made popular by the ongoing Resident Evil series, Alone in the Dark is an expertly designed mixture of storytelling, action, adventure, puzzles, and genuinely spooky ambience. [IMG]http://img146.exs.cx/img146/1696/pic13ww.png[/IMG] You play as a PI hired, to investigate a haunted mansion and the mysterious happenings within (an option to play as the owner's niece exists). The plot, inspired by Lovecraft’s novels, mimics their storytelling devices. Plot details are gradually revealed reading letters, diaries, and notes found in the mansion. Every “calm” moment, whether you’re reading, wandering through dusty corridors, or searching a closet, is haunted by an atmosphere of uneasiness, as if something could jump out at you any moment. Like classic horror, the game’s most effective terror is not the bang, but the anticipation of it. The action scenes are generally brief and slow-paced. Furthermore, when the monsters appear, they are crudely rendered and comical by today’s standards. Yet when an action scenes ends, you’ll wonder when the next scare happens, and you’ll suspiciously eye even the most innocent objects. [IMG]http://img146.exs.cx/img146/4466/pic28ek.gif[/IMG] The perspective is static 3D backgrounds depicting rooms of the mansion. Dynamic 3D models of characters, monsters, and objects are animated on top of the backgrounds, making them appear to move through the rooms. The multiple camera shots switch dynamically as your character moves about the room, and have such a wide variety of angles that they produce a cinema-like quality. It’s no surprise that this technique has become identifiable with “survival horror” games. The 3D models, although dated, are well animated, almost lifelike. These motions, combined with the well-edited and timed sound effects, are what make Alone in the Dark so technically impressive. As your protagonist heavily yet cautiously walks across old floorboards, you can feel the perfectly synched creaking beneath your fingertips as if they were doing the walking, something that no other game has mastered to this degree. [IMG]http://img146.exs.cx/img146/8885/pic36rd.png[/IMG] At the core, Alone in the Dark is a fairly simple puzzle game. The mansion is very large, and has many obstacles, ranging from locked doors that must be opened with a key hidden elsewhere, to an incorporeal monster that must be destroyed with an arcane weapon. There is combat in the game, but it’s never too difficult, and it’s always obvious which monsters cannot be harmed with your weapons and must be defeated solving a puzzle. Unfortunately, the game suffers from a few frustrating parts, mostly near the end of the game. The most frustrating potential pitfall is a dark maze that must be navigated with a lantern and a limited fuel supply. Otherwise, the puzzles are logical, fair, and forgiving. Alone in the Dark is a solid action-adventure, innovative enough to inspire an entire genre. Anyone who considers themselves a survival horror fan, or even anyone who doesn’t mind a little action in their adventure, owes it to themselves to look at this masterpiece. |
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| 18 DEC 2004 at 3:24pm | |
colpetSchattenjger  Posts : 1630 Joined: 12 APR 2003 Status : Offline | # 22 The Dark Eye This 1995 game is in 1st person perspective with point and click controls. [IMG]http://img30.exs.cx/img30/8312/darkeyebf2zu.jpg[/IMG] The Dark Eye is based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. It isn't so much a game as it is an interactive narrative. You play a person who shows up at a family mansion, and watches a drama unfold involving members of the family. During this 'present day' reality, you can enter alternate nightmare states. Three of Poe's stories are the basis for these nightmares - Berenice, The Tell Tale Heart, and The Cask of Amontillado As you enter each dream state, you experience it twice - once as the murderer and once as the victim. There are also graphic recitations of The Masque of the Red Death and Annabel Lee. The game consists of exploring the house and clicking on hot spots to help the story unfold. The most interesting part of the game is the portrayal of the characters. They are puppet-like, and even though there is no facial movemant, they still manage to be convincing. In fact, they are better done than many of the newer games today. As you play out the nightmares, the 'present day' story progresses to a finale fitting of a game that pays homage to Poe. I did experience a dead end during one of the sequences that kept me from finishing the game. I'm not sure why this happened, though I suspect that hotspots may need to be triggered in a certain order. If you are a fan of Poe, then you should experience this game. Otherwise, get this game if you enjoy a good story and want a break from puzzling. [IMG]http://img30.exs.cx/img30/5108/darkeye44qt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img30.exs.cx/img30/2032/darkeyescreen0015hw.jpg[/IMG] Occasionally visiting Uru Live (KI 0063722 .&& |
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| 18 DEC 2004 at 3:43pm | |
Lucien21Guild Master Posts : 4876 Joined: 9 JUL 2003 Location: 0 Status : Offline | #21 Monkey Island II Guybrush Threepwood, intrepid pirate, is hanging from a rope over a precipice holding on to a very large chest. Governor Marley (Elaine) climbs down another rope and asks him how he came to be there “It’s a long story….” He replies and so begins one of the best adventures ever to be released. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/monkey2.jpg[/img] The story is a slapstick romp as you control Guybrush in a series of quests as he searches for the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. Along the way you will meet several characters from the first Monkey Island game, including the ghost pirate LeChuck, Governor Marley as Guybrush's object of desire and my favourite salesman - Stan (now a used Coffin Salesman). It also introduces some new characters like Wally the Cartographer who plays a role in future games in the series. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/stans2.jpg[/img] Monkey Island II feels a lot bigger then the first game as it is spread over a number of islands, with much of it open in the second act as you can freely travel between islands while trying to find pieces of the treasure map. This open-ness is a welcome change to the linearity of a lot of other adventure games. In keeping with most Lucasarts adventures the puzzles are all inventory based using the ever popular SCUMM engine. Awaiting you amongst the puzzles are some of my all time favourites including a spitting contest, a drinking bout and a getting invited to a fancy dress party. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/MI2%20spit.gif[/img] Although these puzzles are among the best you'll find in any adventure. Unfortunately, there are also some seriously twisted logic going on in this game that requires some strange leaps of imagination (“Monkey Wrench” anyone). However, they are almost all very funny, and at least a few are clearly meant to be silly, present explicitly for the humour. There's a good mix of easy and difficult challenges. The exception is the endgame sequence, where you are bopped about to random locations: you must accomplish your tasks quickly or else you will have to wait until you reappear there again, or you must travel there from the other locations. This can be frustrating. The one controversial aspect about this game is the ending. Those of you who know the twist in the tale will understand that it’s an ending that you either love or hate. There is rarely any middle ground. Personally I loved it, but make up your own mind and don’t let it spoil what is otherwise a fantastic game. Overall Monkey Island 2 is one of the all time classics and as such should be played again and again. The game is constantly funny, challenging and it contains some of the best bits of adventuring you'll find anywhere. Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount. |
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| 20 DEC 2004 at 2:00am | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #20: King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow This review was written by Susan. [img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/AgtScully1121/JATop50/kq6-1.jpg[/img] Voted by many players as their favorite game in the King's Quest series (don't let its placement on this particular list fool you), King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow, saw the handsome Prince Alexander of Daventry off to rescue the lovely Princess Cassima in the Land of the Green Isles. Their brief encounter at the end of the previous game left him smitten. The game featured rich 256-color backgrounds, a story written by Jane Jensen (who would later go on to the Gabriel Knight series of games) and a cinematic introduction that featured the voice of Robby Benson (who voiced the Beast in the Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) as the voice of Alexander. And that was just in the floppy version of the game! [img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/AgtScully1121/JATop50/kq6-2.jpg[/img] [img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/AgtScully1121/JATop50/kq6-3.jpg[/img] Technically, it was also one of the last Sierra games to be released on floppy disks, as all this beauty required more hard drive space and more floppies shipped in every box. Thankfully, technology allowed the game to be released on CD-ROM as well. The CD-ROM release had smoother graphics, improved character models & menu/inventory items, an extended introduction, and full voices for each character throughout the game. In traditional King's Quest fashion, the game referenced other familiar stories, including Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and the Minotaur of Greek mythology. One thing unique to KQ6 was that it featured a short and long path that could be taken to finish the game. The long path added about 50% more puzzles, of which not all were required to finish the game. The combination of those puzzles led to a dozen different possibilities for the ending movie. This made the game replayable and more fun. The "Girl in the Tower" theme song was also recorded with vocals and released to radio stations as a single around the time the game arrived in stores. [img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/AgtScully1121/JATop50/kq6-4.jpg[/img] [img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/AgtScully1121/JATop50/kq6-5.jpg[/img] The point-and-click interface allowed players to look at, touch, and talk to anything Alexander encountered or was carrying. And sometimes, he got a response from seemingly inanimate objects! The game featured several ways to die and the possibility to get stuck on a few occasions. A couple of small timed sequences added to the fun. Aside from some copy protection puzzles that required the use of the supplemental "Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles," the majority of the game required talking to people and collecting/using inventory items. Additional puzzles saw Alexander working his magic to create some spells to suit his needs. For anyone that has yet to play a game from the King's Quest series, this one is highly recommended. Beautiful scenery, memorable characters, delightful music, and an enchanting story make this game a fairytale to experience. |
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| 20 DEC 2004 at 3:06am | |
AndromusGuild Master Posts : 5538 Joined: 6 NOV 2002 Status : Offline | #19: Broken Sword 1: Shadow of the Templars "Paris in the fall, the last months of the year, and the end of the millennium. The city holds many memories for me, of cafes, of music, of love, and of death." --- George Stobbart [img]http://www.csoon.com/issue19/shots/picbrok2.jpg[/img] With that the story of Broken Sword opens. You are George Stobbart, an American vacationing in Paris. But your relaxation is disturbed when an assassin's bomb destroys the cafe you are lunching at. [img]http://www.adventurecollective.com/screenshots/adv_circleof_screen03.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.adventurecollective.com/screenshots/adv_circleof_screen04.jpg[/img] Although not the intended victim, you decide to find out who was behind the attack. You run into a photojournalist at the scene by the name of Nico Collard, who is investigating a story about the intended victim. You decide to join forces to solve the mystery, which broadens into a centuries old Templar conspiracy that threatens the world. [img]http://www.gameboomers.com/reviews/Bb/Bbimages/Brknswrd1bx.JPG[/img] Broken Sword stands out for the quality of its writing and its humor, as well as supplying some interesting historical information. There's more quotable material here than in half a dozen other games combined. And how many adventures reference Hercule Poirot, P.G. Wodehouse, William Burke, and Rudyard Kipling? Neither wholly a grim mystery or comic adventure, Broken Sword manages to balance both those elements nicely along with a well plotted story, one of the best I've come across in any adventure. The game is fairly easy, but long -- I got more gameplay out of it than Runaway and Syberia combined. Caught up in the story, I found the game almost cinematic. The production values are superb. Good old fashioned hand painted animation, with some great voice acting all around. Not to mention the soundtrack, especially the soaring introduction. A top ten game for me, and a classic "must play" for any adventurer. [img]http://www.mrbillsadventureland.com/reviews/a-b/brokswrdR/church1.jpg[/img]
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| 20 DEC 2004 at 4:46am | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #18: Sanitarium This review was written by arp1707. The main problem with adventure games today is that they all seem alike. So when a game comes along that is truly different, it deserves special mention. Sanitarium is such a game. Along with crisp graphics, good voice acting, and solid controls, Sanitarium has a story that draws you in and keeps you guessing as you go along. Sanitarium starts out in just that, a sanitarium. Your character is a patient, but the catch is that you have no memory of who you are or why you are there. To go further into the story would take a lot of the fun out of it, so let’s just say the main story is piecing your life back together, all the while meeting characters that seem to come out of a Stephen King novel. If the characters don’t get you, their environments will. You’ll encounter a village where all the adults are missing, a circus hiding a dark secret, even another planet! And yet you keep coming back to the sanitarium, where the ultimate answer lies. Nothing in this game is what it seems, from places to people. Even your own character switches identities at different times! Graphically, Sanitarium soars. The settings are lushly detailed, where you can get the creeps just from looking around. The voice acting is also very well done, which helps because half the game is talking to people. Getting the right information from everyone means asking the right questions, and there are times when you will have to approach people two or three times. Normally this can get tedious and boring, but the dialogue is so well written you will actually enjoy the conversations just to hear what they will say next. The interface is very simple. At it’s core, Sanitarium is your basic ‘collect items and use them’ game. And unlike other adventure games, the puzzles do have a sense of logic as to what object(s) you need and what you have to do with it once you get it. And controls couldn’t be easier. Left click for inventory, right click to move. Only once does the game require some action, but it’s simple it hardly qualifies for an ‘action’ sequence. One caveat, though. Sanitarium runs fine on Windows 95 or 98, but XP is a different matter. Currently there are two versions of the game, the original release by ASC games, and a re-release by XS games. The second version is supposed to be XP compatible, but several gamers have had problems running the game and XS has yet to address this issue. So, if you have XP, consider yourself warned. If you are still running 95 or 98, this game is a definite keeper. |
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| 20 DEC 2004 at 11:05pm | |
dombrewerGuild Master Posts : 3103 Joined: 19 JAN 2003 Status : Offline | #17 - SAM & MAX HIT THE ROAD [img]http://www.jucaushii.ro/news/sm.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.emugifs.emuita.it/sam&maxhittheroadpc.gif[/img][img]http://www.emugifs.emuita.it/sam&maxhittheroadpc1.gif[/img]Max: "Mind if I drive?" Sam: "Not if you don't mind me clawing at the dash and shrieking like a cheerleader." For me this is the pinnacle of the LucasArts output of the mid-90s and by far the funniest adventure game I’ve played. Following the success of Day of the Tentacle, LucasArts pushed the boat out to create the silliest and most beloved cartoon point and click game featuring a talking dog and mad rabbit ever. Based on cult comic book characters created by Steve Purcell, we control Sam - the laid-back canine detective in a suit, and occasionally his partner and best buddy Max - a dangerously hyperactive rabbit with a speciality in sarcasm and unexpected violence. As the box appropriately warns - Caution: Naked Bunny with Attitude. [img]http://www.samandmax.net/images/screenshots/hittheroad/hittheroad02.gif[/img] A spot-on satire of bizarre and tacky Americana, our intrepid heroes travel the highways to track down a runaway carnival Bigfoot. On route you visit a number of ridiculous roadside attractions to collect clues – like the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, the Celebrity Vegetable Museum, and most memorably you get to bungee from the nostrils of the presidents at the Mount Rushmore Dinosaur Tar-pits. There are also mini-games to enjoy, some helping you progress like the brilliant “Wak-A-Rat” while some, like “Dress Sam and Max”, are there just for the kick of it. [img]http://www.sebelinteractive.de/scummvm/images/shots/sam_and_max8.jpg[/img] The twisted humour is what this game is all about, but it is uniformly fine elsewhere – the interface is simple, the puzzles fittingly tricky considering the surreal logic, the basic animation is dated but no worse off for that, it’s still great, and the voice work is second-to-none. Packed with in-jokes and pop culture references (including a great Star Wars gag obviously) the duo became mascots themselves making cameo appearances in virtually every LucasArts release before and after their own outing, showing their enduring popularity amongst designers as well as gamers. Bearing that in mind, it’s all the more galling that the sequel was cancelled prior to release earlier this year when it seemed destined to be a sure-fire seller. One positive thing comes from a decision that caused unprecedented discontent from all corners of the adventure gaming community - the game that we do have remains undiminished and secure in the affections of hordes of deeply disturbed gamers world-wide. Max: "I think we learned a valuable lesson, Sam." Sam: "Me too. I never knew the lower lip could stretch completely over the head like that." [img]http://www.emugifs.emuita.it/sam&max.gif[/img] Visit the excellent unofficial site (http://www.samandmax.net/) or the cat gets it. Actually, the cat’s getting it anyway. So just visit the site. Or if you really don’t want to play the game why not read it instead (http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/neches/158/snm1.htm) and then go for a nice walk? [img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/detective.gif[/img][b]Playing:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/blahblah.gif[/img][b]Reading:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/whistle.gif[/img][b]Listening:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/indie.gif[/img][b]Watching:[/b] |
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| 21 DEC 2004 at 7:13pm | |
karimartiSorcerer Apprentice  Posts : 291 Joined: 15 JUL 2004 Status : Online | #16: The Secret of Monkey Island [img]http://asmo.jakki.org/screens/monkey1.jpg[/img] Aye-aye mates! Grab your swashbuckling swords and delectable grog because you are about to encounter an exciting adventure. In the good ol' days of early adventure games LucasArts (formerly known as LucasFilm) developed a game called The Secret of Monkey Island in 1990 that not only put the developers name on the "it" list for adventures, but triggered a series that is considered to be one of the most humorous games out there. Just what makes the magic in this Ron Gilbert creation stand out and invite adventure lovers till this day to experience the spark? ... You are Guybrush Threepwood, a young lad in thirst for adventure who lands on Melee Island in search of becoming a pirate. The "three most important pirates" on the island send our hero on a quest to fulfill "The Three Trials" in order to prove himself worthy of becoming a real swashbuckling pirate. As soon as he masters the art of thievery, swordfighting, and treasure hunting, Guybrush learns that his one true love - the governor's daughter, Elaine Marley, is kidnapped by a feared and gruesome Captain LeChuck and his band of ghost pirates and hidden on Monkey Island. All the mighty pirates on Melee Island are too chicken to sail in fear of LeChuck and his squad. [img]http://img147.exs.cx/img147/3280/screen02mod0ff.gif[/img] It's up to, you guess it, Guybrush himself to find a ship and a crew and sail to the infamous Monkey Island to bring back Elaine whom he plans to marry. He encounters amazingly unique group of characters -- Herman Toothrot, the Vegetarian Cannibals, and Stan the salesman who is more than just eager to squeeze cash from your pocket along the way. And what's a pirate adventure without some swordfighting? In order to accomplish the trial of swordsmanship, you won't be sharpening your sword -- but your wit. This task involves lots of experience in swordfighting until you learn the best insults to throw at your opponent. [img]http://img140.exs.cx/img140/4945/screen12mod0gj.jpg[/img] The Lucas team used the famous SCUMM engine to create graphics that are quite impressive for a game at the time it was released. There are no voiceovers but there are subtitles and sound, and the gameplay and logical puzzles make up for the loss. This first game in the legendary series is not something to miss if you are a devout adventure gamer. If it weren't for the last minute... nothing would get done. |
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| 21 DEC 2004 at 7:28pm | |
Lucien21Guild MasterPosts : 4876 Joined: 9 JUL 2003 Location: 0 Status : Offline | #15 Day of the Tentacle Day of the Tentacle (1993) is a LucasArts SCUMM based game and the sequel to Maniac Mansion. Your purpose in the game is to save the world from the evil purple tentacle whose mutation was caused by a Sludge-o-matic polluting the river and now he feels like he could... He feels like he could... [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/dott1.jpg[/img] [size=24]TAKE ON THE WORLD! In this hilarious game you take control of a nerd called Bernard, an overweight slacker called Hoagie and a airhead called Laverne. With the help of the Doctor Fred they have to traverse time in 3 Chron-o-johns in order to stop Purple Tentacles evil plans. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/dott2.jpg[/img] Of course something goes wrong the crystal shatters (Damn Cubic Zirconium) and all three characters are dropped into different time periods. One of the most effective parts of the game is the way the game utilises this aspect to great and often hilarious effect. Bernard stays in the present, Hoagie hob-nobs with the founding fathers and Laverne goes to a tentacle controlled future. This opens up a host of fascinating and hilarious puzzles where events in one time directly affect another. For Example, Laverne starts the game stuck in a tree and you will need to get her down. Know anyone with a penchant for tree felling?. All of the puzzles are typical LucasArts style inventory puzzles that require lateral thinking but this time with the added dimension of time making them more inventive. Inventory items can be transported between time periods by “flushing” them in the Chron-o-john or by dropping the item on the character portraits or in a couple of occasions hiding the items so you can discover those 200 years later. (How exactly can a Hamster survive 200 years?) The graphics and animation are extremely whacky with distorted angles and bright colours adding to the overall strange feel of the game. Just the sight of Hoagie going into the basement via the secret entrance has me in stitches every time. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bernardfs.jpg[/img] On your travels you will encounter a series of madcap characters from a pair of aloof twins to the worlds creepiest stamp collector (just don’t upset his Zen like calm) and various famous characters from American history. Day of the Tentacle is consistently hilarious throughout the game; the puzzles are all logical and perfectly designed to take full use of the time travel plot; the voices (CD version) are all superbly acted; Purple Tentacle is one of the best villains around; Whacky graphics and a talking horse this game had it all. IMHO, From the rip-roaring opening drive through the countryside to the new American flag (ROFL!!!!!) at the end, Day of the Tentacle is as close to adventure game perfection as has ever been created. The funniest game in history, miss it at your peril. Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount. |
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| 21 DEC 2004 at 9:20pm | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #14: Beneath a Steel Sky [IMG]http://img70.exs.cx/img70/806/intro3uc.jpg[/IMG] Beneath a Steel Sky, affectionately known as BASS, is a sci-fi themed game from Revolution Software. The world of BASS is set in earth’s future, where people either live in impossibly dense metropolises that stretch miles into the atmosphere, or they live as an outcast on the fringe. The opening plot, told by a real-time comic strip with voice-overs, tells about your character, Robert Foster, who has been living with a tribe of outcasts for many years. One day, city security forces kidnap Foster and murder the tribe. After being brought into the city, Foster escapes from the guards. It’s then up to you to run from the security forces, find out what’s going on, and you guessed it, save the world from corrupt forces. [IMG]http://img70.exs.cx/img70/9247/pic17ur.gif[/IMG] Revolution’s Virtual Theatre scripting system makes the characters in the game more human than the characters of an average adventure game. Characters are capable of doing more than standing around, waiting for you to talk to them, or performing other actions triggered by something your character does or says. They can wander through multiple areas on their own, perform actions like you can, and even talk with each other. A couple of the puzzles involve figuring out their routines and exploiting, or disrupting them. The voice acting sometimes sounds a little silly, with the large variety of accents among otherwise somewhat homogenous people, but the dialogue is never inappropriate to the character or situation. The real star of the show is Joey, your robotic sidekick, who lives in a computer chip and can (and must) be inserted into several different machine bodies to give him his own abilities. Whatever body he possesses, you can expect frequent cynical remarks and gratuitous sarcasm. [IMG]http://img70.exs.cx/img70/4472/pic31xk.gif[/IMG] Puzzles are a bit easy, but rarely illogical. They serve mostly to provide a context of interactivity for the progressing plot and Orwellian atmosphere. The control interface is suitably simplistic, with clickable “hotspots,” and “use” and “look” functions mapped to the left and right mouse buttons. As a result, even the most inexperience beginners can enjoy the strong points of this game. In addition, unlike most of the games on this list, you don’t even need to use eBay to play this game. It can now be freely downloaded from www.scummvm.org. So, this is a must-play for everyone. |
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| 21 DEC 2004 at 10:11pm | |
Lucien21Guild MasterPosts : 4876 Joined: 9 JUL 2003 Location: 0 Status : Offline | #13: The Last Express [img]http://www.justadventure.com/thejave/html/Games/GamesL/TLE/LastExpressBF.jpg[/img] The Last Express, Four years in the making and costing $5 million this adventure was a critical smash in 1997 but unfortunately a commercial flop. Set in July 1914 on the eve of World War I. You play as Robert Cath, a young American doctor who is summoned by his friend Tyler Whitney to meet him on the Orient Express as it journeys from Paris to Constantinople. On arrival you find him murdered in his compartment. Assuming Tyler’s identity you set out to investigate. You now have to uncover who killed Tyler and the reason he summoned you. To solve the secrets of The Last Express, you will have to sneak into the other compartments; talk to the other characters (expertly voiced in French, Russian and Serbian with English subtitles), eavesdrop on conversations, riffle through belongings, and find some of the slender few inventory items. You will also be climbing onto the train's roof, breaking and entering, hiding from the police, and fighting villains (there are five hand-to-hand arcade sequences of increasing difficulty). [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/last%20express%202.gif[/img] The game is presented in a first person viewpoint with flick screen movement which switches to 3rd person for the various fight scenes and dialogue. The graphics are gorgeously recreated from an actual period train car to appear realistic to the Orient Express at that time and are a joy to behold. All the cast are filmed with real actors and then rotoscoped to appear cartoon like. It take a bit to get used to especially as they are not lip-synched and some frames of animation were dropped for space reasons making the movement jarring to watch. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/last%20express%203.gif[/img] The most unique aspect of this game, and also it’s most frustrating, is the fact that the game is entirely in real time. People will go about their business normally visiting the diner car to eat, going to sleep at night and otherwise ignoring your presence. Real time means that each time you play the game it will be a slightly different experience. You can’t be in two places at once so inevitably you can miss certain actions and conversations. However you do have the ability to rewind time to try another route if you miss something important. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/last%20express%201.gif[/img] The Last Express is not the most traditional adventure on the block with most of the puzzles revolving around being in the right place at the right time and only a few puzzles. It is not without its problems as the real time setting and arcade sequences are not to everyone’s taste. However give it a chance and you will receive a once in a lifetime gaming experience with a spellbinding story. Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount. |
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| 21 DEC 2004 at 10:22pm | |
Lucien21Guild MasterPosts : 4876 Joined: 9 JUL 2003 Location: 0 Status : Offline | #12 Zork [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/zork1box.jpg[/img] You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here. > For many people these were the words that hooked them into adventure games. What starts out with just a small white house leads to an adventure never to forget. Created in 1977 on a mainframe at MIT it was eventually cut down to fit on personal computers and released by Infocom in 1980 as Zork I, II and III. Zork 1 is a classic Text Adventure or Interactive Fiction. You start off as an intrepid adventurer hunting for anything valuable when you find that you have stumbled upon the ancient ruins of a vast underground empire. Players are presented with a text description of a location and have to type in commands to interact with the environment and move around. The Infocom parser although primitive by today’s standards was a quantum leap up from the previous two word parsers. Zork I allowed for whole sentences to be typed >PUT THE EGG AND THE PENCIL IN THE CABINET >Which egg the blue egg or the jewelled egg. >PUT THE BLUE EGG IN THE CABINET > You can’t see a cabinet. As you explore your surroundings the underground empire comes alive as you picture the rooms and cold damp caves in your mind. Every wrong command could mean death. Ahhhh those were the days. You have to hunt down and collect as much treasure as possible. However you can only carry so much so you have to stash the treasure in safe places because watch out for that thief. Puzzles were inventory based with the odd maze thrown in for good effect so playing this game with a pencil and notepad is essential. My map drawing skills are a little rusty these days. But to quote one of the Zork designers: “The interest in playing Zork is two-fold. First, the object of the game is usually to collect treasure, and this may be done only by solving problems; in the above example, the player would garner 10 points by being clever enough to open the window and enter the house. (Zork itself has more than two dozen distinct problems to solve, some presented in several stages.) Second, a great deal of the enjoyment of such games is derived by probing their responses in a sort of informal Turing test: "I wonder what it will say if I do this?" The players (and designers) delight in clever (or unexpected) responses to otherwise useless actions.” So have fun and explore the world of Zork at your leisure but remember and take a lantern as there are Grues in the dark. Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount. |
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| 24 DEC 2004 at 2:21am | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #11: Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis [IMG]http://img28.exs.cx/img28/8745/intro4na.gif[/IMG] Not directly based on any of the Indiana Jones films, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a solid adventure game by its own merits. Once again, Indy must race against the Nazis to uncover a powerful, ancient, and mythological object. This time, the object is the lost city of Atlantis, and the race will take you across three continents, with three paths to victory. The very first scene of the game is justly famous; as the opening credits roll and John William’s epic Indy theme plays, you are in semi-direct control of Indy as he searches the attic of Barnett University for a statue, and has plenty of slips and falls as he stumbles through the messy artifact collections. After Indy finds the statue and exhibits it to a visitor, the visitor reveals himself to be a Nazi agent, and steals the statue. Soon, we discover that a bead found in the statue is made from a magical metal called orichalcum that acts as a super-battery, and the Nazis would like to make weapons from it. This mineral originated from Atlantis, and it’s up to Indy to find Atlantis before the Nazis do. [IMG]http://img28.exs.cx/img28/1931/pic13dm.png[/IMG] Many of the puzzles in the game offer multiple solutions. One of the first challenges is getting past a bouncer. You can talk smooth with him, and convince him to let you pass by choosing the right dialogue options. You can select dialogue options to anger him until he attacks you, and then you can punch him out and walk in while he’s unconscious. Or you can walk around to the side of the building, navigate a maze of crates, and climb in through a window. Once you complete the first few phases of the game, you have to decide whether to progress using a “fists” path, “team” path, or “wits” path. The “fists” path emphasizes action scenes and fighting. The “team” path lets you travel with your partner, and puzzles are solved through teamwork. The “wits” path emphasizes discrete puzzles and a little lateral thinking. The “fists” path is the least enjoyable of the three; the fighting action is poor, but the path offers some unique puzzles, making it worth a play-through. [IMG]http://img28.exs.cx/img28/5377/pic28pz.gif[/IMG] The CD version of the game is absolutely necessary to fully enjoy this game. All the characters are fully voice acted, and while Indy’s actor won’t be mistaken for Harrison Ford, his voice still fits the character well enough. The music in the game is excellent, and always fitting to the locations you visit, while retaining that Indy feel. [IMG]http://img28.exs.cx/img28/8334/pic31id.gif[/IMG] This game is an excellent game from a formerly excellent company, with lots of puzzles, plenty of Indy flavor, and a well done plot. LucasArts still begrudgingly sells it, so buy it now before they change their mind! |
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| 24 DEC 2004 at 10:09am | |
CulturaJourneyman Posts : 1337 Joined: 1 SEP 2004 Location: NL, Amersfoort Status : Offline | #10: Syberia [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/syberia.jpg[/img] Syberia is easily one of the most breathtaking games to look at. Its landscapes and buildings (most of them in Art Nouveau and Art Deco style) are stunningly beautiful. The animations in Syberia are superb - I've never seen moving water done better than this. The cut-scenes are crisp, and it is apparent that the writer-artist, Mr. Sokal, likes atmosphere - the rainy opening sequence is very reminiscent of his first game, Amerzone. But apart from graphics, is this third-person adventure a good game? Well, it has a few shortcomings. For one, it's on the easy side. This was also a minor flaw in the first game from Mr. Sokal, Amerzone. It’s very atmospheric, but too easy and too short. In Syberia, it's all spelled out for you. "I should get someone to carry my suitcase," that sort of thing. If you like 3D free movement - as we have come to expect from most of the recent games around (like Exile, Beyond Good and Evil) you’re going to be disappointed. In this way, Syberia has not kept up with that dramatic innovation. The locations you’ll visit, such as Valadilene, Barrockstadt and Aralbad are truly astounding. But time after time you might feel the disappointment of not being able to look around in 3D. What a labour of love has gone into the artwork, but what a waste that I'm no able to zoom in, look closer, or explore more... [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/syberia2.jpg[/img] Just before this game was released, Mr. Sokal promised a 'new gaming experience'. Well, a new gaming experience it is not. The gameplay is similar to The Longest Journey, but in a different setting (and much shorter, around 12-18 hours). The puzzles are inventory-based, and simple. Your cursor will change into a cross if the item is not the right one. How’s that for ease? The story is compelling, well written, funny, and foremost: moving. You are Kate Walker, a lawyer being sent to Europe to handle the takeover of a robot-factory. But, of course, you'll get into unexpected situations. You'll have to fix machines, locate missing people, find hidden parts, do some fed-ex jobs, convince people to help you, and so on. It's not very original, but it is certainly entertaining. I wouldn't say exciting, but entertaining, yes. [img]http://www.lucien21.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/syberia3.jpg[/img] The music is very atmospheric, classical. Some serious money must have gone into the score. Most of the time however there's no music at all and you wander around in utter silence. And that is just fitting to the atmosphere. The main musical themes are certainly dramatic - sad even. So is the storyline overall - beginning with a funeral, and evolving into a family drama. All in all, a sense of melancholy pervades Syberia, and I like that a lot. The sadness of course reminds a bit of the Myst-series (cultures being wiped out) but in Syberia it's done much more on a human scale. All in all, Syberia is a haunting story set in a beautiful surrounding with colourful, even unforgettable characters. What more could you ask for? The game has no satisfactory ending, but it leaves the door wide open for the sequel Syberia2, which was released in 2004. Overall, there are certainly a few shortcomings, but they are happily forgiven, just because the game is such a joy to look at. Don't get your hopes up too high that this is a puzzlefest like Riven, Journeyman or Schizm. Anticipate the architectural beauty, the dramatic storyline and the wonderful characters you’ll meet. You’ll get the feeling of quality all around. Syberia might not be a masterpiece, it certainly comes close. |
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| 24 DEC 2004 at 8:48pm | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #9: King's Quest This review was written by Lucien21. The Peaceful Kingdom of Daventry is ruled by King Edward and his queen. Unfortunately with no heir to take over the kingdom the pair was becoming desperate. In steps a sorcerer who promises the wonders of IVF treatment through magic. Initially sceptical, they consulted their magic mirror that could foretell the future. “Mirror, Mirror on the wall”. (–oops wrong story) Seeing in the mirror a Princely stud they assumed the IVF spell would work and traded the mirror for the spell. Oh no. They should have gotten the extended guarantee with that spell as 9 months later no baby. Without the mirror to predict the weather a deadly plague swept the land and the Queen succumbed to the illness. Without the benefit of Medi-care the King made a deal with a Dwarf who claimed to have a magic root that could cure all. Having been stung by the Sorcerer the king demanded a demonstration. With just a touch on her lips the Queen started to feel better and a deal was struck. In exchange for the whole cure the Dwarf demanded the Magic Shield that protects the kingdom. Unfortunately the root failed to cure the Queen and she soon died. With the Dwarf nowhere to be found and no shield to protect them Daventry came under attack and many died. Many years of misery later the King, riding in the forest, came across a stunner tied to a tree being attacked by wolves. Ever the valiant King he rescued the damsel and offered her marriage. She accepted and the kingdom rejoiced in the hope of an heir. In the final act of kicking a man when he is down and proving the old adage that beauty is only skin deep. The future Queen of Daventry stole the keys to the treasury and made off with the magic bottomless chest of gold. Witnesses remarked at how the beautiful Queen-to-be changed into an ugly old witch and flew out the window on her broomstick heaving chest and all. Fearing for the future of Daventry, he then called his favourite knight, Sir Graham to the castle… And that’s where you take over. Search the Kingdom for the three stolen treasures to restore Daventry to its former glory. The Old King has promised to make you his heir if you make it back alive. Released in 1983 by Sierra-on-line it pioneered the 3rd person adventure genre utilising 16 colours and 3 channel sound it was seen as revolutionary for it’s time. Using the arrow keys you could move your character around the various screens including for the first passing in front of and behind objects in the 2.5D graphics. Interaction with the environment was still carried out by way of text input allowing you to “examine troll” etc. Puzzles were inventory or riddle based and like most games in that era was challenging to say the least. Be prepared to save often as you will die – A lot. Kings Quest is non-linear in that you can go for the three items in any order with multiple solutions to some of the puzzles. Achieving the full 158 points is pretty tricky. One infamous puzzle was changed in later versions as it was felt to be too hard. As anyone you tried the “guess the Gnomes name” puzzle will attest to. The game that made Sierra a major force in computer games and started a trend with 7 sequels of varying quality; various other “Quest” series and two remakes. King’s Quest is not a game to be forgotten. |
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| 24 DEC 2004 at 11:52pm | |
AndromusGuild MasterPosts : 5538 Joined: 6 NOV 2002 Status : Offline | #8: Curse of Monkey Island [img]http://www.cdaccess.com/gifs/shared/front/large/monkeyis.jpg[/img] Curse of Monkey Island brings back everyone's favorite wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood for his third Monkey Island escapade. As the story opens, we find Guybrush rescuing his love Elaine from the clutches of his nemesis, the dread zombie pirate Lechuck. Of course, Lechuck is defeated and Elaine is saved. Game over, right? Nope, nothing's ever that easy for Guybrush. Having taken a ring from Lechuck's treasure hoard, Guybrush decides to propose marriage to Elaine. But the ring turns out to be cursed, for when Elaine slips the ring on her finger, she turns into a gold statue....and is promptly stolen! So begins Guybrush's quest to find Elaine and undo the curse. [img]http://www.kmzpub.ru/images/Reviews/monkeyisland3-3.jpg[/img] Hard core Monkey Island fans pick on Curse of Monkey Island because of its relative ease and its switch to a simplified three button interface over the classic SCUMM one. And while the first two games are probably better overall, for me Curse of Monkey Island stands out in a way few other adventures have done. With a combination of stylized, spectacular animation along with a lush, well composed soundtrack (my favorite one save possibly for Grim Fandango's) evoking the game's Caribbean theme perfectly, Curse of Monkey island has one of the best environments I've seen in an adventure, a real joy to explore. And of course, there is the zany humor you would expect from a Monkey Island game. Insult sword fighting -- where you have to choose appropriate zingers while sword fighting -- is back, a favorite element of mine. And the in jokes and references, filled with nods to all kinds of things from Star Wars to JFK conspiracy theories, are often hilarious. [img]http://www.adventurecollective.com/screenshots/curse11.jpg[/img] You'll meet a cast of oddball characters as well, with top notch voice acting. Dominic Armato is just about perfectly cast as Guybrush Threepwood. You'll also run into people like Kenny Falmouth, a kiddie gun runner and flim-flam lemonade salesman, and Haggis Mcmutton, a barber Scotsman who wants to sing in (what else!) a barbershop quartet. But my favorite was Murray, a talking skull with evil schemes that always seem to be over his head (sorry, couldn't help it). The puzzles, while not particularly hard, are varied and delightfully wacky. Along with the aforementioned insult sword fighting, you'll try your hand at banjo dueling, caber tossing, winning a poker game, impersonating a monster chicken, reunite some ghost lovers, and naturally save Elaine and defeat Lechuck yet again. [img]http://dayofthetentacle.free.fr/Imagesetsons/ido.gif[/img] To sum up, Curse of Monkey Island is extremely entertaining and funny, a high quality production and a worthy addition to a classic adventure series. If you haven't played it, or the rest of the series for that matter, you're missing out on some adventure gems. Highly recommended!
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| 25 DEC 2004 at 4:44am | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #7: Maniac Mansion This review was written by Lucien21 "Pardon the mess... it's all those brain donors." Ever since that meteor landed, strange things have been sighted at Dr. Fred's old mansion. Disembodied tentacles hopping around. Chainsaws in the kitchen. Plants with unusual appetites. An odd glow from the swimming pool. And now, sweet Sandy the cheerleader is in Dr. Fred's clutches. So round up your pals, take a deep breath, and get ready for the weirdest, funniest adventure of your life. – Lucasfilm Released by Lucasfilm in 1987 Maniac Mansion revolutionised the adventure genre and set up the company now known as “Star Wars Cash-in inc.” as an industry leader. It was the first adventure game that didn’t require a text parser. Typing in commands and hoping that you had the right combination of words was a thing of the past. The point and Click interface was born. Developed specifically for Maniac Mansion the SCUMM interface was to be refined and used in every LucasArts release for the next 10 years. SCUMM or Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion allowed you to make up sentences by clicking on verbs (walk to, Talk to, use) and then on inventory items and hotspots on the screen. For Example “Use Hamster with Microwave” At the start of the game you have to pick two characters to accompany Dave on his mission to save Sandy. Bernard an uber-nerd who can fix anything, Syd and Razor are musicians, Jeff is a surfer that can fix phones, Michael is a photographer and Wendy is an aspiring novelist. Each character has there own skills and weaknesses which will come in useful while exploring the mansion. This allows for a lot of scope for replay as the game will be slightly different depending on the characters selected and with 6 possible endings you will be coming back to this game again and again. Then there are the weird family that inhabits the mansion. Demented Dr. Fred who is brainwashed by a meteor and trying to take over the world; his sexually frustrated wife Nurse Edna who wanders the halls of the mansion; Weird Ed, the psychotic son who wears army fatigues and has a sick obsession with his hamster and a fan favourite, Uncle Ted, the mummified corpse in the shower. Also lookout for the evil Purple Tentacle and Green Tentacle (a wannabe rock star). Wherever you go, puzzles appear for you to solve. Whether you have to distract Nurse Edna so you can search through her stuff or need to climb on top of something to reach a key that's just out of reach, there are usually at least two or three ways to solve every puzzle, which may require different members in your team. Successfully walking a tightrope between comedy and horror LucasArts maintains the suspense with a fantastic script and well timed cut scenes that let you know what the other characters in the house are up to while at the same time providing subtle clues as to what you need to do next. Maniac Mansion is a fantastic game with a bizarre and twisted sense of humour that shouldn’t be missed. A game so good it spawned its own TV series that lasted for 3 years. Now how many adventure games can claim that honour? Want to relive the magic. Get yourself over to Lucasfans and download the sublime Maniac Mansion Deluxe and remind yourself how point and click was born. http://people.freenet.de/lucasfangames/maniac/index_eng.htm *Disclaimer* No actual hamsters were harmed while this review was produced. Please do not try this at home as fried hamster hair is dangerous to your health. |
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| 25 DEC 2004 at 2:35pm | |
colpetSchattenjgerPosts : 1630 Joined: 12 APR 2003 Status : Offline | #6 Gabriel Knight 2 - The Beast Within This is the second game in the Gabriel Knight trilogy. It is a Full Motion Video game (FMV), played out by real actors in the character roles. For fans of the series, this seems to be a polarizing game. Many fans (myself included) sing its virtues, while others say Gabriel's portrayal was a disappointment. The first Gabriel Knight game (Sins of the Fathers) introduced us to the 2 main characters - Gabriel Knight and his assistant, Grace Nakimura. Gabriel is a Schattenjager: someone who hunts down evil beings. This is an inherited responsibility, and Gabriel steps into this position after his Uncle Wolfgang passes away. [IMG]http://img160.exs.cx/img160/4163/1025034484006hc.gif[/IMG] The Beast Within starts off with Gabriel being called upon to investigate a little girl's death. The villagers are sure the girl was killed by a werewolf, and as Gabriel learns more about the killing, it appears that they are right. The game is divided into chapters, and you alternatively play as either Gabriel or Grace depending on the chapter. This allows you to gain more insight into each of the main characters. Gabriel is instinctive, and often flies by the seat of his pants, so to speak. Grace is very methodical and logical. [IMG]http://img160.exs.cx/img160/3509/1025034345001qy.gif[/IMG] The game is very linear; each chapter has its own problems to work out. There are places to investigate, and other people to meet and get information from. As you accomplish your goals, you are rewarded with cut scene videos. The other main character in this game is Baron von Glower, arguably one of the most charismatic individuals in all the games. I'm not sure if this is a function of the actor who portrayed him, or the character himself. Irregardless, he is unforgettable as Gabriel's mentor who introduces him to an exclusive hunt club that hold's the secret of the child's death. [IMG]http://img160.exs.cx/img160/9715/beastwitscreen0012wt.jpg[/IMG] As Gabriel learns more about the hunt club members, Grace discovers a connection from the past involving King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Interspersed with the present day narrative is a look back into the life of 'Mad King Ludwig'. Gabriel and Grace persue their own investigations, but eventually their stories merge into a climactic finish involving an Opera and a timed chase scene. The joy of this game lies not so much in the puzzles as in the elaborate storytelling done by its creator, Jane Jenson. She manages to weave fact and fiction together so that it is difficult to tell where one is left off and the other begins. Accompanying the layers of the past and present stories, there is the additional interaction between the main characters. There is a palpable attraction between Grace and Gabriel that builds during the game. You want to find out more about their relationship. Even Gabriel's nemesis is not wholly evil. His character is so well fleshed out, that I found myself sympathizing with him. This made the end of the game bittersweet. [IMG]http://img160.exs.cx/img160/7950/1025032997006zn.gif[/IMG] Though this could be a stand alone game, I recommend playing Sins of the Fathers first. The difference in the graphics is like night and day, but the story in the first game sets the foundation for the second. As an additional treat, both games are published as novels. Read them after you've played the games so as not to spoil the fun. Occasionally visiting Uru Live (KI 0063722 .&& |
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| 27 DEC 2004 at 7:17pm | |
The_cranky_hermitPrivate DetectivePosts : 547 Joined: 14 MAR 2004 Status : Online | #5: The Longest Journey This game is unreviewed. Please PM me if you would like to review it. |
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| 27 DEC 2004 at 11:21pm | |
ElfstoneGuild MasterPosts : 5892 Joined: 4 NOV 2002 Status : Online | #4: Gabriel Knight 3 This game often seems to be the least liked in Jane Jensen's successful trilogy (this ranking would like to prove me wrong...). Many people complain about the graphics, the character models, the synchronisation, some silly puzzles, the interface and the arcade elements. On the other hand there is neverending praise of Le Serpent Rouge, probably the single-most referenced puzzle whenever polls about the best puzzle ever used in an adventure come up. Is this the only merit of this game? I don't think so. GK3 is one of my favorite adventures of all time. I love almost every bit about this game. The storyline may be too much for some people. The most popular secret brotherhoods and vampires - there are creatures from horror movies in every GK game - mixed with tales from the Bible and the fabled Holy Grail creates a package that could be distributed in several games instead of just one. Every character in this game is suspicious. Most of them are new players with the only exception being Mosley. Yes, even your old friend has one or two secrets... GK3 is the first game that combines a 3d environment with a rather traditional interface instead of a simplified left-click-right-click approach. The camera movement is independent of the interface which is bothersome to some (or many), but was perfect for me. In my opinion this should have been the interface for games to come, but unfortunately the general feedback wasn't that hot. There is one particular puzzle involving a cat that is said to be silly and out-of-touch with the game. What's wrong about that? I think it was creative. In general the puzzles are logical, but some require running around and waiting for the right moment, because the game is divided up into time intervals. A nice variation of the common division into chapters. I think the graphics look well enough even today and the characters are not too shabby, either. Tim Curry seems to have split the community with his synchronisation of Gabriel. Well...I played the German version! It's very good in case you couldn't guess. While Gabriel does the action part, Grace is the brains of the investigation. You play both of them in turns. Grace ends up with less inventory puzzling and browsing her trusting SIDNEY - a laptop - a lot. She is the one that stumbles upon Le Serpent Rouge. What can I say about this that hasn't been said over and over again? It's the most brilliant incorporation of location puzzling you've ever seen. The whole map is a huge puzzle you have to solve by clues processed in SIDNEY. Needless to say, it's my favorite puzzle of all time (so far?). Certainly the game is not without flaws - not even for me. There are quite some game-stopping moments in which you have to be at the right place in the right time. There is one puzzle that is more or less based on the interface which is probably the worst example in the game. And of course the arcade part...I could bear with it, but I could have done without it. However, I think there are worse examples in adventure gaming history. Gabriel Knight 3 is a milestone in adventure gaming. I say it, no matter what others might think. It's revolutionary in my opinion. This game is worth playing for Le Serpent Rouge alone. And the rest of the story. And the interface. And Gabriel and Grace. Play it! Don't expect to get all the points the first time around. You will most likely need a second or third time to see all this game has to offer. Talking about that, I have not seen everything in this game, yet! Oops. Which one is my favorite Gabriel Knight game? No doubt about that, it's GK3! [b]playing[/b]: Destination Treasure Island (done in two sittings, but it's nice), Syberia (ho-hum), Dracula: Last Sanctuary (on hold)&&[b]reading[/b]: even more study papers&&[b]listening to[/b]: [url=http://www.last.fm/user/Brax82/]this and that[/url], plus [url=http://www.musicovery.com/]Musicovery[/url]&&[b]TV favorites[/b]: (currently) Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Journeyman (cancelled! grrr...), Heroes&&all-time) 24, Stargate SG1, X-Files, Lost, House |
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| 28 DEC 2004 at 11:39am | |
dombrewerGuild MasterPosts : 3103 Joined: 19 JAN 2003 Status : Offline | #3 - Myst [img]http://www.worldvillage.com/wv/gamezone/myst/header.jpg[/img] "I realized the moment I fell into the fissure that the book would not be destroyed as I had planned. It continued falling into that starry expense, of which I had only a fleeting glimpse. I have tried to speculate where it might have landed, but I must admit that such conjecture is futile. Still, questions about whose hands might one day hold my Myst book are unsettling to me. I know my apprehensions might never be allayed, and so I close, realizing perhaps the ending has not yet been written." Released in 1993 by Rand and Robyn Miller’s Cyan Productions Myst’s basic story (what? you haven’t played it?) involves your unexpected arrival and subsequent exploration of five islands linked to each other via teleportation or “linking” books. You are implored by the sons of the creator of these “ages” to find scattered pages in the course of your discoveries required to free them from their prison books. It remains your decision who to help and ultimately who to trust. [img]http://www.riven.com/img/screenshots/m_image5.jpg[/img] A game this well known, loved and reviled in equal measure is a pretty hard thing to review; there will be those who will bewail the fact this game is not at the top of the pile and there will be those who will spit and cuss that it is even in the top 50. For all Myst-lovers your review is safe with me. For all Myst-haters, you are probably best off taking some painkillers and moving swiftly on to #2. If you’re not sure into which category you fit, listen to this sound link – if if gives you an unmistakable buzz of excitement you are the former, if you squirm with distaste and develop an unfortunate twitch you are the latter. Like so many gamers this single title was the reason I now collect, play and love adventure games – it introduced me to the whole genre and opened my eyes to the possibilities of an intelligent, absorbing, atmospheric and challenging experience that I previously had no idea existed. What astounded me in the playing was the depth and reality of the experience; the first person perspective graphics were stunning, the music and sound effects eerie, evocative and memorable, combined with the sense of loneliness and mystery and the sheer satisfaction felt when manipulating parts of the landscape to achieve your goals. It was my first truly immersive gaming experience. [img]http://www.riven.com/img/screenshots/m_image4.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.riven.com/img/screenshots/m_image2.jpg[/img] Quite aside from its astonishing popularity having sold in excess of 12 million copies, making it the best selling game of all time, it is the ideal introduction to first person adventure gaming with no time constraints, no dead ends or death, and no complicated interface to get used to, but Myst is not a game you can come to late in your gaming experience. If you have already played one of its graphically superior sequels or any of the mass of imitations that have flooded the market ever since (some 20% of the games in this Top 50 alone demonstrates its influence), you can feel short changed, perhaps baffled by the praise heaped upon the title. I happily replay Myst not to see the best graphics or hear the best music my computer can generate, but to revisit that first wonderful feeling it inspired in me a decade ago. One minor problem I will happily confess to – the end of the game is one of the all time non-events in adventure gaming, but you can’t have everything I suppose. Myst has been remade twice to meet the leaps of graphical quality made throughout the 90s, first in 1996 as the Masterpiece Edition with graphics upgraded to 24 bit and then again in 2000 with realMyst, a stunningly beautiful realtime 3D recreation of the game, with changing weather and day and night cycles. For many however the only “real” Myst experience is to be had by replaying the original version, basic as it can now appear. [img]http://www.riven.com/img/screenshots/m_image9.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.riven.com/img/screenshots/m_image10.jpg[/img] For a game that has produced such polarity of opinion and regularly sparks arguments amongst the adventure gaming community there is one thing for certain; this is a seriously important game in the genre and its place is assured in the history of computer gaming. Whether you are of the opinion it belongs in that history as one of the foremost moments of the genre or for causing its untimely death is something that we will continue to debate for as long as we play adventures. Visit http://www.riven.com/myst_home.html for an official site with many features on the game. Visit http://www.realmyst.com for a flashier experience, with downloadable trailers and demo. [img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/detective.gif[/img][b]Playing:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/blahblah.gif[/img][b]Reading:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/whistle.gif[/img][b]Listening:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/indie.gif[/img][b]Watching:[/b] |
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| 28 DEC 2004 at 12:38pm | |
CulturaJourneymanPosts : 1337 Joined: 1 SEP 2004 Location: NL, Amersfoort Status : Offline | # 2 Grim Fandango Grim Fandango is easily one of the best adventure games ever made. Buy it, steal it, borrow it, whatever, but play it. This is one game you don’t want to miss. GF is set in the Mexican version of the after world. If this sounds weird, well, it is. Your character is nothing more than a paper doll, and indeed, most of the other characters are made of the very same stuff. This is not some crazy brainwave from the brilliant programmers at LucasArts, but the theme is actually taken from Mexican folklore. [IMG]http://img97.exs.cx/img97/6425/naamloos28dm.png[/IMG] The whole look and feel is very cartoon-like, and for those who are accustomed to the virtual reality of, say, Myst Revelation, this might seem like a step backwards to your childhood days. But the strangest of things will happen to you while playing this game: these paper dolls will start to live. And you will start feeling emotional about them. And some of them - noticeably your sidekick Glottis - you’ll start to love. The main character in GF is Manny Calavera, one the ‘travel agents’ in the after world and it is his job to make sure deceased souls (at least the ones who lived a righteous life) get at its rightly deserved destination: the Ninth Underworld. But something is horribly wrong indeed. Somebody is determined to deprive you of your commission and get you out of your job. Well, it's up to you of course to find out what exactly is going on and why. [IMG]http://img139.exs.cx/img139/7373/naamloos56hz.png[/IMG] Needless to say this involves visiting many locations, talking to many NPC’s and letting your grey matter work overtime to come up with solutions for all kinds of problems. These problems vary from the usual ‘fed-ex’ type of quests to exploration, from manipulation of people, and everything in between. Many puzzles are inventory based, some others are all about saying the right things. None of the puzzles seem illogical (once you solved them). Difficulty-wise, you’ll probably never need a walkthrough, but be prepared to do some thinking outside the box. The dialogue is brilliant and witty throughout. So even though there’s hundreds, nay, maybe a thousand dialogue lines to be delivered, you’re going to listen to them just for the fun of it. [IMG]http://img97.exs.cx/img97/1204/naamloos37yr.png[/IMG] Grim Fandango excels in many departments. First, this is a very, very humorous game. In fact, this game will have you laughing out loud so many times, it will wake the kids. Or the kids will wake you. Another high is the storyline, which is so original that it will stay with you months after you’ve finished the game. In fact, this game proves that a complicated story can be told in a great way, without getting convoluted. Then there’s the music. You’ll be hunting for a soundtrack before you’ve finished the game. And that will take a while: GF will provide you with at least 20 hours of game play, how’s that for length? [IMG]http://img97.exs.cx/img97/1883/naamloos49he.png[/IMG] Finally, there’s the graphics. This is an older game (1998 ) but it will rock you. It is basically a 2D environment with 3D characteristics, which works remarkably well. What pulls it all off, is the colour palette and the artwork. They bring it all together as a massive, colourful work of brilliant creativity. The artists have evidently gone to great lengths to create an after world that is an incredible funky and vibrant mix between Aztec/Mexican temples and Miami-style art deco. Sounds over the top? Believe me, it isn’t. It is done with such loving care; you’re going to wish you could get posters of some of the screens that will adorn your monitor. All in all, this is art. No, it’s a game. Hell no, its art disguised as a game. Thanks to ImageShack for [URL=http://www.imageshack.us]Free Image Hosting |
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