Adventure Gamers Top 100 (and more!) Graphic Adventures
- Thread starter GhaleonQ
- Start date
Went back and played some GK2 recently.. it's not exactly how I remembered it. I think GK1 holds up better, even if initially I preferred the sequel.
One thing I do love though is how much German is in the game. You feel just as much of a foreigner as Gabriel does trying to get around, talk to people and learn information. Great device that isn't used all that often.
I feel exactly the same way. I've loved adventure games since Maniac Mansion on the C-64, but did not care much for The Longest Journey. Some interesting ideas and locations, but the overall experience was dry, soulless and frequently awkward. Scenes that were supposed to have emotional weight (such as the encounter with April's father) made me cringe due to poor presentation.
CecilRousso
Member
The Longest Journey is not a top 10 game in this genre. The puzzles ruin it.
Metalmurphy
Member
What the hell were they smoking?
Even though Dreamfall is half visual novel, I like it more than The Longest Journey and it's all down to the writing. It's a good story with far fewer infodumping NPCs, better dialogue and voice acting. A common Dreamfall complaint is how it changes the personality of a few of the major TLJ characters but that's one of the most interesting aspects of the game! Each character arc is believable in the context of what happens between games.
Also: Zoe is awesome.
Also: Zoe is awesome.
I have hard time to understand what GOG do with the games, since they can not rewrite the games at all.
Lord British
Member
The fact that "The Riddle of Master Lu" is anywhere on this list at all makes it a complete farce*.
*Over-reaction justified by horrible personal experience
*Over-reaction justified by horrible personal experience
Versipellis
Member
Wait! Where's my Dreamweb?
Please elaborate. I think it's still one of the best Adventure Games out there (great puzzles, intriguing story and not-so-unlikable characters).
Lord British
Member
Admittedly, I have not played it in years. However, if memory serves, there was a ludicrous puzzle involving tempting a turtle across a beam, that took all manner of arsing around to figure out, and an absurd thing where you had to click on an arbitrary "Spade" symbol on a wallpaper with HUNDREDS OF "SPADE" SYMBOLS.
Now, this may all be misremembered, or clued a lot better than I know, so please feel free to correct me!
Versipellis
Member
Another victim of the Ace of Spades Castle!
The turtle one gave me no real problems, but it involves the "grab everything it isn't nailed down" mechanic so I can see that it may had given you an headache or two. I liked that part of the game: the character of the old Baron really stands out even if we have so few informations about him.
The pixel-hunting session IS annoying, but the puzzle that ensues is one of the best in the game, so I can forgive the developers.
I'm not saying that TRoML is without flaws (it has a boring labyrinth too), but I liked its best parts so much that I can overlook its occasional sub-par moments.
http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,186
I know it's a different editor, but interesting food for thought. Especially how the rankings have changed for pre-2001 games over a decade.
I know it's a different editor, but interesting food for thought. Especially how the rankings have changed for pre-2001 games over a decade.
NervousXtian
Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Full Throttle way too low.
Top 10 easy.
Top 10 easy.
B_Rik_Schitthaus
Banned
The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes
I'v always wanted a good Sherlock Holmes game (the newer 3d ones are terrible) I'll check this one out.
I'v always wanted a good Sherlock Holmes game (the newer 3d ones are terrible) I'll check this one out.
Yeah, that caught my eye as well.
That, Quest for Glory 1, Pepper's, and The Pandora Directive are the only ones I haven't played on that list. I should give them all a shot.
Count of Monte Sawed-Off
un33dab@dpu$$y
Not a fan of the list. They did put the two best Quest for Glory games on there, but they were to low. Only one Space Quest is a travesty (and I actually prefer SQ5 to 4). I wouldn't put Grim Fandango at #1, but it would be high in the top 10 for me for sure. GK2 should be lower as well, Sins of the Father is a lot better, but GK2 did do the near impossible at the time and make a good game with the hinderence of that awful tech that is best left forgotten.
This. I remember how I first found out about Full Throttle -- I got a disc with a playable demo on it when I bought Dark Forces (can't remember if it was a store handing them out or a pre-order bonus or what). I literally had no idea what Full Throttle was even though I loved the other LucasArts adventure games (this was before I started reading PC Gamer magazine).
I remember thinking, "Hmm, I think this is some kind of biker racing game or something," then I installed the demo and was shocked and amazed that it was a gorgeous point-and-click adventure game. I was hooked from the start thanks to Roy Conrad's hilarious, dry-witted voice acting for Ben.
"WARNING: Do not sleep in dumpster..."
Ben: "You know what might look better on your nose?"
Bartender: "What?"
Ben: "The bar."
Bought the game on Day One at Babbage's for $60 (!!! -- remember before the big-box retailers got completely on board with gaming, and stores like Babbage's and Software Etc. would get games first, but mark them up at higher prices?) with my best friend. We stayed up almost all night and beat the game in one sitting. Still my favorite Tim Schafer game.
Semi-OT story: Even though I always try to act professionally in my job, I couldn't resist asking Tim to sign my original FT box (yep, I still have it!) during a press tour for Stacking. He seemed genuinely appreciative when I asked, as if he is still very proud of of that game and honored that people still think so highly of it.
Count of Monte Sawed-Off
un33dab@dpu$$y
Full Throttle is a masterpiece.
Versipellis
Member
Both Sherlock Holmes games (Serrated Scalpel and Rose Tattoo) from EA are good, lenghty adventure games. I think they sometime fail to recreate a true "Sherlock-ian" (?) atmosphere, but that's probably just me. Still, they are quite clearly better than Frogwares games.
QfG has to be played in its remade VGA form, since the original one is probably too archaic. QfG IV is probably the best in the series.
Pepper's is a nice edutainment adventure. It's fun, enjoyable and if we had played it in our early teen years I could see it being an all time classic for everyone of us. Playing it as an adult could be quite a different experience (even though you could still learn something out of it). Still worth checking out, but it is what it is: a (great) adventure game for kids.
EcoQuest series is good too.
The Pandora Directive can be quirky and cheesy as you like, but it has a huge load of content. Of good content I mean. Lots of things to do, places to see, puzzles to solve and mysteries to unravel. Its interface looks dated at best (and it is), but it was incredible back in the day. One of the most complex (and not just annoyingly difficult) adventure games.
GhaleonQ
Member
Versipellis got it right. They're not much more Holmes-ian than Laura Bow, but Serrated Scalpel, especially, is top-class mystery. They used to be hell to get to work, though DOSBox might have been updated since.
This list is way better IMO.
No it was not. I remember finishing it in like 4 hours or so and felt so ripped off.
Dog Problems
Banned
Hmm, I've never played Pepper's Adventure in Time. I always assumed it was meant only for kids.
The only thing I hate about Dreamfall is the shoehorned combat system. Also that stupid puzzle underneath the Inn.
And that Tornquist is stuck on the MMO instead of working on Chapters.
I played it as an adult, and thought it would be quite a nice game for kids. Of course being an adult I knew it wouldn't quite be the game for me, but I love going back and playing old games I missed
EcoQuest on the other hand, I played and loved when I was younger. I never talk about it when adventure games come up because it's not exactly the kind of thing you recommend to adults, but I still have quite a fondness for both games. There are a lot of complaints that it is kind of heavy-handed with environmentalism, and I can see that, but it doesn't detract from its entertainment value for me.
All these things.
Also Zoe is one of my favorite characters of all time. I don't hate April (I rather like her), but I find Zoe much more relatable.