Just finished Resonance. I've come to the conclusion that I really don't like Wadjet Eye games. I stopped playing Gemini Rue after what I thought was a very poor first impression, and now that I've actually finished one of their games I don't think I'll be getting any of them in the future. The voice acting is alright, but the characters seemed strangely written, unsympathetic and occasionally stupid. The puzzles are okay most of the time, but towards the end (the dialogue puzzles MY GOD) some are just horrendous and rely on trial and error. The UI is extremely cumbersome and the "short-term memory" mechanic seems like one of those ideas that are good on paper, but ends up needlessly complicating the game and frustrating the player with its clunkiness. It should've been cut early on. Combined with the poorly paced and confusing plot, with important characters seemingly thrown in as an afterthought and contributing very little to the story (
the black Antevorta guy and Japanese girl
), I just didn't enjoy myself at all. Compared to the gorgeous, charming and thoroughly enjoyable Book of Unwritten Tales that I finished recently, this was on the opposite end of the scale.
Remember that Wadjet Eye are only the publishers - Gemini Rue and Resonance are developed by completely different people, although they do reuse voice actors across games they publish (as that's their main contribution other than distro).
I'm not dismissing your criticisms of either game by any means, and I'm not sure you'd like any of Wadjet Eye's internally developed titles either, but Wadjet Eye as an entity aren't really responsible for the flaws in the games.
I finished the first two Blackwell games and found them riveting.
Most of the games published by Wadjet eye have been good so far for me. I have finished those two and Gemini Rue.
I like the Blackwell games the most out of everything published by Wadjet Eye. And yeah, those are actually developed and written by Dave Gilbert, as opposed to several others that were just cleaned up for release.
I mean, I *really* like em. I like how they're on the easier side with mostly excellent pixel art. I like how you can LOOK at tons of stuff and you get unique responses based on who you're controlling. I like how low key everything is and the way the relationship between the main characters evolves without drawing attention to itself. I like that it's a well-written series in a genre increasingly known for shabby localizations.
The Blackwell games aren't free of the problems you mentioned but the difficulty level makes it less of an issue.
I'm pretty sure they're working on a new episode now but I have no idea when it'll be finished.
Botanicula is getting a collectors edition. Worth it? I've had my eye on this game for a long time but was sort of waiting until it was released on other platforms (iPad). I might grab this collectors edition instead. I bought the Machinarium collector's edition and loved it.
I don't like Botanicula at all. It looks charming, but isn't any fun to play. You mostly just sit and hover the mouse pointer over everything to see what you can click and what you can't click. And when you find something you can click on, it often isn't part of of any puzzle, but just plays some kind of animation. Gave it about 2h before I just stopped. I thought Machinarium was much better (even thought I don't think that that game is THAT good either).
I like the Blackwell games the most out of everything published by Wadjet Eye. And yeah, those are actually developed and written by Dave Gilbert, as opposed to several others that were just cleaned up for release.
I mean, I *really* like em. I like how they're on the easier side with mostly excellent pixel art. I like how you can LOOK at tons of stuff and you get unique responses based on who you're controlling. I like how low key everything is and the way the relationship between the main characters evolves without drawing attention to itself. I like that it's a well-written series in a genre increasingly known for shabby localizations.
Same here, I love the Blackwell games. Aside from being fun p&c's, they all have a fantastic atmosphere, and drop in and out of being darker & creepier with total ease. And it's thanks the the Blackwell games I bought "The Anubis Gates", which was a fantastic read.
Remember that Wadjet Eye are only the publishers - Gemini Rue and Resonance are developed by completely different people, although they do reuse voice actors across games they publish (as that's their main contribution other than distro).
I'm not dismissing your criticisms of either game by any means, and I'm not sure you'd like any of Wadjet Eye's internally developed titles either, but Wadjet Eye as an entity aren't really responsible for the flaws in the games.
I like the Blackwell games the most out of everything published by Wadjet Eye. And yeah, those are actually developed and written by Dave Gilbert, as opposed to several others that were just cleaned up for release.
I mean, I *really* like em. I like how they're on the easier side with mostly excellent pixel art. I like how you can LOOK at tons of stuff and you get unique responses based on who you're controlling. I like how low key everything is and the way the relationship between the main characters evolves without drawing attention to itself. I like that it's a well-written series in a genre increasingly known for shabby localizations.
The Blackwell games aren't free of the problems you mentioned but the difficulty level makes it less of an issue.
I'm pretty sure they're working on a new episode now but I have no idea when it'll be finished.
I actually didn't know they didn't make Gemini Rue and Resonance. I just remembered that I do in fact own the Blackwell games from some indie bundle, so I will probably try them out at some point to see if I like them better than what I've played so far. I think I'm a bit bitter about Resonance because it seemed like such a charming throwback when I started playing it, only to end up disappointing me in some key areas. Its flaws became more apparent the further I got until the end where I just resigned to frustration and looked up solutions online, rushing through the dialogue just to see it through.
I currently am regretting not getting Botanicula from gog.com; I got it from Steam instead, lol.
I am more into drm-free if possible with certain games now.
I really like the Blackwell series. Shame the next game seems so far away. Also all this publishing Wadjet Eye is doing isn't speeding up the game's development.
In other news, Cognition (Episode 1) is available on IndieGameStand - pay what you want!
Same here, I love the Blackwell games. Aside from being fun p&c's, they all have a fantastic atmosphere, and drop in and out of being darker & creepier with total ease. And it's thanks the the Blackwell games I bought "The Anubis Gates", which was a fantastic read.
Just one pic so far, so Blackwell Epiphany's probably still quite far off, especially if he does more publishing:
I really like the Blackwell series. Shame the next game seems so far away. Also all this publishing Wadjet Eye is doing isn't speeding up the game's development.
In other news, Cognition (Episode 1) is available on IndieGameStand - pay what you want!
I bought Cognition Ep 1 from Indiegamestand last night but they're having issues with paypal so I haven't gotten it added to my game wallet yet. Was interested in this game once I heard Jane Jansen was doing some consulting on the story.
Same here, I love the Blackwell games. Aside from being fun p&c's, they all have a fantastic atmosphere, and drop in and out of being darker & creepier with total ease. And it's thanks the the Blackwell games I bought "The Anubis Gates", which was a fantastic read.
Just one pic so far, so Blackwell Epiphany's probably still quite far off, especially if he does more publishing:
I wish Wadjet eyes' games were released on Mac.
I kind of hate the engine they use, the variable pixel density on characters, backgrounds and objects is extremely ugly at times. It shouldn't be worse than classic adventure games from the Amiga days.
I keep mentioning this, but playing on Windows 7 through Steam, almost all the Wadjet eye games that I own (the last three released) have glitches where background objects appear over foreground objects. It really takes you out of the experience when this happens.
Just finished Resonance. I've come to the conclusion that I really don't like Wadjet Eye games. I stopped playing Gemini Rue after what I thought was a very poor first impression, and now that I've actually finished one of their games I don't think I'll be getting any of them in the future. The voice acting is alright, but the characters seemed strangely written, unsympathetic and occasionally stupid. The puzzles are okay most of the time, but towards the end (the dialogue puzzles MY GOD) some are just horrendous and rely on trial and error. The UI is extremely cumbersome and the "short-term memory" mechanic seems like one of those ideas that are good on paper, but ends up needlessly complicating the game and frustrating the player with its clunkiness. It should've been cut early on. Combined with the poorly paced and confusing plot, with important characters seemingly thrown in as an afterthought and contributing very little to the story (
the black Antevorta guy and Japanese girl
), I just didn't enjoy myself at all. Compared to the gorgeous, charming and thoroughly enjoyable Book of Unwritten Tales that I finished recently, this was on the opposite end of the scale.
Gemini rue is a better game, and my personal favorite wadjet eye game. I hated resonances pacing, and retarded puzzles. It reminded me of The Pandora Directive. Too many puzzles after puzzles. Black well is more consistent with design.
I understand your fustration with the dialogue puzzles. It reminded me of the first dialogue puzzle in Resonance with the Maintenance Man. I had to use a guide, and when I found the solution, I wanted to punch my monitor. Dave Gilbert already acknowledged the problems with the mechanic, and wished it worked out better.
My wadjet Eye tier list
Gemini Rue,
Black well,
Emerald city Confidential (I'm playing through emerald city confidential, and enjoying it a lot).
Everything Else
Resonance.
I have not played the Shivah, or Primordia yet.
I look forward to playing Book of Unwritten Tales, but my biggest fear is that it will turn out to be another Deponia style game. I hate massive inventory games with no motivation to play it.
I only played the first one, a while ago. From what I recall it was OK, not bad but nothing extraordinary. I remember liking the setting of the game. For that price I'd say it's worth it (the first one, the others I never tried).
Hey guys. I'm new the forum and relatively new to the genre and was hoping to get some suggestions to try. I'm primarily interested in mystery's so stuff like the Sherlock Holmes games interest me. I played the demo for Cognition and that one seemed pretty cool. I'm sort of looking to build a list of games. Also, I'm not great at getting older games to work smoothly on my PC so I'm looking at mostly newer stuff. Thanks ahead of time for any input that any of you may have!
Hey guys. I'm new the forum and relatively new to the genre and was hoping to get some suggestions to try. I'm primarily interested in mystery's so stuff like the Sherlock Holmes games interest me. I played the demo for Cognition and that one seemed pretty cool. I'm sort of looking to build a list of games. Also, I'm not great at getting older games to work smoothly on my PC so I'm looking at mostly newer stuff. Thanks ahead of time for any input that any of you may have!
Discussed a few posts above, the Blackwell series might be to your liking. The first game of the series is Blackwell Legacy, if you'd like to try it (they're cheap as well!)
In regards to old games running on newer machines, gog is your friend.
I really like the Blackwell series. Shame the next game seems so far away. Also all this publishing Wadjet Eye is doing isn't speeding up the game's development.
In other news, Cognition (Episode 1) is available on IndieGameStand - pay what you want!
I'd really like to see Wadjet Eye move away from Adventure Game Studio but I guess they have a good thing going and doing so would be a big risk. I don't think Dave Gilbert is a programmer so he'd have to learn or hire.
Discussed a few posts above, the Blackwell series might be to your liking. The first game of the series is Blackwell Legacy, if you'd like to try it (they're cheap as well!)
In regards to old games running on newer machines, gog is your friend.
Hey guys. I'm new the forum and relatively new to the genre and was hoping to get some suggestions to try. I'm primarily interested in mystery's so stuff like the Sherlock Holmes games interest me. I played the demo for Cognition and that one seemed pretty cool. I'm sort of looking to build a list of games. Also, I'm not great at getting older games to work smoothly on my PC so I'm looking at mostly newer stuff. Thanks ahead of time for any input that any of you may have!
-Beneath a Steel Sky (free)
-Broken Sword(play original mode, directors cut is garbage - you get both)
-Broken Sword 2
-The Last Express
-Pretty much all the Tex Murphy games(first one is a bit dated)
-Blackwell Bundle
-Primordia
-Resonance
-Gemini Rue
Broken Sword is the best in that list and should probably be your starting point. If you're willing to branch away from mysteries there's a lot more out there.
Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis is probably the best game that can be broadly called a mystery (in my opinion it's also the best adventure game ever), however it is a bit more work - it's no longer on sale so you'd need to buy a second hand copy, copy the files to your comp and then run it through scummvm (very easy process)
I'd really like to see Wadjet Eye move away from Adventure Game Studio but I guess they have a good thing going and doing so would be a big risk. I don't think Dave Gilbert is a programmer so he'd have to learn or hire.
From that it seems it'd probably end up being his wife teaching him if he were to move. Although AGS development seems to have picked up since the interview, but who knows if it's to the good.
Blackwell is good. Gemini Rue is my favorite adventure game ever so look into that.
If you can get past graphics, and some older mechanics, Under a Killing Moon, and Gabriel Knight 1 and 2 are fantastic.
If you are looking for Mystery/Horror/Thriller Chzo Mythos series is great, and it's free.
Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis is probably the best game that can be broadly called a mystery (in my opinion it's also the best adventure game ever), however it is a bit more work - it's no longer on sale so you'd need to buy a second hand copy, copy the files to your comp and then run it through scummvm (very easy process)
The Monkey Island 1 and 2 remakes were the last ditch effort for Point and clicks. Sadly we will never get a remake of Grim Fandango with non shit controls =/
Just finished Resonance. I've come to the conclusion that I really don't like Wadjet Eye games. I stopped playing Gemini Rue after what I thought was a very poor first impression, and now that I've actually finished one of their games I don't think I'll be getting any of them in the future. The voice acting is alright, but the characters seemed strangely written, unsympathetic and occasionally stupid. The puzzles are okay most of the time, but towards the end (the dialogue puzzles MY GOD) some are just horrendous and rely on trial and error. The UI is extremely cumbersome and the "short-term memory" mechanic seems like one of those ideas that are good on paper, but ends up needlessly complicating the game and frustrating the player with its clunkiness. It should've been cut early on. Combined with the poorly paced and confusing plot, with important characters seemingly thrown in as an afterthought and contributing very little to the story (
the black Antevorta guy and Japanese girl
), I just didn't enjoy myself at all. Compared to the gorgeous, charming and thoroughly enjoyable Book of Unwritten Tales that I finished recently, this was on the opposite end of the scale.
Yeah, I thought Resonance started off very neat and then ended up being a mediocre adventure game. The plot is just DUMB by the end, there's very very few locations, the puzzles can be dumb, and the characters are pretty forgettable.
Gemini Rue suffers from lack of varied locations and some pad pacing for the first half, but the story is solid and it's worth going back to and sticking with.
The first Blackwell game was really "meh". Short, fluff, not much interesting to it. I've heard the series gets better and plan on giving more of them a shot. The first one isn't bad, it's just nothing special.
I really should check out Book of Unwritten Tales. One thing I really dislike about Wadjet Eye publishing is that they use the same voice actors for EVERY GAME. It's like the same cast over and over. Completely takes me out of the experience. If I ever play Primordia, I'm gonna turn off the voices because I found them incredibly distracting in the demo.
Keep in mind that Legacy is fairly primitive when compared to the later games. It's still worth playing for the story/character building. I also really like the music which is a lot more electronic than everything else in the series. Just make sure you turn off the voice acting (and turn it back on for the sequels).
I only played the first one, a while ago. From what I recall it was OK, not bad but nothing extraordinary. I remember liking the setting of the game. For that price I'd say it's worth it (the first one, the others I never tried).
Yeah I wouldn't mind getting all 3 for under $15, but if possible I'd like to hear more impressions, surely some of you fine gents and ladies have played them?
From that it seems it'd probably end up being his wife teaching him if he were to move. Although AGS development seems to have picked up since the interview, but who knows if it's to the good.
Hey, glad you liked the interview (I'm Jarin on that site). For what it's worth, Dave's a very approachable guy, and was very gracious (even invited us to a bar meetup with some other NYC indie devs). If you guys ever had a question or something, he'd likely respond to an email (though it takes him awhile sometimes, I'm sure he gets a shitload though).
More on topic, I have a few point-and-clicks in my backlog and was thinking about starting one sometime "soon." What would you guys suggest?
The Longest Journey (and Dreamfall as well, I'd likely play these back to back)
Hector episodes 1-3
Beneath a Steel Sky
Scratches: Director's Cut
Syberia
Also if you guys know how long these are offhand, I would appreciate that as well.
More on topic, I have a few point-and-clicks in my backlog and was thinking about starting one sometime "soon." What would you guys suggest?
The Longest Journey (and Dreamfall as well, I'd likely play these back to back)
Hector episodes 1-3
Beneath a Steel Sky
Scratches: Director's Cut
Syberia
Also if you guys know how long these are offhand, I would appreciate that as well.
I just beat Syberia a month or so ago and it was fantastic, with a really great atmosphere. It took me around 9 hours to complete. I've heard amazing things about The Longest Journey, but I haven't really gotten to deep into yet. I've also heard it's pretty lengthy for an adventure game. Beneath a Steel Sky is awesome, but I haven't played it in a long time so I wouldn't know how long it takes to beat. If I had to make a guess, it's probably around the same length of Syberia.
Being curious, I started up the first Blackwell game to see how it compared to my experiences with Gemini Rue and Resonance. Already I feel that the writing is sharper and the story more interesting, and this is supposed to be the worst of the lot. Let's see then!
I just beat Syberia a month or so ago and it was fantastic, with a really great atmosphere. It took me around 9 hours to complete. I've heard amazing things about The Longest Journey, but I haven't really gotten to deep into yet. I've also heard it's pretty lengthy for an adventure game. Beneath a Steel Sky is awesome, but I haven't played it in a long time so I wouldn't know how long it takes to beat. If I had to make a guess, it's probably around the same length of Syberia.
Sounds good to me, I'll give Syberia a shot first. Thanks for the response is the sequel worth playing as well? I've been meaning to pick that up at some point, but I always forget during the sales.
I wish Wadjet eyes' games were released on Mac.
I kind of hate the engine they use, the variable pixel density on characters, backgrounds and objects is extremely ugly at times. It shouldn't be worse than classic adventure games from the Amiga days.
The Blackwell Bundle shows up as Macintosh compatible on GOG now, probably because there's a new macintosh version of AGS now that it's open source. It will have at least some of the same problems as the windows version, though some are probably caused by DDraw/D3D.
Hey, glad you liked the interview (I'm Jarin on that site). For what it's worth, Dave's a very approachable guy, and was very gracious (even invited us to a bar meetup with some other NYC indie devs). If you guys ever had a question or something, he'd likely respond to an email (though it takes him awhile sometimes, I'm sure he gets a shitload though).
More on topic, I have a few point-and-clicks in my backlog and was thinking about starting one sometime "soon." What would you guys suggest?
The Longest Journey (and Dreamfall as well, I'd likely play these back to back)
Hector episodes 1-3
Beneath a Steel Sky
Scratches: Director's Cut
Syberia
Also if you guys know how long these are offhand, I would appreciate that as well.
BASS is fairly short. Maybe 5-8 hours, depending on how stumped you get? Never heard of scratches or hector(something for me to look into at least), and the others I haven't played since release.
BASS is fairly short. Maybe 5-8 hours, depending on how stumped you get? Never heard of scratches or hector(something for me to look into at least), and the others I haven't played since release.
Cool, that's not too bad. I could fit that in in between other stuff when I get bored. Scratches is some kind of horror adventure I think, and Hector: Badge of Carnage is from Telltale, don't know much about it though (I think I got it from a bundle). I think I'm going to start with Syberia and intersperse it with BASS. Thanks for the response.
Thank you so much for this thread GAF. I've been doing some online schooling and am stuck inside a lot due to the weather. I've been on a point-n'-click binge and have ran out of new stuff to play.
Hey, glad you liked the interview (I'm Jarin on that site). For what it's worth, Dave's a very approachable guy, and was very gracious (even invited us to a bar meetup with some other NYC indie devs).
I was taking a train back to NYC from PAX East a few years ago. I had heard of Gemini Rue from Rock Paper Shotgun but hadn't played it yet. ANYWAY, I'm 95% sure the guy behind me was Dave Gilbert. He was talking about pitching Gemini Rue to Valve with someone sitting next to him (the other guy must have seen what Dave was working on).
Then I put on my headphones and fell asleep. I finally bought Gemini Rue when I got home, liked it, played the Blackwell games, loved them.
So I'd probably say something if I accidentally stalk him again!
I really liked the first game a lot. I thought it had an interesting story and characters, nice locations, and the puzzles were okay. Second game is decent but I didn't think it was as good as the first. There's a different voice actor for the main character which I didn't care for and the locations weren't as fun to explore. Third game was incredibly easy, story wasn't very interesting, locations were on the dull side. I'd say to play the first and go from there. If you really like it then continue on to the second game, and then the third if you liked it. But on the other hand I'm sure you have much better adventure games to play. So, for what it's worth, I like the series overall but the first game, in my opinion, is the strongest and each one goes downhill from there.
Yes! I love this game. I'm a huge fan of hidden object games and this is probably the hardest one I've played, which is good as a lot of them are usually on the easy side since they are targeted at a more casual audience. But Season of Mystery was challenging and it has a nice soundtrack as well. I highly recommend that one.
Sounds good to me, I'll give Syberia a shot first. Thanks for the response is the sequel worth playing as well? I've been meaning to pick that up at some point, but I always forget during the sales.
I'm pretty sure the sequel is just as good as the first one in the series, but I haven't played it yet. I'm planning on it though considering it's a direct continuation of what happens at the end of Syberia.
I was taking a train back to NYC from PAX East a few years ago. I had heard of Gemini Rue from Rock Paper Shotgun but hadn't played it yet. ANYWAY, I'm 95% sure the guy behind me was Dave Gilbert. He was talking about pitching Gemini Rue to Valve with someone sitting next to him (the other guy must have seen what Dave was working on).
Then I put on my headphones and fell asleep. I finally bought Gemini Rue when I got home, liked it, played the Blackwell games, loved them.
So I'd probably say something if I accidentally stalk him again!
I'm pretty sure the sequel is just as good as the first one in the series, but I haven't played it yet. I'm planning on it though considering it's a direct continuation of what happens at the end of Syberia.
I really liked the first game a lot. I thought it had an interesting story and characters, nice locations, and the puzzles were okay. Second game is decent but I didn't think it was as good as the first. There's a different voice actor for the main character which I didn't care for and the locations weren't as fun to explore. Third game was incredibly easy, story wasn't very interesting, locations were on the dull side. I'd say to play the first and go from there. If you really like it then continue on to the second game, and then the third if you liked it. But on the other hand I'm sure you have much better adventure games to play. So, for what it's worth, I like the series overall but the first game, in my opinion, is the strongest and each one goes downhill from there.
Thanks for the feedback! Hmm my OCD tells me to get all 3, since they're going for less than $15, which is an effing tempting price, plus this is the lowest I think 3 will ever be XO.
Yes! I love this game. I'm a huge fan of hidden object games and this is probably the hardest one I've played, which is good as a lot of them are usually on the easy side since they are targeted at a more casual audience. But Season of Mystery was challenging and it has a nice soundtrack as well. I highly recommend that one.
is the sequel worth playing as well? I've been meaning to pick that up at some point, but I always forget during the sales.