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Post by Beckett on Sept 1, 2016 11:03:33 GMT -5
One of my favourite point & click adventure series‘ has just been released on Steam, so I thought I point it out for those who like old adventure games and have the time for them, too. The series is also available from GOG.com. The remake of the first game is also available for Android and iOS.
The games were written by one Jane Jensen and revolve around the titular protagonist, New Orleans book shop owner and part time writer Gabriel Knight, his beleaguered assistant Grace Nakimura and his best friend, bumbling cop Franklin Mosely. Weaving real life history into a supernatural mystery story is definitely Jensen’s strong suit and might just be the biggest selling point of the series.
The first installment, Sins of the Fathers, plays pretty much the same as Sierra’s point & click adventures before. There is a remake available, but I would strongly recommend playing the original version unless you cannot abide old time pixel graphics. The original still looks gorgeous and features the voice talent of Tim Curry, Mark Hamill and Leah Rimini, as well as Michael Dorn and a couple others, while the voiceover for the remake was completely re-recorded featuring a new cast.
The game is set in New Orleans, where a series of killings dubbed The Voodoo Murders by the press inspire Gabriel’s latest attempt at writing a novel. As he begins investigating the murders, he learns that there might be something to the rumors of an ancient Voodoo cabal still being active in the city.
The references to Voodoun and the associated religions and practices are, from what I can tell, really well researched, the riddles are by and large not too outlandish, and the story has enough twists and turns to stay engaging throughout the game.
The second game, The Beast Within, was made during the heydays of Full Motion Video games, and as such might be really hard to enjoy for someone who did not grow up with low resolution video games acted out by real people, but it nevertheless remains near and dear to my heart, as it is mostly set in Germany and I have actually visited some of the locations Gabriel pokes around in this one. As a result of the shift in visuals, the original cast do not return for this game.
This time, Gabriel is researching beastly attacks in and around Munich, Germany. What first seems to be a straightforward lycanthropy case soon leads him to delve into the history of the country, specifically the life and mysterious death of 19th century King Ludwig II. of Bavaria.
The third and to this day final installment in the series, Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, is a rollercoaster of good and bad, but personally I overall enjoyed it. On the negative side, this is an early 3D adventure and as such did not really age well; secondly, this game contains one of the most awfully contrived puzzles in video game history and has indeed been cited as an example of the kind of game that “killed adventure gaming”. On the plus side, the old voice cast returns, and the game also contains one of the best puzzles in video gaming history, namely Grace’s investigation of a document named “Le Serpent Rouge”.
This game takes Gabriel and friends to Rennes-le-Château, France, to help a noble family look into the abduction of their youngest by creatures called “The Night Visitors”. As usual for the series, things are not as simple as they seem at first glance, and Gabe soon finds himself investigating ancient conspiracies and modern murders along the way.
At least part one is, in my humble opinion at least, a must-play for people who enjoyed old time point & click adventures in the vein of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or Fate of Atlantis. The other two are maybe an acquired taste or require a sense of nostalgia to really enjoy, but I will let you be the judge of that.
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Post by pinktiger on Nov 23, 2016 11:37:23 GMT -5
I actually still have the final installment in my possesion, because I just found it one of the best pc games I ever played. I was afterwards so intrigued by Rennes-Le-Château that I bought and read a few books around the subject.
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Post by Beckett on Nov 23, 2016 11:55:32 GMT -5
I do very much enjoy how Mrs. Jensen always managed to weave actual, real history and culture into these games. If I ever find the time, I would very much enjoy to visit some of the locations from the games (again). Standing in the same spot where a well-told story played out is an indescibable feeling. Makes it feel more tangible. More real.
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Post by pinktiger on Nov 23, 2016 13:02:19 GMT -5
did you ever played any of her other games (or read any of her books, have one at home that is waiting to be read after I have read a dozen others...)
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Post by Beckett on Nov 23, 2016 13:24:37 GMT -5
I did play both Gray Matter and Moebius. While I did enjoy the former, the latter fell a bit flat for me. Gray Matter follows an aspiring magician as she comes to work for an reclusive scientist while seeking admission into a prestigious magician's club. Without wanting to give too much away, there is a supernatural element to the story.
Moebius does have an interesting premise with the main character being an antique dealer who is hired by a shady organisation to look into certain events that might be connected to similar events in history. Sadly, I found the characters thoroughly unlikeable, so if you would lile my recommendation, play Gray Matter and try the demo for Moebius first.
Although, both are currently discounted at 75 % to roughly 3 and 4 USD respectively part of the steam autumn sale, so it is almost impossible to really waste money on them anyway.
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Post by pinktiger on Nov 24, 2016 3:26:29 GMT -5
bought gray matter (and inside...wanted that one for a while now)
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Post by nickcharles on Nov 24, 2016 19:47:17 GMT -5
The first in the series I played was 3, Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. I really enjoyed it and the story. Even with the stupidity of some of the puzzles, (cat hair mustache, I'm looking at you.) Though some of the later puzzles/quick time events sucked as my computer was a little underpowered. I haven't played 2 because of the FMV. I played 1 with a friend for his YouTube let's play channel. And nothing sucks the fun out of a game more than solving a puzzle or progressing through a story that is interesting the first time only for the phrase "oops, we weren't recording, we have to replay the last hour." Multiple. Times.
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Post by Geodus on Dec 1, 2016 22:56:33 GMT -5
The cat hair mustache in GK3 was truly horrible, but some of the other puzzles were interesting and fun.
The graphics in the game are going to look very dated by modern standards, but at the time, it was cutting edge. Most computers at the time didn't even have graphics cards that could do anything besides 2D graphics, so the 3D renderer in GK3 had the ability to work completely on the CPU.
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Post by Beckett on Dec 2, 2016 9:43:27 GMT -5
The graphics in the game are going to look very dated by modern standards, but at the time, it was cutting edge. Exactly; at the time it was technically impressive - but at the same time I would wish they had used a very good-looking 2D style instead of a technically impressive, but less attractive 3D style. The return of the original cast was a nice touch, though.
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MrPinkEye
Assistant
You can't change the world. You can change the facts.
Posts: 77
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Post by MrPinkEye on Dec 3, 2016 2:22:39 GMT -5
In the talkie version for the original game GK was voiced by Tim Curry. I wonder if that's still the case in the rereleases.
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Post by Geodus on Dec 3, 2016 3:42:35 GMT -5
Tim Curry did the voice in Gabriel Knight 3, but the second one used a different actor (who did all the FMV scenes).
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Post by Beckett on Dec 3, 2016 7:35:07 GMT -5
In the talkie version for the original game GK was voiced by Tim Curry. I wonder if that's still the case in the rereleases. No, the 20th Anniversary release of Sins of the Fathers features an entirely new voice cast - one that cannot measure up to the original, in my opinion.
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Post by Geodus on Dec 5, 2016 0:50:32 GMT -5
This coming spring, my wife and I are doing a cruise in the Mediterranean, and we're thinking about taking a detour from Barcelona before we fly back to Washington and spending a day or two in Rennes-le-Château. It would be fun to actually visit the locale of GK3 and see how well it matches up to my memories.
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Post by craigrj on Dec 21, 2016 6:17:04 GMT -5
For those interested in GK 1 to 3, it's currently part of this week's humble bundle amongst other Sierra goodies: www.humblebundle.com/sierra-bundle-strikes-againPaying the middle tier of $9.81 (currently) nets you the GK bundle amongst a host of other stuff.
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Post by sunrhyse on Jan 2, 2017 0:59:40 GMT -5
thanks for the heads up for the bundle, was wondering where I was going to find GK 1-3.
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