The (not quite) classics!

[DomStLeger]

Sometimes it seems we're almost locked into talk about the new ags or the best of the Classics, and so we neglect some of the not quite Classics. But there are some really good games out their, which, while perhaps not quite up to the standards of Grim Fandango, Broken Sword, Gabriel Knight etc, are well worth playing in their own right. So this is a thread to share your recommendations of games that are worth playing but probably haven't been mentioned much before because they're not quite perfect!

I'll start the ball rolling with... Mystery of the Druids! I have a real soft spot for this game from German developers House Of Tales. It's a 2D Point and Click adventure, in a very similar style and interface to TLJ. In it you play Brent Halligan, a rather craggy (and thus far unsuccessfulish) Scotland yard detective who has been set the task of investigating a spate of very strange murders. From here you embark on a rollercoaster ride involving Druids, a little bit of the old End Of The World(tm) and even a little time travel.

The plot isn't bad, and the puzzles are enjoyable, though perhaps a little generic. There are some pretty good suspenseful moments and one or two horrific ones (not one of the kiddies) And theres definately a little bit of sexual tension between the main protagonists (ala Broken Sword and Gabriel Knight) though perhaps not as well executed. Despite a few technical difficulties, it's definately a fun adventure game which I'd recommend to anyone hankering for a little mystery but willing to forgive some of the games short comings.

Heres the official site (http://www.mysteryofthedruids.com/english/index.php3) for those who are interested.

[Tanukitsune]

Hmm... How about the old Legend Entertainment games? (http://www.legendent.com/games/index.html) Or Magnetic Scrolls? (http://www.webpan.com/dsinclair/ms/mscrolls.html)
They made near perfect IF/text games and managed to survive several years after IF was "passe" (Did I spell that right?)
Wonderland, Spellcasting 101... :\ (tears of nostalgia)

[twifkak]

"passe" (Did I spell that right?)
Well, in French, it's passé, but in American, the accent is optional (mostly because Americans are Lazy :P). So, yes, you did.

[hagstrumpa]

One game that should be among the classics is The Quivering.
For those of you that haven't played it, it is loosely based upon old horror movies. A few of the characters that appears in the game are Dracula, Jason, the Phantome of the Opera and Elvis (!).
During the game you visit the Evil Dead house and Bates Motel. Despite this setting The Quivering is not a horror game, but instead one of the funniest games I have ever played.

[BacardiJim]

Mystery of the Druids a "near classic?" Mentioned in the same conversation as Grim Fandango and Gabriel Knight? That's like comparing Showgirls with Citizen Kane. MotD is on my list of all-time stinkers, and it cheapens the word "classic" to even use them in the same sentence.


I sit here stunned at the comment "the puzzles are enjoyable." Here is an example of the "puzzling" of this horrid bit of gaming: You spend an hour going through the same conversations over and over and over so that you can completely exhaust every single branch of three diferent conversation trees (with only two different characters) all for the sole purpose of making a cat appear so you can scare the cat to make it tip over a bucket so the fisherman will leave so you can combine the bucket with the fishing pole so you can scrape salt off the side of a ship and take the salt which you intuitively know you must grind up on top of a particular headstone so you can sprinkle the salt to cast a magic spell to destroy a tomb because you once heard a story about someone using a Druidical spell that involved salt to destroy a castle. Somehow, this ancient Druidical spell works for you despite the fact that you aren't a Druid, you don't actually bother casting any kind of spell (just sprinkle the salt), you have never cast a magic spell before and never cast another one in the whole game, you have no background in the use of magic, there is no indication that you even beleive in magic, and given that you are a police detective it is unlikely that you would believe in magic (not that your duties as a cop prevent you from commiting the vandalism of destroying the landmark tomb either).

Other examples of the kind of thinking that you are supposed to use as a police officer include you poisoning a homeless wino with ethyl alcohol and robbing him and stabbing a companion as a way of "logically" showing your enemy that he has broken a pact to protect you both.

I can't deny that Mystery of the Druids had a few good atmospheric moments. But it required such incredible amounts of complete illogic to complete what seemed on the face to be logical puzzles that it quickly robbed the game of any joy.

At least, that was my experience.

On the other hand, although I'm only a little way into The Quivering, I'm already agreeing with hagstrumpa about it. :) I'd also add in the Journeyman Project games, Amber: Journeys Beyond, and most of the games on my Recommendations List. (http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121)

[DomStLeger]

Mystery of the Druids a "near classic?" Mentioned in the same conversation as Grim Fandango and Gabriel Knight? That's like comparing Showgirls with Citizen Kane. MotD is on my list of all-time stinkers, and it cheapens the word "classic" to even use them in the same sentence.
[/url]

Try reading my post. The Not Quite classics. I also said they were NOT up to the standards of Grim etc.

As for your complaints about MOTD; well thats why it's not a classic isn't it. I still think this a worthy game if you are willing to forgive it it's shortcomings. Obviously you're not.

And a word of advice bacardiJim, adopt a less combative writing style becuase otherwise you're going to get alot of people off side.

[Zanthia]

Morpheus and Phatasmagoria for the myst-like horror stories.
The dogday for animated ag.

[James]

i liked black dahlia, though it was no where near approaching the standards of what I'd call a classic...good cast though.

[Tanukitsune]

How could I forget? Cosmology of Kyoto is a work of art! An obsure and hard to find one though....http://smilies.jeeptalk.org/kao/mamies/naki-k.gif

[The Adventurer]

Discworld Noir could probibly fit the "Not Quite a Classic" bill.

[Tamara]

Well, in French, it's passé, but in American, the accent is optional (mostly because Americans are Lazy :P). So, yes, you did.Just because lots of people make a mistake, doesn't make the mistake correct. If that were so, definitely would be spelled 'definately' <shudder> Acceptable in a forum or chat, yes, optional, no - not even in America. :D

<cough> to get back to the topic at hand ;)

One of my favourite games, which is pretty underplayed is Faust, or Seven Games of the Soul in the US. It isn't perfect, but it's dark, atmospheric and morbid, and while it doesn't have the most complete story ever, it's certainly one of the more interesting ones I've come across. I also agree with Phantasmagoria, enjoyable game, though flawed. Black Dahlia I found really good, story and atmosphere wise, just my type of game -- unfortunately I never finished it due to a computer crash. One of these days I'll pick it up again. Very very rare, but definitely of interest is Sophie's World, which is based on the book of the same name. Entirely unique as an adventure game .. way too short though, and somewhat dependant on the user having already read the book and being able to fill in the gaps .. although, of course, everyone *should* read that book. :) And, on a somewhat lighter note, the two Beavis and Butthead games are great fun, and definitely worth a look.

Jim: the kind of puzzles you refer to is what I mean by adventure game conventions, when I use the term in other threads, incidentally

[BacardiJim]

Please pardon my vitriol in my discussion of Mystery of the Druids. Even thinking about that game makes me angry and foul-tempered. Certainly DomStLeger's topic deserves the courtesy of intelligent and informed opinion and recommendations.

I just hated that damn game soooooooo much... :(

My apologies, Dom.

[twifkak]

Just because lots of people make a mistake, doesn't make the mistake correct. If that were so, definitely would be spelled 'definately' <shudder> Acceptable in a forum or chat, yes, optional, no - not even in America. :D
Uh huh. And problematic means "open to doubt or debate" and nothing else, and momentarily means "for a moment," not "in a moment." I've heard all the anal banal attempts to "preserve" our language, and you know what? Language is born out of a practical need. Yes, we don't want fifteen different defitions of "dog" out there, so that we may ease communication, but if the entire country decides to stop using "marry" as an apostrophe or stop spelling "passé" with the accent, it's the "principled" steadfasts who make it more difficult to communicate.
DAN: There's such a word as disheveled, but "sheveled" is nowhere to be found in the dictionary.

CASEY: Danny...

DAN: I'm just sayin' English sucks.

[Henke]

I want Touché. I've heard it's suppose to be sort of a "near classic". The little I have played so far seemed damn good.

[Garyos]

Very very rare, but definitely of interest is Sophie's World, which is based on the book of the same name. Entirely unique as an adventure game .. way too short though, and somewhat dependant on the user having already read the book and being able to fill in the gaps .. although, of course, everyone *should* read that book. :)

Sophie's World! An Interactive CD-ROM! it was pretty good, but I never completed that game... What the heck were you supposed to tell the Mayor???? (Only read half the book, and that was way later).

[Garyos]

Discworld Noir could probibly fit the "Not Quite a Classic" bill.

I winced when i read that, but I guess you're right. :frown:

Brilliant, BRILLIANT game though. Journeyman Project 3 is also ACE, but I've never heard anyone speak much about it here.....

[twifkak]

I bought the JP trilogy for 5 bucks at Funcoland, but still haven't played it.

[BacardiJim]

I am anticipating in advance the condescending comments you will make about the JP games when you finally play them, twifkak (just guessing hehehe), but for my money they are some of the best written sci-fi games around, and the continuity of plot throughout the entire series is simply stunning from a writer's perspective. If you were a Star Trek TNG fan, you may love them, as the Überplot has the feel of the best that series. Some of the individual acting and dialogue is a bit cheesy, but the great familiar kind of cheesy that sci-fi addicts know and love. JP3 also has some pretty damn good FMV acting from some of the secondary characters, and Arthur (your AI sidekick in JP2 & 3) is simply hilarious in #3.


No, it isn't as intelligent a game/series as Rama, with which it shares a certain look and feel. Nor is it as consistently funny with invisible asides as Zork: Grand Inquisitor, which has the same wisecracking-from-your-invisible-companion bits. But what The Dig did for Golden Age Campbellesque space opera, the Journeyman Project series does for Roddenberrian time travel paradox adventure. And for great writing and plotting through three games, I think it holds up to comparison even with the GK games.

Can I get an "Amen," Garyos? ;)

[twifkak]

If you were a Star Trek TNG fan, you may love them, as the Überplot has the feel of the best that series.
Well, I prefer my sci-fi à Serling, so it might not quite meet my expectations, but I'm sure it was worth the $5. :) Of course, I'll never actually get around to playing it within the next few years, so you don't have to worry about reading my condescending comments just yet. :P

[Vel]

Touche is a good game, but it aint historically approved. I am a burbon france maniac, and I must say that they did it upside down. First, the year in which the game takes place is 1562. So far so good. BUT there are musketeers?!? The musketeer army was created 20 years later by henry IV. All of dumas's characters that appear in the game, such as D'artagnan and de Treville, have been either in their early childhood or not born then. Other that that, the game is pretty good.

[Tamara]

momentarily means "for a moment," not "in a moment."
it does, actually - I've never seen/heard it used as "in a moment" .. what, 'I'll be with you momentarily' ?! That's just awful .. what's wrong with presently?

Garyos - I finished the game but it was some time ago so don't really remember what you're on about :) Also, finish reading the book. You can't totally appreciate any of it until you reach the end, that's when it all gels together.

[twifkak]

it does, actually - I've never seen/heard it used as "in a moment" .. what, 'I'll be with you momentarily' ?! That's just awful .. what's wrong with presently?
.......... (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=momentarily)

[Tamara]

I checked my Oxford, doesn't accept your definition. And frankly, I trust that more :)

[Garyos]

Can I get an "Amen," Garyos? ;)

I guess so. Yah! Never played much of the other two though, but number 2 looked good.

[twifkak]

I checked my Oxford, doesn't accept your definition. And frankly, I trust that more :)
You act like I made this definition up :P Man, are you this way about point-n-click adventures, too?

*runs*

[Ariel Type]

Tanukitsune
Hey-hey, now what are you talking about? Legend games don't belong to this thread - they ARE classic. :pan:

[remixor]

I checked my Oxford, doesn't accept your definition. And frankly, I trust that more :)

Yeah, those hooligans at Merriam-Webster don't know what they're on about!

[twifkak]

Yeah, those hooligans at Mirriam-Webster don't know what they're on about!
Yeah, those hooligans at Mirriam Webster (http://www.mirriam-webster.com/) don't know jack compared to the nice chaps at Merriam Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

[SamandMax]

I'd say Normality is a (not quite) masterpiece. It's funny, it's got good puzzles, and it's of decent length. A great non-serious adventure.

[remixor]

Yeah, those hooligans at Mirriam Webster (http://www.mirriam-webster.com/) don't know jack compared to the nice chaps at Merriam Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Yeah, yeah...

[DomStLeger]

Please pardon my vitriol in my discussion of Mystery of the Druids. Even thinking about that game makes me angry and foul-tempered. Certainly DomStLeger's topic deserves the courtesy of intelligent and informed opinion and recommendations.

I just hated that damn game soooooooo much... :(

My apologies, Dom.

No problems BarcardiJim; and thanks for clearing that up :)

[Tamara]

the last thing I'll say on the matter :devil: :D

1. For a moment or an instant.
2. Usage Problem. In a moment; very soon.
3. Moment by moment; progressively.

Usage Note: Momentarily is widely used in speech to mean “in a moment,” as in The manager is on another line, but she'll be with you momentarily. This usage rarely leads to ambiguity since the intended sense can usually be determined on the basis of the tense of the verb and the context. Nonetheless, many critics hold that the adverb should be reserved for the senses “for a moment,” and the extended usage is unacceptable to 59 percent of the Usage Panel.

An analogy: it's relatively easy to figure out what pleto, for example, means most of the time, through mentally substituting similar words/different tenses, but that doesn't change the fact that he's mangling an innocent language. :)

[DomStLeger]

What does that change Tamz? All it means is you're one of the critics mentioned there.

[twifkak]

the last thing I'll say on the matter :devil: :D



An analogy: it's relatively easy to figure out what pleto, for example, means most of the time, through mentally substituting similar words/different tenses, but that doesn't change the fact that he's mangling an innocent language. :)
widely used in speech rarely leads to ambiguity much easier to understand than pleto, you poob who the hell are these "critics"? are they the same ass hats that insist the French can't say "le hot-dog" simply so they can stick they're stick of national pride further up their*disconnect*

[remixor]

they're

their


Hooray for pedantry!

[twifkak]

I was about to correct it, but then I thought, "Hmm.. That's a common mistake, and one that doesn't often result in amibuity. Grr. F@#king hypocrisy, always getting in the way."

[twifkak]

Wha? A second ago, you're post said "they're (space) their" and now it says "their (space) hooray for pedantry!" with no "edited" line, and 3 hours delay.
:confused:

[remixor]

Wha? A second ago, you're post said "they're (space) their" and now it says "their (space) hooray for pedantry!" with no "edited" line, and 3 hours delay.
:confused:

Err.... I'm sorry, but I haven't a clue what you're talking about.


you're
your


ambiuity
ambiguity



:P

[Erwin_Br]

Ssssssh! Stop it before Jaf and his anal bot notice it!

--Erwin

[Jake]

This forum has an "anal bot?" Secrets revealed!!


I'd put The Longest Journey on my "not quite classics" list, honestly. Though I'd do it partly just to annoy people.

[twifkak]

Err.... I'm sorry, but I haven't a clue what you're talking about.
Sure....

your
Intentional (joke).

ambiguity
Unintentional (I blame my keyboard).

:P
:pan: