The "Other" Adventure Games [Archive]

Dylan_Dog

06-15-2004, 02:31 AM

Everyone always talks about GK, BS, Lucas Arts adventures etc. What are some adventure games that most of us haven't heard of/played and are they worth playing?

I for one can name two adventures that I really liked - 'Noctropolis' and 'The Dame Was Loaded'. Noctropolis was about a lonely book owner who gets teleported into a world of a dark and gritty comic book, in a city called Noctropolis. In this city he finds out that he has become the Darksheer and must fight his archvillain and his company. Along with some decent dialog, gritty atmosphere, and some "mature" content (i.e. nudity), it makes up for an interesting game.

The Dame Was Loaded on the other hand is a typical private eye tale of missing diamons, hot femme, and murder - yum! The game is another fmv, but has some nice acting and dialog and interesting suspense, as well as multiple endings. I would highly recommend these adventures to anyone who hasn't played them. Although not the best graphics they were quite nice in their time and were quite interesting.

fov

06-15-2004, 09:29 AM

I really, really like Shadow of Destiny (called Shadow of Memories in Europe). It did get a bit of attention when it came out but a lot of people haven't heard of it.

-emily

mst3k

06-17-2004, 07:07 PM

I really, really like Shadow of Destiny (called Shadow of Memories in Europe). It did get a bit of attention when it came out but a lot of people haven't heard of it.

-emily

I've only played about seven minutes of it, but it certainly looks great and the story was very gripping (too bad the "real world" kept me from playing more)... I fully intend to actually play the game one of these days.

Is it good the whole way through?

fov

06-17-2004, 07:35 PM

YES! It has a really interesting and unique story. It has great replay value too because not only are there multiple endings, but the existance of the multiple endings are pivotal to the plot.

If you search for Shadow of Destiny on the forum you'll find that a few of us had a very long and involved conversation about the mechanics of the plot, that's how interesting and complex it was. I only wish more people had played it.

It's the best "new" adventure I've played since The Beast Within.

-emily

ps Welcome to the forum!

Dylan_Dog

06-18-2004, 01:23 AM

I definitely have to play this game then. Thanks for sharing your impressions on the game.

Sky Warrior Bob

06-18-2004, 02:40 AM

Well it all depends on what you consider "other". I mean, I rarely hear about the Star Trek:TNG 'Final Unity' around here, even though IMO, it is one of the better adventures inconveying the sense that you're in another world, and not just limited to a few rooms.

I mean, the computer database practically covers the entire Star Trek universe, and that doesn't even have to do with the game itself.

SWB

Dylan_Dog

06-18-2004, 02:46 AM

I guess by "other" I mean adventure games that are in a way commercial underdogs but are good regardless. It could be anything from a cliche point and click to something extremely experimental, as long as its an adventure.

Intrepid Homoludens

06-18-2004, 03:50 AM

http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/september00/blairwitch/diner_s.jpg http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/september00/blairwitch/cabin_s.jpg

Funny you should ask because I just mentioned it in Marek's thread (http://forums.adventuregamers.com/showthread.php?p=61662#post61662) - Blair Witch Vol. 1: Rustin Parr (http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=bwrp&page=1). Like the Silent Hill series you can crank down the combat and crank up the puzzle difficulty so that it practically becomes a classic adventure. If you can find it at the stores it should be obscenely dirt cheap.

Dylan_Dog

06-18-2004, 04:19 AM

Looks good.

fov

06-18-2004, 08:12 AM

Do the Blair Witch games have the same interface as Nocturne? (I mean are the keyboard controls similar.)

-emily

Zanthia

06-18-2004, 09:18 AM

"I have no mouth and I must scream"- very nice game.

"Ween's Property" is also game i enjoyed a lot.

ConcreteRancor

06-18-2004, 09:37 AM

I've heard from multiple reviews from the time it was released that Rustin Parr was complete crap, yet was still the best of the Blair Witch trilogy. Haven't played the game myself though, just thought I should give a heads up on that fact for anyone thinking of buying it.

Edit: Wow. Just read the review that Intrepid actually posted... I guess I didn't hear everyone's opinion when the game came out.

Intrepid Homoludens

06-18-2004, 09:45 AM

Do the Blair Witch games have the same interface as Nocturne? (I mean are the keyboard controls similar.)

I assume it may have. I haven't played Nocturne, but BW does basically use the same engine (though much improved).

I've heard from multiple reviews from the time it was released that Rustin Parr was complete crap, yet was still the best of the Blair Witch trilogy. Haven't played the game myself though, just thought I should give a heads up on that fact for anyone thinking of buying it.

http://www.eurogamer.net/assets/converted/pics/reviews/bwrp_pc/a_med_r01b.jpg (http://www.eurogamer.net/view_screenshot.php?image=/assets/converted/pics/reviews/bwrp_pc/r01b.jpg)
Click for biggie.

Actually, it got mixed reviews, and I suspect this has to do with personal tastes on the individual reviewer's part. The Adrenaline Vault (http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=bwrp&page=2), Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=890), and Gamespy (http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/september00/blairwitch/) gave it extremely high scores, but some other sites didn't like it as much. I personally found it very good, almost particularly compelling. It had some of best designed puzzles and a drop dead effective atmosphere. Just look at the screenshot above :D .

EDIT: Don't mind my pimping, but I found a link to download a 'playable trailer' (http://www.gamershell.com/news_BBlairWitchBdemo.shtml). By that I mean that it doesn't flat out give you any little goals to achieve, but it does present the general thick and creepy atmosphere of the game. Unfortunately you can't adjust the res settings, and as this game came out about 4 years ago you'll just have to make do with it at 640x480. But it still looks awewsome! :eek: And creepy. It's just such a damn shame that very few adventure gamers experienced this little diamond.

fov

06-18-2004, 05:19 PM

Well it all depends on what you consider "other". I mean, I rarely hear about the Star Trek:TNG 'Final Unity' around here, even though IMO, it is one of the better adventures inconveying the sense that you're in another world, and not just limited to a few rooms.

Thank you for mentioning this! I found the game today at Goodwill for $.99 - jewel case only - I wouldn't have known it was an adventure if I hadn't read this comment here this morning.

I'm a TNG junkie, so it was an exciting find for me.

*D emily

Ranma Ranma

06-18-2004, 05:32 PM

The entire Discworld trilogy games are among my favorite adventure and games in general list yet no one else mentions them when talking of the greats.

I posted a thread about a game called Nightlong. I believe this one is not to be missed.

There is a game for PSONE called "Blazing Dragons" this game is fun and funny. It's very logical when it comes to puzzles as well, which I love. It's humor is very similar to Discworld, a kinda British humor. Also, this game is a very colorful 3rd person adventure game and still to this day looks very pleasing.

The Dig is a solid adventure not mentioned much though I do feel most know of it.

The Adventures of Willy Beamish is amongst my all-time favorite games as well. Check into the "talkie" version. Which was on PC-CDrom and Sega Cd. It adds a lot of flavor.

A fanmade game called "No Action Jackson" is also a not-to-be-missed game. Despite being fanmade, it's extremely well done and feels very much like a classic Lucasarts adventure.

I second Shadows of Destiny. One of my favs as well. I love that game.

Bard09

06-18-2004, 05:39 PM

Wow... I just did some reading on Noctropolis. It looks almost like the game I suggested in one of the older threads on "your ideal adventure." It looks very Cool World-ish.

I'm going to see if I can track down a copy. Hopefully the FMV won't be too bad. :)

fov

06-18-2004, 06:26 PM

Fickfack

06-18-2004, 06:32 PM

Hey, welcome to the forum Ranma!

Willy Beamish is another game I found at Goodwill, that I probably wouldn't have thought to buy otherwise. I haven't played it yet but I only hear good things about it.
-emily
Really? :devil:
We discussed it recently at JA+. The consensus was that although the game was humorous and had pretty graphics, the gameplay was rife with Dragon's Lair-style action sequences which are essentially unplayable on a modern computer. If you do play it, you are well advised to seek a slowdown utility. It greatly adds to the experience. ;)

Ranma Ranma

06-18-2004, 06:41 PM

Indeed if you play TAoWB make sure to slow your computer down or play it on it's intended specs. This really isn't something to hold against the game though.

As for the Dragon's Lair moments: firstly DL is a classic and secondly while there was a lot of timed challenges, it was never "unfun".

TAoWB will always be one of my favs and most remembered. I used to play it every Christmas making sure to have lots of chocolate and milk. Twas good times.

While it may not be unheard of, I feel this game doesn't boster enough respect. If you dislike it then that is ok, we all have different opinions and this is a good thing but I would find it hard for any seasoned adventure fan to hate this game.

Ranma Ranma

06-18-2004, 06:42 PM

Oh and thanks for the welcoming. I hope I fit in well here.

fov

06-18-2004, 06:51 PM

...the gameplay was rife with Dragon's Lair-style action sequences which are essentially unplayable on a modern computer.

Well yes, I have heard that, but I have an old, slow computer for older games, so I tend to ignore most comments about timer bugs.

It's funny... action / arcade sequences in Sierra games never bothered me. I've heard so many complaints about the ones in SQ4 (probably because people are frustrated by timer bugs, as well they should be) -- I played it on a Mac many years ago and don't remember any arcade sequences at all. That makes me think they probably didn't bother me. :D

*D emily

Maquisard

06-18-2004, 08:13 PM

Hey, Emily--I'm interested, have you tried out that TNG game, and how are you liking it so far? I'm a Trekkie myself, so I might consider tracking it down. Thanks ;)

fov

06-18-2004, 09:29 PM

Nah, but after reading this review (http://www.adventurecollective.com/reviews/finalunity.htm), I'm real tempted.

I'd like to finish Law & Order 2 first. I try to keep the number of games I play at one time to a minimum... otherwise I tend to forget about finishing them...

I'll post and let you know what I think of it when I give in and install it, though.

:D emily

Dylan_Dog

06-19-2004, 01:07 AM

Nightlong is supposedly a good game. I played the demo and I liked it. It's very Blade Runner'ish. And anything that is in synch with Blade Runner is my type of game.

mst3k

06-19-2004, 02:49 PM

I had a chance to play through the prologue and into the beginning of chapter 1 in "Shadow of Destiny" ... I didn't quite get the hang of how to manipulate time, so I had to replay the prologue once. So far I love it! Thanks fov for sparking me to start playing it again.

I can only think of one other "other" game that I really like... Timegate: Knight's Chase. An old Alone in the Dark style romp through the Middle Ages. I have yet to play the full game, but I must have worked my way through the demo three times. It's unfortunate Infogrames never developed the other two games, as I understand Timegate was supposed to be a trilogy.

maladroid

06-19-2004, 04:15 PM

I'll second Trep and agree that Rustin Parr is indeed a great, yet underestimated game. The adventure elements are pretty strong (especially the story) and the atmosphere is very captivating. There is also some amount-yet small- of puzzle solving and some very interesting characters including Stranger who maked me want to play Nocturne (haven't yet found the time to do so though).
The Elly Kedward Tale (Blair Witch 3) was also a decent game although more action oriented. I enjoyed it but this may have something to do withe the fact that I am a Sleepy-Hollow-setting junkie :)
Can't say the same about the second one though-The Legend of Coffin Rock (I've played all the episodes). Too much action and a simplyfied story.
As long as underdog games go I'll vote for Faust:Seven games of the Soul. I enjoyed the whole gaming experience and the game actually gives you things to think about even after it's finished. The puzzles are very good (some of them real masterpieces) and the game holds interesting secrets for the finale. I am (or rather was) a great Cryo dis-liker but I'll have to give them that they left us with a very good game.
Also I believe the Manhunter games to be underestimated games as the tracking-deceased-people's traces proved to be a suprisingly interesting experience.
And then we have Toonstruck which is one of my favourite games as I think it somewhat lucks novelty as many of it's ideas where borrowed from older games or movies but the final product is an example of how high quality comedy adventures should be (at least to me). An excellent production that qas sadly underestimated by most adventurers-at least at it's time..

RLacey

06-20-2004, 03:05 AM

I'm a big fan of an old Gremlin game called Normality...

wilco

06-20-2004, 03:44 AM

I really liked Ecstatica I and II, i think they are not very popular, but they're not pure adventure games, kinda like Alone in the Dark i think.

That Star Trek game looks very good!!
I remember playing Star Trek Judment Rites . It was a fun game. I like the concept of episodic mini-adventures.

DomStLeger

06-20-2004, 07:41 AM

I'm a big fan of an old Gremlin game called Normality...

AKA 'Normality Inc.', I've always wanted to play that game but I can't get my hands on it. I remember at the time it was out salivating over it, but never actually getting round to buying it and now I regret it imensly. It looked like a really fun offbeat adventure game. Was it one of the first 3D adventures too, if not the first? It was released way back in 1996, the same year as Broken Sword.

There are some screenshots at Mobygames:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/shots/p,2/gameId,1999/

It's 3D but not as many people would recognise now I suppose; more Doom than Doom 3 :)

guybrush122

06-20-2004, 09:04 AM

Blade Runner --> the replay value is HUGE, and that's not just cause of the seven or eight endings. Oh no. It's because of the red herrings, the unanswered, subtle questions, and that suspicious character in black...

...Blade Runner is an excellent mystery game with a damn fine storyline and it's a gas to play.

Dylan_Dog

06-21-2004, 03:36 AM

ConcreteRancor

06-21-2004, 08:45 AM

There is a game for PSONE called "Blazing Dragons" this game is fun and funny. It's very logical when it comes to puzzles as well, which I love. It's humor is very similar to Discworld, a kinda British humor. Also, this game is a very colorful 3rd person adventure game and still to this day looks very pleasing. Was the game based on the TV show, or vice versa? I remember watching the TV show on Teletoon Canada in Montreal.

Bobske

06-21-2004, 10:22 AM

How about the game Fable? You can find a review here: http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=176 The game isn't too sophisticated and at times totally boring but still I liked it. I bought it some years ago. I'd never heard of the game or developers. The reason I bought the game was the box (I looked like a really thick book). Man I really liked that box... ;)

Ranma Ranma

06-21-2004, 01:54 PM

ConcreteRancor, I honestly do not know. In fact I was unaware there was a tv show at all until now. I would be interested to learn more of the show though if you care to detail it some.

Oh let me add that I ordered Blade Runner off Ebay and when it arrived, it had a scratch on it. The game will not load past the opening cinematic. I've tried all the different installs and patches but no such luck. I once downloaded the first cd and tried to install it as so but again no luck. I either need all on cd or all on ISO it seems with my virtual drive. And I really wanted to play that game too. I may order it again if I find it cheap.

Dylan_Dog

06-21-2004, 03:08 PM

Yeah, that sort of thing happens when you order stuff from Ebay. However, when you do get the working version of the game, you will immensely enjoy it.

ConcreteRancor

06-23-2004, 09:15 AM

It's humor is very similar to Discworld, a kinda British humor.

No wonder. I did a Google search and it turns out that the game Blazing Dragons was based on the TV show of the same name, created by none other than Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame.

The show was actually kinda short-lived, Ranma. It was never shown in the U.S., and Teletoon Canada, where I watched it, actually seems to be the only channel that showed it in North America. From what I remember, you didn't miss much, but maybe my lackluster memories of it are because I watched the show when I was only about eleven or so, before I was a Python fan.

RLacey

06-23-2004, 12:27 PM

AKA 'Normality Inc.', I've always wanted to play that game but I can't get my hands on it. I remember at the time it was out salivating over it, but never actually getting round to buying it and now I regret it imensly. It looked like a really fun offbeat adventure game. Was it one of the first 3D adventures too, if not the first? It was released way back in 1996, the same year as Broken Sword.

There are some screenshots at Mobygames:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/shots/p,2/gameId,1999/

It's 3D but not as many people would recognise now I suppose; more Doom than Doom 3 :) It was simply called Normality in the UK. And if anyone ever sees a copy of this game, get it. It's not the best adventure ever, but it's quite a funky little number. One to get if you see it second hand. In fact, GO BUY! (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11047&item=8111993747&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

Dylan_Dog

06-24-2004, 05:08 AM

Anyone remember a game called "Clandestiny"? The trailer of that game was featured on 11th Hour CD, however I have no idea as to what happened to that game and what it was about. Has anyone played it?

guybrush122

06-24-2004, 05:35 AM

Blade Runner happens to be one of my favourite games. It's the game that set the visual style for me and raised my expectations for similar future noir games - dark, gritty atmosphere, graycoats, mysterious dark figures, alleyways, the sound of raindrops on eerie laneways. Ahhh, that's the stuff.

Amen to that. Even though I've seen most of the endings, I still can't figure out who that mysterious woman in black is in the picture of Ray McCoy that Izo makes (you can get a hardcopy-- sometimes she's there, sometimes not). One time, after leaving Bullet Bob's I saw her running straight at me--> Holy Nut Cakes! The game is so mystifying, and not to mention those little gremlins that attack you in the sewer sytem in Act 4 or 5 (they can be green or normal colored, but they act like zombies). Oh, and for any of you who hasn't played the game: no worries, I spoiled nothing in the least.

fov

06-24-2004, 08:08 AM

I haven't played Clandestiny, but I think it was an anime-type game put out by the 7th Guest people... that didn't sell very well.

Clandestiny (http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,3/gameId,2154/)

This article (http://www.gamespot.com/features/btg-tri/index.html) about Trilobyte's rise and fall talks a bit about the making of Clandestiny and how well it did.

-emily