Adventure Gamers - Forums

Oscar - 20 December 2012 10:06 AM

I generally don’t do these because when I come back to them later I disagree with myself.

People and opinions change constantly. They’re just time-specific snapshots…
That’s also part of what makes them fun: the “OMG, no!” moments when you look back at them a few years later…

My top ten:

Virtue’s Last Reward
999
The Last Window
Hotel Dusk
Another Code
Thersia Dear Emily
Dreamfall
Broken Sword - DC
The Longest Journey
Ghost Trick

Hmm.. Let’s try. I haven’t checked my last one, I think I did give a top10 at some point. The order isn’t really definitive:

1. Discworld Noir
2.-4. Gabriel Knight trilogy
5.-6. The Longest Journey & Dreamfall
7. Day of the Tentacle
8. Gray Matter

Hmh.. I can’t really decide what to put for the last two. I’ve given L.A. Noire 5 stars but I haven’t finished it yet. Then there are Tex Muprhy games and some of these newer almost perfect titles like Blackwell Trilogy (and other Wadjet Eye Games too) Culpa Innata, Fahrenheit and Black Mirror 3. Well, let’s just smash these there then:

9. L.A. Noire
10. Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive

Just for fun, according to VGchartz - these are the 10 best selling adventure games:

1 Myst PC 1994 Adventure Broderbund
4.91
2.79
0.00
0.33
8.03

2 Professor Layton and the Curious Village DS 2007 Adventure Nintendo
1.18
2.33
1.03
0.51
5.05

3 Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box DS 2007 Adventure Nintendo
0.77
1.82
0.92
0.39
3.90

4 Professor Layton and the Unwound Future DS 2008 Adventure Nintendo
0.48
1.43
0.82
0.28
3.01

5 L.A. Noire PS3 2011 Adventure Take-Two Interactive
1.09
1.04
0.11
0.44
2.68

6 Riven: The Sequel to Myst PC 1997 Adventure Red Orb
1.52
0.82
0.00
0.10
2.43

7 Professor Layton and the Last Specter DS 2009 Adventure Nintendo
0.22
1.27
0.68
0.23
2.40

8 L.A. Noire X360 2011 Adventure Take-Two Interactive
1.31
0.81
0.02
0.25
2.39

9 Heavy Rain PS3 2010 Adventure Sony Computer Entertainment
0.97
0.86
0.06
0.36
2.26

10 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney DS 2007 Adventure Capcom
0.23
0.01
0.64
0.02
0.90

The good news is that lots of new adventure games are on the list.

The bad news is that none of these are in my 10 ten.

1. Leisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals

10.Myst IV: Revelation
,

Just got a change of opinion

Oscar - 25 July 2013 09:09 PM

Great list Advie. SQIV was the best Sierra game ever!

Thanks Oscar, actually i found out while thinking and putting down those 10 , that i wasn’t evaluating any at all, i was just remembering the good and the best times i had , SQIV as a whole was the most original idea Sierra gave and its still one of a kind .

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
Goblins 3
Zork: Grand Inquisitor
Shadow of the Comet
The Neverhood
Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth
Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

In no particular order (and only 1 title per series):

- 428 ~ Fuusa Sareta Shibuya De
- Kamaitachi no Yoru
- Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
- Grim Fandango
- Discworld Noir
- The Curse of Monkey Island
- Hotel Dusk: Room 215
- Ghost Trick
- Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials & Tribulations

Hm, it’s definitely a skewed list with most of the older games coming from the West and newer games from Japan.

1. Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers:
To me, this is the funniest adventure game ever produced. It is full of amazing little touches in the dialogue and visual gags, and Garry Owens nails it as the narrator. The story is surprisingly epic, and a bit dark for the series. The puzzle are nicely designed for the most part, but there are a couple of very frustrating arcade sequences which almost held it back from the #1. 

2. Planescape: Torment:
Ok, so some will say that this is not an adventure game, and is more of an RPG, but the lines between the two genres are quite blurry for the most part. The game puts every heavy focus on story, narrative, character interaction, and even puzzle solving. To me, it is like playing an adventure game that was built in an RPG engine. It has a very stark and strange world to explore, and the story is probably one of the best, if not the best, ever told in a computer game, and the characters are all unique and memorable.

3. The Curse of Monkey Island:
It is not by the same people as the first two games, but in my opinion, the creators perfectly captured the feel and humor of this games predecessors. The game is very funny, and maybe the second funniest adventure game after Space Quest 4. The art in this game is gorgeous, and still holds up well in 2014. Actually, I think that this game still looks better than most of the adventure games that are being produced today. It is also the debut of Dominic Armato as the voice of Guybrush, who just nails it.

4. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
The best, and maybe only good, Indiana Jones game. It really gets the feel and pacing of a good Indiana Jones movie, and is more of a worthy successor to the 80s trilogy than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

5. King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow:
This just nudges out the fifth game for me, as the best in the King’s Quest series. One of the cool things about is that it has lots cool and strange locations to visit, and interesting characters. The puzzles are nice, and the voice acting is quite good for the most part. Also, the graphics are gorgeous.

6. Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
A cool game with a very interesting conspiracy story that introduces George and Nico, two of the best and most memorable of adventure game protagonists. The graphics are very nice nice, and the puzzles are all logical and follow from the story. The other Broken Sword games are good for the most part, but I still like this one the best.

7. The Walking Dead
Some will say it is more of an interactive movie, but I don’t care. It has great character interacting, choice consequences, and a well told story.

8. Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulaon
Great atmosphere through its amazing visuals and sound. The puzzles are nice, and the game is fairly non-linear. The music is truely amazing, and is my favorite adventure game soundtrack. As a negative, the game is quite short.

9. Beneath a Steel Sky
Cool art and sort of cyberpunk setting.

10. The Dig
A highly underrated Lucas Arts classic. It has an interesting story that will make you think, amazing graphics and animation, nice voice acting, and challenging puzzles.

Honorable Mentions in no particular order:
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father
King’s Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart go Yonder
Secret of Monkey Island
Monkey Island 2: Lechuck’s Revenge

This is an impossible task, which one does anyway from time to time. 

Best games
Grim Fandango
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Sanitarium
Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Best game franchises
Gabriel Knight
Ace Attorney
Monkey Island (1-3)
Broken Sword (1 and 2)

Best Hybrids
Psychonauts
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

No particular order.

Grim Fandango
Full Throttle
Discworld Noir
The Secret of Monkey Island
Blade Runner
Return to Zork
The Neverhood
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
Zork: Grand Inquisitor
The Curse of Monkey Island

Honorable Mention: Zork Nemesis