All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment en-us The Secret of Monkey Island
I cursed my luck again as I slid down the monkey's throat. Have my dreams of guzzling grog and plundering galleons been reduced to this. "Three small trials and you're a pirate like us." Fair enough. If only I could stomach the foul brew these scurvy seadogs swilled, the rest would be easy. How could I have known I'd meet a powerful and beautiful woman with a jealous suitor too stupid to realize he'd been dead for years? And how can I crawl through this great stone monkey to find a man who walks three inches above the ground and sets fire to his beard every morning?

-The Memoirs of Guybrush Threepwood: The Monkey Island Years
]]> 06 Feb 2007 04:24:31 Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
I thought I'd killed the Ghost Pirate LeChuck for good. Wrong. How many times can that bloated old fool die? Other pirates tell me there's no escape. "When LeChuck wants you dead, you're dead", they say. Legend has it that the treasure of Big Whoop holds the key to great power... I must find it before LeChuck finds me.

-The Memoirs of Guybrush Threepwood: The Monkey Island Years
]]> 06 Feb 2007 04:45:44 Shadow of the Colossus Tales speak of an ancient land where creatures the size of mountains, roam the majestic landscape. Bound to the land, these creatures hold a key to a mystical power of revival - a power you must obtain to waken a loved one.

Shadow of the Colossus is a majestic journey through ancient lands to seek out and destroy gigantic mythical beasts. With your trusty horse at your side, explore the spacious lands and unearth each Colossi. Armed with your wits, a sword and a bow, use cunning and strategy to topple each behemoth.
]]> 18 Jan 2007 10:58:36 Cave Story - Doukutsu Monogatari Cave Story is a freeware sidescrolling action/adventure/platformer title with leanings towards Wonderboy and recent sidescrolling Castlevania titles. You control a little amnesiac who runs around helping out these rabbit-ish creatures called Mimigas while trying to find your way out of the giant cave inside the floating island which makes up the game's setting.

This is a free game made by one man:

Pixel said,
It's been five years since I first thought to myself, "Hey, why not try making a game?" I developed Cave Story at my own pace, taking my time, and while doing so I released a few other smaller games as well.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 01:38:13 Psychonauts Embark on a unique third person psychic adventure through the minds of misfits, monsters and madmen....

For years, the Psychonauts have deployed their psychically-armed operatives all over the world, but this time trouble is brewing in their own boot camp. A deranged scientist is abducting camp cadets for their brains. One student, a mysterious and powerful new arrival named Raz, stands alone against the lunatic. Raz must develop and unleash an arsenal of paranormal powers including his most powerful weapon of all: the ability to launch himself telepathically into the minds of others. Ultimately he must enter the psyche of his worst enemy and destroy his dark plans at their source while trying not to lose his sanity in the process.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 11:14:08 Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers This game follows the adventures of Gabriel Knight as he is drawn into the investigation of a series of murders. Set in New Orleans this game has a rich story filled with voodoo and suspense.
]]> 31 Jan 2007 04:03:17 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Link, after setting sail for new experiences and adventures, finds himself caught in a squall at sea. Helpless in spite of his valiant efforts to last through the storm, he is overwhelmed by vicious waves and lightning...

Some time later, a gentle girl named Marin discovers him washed up on Toronbo Shores.. the beach of Koholint Island. She finds a way to get him home and takes care of him until he finally awakens. Marin and her father, Tarin, explain to him where he is, and after he sets out to reclaim his sword, he encounters a mysterious owl... The owl cryptically warns Link about the perils this island faces should the Wind Fish be disturbed from his slumber, and thus Link decides he must do something to save them.

This owl guides him throughout the rest of his journey, slowly helping him uncover just what exactly is going on. Link learns that, unfortunately, in order to save the islanders he had grown to love, and to set himself free, he must also end a dream, a romance that he might not want to... To save all those people he had come to know and cherish from the Wind Fish's Nightmares, he would also have to end the illusion that caused them to exist in the first place.

It's a heart wrenching choice to confront, one that Link no doubt regrets with every deep ache of his very soul.. but the only alternative was to let the Nightmare take over and destroy everything.. This was the only fate he could offer them...

A tragic, touching tale that is told in the simplest way, Link's Awakening is a dream that I'll always hold dear to my heart...
]]> 08 Feb 2007 11:34:05 Shenmue The story of Shenmue begins in 1986 and centers around Ryo Hazuki, a young man who's father has been murderer. You play as Ryo and now must find the killers and avenge your father's death.

Gameplay in Shenmue is diverse; while most of the game is spent walking around the atmospheric, life-like Japanese locations in a third-person 'chase cam' mode (talking to people, searching for things, solving puzzles, and so forth), it is interspersed with many 'mini-games', including forklift and motorcycle races, bar fights, chases down crowded alleys, full versions of Sega arcade games Space Harrier and Hang-On (both originally programmed by Shenmue creator and director, Yu Suzuki), dart games, and 'free fighting' sequences.
]]> 24 May 2007 01:36:27 Grim Fandango Something's rotten in the Land of Dead and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:17:40 Sam & Max Hit the Road Sam and Max are the oddest of detectives, an anthropomorphic dog and a psychotic rabbit, featured here in a cross country adventure. The game includes a wealth of crazy puzzles, nonstop humor, and sharp satire of Americana, as the trenchcoat wearing dog and and his pal search for an escaped bigfoot.


Additional Game Features:

  • Classic "point and click" adventure packed with humor.

  • 5 mini-games are also contained within the game.

  • Backgrounds beautifully drawn in 256 colors.

  • Based upon comic book characters created by Steve Purcell, who was also the lead writer of this adventure.

  • Graphical adventure using the SCUMM engine.

  • Released simultaneously on CD-ROM and Floppy, the CD version includes complete voice performances.


Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: LucasArts
Released: 1993 (DOS), 1995 (Mac)

System Requirements
386/33 MHz CPU, 4 MB RAM, 256 color VGA, DOS 5.0
]]> 23 Dec 2006 12:43:47 Clock Tower: The First Fear
patente101 said,
I thought a SNES game couldn't be scary. I was wrong. Really wrong. Clock Tower made me scream and made nightmares form in my mind. For almost a month, I checked behind each single door in my house...

The true title of this game is simply "Clock Tower". It was released in Japan only, for the Super Famicom (Japanese market equivalent of the SNES). It was later ported to the Playstation (also in Japan only), and Windows 95, but under the title "Clock Tower: The First Fear". Thus it was natural for the sequel to be titled "Clock Tower 2" in Japan, but the North American sequel was entitled "Clock Tower", since the title had not yet been exploited here. In keeping with the North American release title, it is the sequel that's listed as "Clock Tower" elsewhere here at GGE.


We enter the story just as the 15 year old orphan Jennifer and three of her friends are adopted by the reclusive Mrs. Barrows. Upon arriving at the imposing Barrows mansion in the mountains of Norway, Jennifer and her friends are left alone for a long while and finally the girl sets out after Mrs. Barrows, but runs back in search of her friends when she hears a scream. The power has gone out, and Jennifer finds herself in the dark and alone.

As Jennifer, you now must seek out your friends, and save them if you can as you discover the depth of evil at work, witnessing a murder at the hands of the Scissorman, leaving you terrified throughout your ordeal as you try to evade and hopefully, escape.

Jennifer's adventure will unravel mysteries of the mansion, the murderous evil Barrows twins, and even her own past as she explores the eerie mansion and encountering it's evil inhabitants.


Additional Game Features:


  • Simply point and click gameplay means you have to use your head and keep your wits. Choices made throughout the game will sooner or later have consequences.

  • Keep an eye on Jennifer's avatar throughout the game. Her current strength is indicated by the window color and must be managed wisely, and her reactions to what's going on may provide useful hints.

  • Sounds and music used sparsely and cleverly, adding to the overall tension and drama.

  • Explore the numerous rooms and levels of the Barrows Mansion.

  • Intricate story full of mystery and puzzles, with many alternate endings adding to the replay value.

Developer: Human Entertainment
Publisher: Human Entertainment
Released: Sep 14, 1995 (JP)

System Requirements
Windows 95 version information unverified. Contributions welcome!
]]> 26 Jan 2007 06:53:43 Beyond Good and Evil For centuries, the planet Hyllis has been locked in conflict with a race of relentless alien invaders.

Wary of her government's promises to repel the aliens for good, a rebellious action reporter named Jade sets out to capture the truth behind the prolonged war.

Armed with her camera, dai-jo staff, and fierce determination, Jade soon finds herself inside the jaws of a horrific conspiracy, and face to face with an evil she cannot possibly fathom.

In a world where deception is the deadliest weapon of all, will Jade's discoveries be enough to free her people?
]]> 26 Nov 2006 11:41:51 Earthbound
Nintendo Power said,
A meteorite crashes near the peaceful town of Onett, and a young boy's life is changed forever in Nintendo's role playing game, Earthbound. Earthbound is different, though, than the average sword-wielding RPG. In what other game can you defeat enemies with a frying pan, call a pizza-delivery man, or ask your dad for money? Need to get some cash? Just jog on down to the local ATM and withdraw some money for that great Yo-yo you saw at the drugstore. Similar to other RPG's like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior, Earthbound uses a party-based fighting format, and you pick up new members as you explore both your world and others. Earthbound is irreverent, a little silly, and a must have for RPG fans.

Additional Game Features:

  • Gameplay employs many traditional elements such as buying equipment, recharging energy, interrogating NPC's, but while taking the player away from the traditional dungeons to a more contemporary era, full of wit and humor aimed at modern life and pop icons.

  • Gearing up in modern towns means that you'll more likely find baseball bats, yo-yo's and frying pans than swords! A wide variety of weapons are available in the course of the game.

  • Form parties to explore and battle.

  • Battles aren't random, as most enemies are visible.

  • Persistent onscreen analogue HP and PP meters assign losses gradually in real time, enabling the player added opportunity to heal or complete a battle.

  • Graphically simplistic, but rich in humor and imagination.

Developer: Ape, Inc. and HAL Laboratory, Inc.
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Shigesato Itoi
Written By: Shigesato Itoi
Game Designer: Akihiko Miura
Art Director: Kouichi Ooyama
U.S. Conversion Director: Kouichi Ooyama

Released in Japan August 27, 1994 for SNES as "Mother 2: Revenge of Gigyas!", and subsequently as a GBA port in June 20, 2003, also only in Japan. EarthBound was introduced to the U.S. on June 1, 1995 as a stand-alone game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In Japan, however, its title refers to the fact that it's a sequel to the NES/Famicom rpg "Mother".

It's worth stating that this game has cultivated such fan devotion that there are numerous sites and communities rife with information and trivia regarding Earthbound, so that one can only scratch the surface of available information here!
]]> 16 Dec 2006 06:31:05 Assassin's Creed The game takes place during the Third Crusade, exact year 1191. The gamer plays as a member of the assassin sect Hashshashin known as Altair (Arabic, "The Flyer") whose objective is to assassinate the nine historical figures who are propagating the Crusades, and the suffering of the people. As the gamer finds and kills these targets, their conspiracy is unveiled. The player will be able to travel through three cities, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. The environment is completely interactive, from the people to the historically accurate cities. These cities are populated by many people and the way the player controls Altair affects how people around him react to his presence. For example, when going through a crowd, if the player lightly moves someone out of the way, it will not have a significant effect. However, if the player throws someone to the ground and kills them, the crowd may unite against him and he will then have to find a way out. Similarly, if the player shoves a person aside, they may shove him back. If he climbs walls, civilians will gather around, attracting unwanted attention from guards.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 04:44:17 Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Shivering Isles is an expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It is available for download on Xbox Live or for the PC.
]]> 10 Apr 2007 02:46:54 Full Throttle Motorcycles. Mayhem. Murder.

One minute you're on the road, riding. Then some guy in a suit comes along, says he's got a deal for you and your gang. But when you come to, you've got a lump on your head, the law on your back, and a feeling that the road you're on is about to get a lot rougher...
]]> 26 Nov 2006 05:42:45 Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire Directly following from the events of the first game, the newly-proclaimed Hero of Spielburg travels by flying carpet with his friends Abdulla Doo, Shameen and Shema to the desert city of Shapeir. The city is threatened by magical elementals, while the Emir Arus al-Din of Shapier's sister city Raseir is missing and his city fallen under tyranny.

After defeating the four elementals that threaten Shapeir, the Hero travels to the city of Raseir. There, he is imprisoned by Khaveen and under hypnosis helps the evil tyrannous wizard Ad Avis to resurrect the evil genie Iblis. In the final fight, the Hero attacks the palace and battles with Ad Avis, who falls to his presumed death begging for assistance from his Dark Master. As thanks for the Hero's success in liberating Raseir and restoring its lost splendor, the Sultan of Shapeir, Harun al-Rashid, rewards the Hero by adopting him as his son.
- from Wikipedia
]]> 22 Apr 2007 07:55:46 Escape Velocity The original game in the Escape Velocity series from Ambrosia Software. An open ended space trading, combat, adventure rpg. It's similar to Elite, but with all the fun distilled and purified into one big addictive lump of super fun.

The following is the blurb from the official Ambrosia website:

Check your calendar: It's 2246, and the galaxy just isn't what it used to be. Spacefaring pirates roam free, civil war rages, and simple traders cheat death to make a living. Welcome to life in the 23rd century!

Ambrosia Software's Escape Velocity puts you smack-dab in the middle of that booming galaxy. As the captain of a shiny new spacecraft, you make your fortune and build your empire. If that sounds like a walk in the park, you're in for a surprise - dangers abound! Your lowly shuttle craft will need more than a little luck to make a profit... and survive.

Escape Velocity offers a rich and open-ended environment that evolves as you play. Over a hundred worlds occupy the galaxy, each with its own technology, alliances, and commodities. As you earn credits and gain fame, Confederation peace keepers and Rebel patriots struggle for power, leaving you in the middle.

Numerous sub-plots fill Escape Velocity's world; your choices affect the story's development, guaranteeing that each game will be different from the last. You'll have the opportunity to infiltrate hostile military bases, ferry emergency supplies to distant star systems, rescue passengers from stranded cruise ships, stop alien invaders, and more. In addition, Escape Velocity sports an open game engine. Future scenario designers will be able to create their own worlds for other players to explore...
]]> 14 Nov 2006 04:32:58 Twinsen's Odyssey Little Big Adventure 2 (LBA2) is a computer game first released at the end of 1996 as a pre-release version by Adeline Software International. It was later re-released by Electronic Arts in April 1997 in Europe, and by Activision in June 1997 in the United States under the name Twinsen's Odyssey. In July 1997, both Electronic Arts and Activision Brazil re-released LBA2 - Activision Brazil doing so under the name of "Twinsen's Odyssey". In August 1997, Virgin Interactive released both the Japanese and the English-only Asian versions of LBA2 - also under the name of Twinsen's Odyssey. LBA2 sold over 600,000 copies worldwide; LBA2 was also the third game created under the label of Adeline Software International. The game features full motion video, higher quality music than its predecessor, and fully 3D environments.
]]> 11 Mar 2007 07:58:11 Fedora Spade Hello there, gumshoe. Fedora Spade's the name. I'm a dick. What? No, not figuratively. The lady across the street might argue otherwise, but I digress. Anyway, I'm a detective, a homicide detective to be exact. I didn't grow up wanting to be a detective, mind you. I hated the cops & robbers game... the other kids always forced me to play the bad guy and gave me a good ass-kicking whenever I was caught. Not a very pleasant childhood memory, yeah? But that's beside the point. I wanted to be an astronaut. I just thought that it'd be neat to explore space, see? But it never happened, as you can probably tell. Math and physics... I can't say that they're my favorite subjects. Plus, watching the challenger explode into a big firework is pretty traumatizing.

So why did I become a homicide detective, you ask? Well, apparently it's the only job that's available for me here. Crime's rampant here in Lawless City, and dead bodies continue to crowd the streets. They need people to combat crime, expendable people; preferably people that aren't too bright in the head. People with a diploma in sociology, or psychology, or some other I-just-want-to-graduate-quickly major. People from third-rate universities who can't seem to find a decent job. People like me. It's dangerous work, but it sure beats flipping burgers. Or is it? I don't know... it's too late for regret now.

Anyway, gumshoe, I've had my fill of bourbon tonight, and I'm in the mood to talk. Why don't you sit tight and lend me a pair of listening ears, eh?
]]> 17 Jun 2007 09:37:15 Prince of Persia The Grand Vizier Jaffar has thrown you into a dark dungeon and plans to marry the girl of your dreams in an hour. You're not going to let that happen are you? Try to escape from the dungeon, take out Jaffar's guards, find your way through the sultan's palace and defeat Jaffar himself. Now go, you've got 60 minutes!

Prince of Persia is a 2D action-adventure / platformer with run & jump gameplay. Avoid deadly traps, solve some puzzles and engage in sword fights. The player has an infinite amount of lives but has to restart at the beginning of a level each time he dies and must complete the game within an hour. An especially noteworthy aspect of the game is the very fluent animation of your character.

from the (Moby Games Price of Persia page)
]]> 24 Dec 2006 08:39:15 Sam & Max: Culture Shock Sam & Max - a 6 foot dog in a 3 piece suit, and his hyperkinetic rabbity-type-thing pal - are self-dubbed "Freelance Police" who scour the globe for odd mal-formed versions of evil to defeat, though usually by accident.

Culture Shock, the first episode in a six-episode "season" of Sam & Max games that Telltale is putting out, centers largely around the neighborhood surroundingSam & Max's office. Three washed up former child stars have been seen defacing the streets with propaganda for a self-help tape called "Brady Culture's 'Eye-Bo' Occular Fitness," and Sam & Max decide to put a stop to it.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 04:50:54 Shadowrun (Genesis) Shadowrun on the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive is a different beast than it's SNES counterpart.
Faithful to FASA's pen and paper version, this game will have you exploring an extensive map in bird-eye view taking missions ("runs") from "Mr Johnsons" and build up your stats. Your party can consist of 3 elements tops, and there are 3 types of characters you can play - samurai, shaman or decker. All in all, the game's open-endedness along with the plot to uncover your brothers' death circumstances make this a game with something for every CRPG fan. Two thumbs way, way up!
]]> 19 Mar 2007 10:24:57 Banjo-Kazooie Banjo-Kazooie is a 3D platform/adventure video game for the Nintendo 64. It was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 1998. The game stars a bear named Banjo and a bird named Kazooie who set out on a quest to rescue Banjo's sister, Tooty, who has been kidnapped by the witch Gruntilda. Along their journey, Banjo and Kazooie receive help from Mumbo Jumbo the shaman and Bottles the mole, as well as from various other characters in smaller roles.
Banjo-Kazooie went on to become one of the most popular games for the console.
]]> 20 Dec 2006 10:02:54 Quest For Glory: So You Want to be a Hero "Quest for Glory: So You Want to be a Hero" is the first game, and a
]]> 11 Apr 2007 05:04:40 Alan Wake Alan Wake's first novel is hailed as a masterpiece of horror, its source material having come from dreams that began just before meeting his fiancee Alice. Her sudden dissappearance leaves him devastated. Suffering from insomnia, he can no longer write, nor even dream. Desperate for help he travels to a sleep clinic in the secluded, small town of Bright Falls, Washington.

At the clinic he overcomes his insomnia, but meets a woman that looks remarkably like Alice. He begins to have nightmares, and starts writing a new novel based upon them, but soon finds that Bright Falls appears to be turning into the horrible place of his nightmares. With gun and flashlight in hand, he must find out what's going on.
]]> 14 Dec 2006 03:01:56 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Though it may be a gaming journalistic cliche by now, it would seem that Wind Waker cannot be addressed without mentioning it's art style. Some would argue that cel-shading simply brought Zelda back to it's light hearted two dimensional roots -come now, turquoise red cape clad pig's hardly scream realism-while others would defend the honor of Ocarina of Time claiming Wind Waker to be saccharine aberration.

Regardless of your artistic preferences though, it cannot be denied that Wind Waker is a great game with quite a few flaws.

After all, it's universally accepted that Wind Waker is far too easy, features quite a lot of tedious sailing toward the end of the game, and is on the short side for a Zelda game due the painfully obvious scrapping of two dungeons.

For all of that, Wind Waker is still quite compelling oozing style and charm: a Zelda slightly worse than it's predecessors is still better than 90% of 3D games out there.

In fact, the core gameplay is of such quality that if the previously mentioned flaws were somehow remedied in, oh say; a Wiimake, Windwaker would probably stand a chance at being the best game in The Legend of Zelda series.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 12:55:42 Sam & Max: Situation: Comedy Sam & Max - a 6 foot dog in a 3 piece suit, and his hyperkinetic rabbity-type-thing pal - are self-dubbed "Freelance Police" who scour the globe for odd malformed versions of evil to defeat, though usually by accident.

In Situation: Comedy (the followup to Sam & Max: Culture Shock) Sam & Max must infiltrate a daytime talk show gone bad. Myra Stump, "the daytime hawk of TV talk," has kidnapped her audience and forced them to stay in the studio on the air for days, giving them free gifts and stern but motherly lectures against their will. To make it stop, Sam and Max must work their way through the local TV studio, starring in a series of nearly failed sitcoms, talent contests, quiz shows, and more along the way to prove themselves worthy of a spot on Myra's interview couch.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 05:33:18 King's Quest Collection Celebrate the golden age of adventure games all over again with the return of King's Quest.

The bravest knight in all of Daventry, Sir Graham, is appointed by the dying king to embark on a Quest for the Crown. By retrieving the three treasures of Daventry, he will not only save the land but become its king.

Now the ruler of Daventry, King Graham sees a vision of a beautiful woman trapped in a tower. Romancing the Throne won't be easy with mermen and vampires separating him from his imprisoned bride.

A young apprentice to an evil wizard must escape his captor or be faced with certain death. Upon the discovery that he is the long-lost son of the royal family, young prince Alexander learns that To Heir is Human.

King Graham lies on the brink of death and only a magical fruit from a far off land can heal him. The Perils of Rosella pit evil fairies and fearsome foes against the brave princess as she fights to save her father.

Returning home one day to find the castle missing, King Graham must don his famous adventurer's cap once more to find his family. Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder and Graham must learn a little magic of his own to rescue his loved ones from an evil spell.

Haunted by the memory of the kidnapped princess who helped his family escape the malevolent wizard Mordack, Alexander learns of a plot to force the beautiful Cassima to marry an evil Vizier. Sworn to protect the woman who saved his life, Alexander takes to the Green Isles in Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Rebellious Rosella is content to be The Princeless Bride, but her adventurous spirit may lead to a marriage to the King of the Trolls. With the help of her mother, Queen Valanice, Rosella must end a plot to destroy the land of Eldritch and find her own happy ending.

from http://classics.sierra.com/us/kingsquest/
]]> 03 Jun 2007 01:07:42 The Guardian Legend "Long ago, in a distant galaxy, an alien race sent a huge world-called Naju-hurtling toward Earth, loaded with a cargo of mysterious life forms.

During the long journey, these creatures have multiplied and become increasingly evil-and now Naju teems with evil. However, deep within this complex globe are self-destruct mechanisms that can be activated to destroy it before it reaches Earth.

Now, you must battle your way deep within Naju's labyrinths to destroy the alien world. You are the guardian of Earth and your saga will become The Guardian Legend."

The main character is anonymous, because their identity doesn't matter. What does matter are your actions, which include saving the world. It contains top down adventure action much like in Master Blaster and it has top down shooter sequences, which provides for a nice balance and variation in the action.
]]> 29 Dec 2006 09:31:35 Sam & Max: The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball Sam & Max - a 6 foot dog in a 3 piece suit, and his hyperkinetic rabbity-type-thing pal - are self-dubbed "Freelance Police" who scour the globe for odd malformed versions of evil to defeat, though usually by accident.

In The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball (the followup to Sam & Max: Situation: Comedy) the duo finds out that a mole investigating local mob activity has gone silent, possibly turning rogue in the process. To investigate, Sam and Max must become made men themselves, infiltrating Ted E. Bear's Mafia Free Playland and Casino from the inside.
]]> 20 Feb 2007 12:47:30 Project Firestart In 2066, all contact has been lost with the spaceship Prometheus. You are sent to the ship to find out what went wrong, and you find out more as the game progresses.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 05:07:52 Pathogen Pathogen is an action-packed sci-fi horror game.
]]> 05 Dec 2006 07:46:39 biosys You wake up suffering from amnesia in what appears to be a rainforest but is actually one of four artificial biomes. To survive you have to keep the biomes working, so that you have food, water and fresh air. Beside manipulating the ecological conditions and getting yourself food and water, you also have to find out what happend to the biomes, what your role in it was and how you can get out alive, as you soon will find out about an experiment that went terribly wrong...
Biosys is a suspenseful 360° panorama point-and-click adventure with many puzzles to solve and several simulation elements. Beyond this you can learn something about flora and fauna in different ecological systems.
]]> 06 Jul 2007 09:17:44 Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus Published by: GT Interactive
Developed by: Oddworld Inhabitants

Number of Players: 1-2
Release Date: November 25, 1998
]]> 12 Feb 2007 07:58:27 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon In 1830, Morris Baldwin and his two apprentice vampire hunters enter Castlevania to stop the resurrection of Count Dracula. They arrive too late, and Dracula kidnaps the master Baldwin to use as a sacrifice to regain full power, and casts the two young pupils - Hugh Baldwin and Nathan Graves - into a bottomless abyss. Hugh, upset that he was not choosen as his father's successor, runs off on his own. It is now up to Nathan Graves to find Hugh and recover his master.

Nathan's control and abilities differ from protaganists in the later GBA games. He naturually walks at the speed of an eight bit Belmont, and double tapping the d-pad allows him to run. Holding the whip button causes him to rapidly spin his whip, which can be used as a shield against weak enemies and projectiles.

Also unique to this game is the DSS system, which allows you to collect special cards which magically affect the whip. There are two different types of cards - attribute cards - which must be paired together to produce some result. For example, the Mercury Action card causes attribute cards to effect your whip, so pairing the Mercury action card with the Salamander (fire) attribute card causes Nathan to use a flame whip. There are twelve cards of each type in the game.
]]> 22 Feb 2007 04:53:22 Final Fantasy II It's not an exaggeration to say that Square Enix's Final Fantasy series of role-playing games rates as one of the strongest entertainment franchises in the world. You'd be hard pressed to name another RPG series that can match Final Fantasy's breathtaking computer-animated FMV sequences, fantastical steampunk environments, gorgeous musical scores, and enormous, pristine worlds that practically beg for exploration. This is the series that introduced the now-trite concept of the airship to the gaming masses, after all.

All of these elements are truly great, yes, but perhaps the Final Fantasy series' most important innovation has been in storytelling. The characters are believably human (even the nonhuman ones)--they get scared, play jokes on one another, and even get married. Although the world's always on the brink of destruction in Final Fantasy, the path to preventing the catastrophe is usually convoluted and filled with twists and cul-de-sacs, like a great fantasy novel. And the dialogue is consistently top-notch, from the everyday banter around the towns to the villains' soliloquies. The storytelling prowess didn't start with the original Final Fantasy, though. In its day, the game was more comparable in its construction to leading RPGs like Dragon Quest rather than to something completely groundbreaking. No, the revolution that created the rich RPG genre that millions of fans adore today began with the release of Final Fantasy II (Final Fantasy IV, in Japan). Together with Phantasy Star 2, Final Fantasy II invented the modern, story-driven RPG simply by making players care about what happened to their characters. This is why it deserves to be called one of the greatest video games of all time.

he narrative in Final Fantasy II gripped you and shook you like a rag doll right from the beginning of the game. Your introduction to the protagonist, Cecil, took place on the deck of a military airship that had been ordered to extort a magic crystal from an innocent town (not a very heroic vocation). After his complicity in this war crime, the conscience-wracked Cecil was dismissed from the military and sent on an errand to a nearby town, along with his best friend Kain. Using generic archetypes for characters (like Final Fantasy's White, Black, and Red Mages, for instance) was standard operating procedure in RPGs at the time, but Final Fantasy II went off on a far more interesting tangent.

You played a washed-up veteran with a tortured past, and the game quickly introduced you to a multitude of characters with different backgrounds, motivations, and abilities. Each character had unique combat abilities that fit together into a cohesive whole, like Kain's jump attack and Cid's peep. Furthermore, every character kept his or her own counsel during the course of the adventure. Some left the party at an important juncture in the story, only to return at an unexpected moment. Other major characters were simply, shockingly written out of the lineup. Was Kain firmly on your side, and, if so, why was he acting so erratically at times? What about Edge, the mysterious ninja? Did the game's chief bad guy, Golbez, really mastermind the evil plan you were trying to defeat, or was there some other, ulterior force at work?

You simply didn't know the answers, and there was only one way to find out: fly to the moon on a spaceship that looked like a gigantic whale. This memorable sequence was only the most grandiose in a long line of in-game breaks for story advancement, which are now referred to as cutscenes. Some of them, like the noble sacrifice of the Magi Twins, Palom and Porom, were particularly poignant, while the epic-staged battle right before the end of the game was just awe-inspiring. Compared to other Super Nintendo games from 1992, Final Fantasy II was a feast for the eyes and ears. Nobuo Uematsu's gorgeous, haunting MIDI scoring was completely peerless, and the game did a lot of fancy work with the SNES's Mode 7 scaling technology, too. That Meteo attack looked like it hurt.

In Final Fantasy II, your characters weren't dumb marionettes; they were full-fledged actors and actresses, and they delivered knockout performances. By the time you finished the game, you had developed such an affinity for your band of heroes that you actually wanted to see what happened to them after they defeated the final boss. And the game obliged with a sort of "where are they now?" trailer during the credits, which was another innovation in a game full of novelties.

The Final Fantasy series has already chalked up a Greatest Game of All Time, and it will surely contribute more entries to the list over time, thanks in part to the quantum leaps Square made in Final Fantasy II. It was with this game that Square assumed the pole position in the console RPG market--a position it has never relinquished. We, and the Kingdom of Baron, are the better for it.

-- Steve Palley
]]> 15 Jan 2007 09:41:58 Nethack After the Creation, the cruel god Moloch rebelled
against the authority of Marduk the Creator.
Moloch stole from Marduk the most powerful of all
the artifacts of the gods, the Amulet of Yendor,
and he hid it in the dark cavities of Gehennom, the
Under World, where he now lurks, and bides his time.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:00:10 fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy is a paranormal thriller that lets you become multiple characters and view the experience from multiple viewpoints. Incredible film-style design pulls you into the story, until you're intimately immersed in the game. Your actions will affect the plot and create a scenario-driven, interactive experience.
New York City is stunned by a string of weird murders, all following the same pattern: Ordinary people kill total strangers in public areas. Lucas Kane becomes another of these killers when he murders a stranger in a men's bathroom. Covered in blood, Lucas regains consciousness with no Memory of why he committed murder. He must solve this mystery before being incarcerated for life. Over 50 stuntmen and actors were used for the game, to create the most realistic, high-caliber, Hollywood-style action sequences
]]> 18 Dec 2006 10:50:16 Metroid prime: Hunters Samus is on yet another mission. This time, to investigate strange mental transmissions coming from the Alymbic Cluster.
Along the way, Samus will do battle with 6 other dangerous hunters, who are all out to obtain the "ultimate power" for themselves.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 01:33:08 Flashback The year is 2142. You play as Conrad B. Hart, a man who has lost his memory. After barely escaping from hostile aliens, Conrad's bike crashes on an unknown planet. Conrad finds himself in the jungle, and from now on his quest for survival and his lost identity begins.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 03:49:44 Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds takes place one year after the events of Ultima VII: The Black Gate. To celebrate the defeat of the Guardian, Lord British invites the Avatar and his companions to his castle. However, in the night of the feast the Guardian attacks again, encasing the castle in a giant gem of blackrock. Deep in the sewers of the castle, another blackrock gem is found, created as an aftereffect of the attack. This gem is a teleporter to other worlds controlled by the Guardian. Now you, the Avatar, must travel to these worlds in order to free the castle from the Guardian's spell.

This sequel to Ultima Underworld plays almost exactly as the original, with its 3D world, action-oriented combat, and magic and dialogue systems. The storyline is more connected to the main Ultima series and the game world is larger and has more variety: besides the usual castles and dungeons there are such diverse locations as an ice world, a totally alien place called Talorus and the enigmatic Ethereal Void. Graphics and sound have also been improved: the size of the viewing window has been increased, there are all-new monster graphics and the game now features digitized sound effects.

from the (Moby Games UW2 page)
]]> 24 Dec 2006 07:00:00 Tomb Raider: Anniversary The adventure begins when Lara is hired by a powerful syndicate to retrieve a mythical object called the Scion. As Lara searches ancient tombs and isolated worlds that have lain undisturbed for thousands of years, she discovers that she is not alone. Not only has she awoken their fearsome guardians but there are others desperate to learn the Scion’s dark secrets.

Celebrate and commemorate ten years of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft with Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a new action adventure inspired by the original Tomb Raider video game, one of the greatest action adventure games of all time.
]]> 06 Jun 2007 04:27:29 Toy Robo Please try it and then let me know what you think :)

Toy Robo is an Action-Adventure Shooter that requires quick hands and engaging strategy. You play as Toy Robo, a robot action figure on the side of good. Your goal is to rid the world of evil toys which appear only at night. You will do this in Arena style combat using your Blaster and Energy sword. To help you along your way, you can equip several types of batteries, each with different combat effects and
bonuses.

This game was developed as an entry to the gamedev.net 4e4 contest which required that it encorporate at least 2 of the following four elements (elements of which ALL games are apparently made of): pirates, ninjas, robots and zombies.

I opted for robots and zombies because robots are easy to model and zombies are easy to animate ^_^

The contest had a 6 month time limit, so I wanted to make sure I didn't bite off more then I could chew. In the end I came in 2nd out of at least 20 - the 1st place finisher was developed by 5 people! so even though I didn't win I felt like the game did very well and the process was rewarding.

Belowe are a few screen shots and the game download.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 10:40:46 The Longest Journey "The Longest Journey" is an amazing graphical adventure, where the player controls the protagonist, April Ryan, on her journey through more than 160 locations, spanning two original worlds, and featuring a cast of more than 50 speaking characters. "The Longest Journey" will take you on an exciting and original journey of discovery, where you will explore, solve puzzles, meet new people, face terrifying monsters, learn, grow, and live the adventure of a lifetime!

With a story spanning thirteen chapters and more than 30 hours of game-play, leading up to a surprising and emotional finale, "The Longest Journey" is an epic, best-selling, award-winning adventure to be remembered.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 11:31:04 Morning's Wrath Morning's Wrath is a Classic Adventure / RPG fusion. It combines rich story and puzzles with intense melee and spell-casting combat.

Assume the role of Princess Morning of the Leowyn Kingdom and guide her on a quest to master the ways of magic and save her kingdom from invasion.
]]> 30 Dec 2006 08:25:10 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain In this game you take the role of Kain, revived as a vampire by the Necromancer Mortanius to avenge himself by killing the bandits that murdered him. As a vampire Kain is easily able to kill the bandits. But after doing this Kain finds out from Mortanius and the spirit of the dead Ariel, one of the guardians of the pillars of Nosgoth that protect the world, that the other Guardians have gone insane because of Ariels death and the only way to save Nosgoth is by slaying the guardians.

This is top down action adventure not completely unlike the top down Zelda games, but that's where the similarities end. As the player guides Kain through Nosgoth more and more of the history is revealed. But with every revelation, more questions rise, many of which are not answered until the later installments in the series.

In his quest, Kain obtains many new weapons, special armor, items and tools. But as Kain becomes stronger as a vampire he also gains access to new magical spells and transformations. And through expanding Kains arsenal, the player is able to travel to more of Nosgoth in the quest for the truth that leads Kain not only through the darkest outskirts of Nosgoth, but also time.
]]> 19 Jan 2007 06:05:00 Chrono Cross
Twenty years after the events in Chrono Trigger, a new set of adventurers are preparing for a battle that will surpass even space and time...

The life of the young boy Serge from a small, secluded fishing village takes an exciting turn for the worse when he is mysteriously transported to a parallel universe. While exploring his new surroundings, he is attacked by unknown assailants, bur rescued by a beautiful girl. Seeking to make sense of what is going on, Serge agress to join the young woman, Kid, on her quest for a hidden artifact.

Little did he know that an adventure of cosmic proportions awaits him on his journey. With agents from a parallel universe searching for him, his life has been anything but dull. Even more unsettling is his encounter with the mysterious demihuman, Lynx, who claims a familarity that Serge does not feel. Hunted on all sides with nowhere to turn, he must puzzle out the motives of his pursuers, all the while trying to understand his own role in this similar yet vastly different world from his own.

Featuring a story line developed by the creator of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by it's development team. With multiple scenarios cast along a single story thread, and many different endings, each replay can result in an entirely new adventure.

In addition, a brand new battle system makes combat smooth and innovative by introducing an elemental field system and combo system that gives the player unparalleled flexibility in their fighting options. The elimination of random battles also quickens the pace of the game, and places the choice of where to battle in the players hands, with character designs by a famed Japanese illustrator and music by the original Chrono Trigger composer, Chrono Cross features visuals and sounds that bring its magic to life.

Additional Game Features:

  • Battle System: Much more than the simple "select a command and watch its effects" system that has been a part of RPGs for so long, Chrono Cross takes the strategic element in battles to a whole new level. A combo-system allows the player to choose between three levels of attacks, and string them together to form effective fighting patterns. As characters increase in level, new techniques become available, letting two or more characters combine their attacks to form powerful combinations. Random battles are also a thing of the past. Now all enemies can be seen on screen, giving players the option to avoid or outrun unnecessary battles.

  • Magic Elements: Much like the new battle system, the magic system in Chrono Cross introduces new strategies into the game that completely changes the scope of spell effects. Magic in the Chrono Cross world is governed by the use of elements, or spells which are assigned a position on an element grid. Depending upon its position in the grid, weak spells can have their strength boosted considerably at the cost of a slower casting time, while strong spells can be cast quicker, but at the cost of reduced effectiveness. Additionally, each spell and character in the game has an elemental color, which alters its effectiveness against opposing and allied colors.

  • Branching Story and Multiple Endings: Despite being a sequel to the popular Chrono Trigger, the story of Chrono Cross stands on its own merits. Developed by the same team responsible for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, the epic tale spanning two parallel worlds features all of the elements that made the previous titles great, but adds its own brand of uniqueness. Forty plus characters make for an enormous number of side quests, while a branching storyline and multiple endings insure that players won't be putting this game away anytime soon.

  • Hand-drawn graphics and dazzling CG sequences: While gameplay and storyline are truly the elements that seperate a great RPG from a mediocre one, it takes well-developed visuals to tie them all together into an attractive package. In addition to lush hand-drawn backgrounds and character designs by a famed Japanese Illustrator, Chrono Cross also features cutting-edge computer graphics. Produced by the same team that developed the CG sequences from Final Fantasy VIII, the computer animation in this game represents some of Square's best work.

  • A multitude of playable characters and intertwining game scenarios.

Developer: Square Company
Publisher: Square Electronic Arts
Released: JP November 18, 1999 in Japan, August 15, 2000 in North America.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 04:05:30 Eternal Darkness

Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem


Storyline
Long before humanity graced the Universe with its puerile ideas, the Earth belonged to another species. An ancient species bound by neither physics nor nature; purpose nor ethic. Through the passage of time, the relentless advance of ice and continental plate and other less fathomable reasons, these "Ancients" were driven into the recesses of our world. There they lie imprisoned until such time as the conditions are right for their return.

"Oh oblivious, naive Humanity... How ignorant we really are - safe only in our blind "superior" view of the world. We are merely caretakers, for when the Ancients return we shall be swept aside like driftwood on the tide of destruction..."

Hungry for dominance, radical organizations seek to restore the Ancients to their former station. For eons they have schemed and plotted in the darkness, attempting to bring these unholy entities into our world through arcane magicks - blood rituals, worship and sacrifice.

Of these sects, little is known; those who learn their secrets tend to perish swiftly at their hands. Their scheming works to bring the return of the Ancients, and the extinction of humanity, ever closer.

Yet not all hope is lost. The fate of Humanity depends upon the actions of a chosen few.
They are average people, unprepared for heroic deeds, but the responsibility is theirs, nevertheless. Even as their lives are torn apart by unseen evils, they must show courage not only in the face of the enemy, but also their own fears. These poor souls will teeter on the brink of insanity, tortured by the horrors of the Ancients.

A secret war is being waged on the periphery of Humanity's perceptions - a war wreathed in shadows and deception. Now, the centuries-long game of the Ancients is reaching its final stages.

The Darkness comes...
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:13:00 The Blackwell Legacy The Blackwell Legacy is the first case in a miniseries of games that stars a medium named Rosangela Blackwell and her spirit guide Joey Mallone. Their mission, it seems, is to assist tormented spirits and investigate supernatural goings on. They don't understand why they are thrown together, but they do the best they can.

The duo's first case will involve a series of suicides at a local university. Something unnatural has forced these students to kill themselves, and nobody knows why. Rosangela, who is just coming to terms with her new status as a medium, finds herself cast as the unwilling detective in this gruesome mystery.
]]> 25 Dec 2006 05:58:59