This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'Windows, puzzle, core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'Windows, puzzle, core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'Windows, puzzle, core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment en-us Bioforge
Take the starring role in Origin's latest Interactive Movie"

Centuries in the future, a madman's interstellar plot is set in motion, and only you have the skills, the position and the armament to stop it. You are the Mondites' first success in creating the perfect warrior.

Stripped of memory and enhanced with both human and alien technology, you are a primary element of their master plan - unless you can rediscover who you are, uncover your enemies' plans and make your break for freedom. But you'd better be quick - time and opportunity are running out.

Game features:

  • Variable identity outcomes - your choices throughout the game determine your former identity from a list of experimental subjects.

  • Lifelike, fluid animation with 24 powerful combat maneuvers.

  • Interactive backgrounds - from ground-to-air weapons, to monitors and projectile-reflective surfaces.

  • 8-channel digital sound effects, cued by distance and camera location.

  • 3-D, texture-mapped synthetic actors whose images actually show the injuries suffered in combat.

  • Multiple camera angles and beautifully rendered alien environments.

  • 22 voice actors!

  • Believed to have the first single-skin, fully texture mapped, skeleton-based characters ever seen in gaming.

Origin Systems (An Electronic Arts Company) developed and published this single player adventure. It was released in the U.S. in April 1995. At the time the following system requirements were high end!

Requirements
MS-DOS: Intel486/50+ or 100% compatible PC system. Required: MS-DOS 5.0 or higher, 8MB RAM, 5MB Hard drive space (29MB recommended), 2x CD-ROM drive, MSCDEX version 2.2 or higher, Microsoft mouse , keyboard.
Graphics: 256-color VGA.
MUSIC: Ad Lib, Sound Blaster/SB Pro/SB 16/SB AWE, Wave Blaster, General Midi MPU-401 interface, or 100% compatible sound board.
DIGITIZED SPEECH and SOUND EFFECTS: Sound Blaster/SB Pro/SB 16/SB AWE or 100% compatible sound board.


Trivia: Spoiler warning! In spite of a highly detailed story that obviously was painstakingly crafted, the game ending is rather notorious for falling a bit short. The developers endeavored at one point to rewrite the ending, which then blossomed into a possible sequel, but at length the whole initiative was dropped.
]]> 14 Dec 2006 10:44:27 Phantasmagoria Made during the height of the "interactive movie" boom in the computer game industry, Phantasmagoria is notable for being one of the first adventure games to use a human being as an on-screen avatar. Actress Victoria Morsell spent months in front of a bluescreen filming the hundreds of actions players could direct her character to perform. The game was released on seven CDs to accommodate the massive amount of video generated by this process. Today it still stands as a record of sorts for the largest number of media cuts used in a game, though several other games including an adventure game based on The X-Files television series have matched it in the sheer number of CDs used. However, if it were to use modern day video compression codecs while keeping the same resolution, the game could probably have shipped on as little as one or two discs. On the other hand, however, the seven discs were used to highlight the seven days, during which the story takes place - the game could easily fit about five discs, even without the advanced video compression. Also, it is worth mentioning that large portions of data were repeated on each CD, to avoid disk swapping when playing the game.

The game script was about 400 pages long, four times the size of a regular movie script, and an additional 100 pages of storyboards set the style for the over 800 scenes in the game. The game required four months of filming alone and over 200 persons were involved in the production, not counting the Gregorian choir of 135 persons that was used for parts of the music in the game.

Source: Wikipedia Article
]]> 14 Apr 2007 12:45:09 Lexico Crash landing on an alien planet you must navigate your way through an ancient factory by learning a mysterious alien language with careful observation of the functions of a variety of computer panels scattered across the building.
]]> 28 Jan 2007 12:40:20 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 Kastle Kumquat Kastle Kumquat has always been a long standing favourite of mine from the Amiga days and for the 2006 Retro Remakes competition i helped develop this remake with my skilled partner (the code guru) Edgar M Vigdal. The gfx are by me, the sounds are by me (including the grunts and oofs) and we got some very nice music made for us by the talented "infamous". The tough part is all by Edgar though, without him these games wouldn't happen.

Collect fruits, find keys, press switches and open doors to make your way through the kastle. Dodge the twizzly boxes of doom, jump the lava and watch out for the traps. The remake did ok in the competition but the game turned out as great as i hoped. Its a joy to play, in fact only yesterday i played it through once again.

We are now working on a version which includes the room editor for a collaborative project. A whole new set of user made rooms with some new twists and traps. Hopefully that'll be underway soon.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 12:27:11 Zork: Nemesis
Awarded Editor's Choice in the December 1996 issue of PC Gamer

Zork: Nemesis (also known as Zork: Nemesis - The Forbidden Lands) is a first person adventure including puzzle solving and mystery.

In the final days of the underground empire four great alchemists dissappeared while searching for the secret of eternal life. A spy was sent to learn their fate, but he too was lost. That's when you are called upon as an adventurer to investigate.

In the Forbidden Lands you learn of the foul workings of a demonic force known as Nemesis, and with the "spiritual" help of the lost scientists you must attempt to restore balance to the world by recovering the four lost elements: fire, water, air & earth.

Additional Game Features:

  • First person perspective of a simulated 360 degree view.

  • Piece together clues, decipher codes, solve puzzles and learn the secrets of defeating Nemesis in the course of your extensive quest.

  • Travel to a a monastery, an insane asylum, a fortress, and a conservatory in search of the four missing elements.

  • Point and click interface, also utilizing a key-bound inventory.

  • Vertical and horizontal panning from any point, though not simultaneously.

  • Extensive use of full-motion video and panoramic scenes.

  • Humorous at times, this entry in the Zork franchise is also the darkest, including death and gore.

Developer: Zombie, Inc.
Publisher: Activision

PC version released in the United States February 29, 1996.
Mac version released: 1996



System Requirements
486/DX2-66MHz processor; 8MB RAM; 2X CD-ROM drive; 35MB hard disk space; VESA local bus or PCI video card with 1MB video RAM; 16-bit high-colour SVGA (640 x 480); MS-DOS 6.0 or above.

PowerPC Mac
16 MB RAM
2X CD ROM drive
OS 7.5.1+
]]> 23 Dec 2006 04:13:18 Obsidian An adventure game like Myst, but with full-motion video. The puzzles range from simple to ridiculously difficult, and can sometimes be frustrating with subtle clues.

The art style is surreal, and that's an understatement. The advertising campaign was amazing, including magazine ads and tv spots.

The best way to buy it is to search around... it appears not to be widely carried.
]]> 07 Dec 2006 01:53:02 Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors
"The Bad Boys of Magic" make sure their interactive multimedia debut is everything a video game isn't supposed to be (Including a game that you just can't win)

Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors was a 3D0, PC and Sega CD game that was never officially released. The Sega version is said to have been the only version completed, but even that was in doubt for many years until some back-up copies were given to website editor Frank Cifaldi, who received them from a reviewer of the original product who had kept them salted away for so many years.

Owing to this, over recent years a lot of cult enthusiasm has been generated, most particularly over the hilariously minimalist premise of "Desert Bus", one of the mini-games within the title. As some available links make apparent, the game, or at least parts of it, are being played as a result of file-sharing and emulation.

Essentially the game, as in their video of the time "Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends", is farce and satire, and the minigames themselves are a series of pranks upon other gamers, or even the gamer himself, but all within the brand of "fun cruelty" that is a trademark of the pair.

Developer: Absolute Entertainment
Publisher: Originally intended for an April 1995 release, the game never reached publication. It's original release was planned by Absolute Entertainment and later EA Games.

"It's not that different from the spirit of our live shows," explains Penn Jillette, "except you won't be able to smell us."
]]> 07 Jan 2007 01:41:36 Myst IV: Revelation
Within the visually awe-inspiring world of Myst, a gripping family drama will slowly unfold. In Myst IV Revelation, players finally learn the fate of Sirrus and Achenar, two villains first introduced in the original Myst. The brothers have remained trapped in separate prison worlds, abandoned by their father for crimes they had committed. Players are engaged in uncovering the mystery surrounding a little girl's disappearance, daring to venture deep inside the intense worlds of the villainous brothers. Understanding their motives is key to the success of the investigation and will be a true "revelation."

Myst IV: Revelation uses the same 360 degree panorama view as Myst III: Exile, but with even more impressively rendered environments.
]]> 29 Jan 2007 08:42:19 Bad Mojo: The Roach Game REDUX The basic premise in Bad Mojo is to explore, discover and observe.

An old, brick building in San Francisco is the site of Eddie's Bar on the Waterfront, which was once a popular tavern. Above the bar lives Roger Samms, an entomologist who is conducting mysterious research. At the onset of the game, Roger is trnsformed into a cockroach by a strange object of antiquity. You assume the role of Roger after his bizarre metamorphosis.

Controlling the roach/Roger, you begin the game under the building. You must explore rooms and observe objects while searching for clues and answers. The building is dark and dangerous, and there are many obstacles to overcome before you can find your way back to humanity. There are animals, insects and people who live here as well. Some may harm you, others may help you, but solving the mystery beneath the surfcase of the game is up to you alone.

You must uncover the rest of the story yourself by roaming the floors and walls of Eddie's Bar. Listen to all that you hear, read what you can and try to piece together the story as you explore your true identity.

Crawl around and investigate everything. If you can't get out of a room, then perhaps you haven't seen all there is to see...

Bad Mojo: The Roach Game, and Bad Mojo: The Roach Game Redux are essentially the same, the latter being a reissue with minor optimizations, as well as a bonus features DVD which features quite interesting history on the development of the game, somewhat of a cult classic.


Additional Game Features:

  • Bizarrely original premise.

  • Vibrantly detailed visuals.

  • Terrific exploration and discovery with clever obstacles.

  • More than 800 navigable screens, rendered in high resolution detail.

  • Live-action video and spine-tingling music drag you into the dark, disturbing atmosphere.

  • Hints section for each level, but wouldn't you really rather figure it out?

Developer: Pulse Entertainment
Publisher: Got Game Entertainment. (North American release)
Released: 2004, original version released 1996


System Requirements
PC: Pentium 3 800MHz or better processor, Windows 98/2000/XP

Macintosh G3 or better, System 9.0 (or OSX Classic mode) with 50MB hard disk space, 8x CD-ROM, 24-bit color video display.
]]> 22 Dec 2006 12:40:16 The 11th Hour In this sequel to The 7th Guest, it has been nearly 70 years since maniacal toy and puzzle maker Henry Stauf murdered six guests at his Mansion. All of the horror seemed long past until ace tv report Robin Morales is sent on assignment to investigate the old Stauf Mansion, only to vanish without a trace.

You assume the role of Robin's boyfriend Carl Dennings who has just received a game book in the mail directing him to come to Stauf Mansion. With little but the mysterious book in hand, you set out to solve a new set of Stauf puzzles in the evil residence in your quest to rescue Robin and forever destroy the wicked Stauf legacy.


Additional Game Features:

  • Treasure hunt with a similar puzzle-based game strategy of the former game, but much darker and mature atmosphere in comparison with the first game.

  • Highly animated puzzles and lots of full motion video enhance the adventure.

  • Graphically creepy Stauf Mansion with lots of detail revealing its decayed decor.

  • Features the music of George "The Fat Man" Sanger and Team Fat.

  • Rendered with the "Groovie" engine.

Developer: Trilobyte
Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Released: 1995

System Requirements
486DX2/66, 8MB RAM, 4MB hard drive space, 2xCD-ROM, DOS 5.0+, Local bus video, soundcard, mouse.

Trivia! An R-rated version was planned, including sex and more graphical violence, and the script for this version was included in the official hint manual. The developers denied that this version was ever filmed, but rumors persist that an R-rated version exists.
]]> 31 Dec 2006 07:57:51 In Memoriam In Memoriam was developed by French developer Lexis Numerique. It was released in October 2003 throughout Europe, published by Ubisoft. It saw release under the title of Missing: Since January in the US in June 2004, published by The Adventure Company.

The game presents alternate-reality style gameplay, requiring the player to browse for both fake and real websites on the Internet in order to solve puzzles. The player is also required to receive e-mail to their account from in-game characters. In Memoriam presents itself via a series of puzzles created using Macromedia (now Adobe) Shockwave, which is notably unusual for a retail product.

The player is tasked by fictional media company SKL Networks to "decode" a CD-ROM they have received from the games antagonist, The Phoenix. An SKL Networks employee by the name of Jack Lorski is missing along with his girlfriend Karen Gijman. The player must "decode" the CD-ROM by solving a series of puzzles, progressively unlocking video clips from a video diary created by the missing characters. Quickly, the player learns that the pair have become tangled in a web of secret religious sects and ritualistic serial killings.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 11:20:03 Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh In 1996, Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh by Lorelei Shannon was released. Though still enormous in size coming on five separate CDs it was in no way as large as its predecessor.

Dropping the unique adventure game style interaction in favor of an interactive movie format, A Puzzle of Flesh was more expensive to produce and less popular with audiences tiring of video clip-driven games. Though some concluded that it was a substantial improvement over the original in several areas, others dismissed the game, criticizing it for its completely different atmosphere, lack of creativity, interactivity and excessive violence.

The plot of the second game in the series revolves around the character of Curtis Craig, a 30-year-old man working in a company managed by the enigmatic Paul Warner. Curtis' mysterious and traumatic past is a key element in the plot, as he pieces together his experience to form a picture of his soul, one whose discovery might lead to his demise. Harassed by quasi-delusions which seem all too real, Curtis aims to uncover the truth about his family, co-workers and most importantly, his own existence. As his delusions become more and more real and begin to have an enormous, terrible impact on his surroundings, Curtis must confront his fears or risk getting devoured by what lives within him.

A Puzzle of Flesh has a fairly standard interface, with the cursor shaped into the distinctive logo of WynTech

Source: Wikipedia entry
]]> 14 Apr 2007 12:48:40