This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'core, adventure' on The Great Games Experiment en-us BioShock
The idealistic surroundings and grim reality are constantly at odds.

Often touted as the "Spiritual successor to System Shock 2", BioShock is a long awaited fps in development by Irrational Games, with lead designer Ken Levine promising to advance the definition of first person shooters.

As a likely 2007 release grows closer more screenshots and trailers are being released, and one thing that's apparent is a gorgeous environment, seemingly inspired in great part by the art deco period of the last century.

Game overview and features as reported at the official site
BioShock is a revolution in the shooter genre that will forever change the expectations for the FPS. Going beyond "run and gun corridors," "monster-closet AIs" and static worlds, BioShock creates a living, unique and unpredictable FPS experience. BioShock is the Shooter 2.0.

After your plane crashes into icy uncharted waters, you discover a rusted bathysphere and descend into Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea. Constructed as an idealistic society for a hand picked group of scientists, artists and industrialists, the idealism is no more. Now the city is littered with corpses, wildly powerful guardians roam the corridors as little girls loot the dead, and genetically mutated citizens ambush you at every turn.


Features:

  • Take control of your world by hacking mechanical devices, commandeering security turrets and crafting unique items critical to your very survival.
  • Upgrade your weapons with ionic gels, explosives and toxins to customize them to the enemy and environment.
  • Genetically modify your body through dozens of Plasmid Stations scattered throughout the city, empowering you with fantastic and often grotesque abilities.
  • Explore a living world powered by Ecological A.I., where the inhabitants have interesting and consequential relationships with one another that impact your gameplay experience.
  • Experience truly next generation graphics that vividly illustrate the forlorn art deco city, highlighted by the most detailed and realistic water effects ever developed in a video game.
  • Make meaningful choices and mature decisions, ultimately culminating in the grand question: do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture...or save them?

Developer: Irrational Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Released: currently targeted for August 2007 release!

System Requirements
To be announced.

In motion, the water effects are truly amazing. In fact, Irrational has someone on staff whose sole job is to handle water effects - everything from the fountains and ripples to the distortion of the fish beneath the surface.

]]> 25 Dec 2006 12:58:07 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 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 Folklore
]]> 23 Aug 2007 01:50:56 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 Outcast Plot

In 2007 the U.S. government successfully sends a probe to an alien world in a parallel universe. The probe starts transmitting video images of the world back to Earth. Then, just minutes into the mission, an alien life form discovers the probe and damages it, causing an unforeseen backlash of energy to create a black hole threatening Earth. Cutter Slade, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, is given the job of escorting three scientists on a mission to this alien world to recover the probe and close the black hole.

Arriving in this alien world, Cutter is separated from the other scientists and is hailed by the natives as their messiah, the Ulukai.

Technology

The game uses a voxel engine to render its objects and textures. This unique method is purely software-based; it does not rely on any hardware-acceleration via a graphics card. A voxel engine was chosen because there is no performance hit when rendering round or curved surfaces, thus allowing for a much more detailed Landscape. Had the same level of detail seen in Outcast been attempted on a hardware-accelerated polygon engine, there would have been a significant drop in performance.
]]> 14 Dec 2006 04:57:01 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 Robotech: Battlecry
]]> 17 Sep 2007 07:52:14 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 Egoboo Egoboo is a top down rpg in the spirit of Nethack and other games of the Roguelike genre. It uses Open GL graphics and will have randomly generated maps and customizable characters. The objective of the project is to bring the fun and depth of roguelike gameplay, kicking and screaming, into the third dimension. It is still in development, but is at a playable state.
]]> 14 Mar 2007 10:06:20 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 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 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 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 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 Myst A milestone in the gaming featuring a fantastic story and immersive worlds, Myst is the standard when it comes to the adventure genre.
]]> 26 Jan 2007 12:31:12 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 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 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 Adventure Quest AdventureQuest is a fully Flash-animated RPG that you can play when you are on your lunchbreak, when the big game servers go down, or even for hours every day! You fight against hordes of monsters and enemies so that you can grow stronger and obtain ancient weapons of unimaginable power. You need nothing more than your web browser and the latest Macromedia Flash plugin to play.

Create a NEW Free Account today and enter the world of AdventureQuest! Explore an entire world, filled with over 700 monsters, hundreds of items, magical powers to gain, and many classes to master! Become a Fighter, Wizard, Ninja, Vampire Slayer, Rogue, Knight, Mage, Paladin, Dragonslayer, and more.

Always changing!
This game is in an ongoing development phase. We are always creating and adding new content to the game and updating the main game engine to improve the experience for everyone. New quests, areas, items or events show up every week in AdventureQuest!

There are currently over 600 unique enemies to encounter, 400 unique weapons, over 150 unique armors and shields to use, and hundreds of spells and pets to aid you in battle, all found in dozens of quests, towns and areas through the world.
]]> 29 Nov 2006 10:43:52 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 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 Adventures of Willy Beamish Welcome to the terminally cute, seriously warped world of Willy Beamish. You'll face neurotic yuppie parents, teachers pushed over the edge, a ghostly grandfather back from the grave, the baby-sitter from hell, a pet jumping frog on steroids and a plot to blow the city's sewer system sky high. It's chaotic, it's juvenile, it's definitely deranged and you're gonna love every minute of it.
]]> 25 Jan 2007 06:06:08 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 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (also known as Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations and Phoenix Wright 3) is the third instalment in the Ace Attorney series of games for the Nintendo DS. It will be released in the United States in September 2007.

The game was released in Japan under the name Gyakuten Saiban 3 on the Gameboy Advance in January 2004 and the PC in March 2006.

Category: Point-and-click adventure (lawyer 'em up)

Release Dates: January 23, 2004 (JP), September 27, 2007 (US)

Developer: Capcom
]]> 20 Apr 2007 08:31:06 The Godfather: Blackhand Edition

The Godfather Blackhand Edition gives an enhanced combat experience with motion-based Blackhand Control by integrating Nintendo's innovative Wii controller. Take over the Big Apple in this fully interactive open-world games based on the classic film by Paramount Pictures and the critically-acclaimed book by Mario Puzo.

The game offers brand new ways to go from Soldier to Don as you gain control of the streets of New York. Follow the path of an Enforcer or Operator; each with its own unique perks and abilities to earn. Now you can chat up specific characters to get the skinny on dirty cops, take down two additional revised compounds of rival Families, execute five new contract hits, and call in larger Corleone Hit Squads when the going gets tough.

For improved, hyper-intuitive Blackhand Control in The Godfather Blackhand Edition, use gestures with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to really beat down your opposition, or point directly at the screen using the Wii Remote for pinpoint firearm accuracy.
]]> 30 Jun 2007 08:14:35 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 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 American McGee's Alice Based upon characters and elements of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland", this 3rd person adventure contains elements of platform jumpers, shooters, action and puzzle games, all in a highly stylized and colorful world of fantasy.

Years have passed since Alice's trip through the looking glass. After surviving the fire that killed her parents, Alice is driven by despair into a catatonic state and institutionalized. The famed Cheshire Cat is teenaged Alice's constant companion as she finds herself once again in Wonderland.

The land is not as she had left it though, more twisted than ever, and her journey reflects that of the depressed, anxious, even suicidal girl battling for sanity and balance once more as she fights to overthrow the cruel Red Queen and put things right.

Alice's arsenal includes an exploding Jack-in-the-Box, nasty dice, an ice wand, and much more.

Powered by the Quake III engine, Alice was designed by American McGee, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, who released the game in October, 2000. It is of possible interest that American McGee's site no longer holds reference to the game.

The game features a soundtrack composed by former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna. The voice of Alice was performed by Susie Brann.

The related Universal Pictures film "Alice", starring Sarah Gellar in the title role is apparently set for release to coincide with the publication of Duke Nukem Forever.
]]> 15 Dec 2006 06:21:37 Blade Runner
They don't advertise for killers in the newspaper. That was my profession. Ex-cop. Ex-blade runner. Ex-killer.

The year is 2019 and you are Blade Runner Ray McCoy in this 1997 Westwood Studios adventure game based loosely upon the legendary 1982 science fiction film and the Philip K Dick novel that inspired it.

Advertised as "the first real time adventure game", Blade Runner places you in a future Los Angeles, where replicants are known to be on the loose once again. The city is dark and gritty, and teaming with smatterings of the multitude of cultures who have so far resisted the beckoning recruitment to populate the "off-world" colonies.

The universe created within the game coincides with that of the movie, and is faithful to the rich, dark vision of Philip Dick, as well as film director Ridley Scott.



Additional Game Features:

  • Elements of the typical "point and click" games, with puzzle and mystery solving, plus some 3rd person action such as shooting.

  • As a Blade Runner you have access to advanced technologies such as the Voight-Kampff test, the Esper and the KIA.

  • Greatly enriched with numerous 3d atmospheres, many adapted from the film, and a number of characters from the original film.

  • Musical score includes film themes by Vangelis as well as original tracks composed for the game.

  • Sumptuous dramatic cutscenes rivaling any computer animations of their time.

  • Alternate endings (4) based upon your paths, as well as some variations in storyline in this single player adventure with "real-time" gameplay.

Developer: Westwood Studios
Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Released: Oct 31, 1997


System Requirements
90 MHz CPU, 16 MB RAM, 2 MB video card RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 5.0, 150 MB available hard disk space, Windows 95.

Trivia! Lucy in the game is voice acted by Pauley Perrette, later to be known for her role as Abby Sciuto on the CBS television crime drama NCIS!
]]> 31 Dec 2006 05:07:39 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 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 Riven It's a leisurely paced, all-encompassing, mentally challenging experience. If you enjoyed Myst, you'll thoroughly enjoy Riven.

By: Red Orb Entertainment, Cyan Worlds
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: 1998
Players: 1 Player

(from GameSpot)
]]> 26 Jan 2007 12:49:49 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 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 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 Koudelka Koudelka is a console role-playing game for the PlayStation. It is the first game in the series that would become Shadow Hearts.

Hiroki Kikuta, most known for composing the music to Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu III (also known as Secret of Mana II) while working at Squaresoft, created Sacnoth in 1997 with funding from the video game company SNK. Unhappy with what he considered as the disjointed, juvenile, and stagnant nature of most RPGs, Kikuta had intended to take the genre in a whole new direction. Koudelka was to be his magnum opus, the game that would show the world just how far RPGs could go.

The initial plot of the game centered around 3 investigators coming to Nemeton Monastery in Wales in the year 1899: Koudelka Iasant, a young girl with supernatural powers arrives at the Monastery after receiving troubling visions. She quickly runs into Edward Plunkett, an adventurer, and Father James O'Flaherty, a priest, who are also investigating the Monastery for various reasons. It is likely that Edward Plunkett in the game is modeled after the historical Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany. The monastery was used as a prison in the 1700s, and more recently as the site of dark rituals.

Now you play as the group of three people- Koudelka, Edward and James, as you are drawn further and further into the darkness of Nemeton monasterys old stories and secrets. Now find what lies beyond the hidden doors and all of Nemetons dark history.

Source Wikipedia
]]> 18 Jun 2007 08:13:13 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 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 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 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Cast down to the material world, the mysterious entity 'Raziel' seeks vengeance for betrayal by his master: Kain. Cursed to stalk the dark realms of Nosgoth, he must slay his undead brethren; only then can he absorb their souls for the energy he craves. Moving between the spectral and material plane, Raziel must negotiate puzzles, overcome traps and defy blood-chilling enemies to reach his goal - the final battle with Kain!

Game Features:

  • Feed on the souls of your enemies.

  • Explore the vast 3D worlds of Nosgoth packed with 60 hours of gameplay.

  • Shift real-time between the material and spectral planes.

  • Hunt 5 different tribes of murderous vampires with an arsenal of deadly hand-to-hand, projectile, and environmental weapons.

  • Third-person perspective, single player adventure.

Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Released: 1999 for Playstation and Windows, 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast


Minimum System Requirements
P200 MHz MMX Processor (with 3D accelerator card, DirectX 6 compliant)
P266 MHz Processor (without 3D accelerator card)
Windows 95/98
16 MB RAM
4X CD-ROM drive
DirectX 6 or higher required (included)
100% DirectX 6 compliant Sound Card
320 MB uncompressed hard drive space
]]> 31 Dec 2006 04:29:22 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 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 Albion Storyline

In the year 2227, the gigantic, interstellar space ship Toronto reaches a distant planetary system. The ship's owners, a huge corporation, believe that there are rich deposits of raw materials on the third planet of the system. The data which describes the planet as a desert, however, turns out to be forged. Albion is a world full of life, secrets, surprises, and magic. When Tom Driscoll, the pilot of the reconnaissance team discovers this, he swears to save Albion from Toronto's tentacles.

Gameplay

Albion is a fantasy role playing game. The gameplay has the basic statistic and level system most RPGs of its time had. To level up, you defeat monsters in battle and gain experience. The non-battle portions of this game are mainly puzzle and conversation based, so there are very few "Give X to get Y" puzzles. You can have up to six characters in your party, led by Tom Driscoll, the only character who stays with you through the entire game.

Battle System

The Battle System in Albion is turn-based and takes place on a six-by-six grid similar to a board game. You choose, at the start of each turn, an action for each character to perform: Attack, Move, Cast magic, Use Item, or Flee. There is also an 'Advance Party' option to move all enemies towards you one square. The area in which your characters can move is limited to the bottom two rows. If you have a weapon (or two, in the case of the Iskai) equipped, you can attack. If not, you cannot attack unarmed, unless you are choosing Siobhan.

Navigation

Albion is one of the few role playing games of its time to use a hybrid system for the navigation of the maps and dungeons. In most parts of the game, the maps are depicted in 2D overhead mode, with full mouse and keyboard control. You can move the party 'train' around with the keyboard and select items to interact with the mouse (so long as you are in fair reach of them). When there are mazes, corridors or even some dungeons, the map is represented in ray traced 3D, akin to Wolfenstein 3D. You can still move around with the mouse and/or the keyboard and select items to interact with using the mouse. Some players find this 3D mode off-putting, but thankfully it is in shorter densities than the detailed 2D maps.

Conversations

Conversations in Albion are handled in two ways: Set Topics and Keywords. The Topics usually signify something you can specifically ask that person, for example the leader of a tribe about an object that only he knows about, or a shopkeeper to show you his or her wares. Keywords are more dynamic and may yield different results to different people. You learn keywords for a particular town by speaking to people about common topics, and gradually you will learn all there is to know in the game just by speaking to people. For example, you can learn some of the native language and culture, some superfluous knowledge about who likes whom, and what kind of drink is preferable.

(Taken from the Wikipedia)
]]> 01 Feb 2007 06:49:12 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 Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny Imagine a world of intense beauty and mortal danger where your slightest move can trigger cataclysmic events, miraculous escaped or lethal battles. See magical cities rise out of great oceans. Enter the mysterious caverns of the Dracoid ruins. Discover gruesome altars and witness secret ceremonies never before seen by humans. This is the world of Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny.

Set in a reactive environment, this real-time, role playing/adventure game features animated 3D high resolution graphics developed by Westwood Studios.

This incredible world is now ready to be discovered. The question is, are you ready for it?
]]> 09 Feb 2007 06:49:30 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 Leisure Suit Larry Collection A decade of debauchery now on one CD.

Larry Laffer is a loveable loser on the most desperate of quests: lose his virginity or die trying. Armed with his trademark leisure suit, breath spray the dream of true love (or at least fake love), he heads to the sinful Lost Wages, The Land of the Lounge Lizards.

When the girl of his dreams has second thoughts, Larry finds himself on the street again, but this time in Los Angeles. Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) amidst KGB agents, island natives, and the evil Dr. Nonookee.

Larry may finally have found The One on Nontoonyt Island, but a misunderstanding separates him from his lascivious lounge singer love. Explore the jungle with lovelorn Larry or aid Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals.

After suffering amnesia induced by The Case of the Missing Floppies, Larry must find three hot women to appear on America's Sexiest Home Videos. Meanwhile, Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work as an FBI agent investigating corruption in the music industry. Help the lost lovers take on organized crime and Larry regain his memory.

Alone again, Larry finds himself at a spa resort as a consolation prize on a TV dating game. To try to win the hearts of the beautiful vacationers, Larry must Shape Up or Slip Out!

Grab this spectacularly priced collection and help the original Leisure Suit Larry himself find his way in the series that spawned a lecherous legend. Be sure to visit the creator at www.allowe.com for great game hints, tips, and all-around good humor!

from http://classics.sierra.com/us/larry/
]]> 03 Jun 2007 01:18:21 Stubbs the Zombie In this game, players take on the role of the rebel himself, Stubbs, a wisecracking Zombie who takes on an ultra-modern city of the future using nothing but his own carcass and the weapons of his possessed enemies. The game's tongue-in-cheek humour, innovative combat and strong storyline keep Stubbs the Zombie's gameplay as bizarre and unpredictable as its namesake.
]]> 12 Jun 2007 01:51:04 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