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hscott2hughes: Many thanks to all of the welcoming comments regarding my previous post. I'm Scott and this is my first night on this forum - currently in the looooong download process of Broken Sword 5. I'm a decades long Broken Sword fan so I was excited to find the new game available here for a nice price. While answering my questions about the site, several forum members suggested some of their favorite games available on the site. That inspired me to jot down a list of some of my personal favorites. Not an exclusive list (and not all of them are available on gog), but these are ones which come immediately to mind:

Favorite games or game series:

All of the "Gabriel Knight" games (unresolved cliffhanger -AAAAHH!)

The "Longest Journey" and "Dreamfall" games (unresolved cliffhanger -AAAAHH!)

All of the Broken Sword games

The old Space Quest games (hilarious)

Syberia and Syberia II

"Runaway" series

"Back to the Future: the Game" (extremely well done - I was pleasantly surprised)

Favorite Trek games

"Star Trek 25th Anniversary" and it sequel "Judgment Rites" (still the best trek games I have ever played)

Deep Space Nine "Harbinger" (engaging and underrated)

and Deep Space Nine "The Fallen" (an adventure/shooter in the same vain but far superior, IMO, to Elite Force (which is good, but The Fallen is much better)

Some Enjoyable Honorable Mentions:

Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle (cute, not bad)

A Vampyre Story (humorous)

ALIAS (based on the TV series, starring Jennifer Garner, et al. - Did you know it existed? It's actually good!)

The X-Files Game (so sue me, I liked it!)

Most Disappointing Game ever:

NCIS (What the #%$@ was THAT?? I'm a huge fan of the TV series and I was pumped when I saw the NCIS game advertised on the show itself - advertised on CBS in primetime. Heck yeah, I bought it! I never thought Ubisoft, a respected gaming company, would drop the ball so *badly*. Some games are good, some are kind of "meh," but never before have I played a game I thought was so insultingly BAD that I actually wanted my money back. NCIS was that game. It felt like the game designers assumed that the NCIS audience probably skews "older" so we're not going to know anything about gaming, it needs to be dumbed down (because "old people" are stupid) - forgetting the fact that our generation INVENTED gaming!! Morons.)
Have you tried star trek the next generation: a final unity? It's like 25th or judgement rites, only tng and a bit more complicated instead. Awesome game.
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grimgroove: We seem to have a similar profile :-D The first game I truly enjoyed and made a huge impact on me was Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars, and has remained one of my all-time favorites ever since, and led me to love the adventure genre. Steps to its sequels, Gabriel Knight, Syberia, Runaway were small steps to take after that and helped consolidate my love for the genre.

Have you played Grim Fandango? I bet that would be right up your alley as well.
Thanks for the recommendation. I have not played it.

My favorites tend to be in mystery/horror/sci-fi (and also some comical ones like Runaway or Captain Morgane) variety of pointing and clicking your way to solving the mystery...and really, I play them more for the stories themselves. For instance, most shooters have little story. DS9 The Fallen is one of those rare exceptions. I generally prefer being immersed in the story/characters much like Gabriel Knight or Longest Journey/Dreamfall.

Most of the Trek games are boring because they are all some form of shooter or starship combat simulator (I mean that can be fun sometimes) but most completely lack the awe and wonder of exploration and discovery that Trek is supposed to be about -- and exemplify point and click style adventures. Star Trek 25th Anniversary, Star Trek Judgement Rites, and DS9 Harbinger all did that very well with traditional point and click mystery adventures (and yet still managed to get in some of the fun ship to ship combat, as well). I don't mind some combat mixed in with the point and click adventure. I like the game to have some variety, but most of the Trek games these days are all combat and nothing else. TNG's A Final Unity was in the same vain as 25th, Judgment Rites, and Harbinger, although...

I haven't finished playing it. I'll have to let you know. So far not as good as 25th andJudgement Rites, but still a refreshing return to that mode.

Why am I just now playing it? A Final Unity sat on my shelf for almost twenty years...and yet no computer I have ever owned (until now) has been able to play it. It was designed for Windows 3.1/95/98 in DOS mode, but my 3.1 machine couldn't play it. Not enough processor. My 95 machine couldn't play it. Wrong video card. My windows 98 machine (which was a powerful monster workstation for its day) couldn't play it. Wrong sound card. Are you kidding me??? I didn't think there was a computer ever sold that could actually play this game.

Irony of ironies....twenty freakin' years later, I can play it on my Vista machine (and probably 7 and 8) via DOSbox and compatibility mode. None of the machines it was designed for could play it. That was the problem with a lot of the old games. It seemed if you didn't have a specifically customized computer for every specific game and identical to the computer sitting on the programer's desk, you couldn't play it. I'm not sure how they expected people to play their games. But twenty years later, the much maligned Vista/7/8 can play old games and old software better than their predecessors. Go figure.

As we speak, I'm playing The Last Express (built for Windows 95) natively on Windows 8 without any patches or even compatibility mode. It's another one that's been sitting on my shelf, unplayed, for twenty years - and suddenly i can play it...on Windows 8. Again, go figure.
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pimpmonkey2382: Have you tried star trek the next generation: a final unity? It's like 25th or judgement rites, only tng and a bit more complicated instead. Awesome game.
Funny I was just mentioning that. I've begun playing it recently.
Post edited April 22, 2014 by hscott2hughes
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grimgroove: We seem to have a similar profile :-D The first game I truly enjoyed and made a huge impact on me was Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars, and has remained one of my all-time favorites ever since, and led me to love the adventure genre. Steps to its sequels, Gabriel Knight, Syberia, Runaway were small steps to take after that and helped consolidate my love for the genre.

Have you played Grim Fandango? I bet that would be right up your alley as well.
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hscott2hughes: Thanks for the recommendation. I have not played it.

My favorites tend to be in mystery/horror/sci-fi (and also some comical ones like Runaway or Captain Morgane) variety of pointing and clicking your way to solving the mystery...and really, I play them more for the stories themselves. For instance, most shooters have little story. DS9 The Fallen is one of those rare exceptions. I generally prefer being immersed in the story/characters much like Gabriel Knight or Longest Journey/Dreamfall.

Most of the Trek games are boring because they are all some form of shooter or starship combat simulator (I mean that can be fun sometimes) but most completely lack the awe and wonder of exploration and discovery that Trek is supposed to be about -- and exemplify point and clip style adventures. Star Trek 25th Anniversary, Star Trek Judgement Rites, and DS9 Harbinger all did that very well with traditional point and click mystery adventures (and yet still managed to get in some of the fun ship to ship combat, as well). I don't mind some combat mixed in with the point and click adventure. I like the game to have some variety, but most of the Trek games these days are all combat and nothing else. TNG's A Final Unity was in the same vain as 25th, Judgment Rites, and Harbinger, although...

I haven't finished playing it. I'll have to let you know. So far not as good as 25th andJudgement Rites, but still a refreshing return to that mode.

Why am I just now playing it? A Final Unity sat on my shelf for almost twenty years...and yet no computer I have ever owned (until now) has been able to play it. It was designed for Windows 3.1/95/98 in DOS mode, but my 3.1 machine couldn't play it. Not enough processor. My 95 machine couldn't play it. Wrong video card. My windows 98 machine (which was a powerful monster workstation for its day) couldn't play it. Wrong sound card. Are you kidding me??? I didn't think there was a computer ever sold that could actually play this game.

Irony of ironies....twenty freakin' years later, I can play it on my Vista machine (and probably 7 and 8) via DOSbox and compatibility mode. None of the machines it was designed for could play it. That was the problem with a lot of the old games. It seemed if you didn't have a specifically customized computer for every specific game and identical to the computer sitting on the programer's desk, you couldn't play it. I'm not sure how they expected people to play their games. But twenty years later, the much maligned Vista/7/8 can play old games and old software better than their predecessors. Go figure.

As we speak, I'm playing The Last Express (built for Windows 95) natively on Windows 8 without any patches or even compatibility mode. It's another one that's been sitting on my shelf, unplayed, for twenty years - and suddenly i can play it...on Windows 8. Again, go figure.
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pimpmonkey2382: Have you tried star trek the next generation: a final unity? It's like 25th or judgement rites, only tng and a bit more complicated instead. Awesome game.
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hscott2hughes: Funny I was just mentioning that. I'm playing now.
I have psychic moments at times. x)
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hscott2hughes: A Vampyre Story (humorous)
YES! Someone else who's played this game! lol~ I loved it -- I really got a kick out of Mona-in-terrible-denial and her wisecracking-bat sidekick XD
to pimpmonkey2382

Clearly. ;)

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hscott2hughes: A Vampyre Story (humorous)
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genkicolleen: YES! Someone else who's played this game! lol~ I loved it -- I really got a kick out of Mona-in-terrible-denial and her wisecracking-bat sidekick XD
Yeah, her denial was the funniest running gag. LOL.
Post edited April 22, 2014 by hscott2hughes
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groze: - <a href="http://www.gog.com/forum/general_archive/the_new_guys_favorites/post13" class="link_arrow"></a></div> Since you like that kind of game style, I highly recommend checking out [url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/257830/]<span class="bold">Violett</span>. I just finished this one a few days ago, and despite having absolutely NO instructions, I really enjoyed it. I have a full review of the game -- just PM me if you want to see it ^__^

I'd love to see it here on GOG. Here's the wishlist page: Violett wishlist page.
Apparently I had already voted for Violett! :P I think it was you who mentioned it on the Games Like Machinarium (or was it Botanicula?) thread. *o*
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groze: Some of my favorite games are ones you already mentioned, namely the Gabriel Knight trilogy, the Broken Sword series (even though The Sleeping Dragon and The Angel of Death are notorious low points in the series and that shouldn't be ignored),
I'm probably in the minority, but...

I really LIKED The Sleeping Dragon (a LOT) and consider it by far the best of the series <everyone gasps>, with Circle of Blood (aka Shadow of the Templars, aka Broken Sword 1) coming in a very close second <everyone gasps bigger, a woman screams and passes out>.

I think people disliked BS3 mainly because it broke with the 2D cartoon look in favor of 3D animation (and, yes, the box puzzles could be a little repetitive), but it was a hell of a game, complex and a thoughtful story, and with some fun action - and it was by far Nico's strongest outing as an action/adventure heroine. It explored Nico's character pretty deeply. (I like Nico ;D ) It was a darker and more immersing game with a sense of realism, but still true to its Circle of Blood roots.

The Smoking Mirror (BS2) was decent enough, but it felt a lot weaker to me than 1 and 3, with the 4th installment probably being the weakest of the four.

But to me, the third was best. I loved it. And (story-wise) a truer sequel to the original, I felt, than even the 2nd one, despite being a different style animation.

<Scott ducks as pies are hurled at him.> ;-)
Post edited April 22, 2014 by hscott2hughes
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groze: Some of my favorite games are ones you already mentioned, namely the Gabriel Knight trilogy, the Broken Sword series (even though The Sleeping Dragon and The Angel of Death are notorious low points in the series and that shouldn't be ignored),
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hscott2hughes: I'm probably in the minority, but...

I really LIKED The Sleeping Dragon (a LOT) and consider it by far the best of the series <everyone gasps>, with Circle of Blood (aka Shadow of the Templars, aka Broken Sword 1) coming in a very close second <everyone gasps bigger, a woman screams and passes out>.

I think people disliked BS3 mainly because it broke with the 2D cartoon look in favor of 3D animation (and, yes, the box puzzles could be a little repetitive), but it was a hell of a game, complex and a thoughtful story, and with some fun action - and it was by far Nico's strongest outing as an action/adventure heroine. And it explored Nico's character pretty deeply. (I like Nico ;D ) It was a darker and more immersing game with a sense of realism, but still true to its Circle of Blood roots.

The Smoking Mirror (BS2) was decent enough, but I felt a lot weaker to me than 1 and 3, with the 4th installment probably being the weakest of the four.

But to me, the third was best. I loved it. And (story-wise) a truer sequel to the original, I felt, than even the 2nd one, despite being a different style animation.

<Scott ducks as pies are hurled at him.> ;-)
As long as we agree The Angel of Death is the weakest of the (now) five, it's all good. :P

I understand what you're saying, trust me when I say I had to stand up for Sleeping Dragon, it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I would be lying if I said I liked the transition from 2D to 3D, but that's pretty much my biggest complaint with the game. For Nico fans it has to be the best in the series, for sure.

I would rank them like this:

1. Shadow of the Templars (closely followed by)
2. The Smoking Mirror (ex aequo) The Serpent's Curse
3. Sleeping Dragon
4. The Angel of Death (barely passable game, if I say so myself)
My tastes may be a little different. Often series games that people dislike as the "worst" of a series (i.e. Broken Sword 3, Gabriel Knight 2) I relish as the best of the series, where I feel kind of "meh" about some of them that are universally praised. I'm weird that way, lol!

(And it's not to be contrarian. The games I like, i discover are "bad" in the reviews after I already loved them, and visa versa. I'm just weird, lol!)

The X-Files Game was another example. That was a great game but widely maligned, as I recall.
Post edited April 22, 2014 by hscott2hughes
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groze: Apparently I had already voted for Violett! :P I think it was you who mentioned it on the Games Like Machinarium (or was it Botanicula?) thread. *o*
Eh, same diff. *whistle* lol~ They're both by Amanita, so they have the same kind of feeling... and yes, it was me XD
Welcome hscott2hughes! Take off your coat and stay awhile. This is a great community and I look forward to you enhancing it in your own way. You are a man after my own heart, as far as gaming goes. As you can see from my avatar, the mammoth from Syberia, I am into point and click adventures. Funny thing about NCIS is I got the game as a present to play on a PS3. My son moved out and took his PS3 so I have never played the game. From the sounds of it I should not waste my time.

Looking forward to seeing you here in the future.
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hscott2hughes: I'm probably in the minority, but...

I really LIKED The Sleeping Dragon

<Scott ducks as pies are hurled at him.> ;-)
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groze: As long as we agree The Angel of Death is the weakest of the (now) five, it's all good. :P
Hehehe, yes, we can agree on that. Not a *bad* game, but definitely the weakest of the Broken Sword series. For one thing, it just felt very milquetoast...just kind of blah...and rather short.

It just...well, it needed more Nico. ;D
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51nikopol: Welcome hscott2hughes! Take off your coat and stay awhile. This is a great community and I look forward to you enhancing it in your own way. You are a man after my own heart, as far as gaming goes. As you can see from my avatar, the mammoth from Syberia, I am into point and click adventures. Funny thing about NCIS is I got the game as a present to play on a PS3. My son moved out and took his PS3 so I have never played the game. From the sounds of it I should not waste my time.

Looking forward to seeing you here in the future.
Thank you, 51-[NIKO]-pol! Yes, clearly, we're like minded folks. ;-)

You're not missing much with NCIS. First off, they used the series actors' likenesses, but none of the series actors (except Ducky) voiced their own characters. The wrong voices can be jarring, but I can look past it if the story and game are good. There was no story. If there was, I couldn't tell you what it was. You just went from HQ to a random crime scene to HQ and then another random crime scene. There were two steps to solving the crime. 1) Take pictures of the crime scene. and 2) Go back to HQ and put the pictures on the "Deduction Board," which is a process of illumination puzzle to discover the killer. A 3rd grade level elimination puzzle, like you see in a 3rd grade standardized test, over and over again (because people who watch NCIS are "old" (over 35) and "old people" are stupid.) That's it. That's the game.

Ziva has a couple a decent one-liners. Those two one-liners cost me forty bucks.
Post edited April 22, 2014 by hscott2hughes
You should try Cognition, if you haven't done so, already. The only other game as intense and immersive that I've played is The Walking Dead Season 1 which is FANTASTIC! (I don't have Season 2, yet)