Dragonsphere - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

Written by Vetinari

Here we are, at the final leg of our quest: inside Tyre nak Branwe, the Dragon's Tears, Sanwe's tower where he was imprisoned oh so many year ago. I will just start exploring the place and...

Oops.

That evil (literally) eye there on the right wall just threw a bolt of lightning at me, killing me instantly. Not to worry, though, because I have the very inventory item that can be used in this kind of circumstances.

Donkey Island - Crimson and Clover

Written by Michael

Said no adventure game player EVER.

Welcome back to scenic Donkey Island!  Last time, I just read the manual and watched the introduction.  Today, I’ll actually play some of the game.

No bananas in the tree.

We start on a sunny beach.  Looking around, there’s only one real object I can interact with, a palm tree, but the best I can figure now is to look at it.  I look at my surroundings, and while some things have descriptions, often the game will default to one of a random selection of dismissive phrases when it doesn’t have a response for me looking at a certain pixel.  For example, “You should get some fresh air”, “Don’t look at every cockroach”, or “I don't have my glasses”.

Alone in the Dark 2 - Clowning Around

Written by Andy Panthro

The creepy teleport room, where I began today

It’s been a little while since I played, it’s not always been the most fun experience, so I put it off for a while. Last time, I’d just been warped to a new area, and it just seems to be either another building or another part of the same house. The room I start in seems to be some sort of ritual area, not sure why it’s there other than I guess if the others can use it to warp around like a teleporter. In the corner is a flask, which I drink immediately, as the health points stack.

Gabriel Knight - Final Rating

Written by Michael

Circumstances came up, and I wasn’t able to finish the rating in time for this post.  Morpheus helpfully offered to take care of it for me.

...heh.  I joke a little.  This is one of the few times the two of us almost agree about a game.  Although, based on his comments, he would still score it lower than myself.

Humor aside, let’s get to the task at hand.  This is going to be tough for me.  I’m not known for covering top-10 games, and certainly didn’t expect Hand of Fate to crack the list.  The titles that I prefer, such as the humor-infused Sam & Max, are not universally acclaimed as high art.   I’m writing this introduction before I’ve figured out the score, but if the readers have any say, this game will blow those titles away.

Dragonsphere – Beauty and the Beast

 Written by Vetinari

Before getting to the Hightower Mountains, the game subjects me to another cutscene.

Gee, calm down girl!

Lak-Hella reminds Fiona that “before he vanished” Ner-Tom said that the sorcerer would emerge when the dragonsphere had burst apart, and that is not even close to happening. Then suggests that Fiona go to the courtyard and play at javelins to calm her nerves. (Play at javelins? How do you play at javelins exactly? And isn't that an unseemly activity for a lady?)

Game 160: The Secret of Donkey Island (Tajemství Oslího ostrova) - Introduction (1994)

Written by Michael

Before I finalize the scoring for Gabriel Knight, I’ll take a slight detour to a more light-hearted title.  Don’t fret -- I’ll post the scoring next. For now, we’ll go for a historic title.

Historic?  Before 1992, there hadn’t really been any real games developed and released from a Czech-based producer.  A pair of teens, Jarek Kolář and Petr Vlček, using a computer at a grammar school in Brnol, developed the game we are about to play as a way to prove that Czech citizens really could produce a game up to the standards of the overseas developers.  It was the first point-and-click developed in the country, and one of the first (eventually) made commercially available.

Alone in the Dark 2 - Wining and Dining

Written by Andy Panthro

Party time.

I have tried my best to fully explore upstairs, so the only other places to go are locked doors, filled with trigger-happy zombies, or the kitchen. I managed to get past the trident statue by staying as far away as possible, although later I found out that I had just lucked into the solution of how to pass this obstacle (it depends on the colour of tile you step on, apparently). 

In the kitchen, the little chef sometimes wanders in but does not attack. The other chef mentions that wine opens doors, and tells me to eat. There’s food on the counter, and I can indeed eat the eggs without any problem. However, after being in the kitchen for a minute, the larger chef opens what looks like an ice-box, and takes out a blowpipe. Annoyingly, this means I have to try and kill the larger chef, which is easier said than done. After his death, I can loot the rest of the kitchen.

Gabriel Knight - Won!

Written by Michael

Gabriel thinks he knows what to do

Hey, we’re in the home stretch.  Day 10 will be the last day of the game.

Last time around, Gabriel had just watched his uncle sacrifice himself to restore the long-lost talisman to the family.  Gabriel, now taking on the family tradition of shadow hunting, is going to need the extra power boost.

If only it was back in 1989, we would have had another option.  And sadly, @arcanetrivia, this isn’t the job at hand.

Gabriel now has the talisman, and heads back to the states.  He arranges for his uncle’s body to be properly buried at the castle in Germany.  On the way back, he tries to reach both Grace and Malia.  Neither answer his calls.

Dragonsphere - Quicksand

Written by Vetinari

Before travelling to the desert, I take stock of my inventory and notice something very interesting.

This is the description of the bird figurine I just got from the Butterfly King...

...and this is one special action command from the sword.

I try to carve up the figurine, and, as expected, I manage to construct a crude flute.

Gabriel Knight - Heartless, Heartless, You Think it's Gonna Fill This Empty Soul

Written by Michael

How I feel every morning. 

So, last time I underwent a hazing initiation ceremony to become a chosen one, just like my uncle, and it seems, practically every male above me in the family tree.  We wake up, sore, and think it might have just been a dream... but then we notice the large brass key at the foot of the bed, the same one that was given to us in the sequence,

I’m pretty sure I know where that key is used.  Wasn’t there an oversized keyhole just next to the bed to another room?

Dragonsphere - Oh! You Pretty Things

Written by Vetinari

Last time in this Dragonsphere playthrough we were just about to embark in a voyage across the Kingdom of Callahach starting from our own castle of Gran Callahach. When exiting the castle waystation, the game takes you to the map of the Kingdom, with the various realms that you can visit: Soptus Ecliptus, Brynn-Fann, Slathan ni Patan and Tyre nak Branwe, Sanwe's tower.

I decide to visit the Slathans first, because they seem to be the underdogs of this fantasy world. It is cool that, while the realms that you haven't visited yet appear on the map as just icons, when you go to them they change to a real 3D version of the place.

Before...

...and after.

Gabriel Knight - Cuts Like a Knife

Written by Michael

When we wrapped up last time, Gabriel had returned from an intense party and was suffering from a hangover of sorts.  Grace struggled to wake us up, and when she did, she gave us some advice:  call Uncle Wolfgang.

Let’s reach out and touch someone, and call Germany, shall we?

Dragonsphere - Heroes

Written by Vetinari

Welcome back to Dragon Ball – I mean Dragonsphere.

The two plots have some passing similarities, i.e. very few dragons.

We start the game proper with former Prince now King Callash in his chambers, being woken up by his wife Fiona (who is now the Queen, I guess?) saying that the dragonsphere is stirring more forcefully with every passing moment.

I just love that one of the possible answers to this dialogue is just “Let me sleep. We'll destroy the sorcerer another day.” We've all been there, right?

Anyway, Fiona and the Queen Mother (that is, Callash's mom) will await our hero in the council chamber before his departure. Callash makes his morning ablutions and then changes clothes, saying that, as per his teacher of etiquette, you must “do nothing in the clothes in which you sleep, except sleep”. Callash thinks that this is very sound advice even if he found some exceptions to the rule as he grew older. Okay, let's keep it PG-13, game.

Alone in the Dark 2 - Play Your Cards Right

 Written by Andy Panthro

Red herrings.

Last time, we found ourselves in the basement of the mansion. After dealing with many machine gun zombies, finally we’re getting some puzzles and the game feels a lot better for it. I basically have two options here, to go upstairs or to go into a side room that sounds like gunfire. Since I want to finish up down here before moving on upstairs, I check the side room.

As I mentioned last time, it turns out it sounds like gunfire because two burly guys with pistols are shooting targets on the other side of the room. Acting quickly with my battledore, I had dispatched them. The room has four posters of four playing cards on one wall: The Jack of Diamonds, the Queen of Clubs, the King of Spades, and the Ace of Hearts. At the other end of the room, are four pillars with pictures of each suit on their four sides. I am assuming I need to rotate the pillars so they match the wall pictures.

This took a bit of figuring out, as hitting the pillars did not always rotate them once. Then immediately I’m stumped, as I try Diamond, Club, Spade, Heart and it does nothing. Then I try them in reverse, still nothing. I’m curious if the suit means anything, or perhaps I’m just seeing puzzles where none exist.

Gabriel Knight - Lions, Tigers, and Bears... Oh My!

Written by Michael

Or, like a bad penny, I always turn up.

Good morning!  Like Gabriel, I’m writing this while I drink some coffee, but unlike Gabriel, I’m not reading the newspaper, because those have not travelled through time with us to the future.

Actually, that’s the only item so far that would be anachronistic in our world today.  No pay phones yet in this game, a staple in the 1980s-90s graphic adventure game world.

And we were able to receive a call at the payphone without everyone assuming we were a drug dealer.  My, how times have changed.

Game 159: Dragonsphere - Introduction (1994)

Written by Vetinari

Welcome to the first game of 1994 which will be reviewed for The Adventurers Guild!

What do you mean “there are other games from 1993 that haven't been played yet”? Hey buddy, I don't make the rules, I just follow them! They told me I could start with the first game from 1994 in the Master List, and since this game came out in January 1994, it is as good a candidate for this as any other. So, do me a favour, random internet stranger which I just made up for the purposes of starting this introduction post, and slink back into the shadows from whence you came. Really, the nerves of some people...

Where was I? Oh yes, Dragonsphere.

Why have I chosen to play and review Dragonsphere? Because of two factors: 1) it is commonly regarded as the best of the three adventure games which came out from Microprose, and 2) dragons. Everything is better with dragons.

Missed Classic: Dracula Hakushaku (ドラキュラ伯爵) - Flashback, Heart Attack

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

One person watching another person in the darkness, we need a lot of words for this one.

Welcome back to Dracula. It's been far too long. To bring everyone back up to speed, last time Dracula had just drained the blood of the maid of another paramour of his called Franceska. We start with him staring at her alone, in a gazebo in the forest. She's not yet aware of him.

How's she doing? She's gotten past her fear, but she looks like she's about to break out crying. This amuses Dracula, in such a way that he could laugh. How's Dracula doing? Sucking that girl's blood has made him more...vital. Well...I wasn't missing that. Now I can talk to her. Dracula introduces himself and apologizes (ha) for making her wait. She already wants to get out of here. He asks if she's here on her lonesome. She mentions her maid, but wonders where she went to. He wonders if she'll return. After a little more talk, he says they should go to the palace, because she must be cold out here.

Alone in the Dark 2 - A Barrel of Fun

By Andy Panthro

A classic locked door puzzle.

We return to the underground caves beneath Hell’s Kitchen, California. I’ve somehow lost my guns, and so I’m hoping the rest of this will be much more adventure game focused, and much less of a terrible third person shooter. There’s a large metal door blocking my progress, but thankfully I have quite an array of odd objects in my inventory, and surely one or two of these will help me progress.

Gabriel Knight - Well, Sonny, it Looks Like the Gremlin Has Struck Again...

Written by Michael

Game over.  Time to switch to my next title.

Last post, I had just landed in day 4.  I had a few plans for the day, such as getting the bracelet from our friendly jeweler, Sam, following up with the professor at the college, and asking Mosely why the investigation was put on hold.

Let’s start with that.  I head down to the police station, and as usual, walk behind the counter and into Mosely’s office without the officers on duty saying a word.  Mosely drops the news on us, which we kind of already knew from the newspaper: the mafia from Chicago was trying to muscle in on the drug trade here, because Florida isn’t as appealing right now.  “What we had here was a little resistance from the local ‘businessmen.’”

Alone in the Dark 2 - I Am Not Amazed

Written by Andy Panthro

All work and no play makes Carnby a dull boy.

So last time I explored the start of the game, found a weird skip or alternative path, and instead chose to explore a maze. We all love mazes in adventure games don’t we? Don’t we? Uh… well nevertheless, this is the task before me. Now I’ve nothing against mapping my way through a maze, this one doesn’t even seem like the most complex one. What I dislike is the way there’s a gun-toting zombie behind every corner, not as a way to punish you for taking a wrong path, but just behind every path.

I have died so many times, and made so little progress. The zombies are far better at aiming their guns than me, and also seem to be faster on the trigger. If this were The Quick and The Dead, they are the quick and I am the dead. Did I ever mention I’m not a big fan of fast zombies? But I digress. Part of me thinks you’re supposed to just run past them, but the problem with that is some of them also seem to have useful items.

Gabriel Knight - Dancing with Man's Best Friend

Written by Michael

Can we talk about this game for a while?

It’s time for me to go back down to New Orleans again, and continue where I left off on Day 3.  Last time around, I learned a few new things, such as many details about African Voodoun practices and the fact that anyone who owns a snake is instantly a suspect in the Voodoo Murders.

Alone in the Dark 2 - Shot to the Heart

Written by Andy Panthro

What if I just left?

I’m finally back! Apologies for the delay in properly starting this. After quite a long gap from the introduction post, I finally found the time and energy to resume playing this game. Hopefully my progression should be swift, although I had to refamiliarise myself with the controls, which are as awkward as ever. I can never get the hang of the proper tapping of a direction to run with any regularity. 

Gabriel Knight - It's Better Than a Stick in the Eye

Written by Michael

Last time, I had just settled into day 3, by waking up, stumbling out of my studio apartment, and behaving like a caveman in front of my amazingly dedicated employee, Grace.  Now, it’s time to caffeinate and begin our day.

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III - Final Rating

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

It's time to put the final pieces in place.

I now have the unenviable job to review not only the arguable worst game in a series, but as the guy who didn't even review (or finish) the last two games. If I am too easy on the game, I am being generous to a game I at first bounced off. If I am too hard, I am attacking a game I did not care for to begin with. So, let's do this with all the cards on the table, what I didn't care about in the past, why my rating is probably different from what Joe would have given, and where I think this went better than my experience with the first game.

Gabriel Knight - Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Investigator

Written by Michael

Time for us to sit down together again and talk about this game.

Glad to be back with you as we finish out another day in the life of Gabriel Knight, investigative author.  Earlier in this game day, I visited Dr. John at the museum, voodooienne Moonbeam at her residence, and then spent some time at the park.  There’s got to be more to this day.  The formula for the game seems simple enough: research enough until you find at least the one trigger that causes you to ask Grace to do research, and then the day ends.  So, I figure the best plan is to do as much research as possible each day before returning to the bookstore.  From some of the comments I’ve seen so far, it seems some items can be done sooner or later, so I might be front-loading the game and taking away later tasks, and I’m certainly fine with that.

Well, that eliminates one possible solution...

Missed Classic: Dracula Hakushaku (ドラキュラ伯爵) - Predator and Prey

Written by Morpheus Kitami

Horror of Dracula seems to be the vague vibe that this game is trying to get across, where Dracula is clearly a charming figure yet no less an obvious predator.

Over the years vampires have been depicted many ways, sometimes straight-forwardly, like a monster, a predator or a demon, or sometimes metaphorically, like for disease or oil. Count Dracula, the name of this game in English which I would title it if I had the guts, depicts Dracula firmly as a predator. A charming predator who insists upon himself. His victims have little chance of escaping once they're within his spell.

But as I've played more of this game, I'm not so sure that this game came across this theme entirely intentionally. Dracula is only unique in being a vampire, predators like him roam the world, seeking women to hurt themselves. We've seen that with Jack the Ripper, but soon we'll see that these are not isolated characters in an otherwise hopeful world. I said that Dracula was darker than I expected in the first entry, and it's gotten darker still. So, be warned.

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III - The Spirpt is Willing...

Written by Morpheus Kitami

The cover to the original 1981 edition of the board game.

This one really isn't going to make any sense if you haven't read previous entries for this particular game, I'm afraid.

Now that we've seen all the cases the computer game has to offer, it's time to see how they played out in the original board game. I say original compared to the reissued board game, released about a decade ago. I'm sure the differences are minor, but still, it should be interesting. And of course, after that there's the final case, untouched by the computer games for reasons that I once knew but have since forgotten.

Gabriel Knight - Now Go Do That Voodoo That You Do So Well

Written by Michael

Oh, if only they knew what was coming in 30 years...

I’m back to start another day in the life of Gabriel Knight, gentleman scholar.  My last post ended at the close of the first full day, leading up to the wee hours of the morning, where a familiar ritual occurs, the paperboy arriving at the bookstore a mere second before my assistant Grace.

We learn nothing new because our convenient police source keeps us in the loop.

As is my usual ritual, I stumble out of the back-room bedroom, drink some coffee, and read the newspaper.  This is much like my own life, minus the now-extinct newspaper.

Wait, I keep using the word ritual.  Somehow, it seems appropriate when narrating this game.

Game 158: Alone in the Dark 2 (1993) - Introduction

 Written by Andy Panthro

The first Alone in the Dark game has a special place in my heart, with its blend of action, adventure and Lovecraftian horror it birthed an entire genre. For the majority of that game, your protagonist is slow, thoughtful and must use their brain to overcome the challenges of the house of horrors they find themselves in.

Somehow Gordon Ramsey has been here for a century!

Jack in the Dark, which I covered before Christmas, continues in this vein. A young girl trapped in a spooky toy shop, having to use her wits and the items she finds to rescue Santa Claus. It is holiday themed, and so less threatening and more lighthearted, but the creepy toys and being set during Halloween fit with the themes of the series.

Missed Classic 137: Dracula Hakushaku (ドラキュラ伯爵) - Introduction

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

When paying for games for 1994 was well and truly done and I got started on finalizing the year, I then went over the games I was on for the year, and my heart kind of sank when I spotted what my first three games were this year:

1. Necronomicon
2. Desire
3. Policenauts

Ah, nuts. It's not that I don't necessarily like playing Japanese games, but I am aware of my limitations and how draining it can be. I'm also not really that much on the train to playing Desire and Policenauts, which I view more as obligations rather than things I'm genuinely interested in even if I will give them a fair shake. I'll explain why when I get to those, but Necronomicon is definitely a game that's been on my radar since learning Japanese, since I like me some HP Lovecraft. And yes, I know that if you look at what I'm currently on, there are only three games that aren't Japanese, but it's only these three that are the sort of Japanese titles that feel like they're not quite adventure games that can feel draining. So, let's get into the first of basically nine such games I'll be covering.

Necronomicon is the fourth collaboration between director Hajime Kanasugi and writer Ken'ichi Hirono, so, we'll start with their first collaboration. Not their first games, because there would be fifteen of those and I don't think anyone wants me to go through fifteen at once. And if I do that, I have to justify why I'm not playing games that are prequels to those, and frankly we still haven't played every Sierra game up until this point, so I'm just sticking to these. Because at that point I would be going into basically every single game developer Fairytale made up until 1994 and I don't want to do that just yet.

Side note, no, I don't know anything about them, they are as anonymous as someone posting here without their name filled out. But you don't make five games together without some sort of understanding.

Dracula Hakushaku, or Count Dracula, is according to a copy/pasted description online, Fairytale's own take on Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is the PC-98 box, which has been spread far and wide, no idea who originally uploaded it. Darkforce is mysterious, no idea what that is. The subtitle is "The Blood of Beautiful Girls is Dripping", which is quite creepy. Dunno what's on the right, but The Man Called DRACULA reminds me of a The Man From UNCLE novel about vampires. The game was released in 1992 on PC-98, a Sharp X68000 release soon followed and then the next year there was a FM Towns release. I'll be playing that one.

Gabriel Knight - The House of the Rising Sun

Written by Michael

I meant to post sooner!  Sorry to leave you hanging.

Welcome back to the Down Under Big Easy!  Last time, I laid out my plans for the next session.  Visit Grandma, do research at the drug store and Voodoo Museum, and visit my friend Mosely at a crime scene.  I ended that post back at Gabriel’s book store, having (seemingly) exhausted all avenues there for the time being.  So let’s throw on my leather coat and burn some rubber on the highway!

Police Quest: Open Season - Won!

By Alex

This is it, my friends, the last Police Quest: Open Season gameplay post. I am going to write a separate Final Rating because this one is long.

We left off the last post with Carey learning about a body found in Griffith Park, giving a bone he found at the crime scene to the coroner Sam Nobles after scaring off a dog using the mirror that a male prostitute broke off of Carey’s car . . .

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective III - The Thames Murders (Won!)

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

What do you think Gregson would say about the tea at Scotland Yard that makes it worse than Mrs. Hudson's? 10 CAPs for the best answer.

Inspector Gregson is here, drinking tea made by Mrs. Hudson again. Guess it can't be that bad if he keeps coming here. Watson, knowing that they serve tea down at the police station, asks why he's here. Seems Inspector Lestrade sent him, a shocking course of events, as he's at his wits' end. "He didn't travel far to arrive there." We're to solve The Thames Murders, four, now five bodies found floating in the river. The latest is Roland Jaquard, stepson of Lord Astley Denham. He was a ne'er-do-well and a womanizer. His days spent being one of the finest Whist players in London, his nights spent in the drawing rooms of the finest families in London. "He wasn't a traveling chambermaid" quips Holmes. Then Gregson puts the names of murder dates of the previous victims in Holmes's notebook.

Incidentally, if you're not familiar with the time period, you could be surprised to hear that the Thames was pretty disgusting around this time, so hopefully poison can be ruled out.

Gabriel Knight - Witchy Woman

Written by Michael

Kids really don’t read books enough anymore.

Unfortunately, real life has kept Zenic from continuing with Gabriel Knight as originally planned.  We hope things get squared away, and we look forward to his return with his next scheduled game in 1994 (or perhaps even earlier). 

As has been the habit with Morpheus before, if anyone wishes to change their score guess for Gabriel Knight, or hasn’t made one yet, you can do so by commenting either on this entry or the introduction post, as long as you do so before I post again. 

My history with this game?  I played it once, about 25 years ago, before tackling the third game in the series.  I remember absolutely nothing, other than I vaguely remember visiting a cemetery at some point.  So, I’m starting fresh.  I owned the jigsaw-shaped box, and it got damaged during one of my many moves at the time, and eventually lost.  I’m sad about that, since there’s a collector’s market still to this day for that unique package.

Consulting Detective Vol. III - The Banker's Final Debt

Written by Morpheus Kitami

Haha, the person we pay rent to is a terrible cook, take that for giving us a good deal!

Inspector Gregson is having tea with Holmes and Watson. Glad the game remembered him, having Lestrade be a friendly figure felt like something out of bizarro world. Holmes is more interested in a crossword puzzle than the on-going conversation about a murder of a respected banker. After insulting their landlady's cooking, Gregson gets to the crime. The chief accountant for the Bank of England, Oswald Mason, was found murdered in his home at 10 o'clock last night by his wife. Holmes is being called in because Mason was doing important work for The Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer wants to make sure it isn't related.

I check the newspaper, it's April 11th, and Mason died yesterday, with a rather uneventful article in the paper. Not really much else I can do before finding evidence.

Consulting Detective Vol. III - Watson Steps In

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

As could be expected when Joe announced a hiatus on his contributions to the blog, someone else had to step in to play Consulting Detective Vol. III. I was the most enthusiastic...in the sense that I was the only one who really offered. During the playthrough of II, I tried the DVD version of I, which ended badly, but this time that isn't an option, and most importantly, since then I've had a renewed sense of appreciation of Holmes thanks to the Russian version starring Vasily Livanov. As such, whenever I'm stuck, I'll ask myself, what would he do? Er...what would his character do. Also as is usual when I take over a game, you may change your score guesses at no penalty. Without ado, let's begin.

Holmes' Introduction

Holmes introduces London as an unpleasant city full of danger lurking behind every corner, but that there are people who can help the player. Firstly, we have the daily newspaper, a source of invaluable information regarding our cases. Then, we have the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of vagabond schoolchildren who perform tasks for Holmes. In game, as you may recall from previous games, these guys basically just perform actions instead of Holmes or Watson going there, lowering your score. (Higher is worse) Then, the Baker Street Regulars, various doctors and reporters Holmes knows and can gather clues from. Some are vital to the success of a case, others are often just a source of clues.

Also, for readability's sake, I'm going to be putting in bold the names of people or places you can visit. At least the first time.