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.
Puzzles and Solvability
Certainly, a strength of the game, there were a variety of puzzle types and generally sufficient clues and prompts without being overtly revealing. Adding into the mix were puzzle types not usually seen in Sierra games before this time, such as using dialog choices to encourage character actions. There were multiple puzzles involving decrypting or using different codes, but one was solved by logic (using one decoded message to translate a second one) while the other was a little harder, translating the messages from the rada drummer with some white noise added.
Other than the riverside crime scene, none of the locations from the first few days of the game were intended to be visited just once; there were reasons to revisit each one, either for inspiration or a new puzzle. I suspect most people didn’t find all of the clues the first time around at the lake scene, so revisiting it would have been necessary.
The tape recorder system, which is more a topic for “Interface”, provided all the important topics talked about to be easily replayed, much like some later games in the genre would allow the replay of previous cutscenes. This helped a lot, because the game is very dialog-heavy and a lot of clues were given.
The downsides are minor, but worth noting. First, a reflex-timing puzzle that, even back in the day, caused problems if your computer was too fast. This was getting past the desk sergeant at the police station after Mosely had disappeared. I found Usenet messages back in 1994 confirming problems with the solution; a patch was released by Sierra, but it seems if you were fortunate enough to have a Pentium (just barely a year old at that point) it still wasn’t good enough.
Then, there was the “arcade” sequence of getting past the zombies in the snake mound. That was just plain inexcusable.
The game featured no apparent dead-ends, and the character deaths were fair and not too common. More importantly, dialog clues generally provided hints ahead of time, so if you paid attention to the dialog, you didn’t have to learn from death the way Sierra games often had a reputation for (whether it was earned or not).
Our record holder in this category is Fate of Atlantis, and the arcade sequence keeps me from topping that score. So, it only gets an 8.
Interface and Inventory
Gabriel Knight uses the newest incarnation of the standard Sierra interface. A few new icons were added; while I sometimes chose the wrong one (say, “push” instead of “use”), the game sometimes would accept multiple different choices, making it more forgiving than Sierra games of the past.
This was a deliberate choice by Jensen. When the proposal for this game was first made, Sierra had just gotten into the point-and-click arena:
“When we did Gabriel Knight, I made a conscious choice to have a more extensive interface. I think King’s Quest V had recently come out, and there was a lot of backlash against it being so point-and-click [driven]. I made a decision to have a more intricate interface.”
The icons had a hot spot on them, a different-color pixel that told you where to click the icon on other objects. This wasn’t new to this game, having been used in both the recent titles from Al Lowe, Leisure Suit Larry 6 and Freddy Pharkas. There generally weren’t any pixel hunts, the closest to that would have been when you had to look for books in either the bookstore or in Wolfgang’s library, but it wasn’t overly challenging.
The cassette recorder interface was simple and allowed playback of a lot of information. Had I not been taking screenshots twice every second, I would have made great use of it.
The only real misstep in the interface, to me, was when you needed to use the drum code books or the translated crypt messages. It didn’t seem obvious to me at first that you needed to (or could) switch books or translations to access all your sources. A minor quibble, but it stuck with me.
The top-rated incarnations of the Sierra interface have netted a score of 7, but the addition of the icon hot spots and the tape player bring my rating to an 8.
Story and Setting
Gabriel Knight, using family money, opens a used bookstore in the heart of the famous Louisiana French Quarter, an area known for extravagance and maybe even a little mysterious Voodoo power. Either consciously or not, he opens this store in the name of his family’s patron saint, and having been surrounded by certain iconography his whole life, decorated his store with symbols that would later become relevant.
He’s a currently down-on-his-luck author, writing a new tome about that mysterious Voodoo around him, when suddenly there’s a string of murders possibly related to it. With some inside help from his childhood friend Mosely, who is now a police detective, he starts researching even further, until it turns out that his family has a secret backstory involving the supernatural.
 |
| This looks familiar. |
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| Yes, even this puzzle-convenient location exists in real life. |
Back in the days before Google and Wikipedia, every aspect of this story and setting was reasonably well-researched and planned. Real-life locations were represented truthfully, with just a small helping of artistic license. The picture above from the overlook is one such instance, the chessboard tables at the Napoleon House another, and even the cemetery looks the part.
Another strength in this game. Jane Jensen was perhaps the best writer in the Sierra arsenal. I think it deserves a 9.
Sound and Graphics
Starting with the graphics, they are another high point to this game. Sure, we’re going to see higher resolutions in the coming years, but this game worked with the capabilities of the time and pushed them pretty far. The artists lit each scene appropriately to set the mood, and there were appropriate background animations that added to the feeling of the game, also bleeding into the next category.
The music was also strong, with the title track setting the mood. Each room, each location had a matching theme, and while looking for videos with the soundtrack, I found an easter egg I hadn’t noticed in the game: you could turn on Gabriel’s radio in the game, and it had its own tune to play as well! Impressive, because normally, Sierra games would use that as an excuse to recycle one of the other tunes. Perhaps this was an extra, from a deleted scene? Regardless, a nice touch.
I’m torn with scoring this category. It’s not significantly better than Fate of Atlantis, which got an 8, but other games of lesser stature got a higher score, so I’m unsure what to do here. I’ll round down this time, to an 8.
Environment and Atmosphere
The darkness seeps out of every scene, except when it doesn’t, like in the bar or at Grandma's house.
That’s a good way to start this section. The places felt comfortable or not as appropriate, and the tension was building gradually from start to end, where much like a blockbuster movie, I couldn’t bear to put the mouse down during the last sessions. Only exhaustion and this inconvenient thing called a “job” forced me into taking a break every now and then.
When this game first was started, the comments section exploded with predictions. Many of them, including Laukku, Will, and bigfluffylemon, to name a few, predicted the score for this category, which is the coveted 10.
Dialogue and Acting
Having a star-studded cast doesn’t guarantee success. (2022’s Amsterdam shows up on nearly every list of movie failures, for example).
That’s not the case here.
Some may argue that Gabriel himself was over-acted, and I think Tim Curry laid the southern drawl on a little too thick at the start, but either I became immune to it or it mellowed out. The narrator was incredibly appropriate for the game, one of the very rare instances that I’m glad the late, great Gary Owens wasn’t called. No characters really stood out as “bad” the way that the Icelandic researcher in Fate of Atlantis was, and the only real complaint I have was that sometimes, Leah Remini’s Grace was a little unenthusiastic, especially during her final speech in the end game.
What helped overcome this? Well-written, believable dialog. Gabe came off as a sexist cad without crossing the line, Mosely as the not-to-bright detective that wasn’t a complete lummox.
How many snakes above this door? I count 9.
Back when the intro post was first made, and before I took over the playthrough, I had made a score guess of 81. My reasoning? “Nah. A good game, and arguably the best in the series, but not THAT good.”
I suppose I’m going to eat those words, because my opinion of the game changed based on this playthrough. It *is* that good.
(8 + 8 + 9 + 8 + 10 + 9) / .6 = 86.6667, which I will use my discretionary point to round down to 86.
Part of me wants to say this feels a little high. But I think it’s because some other games were rated too low. Fate of Atlantis should have been closer to this score, I think. But remember, even though we have a system with guidelines, it’s still rather subjective.
Then again, maybe this is right. The critics at the time agreed. Computer Gaming World thought highly of the game. “...unlike most computer games even today, Gabriel Knight is top-notch, Hollywood-quality entertainment. If we are lucky, it might be the start of a trend.”
The closest guess was Laukku, with a prediction of 88. His guess was the highest, but a third of the guesses were in the 80s. Some of the people who guessed lower did so only because their chosen number was taken (although the rules say more than one can win). That implies that there would have been more higher guesses.
Usually, I compare my opinions to fellow editor MorpheusKitami, and if we disagree, I know I’m probably right. But this time, he guessed an 80, so I’m confused. We never see eye to eye on these things! Fellow admin Will Moczarski was the one I disagreed with the most, who low-balled the guess at 74. That’s still a decent score for a game (it would be a top 5 game on the blog as of this writing).
Hey -- bonus points for anyone who can tell me what the heck the photo of young cadet Mosely was for? Was I supposed to use it to search for him when he went on “vacation”?
CAP Distribution
100 CAPs to Michael
Chosen One Award - 100 CAPs - for blogging about Gabriel Knight for our enjoyment
60 CAPs to Busca
Second Set of Eyes Award - 50 CAPs - for invaluable behind-the-scenes proofreading and editing, proving that some of us shouldn’t be allowed near a keyboard without supervision
No Glove, No Love Award - 10 CAPs - for teaching us about a curiously-named church in southern France
30 CAPs to Laukku
Still Not Running Around and Deserting Us Award - 10 CAPs - for cluing us into Rick Astley’s adventure game debut
Amazin’ Mets Award - 10 CAPs - For many interesting links, including one about a unique color combination
You’re Gonna See Some Serious $#!+ Award - 10 CAPs - for having the closest guess for the PISSED score of Gabriel Knight
25 CAPs to Bigfluffylemon
Travel with Friends Award - 25 CAPs - for playing Gabriel Knight along with Michael and sharing many observations
20 CAPs to Zenic Reverie
Best Foot Forward Award - 20 CAPs - for writing the introduction post for Gabriel Knight
20 CAPs to LeftHanded Matt
Carbon Dating Award - 20 CAPs - for starting a side project on TAG researching the release dates of our future games
20 CAPs to Alex Romanov
Old Flame Award - 10 CAPs - for pointing out how uncomfortably warm Malia’s living room would be with a fire roaring in June
Past Remembrances Award - 10 CAPs - for sharing many interesting thoughts and remembrances of the game during the playthrough
20 CAPs to arcanetrivia
She’s A Doll Award - 10 CAPs - for comparing the portrayal of Voodoo in various video games to real practices
Drawn Out Drama Award - 10 CAPs - For blurring the lines (so to speak) between the two biggest adventure game publishers.
10 CAPs to PsOmA
All Bets are Off Award - 10 CAPs - for placing a bet that didn’t count (since it wasn’t in the introduction post) but we wish to encourage others to place bets in the future on the blog
10 CAPs to Melfina
As the Turtle Flies Award - 10 CAPs - for finishing reading our back catalog, despite being sidetracked by re-reading the entire Discworld series
10 CAPs to Adam Thornton
Faithful Re-enactment Award - 10 CAPs - for scouting the locations in the game in advance of Gabriel’s arrival, and making sure the drinks are safe
10 CAPs to MenhirMike
Foreshadow-hunter-ing Award - 10 CAPs - for a well-placed joke about Malia’s intentions that would foreshadow the endgame sequence
A full 4 points between Atlantis and this feels high, but I cannot find fault with your GK rating, especially after you already subtracted at least 2 points. So I agree that Atlantis was probably rated a bit too low (I think it's _significantly_ better than Monkey 2, but I also have a weird opinion where I think that Monkey 1 is better than 2, despite Monkey 2 being excellent), and also agree that it's all subjective.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is that GK isn't just Sierra's best adventure (and if not it, then GK2 is), but one of the absolute best adventures in the entire genre. So it rightfully deserves a place at the top, ahead of Atlantis.
Thanks for playing and blogging!
Consider me another one who thinks that the first Monkey Islandis better tgan the second (although both are excelent games). Maybe Monkey 2 is a better game, but Monkey 1 is a better story, because all that happens in Monkey 2 from the moment you enter LeChuck's fortress seems to me incredibly rushed.
DeleteI am also in the monkey 1 preferring camp.
DeleteSame, although it's a close call. While Monkey Island 2 I find to have more interesting themes in its story (Guybrush's glory having quickly waned and him trying to reclaim it, the ending, and the general heightened gravitas and cynicism), Monkey Island 1 is indeed the more solid and consistently good game. Even the (ROT13) erq ureevat puzzle is less bad than the zbaxrl jerapu one for non-native English speakers, because you have a smaller inventory and can more easily try everything.
DeleteYep, Monkey Island 2's Act I is fantastic, Woodtick and Largo are delightful, but Monkey 1 has the fantastic Melee Island Act I that introduced us to insult sword fighting. Still, as iconic as the three trials are, I gotta give that to Monkey 2's Booty Island. But the longer Monkey 2 goes on, the more it falls apart. Bigger isn't necessarily better, I found the boat and Monkey Island chapters to be much more "tightly" designed than Monkey 2's "random" assortment if Islands, even though I loved most of the islands. But man, Le Chuck's Fortress, the (ROT13) zbaxrl jerapu puzzle, the ending (love it or hate it, I hate it) ultimately made me not 100% happy with Monkey 2.
DeleteSometimes, Less is More. Monkey 2 has higher highs than Monkey 1, but also (in my opinion) MUCH lower lows, and those lows come towards the end. Some fantastic gags though (gur yhpnfnegf ubgyvar) and as said, Monkey 2 is an excellent game, but as a package, Monkey 1 wins this hands down for me.
Behind you, a three headed monkey!
For years I was convinced that MI2 was the better game, but I changed my mind when I saw this amazing analisis of Monkey Island 1:
Deletehttps://youtu.be/gYqVK3Y_-o0?si=6q3MzcoOR3W0k8-N
MI 1 is a flawless and polished gem. MI 2 is more expansive, more ambitious, more atmospheric - but also flabbier and more indulgent. I prefer the original. It's similar to many sequels in this: HL1 vs HL2, Portal vs Portal 2, Fallout vs Fallout 2. But sometimes the sequel is the leaner, more focused game (BG vs BG2), so it's not exactly a cast-iron rule.
DeleteI just realized that this blog actually agreed with this, for some reason I thought that MI2 was rated 82 and MI1 80, instead of the other way round. Which is pretty much exactly how I see it. So, great minds think alike and all that!
DeleteI'm looking forward to eventually seeing GK2 coverage to see how it stacks up to GK1.
Oh, now, MI1 is extremely good and it has a kind of stained-glass beauty of vision to it that makes me prefer it to MI2, but it's not flawless. Both contemporary and modern reviews (and Ron himself) note that the Monkey Island section drags a bit or feels emptier compared to Melee, for example. MI2 is both textually partly about, and meta-textually also an embodiment of, how difficult it is to follow up on a great thing.
DeleteHopping in here late, I'd say that SOMI is the better game overall, but the music and graphics in the second game are incredible in comparison.
DeleteUnlike MenhirMike, though, I absolutely adore the zbaxrl jerapu puzzle. But that's always been the overseas debate -- the game was not really designed for an international audience in mind, but then, most games weren't back then.
That said, I know some people have a problem with the second game because Guybrush is kind of a jerk in it. That never bothered me, but I suppose it's the same reason some people liked the comics and games of Sam & Max and others do not: they are very mean-spirited at times. But I've seen enough of the bad side of average horrible people that I can enjoy seeing bad things happen to them at times.
Thanks a lot! I definitely share your opinion of the game. After reading this, I have a warm feeling that we have witnessed the review of the best adventure game ever made.
ReplyDelete"If we are lucky, it might be the start of a trend." — Well, I think we were not so lucky, and no other game will surpass this score.
My vote is still on Sanitarium in a few gaming years.
DeleteCongrats to the game for getting the well-deserved top spot! And for getting the first 10 in a category ever!
ReplyDeleteNow let's wait for the score of Police Quest 4, possibly Sierra's worst game on the blog's main list...
Hmmm.... Codename: ICEMAN was rather bad. And... I have a bad feeling that someone will spend CAPs to put King's Quest 8 on the list a few years out.
DeleteCan I spend my CAPs to have KQ8 NOT be put on the list?
Deleteuh oh, there's been a terrible mistake again, first one was not rating Fate of Atlantis a 100 some years ago, and now scoring this one higher. This is super wrong.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's probably the best Sierra game, I still think it's not as good as the top 3 LucasArts games (Fate of Atlantis, DOTT and .. either Full Throttle or Sam n Max), but it's still an amazing game.
And remember, never press 'B' in the remake, you have been warned
But it’s hilarious, if you haven’t seen OneShortEye’s video about it, it’s a must: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQ1gtkuyEw
DeleteThat was a fun video to watch.
DeleteHuh. I remember not being all that impressed by this game when I tried to play it for the first time about two and a half years ago, although I can't really argue with it getting high scores in atmosphere and dialogue. I found it difficult to figure out what I was supposed to be doing and around 2/3 of the way through I basically gave up and just followed a walkthrough without even trying, just so I could see the ending. But then I am not big on piecing together mysteries and that's what this is, so maybe it's just the genre not appealing to me that's the thing. I did not know there were no gotcha dead-man-walking scenarios here; given my long experience with Sierra games I assumed that there were, and thus approached it with the caution I thought was required rather than the freewheeling "try anything, there are no bad consequences, you will never have to reload a save that was 2 hours ago because you unknowingly messed up" attitude one can have to a LucasArts game.
ReplyDeletePart of me wants to say this feels a little high. But I think it’s because some other games were rated too low. Fate of Atlantis should have been closer to this score, I think. But remember, even though we have a system with guidelines, it’s still rather subjective.
And if Fate should be scored higher, probably so should be the two Monkey Islands. I still think that given the way the PISSED system works that The Curse of Monkey Island stands a decent chance of scoring 90+, but that's quite far in the blog's future.
I can only think of one area where Curse might fall down, and that's the ending story and puzzle wise, which was a bit rushed. If it doesn't get a perfect 10 for dialogue and acting, nothing ever will.
DeleteThank you for playing through and blogging about GK. Decidedly sounded like a less frustrating and more fun affair to do that than it has been for many other games covered on TAG so far.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the GK Omnipedia, the Mosley photo is a red herring and serves no actual in-game purpose.
Oh, and thanks for all those caps! Glad to be of service.
Thanks for the blog and the CAPS. I agree with the posters that say this feels too high relative to Fate and Secret of Monkey Island (and DoTT, but let's not go there again). Personally I'd have definitely rated it lower in dialogue and acting - Gabriel's voice acting grated on me the whole game. And I might have been a bit harsher on puzzle or interface due to the pixel hunting and finickyness of a couple of puzzles like the drums and writing on the tomb wall. But those are mainly nitpick, and it would still have been comfortably in the 80s.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
I also would've maybe given a lower puzzle rating due to the pixel hunting and other things like it being too easy to brute-force the correct hole in day 9 - but in turn would've given a higher for audioviuals (the art direction is just stellar). Fate's puzzles, as I've said before, I think are rated a hair too high due to the amount of mazes and busywork. Otherwise I think they're well rated and Gabriel Knight indeed has a definite edge on story, writing and atmosphere.
DeleteWell that has certainly been an eye opener. I missed a lot from this period in gaming (we had very limited access to games at this time of my life) and I knew the GK series only from reviews in the PC Formats of the time and never paid them much attention. So my entirety of knowledge about Gabriel Knight up to this series was basically that puzzle in GK3 (apart from some half remembered articles in said magazine). It just goes to show how much influence (deserved or not) it had on gaming culture.
ReplyDeleteSo thank you for enlightening me on the broader subject, the whole series was a great read and I particularly enjoyed the evocative scenery and the accompanying New Orleans (fingers crossed I got my American geography right this time) history!
I will say that on one hand, Old Man Murray was absolutely correct about that puzzle in GK3 (and one also has to call out The Longest Journey or the Secret Files games for puzzles of that caliber), it's too simple to reduce GK3 to that puzzle. (Similar to reduce Castlevania II to the AVGN video).
DeleteGK3 is a much better game than it's remembered as. Still a big step back from GK1 and 2, but it's not a terrible game.
to be fair, Simon 3D is probably much worse than GK3, around same period. Same with most adventure games in that era where everything was bland 3d, empty spaces that looked way behind in graphics
DeleteI recall GK3 mostly for being technologically awkward with its post-AITD-but-still-very-early 3D graphics much more than I remember "that puzzle" (Which never especially bothered me because I felt like the game kinda handholds you through it).
DeleteAlso I remember that it started crashing all the time and I actually called Sierra tech support. They told me "Why are you playing an adventure game? No one plays those any more. You should play one of our new sports games"
"I joke a little."
ReplyDeleteYeah, the zero point rating is clearly meant for Donkey Island.
Well, maybe not, but I don't expect it to score too highly in any category, and I think it'll do very badly in at least one of them.
Now that the first post went up, I can say this: SPOILER: it's not that good.
DeleteNot as good as zero? dang. doling out the harshness. ;)
DeleteDamn right this in the high 80s. One of the best adventure games ever. Kudos to Michael for finishing the game and a fair final rating!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome review and the CAPS (I'll get it right one of these days!). I first tried playing GK back in about 97 when I bought it on a whim (some electronics store was running it out for $1.88). I couldn't get into it at the time... it felt a little ancient without having the benefit of nostalgia. I played through it with purpose for the first time maybe 2-3 years ago and I have to say, yes, I think it's better than all other games that have been reviewed to date. For mine, it was close to perfect save for the interface, and that's why, like others, I think the only thing that may better it - the only thing I actually think is a better adventure game is Curse of Monkey Island. That said, I didn't think this would be 4 clear of Atlantis, but, yay, go Gabe!
I probably have a couple on the same personal tier - The Dig, Full Throttle, Broken Sword, and both the Twinsen games, but feel they all probably suffer a little more objectively, so when all is said and done, I reckon COMI will sit proudly on top with GK a close but clear second.
COMI, even if it is a good game, will probably suffer from the fact that it is neither Monkey 1 nor Monkey 2. I would probably predict a score in the 70s, but not more than that.
DeleteOn the other hand, Curse has improvements in technical areas like audiovisuals, voice acting and (more subjectively) UI, which in total might add up enough to tilt the PISSED scale. On the other other hand, I don't think the story is too impressive, with cnegf gung ner vaqvivqhnyyl ragregnvavat ohg juvpu qba'g pbzr gbtrgure gb zhpu zber guna n ZnpThssva uhag.
Deletecnegf gung ner vaqvivqhnyyl ragregnvavat ohg juvpu qba'g pbzr gbtrgure gb zhpu zber guna n ZnpThssva uhag
DeleteMy sentiments exactly.
It will probably lose a few points in the puzzles (there's a few real frustrating groaners IMO) and story for a few reasons as mentioned (but not setting I don't think, which is quite strong)... but 70s seems very pessimistic. Sound/graphics, environment/atmosphere, and dialogue/acting would all be solid 10s for me, which is 50 points already. Someone who doesn't like cartoon-style graphics, period, in any game, might score the graphics a little lower, but that's that pesky subjectiveness. I don't think it's really fair for the rating to compare it too directly to its predecessors rather than trying to keep its merits and flaws in isolation as much as possible.
DeleteBut COMI has Murray. That's got to be worth a few points.
DeleteRon was quoted years ago saying something like, even though he chooses to pretend MI3 & 4 don't exist, Murray was an inspired addition. They added him to RTMI.
COMI has both Murray (who is great) and "A Pirate I Was Meant To Be" which is probably (one of) the best adventure game songs ever.
DeleteBut, I stand my ground that the Story and Setting (and Environment+Atmosphere to a lesser degree) are uninspired to say the least.
Seems like so many people are already familiar with it -- Are there any reviewers that haven't already played it?
Delete@Vetinari "Cell Block Blues" was rather nice also, from LSL6.
Delete@arcanetrivia Didn't we find someone who had avoided DOTT? It might not be as impossible as you think.
DoTT was Morpheus. The ntro post doesn't address his familiarity or lack thereof so I guess that must have been talked about elsewhere. I just wonder how it stands with or not all of the current regular reviewers , whether maybe a guest would have to be brought in or if there's someone "on staff" who can still play blind or near-blind. Of course 1997 is far enough away in blog years (as it were) that it there might have been considerable turnover by then, who knows.
Delete...wow, I English grammar well. 🙄
DeleteI've got to agree with arcanetrivia - I can't see how any reasonable rating gives COMI less than a 9 for any of sound/graphics, environment/atmosphere and dialogue/acting, and there's a case for a 10 for each (strongest in dialogue/acting - as I said above, I think it's the best in any adventure game, ever.).
ReplyDeleteI like the puzzles and story too but can see how reasonable minds differ (nygubhtu gur zpthssva uhag gung qbrfa'g ernyyl cnl bss pevgvpvfz pbhyq or yriryyrq ng ZV2 nf jryy - zber fb orpnhfr ng yrnfg va PBZV jura lbh svaq gur zpthssva vg fnirf gur qnl naq Thloehfu trgf Rynvar. Va ZV2 gur zpthssva yrnqf abjurer (be abjurer fngvfslvat va n fgbel frafr). Ohg gura, ZV2'f raqvat vf abguvat vs abg qvivfvir)
Even then, given the setting is very strong, you'd be looking at 7-8 for story, and surely the interface gets at least an 8 if MI1 and 2 and GK get that also. So even the most pessimistic rating has it at least the low 80s IMO.
But then, I am an unashamed MI (and Lucasarts in general) fan, and COMI is in my top 5 classic adventure games ever (for the record, the others are DOTT, Grim Fandango, MI1 and Broken Sword, with Fate narrowly missing out).
Thanks for the CAPs! Making the release date document has been fun, and I'm still adding to it. Anyone else who wants to help is welcome.
ReplyDeleteGreat review of Gabriel Knight and I'm not surprised by the high score. The game is an interesting one to me, it's one I don't have any nostalgia for having played it for the first time around 2010-ish (although I certainly knew of it growing up). I find a lot to like about it and also several elements that don't quite click. It's definitely one of Sierra's strongest adventures and that really does come down to the quality and scope of the writing. Fantastic atmosphere.
I'm less enamoured with some of the puzzles, although they are again a step above the usual Sierra fare. Voice acting is an odd one because while Tim Curry is such an odd fit, I also love what he does. From memory, I found the narrator got in the way (much like in Space Quest 4) and speaks so slowly, so I prefer to have her turned off.
I can see game in the near-ish future that I would personally rate higher than this (Full Throttle, The Dig, Curse of Monkey, Toonstruck, Under a Killing Moon to name a few) but that's my personal preference and I wouldn't expect them to necessarily come out that high.
I remember playing a demo of Under a Killing Moon on a cover disk back in the day and really enjoying it. In the 30 odd years since, I’ve never managed to play the full game, but I think it’s the next cab off the rank (after I finish Phantasmagoria - which I doubt will be spoken about in the same revered tones). Your reference to Toonstruck also reminded me that I absolutely adored The Neverhood, and whilst I too doubt it will feature in the upper echelons, it’s a dead set classic and feat of artistic expression in my books.
DeleteNeverhood is one of those that I cannot wait for the blog to get to (although it will be quite some time). Back in the day, it was a game with a limited production run and a high price tag, so it was scarce for many years. Obviously, now, fast internet downloads and multiple repositories of questionable legality solve that problem, but it's a game that a large number of people, including myself, never experienced back in the day.
Delete