Freddi Fish 1 - Final Rating

And the Oscar goes to...

Written by Michael

Okay, this game was short, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to score in the single digits.  Remember, this was a children’s title aimed at those barely starting to use computers at the time, and this game is so well designed in that regard that, if the iPad and Android versions released a decade ago were still maintained, they would require absolutely no changes to connect with their audience.

As I look at each of these categories, I’m also reading all three of Ilmari’s reviews of their previous adventures, to see what has changed and what has stayed the same.  They had a winning formula in many ways, and that was recognized when they were bought out for $76 million in 1996.  A few years later, after several corporate mergers, acquisitions, and whatnot, the company was essentially gone.  Only the brand name remains today, owned by another company repackaging the products for modern audiences.  As sad as this is, it also says that, just maybe, there’s something there for the ages.

Let’s do the deep dive...

King’s Quest VII - Final Rating

Just how deep is my despair for having played this game?

Written by Michael

I was thinking of taking some time off between my last post and writing this scoring post, but I didn’t want my memories to fade.  This isn’t a bad game, but certainly not the best Sierra has to offer.  One could argue that they hit their peak with Gabriel Knight, although they certainly have a couple more well-done stories to come, mostly from Al Lowe with Larry 7 and Torin’s Passage, and a Space Quest game that almost reaches the luster of the earlier titles.  The FMV titles to come have their fans, but they aren’t perfect either.  The rest of Sierra’s output from this point on is a collection of arcade, action, and WalMart-friendly shovelware.

Yes, I know that those last few sentences are bound to start some arguments and paint a target on my back from some, but the good news is that, while the glory days of Sierra are largely over, other publishers will be picking up the slack for the next few gaming years.  The genre itself doesn’t “die” just yet, and some quality titles from other houses are yet to come.  I often mention Sanitarium as such an example, but there’s also Syberia, The Longest Journey, and Discworld Noir, all from publishers that have not had any real impact on our blog so far.

I bring all this up because we are about to score the final true adventure entry in Sierra’s original animated adventure series.  Before 1984’s King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown, they only made text adventures with accompanying pictures.  Mind you, they were the first to do that as well, and they did it successfully.  This is the end of an era for Sierra, and after 1995’s Phantasmagoria and limited input on the action King’s Quest 8 title, Roberta Williams will avoid adventure game design for almost 30 years, enjoying the riches of her success yachting with her husband.

But I digress; back to the title in front of us.

Pepper's Adventures in Time – Final Rating

 by Will Moczarski

When I started playing Pepper's Adventures in Time for the blog (way back when) I singled out the manual as a true labour of love. I stand by my assessment. However, I also remarked: "This is beginning to sound like work, or worse - school." And if I ask myself the pertinent question: was the game fun and did it meet its goal of teaching me something as well? I'm not sure what to answer. Did I learn something? Yes, lots of trivia. Would I have learned more had I known next to nothing about US history? Possibly but...the game tends to work sort of like an old-school museum. The "TRUTH" button is a stand-in for reading the plaques, and you learn a lot about the artifacts but not so much about the broader strokes of history. Your mileage may vary but I felt that a kid playing Pepper will pick up a lot of tidbits and facts which means that the most absurd ones will probably stand out and continue to linger in the back of their head. The game is edutaining, but is it educational? I doubt it.

On the other hand, TAG regular Vetinari claims he learned a lot about history when he played Pepper around the time of its release. Maybe I'm wrong but the TRUTH button sure felt a bit like the Neuschwanstein episode in Gabriel Knight 2 at some point - I fear it belongs in a museum.

But we're not here to rank a game based on its educational merit but rather to see how it fares with our six PISSED categories. Let's do that instead of waxing didactic, shall we?

Goblins Quest 3 – Final rating

By Ilmari

My experiences with the Goblins trilogy have been a mix of charm and frustration. The quirky humour and the intriguingly innovative gameplay have been a strong backbone of all of the three games. Then again, the first game had a frustratingly hard interface, with a diminishing health bar forcing you to replay the levels until you nailed it perfectly, and the second game was just too long and repetitive. I feel like the third game has nailed it, since there really was nothing to annoy me – even the length of the game was spot-on, the end coming after the most ingenious levels. We’ll see how far that gets with the PISSED rating.

Let's see where we'll land

Universe - Final Rating

Written by MenhirMike

To quote Frodo Baggins: It’s done.

The Universe Wikipedia article has this to say about the development:

Responding to some of the criticism directed at Curse of Enchantia, Core Design described Universe as being "a lot" more logical and less linear than their first adventure game. They also described the text-based system as an improvement over the use of only icons, the benefits being that it allowed conversations between characters and simply "it works". They also acknowledged that Curse of Enchantia had "suffered considerably" due to inclusion of action sequences, something that "adventure gamers don't want in their games”, so the ones in Universe were made "short and simple" enough.

Did Universe deliver on those promises? 

Pac-Man 2 - Final Rating

How I might have felt getting this for Christmas 30 years ago...

Written by Michael

Well, this game wasn’t quite the adventure we hoped, but that doesn’t make it a bad game.  So how will it fare in the scoring?

Missed Classic 138: Winter Wonderland (1986)

Written by Michael

The holiday season is all about traditions.  I’m sure many of our readers have rituals involving putting up a tree, or a multi-generation dinner, or the exchange of gifts.  For my family, it’s gathering from all corners of the region to spend slightly too much time together, before we all tire of each other’s company.  But, of course, we enjoy it immensely.

The TAG family has a tradition as well, the yearly Christmas “Missed Classic” of questionable quality; the adventure game equivalent of an ugly Christmas sweater.  We are slightly messing with that tradition this year, because Joe wasn’t able to join us for this year’s installment, but I’m hoping I’ll be a passable substitute.

The title I chose is a bit longer than the ones Joe usually plays; heck, it’s a full-length title for the time, yet priced as a budget title at just £7.95 on cassette.  The title is 1986’s Winter Wonderland, a release from Incentive Software Ltd., a company from the United Kingdom with releases spread over nearly a decade. The game was created using their own home-grown Graphic Adventure Creator, an interpreter they sold and distributed.  Our title today was designed on an early, pre-release copy of the language by two designers, Simon Lipscomb and Tim Walsha.  

Dragonsphere – Final Rating

Written by Vetinari

Our friend Douglas Kaufman put forth some very strong words in the design notes for Dragonsphere, saying that “we've got the best product” and “we like to think we have the competition beat in every category”.

“And I stand by what I said!” – Doug Kaufman, probably.

I cannot deny that this game is much better than the two previous MPS Labs adventures, but will it be enough for a high PISSED rating? Let's see with the breakdown categories below.

Alone in the Dark 2 - Final Rating

Written by Andy Panthro

I started this game knowing that the first one is a classic of the genre, and helped define what we would later call “survival horror”. A sequel, especially with quite a short development time, was always going to be a challenge. There was definitely more of an action focus this time, with a desire to make something a bit more exciting and cinematic than the first game.

I think it’s fair to say if you’ve played this, or read my posts, it doesn’t quite live up to either the expectations generated from the first game nor does it provide the action-packed experience that seemed to be the goal.

Unfortunately this is in part due to the nature of the game itself, the design of the game gives you quite limited movement options and doesn’t lend itself to quick movement or combat. There were too many sections of this game that became quite frustrating as you can become very easily stun-locked by enemies, as their attack cycles were too fast. As for attacking yourself, the fixed camera angles and tank controls mean aiming is a tricky procedure and it can often be difficult to get the right angle to attack.

At times this really does stretch the limits of what you might consider an “adventure game”, but there are items to use, puzzles to solve and places to search. Certainly as the series progresses, future games will continue to move towards action rather than adventure, and outside of the remit of this blog.

Donkey Island - Final Rating

Written by Michael

I sometimes get excited over the littlest things.

After Alex's post last week, anything I write this time is going to be a massive let-down.  I apologize in advance.  I'll try to do my best in his shadow.  

But after his slightly disappointing game, I have a dilemma.  Which is harder, rating a game like my last one, and worrying about how people will feel I was too generous, or a game like this one, and worry about being too harsh?

This game has a lot of charm and character to it.  For something that was intended mostly as a demonstration of concept, a test of a homemade game engine, you can tell that the authors enjoyed the source material.  Then again, who DOESN’T enjoy the Monkey Island games?  (Well, I’m sure there’s ONE person reading this blog right now that’s calling them overrated, but remember, we ARE an inclusive blog, tolerant of all opinions, even the wrong ones.)

Shall we begin?

Police Quest: Open Season - Final Rating

 by Alex

Is this really “THE MOST INTENSE MULTIMEDIA CD EVER!”? Remember when “multimedia” was an adjective that seemingly everything had slapped onto it? My friend Merriam-Webster.com (NO AI FOR ME!) defines “multimedia” as “using, involving, or encompassing several media” in its adjectival form. As a noun, M-W states that “multimedia” is “a technique (such as the combining of sound, video, and text) for expressing ideas (as in communication, entertainment, or art) in which several media are employed,” and also “something (such as software) using or facilitating such a technique.”

So, by this definition, isn’t a movie multimedia? Isn’t a Broadway musical? Weren’t radio plays? Weren’t plays by Euripides and Aristophanes? You’re telling me Oedipus Rex wasn’t a more INTENSE MULTIMEDIA experience than Police Quest: Open Season?

Ah, but by the box’s own definition, I am comparing apples to oranges, or what Aristotle might call in Posterior Analytics (which is NOT the analysis of the human butt; get your minds out of the gutter) a false syllogism. If all A is C, and there is no B in A, and we suppose that A is “a Greek tragedy” and C is “an intense multimedia experience” while B is “a compact disc,” we can see that calling, I don’t know, Lysistrata or The Frogs a more intense multimedia experience than Police Quest: Open Season is logically unsound. But the real Greek tragedy is me, a Greek, bastardizing the great Philosopher’s Posterior Analytics to make a butt joke about a thirty-year-old adventure game.

«Ντρέπομαι που είμαι πρόγονός σου, βρε μαλάκα.»

I mean, there are better ways to make butt jokes about or in adventure games:

So if the horse fart is A, the horse’s ass is C, I guess the bag is B, so we can say “All A is C . . .” Talk about Posterior ANALytics . . .

The amount of mileage I’ve gotten out of that screenshot is truly stunning.

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.

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.

Companions of Xanth – Final Rating

By Ilmari

Looking at the discussion in the comments section of the game and especially the messages from people who have actually played the game, one might expect Companions of Xanth to receive a rather disappointing score. A surprising contrast to this atmosphere of dislike is provided by Digital Antiquarian’s take on the game, since there the game was portrayed in a more positive light, especially in comparison with the book series it was based on. I am not yet sure where I will land on this spectrum, and there’s only one way to find out, so let’s begin scoring!

Our readers are always ready!

Jack in the Dark - Saving Christmas (Won and Final Rating!)

Written by Andy Panthro

The toy shop back room is where we begin the finale.

 How can one small child save Christmas? Well, this isn’t any small child, this is a witch! And if there’s any magic in this world, surely this is the time for it. Already we have defeated the dancing puppet, and the soldier toys are back in their toybox. This has allowed us access to the back room, and with that a whole new selection of items and toys to contend with.

Missed Classic 136: Jingle Bells (1986)

Written by Joe Pranevich

Merry Christmas! When I first started reviewing Christmas adventure games, eleven years ago, I thought that I’d have a lark for a year or three and then we’d be done with Christmas games as a genre. This is our twelfth one! (We covered two games last year.) When the holidays come around, I excitedly open Santa’s bag of presents– our secret spreadsheet with every Christmas game that we know about– and pulled the next game on the list.

The first one was Juleadventurespil, a Danish holiday game written in 1983 and distributed as a type-in. It would be one of our earliest Christmas games, but has the downside that I don’t speak Danish. I may try it another year, but I elected to pass for now.

The second was Gremlins, a 1985 Adventure International game based on the film of the same name. This was a tougher choice. Gremlins, like Die Hard, has a reputation of being a non-Christmas film that is set at Christmas. A review of screenshots show relatively little Christmas content in the actual game and it didn’t seem to be what I want to play when I seek Christmas joy. Plus, I’d have to watch the movie, which I have been actively avoiding since I was a kid. Perhaps next year. 

That leaves us with my third pick: Jingle Bells: A Sleigh Ride with Father Christmas, written in 1986. This was a commercial release for the ill-fated BBC Micro, written by a company better known (if known at all) for its educational software. I failed to get an emulator working, but thankfully a BBC Micro enthusiast website had one working online! Apologies if the fonts don’t look exactly right. 

Let’s get to some Christmas joy!

Hand of Fate - Final Rating

Written by Michael

Hand of Fate has proven to be a fun game to play for the blog.  I don’t remember if I ever finished it back in the day (lazy 15-year-old me might have used a walkthrough to see the end) but that’s more a reflection on me than the game.  The commenters predicted very high scores for this game, possibly even cracking the top ten list.  Getting to it, in my usual style, the first few categories are going to be very heavily worded.  You wouldn’t expect any less from me, right?

Missed Classic: The Dark Half - Won and Final Rating

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

Welcome to Miriam's Apartment in scenic New York (MAY NOT ACTUALLY NEW YORK IN THE GAME) where we, who are definitely not George Stark, will investigate Miriam's death. There are a lot of objects I can examine here, but I suspect a flowerbed is the only one I can do anything with. Oh, well, inside we go.

No wonder Miriam got murdered, she lives in Vincent Price's apartment building.

I'm not so sure Stark wasn't doing the world a favor, apparently Miriam really likes green. 10 CAPs for your best explanation of why this room looks like this. The couch, the trashcan and the sign aren't really important, but since we already know that the paper is useful, we'll take it. Inside her apartment we go.

Death in the Caribbean - Lost! (with Final Rating)

Written by Michael

This is the only acceptable ghost this time of year.

There’s not much progress to report here.  I found a known bug in the game that prevents me from winning.  Apparently only the C64 version is finishable.  And I don’t feel like starting from scratch in a new system; this game just isn’t worth it.  There’s more important things in life, like waiting in line at the DMV, or getting your teeth pulled.

Still, let me tell you what I’ve done, and what could have been.

Kronolog - Won (And Final Rating)

Written by Morpheus Kitami

Welcome to 1942, we have a crackerbox-style house behind us, housing Livingston, our target. There's a rainwater barrel next to Hoffmann, empty because there's no rain, and more cacti on the corner. I can peak in through the window, but alas, the curtains are drawn. I can go to the left, though.

"I've been shot, which is why I'm going to stand like I'm trying to reach a high shelf!"

And it's Livingstone, just after having been shot by Schmidt. Hoffmann tells him not to worry, and to go back to his own time, because he has this. He doesn't quite understand, but does so. If I were inclined to think this game might have a cruel ending, I would think I have just guaranteed that time is a loop rather than things changing and creating new timelines.

Getting closer to the house, it changes to the front porch. The fishing gear and swing are flavor. While I can see in through the windows, I don't see anything of interest. The chest and door are locked. The answer is surprisingly easy at this point, because of that well-known cliche of hiding a key where you can find it if you lose it. Where is it? In the mouth of the fish on the left. This allows me to open the chest, which has a piece of orange cloth with two grommets (those ring things you tie things into, not a noob skateboarder) and nothing else. The key does not unlock the front door.