[Kurina]

Hello everyone! I was hoping you guys may be able to help me. I checked the recurring themes topic and skimmed the forums but unable to find an answer, so I apologize ahead of time if I am bringing up any old topic.

I am an avid gamer myself but haven't played adventure games in a very long time. However, my mother has become a fan of them as she can't play many "action" games due to getting motion sickness very easily as a result from an old auto accident.

She very much loved both Syberia games (me too actually!) but we are having a tough time finding similar games. Could anyone possibly suggest games similar to this? Point and click games are good like Myst, but those with a little character movement like Syberia would be great. I played the Longest Journey once before and may try getting her into that, but otherwise, I am at a complete loss. I thought Dreamfall would be promising but it appears to have a lot of motion in it, watching gameplay videos?

One of the picky requirements is, I'd really like to get her a game that looks good graphically so it's something she can enjoy on her new computer. I hate picking out something to old or outdated that doesn't atleast let her enjoy the computer somewhat.

I've browsed review sites and such, but sometimes its tough to really get a good idea what to expect. Are there any games similar to the Syberia and Longest Journey ones, or any suggestions to atleast point me in the right direction? Would really like to get her something but just having a tough time knowing what to look for. I know how easy it is to get taken in by a few awesome screenshots, but in the end just feel like you wasted your money 10 minutes in.

[Kurufinwe]

Paradise was made by the same designer as Syberia. But it has a much darker story, which is told in a way that makes it rather hard to get into. I thought it was well-worth playing, but I know many people disagree. (Be sure to use the patch if you play this one; the original release was awfully buggy.)

Secret Files: Tunguska might also be similar, though the puzzles are harder. The plot is a rather unimpressive conspiracy story, but it's still a rather pleasant game to play (with great graphics).

Keepsake is an OK game, focused on logic puzzles, within a beautiful magical castle. I personally didn't like the gratuitously-emotional plot, and thought the puzzles really got over the top near the end, but you might want to look into it.

And The Longest Journey might be a great, great choice (it's very dialogue-heavy though, so beware if your mother might not like that). Dreamfall is real-time 3D and tends to move a lot, so it's probably not a good choice for a person with a motion-sickness problem.

[Nautilus]

Maybe she likes these titles too:

Return to Mysterious Island
Moment of Silence
Paradise
Still Life
Amerzone

[Panthera]

Broken Sword 1 and 2, even though these are old, the drawn cartoon style is very nice, and the games are actually not that hard to get hold of.. The first two of the broken sword series (Broken sword: the shadow of the templars and Broken Sword: The smoking mirror) are both fully 2d, the newer ones are 3d..

[Laser Eyes]

Broken Sword 1 and 2
Runaway 1 and 2
The Moment of Silence
Secret Files: Tunguska

[Kurina]

Awesome, thank you guys so much for your help! Definitely going to look into these to see if some might be just what I'm looking for. She used to love all kinds of games till the motion sickness problem developed. As a kid I had to fight over the console controllers just to get my turn sometimes lol. Just don't want her to lose the fun she used to have with playing games. Ever since I saw how much playing Syberia made her smile, and at times I could hardly pull her away from the pc, I want to find more of that for her to enjoy.

Thanks a ton guys, and a very happy holidays to everyone! ^^

*Edit: I just checked Broken Sword and I completely forgot about these games, as I remember trying a demo of one a while back I believe. A lot of these games suggested seem very promising, and just wanted to add an extra thanks! Hope to go shopping tomorrow and atleast find one or two if I can survive the Christmas shopping battle.

[Ninth]

If your mother likes horror/thriller settings, then my two favorites (recent games, third person, 2D fixed backgrounds) are Still Life and The Black Mirror.

Myst 4 is much more alive than the first three games, very pretty, and in my opinion a lot of fun.

Otherwise, well, Keepsake is nice, but feels a little empty (and I agree with Kurufinwe about the puzzles near the end; that's where I quitted playing).

And of course, The Longest Journey is very poetic, and a classic, even though it's a bit bland.