[HandsFree]

I caused some waves in the 'worst games' thread by mentioning Syberia and Gabriel Knight 3 (in all honesty!), so to balance it, here are my favorites (in no particular order, haven't decided on that yet)

Under a Killing Moon
The Pandora Directive
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the fathers
Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within
Broken Sword 1
Titanic Adventure Out of Time
Discworld 2
Discworld Noir
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
Timelapse
Dark Fall

oops, thats 11.

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by HandsFree

I caused some waves in the 'worst games' thread by mentioning Syberia and Gabriel Knight 3 (in all honesty!), so to balance it, here are my favorites (in no particular order, haven't decided on that yet)

Well on the flip of that I hated The Beast Within

[kwool]

I haven't been playing adventures for very long, but here are some that I really enjoyed:

In Memoriam (Missing)
Evidence: The Last Ritual
Overclocked
And Then There Were None--its gameplay was pretty weak, but I absolutely love the story... and it had quite a bit of polish to it (in terms of graphics and music)

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by kwool

I haven't been playing adventures for very long, but here are some that I really enjoyed:

In Memoriam (Missing)
Evidence: The Last Ritual
Overclocked
And Then There Were None--its gameplay was pretty weak, but I absolutely love the story... and it had quite a bit of polish to it (in terms of graphics and music)

Overclocked? What didn't you like about it?

[DEMON]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Overclocked? What didn't you like about it?

Originally Posted by kwool

I haven't been playing adventures for very long, but here are some that I really enjoyed

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by DEMON

Oops. I should have read that one a bit better.

[kwool]

^ LOL.

Indeed, Overclocked is probably the #1 of all that I have played so far. Its story, graphics, and music are just fascinating--and it's not frustratingly difficult either. Absolutely great.

I'm probably going to get Moment of Silence soon, seeing that it's from the same people. Hopefully it will have all the good qualities of Overclocked (and from what I've read, it definitely seems to).

Also, I forgot to mention The Experiment. Such a strange game... I loved it and hated it at the same time, yet all the while it fascinated me. I loved its cutscenes and drama hidden in the computer system within the game... I hated trekking all around (and taking forever to do so).

[Razvi T]

1.Broken sword 2
2.The longest journey
3.Syberia
4.Monkey island 2
5.Indiana Jones ant the faith of atlantis
6.DOTT
7.Syberia 2
8.Broken sword 1
9.Flight of the amazonian queen
10.grim f.

I don't know if this is the exact order...i liked all of them a lot..

[gray pierce]

I haven't been playing adventuregames for that long so my top ten stranded on 8. Anyways here are some that I truly loved. They are in the correct order

Broken Sword 1 and 3 (liked 3 better)
Secret Files 1 and 2 (in that order)
Gabriel Knight 3
Sherlock Holmes : The Awakened
Curse of Monkey Island (only just got it but I sooo love it)
Runaway 2

[Gonzosports]

1. Riven
2. Myst
3. Police Quest 1
4. A Mind Forever Voyaging (Infocom)
5. The X-Files
6. Myst III: Exile
7. Enchanter (Infocom)
8. The Lurking Horror (Infocom)
9. Neuromancer
10. Loom
11. Suspect (Infocom)
12. Sam and Max Season One

I think I'm a bit of a different gamer than most folks around here - and haven't really played a lot of the main games people talk about. I have played Broken Sword and TLJ, and while BS has great animation and TLJ is an incredibly well-conceived and brilliant fantasy setting, both suffer from bizarre puzzles and cartoon realities that break immersion far more than a pixel hunt ever could.

I added Sam & Max Season 1 on there, I don't think it's art - but it's manic energy and absolutely insane plotlines make it a fun, sublime masterpiece. I haven't found the time yet for season 2.

[wielandsmith]

1. GK 2: Beast Within
2. Grim Fandango
3. The Longest Journey
4. Tales of Monkey Island
5. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
6. GK 1: Sin's of the Fathers
7. Broken Sword 2
8. Leisure Suit Larry 7 (though I liked the others.
9. King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella - This came out when I was in 4th grade and was my first adventure game. Whether considered "good" or not, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
10. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

[Jaxartes]

Salutation Here!

New to these here parts and what better way to kick off, than with everyone's favourite (and/or most tediously inevitable) topic - my Top 10 Adventure Games!

So with no more ado than that already expressed, here they are, in no particular order. (Can you say Cop-out?)

1) The Secret of Monkey Island.
Most people probably prefer the second one, but for me, this is the best Monkey Island. I like the piratical theme and Guybrush is at his best here as the hapless rookie pirate.

The sequels are a mixed bag in my opinion, where the humour becomes a little too knowing and the story wanders a bit (and fizzles out completely at the end of Lechuck's Revenge, with the Big Whoop ending).

Secret was the tightest and most focused of the games. It had the best atmosphere and characters in my view and rarely ever dipped in quality. Only the latter sections on Monkey Island itself are a bit wide of the mark.

2) Simon The Sorceror 2.
Technically, this should fall into the category of less focused sequels, but this was so well done that it hardly mattered. Pound for pound, the funniest game I've ever played.

It was given added needle by the fact that your hero Simon, is actually a bit of a sod! So the ending, whilst a bit of an annoying cliffhanger, did see him get the comeuppance that he sort of deserved for how he treats some of the game's loveable crackpots.

3) Beneath A Steel Sky.
One of my favourites in terms of setting, this was at times a brilliantly realised game. Some superbly chilling moments and some frankly terrifying Replicant style enemies made this an edgy classic.

It was hurt somewhat by having a bit of a dull mid-game. The early going and the end sections were excellent, full of horror, doom and nightmarish events. But the middle where you're trudging around the residential and business levels did rob it of momentum a little.

Still, when it was on, it was brutally and malevolently excellent.

4) Grim Fandango.
A game that used to divide people on its quality. I think those arguments were fueled by some reacting against it being named the best adventure game ever, though really.

It isn't, but it's damn fine all the same. A great setting and some hilarious characters meant this was a joy to play. Manny is a very likeable hero and seeing the villainous Nick Virago get his just desserts was a fine moment in my gaming career!

Bit hard at times, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. And it had Salvadore Lemonis - what an ace character!

5) Quest for Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness.
These are not in any real order, but if they were, this would almost certainly be top. Able to mix wonderful locations, atmosphere and characters with huge amounts of fanservice knowledge to horror fans and maintan a rich and interesting story... and it was really funny at well!

Even the loading screen was fun, with hilarious dialogue boxes as the discs installed. This was a quality product from start to finish. Taking references from Hammer Horror, Poe, Call of Cthulthu etc, it was right down my alley.

And it even had a funny manual! Carl Atlas's guide to bigger bun building and Confessions of a Master Thief by Matt 'The Cat' Macmasters. Brlliant.

Not all the QFG series were good. The remake of 1 was okay and 3 had its moments (though it took a while to get going). But this was the crowning achievment IMO.

Anyway, it looks like I've rambled on so much that I've run out of time! I'll pop back with the next 5 choices in my Top 10 as soon as I can.

In the meantime, great site and nice to see so many people still carrying the torch for one of the greatest genres of gaming!

[gray pierce]

I'd like to change my list because since last time I've played and remembered many great games

1 and 2) Broken Sword 1 and 3(still like 3 better) Maybe not the best games but the most enjoyable certainly, can play them over and over

3 and 4) Secret Files 1 and 2 in that order) Also extremely enjoyable but characters aren't as good as in BS games

5) Dreamfall: Simply the best game ever made even with the lousy ending. The story is top notch, the characters and gameplay and of course the graphic etc... I just like playing "adventure" adventures better

6) The Last Express: A fantastic gem of a game. The graphics are fantastic, it's got good pacing and it's actually very exciting and even thrilling to play plus once again the story is superb

7) Still Life: Best crime thriller ever. Solid mystery, beautiful locations and very nice characters.

8) The Longest Journey: In this case the sequal exceeds the original in just about anything but the first one is very good as well. Another excellent installment

9) Secrets of Atlantis: Very small, funny little game that went largely unnoticed but for some reason I love it to pieces.

10) Saving this spot for future installments

[Denaron]

It's hard to decide each one position because I really like them all, but I think that's my list:

1. Grim Fandango
2. The lost crown: A ghost hunting adventure
4. Gabriel Knight: Sins of fathers
5. Syberia
6. Syberia II
7. Barrow Hill
8. The Longest Journey
9. Still Life
10. Beneath a Steel Sky

[Antaios]

Something like this, although titles can shift around depending on my day-to-day mood, hehe.

01: The Secret of Monkey Island
02: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
03: The Curse of Monkey Island
04: Syberia
05: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
06: Grim Fandango
07: The Longest Journey
08: The Dig
09: Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
10: Day of the Tentacle

[Jaxartes]

So... Where was I?

6) Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers.
One of the other contenders for actual favourite adventure game. This was fabulous from start to finish. A likeable and interesting cast of characters, good use of locations and atmosphere and a truly engrossing story.

Quite simply one of the best adventure games ever. The sequel 'The Beast Within' had its moments. It wasn't as good, but still remains one of the very few FMV adventures that is actually pretty good.

Given the excellent start to the series however, Gabriel Knight must be considered a severe underachiever in how it failed to go on and become a truly great series.

7) King's Quest 6.
The King's Quest were very early adventures, so their quality has obviously faded over time. But 5 was pretty good and this was a superb addition. A charming and involving world, good visuals and a great greek mythology feel.

It's frustrating that it isn't remembered better, really. The villainous Doppelganger that hunts you through the game is worth playing it for alone. Sometimes you'll spot that it's him straight off, other times you'll notice too late (or on subsequent plays) the evil gleaming in his eyes that giving him away.

A diamond in the rough.

8) Phoenix Wright: Justice for All.
Some take issue with this particular PW being my choice. It's true that it only has 4 cases instead of 5 which the other two do, and there is a case for saying that the overarching story about Phoenix's crisis over what he wants to do with his life, is less involving than the story of Edgeworth's downfall in 1 and the various duels between Mia Fey, Dahlia Hawthorn and Diego Armando in 3.

But I choose this simply on the strength of the writing. The cases are executed extremely well in this installment. Attention is given to making sure the courtroom scenes feel appropriate to the case you are trying.

In the first one for example, the game cleverly introduces new players to the system, by having Wright lose his memory as an important aspect (so the game can introduce old characters again).

The second case is an open and shut case, where the murder happened in a closed room with only two people. And the game does a wonderful job of making the courtroom feel smaller, like there is nowhere to go. It does this through toning down the use of the crowd, giving the prosecutor a whip so she can hit wright even from across the way and removing Maya from his side (thus losing that shot of the courtroom, making it feel more cramped.

The third case is a circus case, so the game brings the crowd in much more, having them respond to witnesses who play to them and giving it a carnival atmosphere. The game also uses them to good effect in the final case to make the court seem bigger and more important, giving Wright extra animations to get across how tense the situation is.

Long story short - it's great, so buy it.

9) Police Quest 1
Very dated by now of course (although it was remade, as I remember). But this holds a lot of fond memories for me. The fact it was written by an actual former copper (Jim Walls) gave it an aura of credibility and importance, especially as he was able to make what should have been quite dry police proceedure, seem fun and interesting to learn and learn to use.

And the story he told was very tight and controlled. It was especially satisfying that whilst he made concessions towards the end to amping up the action etc, you still ended up arresting the Death Angel, rather than killing him.

A very good game, not least because of its non-standard premise. Even now, police games never feel as real and authentic as Walls' games, because he was so close to the subject material.

10) Zork: Nemesis
The Zork games were always a bit hit and miss, but this was a very good one. It was down to the fact that the visuals and sound combined to such eerier and desolate effect, creating a world of darkly sinister, but intriguing beauty.

It was helped along by committed performances from genre actors like W Morgan Sheppard and Stephen Macht - actors who have built their careers on being able to deliver lines with conviction and intensity.

It was often as frustrating as these kinds of game usually are. But still, it remains a powerful and deeply unusual experience.


So there we have it. No Broken Sword (a series which I consider to be very overrated - although the first game at least had some promise, despite its shoddy execution).

And I would have liked to find room for one of the Space Quests, either 4 or 5. But never mind, eh?

[aaroncarney]

1.The Longest Journey
2.Gabriel Knight 3
3.The Curse of Monkey Island
4.Grim Fandango
5.Blade Runner
6.The Dig
7.Toonstruck
8.Black Mirror 2 (playing it now, and so far finding it so exciting)
9.Broken Sword 3
10.Not sure if this counts but... Heavy Rain?

[diego]

Originally Posted by aaroncarney

10.Not sure if this counts but... Heavy Rain?

You were doing fine...

Just kidding, just kidding Although it's more of an interactive movie to me, but it's certainly an adventure game as well

[Sughly]

Wow, that was some bump! Good thread though, with some really great lists. So, in no particular order...

- Secret of Monkey Island
- Curse of Monkey Island
- Syberia 1 & 2 (I cheat! I don't care, they basically are one game in my eyes)
- Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
- The Dig
- Full Throttle
- Day of the Tentacle
- Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
- Machinarium
- King's Quest V

[diego]

On a slightly similar note, here's my TOP 12 GAMES YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T PLAYED, mostly of older or less-known comic adventures.

1. Cirque de Zale (brilliant AGS game, great humor that is on pair with Simon the Sorcerer, the game is one-girl work)
2. Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine (silly humor and great narrator like that in older Sierra games)
3. Dirty Split (stereotyped glamourish detective game)
4. Touche (a true little gem from '95., musketeers)
5. Fable ('96, neat and sharp humor combined with fairy tales stereotypes, nifty graphics)
6. Igor: Objective Uikokahonia (the very first game of Pendulo Studios, not brilliant but good nonetheless)
7. Monty Python & The Quest for the Holy Grail (whether you're fan of MP or not, the game is wacky and interesting on it's own and is a great choice for boring afternoons)
8. Muppet Treasure Island (same goes here - quite fun to take a rest after some more serious games)
9. Permanent Daylight (another little AGS game, has a nice charm to it)
10. Anika’s Odissey (nice little game from pre-Machinarium era)
11. Spycraft (one of the best goverment/spy game)
12. Tales of Bingwood (completely old-school, short though since it's only the first episode)