New To The Genre, Hoping For Some Guidance
 

Firstly I know there are probably hundreds of similar topics on this forum, however I wanted to start a topic for myself so I could get the best possible recommendations based on my personal tastes. I have looked through top 10 lists, and the sticky on this forum, but I still feel a little out of my depth.

Basically I have just finished playing Machinarium and Samorost 2 (got the great Xmas deal) and I was blown away (especially Machinarium) by the art, the atmosphere, and the clever puzzles.

Other than those two games, my only other experience (while maybe technically not a hardcore adventure game) was Farenheit/Indigo Prophecy. This game (even with its odd ending) was one of my favourite experiences of the last generation of consoles.

While I want as many recommendations as possible, I want to stress that im not looking simply for clones of the above games, instead im looking for games that capture the atmosphere and charm of the above mentioned games. And I realise this is vague so I will put down my priorities for a game below.

1: Story : I need to be involved, whether it's dialogue heavy or subtle, I need to want to play to the end. Story is by a mile the most important thing in games for me.

2: Atmosphere : Similar to story I need the the sounds, the animation, and the overall mood of the game to be deep and enthralling.

3: Puzzles : Clever puzzles, that aren't to long winded or overally contrived, im not saying im dumb, but I just dont like meandering over a boring puzzle for an hour, it really knocks me out of the experience. Machinarium got this spot on, with great funny puzzle that were clever and charming, and their hint sytem was there in case, (and didn't just give away the answer, just helped to push you along a bit)

4: Soundtrack : I guess this ties into the atmosphere, but great music and sound effects that suit the mood of the game are really a priority. A beautiful piece of music can make an average game a lot more appealing to me.

Sorry for the long post, but I really want to get into this genre, and I want to make sure I take the right steps. I dont want to jump in the deep end with a hardcore game just in case it puts me off. If I can work my way into the genre I know there are countless hours of great experiences. Plus I have a hunch that this genre holds the best stories and best experiences for me considering my favourite games ever all share key elements with adventure games. (ICO, Farenheit, Shenmue1+2, and now Machinarium)

I truly hope you guys can help, and once again I apologise if this is an annoying repeat topic, I hope I have presented my tastes well enough to make it useful for others as well as myself.

~
Idris

You are new to this, so som questions may be hard to answer, but anyway..

Do you like spooky-horror-ghost stories?
Do you want 1st or 3rd player games?
Do you like a lot of interaction with other carachters (aka talking to people)

I like 1st player, horror and NO talking, but other people think that sucks.

My favorites are Dark fall 1-3, the Lost Crown, Scratches, Barrow Hill.

1: As long as the story and characters are deep and interesting I really don't mind what genre it falls into (so anything from comedy, drama, or horror)

2: I don't mind what perspective it is in, as long as it is executed well.

3: As long as the dialogue and speech is well written, and as long as its relevant to the story and not just simply a ploy to make the game longer, I don't mind lengthy dialogue.

As you can tell from these answers, I'm really just looking for a great story and a great experience, and these different features or details aren't really a factor for me as long as the overall game is well executed.

Oh and thanks for the reply, I hope this helps in getting more recommendations :D

Deep story, interesting characters, well-written dialogue, great experience, beautiful music...? You want to play The Last Express. :D One of the best adventure games ever made. Real-time. Read a review first, so you know what you're letting yourself in for. Or play the downloadable demo.

Also highly recommended: Tex Murphy series (3, 4 and 5), The Longest Journey and its sequel Dreamfall, and Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within.

Thanks so much, a lot to add to my list there.

I'm really wanting to dive deep into this genre, considering the few experiences I have had with adventure gaming have been my favourite gaming experiences out of all genres really.

So I hope more people can help me add to the list further :)

You might wanna add the first three Broken Sword games (Shadow of the Templars, Smoking Mirror and Sleeping Dragon) and Still Life 1 to that as well.

I also really liked the other two GK games : Sins of the Fathers and Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned

Thanks :) will try them

Keep them coming if its possible, as I'm very grateful for everyones help :)

You seem to have the same wants I do when I play an adventure game.

I'll echo some of the suggestions here, primarily:

Under a Killing Moon, The Pandora Directive, Overseer (Tex Murphy 3, 4, 5) all are available at Good Old Games www.gog.com at a discount. Plus the oldie but goodie 1 and 2 are free. These are a must play. Good stories, good puzzles. The Pandora Directive is, in my opinion, one of the best adventure games of all time.

Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within. Maybe the best overall story in an adventure game, incredible music.

If you don't mind a little THINNER on story but good atmosphere/puzzles/music, then Shivers 1 and Shivers 2 are worth a look. Mostly a series of puzzles, but pretty fun to figure out type, at least to me.

With that said, if you haven't played Myst (also at www.gog.com), it's worth a try. Again, slimmer on story (though the world is very deep), the atmosphere/puzzles/music are good. Riven increases the story some.

The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time also one of my favorites. Hits on all the points you want, maybe a little thin on atmosphere since it's one of the earlier FMV/CG games and had a smaller game window.

A couple of the titles already mentioned here are often cited as 2 best ever adventure games, Gabriel Knight 2 and The Longest Journey. Individual taste, of course, will vary. Personally, I would recommend anything that Jane Jensen (creator of the Gabriel Knight games) has done. If you don't mind older graphics you can enjoy one of her earliest masterpieces, King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow. Her games places the narrative with great dialog first and foremost above all other game elements. The tales that she weaves are very engrossing. An eagerly anticipated new game by Jane Jensen is scheduled to be released in this coming year, Gray Matter.

I would have three recommendations for you:

(1) Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit

While it has few puzzles, its story, production values, and cinematic soundtrack more than makeup for it. It is absolutely epic in scope and has one of the most deeply affecting plots I have ever seen. It was a true experience to play. Small hiccups (such as a poor control scheme for PC and sometimes annoying 'reflex exercises') don't really disturb the experience since the other aspects of the game are so incredible. It is a cinematic experience, full of adventure and choice.

It's available for PC, PS2, and Xbox... I played the PC version.

(2) Evidence: The Last Ritual

This one certainly has more puzzles... in fact, lots of them. Yet all of them are clever and intelligent--and some require some web-based research. In fact, the entire game requires the Internet at points to find key evidence and facts as well as to receive e-mails from characters in the game. It has a keen sense of art direction, and the story surrounding it (using a real film with real actors) brings the experience together. It's an incredibly interesting concept, and one that I think works fairly well. Perhaps most intreguing is the game's use of YOU as the main character. You don't play someone else. You are the character.

I absolutely love the "real" footage, though--it's an absolute joy to see real actors instead of animated characters in adventure games. It's something different, and that's exactly what I enjoy about it.

(3) Still Life

Probably the most traditional adventure (and one of the most popular) is Still Life. Overall, the production just works. Its dual story, plot twists, and general art direction all form a cohesive unit in this game. The puzzles are fairly standard, with some being more difficult than usual.

It's what I consider to be one of the backbones of the modern adventure game community, and definitely worth a play--especially since it can be found online for $5 or less.

Thanks Phod, Collector and kwool, will take your recommendations on board for sure :)

Oh and as I put in my first post kwool, indigo prophecy is one of my favourite games :)

Hope the recommendations can keep coming, even though I kind of feel now i can start buying knowing what games are probably going to work out best for me.

Thanks and as always ill be grateful for anyone elses input :)

I don't think you read his post very well, since he obviously states that he played Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit.

I would recommend the Broken Sword games (at least the first two), since I just loved the story and atmosphere of those games.

Thanks a lot M-E, will definitely getting the first broken sword :)

As always if you guys can keep the recommendations coming I would be grateful, but I do feel now I have a big list to draw on (and will begin buying before the sales finish :))

Here is my list: (based on another topic like this, and other results I have found while searching on the web.)

Definitely List: I wont be getting them all right away of course, so they are in order of priority. Also I would still like your input, just in case there are any games that I should avoid here :).

The Longest Journey
Broken Sword 1+2
Still Life
The Last Express (if it works on win7)
Drawn: Painted Tower
Sanitarium
Syberia I+II
Overclocked
(below two don't line up with my original priorities, but they are well reviews and I don't mind comedy when its done well)
Sam and Max
Secret of Monkey Island
Gabriel Knight 1+2+3


Maybes:
Runaway
Myst V
Dracula Origin
Obsidian
Sherlock Holmes Chronicles
Culpa Inata
Emereld City Confidential
Amerzone
Grim Fandango
Return to Mysterious Island
The Immortals of Terra
Ceville
Evidence: The Last Ritual

Are there any obvious ones I am missing?, Any games that should jump from my maybe list to my definite list based on my priorities, or vice versa?

Also what are the Telltale Games like, also the Nancy Drew ones?, as in my internet trawling I have come across their games a lot. I understand that they probably dont line up with my priority list exactly and may not exactly be hardcore adventure titles, but if they are well made and humorous games I wouldn't mind giving one a try.

Thanks again and I hope you can be a continued help :)

I forgot a recent one:

Secret Of Monkey Island: SE. Great if you love pirates. (And of course 2 and 3, but I'm betting they're already busy with the SE of Monkey Island 2 as we speak)

Thanks, will add that to the definitely list then.

Please continue recommending and advising me on the list a few posts up, as i wont start my shopping spree till later tonight :)

Thanks a lot for everyone's help as well :D

Ouch! It really hurts to see a deep, top quality game with high production values like The Last Express next to a shallow, cheap, instant gratification casual game like Drawn. Sad that good old Tex didn't meet your criteria.

Lots of mediocre games on your Maybe list. I would definitely advise against Dracula Origin. :r Obsidian is one of the few excellent ones with great atmosphere, an original surreal theme and good puzzles, but if story is your priority I would look elsewhere. Grim Fandango is a wonderful classic. Return to Mysterious Island is fun. Why choose Myst V, the last one in the series and not the best one.

IMNVHO.

PS: You can find demos of Obsidian, RtMI, Ceville, and others floating around on the Internet.

The Longest Journey. Best of genre, IMO, and it fits all of your criteria.

For atmosphere and sheer originality try Grim Fandango.

Hi Idrisguitar,
There were a lot of good recommendations for older games, but you might also be interested in something newer, like Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis which was released earlier this year.
You mentioned Telltale Games and I very much enjoyed playing all of the 5 Tales of Monkey Island chapters.

If you don't mind older games, I'd recommend Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. The story is good. I don't remember the soundtrack, but I guess it borrows music themes from the films.

And if you play The Longest Journey, you might want to play the sequel, Dreamfall, as well.

EDIT: I guess all the Christmas food has made my mind foggy - just realized you already have older games on your list :)