Looking for conspiracy/political intrigue games
 

Hello people!

I've been enjoying adventure games for quite some time now (I've played most of the classics I guess) with a recent brief lull. I'd like to resume my previous activities :D so I'm looking for your advice.

In particular I'm interested in (relatively) recent games with good plot and mystery/conspiracy themes. For some reason I've got the impression that most recent games are either comedies (no problem with that - I like Sam and Max as much as the next guy) but what grates me is that even in those in which the subject matter is serious, the characters are always acting in a nonchalant manner (good examples of this are Secret Files: Tunguska and Runaway, which really got on my nerves near the end). This totally breaks the immersion from my point of view.

So, I would be very helpful if you could give me some recommendations for games with these kind of themes. For example, I've played (and enjoyed) Blade Runner, Spycraft, Mean Streets/Under a Killing Moon/The Pandora Directive, The Moment of Silence, Fahrenheit, Black Mirror, Still Life, Broken Sword 3...

And of course all 3 Gabriel Knight games (first one was the best IMHO). In fact something like Gabriel Knight 4 would be just what I'm looking for :D

Best regards,
- Matias

If you don't mind horror, Scratches has a great mystery-plot.
And if you like BS 3, I reckon you'll also like BS 1 and 2. I haven't played 3 yet, so I can't really compare, but with their plots fitting the mystery genre, I think you'll like those as well.

I think Black Dahlia fits in your category. Its my favorite adventure game ever. Awesome graphics, great acting, great music, great script, great puzzles, awesome story, and it's a LONG game...

Overclocked - From the same people who made Moment of Silence. Very good, though a little slow at times.

Belief and Betrayal is a conspiracy themed game.I haven't played it but my brother said it's decent.
And i remember an adventure game called Conspiracies.I don't know anything about this game but the game title sounds promising...

Ironic that you were of the impression that all games seem to be comedy games nowadays because i was under the impression that all games seem to be conspiracy / political intrigue games nowadays! :D (though yes, humour will always proliferate in this section of the gaming world it seems)

I have to say i'm really sick of being an FBI agent by now :P

Thanks to everyone for your prompt responses!

I tried Scratches, but I didn't get past the first few minutes. I guess the game just didn't click with me. I will try the first two BS games, Templars and such never get old :)

That's one I never heard about. Will look into it!

Overclocked is on my backlog. Since the reviews I read were somewhat mixed it was not on the top of the list, but I will try it since you recommend it.

Heard about that one. Didn't seem very good from the reviews, but worth a shot.

Again, thanks to everyone for responding and of course I'll welcome any new suggestions.

Heh heh :D

Just to clarify, I have nothing against comedy games (Monkey Island 2 is one of the first adventure games I played and perhaps my all-time favorite). What I find very jarring is the juxtaposition of a serious subject (kidnapping/murder) and a wisecracking protagonist (e.g. Runaway)!

You could try Undercover: Operation Wintersun. It's not the greatest game in the world but it wasn't horrible. It takes place in Germany during World War 2. I actually found it at my local EB Games for $2.99. If you have a strong enough computer and like a bit of action with your adventure you could also try Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. If you decide to do so, play Mass Effect first as the sequel will continue with the choices you made in the first game. If you have a Playstation 3 I also suggest you try Heavy Rain, an amazing game, although there were many here that weren't too crazy about it. I hope this helps. :)

I could seriously disavise you "Undercover: Operation Wintersun" along with "NiBiRu" it's one of the worst games I've ever played. I didn't even find it "fun" or "okay while it lasted" more "painstakingly irritating" and "boring to an incredible level" Come to think of it I can't imagine why I finished it.

Anyway maybe I'm just picky. Broken Sword 1 and 2 are really good though and in no way outdated. I first played them in 2003 and loved them to pieces.

Good plot, mystery, conspiracy/political intrigue... The Last Express has it all (and more) and plays fine on modern computers.

I 100% second that. One of the best games out there no doubt. I played it on my 2006 XP laptop and it ran just fine.