Adventure Forums
Page 8 of 12 « First < 67 8 910 > Last »
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Adventure Forums (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/)
-   Adventure (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/adventure/)
-   -   Gray Matter Reactions (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/adventure/28038-gray-matter-reactions.html)

Tiocfaidh 01-04-2011 03:20 PM
Finally started the game today, couple of hours ago.

As a huge Gabriel Knight fan I am very pleased with the game so far.
Especially after the mixed reactions certain aspects of the game provoked.

I think the character animations are fine (with a few exceptions, breakfast anyone ?)
Background graphics/animations superb.
Music sometimes very "knightish", which of course is a plus.
The dialogue portraits look strange though.

Can´t say that I was bored despite having read reviews claiming that the first two chapters are very "slow".
I´m about 50 percent through the 2nd chapter and wasn´t bored yet :)

Cutscenes are another story but I have been forewarned and accept them for what they are.
They have a unique style, that´s for sure.
Was afraid about the Magic tricks but enjoyed them so far.

Have to continue now ;)

jhetfield21 01-04-2011 03:29 PM
well continue with those thoughts in mind and you'll be pleased.
i mostly thought the first chapter was slow because you are not in any kind of story and the juice starts in the second chapter after you start the experiment.after the experiment you get engrossed into the story.
anyways happy adventuring:D

Ascovel 01-04-2011 03:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhetfield21 (Post 568361)
well continue with those thoughts in mind and you'll be pleased.
i mostly thought the first chapter was slow because you are not in any kind of story and the juice starts in the second chapter after you start the experiment.after the experiment you get engrossed into the story.
anyways happy adventuring:D
That's odd. I really liked chapter 1 and its finale - very intriguing beginning - but chapters 2 and 3 I consider the weakest ones in the game by far. Only with chapter 4 the story starts getting really varied and exciting, and you get to know the main characters better.

jhetfield21 01-04-2011 04:00 PM
i didn't like the part where i have to fetch the lambs if you get my drift....i got a little bit bored there.
Spoiler:
but afterward with the experiment and the ghost it got more interesting.

Tiocfaidh 01-04-2011 06:32 PM
Just finished chapter 3

When it comes to playing computer games I am a perfectionist, so I want to finish all chapters 100%.

I looked up hints to get more percentage:

Chapter 1
Spoiler:
Picking up the photo of the parents & placing on the nightstand


Chapter 2
Spoiler:
Placing flowers next to the photo


so, only very minor hindrances (bonus content) except one major exception

Chapter 2
Could not figure out how I
Spoiler:
should derive the phone number from the assembled puzzle pieces

Still don´t know what´s the logic behind it.

Oh and jhetfield21 no offence but could you please hide your
Spoiler:
ghost
remark under spoiler tags :)

It´s 3:33 CET
Time to get some sleep ;)

jhetfield21 01-04-2011 06:36 PM
did it sorry if i spoiled anything for you but on the other hand i don't think i spilled the beans.after all it's existence was instigated in the intro video.anyway sr again if i spoiled it.

ZeframCochrane 01-05-2011 01:00 AM
In chapter 7 (I think it's 7)
Spoiler:
David finds a letter from Sam's Foster Care service,
which is addressed to a post office in Piazza San Silvestro 19, in Rome.
The other day I was taking a stroll downtown, and I happened to have my camera with me. Here's Piazza San Silvestro 19.
It's a post office, indeed! Neat fact checking. :D

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiocfaidh (Post 568382)
Chapter 2
Could not figure out how I
Spoiler:
should derive the phone number from the assembled puzzle pieces

Still don´t know what´s the logic behind it.
Did you have trouble finding out what to enter, or where to enter it?

Spoiler:
The assembled puzzle pieces only tell you where to enter the number. Hints on what you should enter are in the riddle.

If instead you meant that you had trouble to materially convert the word to a number, you shouldn't try to assemble the word SMS-style, instead you should simply press once the number that contains the letter you want to type, regardless of the place the letter has on the button. Eg. if you want to type "CK", just press the 1 (ABC) button once, then the 5 (JKL) button once, and not the 1 button three times and the 5 button twice. Keep it mind because you'll find the same kind of puzzle again. ;)

Tiocfaidh 01-05-2011 03:53 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhetfield21 (Post 568384)
did it sorry if i spoiled anything for you but on the other hand i don't think i spilled the beans.after all it's existence was instigated in the intro video.anyway sr again if i spoiled it.
No you didn´t spill the beans.
No prob :)
Just for top secret measures ;)


Quote:
Originally Posted by ZeframCochrane (Post 568395)
Did you have trouble finding out what to enter, or where to enter it?
What to enter posed the problem.

Ah now I see, thanks ! But why...
Spoiler:
does the puzzle feature so many images plus + & - then ?
I haven´t thought about consulting the riddle again. It´s a diversion !

ZeframCochrane 01-05-2011 04:14 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiocfaidh (Post 568402)
What to enter posed the problem.

Ah now I see, thanks ! But why...
Spoiler:
does the puzzle feature so many images plus + & - then ?
I haven´t thought about consulting the riddle again. It´s a diversion !

Once assembled, the puzzle pieces form a Rebus.
Spoiler:
Basically what you need to do is figure out what the image represents, then from that word remove all letters marked with a "minus" and add all those marked with a "plus". The result could be slightly mis-spelt, but it it should convey a pretty clear message. That will tell you where you'll find the device to enter the keyword.
The hints for what such keyword might be are instead at the end of the Riddle.
:)

Finding the keyword might take out-of-game-universe knowledge, but if I remember correctly the same piece of information may be found in-game as well. I don't think finding that information acts as a trigger, so if you think you already know what the solution to the last part of the riddle might be, you can go ahead and enter it, even if "Sam" doesn't know.

Tiocfaidh 01-05-2011 04:34 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZeframCochrane (Post 568403)
Finding the keyword might take out-of-game-universe knowledge, but if I remember correctly the same piece of information may be found in-game as well. I don't think finding that information acts as a trigger, so if you think you already know what the solution to the last part of the riddle might be, you can go ahead and enter it, even if "Sam" doesn't know.
If I would have read the riddle again I´d probably have done that.
No way could I have encrypted the message from the images & letters :frown:

BTW
Is it possible that the puzzle differs with every playthrough.
The walkthrough I consulted showed an entirely different puzzle than the one I got.

jhetfield21 01-05-2011 05:06 AM
i have no idea if there are different puzzle image sets.and in my case the solution came really easy.maybe it was my lucky day cause i'm not the strongest puzzle solver but that one came really fast.the fact that i already had an idea where it would send me probably helped a little bit.you know that feeling when you see something and you say this is something that i will have to look into at a latter time.

but one thing is for sure to solve the riddles you only need to look into the riddles real hard and use up all the info given.

fov 01-05-2011 10:42 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiocfaidh (Post 568382)
Just finished chapter 3

When it comes to playing computer games I am a perfectionist, so I want to finish all chapters 100%.

I looked up hints to get more percentage:

Chapter 1
Spoiler:
Picking up the photo of the parents & placing on the nightstand


Chapter 2
Spoiler:
Placing flowers next to the photo
Hmm. I'm sure I tried to
Spoiler:
take the picture of Mom and Dad and Sam just says something like "Hi Mom and Dad." I don't think I moved it to the nightstand but later it was there.


In Chapter Two,

Spoiler:
Do you mean placing them next to the photo of her parents? Or replacing the dead rose with the flowers in David's lab?


I did the second thing; I'm wondering if you're suggesting I could have done something else with them instead...?

Tiocfaidh 01-05-2011 02:53 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fov (Post 568432)
Hmm. I'm sure I tried to
Spoiler:
take the picture of Mom and Dad and Sam just says something like "Hi Mom and Dad." I don't think I moved it to the nightstand but later it was there.
You have to
Spoiler:
talk to Mrs. Dalton & do some tasks so that Sam finally decides to stay in the house,
afterwards she agrees to take the photo out of the bag


Quote:
Originally Posted by fov (Post 568432)
In Chapter Two,

Spoiler:
Do you mean placing them next to the photo of her parents? Or replacing the dead rose with the flowers in David's lab?


I did the second thing; I'm wondering if you're suggesting I could have done something else with them instead...?
You can do both, I did the second myself too and didn´t think about using
the same item somewhere else till I checked the walkthrough.

fov 01-05-2011 03:12 PM
Huh, interesting! (Especially since I thought putting the flowers where I did triggered the end of the chapter, but maybe not.)

Tiocfaidh 01-05-2011 05:08 PM
Just started Chapter 6.
Chapters 4 & 5 are fairly easy but very enjoyable.

Thank You Jane, I have a great time :)

Steven Pacey´s doin´ a great job as David Styles !
I especially liked the
Spoiler:
conversation with the kid

Some touching moments in Chapter 5.

Now going to bed, I have to force myself.
Otherwise I´d stay up allnight playing the game. :9~

fov 01-08-2011 09:10 PM
1 Attachment(s)
This is slightly off topic, but this seemed like the best place to post it...

I'm replaying GK3 and just got to the point where I could use SIDNEY, and of course I typed "GK4" into the search box for old time's sake. There was an Easter egg in the game that brought up a topic about ghosts when you searched for this. Years ago, Jane said in interviews that she'd pitched the game to Sierra's (Vivendi's) new management and they weren't interested, but she might still use the idea in a future project. She also said that the fourth GK4 game would have been set in England or Scotland.

Here's a screenshot of the "ghosts" text. It sounds rather familiar to some of the themes in Gray Matter, makes me wonder how much of Gray Matter's plot may have been "borrowed" from her GK4 ideas... :D

Tiocfaidh 01-09-2011 01:06 AM
finished the game Friday evening :\

Didn´t want it to end :frown:

I´ll post more impressions later (I´m at work now ;) )

Here´s something awesome I found on another Forum.
credit goes to the original poster.

Great observation from the opening sequence

Spoiler:

Camera pans to the sky as rain starts and guess what's there... a woman's face! It quickly fades away, though. Is it Laura or is it Angela playing tricks in the night sky? We may never know.

Here's the screenshot and below is a quick animation I made :)

http://i.min.us/ibwuhE.gif



source
http://justadventure.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1292441315

took out the still because it messed up the resolution

seagul 01-09-2011 06:44 AM
How interesting!
Thanks for the screenshot of GN3, fov.
Is it possilbe to post the second half of the text, please?

And thanks for the opening sequence scene, Tiocfaidh.
I totally missed that.

So i want to add my own little observation.
Did anyone notice the newspaper clipping in the phone booth?
Spoiler:

It reads: Psychological trauma causes man to beliefe himself disfigured
http://img715.imageshack.us/i/phonebooth.png/

fov 01-09-2011 10:12 AM
Quote:
Is it possilbe to post the second half of the text, please?
There's only a little bit more text after that. It says something about how it's a misconception that all ghosts are out to kill people, but that some people have died as a result of their interactions with ghosts. If I think of it I'll take a screenshot when I load up the game again.

Quote:
Did anyone notice the newspaper clipping in the phone booth?
I did see that! I was sure that was going to tie into David's injury somehow. To be honest...

Spoiler:
At the end, when Sam sees his face without the mask, I thought it looked okay. Maybe that's just the art style making it hard to tell? I was surprised when he said "It's bad, isn't it?" and she said "Yes." Is he actually badly burned? Or was she humoring him?

Kazmajik 01-09-2011 10:40 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fov (Post 568744)
...makes me wonder how much of Gray Matter's plot may have been "borrowed" from her GK4 ideas... :D
This reminds me of a certain exchange from GK2, where Grace explains to an overenthusiastic customer in the bookstore who wanted to see the author (Gabriel), something to the effect of: "I wouldn't bother. He's very shy. It's his face. There was an accident."

Interesting, no? The Styles character must've formed as an idea awhile back.

Ascovel 01-09-2011 10:50 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fov (Post 568783)
I did see that! I was sure that was going to tie into David's injury somehow. To be honest...

Spoiler:
At the end, when Sam sees his face without the mask, I thought it looked okay. Maybe that's just the art style making it hard to tell? I was surprised when he said "It's bad, isn't it?" and she said "Yes." Is he actually badly burned? Or was she humoring him?
Spoiler:
I thought it was obvious the point of this scene was to reveal he only imagines himself to have been burned. This also ties in with Sam's conversation with the doctor who hypnotized Styles. Apparently David couldn't get over the fact he didn't force himself to jump into the fire to save his wife and in the end suffered no actual injuries.

But I agree the cutscene art style obscured the revelation somewhat.

fov 01-09-2011 01:00 PM
Quote:
This reminds me of a certain exchange from GK2, where Grace explains to an overenthusiastic customer in the bookstore who wanted to see the author (Gabriel), something to the effect of: "I wouldn't bother. He's very shy. It's his face. There was an accident."
Ha, I recently replayed the opening of GK2 and noticed that. I'm a writer and sometimes notice myself writing / rewriting the same themes or scenarios in different stories. I wonder if this was a coincidence, or if it's an idea Jane has been playing with for a while...

Ascovel, that's how I wanted to interpret it, but Sam's reaction threw me off. I wish it had been a bit more clear. Another unanswered question:

Spoiler:
Why does the original assistant run off at the beginning? I thought it was because Sam did an illusion to scare her, particularly because of what we see her do later, at the Daedalus club, with the birds.


Did anyone else interpret the opening this way?

jhetfield21 01-09-2011 01:19 PM
Spoiler:
i don't think it was Sam after all she didn't know she wouldn't be welcome for the night and i don't think she had to act like that from the beginning.
but more than that i believe it was angela that did it.the girl was blonde and she might have interfered with everything and messed it up for angela.

AndreaDraco83 01-10-2011 03:53 AM
Spoiler:
Of course David isn't burned at all! I mean, that's the point of easily the entire game! :D

Tiocfaidh 01-10-2011 10:28 AM
So ...
Spoiler:
Style´s face wasn´t burned after all ? When I´ve seen his face in the cutscene it seems that his appearance is fine but according to the dialogue between him and Sam he seems to be scarred


Final thoughts

I liked Gray Matter a lot, really did not want it to end.
Loved the surroundings/locations so much I did not mind revisiting them throughout most of the game.

It took me about 14 hours to complete it but it felt much shorter than that.
Didn´t Jane Jensen mention that the game should be good for 30 hours of playtime ?

Puzzle quality was good. I liked the tricks despite not posing a big challenge.
The variety was cool, highlight being the
Spoiler:
Daedalus puzzles & final chapter
.

Cutscenes were OK and contributed to the feel of the game.
It wouldnt have caused any damage if they´d featured more animations though.
I do not get all the criticism concerning the in-game graphics.
Does anybody expect adventure games to feature high end graphics ?
Gray Matter delivered in this area, for the most part...

Some animations were indeed unintentionally funny.
My "favourites" are Sam having breakfast and the
Spoiler:
pool guy
turning towards you before starting the conversation :D
Michael Jackson would have been proud of him.

And most of the dialogue portraits looked cheap and inconsistent with the character design,
especially Sam looks ugly :crazy:
Their faces just look bloated, rehab style.

Otherwise the graphics are beautiful. The final chapter alone is worth the price of admission.
I was kind of shocked about the presentation because it differs from the rest of the game and demands some suspension of disbelief. But if you´re ready to get into it you´ll enjoy the unique atmosphere.

Story was intriguing, thought provoking, occassionylly even brilliant but ultimately predictable.
I wasn´t surprised that
Spoiler:
Angela (for the most part at least ?)
was behind it all because of
Spoiler:
her strange behaviour and quirky character traits & one particular cutscene


A big plus is the voice work.
Sam wasn´t flawless but still very good and Styles really was perfect.
Yes he might sound a bit older than the character he´s portraying but it didn´t bother me at any time.
Rest of the cast was also believable. Only Helena & Angela are a mixed bag. Helena´s accent was a bit over the top, and though Angela´s was believable her´s did get on my nerves but that may have something to do with her character. Normally I really dig Scottish accents.

Soundtrack was just great. A bit repetitive but the compositions are very moody.
Scarlet Furies songs are good as well but have been played much too often in Style´s flashbacks.
They really want us to get the CD, don´t they ;)

Finally I have some questions:

1.)
Spoiler:
How did Helena manage to enter the Daedalus Club, not to begin with getting trapped in the underground ? Why was she there, what´s her true relation to Mephistopheles ?


2.)
What´s the logic behind the
Spoiler:
re-assembled Daedalus puzzles ?
Ok, so you can enter the name of the person you´re looking for by just knowing to whom the puzzle is referring but how on earth should I decrypt the message otherwise ?
I just don´t get it, but would like to know anyhow.

Tiocfaidh 01-10-2011 01:59 PM
One more question

Did anybody of you use the journal/diary ?

I opened it a few times in chapter 1 and totally forgot about it afterwards.

This could have been a great feature, as it ended up in the game it was practically useless.

fov 01-10-2011 02:02 PM
Andrea -- if that's the point of the entire game, they did a poor job of communicating it.

Another reason to dislike the cutscene style, I guess. :P

Thorn 01-11-2011 02:34 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiocfaidh (Post 568926)
One more question

Did anybody of you use the journal/diary ?

I opened it a few times in chapter 1 and totally forgot about it afterwards.

This could have been a great feature, as it ended up in the game it was practically useless.
As I take it Journal Entries are usually in AGs in case you stop playing the game for awhile, but when you start playing again you've forgotten some key elements and want to backtrack.

But yeah, I really wish AGs could use it the journal entries to something more than just that!

AndreaDraco83 01-11-2011 04:02 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fov (Post 568927)
Andrea -- if that's the point of the entire game, they did a poor job of communicating it.
I really don't think so. Of the thirty people involved in the betatest, no one had trouble in understanding that

Spoiler:
David wasn't burnt at all


Gray Matter has its problems, sure, but this particular point couldn't be more clear, at least in my opinion.

Vel 01-11-2011 07:49 AM
Didn't anyone think that
Spoiler:
the one who introduced David to the ways of the Daedalus club at the end looked terribly like Angela's father?

kuze 01-11-2011 08:11 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83 (Post 568969)
I really don't think so. Of the thirty people involved in the betatest, no one had trouble in understanding that

Spoiler:
David wasn't burnt at all


Gray Matter has its problems, sure, but this particular point couldn't be more clear, at least in my opinion.
It could. I was confused by this scene as well, and blamed it on the video art style (which, coincidentally, I otherwise liked).

Stuart 01-11-2011 08:12 AM
I'm close to giving in and buying a copy from Germany. Been waiting to see if it will come out on Steam where I prefer to buy but still no mention. Is there a concrete release date yet for the UK?

seagul 01-11-2011 08:15 AM
Vel, can you post a screenshot, please?
Spoiler:
I remember i thought it was Mephistopheles. So the face must be very different.
But it would be interesting if you are right ...

Vel 01-11-2011 08:35 AM
I can't, I uninstalled the game once I had finished it. =/

fov 01-11-2011 11:23 AM
Quote:
Is there a concrete release date yet for the UK?
Feb 25.

Regarding the club

Spoiler:
I thought one of the four magicians in all the paintings looked like Angela's father... but not the one who was on stage in the video at the end, so then I got confused about whether it was supposed to be her father or not. Also, I thought the guy David talked to in the audience at the magic show was Mephistopheles.

Jackal 01-11-2011 12:13 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83 (Post 568969)
Gray Matter has its problems, sure, but this particular point couldn't be more clear, at least in my opinion.
Yeah, it could definitely be more clear. I immediately assumed what you're claiming to be "true" as well, but I had my doubts after the fact. Sam's response was a little too glib for either scenario, but as kuze mentioned, the bigger culprit is the art. There were just too many odd quirks and distortions in those hand-painted cutscenes all along for me to trust the artwork at that point. Some things looked completely different from one screen to the next, so you can't hinge an entire reveal on a heavily-stylized, off-angle still and think that's conclusive.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if the ambiguity (however slight) was intentional. The whole game was about questioning reality and whether seeing is believing.

Either way, though, I don't see it as a particularly crucial point. It speaks to the depths of David's obsession, but so do many other things. Like... oh, everything he says and does. :P

Lupin The Third 01-11-2011 01:10 PM
So the North American release has finally been confirmed (along with Black Mirror 2/3):

http://adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=2196

I'm making a, probably final, appeal to anyone involved with the development and/or publishing that might see this thread....PLEASE DROP THE RADIAL INTERFACE FROM THE 360 VERSION. If this game is going to have a chance in hell with mainstream consumers this immersion-breaking interface has to go. Please just do exactly like the Xbox versions of Syberia or Still Life and the game will work fine. Or go the MI2:SE route and give us the ability to manually control or switch to a P&C interface. This radial menu hybrid doesn't work and is only going to dissuade potential players from giving Gray Matter the chance it deserves. This is a very simple fix that will radically improve the game's acceptance and chance at success and this game deserves better than the awful interface that it's being plagued with.

fov 01-11-2011 01:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackal (Post 569013)
Either way, though, I don't see it as a particularly crucial point. It speaks to the depths of David's obsession, but so do many other things. Like... oh, everything he says and does. :P
"That piece of burnt toast reminds me of Laura..." :devil:

tastebud 01-17-2011 01:43 PM
welp, i just finished this game like an hour ago and let it all sink in. Can't add much new stuff to the discussion but i think that this game definately FEELS like a Jane Jensen game. I love the story, it seems well researched again (like all the GK games). downside is the clunky interface. Im sort of split on the cutscenes. they definately could use more animations, but i think they are well drawn and fit the mood.

and towards the end with the robert holmes (thats his name right?)music i definatley got some major GK2 flashbacks. i thought baron von glower would show up around the next corner.

i feel sad having finished this game. and thats always a good sign that it was an awesome game. i definately want more of jane's work after playing this!

Tiocfaidh 01-17-2011 03:01 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tastebud (Post 569623)
I feel sad having finished this game. and thats always a good sign that it was an awesome game.
That´s exactly how I felt.

Bittersweet indeed ...


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:43 PM.
Page 8 of 12 « First < 67 8 910 > Last »
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Design & Logo Copyright ©1998 - 2017, Adventure Gamers®.
All posts by users and Adventure Gamers staff members are property of their original author and don't necessarily represent the opinion or editorial stance of Adventure Gamers.