[rtrooney]

Assuming this excludes Casuals, of which I have played many. "To the Moon" is the only Adventure played this year. And I'm not sure it qualifies.

[TimovieMan]

I'm also listing the few games I didn't finish, because I invested far too much time in them to not mention them here...
And I've just copied some of my short reviews from the "Last finished game"-thread, because I'm lazy.



DS-games:

- Professor Layton and the Unwound Future - 3.5 / 5
Some minor improvements over the first two games (an extra minigame in the trunk, more cutscenes, etc.) and the best ending of the three, but the story itself is even more farfetched than before up to the point where it gets really ridiculous. Not being able to unlock the weekly puzzles due to the new WiFi-connection ingame makes me pissed. Also: the Dutch translation sucks monkey balls , but I won't hold that against this game.
- Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - 3.5 / 5
A good story (plus a twist that I didn't see coming) and a unique gameplay make this a really interesting game. I felt that *something* was lacking, though, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Nevertheless, it's a great game, and at the very least it tried to do something completely original...
- Last Window: The Secret of Cape West - 4 / 5
A sequel that does even better than its predecessor. Improves on Hotel Dusk on many different levels, and it's got a (slightly) better story to boot. Still depends a lot on coincidence for the main storyline, though. But Kyle Hyde is an interesting character and both games are very distinctively noir, which is a good thing.
- 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors - 4.5 / 5
Game of the year for me. Great story, good writing, interesting concept, and an awesome mindfuck of an ending. Importing this was one of my better decisions of the year. I had a blast playing and replaying it until I had found all the endings. Spent more time reading than actually playing, but the story was really engrossing. Second-favourite DS-game of all-time for me...
- Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call - 3.5 / 5 (not yet finished)
Haven't finished it yet, but so far it's been of at least the same quality as the other 3 games in the series. A few graphical improvements (changing lighting when sunlight shines through trees or when fog rolls in, more moveable objects on-screen, even more cutscenes) while everything else is up to par. Can't download the weekly puzzles either, though... But at least I got the English version this time...


Wii-games:

- Wii Party - 3.5 / 5
Fun for the whole family, but only for the whole family... Good and amusing mini-games, but this needs to be played by three and preferably four players to be truly enjoyable. But that was the whole point to begin with. Practically the only Wii-game that's been played all year. My Wii's only other purpose is collecting dust...


Adventure PC-games:

- Lost Horizon - 4.5 / 5
Surprisingly long for an adventure, but it's quality! Very 'Indiana Jones'-like, decent story, good puzzles, great choice of locations and great (background) visuals. With better facial models and expressions and a bit more humour, this game would've been the bee's knees!
- Gray Matter - 3 / 5
Genius at moments, but not without its flaws. Took me a moment to get into it. Cutscenes feel cheap, but are ok. Hated the giant Daedelus Club puzzle in the final chapter (although most people here seemed to love it).
- Gemini Rue - 4 / 5
Great story and a great twist near the end. Would be better without the (far too easy) shooting sequences. This is the one that sparked my "return to the classics". I blame the "old school" graphics.
- Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None... - 3.5 / 5
Pretty good game, decent puzzles, one of the most inventory-based games I've played in a while and that was a good thing. If only they'd stuck to the original ending of the book - this one seems a bit farfetched (but at least they added the original ending as a bonus).
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 4 / 5 (replay)
Loved it as much as the first time I played it (1994?). Not as good as "Fate of Atlantis" but still a must for Indy-lovers. I especially like the fact that you can always use the same route as in the movie, but that there are alternatives here...
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - 5 / 5 (replay)
The one that started it all for me. Must've played it through more than 10 times back in 1993 when I got my first PC. It'd probably been about 15 years since I last played it and it hasn't lost any of its charm. Turned out that I remembered nearly everything about it - including full dialogues!
- Maniac Mansion Deluxe - 4 / 5
A good and fun adventure game. Hadn't played it before, but it proved that Lucasarts really did have the best standard in adventure gaming. I managed to avoid dead ends (although I read there were a few), and most of the deaths I encountered were obvious and somewhat logical (even the radioactive steam), so they didn't bother me in the least. Fun game, but its sequel Day of the Tentacle is in a whole different league...
- Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - 4 / 5
Very fun game. Hadn't played it before, but it had lots of stuff I enjoyed, including the constant Elvis-references concerning the Aliens and your own ridiculous Groucho Marx disguise. I loved the way they handled "getting caught by the aliens", but I absolutely HATED the mazes in the game (and there were several). It was also slightly disappointing to see so few screens per city you visit. Apart from Egypt and Mars, you didn't have the feeling you were really travelling somewhere...
But the game was genuinely funny and had decent-to-good puzzles, and that makes up for a lot of the flaws...
- Loom - 4 / 5 (replay)
Surprisingly dark game, with a unique gameplay (four-note spells instead of verbs) and luckily enough help for tone-deaf people like me. Too bad the game is so insanely short. The first time I played it took me less than 3 hours to complete it, and now (with over 10 years that have passed and me forgetting a lot of its content) it took about 2 hours and a half. Most episodic series have longer episodes... Still a good game though, and it was refreshing not being able to die for once (the last five or six games I played were quite different)...
- Flight of the Amazon Queen - 4.5 / 5 (replay)
Second playthrough of one of my favourite non-LucasArts adventure games. This one has captured the spirit of both Indiana Jones and Monkey Island into one game. It's lengthy, it's very funny, it has mostly good puzzles (although the mosaic one had me going for the UHS - again), decent cutscenes, and it's just brimming with references to other games (mostly Indy-related). Were it not for the ridiculous plot (turning Amazons into dinosaur women as a plan to take over the world - seriously?) and some minor annoyances (no fast-travel option), Flight of the Amazon Queen could have made it into my all-time top-5 of adventure games (which coincidentally are ALL LucasArts games)...
- Day of the Tentacle - 5 / 5 (replay)
My third playthrough of one of the best adventure games ever made. Awesome wacky fun, with great puzzles, humourous visuals, hilarious characters and a big dose of nonsense. I absolutely adore this game, and this playthrough only reminded me of exactly why I put this in my all-time top 3 of adventure games. I had a blast playing it (again).
- Sam & Max Hit the Road - 3.5 / 5 (replay)
My second playthrough and I have to admit that I liked it a lot better than 15 years ago. I was underwhelmed back then (but I did finish it), and thought of it as the one exception to the "LucasArts = gold" rule. Apparently I was wrong. While the story is still very weak, and its conclusion too, I got a lot more laughs out of it this time around. The nonsensical banter, the gratuitous violence and the sheer silliness of it all is really great, and they didn't flinch when mocking their own plot, so that's all good. Lots of fun... if you ignore the backstory...
- Full Throttle - 4.5 / 5 (replay)
I still adore this game, hence my fourth playthrough. The atmosphere is great, the story is good, the voice acting is superb (Roy Conrad’s voice is spot on, and hey, kids, it’s Mark Hamill!), I like the graphics, and I love LOVE LOVE the Gone Jackals’ songs they used. It’s also one of the most cinematic games ever – I just love that climactic end sequence! Among the few shortcomings is the fact that it’s short (4 hours tops), and that the Old Mine Road fighting can get tedious after a while. Even with the strategies the game provides to make these fights easier, you often have to go through five or six different bikers before you get to the one you need. But these are really just minor flaws in an otherwise awesome game!


...to be continued...

[TimovieMan]

...continuing...


- The Dig - 4.5 / 5 (replay)
Fifth replay, I think. Good story, good dialogues and voice acting (if not a bit dry, but I'm a fan of Orson Scott Card's writing and I kinda like the deadpan deliveries), good puzzles, great cutscenes (ILM FTW!), great atmosphere, awesome soundtrack (Michael Land's finest hour), weak ending. Pretty much sums it all up. The ending was better than I remembered (the dialogue with the Inventor cleared a couple of things up that I either missed or had forgotten about), but it is still found wanting.
- Grim Fandango - 5 / 5 (replay) (not yet finished this particular replay)
One of the very best adventure games ever, set in a truly unique and beautiful world. It's well written, it has great puzzles, it's truly funny and it's incredibly lengthy. This game truly is the best of what the genre has to offer, and I'll happily replay this again at a later date. It's just that awesome!
- L.A. Noire - 3.5 / 5 (not yet finished)
Probably the most beautiful game ever, the graphics are just stunning, and the amount of facial motion-capturing is just insane. I've recognized dozens of actors already, and the immense city of L.A. anno 1947 feels truly realistic. Too bad the game itself is flawed. The interviewing is too limited (and often boils down to randomly guessing between 3 options) and there's far too much chasing, driving and shooting (even though the driving and shooting clearly weren't the main focus for the developers)...


Non-adventure PC-games:

- Mass Effect 2 - 5 / 5 (replay)
Second replay of the best game of 2010 and my favourite game since Knights of the Old Republic. This has got to be the game with the best dialogues I've ever played. It's simply badass at every turn, and the characters are pure genius. It also has twice the amount of characters that the first game had, and they're generally more interesting this time around. And the fighting's also really good in it. This was my "renegade female soldier"-playthrough (which was preceded by a replay of Mass Effect 1). I'll definitely be prepared for Mass Effect 3 when it releases in March...
- Mass Effect 1 - 4.5 / 5 (replay)
Third replay of the best game of 2008, this time as a male biotic Goody Two-Shoes. A simple matter of preparing for another replay of Mass Effect 2 and having a great save-game to import into Mass Effect 3. I still don't like Liara, and Kaidan Alenko is also rather bland (despite being voiced by Carth Onasi - I mean Raphael Sbarge), but Wrex, Garrus and Tali'Zorah are brilliant characters. And I'm humping Ashley Williams in this playthrough.
- Mass Effect 2 - 5 / 5 (replay)
Wait, again? Yes, it's that awesome! Continuing with my ME1 save and thus my male biotic Goody Two-Shoes playthrough, this time around I had a lot more bonus DLC missions to go through (The Shadow Broker DLC is pure genius!). Luckily this game is easier as a biotic because you don't have to worry about ammo. The first game was actually also easier as a biotic, mainly because of the 'singularity'). And I simply love the characters in this game. Really, the hardest thing in Mass Effect 2 is NOT falling in love with Tali'Zorah. (Hey, it's a Goody Two-Shoes playthrough, I'm not going to cheat on Ashley - cheating is for my renegade playthrough... )
- Fallout: New Vegas - 3 / 5 (put on hold indefinitely)
New Vegas looks EXACTLY like Fallout 3 which was released 2 years earlier. But what do you expect from the copycats at Obsidian? Heck, this game is SO close to Fallout 3 that it falls in all the same traps: the side quests are great yet the main quest is boring as fuck. And for some reason, this one has a LOT more bugs and crashes. Poor job, Obsidian, defiling Fallout 3 like that! I got about halfway in this, and really wanted to finish, but then Dragon Age II and Lost Horizon happened, and this got put on hold...
- Dragon Age II - 3.5 / 5
For a while, I thought this one was better than Origins. The combat was simpler and easier (a necessity: Origins was HARD, especially if you weren't a mage) and a lot more fun, and the dialogues are as kick-ass as in Mass Effect 2 (but with a slight improvement to the dialogue system). Because of its fast pace in the first ingame year, this really was a lot better than Origins, but unfortunately, it didn't stay that way. During the second year, your character no longer has a purpose and the game falls flat. I also don't mind that they tried to keep it more low-key (instead of making you "save the world"), but really, give us something real to do! And if you want to put villains in this, then at least have their presence felt throughout the game instead of just the second before you fight them. A missed opportunity, imo. And please, lose the MMO-style quests. If I need to return an item to somebody, I want to look for them. Not have them show up on my map and have them stand there with a big sign over their head saying "It's me you're looking for!"...
- Tennis Elbow 2011 - 4.5 / 5
It's very hard to find good tennis games for the PC. Top Spin 2 was the last one I remember that had great gameplay. The Virtua Tennis games pale in comparison. But Top Spin 2 lacks a decent career mode. And then you turn to indie-games. Tennis Elbow 2011 has it all: awesome and very realistic gameplay, 60 (!!!) difficulty levels, huge amounts of stats to improve your player (noticeably!) AND the actual ranking system used in the ATP and WTA. You can have a career, starting with a 16 year-old starting at the 1000th rank and having to play the smallest of the small tournaments to slowly rise before you can even attempt to start playing Masters and Grand Slams. So what if the graphics are dated and you don't recognise any faces? This game is THE best tennis game for the PC, EVER!
- Tennis Elbow Manager 2011 - 3.5 / 5
The additional game from the same indie developer as Tennis Elbow 2011. This time you can only train a player, and you can't watch him play (just a scoreboard). While it has an undeniable charm, and is fun to kill an hour or so with, it's little more than a nice *bonus* to Tennis Elbow 2011...
- FIFA 12 - 4 / 5
The FIFA series has finally changed the way the game plays, and they made defending hella-difficult. But in doing so, they made this their FIFA-game with the best gameplay since FIFA '99. Now it's just awesome to play. But unfortunately, the PC-port has a gazillion bugs and unexplained crashes, because they were lazy in their porting. If only EA had shown a bit more respect to the PC-gaming community...
- Deus Ex - 2 / 5 (abandoned)
Had never played it before, but it kept popping up in lists of games that could intrest me so I gave it a go. I got to the part where...

Spoiler:

I joined my brother and switched to the NSF. We just got captured by the MIB and now have to escape some Majestic-12 prison.

I abandoned it, because I didn't feel like investing another 50+ hours in a game that doesn't really grip me. The main problem is that it's not really inside my preferred genre. I love RPGs (especially the BioWare ones) but I don't like stealth missions, and this game favours the stealth approach *all the time*. I just don't have the patience for constant sneaking, and there's far too little ammo available to muscle your way through it. That plus the fact that the story so far has been extremely predictible, and that there have been far too few side quests and far too few "safe areas" where I could just roam around without having to worry about getting shot for five minutes. Too much stealth/action, too little 'adventure'.



I'll probably finish the 3 games I'm playing, as well as start AND finish To the Moon this year (provided I'll have some playing time in the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve). Will update later...


Jesus H. Effing Christ, this turned into an insanely long post...
Forget what I said about being lazy...

Man, this post is SO long...
"How long is it?"
It's so long, I had to break it into two just to be able to post it!
"Wait, that's not funny!"
I know. Shut your piehole.

[Arial Type]

Originally Posted by TimovieMan

- Deus Ex - 2 / 5 (abandoned)
I abandoned it, because I didn't feel like investing another 50+ hours in a game that doesn't really grip me.

Really? I also played Deus Ex for the very first time this year, and I found it a very enjoyable game, true to its fame. The story wasn't top-notch, but had enough twists and plot branches to keep me interested. It's pretty good for an FPS-like game. And freedom is what makes it truly exceptional. You don't *have* to apply stealth all the time - there are always alternative routes. For one time I was sneaking and hiding. When I got a little bored of it, I just picked up a flamethrower and burned my way through.
I'd give Deus Ex 5/5.

I also played Planescape Torment for the first time. I'm not really a fan of RPGs, as I found them boring and repetative. But this game was nothing like this. A lot of freedom (like Deus Ex), wonderful story, atmosphere, dialogs that actually influence something (hello, adventure games) and just a heaven for a horror fan like myself.
5/5 without a doubt.

Also started to play Zak Mckracken for the 100th time. I really like how the game feels and plays - very unusual for LucasArts. There's, again, a lot of freedom (for an adventure game), and the story is just crazy. But the game always looses me at one point. Maybe because there are too many playable characters, maybe because I find large text interfaces too unintuitive today (after all those years of click and drop). I don't know. I really hope to finish Zak sooner or later.

[TimovieMan]

Originally Posted by Arial Type

Really? I also played Deus Ex for the very first time this year, and I found it a very enjoyable game, true to its fame. The story wasn't top-notch, but had enough twists and plot branches to keep me interested. It's pretty good for an FPS-like game. And freedom is what makes it truly exceptional. You don't *have* to apply stealth all the time - there are always alternative routes. For one time I was sneaking and hiding. When I got a little bored of it, I just picked up a flamethrower and burned my way through.
I'd give Deus Ex 5/5.

I never had enough ammo to muscle my way through (I tried often enough), so stealth was most of the time my only option. And I hate stealth...
Also, up to the point where I stopped, the game hadn't thrown any twists at me that I hadn't seen coming from a mile away.
I gave it a good 20-odd hours (I'm also terribly slow when stealthy). Bottom line is that I simply didn't like the game enough to continue. Chalk it up to a simple miscalculation on my part...

I also played Planescape Torment for the first time. I'm not really a fan of RPGs, as I found them boring and repetative. But this game was nothing like this. A lot of freedom (like Deus Ex), wonderful story, atmosphere, dialogs that actually influence something (hello, adventure games) and just a heaven for a horror fan like myself.
5/5 without a doubt.

Oh yeah! Planescape: Torment is the very best of the best...

[Little Writer]

This year I finished:

- Heavy Rain
- Gray Matter
- Back to the Future
- Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis

And I actually think that's it. I played several more but haven't finished them. And I bought lots of new ones I haven't even started yet.

[pointandcliklover]

Black mirror 1, 2, 3
grey matter (i wanted more)
evil under the sun (replay)
the next big thing (to short in my opinion and story a bit confuzeled in places)
art of murder 1 (im on 2 now)
syberia 1 and 2


i think that is it, thats not right for me, professor layton not done,nor a new begininjg, nor dust or duckman ....my list is adding up

i hate being a third year dam disertations

[Tiocfaidh]

Adventure Games:

GRAY MATTER
January 2011 - Really enjoyed it, wouldn´t mind if it had been (much) longer,
I hope Jane Jensen won´t make us wait that long for her next title

initial thoughts
http://www.adventuregamers.com/forum...&postcount=305

BLACK MIRROR 2
January/February 2011 - very average titlle, half the chapters are good, the other half is filler
Although it´s more polished than the first game BM2 is inferior.
The predecessor managed to intrigue me much more.
Don´t care about the third. Will pick it up when it´s attached to some PC Mag for free.
OK, maybe I won´t wait that long

initial thoughts
http://www.adventuregamers.com/forum...&postcount=206

GEMINI RUE
December 2011 - Wow, what an impressive debut by Nuerenberger.
Great presentation if you don´t mind the retro style graphic you´re in for a treat.
Story was a bit predictable but still gripping.

initial thoughts
http://www.adventuregamers.com/forum...7&postcount=28


GAG (not finished)
July 2011 - Unfortunately I wasn´t able to play through the game in it´s entirety.
What I´ve played was great fun and the community playthrough must have been a blast.
My computer stopped working for a couple of weeks till I got em back from the repair service.
Maybe I´ll finish it some day ...

LA NOIRE (currently playing ...)
December 2011 - Yes, it is an adventure game action-adventure but still ... adventurous
The graphics facial animation technology is without a doubt groundbreaking, not just the main characters, every single NPC is "alive" - it´s quite spooky actually.
I´m only 8 cases into the game and already can understand that people criticized the game for being repetitive.
I mean I can see where their complaints are coming from but I do not agree.
Sure, the mechanics/procedure might be the same from case to case, but every case has it´s own charm and keeps me interested all the way through. Just don´t forget to turn off all the help options.
I´d love to see a Police Quest game with this game´s engine.
Lytton would make a great city for a sandbox/adventure game.



Non-Adventure Games:


GTA IV (replay)
July/August 2011
Since my PC practically told me to go fuck myself, and furthermore having "a month off" due to a wearisome leg/knee injury (crutches & hobbling galore) I had to utilize my trusty PS3 to keep myself entertained.
Before I checked out the Episodes from Liberty City I wanted to replay the original.
The first time since my initial playthrough in 2008. Still a very good game, especially the 3rd person shooting interface is great. Just played the main story missions and some of the random characters which didn´t take that long and helped me appreciating the Episodes even more. Hopefully the last GTA game without save points. Having to drive through the whole city after messing up a mission AGAIN is anything but fun.

Spoiler:

bank heist

anyone ?

LOST AND THE DAMNED
August 2011 - First of the episodes. Focus on bikes and the grittiest GTA outing to date.
This is a good edition and really makes you feel like belonging to a gang.
I was desperately looking for a sound system in the "Lost" safehouse just to shoot it down though.
All that Death Metal, Crustcore etc. drove me crazy.
Nothing against heavy music but THIS is nothing I can relate to musically in the slightest.
Races are fun, new weapons & mini games and AT LAST safe points.
Good game but not great.

BALLAD OF GAY TONY
August 2011 - Far superior to Lost and the Damned.
Probably the most "fun" GTA game to date (apart from Vice City).
If you like "sandbox" games and haven´t played it yet, get it as soon as possible

FIFA 11
August 2011 - October 2011
First FIFA game I bought in AGES. The last one I played regularly was Road to World Cup .
I was more into ISS 64 and Pro Evolution Soccer till #6.
Well this one got me hooked at once, played several seasons and I really dug the Virtual Pro feature.
But then I got ...


FIFA 12
October 2011 - ???
Best football game I´ve ever played. Period.
IF you know how to play it you practically can do anything there is to do in real life.
Personally I appreciate the new defense system (although it´s not that radically different from FIFA 11´s IMO).
Still love the Virtual Pro mode. Additionally this is the first (yes 1st) game I play online on a regular basis which already kept me awake for many many nights. Pro Ranked Matches are great, great fun. Sure you´ll encounter a bunch of trolls on you´re way to glory but still:
playing with your VP on a certain position against 21 other players from all over the world is incredible.

UNCHARTED 3
November 2011 - very good entry in the series but still a let-down
This was my most anticipated game of the year 2011.
The first game was a great introduction into Nathan Drake´s universe.
The second one surpassed Drake´s Fortune on every level.
Played through it 2 times, watched a friend play through it. Had a truly great time with this game.

Drake´s Deception - the final (?) chapter has much going for it:
Jaw dropping spectacular setpieces, familiar characters getting more fleshed out, beautiful varying environments, challenging puzzles
Still, something doesn´t feel right. Story has so much potential but never really gets off the ground. It´s more about the personal relationships than the mystery itself. Not necessarily a bad thing but why not having both ?
Same goes for the villains. LOTS of potential, intriguing traits but never fully fleshed out.
Some sequences (especially the latter ones) are just a rehash of the second.
Secondary characters get introduced much too late in the game only to disappear again shortly after.
I have to play it again, maybe I´ll like it more the second time.
When the game shines then it shines BRIGHTLY but if Naughty Dog would have allowed themselves to put a couple of more months into the development of the story/secondary characters/villains Uncharted 3 even could have surpassed Among Thieves


phew, that´s a long post but you´ll do this only once a year right ?

[Iznogood]

I actually find listing all the games i have played this year a bit embarrassing. People could easily think i do nothing else but play on my computer and don't have a life to live

Listet in the order of how much i liked the games, here is the games i have played this year:

Adventure games:

Book of Unwritten Tales 4.5/5
Probadly and IMO the best game released in 2011!
I absuletely love it, though it hasn't quite made it to my personal top 10 list of the best games ever made.
See my comment to the review

Dreamfall 4.5/5
At the time this game was released i didn't play AG for a long time, and only started playing again about 2-3 years ago - So it wasn't until reseantly i learned a sequel to TLJ (one of the best games ever made imo) had been made.

It has one of the best story in an AG ever made, superb voice acting and an excelent atmosphere - had the gameplay been better, then it would have been a 5/5.

The Next BIG Thing 4/5
I realy realy like ths crazy "screwball comedy" of a game - and i never got tired of Liz's "Ayo".

Apparently not all like this game, which i simply don't understand, whats not to like about it?
Se my comment to The review

Hector: Badge of Carnage 4/5
"They must have been really desperate to use a police negotiater with Tourette syndrome"
The above quote (losely quotet from memory) really says it all, the often raunchy humour quite literally had me laughing out loud several times.

It actually reminded me of the humour in the Larry and Monkey Islands games - Unfortunelly so did the graphics
The game was obvoiously designed to be played on something handheld, and didn't really work that well on a 20" monitor.

Black Mirror II 4/5
Black Mirror III 3.5/5
In many ways both excellent games, with a dark and mysterious story.
Just missing that X factor that defines a really great game.
Personally i preferred the second, which i simply found more interesting.

Gray Matter 3.5/5
In many ways an execlent game, and had it not been for one big flaw imo, then i would have given it a better rating.

The problem is this kind of investigate/progress system.
There are some really big dangers in the system, and that is that the player can easily get completely and utterly stuck, with absolutely not idea of what they have to do, to get that magically last 1% progress they need to end the chapter .

It happend to me, (and i know also to other players), and i spend no less that 4 hours reading different walkthroughs and post from other players in the same situation. Retracing my steps over and over again, until i finally clicked on some obscure item i hadn't cliked on the first 7 times in the area

IMHO because of this built-in flaw, I don't think a game using this kind of system can ever be a great game - which is a pitty.

Back to the Future 3.5/5
Not the best game made by Telltale. (Which still makes it better than the best game of some other companies)

The gameplay was simply to simple
And it was obviously designed more for console that for pc, and more for players that have never played AG before, then for hardcore adventure gamers.

Still it grew on me, and I ended up really enjoying playing it.

Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island 3/5
This game had some brilliant ideas, and it was one of the games i was looking most forward to, it unfortunely disappointed me a bit.

Having to solve puzzles as a ghost, offered a new perspective to adventure gaming, and was the best part of the game. It however seemed like they ran out of time or money, and had to leave out scenes originally planned and rush the ending.

A New Beginning 3/5
A fine game - nothing really bad to say about it - but nothing special and easily forgotten.

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis 3/5
An okay game - but again nothing special, and even though it's only been a couple of months since i played it, i can hardly remember anything about it.

Jack Keane 3/5
In many ways i like this game, but it certainly also had some flaws.

Alpha Polaris 2.5/5
An okay indie game, with a good story. It however can't really stand up to the bigger productions.
Perhaps its not fair to compare an indie game to the big productions, which is what i have done in my rating.

Paradise 2.5/5
This is probably the game I'm most ambiguous about.
I loved the whole atmosphere of the game, but hated the gameplay.

Machinarium 2.5/5
Not really my type of game - but for some occasionally puzzle solving, it is okay.

Alter Ego 2.5/5
Not a bad game - but with many flaws.
The story was interesting enough to keep me playing it to the end, but nothing more then that.

Art of Murder I & II & III 2/5
The best i can say aboute these games is that they aren't actually bad - or at least not terrible.
For some unknown reason i played all 3 of them to the end, even though i didn't really like them, so there most have been something in them that appealed to me.

Jurassic Park 2/5
I absolutely hated the QTE system in the game - But apart from that it is okay as a interactive movie.
Se my comment to the review

The Rocking Dead 1.5/5
I really really really hate this game
It's the only game this year that i haven't finished.

Se my comment to the review
Did i menation that i hate it?

None adventure games (aka Strategy games)

Civilization V 4/5
I really liked the big changes from previously releases, unfortunely the multiplayer part never really worked, at least not when i still played it.
Got tired of it and don't play anymore.

Might & Magic Heroes VI 4/5
Potentially the best one in the series.
Unfortunately it is riddled with bugs, and I'm waiting for them to be fixed before I play again.

BTW: If you want to se a perfect example of how to alienate your most loyal and biggest fans then check out the Might & Magic Heroes VI Forum.
59 pages of reportet bugs (73 now) - and not a single peep from Ubisoft for months
Not a single "We apologize for the many bugs, and are working very hard to fix them." - Nothing - Complete silence.
And the first responce we got was in the general Ubisoft forum, telling that if there where any bugs, then we should either send a mail or phone Ubisoft support - Talk about adding insult to injury

[DustyShinigami]

Originally Posted by Tiocfaidh

I was desperately looking for a sound system in the "Lost" safehouse just to shoot it down though.
All that Death Metal, Crustcore etc. drove me crazy.
Nothing against heavy music but THIS is nothing I can relate to musically in the slightest.

I'm a fan of heavy music, but I agree with you about the music that plays in the club house from the hardcore station - it doesn't really appeal to me much either. The classic rock station on the other hand...

This year, adventure-wise, I've only played The Longest Journey (replay), L.A. Noire, Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror - Remastered, and Back to the Future - The Game, Episodes 1-3.

Quite disappointing. I did make a start on Tales of Monkey Island and Tex Murphy: Overseer, but soon lost interest. I have to say, apart from some of the classics I own or some quality new ones that do come out, I am a bit jaded with the genre at the moment.

[zobraks]

Originally Posted by Tiocfaidh

GAG
What I´ve played was great fun and the community playthrough must have been a blast.

Yes it was. We had loads of fun with it (at least I had).

[AnneS]

I was right about having plenty of time to play another game this week (ah, the joys of the graveyard shift) and I completed Gray Matter yesterday. I got the impression the adventure game community was a bit underwhelmed with it upon release, but having never played the Gabriel Knight games I had no expectations and ended up loving every minute. My only major complaint is that I wish it had been a few hours longer.

[lar]

Adventures:

Back to the Future: The Game - Episode I: It's About Time - a lot of fun to play, especialy for BTTF fans, gotta finish playing them all.
Black Mirror III - a very good ending to a very cool trilogy although the first game is always my favorite.
Blackwell Deception - just as good as the other three games, my favorite indie titles.
The Book of Unwritten Tales - it was a lot of fun and a whole lot of references (which is even more fun). the artwork was really good and the characters were charming but not an exceptional game in my opinion.
Gray Matter - was good but expected more of jane jensen. obviously.
Lost Horizon - again a fun game to play and pass time but not exceptional.
Nancy Drew: Alibi in Ashes - a good nancy drew game.

it seems i have not played any bad games this year hehe

+Casual Adventures:

Nightmare Realm
Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials
Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy
Sacra Terra: Angelic Night

[rtrooney]

Only played the one game mentioned above. Maybe that's an unfair list. Started playing a bunch of other games, but found them unlikeable/unplayable. Number one on that list would be Grey Matter.

So I may have tried a lot of games, but finished few. And I think that is how I think of the current state of adventure games these days.

[harald]

I managed to squeeze in Gemini Rue (great game) and MCF: Ravenhearst (my first HOG ever, unless you count Three Cards to Midnight) before New Year's Eve! Achievement!

[Ripper]

Rama
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse: They Stole Max's Brain
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse: The City That Dares Not Sleep
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People: Strong Badia the Free
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People: Baddest of the Bands
Rita James: Escape from Thunder Island
Love Chronicles: The Spell
Murder Island: Secret of Tantalus
Love Chronicles 2: The Sword and the Rose
Alien Incident
Les Manley: Search for the King
Redemption Cemetery: Curse of the Raven
Sinbad: In Search of Magic Ginger
Redemption Cemetery 2: Children's Plight
Duckman
Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity
Lume
Kingdom of Seven Seals
Relics: Dark Hours
Jurassic Park

[skeeter_93]

I can't remember most of mine... here are a few - too few! A couple I'm not sure if I played this year or last year...


Nancy Drew Captive Curse
Nancy Drew Alibi in Ashes
The Next Big Thing
The Longest Journey
GAG
Edna and Harvey
Back to the Future
Gray Matter
Lost Horizon
Blackwell Deception
Hector Badge of Carnage

DS games

Ghost Trick
999
Last Window

Casual games

Drawn 3
Escape From Ravenhearst
Tiny Bang Story
A few HOG/casual games

Hmmm, more than I thought...

[TheLongestJourney]

2011 was the year I got back into video gaming. With a long distance relationship on the go and the ability to set my own schedule for school, I had plenty of time for video games this year.

Adventure Games

Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse - 8/10
I loved the increase in production values and especially the non-linear aspect of the second episode. However, the controls were so annoying that when I was playing with my friend, we were always arguing about which one of us would have to control the characters.

Back to the Future - 7/10
I loved the voice acting and the interaction between Doc and Marty since I love the films. The puzzles weren't the greatest, but I didn't mind too much because I was always excited to play the next episode.

Blade Runner - 7/10
I love the movie and Philip K. Dick, so I loved the atmosphere but I couldn't really get into this game that much. At least there are lots of different endings so I might try it again in the future.

Ceville - 7/10
I liked how evil Ceville's comments were but I wasn't really that enthralled with the plot.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition - 7/10
I didn't like the no voice with old graphics and keyboard interface so the special edition wasn't really an improvement for me, but it is still one of my favorite games of all time.

LeChuck's Revenge: Special Edition - 9/10
I liked the new graphics better for this one as well as the commentary option.

Puzzle Agent - 7/10
I liked the logic puzzles for this one and the fact it took place in Minnesota.

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers - 8/10
Awesome plot, research and writing but I hated the slow walking, how it seemed like you did everything for the day but there was one little thing you forgot and so you couldn't advance the plot. Also, all the ways to die at the end were quite annoying.

Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within - 9/10
Almost all the issues from the first were fixed in this one and I liked the new Gabriel and Grace, especially the scene with Grace at the book store, probably my favorite video game scene of the year. All the museum research did start to get tedious though.

Syberia - 9/10
Slow to start and Oscar did get on my nerves but I did really enjoy the plot and setting. I hated having to walk through ten screens to find something to interact with but the mammoths and steampunk aspects were great.

Syberia 2 - 8/10
Retained all the good aspects of the original except I really missed all the drama with Kate and her fiancee.

Under a Killing Moon - 9/10
I loved this one. I love Tex and the cheesy acting and sci-fi setting. I also, loved the way the dialogue choices were given. The controls were awkward and the pixel-hunting was annoying but it was great overall.

Portal 2 - 9/10
I loved Wheatley and the puzzles and how everything was expanded upon from the original, but I still liked Portal 1 better.

Gemini Rue - 10/10
My favorite game of the year. I loved the plot and I'm a sucker for cyberpunk settings. The retro graphics made it even better. I'm glad to see it make the top 100.

Puzzle Bots - 7/10
So short, but worth the $1.25 I spent on steam. The puzzles were fun, but kind of easy, I wish they went farther with the characters and story.

Still Life - 7/10
The story was great and the two characters stories were awesome but I hated a lot of the puzzles in this one. I especially hated how you had to watch the huge cut scene with all the paintings and then had to go around and look at them all again, such torture!

Pepper's Adventures in Time - 8/10
Pretty fun, simple game. I liked the 90's cool sensibility. The educational aspect was pretty great and I did learn some interesting American history.

The Whispered World - 9/10
The graphics, setting and ending in this one were what made it for me and the puzzles were pretty satisfying. I didn't even mind the protagonist's voice like a lot of people.

Blackwell Series - 9/10
I played all 4 games in the span of 4 or 5 days. I loved the interaction between Rosa and Joey and the ability to research things on the phone and internet and finding things about their families past. I can't wait to see what Wadjet Eye has planned for next year because they are becoming my favorite game developer.

Samorost Series - 6/10
A fun distraction, but I don't agree with all the praise it received. I found Machinarium to be much better.

The Curse of Monkey Island (Replay) - 10/10
After playing the two special editions, I had to play this one and it reminded me of why I love this series so much and it is definitely my favorite one in the series!

Ben There, Dan That! + Time Gentlemen, Please! - 7/10
Reminded me of old Lucas Arts, which is a good thing. I loved all the self-referential humor and acknowledging that the characters are in an adventure. The only thing that holds these two back is the lack of voice acting.

Non-Adventures

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn - 8/10
Not as good as the original GBA games but still a fun JRPG.

The Legend of Zelda - The Phantom Hourglass - 8/10
Not my favorite Zelda, but the dungeons were still fun. There was just too much sailing.

Bioshock - 8/10
I liked the setting of this game a lot but since I played it on easy the game play got kind of repetitive.

Psychonauts - 9/10
Tim Schafer = genius. However, I don't think I have swore so much at a video game as when I played the infamous Meat Circus.

Pokemon Diamond - 9 / 10
After 4 years and 235 gameplay hours, I finally completed the pokedex (493 pokemon) and beat the tower Tycoon. Now I'm ready to play the next generation.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - 7/10
Like the other DS game there was too much riding the rails in this one to get from place to place but the dungeons were still a lot of fun.

[Bastich]

This is a list of playthroughs, so games that are listed more than once were played that many times. I'm too lazy to edit it down. All games are PC unless listed otherwise. There are some painful experiences in this list... If anyone is curious about any game on the list, just ask. There are too many for me to do mini-reviews of them like others have.

1) Agatha Christie: Peril at End House (2007)
2) Agatha Christie: Dead Man's Folly (2009)
3) Alter Ego (2010)
4) Amnesia: The Dark Descent: Justine DLC (2011)
5) Area D: Danger Island (1997)
6) Art of Murder: The Secret Files (2011)
7) Art of Murder: Deadly Secrets (2011)
8) Bigfoot: Chasing Shadows (2010)
9) Black Mirror 3 (2011)
10) Chronicles of Mystery: The Legend of the Sacred Treasure (2011)
11) Chronicles of Mystery: Secret of the Lost Kingdom (2011)
12) Clandestiny (1996)
13) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
14) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
15) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
16) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
17) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
18) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
19) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
20) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
21) Clock Tower (1995) (SNES)
22) Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within (1999) (PSX)
23) Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within (1999) (PSX)
24) Clock Tower 3 (2002) (PS2)
25) Cold Case Files (2004)
26) Conspiracies (2003)
27) Cruise Clues - Caribbean Adventure (2010)
28) D (1995)
29) Dark Dimensions: City of Fog (2011)
30) Dead Space 2 (2011)
31) Dexter: The Game (2011)
32) Dracula Unleashed (1993)
33) Duke Nukem Forever (2011)
34) Echo Night (1999) (PSX)
35) Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (2002)
36) Enemy Zero (1997) (SAT)
37) Evil Dead: Regeneration (2005)
38) F.E.A.R. 3 (2011)
39) Fascination (1991)
40) Faust: Seven Games of the Soul (2000)
41) From Dusk Till Dawn (2001)
42) Gemini Rue (2011)
43) Goin' Downtown (2011)
44) Halloween (1983) (Atari 2600)
45) Haunted House (1982) (Atari 2600)
46) Haunting Ground (2005) (PS2)
47) Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller (1994)
48) House of the Dead 1 (1998)
49) House of the Dead 2 (2001)
50) House of the Dead 3 (2005)
51) House of the Dead: Overkill (2009) (Wii)
52) House of the Dead: Overkill (2009) (Wii)
53) House of the Dead: Overkill (2009) (Wii)
54) Jack the Ripper (2004)
55) Juggernaut (1999) (PSX)
56) Kuon (2004) (PS2)
57) Last Half of Darkness (1989)
58) Last Half of Darkness 2 (1992)
59) Last Half of Darkness 3 (1993)
60) Lost City of Z (2009)
61) Lunacy (1997) (SAT)
62) Mansion of Hidden Souls (1994) (SegaCD)
63) Mansion of Hidden Souls 2 (1995) (SAT)
64) Mystery Case Files 7: 13th Skull (2010)
65) Mystery Legends 2: The Phantom of the Opera CE (2011)
66) Mystery Stories: Mountains of Madness (2011)
67) Nancy Drew 03: Message in a Haunted Mansion (2000)
68) Nancy Drew 04: Treasure in the Royal Tower (2001)
69) Nancy Drew 05: The Final Scene (2001)
70) Nancy Drew 06: Secret of the Scarlet Hand (2002)
71) Nancy Drew 07: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002)
72) Nancy Drew 08: The Haunted Carousel (2003)
73) Nancy Drew 09: Danger on Deception Island (2003)
74) Nancy Drew 10: The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004)
75) Nancy Drew 11: The Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004)
76) Nancy Drew 12: Secret of the Old Clock (2005)
77) Nancy Drew 13: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005)
78) Nancy Drew 14: Danger by Design (2006)
79) Neverwinter Nights (2002)
80) Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (2003)
81) Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker (2005)
82) Neverwinter Nights: ShadowGuard (2005)
83) Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide (2003)
84) Neverwinter Nights: Witch's Wake (2005)
85) Next Big Thing (2011)
86) Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (2008) (Wii)
87) Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (2008) (Wii)
88) Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (2008) (Wii)
89) Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (2008) (Wii)
90) Onimusha 4: Dawn of Dreams (2006) (PS2)
91) Portal 2 (2011)
92) Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (2001) (PS2)
93) Rule of Rose (2006) (PS2)
94) Saw: The Video Game (2009)
95) Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles (2010)
96) Slaughtered Roommates (1999)
97) The Forgotten: It Begins (1999)
98) The Lurking Horror (1987)
99) Unsolved Mystery Club: Amelia Earhart (2010)
100) Voodoo Chronicles: The First Sign CE (2011)
101) Women's Murder Club 4: Little Black Lies (2010)
102) X-Files: Resist or Serve (2004) (PS2)
103) X-Files: Resist or Serve (2004) (PS2)
104) X-Files: The Deserter (2004) (J2ME)
105) You Are Empty (2007)

[TheLongestJourney]

Originally Posted by Bastich

This is a list of playthroughs, so games that are listed more than once were played that many times. I'm too lazy to edit it down. All games are PC unless listed otherwise. There are some painful experiences in this list... If anyone is curious about any game on the list, just ask. There are too many for me to do mini-reviews of them like others have.

I'd like to hear what you have to say about Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller because there is no review on the site. I thought it might have a chance at the "you might enjoy" in the top 100 because I heard it was quite good from another source. Also, I have the cd but I can't get it to work in Windows 7. Do you have any advice?