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Old 02-08-2012, 10:56 AM   #1
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Default Looking for a game suggestion (and 'Ello!')

Hi guys (and, I hope, gals).

This is my first post in what I hope is a rather tight knit community of gamers so, before rambling on about my own problems (problems I hope you all can help me with), let me introduce myself:

My name is Enon. I'm in my 30th. Bit of an academic mixed with the aesthetics of a world traveling street punk, but will always have a place in my heart for games. I cut my teeth with Infocom, grew into adolescence with Sierra and -- far later in life -- discovered the joys of (Monkey Island era) Lucas Arts. Beyond a few notable exceptions, namely Siberia and Still Life, I've not played many modern adventure titles -- and many classics I missed out on as well (Myst, etc).

Anyhoo, glad to be around here.

Now for my question!

I've made a new friend here in Portland, Oregon, who is open to being exposed to modern gaming. I'm unsure of her experience, but I think it taps out with the Super Nintendo (and probably zero with PC titles, modern or classic). She's a talented writer, lover of libraries and an emotionally centered young lady (Tori Amos listener, etc). Most notably, she's into fantasy and young adult literature -- so things like The Little Prince, The Hunger Games, Tolkien and Harry Potter seem high on her list. She seems to appreciate art and imagination, but isn't attracted to darkness or cynicism (well, besides being attracted to me as a friend ).

Anyhoo, I was hoping somebody could give me suggestions for some decent adventure titles that would hit these marks, or at the least offer a glimmer of excitement to one who normally would prefer a good, albeit light, read to a murderfest action game.

Sadly, I'm not really a low or high fantasy person -- the closest I have come in recent years have been RPGs like Witcher II, Skyrim and Dragon Age. All three of those seem too combat oriented to share so I turned to my original love, adventure games.

Siberia? Good.. but maybe as a second choice since the puzzles can be a bit obtuse for new gamers.

Still Life? Too modern and dark in theme, me thinks.

Beyond those two, I can only think to old Sierra classics (King's Quest, most notably). Sadly, Sierra titles can be sickeningly unfair pixel hunts half the time.

Thoughts? Ideas?

Longest Journey? Never played it, and only the sequel seems to be capable of running on newer operating systems. Still, I'm unsure of what she's running so.. would that be good? Is it simple enough to not discourage somebody entirely new to the genre (but fantastical enough to engross one's curiosity)?

Just curious..
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Old 02-08-2012, 12:05 PM   #2
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welcome to the board

First off, you definitely can get the longest journey to run on newer systems, but it could take tinkering (or simply buying it from gog.com). Buuuut, the puzzles in TLJ can be overly complicated and low on logic, so it may not be what youre looking for. It is rather fantastical though, and worth a shot if open to using a walkthrough sometimes.

Its a tough question for newer games, you might want to take a look at the book of unwritten tales or the whispered world. Those are both charming fantasy adventures. Whispered world in particular is emotionally charged, and aesthetically pleasing, and sortv has tolkien vibe to it IMO.
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Last edited by zane; 02-08-2012 at 12:17 PM.
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Old 02-08-2012, 02:53 PM   #3
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Hiya,

I just wrote a whole sermon about Machinarium but unfortunately it got chopped up when I went advanced.

Here I go again:

If I were to introduce the AG genre so someone I'd probably go for Machinarium by Amanita Design.

It can only be described as utterly charming.

It is not exactly a fantasy setting (or rather not at all) but it has a certain poetic quality to it and the main character (a little mute robot (all characters are essentially mute in this game) might appeal to motherly or fatherly instincts in the player after only a short while into the game.
The reaction of the robot to an unachievable command is so cute it really makes you want to cuddle the little guy.
If you don't get to love the little bugger after ten minutes into the game you must've been born without a heart.

All interaction that in any "normal" game would be verbal is done by little stick figure stories in speech or thought bubbles. Lovely concept that.

The gameplay is quite fair and pretty straightforward, i.e. the task at hand is always relatively clear and the items you'd need are never far away, often in the same room or screen, without the whole experience being too easy.
I'd say it's the least frustrating game I've ever played.

To cut the story short (once again): Check it out on this site and/or look for Youtube footage. You'll see what I'm talking about.

That would be my suggestion for an introduction to the genre.

Cheers, Dan.

Last edited by ADan; 02-08-2012 at 03:15 PM. Reason: "least" not "last" frustrating. Tiny yet huge difference.
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Old 02-08-2012, 03:09 PM   #4
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I would suggest Keepsake. It was the first game I introduced my first wife too and she loved it. I think it is a great game for a woman who likes fantasy and magic.
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Old 02-08-2012, 05:06 PM   #5
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Emerald City Confidential is a nice light game to play, it's an interesting take on the world of Oz. I also second Keepsake and Machinarium as good choices.
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Old 02-08-2012, 05:12 PM   #6
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You should try out Torin's Passage. It's an old Sierra title, but its Disney-like graphics holds the test of time surprisingly well. It's family-oriented, easy and quite funny (Al Lowe, after all). Girls love it.

Also if you can get hold of Tale of a Hero, I really suggest it. Don't pay attention to the review, it is a light-hearted and imaginative fantasy adventure with many memorable moments and good humour.

Oh, and Emerald City Confidential is surely an excellent recommendation! Probably the best game to start with.
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Last edited by Arial Type; 02-08-2012 at 05:18 PM.
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Old 02-08-2012, 05:47 PM   #7
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You can buy The Longest Journey at Gog.com. They make sure old games are compatible with modern systems.

If she likes The Little Prince, she might also like the game based on the book. Faithful to the original, story read by Kenneth Branagh. Older game, don't know about the compatibility.

I second the recommendation of Machinarium. Very cute.

A different type of adventure is Return to Mysterious Island, inspired by Jules Verne. For the most part easy puzzles with more than one solution. Unique and fun inventory system.
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Old 02-09-2012, 09:41 AM   #8
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The longest journey, you'll love it!

Others that come to mind;

A New Beginning
Moment of Silence
Gabriel Knight series & Broken Sword series
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Old 02-09-2012, 02:05 PM   #9
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A couple of my favorite recent adventure games are The Book of Unwritten Tales (which is fantasy though) and Lost Horizon. That might be more of a guy game though. It kind of has an Indiana Jones feel to it.
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Old 02-09-2012, 03:47 PM   #10
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If your friend is into fantasy then I reckon she'll enjoy The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. Definitely. Some of the puzzles/combat, not so much...

She should try Broken Sword too! True, the games do have some dark-ish moments and they're murder mysteries (especially the first game), but the characters, story, artwork and music could very well appeal to her.

If she enjoys comedy, or doesn't mind comedy mixed in with fantasy, then Simon the Sorcerer and Discworld may be good choices. But I wouldn't recommend the first Discworld though - it's bloody hard.
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Old 02-09-2012, 09:37 PM   #11
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I'd second HitBattousai's recommendations.

For first time adventure gamers, I'd recommend Emerald City Confidential. Its a fairly easy game, so she won't get frustrated about being stuck all over the place. The plot and characters are interesting, especially if you've read (or seen) Wizard of Oz. My wife played this game as her first adventure and now she is hooked to the genre!

My second recommendation is Machinarium.

There are a lot of classic games, that are also very hard. I wouldn't use them for a first time adventure gamer, but try them out after completing 2 or 3 games.
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