I think I've missed one kind of game. (Gabriel Knight 3)
 

What Gabriel Knight 3 achieved. Yes, the graphics were crude, but the atmosphere, the music, the whole packet was amazing. I'd give big money to see that come back.

How much?

Have you played Gray Matter? It's not as epic as GK3, but it does have the layered storyline and engaging interplay between the main characters that the GK games did (kind of a love/hate relationship, like Gabe and Grace had). Also the music is very similar. :D

Gabriel Knight 3 was the first in the series I got to play. I struggled with the interface as it gave me motion sickness but worth it for the wonderful story!

I loved Gray Matter too & agree with fov about it having a layered storyline & engaging interplay between the main characters. There were a few novelties like the magic tricks that a lot of players didn't seem to like - just another sort of puzzle to me! Loved the music too & would love to see a sequel to the game!

GK3 is underrated. It generally receives high acclaim (#32 on AG's Top 100 list), and I agree with criticism of a few silly puzzles or Curry's voice acting.

I loved the 3D environment and thought the gameplay was well done. It's tough to rank the GK games against each other, but I think GK3 is the best overall experience. If my memory serves me it is probably the longest game as well.

GK3 has the richest story of the GK games in my opinion. It's massive and very well-researched, even more so than GK1 and GK2 which are phenomenal stories themselves.

I was always a little bitter that Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code basically covered the same ground but was a huge phenomenon. It makes sense as the mediums are different and adventure games have a much smaller market than fiction books. I can't imagine what Jane thought when she read that book. I don't think Brown copied her or anything like that, but it must have been annoying to know that you provided a much better story revolving around the lore of the Templars and Holy Grail.

Hell, I think TDVC used the whole "San Greal" vs. "Sang Real" thing that GK3 had. I remember reading that and laughing.

definitely the best GK3 game!

GK3 was the one gabriel knight game i did not buy or play , i was put off by the 3d graphic when i saw the trailer.

From the excellent cool graphic of 1 to the excellent FMV realistic photo of 2 , then to suddently change it to a crude looking 3d model type , it sadly turns me off.

It's a shame that you skipped this one if you like the other two. Yeah the graphics and camera seem a little strange at first but I think even if given the choice to turn it 2D or FMV like the other ones, I'd wanna keep it just the way it is. I don't know why, but the 3D just works for this game.

It's probably my favorite one and I even think his accent is good. (Good as in bad but funny and charming.) I'd say just buy it on GoG. You can't go wrong and even if you hate it, it's only 6 bucks.

Then how is it underrated? You mention it receives high acclaim AND that you agree with some of the criticism...

Dan Brown borrowed most of his conspiracy theories in The Da Vinci Code from books that were published way earlier than GK3 (even going back to the early '70s). Books like The Jesus Scroll (1972), The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982), The Templar Revelation (1997), etc.

My guess is that Jane Jensen read these books (and similar ones) as well to form the basis for GK3.

Besides, in works like The Da Vinci Code and Gabriel Knight 3, the search for the conspiracy is more important than the actual content of said conspiracy, so plagiarism has nothing to do with it, imo...

I miss the mature occult genre and GK was/is one of the best. It's like the John Constantine of adventure games, so much untapped potential. I just wish someone would make a GOOD game in that direction. Good is enough because amazing stopped happening years ago:shifty:

GK3 is brilliant (as well as the earlier games). Everything is there: the characters, the surroundings, the mystery, deep background story, well paced plot. And like Schneckchen said, the 3D works actually very well in this game. Yes, the graphics are not terribly pretty but it's certainly playable even today.

And Tim Curry is awesome.

I also enjoyed Gray Matter immensely and I am going to believe that anything Jane Jensen does is brilliant. Really looking forward to even the casual titles.

(Da Vinci Code was good too but it's pretty fluff, whereas I consider GK3 to be much deeper and more emotional ride.)

Underrated that its flaws are not as bad as most people say. The graphics, for example, aren't so terrible they distract from the game. Everyone complains about the cat puzzle - not a good puzzle but it doesn't take away from the game experience for me. Cuckoo clock puzzle in GK2 was just as random.

Dude, I didn't say that Jane came up with those theories. It's obvious Jane read Holy Blood, Holy Grail and a variety of other works to come up with her story. What I'm saying is that Jane essentially beat Dan Brown to it by a few years but since his product was a book it had a much larger audience.

I explicitly said that Brown didn't rip Jane off. They both were interested in the Templar/lineage/Holy Grail/etc. theories an wrote their own stories about it. I never suggested Jane INVENTED the Grail/Holy Blood/Ancestry theories and can't see how anyone would my post as such.

You pretty much misinterpreted my entire post.

I thought that GK3 suffered from a weakish endgame, but had a brilliant midgame and some wonderful optional detective work of the kind I'd like to see more of. GK1 is still my favorite of the series, but all three are marvelous, ambitious games.