[ATMachine]

So, forgetting my other, less-than-sucessful topic, I've decided to collect my thoughts about Gabriel Knight 3, having recently played it for the first time.

What I liked:
-The town of Rennes-le-Chateau. I enjoyed exploring its winding alleys, and liked the changing lighting throughout the day.
-SIDNEY's database, in general (specific flaws I'll get to later).
-Gabriel and Grace change clothes as days pass. A cool new feature easily permitted by 3D models.
-The freedom to move about the valley on a motorcycle. This was a lot more annoying in GK2, when all you had were castles and museums represented in still backdrops; however, the ability to walk around, read signs, and look at terrain made it more of an "interactive movie" to me than FMV ever came.
-Explaining the origin of the Schattenjaegers. We'd all been waiting for that one.
-

Spoiler:

Hinting strongly where Grace went in the end so, although disappointed, we players aren't totally confused by her actions.

Dislikes:
-The villain was introduced way too late in the story.

Spoiler:

We met Malia on Day 1 of GK1, and Von Glower showed up at the end of GK2's Chapter 1; here, however, we only get to see Montreaux in the middle of Day 2, and we sneak around his house before we have a definite encounter around him.

This sort of telegraphing and delayed plot emergence doesn't really give enough time for players to get to dislike the bad guy, I think.
-SIDNEY didn't have too many actual Schattenjaeger journals for you to look at, did it? I missed those from the first two games. Also, its monitor text is nearly impossible to read at high resolution settings.
-The opening of the game was presented in a comic book. While this approach worked with GK1 because the story in that comic was not necessary to understand what was going on in the game (though it helped), not having the comic made you wonder: Who is Prince James, why is Gabriel awaking on a train, and where's Grace? Also, the comic shows Gabe wearing his trenchcoat, only highlighting its conspicuous absence in the game.
-The end sequence.

Spoiler:

The pendulum room wasn't nearly as bad as the glowing-tile bridge. There was a similar puzzle in Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, but this was much harder to control, largely because you were supposed to jump AFTER a tile glowed, and you couldn't tell for how long it would remain in place in the darkness. Also, who in the world coded the end sequence, wherein you get killed if you radio to Grace for info? The only way to get full points is to die and select "Retry." I'd suggest that whoever was responsible should be fired....if they hadn't been several years ago already.

Feel free to add your own items.

[SakSquash]

I loved it. I got stalled last time I played it because my computer crashed. But somebody nicely sent me a saved game. I'll have to load it up and see where it takes me.

[fov]

ATMachine, I changed your spoilers a little so the villians in the first two games weren't revealed.

Originally Posted by ATMachine

What I liked:
-The town of Rennes-le-Chateau. I enjoyed exploring its winding alleys, and liked the changing lighting throughout the day.
...
-Gabriel and Grace change clothes as days pass. A cool new feature easily permitted by 3D models.
-The freedom to move about the valley on a motorcycle. This was a lot more annoying in GK2, when all you had were castles and museums represented in still backdrops; however, the ability to walk around, read signs, and look at terrain made it more of an "interactive movie" to me than FMV ever came.

I agree with all of this. (Wasn't real thrilled with Sidney so I left that out. ) Very, very happy the characters finally changed clothes.

I also think the real time aspect of the game was very cool and ambitious. It bugged me the first time through because I felt like I was missing things. But it really adds to the replayability and also makes the game more realistic. I love that there are some scenes you could completely miss the first time around... gives you something to play for the second time.

Spoiler:

The first time I played I didn't encounter Mosley digging at night... so my second time through I was pleasantly surprised by their "man to man" conversation and Gabe coming as close as he's ever come to admitting his feelings for Grace... I'm a romantic that way.

I was not as engaged by GK3's story as I was with GK2's, but I did enjoy it more the second time around.

Oh, and as for the ending...

[Glenn Epic]

Man I want to play this game.

Unfortunately I only have GK1. Which is awesome but I want the other 2. Especially considering Mr Erickson gave my site a good wrap (see signature). I want to see Dean in action

[BenjaminBunny]

your lucky you get to play them for the first time. Their classics. I've replayed them both each at least 4 0r 5 times...and played through GK1 twice.

Spoiler:

though it was funnny how one optional ending in GK1 had Gabriel die. Never knew that until I replayed it.

[DonOlsen]

Gk3 is a great game, actually i enjoyed it more than the other games in the series. I really like their use of 3d and the free roaming camera - this game proves that u can do full 3d adventure games without action scenes thrown into the game play.

[samIamsad]

Definitely a good game. Apart from some strange puzzles (that cat hair-moustache-thingy). Did adventure gamers like the interface when it was released? The 3D graphics? I did.

[Kyrandian]

Originally Posted by ATMachine

So, forgetting my other, less-than-sucessful topic, I've decided to collect my thoughts about Gabriel Knight 3, having recently played it for the first time.

Feel free to add your own items.

Ive only been playing for a few days (i have about 158 out of 965 points) and so far i find the game extremely boring. I've learned over time that sometimes adventures take warming up to, and am determined to get through the boring part to the meat.. but so far, i'm disapointed.. i think the 3d engine is clunky, and the graphics arent well designed-- the game almost feels unfinished in some ways. I kind of like the roaming camera thing, and how you can go ahead of gabe, but he walks so slowly..

as for the cat-moustache thing-- i think its pretty lame that the game makes you go through all that trouble just to get a 'cooler' motorcycle... i hate when games make you conform to some weird personality trait of a character-- especially a hick like gabriel knight.. i wanted to get out of that town scene and explore so badly i would have taken the purple vespa..

I also think the voice acting is pretty terrible, and the missions so far have been very dull. I give them points for realism, because visiting tiny french villages like that can be equally boring, with nothing to do but churches and small museums. however i digress and say that GK2 was equally boring in some respects, but i still enjoyed it a lot. I'm hoping that GK3 will come around and grab my interest-- i'm not giving up just yet. Sierra hasnt let me down yet (except with every king's quest after the 7th)

[UPtimist]

Originally Posted by Kyrandian

the game almost feels unfinished in some ways.

I think it had to be rushed a bit... They didn't get to do the final touch...

Originally Posted by Kyrandian

...and how you can go ahead of gabe, but he walks so slowly..

Of course when you go somewhere and move him, if he's not on screen, he 'teleports' there... Though you probably knew that (and maybe were saying it, too?

Originally Posted by Kyrandian

I also think the voice acting is pretty terrible

Heh... The big fight about GK3's voice acting (I think it's excellent)...

Originally Posted by Kyrandian

Sierra hasnt let me down yet (except with every king's quest after the 7th)

And by not making GK4 ...

[Antoinetta]

"Gk3 is a great game, actually i enjoyed it more than the other games in the series. I really like their use of 3d and the free roaming camera - this game proves that u can do full 3d adventure games without action scenes thrown into the game play." Posted by Don Olsen


Completely agreed. Also, Gabriel Knight III proves that 3D CAN be done without implimenting a crapped-out arrow-controlled character-movement navigation scheme or a keyboard dominated game interface.

Antoinetta

[Eye-Z]

i played this game for 20 mins, i couldn't get out the chatteau, the voice acting and camera angles became too frustrating and i havent gone back to it, that was 6 months ago.

you're telling me i should give it another go?

[fov]

Originally Posted by plattyaj

There was a reply to the first post that quoted this and still has the same info. about the villains. Perhaps someone could edit that post too?

Fixed. In the process though I accidentally deleted your post because I hit the edit button instead of the reply button. Stupid mod trick... Trep did the same thing yesterday to one of my posts. I think this thread is cursed. Anyway, I'm really sorry - it was nothing personal.

Kryandian, you can press something (esc I think?) and Gabe or Grace will jump to wherever they're going. You don't have to watch them walk all the way across the room. The beginning of the game is a little slow. What part are you at? I'd definitely keep going with it. It took me MONTHS to play through this game the first time. I just wasn't as engaged as I had been with GK2 (which I played all of very quickly). But it does have a rich story and it's worth getting through.

-emily

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by fov

Fixed. In the process though I accidentally deleted your post because I hit the edit button instead of the reply button. Stupid mod trick... Trep did the same thing yesterday to one of my posts. I think this thread is cursed. Anyway, I'm really sorry - it was nothing personal.

It's the nasty ghosts of undiscovered GK3 easter eggs!!!

[Trunkyo]

Well, I just finished GK3 a few months ago... I loved how the Holy Grail and Saunière mysteries tied into Gabe and Grace's current Schattenjäger case, and the "le serpent rouge" puzzle was the best part of the game for me.

For some reason, Gabriel's voice in GK3 drove me nuts, although I tolerated it in GK1 (Tim Curry did Gabe's voice in both games, of course.) In GK3, I couldn't figure out exactly how to get Mosely's passport, because I was sick of hearing Gabe drawl, "Nope, those don't work together" every time I tried to use a certain item on everything I could think of!

And yeesh, I can't believe how many things I missed or forgot to do to get a higher score, mostly having to do with tracking suspects or gathering clues (I did replay the game later, and I'm still missing a few points.)

Say, I'm still looking for GK2... Anyone???

I just remembered some nagging questions (I just replayed GK1 and I'm too lazy to search for all of the other GK threads to see if it was discussed before) *SPOILERS*:

Spoiler:

Gabriel's grandmother mentioned in GK1 how his father Philip died when Gabe was 8 years old, and that Gabe's grandfather Harrison Knight (a.k.a. Heinz Ritter) died when Philip was 8 years old... Was that coincidence, or was it part of the family curse (along with the nightmares, etc.)? If so, would this mean that Gabriel will also die when his and Grace's baby is 8 years old? Did Gabriel really end the curse? (I can't remember what Emilio said... sorry!) And have I been thinking about this too much???

[ATMachine]

Originally Posted by Trunkyo

I just remembered some nagging questions (I just replayed GK1 and I'm too lazy to search for all of the other GK threads to see if it was discussed before) *SPOILERS*:

Spoiler:

Gabriel's grandmother mentioned in GK1 how his father Philip died when Gabe was 8 years old, and that Gabe's grandfather Harrison Knight (a.k.a. Heinz Ritter) died when Philip was 8 years old... Was that coincidence, or was it part of the family curse (along with the nightmares, etc.)? If so, would this mean that Gabriel will also die when his and Grace's baby is 8 years old? Did Gabriel really end the curse? (I can't remember what Emilio said... sorry!) And have I been thinking about this too much???

Well, perhaps that was just a mixup on Jane Jensen's part.

Spoiler:

In the Sins of the Fathers novel, published a few years after the game came out, she changed the date of Gabriel's father's death so that Gabe was only 1 year old when it happened. She must have been beseiged with fans asking your exact question.

Of course, I can't remember whether Harrison's deathdate also changed, so maybe the curse just took effect earlier after the births.

Personally, I always saw that as a form of divine retribution for Harrison Knight's abandonment of his heritage. There are accounts of Schattenjaegers living after 1693, when the talisman was lost, who died after their sons had turned eight. (In the GK2 novel, for instance, Christian von Ritter died in the 1860's; his son was 16 years old at the time.)

However, once Harrison and his sons lost their path entirely, they only lived long enough to ensure the survival of the lineage before being struck down. So Gabe, having returned to his family tradition, should have nothing to worry about. That's my answer, anyways.

[grayscavenger]

Spoiler:

Well, I think killing/redeeming Tetelo ended that curse. Notice how they both died with car accidents and that Gabriel's grandfather saw a deer...or a cat, which probably has to do with the panther.

[DustyShinigami]

Sorry to bump an old thread.

I completed GK3 yesterday and i have to admit, now means i've finished it, that it was an enjoyable game. I did use a walkthrough all the way through, means i couldn't be bothered to do it myself, but i still enjoyed it all the same. I just can't imagine doing it myself means i found it a bit difficult to get into unlike the first 2. Plus, some of the puzzles stumped me even by using a walkthrough; namely the Le Serpent Rouge riddles and marking the map on SYDNEY.

I quite like SYDNEY and how you can do a search on loads of different topics and get loads of info (even on things that aren't connected to the storyline). Also, being able to add all your suspects and link up fingerprints and licence plate numbers is pretty cool as well as being able to add any details you want. And to top it all off, being able to check emails, analyse maps, photos, text etc. and uncode anagrams and find secrets within.
Even though i much prefer 1-2's storylines and atmosphere etc. - 3 still had an interesting story and a unique world/atmosphere. Being able to explore all these different locations at different times was pretty nifty. It's good how all the characters are off doing different things in different places as you uncover the next piece of info or something.
As always the music is superb and there's some really memorable tunes just like in the previous GKs. Kinda got mixed feelings about some of the tunes from the first one coming back means they sound different. The original versions will always be best lol.

Apart from some really wierd/annoying performance issues (that must be apart of the game engine), blocky 3D graphics (which aren't that much of an issue for me means graphics don't normally bother me much) and some confusing tricky puzzles, overall the game is definately a worthy edition to the series.

'First-time-throughs' always leave me a bit confused with certain parts of the storyline or the answers given at the end. So i have a few questions that need answering just the clear up the confusion.

1.

Spoiler:

Jesus's body seemed to float up towards the heavens during that scene with the Roman soldier so how was it recovered and put into the sarcophagus? Besides, his body would have been nothing more than dust after thousands of years.

2.

Spoiler:

Where did Emilio take his body?

3.

Spoiler:

Why does Grace go to India? At the end of the first 2 GK games, Grace was by Gabe's side. They can't leave the series like this we need another one!

If i think of any more i'll post 'em.

[Nelza]

I don't remember much about the ending but I don't remember Grace doing that. I thought

Spoiler:

Gabe had taken off and left Grace with a letter

but I could be completely confused. It was a long time ago!

[ATMachine]

Originally Posted by Nelza

I don't remember much about the ending but I don't remember Grace doing that. I thought

Spoiler:

Gabe had taken off and left Grace with a letter

but I could be completely confused. It was a long time ago!

You've got it the wrong way round.

Spoiler:

She took off and left him with the letter. Also she's pregnant, although neither of them knows this yet.

It's hinted that

Spoiler:

when she walks out on Gabe, she heads off to visit a Buddhist lama in India. There's a photo of him lying on the SIDNEY laptop (it's not shown unless you're playing at a high resolution, though).

[Nelza]

Ha ha ha! Looks like I'll definitely have to replay it then!