[Wouter]

small recap: started playing adventures on my Amiga so many years ago (Monkey Island, Indiana Jones, Future wars, ...). Missed the great time of adventures on the pc (Sam&Max, Full Throttle, The Dig, nearly all Sierra adventures). Picked it up again with Monkey Island 3&4, Grim Fandango, The Longest Journey...

Then all went silent. Until i played a demo of Syberia (from which i hadn't heard much as i wasn't following it that closely anymore) and from which i didn't expect much.

Fell in love with it right away. At last something different. At last something without cartoon graphics, which was a nice change. Beautiful graphics, fantastic cut-scenes, a very nice story and interesting main character. Syberia was a world i could get lost in (what adventures is all about for me).

Bought Syberia 2 when it came out, also Still Life and TMOS. But i didn't really start playing until now. I have now finished Syberia 2 and Still Life 2.

For me, the Syberia series is classic material. One of the very few adventures that i will want to replay one day.

Syberia 2 had less interesting characters and the villain idea didn't really fit into the story. But fab graphics, a convincing world, stunning cut-scenes and very nice music (especially in part 2).

Then i played Still Life. I have seen very positive reviews and very negative reviews and i can understand both. The game had it flaws. The puzzles weren't really that interesting and the graphics were not top-notch in all scenes (pat's house for example looked rather boring) but good overall. And like 99% of the adventures, they didn't manage to make it look like a living world.

However, for me it had one of the most interesting stories i have ever played. The cut-scenes were so fab (i kept rewatching them), the art in the paintings was beautiful. And i found the voice acting very good overall (especially liked the voice of Gus mcPherson). The music was nice but not as good as Syberia. And to top it all, this is the first adventure that got my hair straight up, with goose bumps and all, in two places. I sure am glad i bought it.

The thought that this team behind these 3 adventures won't produce adventures anymore, is the most sad thing that has happened in adventure world for me (more than for example Sam and Max and Full Throttle being canned). Can't really explain why but i found their last adventures (Syberia 1&2 and Still Life) to be so engaging. I really felt like being there, in the middle of it all.

So i want to say: respect to former Microids Canada. It think it was one of the most talented adventure teams left. It would have been great to see what direction they would have taken for any new adventure.

On a last note, respect to their graphicians, artists, 3D-artists and cut-scene animation artists. The cut-scenes (and graphics in general) in both Syberia and Still Life were just out of this world.

Oh and sorry for the long post.

[Fairygdmther]

The team that created Syberia I & II, has gone on to other things - look up white bird productions and see the gamesite for Paradise - Benoit Sokal is the creative energy behind these and another you didn't mention, that came before the Syberias - Amerzone.

Still Life is the successor to Post Mortem, and stars Gus MacPherson as the detective - very noirish and kinda gory in flash scenes. You might like it though.

MOS is a game created by Martin Gantefoehr, a regular forum member here. It is his second game, preceded by The Mystery of the Druids - this wasn't so great, but it did have some good moments.

Another thing you may not know, if you haven't been following adv games - A game in production, which will probably not be out till next year, is Dreamfall, the logical successor to The Longest Journey, with a new young woman, but April will be in it too, and another playable character.

Oh, and BTW - Welcome to AG!

Lynsie

[Wouter]

@Fairygdmther

Well, ever since Syberia, i have been following the adventure game scene very closely again. I've been visiting this site on a daily basis (the best site in existence).

I do know about Dreamfall and Paradise from Benoit Sokal (who apparently comes from the same country as me). I did have the impression though that the people behind Still Life and Syberia were the same (without B.Sokal ofcourse)? The migration to Ubisoft is what i find so sad because there aren't going to be anymore adventures from this talented team.

Personally, i'm really looking forward to Paradise and the new project from House of Tales now. Allthough Dreamfall could turn out to be a nice surprise.

[fov]

A lot of the same artists that worked on Syberia II also worked on Still Life. (Actually, other than Benoit Sokal, I don't know that any of the rest of the Syberia II team left Microids and joined White Birds.)

[tuborg]

I just love the Syberia games!
Now i'm waiting on Lost Paradise made by Benoit Sokal.
http://www.whitebirdsproductions.com...ndex-jeux.html

My cousine works at Funcom, the maker of Dreamfall, and i will maby have the pleasure to be a "test pilot"! Can't wait on that one either...

Long live a good adventure!

[Tramboi]

Originally Posted by tuborg

I just love the Syberia games!
Now i'm waiting on Lost Paradise made by Benoit Sokal.
http://www.whitebirdsproductions.com...ndex-jeux.html

My cousine works at Funcom, the maker of Dreamfall, and i will maby have the pleasure to be a "test pilot"! Can't wait on that one either...

Longe live a good adventure!

Yuck. Testing games sucks

[Wouter]

Originally Posted by tuborg

I just love the Syberia games!
Now i'm waiting on Lost Paradise made by Benoit Sokal.
http://www.whitebirdsproductions.com...ndex-jeux.html

My cousine works at Funcom, the maker of Dreamfall, and i will maby have the pleasure to be a "test pilot"! Can't wait on that one either...

Longe live a good adventure!

Me too. I'm sooo looking forward to Paradise. Have you seen the screenshots floating around the internet (see adventuretreff.de). They look absolutely fantastic. It seems though that not a lot of people are interested in it
I wonder why... seems Syberia wasn't that popular with adventure gamers?

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by Wouter

Me too. I'm sooo looking forward to Paradise. Have you seen the screenshots floating around the internet (see adventuretreff.de). They look absolutely fantastic. It seems though that not a lot of people are interested in it
I wonder why... seems Syberia wasn't that popular with adventure gamers?

Actually, it was very popular with half of the adventure gamers, and extremely unpopular with the other half.

But Paradise is not made by the same team and isn't very near competion, hence the seemingly strange lack of interest.

[Naveed]

I found Syberia extremely boring and dull, could never finish it, obviously didn't try Syberia 2. Currently playing Still Life and it is interesting.

[Quadriflax]

Originally Posted by Tramboi

Yuck. Testing games sucks

Heh. I kind of like testing stuff. As long as it isn't my stuff. Breaking things and having the pleasure of telling other people to fix them is fun

[VoodooFX]

Originally Posted by Ninth

Actually, it was very popular with half of the adventure gamers, and extremely unpopular with the other half.

Very true, only other game that diveded the community in such way was Myst

I for one liked both Syberia's, first more then second, but when looked as a whole, very nice game.

[smashing]

Originally Posted by VoodooFX

Very true, only other game that diveded the community in such way was Myst

And then, there's the oddballs who like both Myst and Syberia!

I personally was totally disappointed with Syberia II. Lots of time-wasters errands and puzzles that the story could do without. Reminds me a lot of the many flaws that Yahtzee have pointed out in game design.

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by smashing

And then, there's the oddballs who like both Myst and Syberia!

That's me - WOO HOO!!

[tuborg]

Originally Posted by Melanie68

That's me - WOO HOO!!

And me...

And i have played a lot of adventure games since 1980. The thing about the Syberia games was the drawings and the music. That together with a good story, made me fly in to the advernturers dream world... A beer in one hand, and the mouse in the other. I must have silence and darkness in the room when i'm playing.. Kids running around, a wife who yell at you, no way! Maby this was the problem with all thos adventurers who don't liked Syberia?

Oh.... i liked MYST also... A very different game than syberia i must say..
I like action movies and drama movies, blues music and trance music, milk and coke, meat and carrots, sex and sleep.... so why can't i like two different games?

[Wouter]

Originally Posted by smashing

And then, there's the oddballs who like both Myst and Syberia!

And there are the ones who loved Syberia but didn't like Myst
Tuborg described very nicely what i felt when playing Syberia:

"The thing about the Syberia games was the drawings and the music. That together with a good story, made me fly in to the advernturers dream world... "

It tickled my imagination a lot more than most of the adventure games.