[mgeorge]

I was in my local Gamestop today looking for Still Life which apparently they will never get anymore, and decided to pick up the Adventure Collection. I mean 5 games for 20 bucks can't be beat right? Anyways the title Dead Reefs looked right up my alley as I love horror, and Tunguska which looks to be sci fi which I also like, however once I got home, I figured I look up a reviews for f them and it appears both were trashed by the critics.

So.. not sure which to start with. Or should I start with one of the other games in the collection? Something not to tough as I'm new to the genre.

Thanks

[misslilo]

I would start with Tunguska followed by Still Life... no matter what the critics write, it's still great games
Dead Reefs on the other hand are said to have some horrible controls...

[magicarb]

Originally Posted by mgeorge

I was in my local Gamestop today looking for Still Life... and decided to pick up the Adventure Collection.... not sure which to start with.... Something not to tough as I'm new to the genre. Thanks

Start with Return To Mysterious Island. It's got multiple solutions to various puzzles, your character can't die, and you get to play with a cute monkey.

Loved Tunguska and Nibiru, and have replayed both over the years.

Keepsake takes effort, but the story is well worth it.

Dead Reefs, not for me, thanks.

[misslilo]

Oh yeah, Return to Mysterious Island.
I just played it tonight and I loved it - Lots of different ways to solve the same puzzles.

Actually also played through Journey to the Center of the Moon and Destination Treasure Island.
Both games I'd recommend everyone to try.

[mgeorge]

I tried to get Dead Reefs to run on my comp to no avail. The game installs fine however once I click to start the game, I get a white screen and nothing else. Have to ctr/alt/delete to get out of it. Maybe it's for the best though as I've heard the controls are horrible.

I then tried Tunguska, and while I like the way the game looks, plays, and the story seems intriquing, I've already had to use a walkthrough several times. I liked the puzzle with the little girl at the beginning (bike tire), because it made at least some kind of sense, however I went to visit this old guy who has a cat, things got a bit confusing.

Spoiler:

This is one of the reasons AG's frustrate me. After talking to the old guy, I went to the back, picked up the shovel handle, and peer in the window. The guys talking on the phone and she wants to hear what he's saying but he won't let her in. OK fine. So how do we do hear this phone conversation? Well.... apparently we have to find this guys CAT, put some tape on her cell phone, (good thing it will record conversations too, fancy phone!), and attach the cell phone on the cat. OK that makes sense. Right? Right. Now how do we get the cat inside? Well, feed the cat the tuna we picked up earlier of course. Now the cats eating. Great. So how do we get the cat inside? Mmmmm..... Wait! Put the salt on the cats food so he'll get thirsty, and go in the house! Brilliant! Now we have another problem. How do we get the cat back outside? Well, go to the phone booth out front, (who wouldn't?), put the phone on vibrate, and give the cat a call. Chat a bit. Excellent! This of course frightens the poor creature and he runs outside. But oh no! The cat is so terrified and running so fast the phone goes up in the tree! Egads!

I guess I'd better go back to FPS games. I'm sick of them TBH, but the solutions to the puzzles in this game make absolutely no sense to me. Why can't they be at least somewhat logical? I have to be honest, I never would have thought of those things without a walkthrough. I don't mind a little creative thinking but...

Spoiler:

sticking a cell phone on a cat to record a conversation for you??????

Worst part is, I like the game! It looks good and the story seems interesting. I guess in this game you have to throw real logic out the window.

On the plus side, I installed Return to Mysterious Journey, and good God! The puzzles make sense! So far anyway. Yay!

[BucketBot]

Mgeorge,
I want you to know that you're a comic genius. Your description of that nightmare with the cat was the funniest thing I have read all day.
I am with you; sometimes the puzzles in adventure games can be insane (and sometimes insanely stupid). In games with those kinds of puzzles I often resort to walkthroughs. How else could the normal person ever solve them as the solutions are often completely illogical.
Girl: "Mister, I lost my dog! Can you help me?"
Player: "Why, of course. I have a great idea."
Girl: Putting up posters and calling local animal shelters?"
Player: "Of course not! I'll build an alluring female dog out of old lawnmowers and shovel handles we'll find around town and use it to trick him into coming home. Cartoons have proven that animals can't resist badly built mechanical females."
Girl: "?"
Right now I have a couple adventure games that are waiting to be installed, but I am busy playing BioShock. You said you play FPS. Did you try BS? It's amazing.

MissLilo,
He/she doesn't have Still Life. They went to the store to get it and instead bought the Adventure Pack.

[mgeorge]

Originally Posted by BucketBot

Girl: "Mister, I lost my dog! Can you help me?"
Player: "Why, of course. I have a great idea."
Girl: Putting up posters and calling local animal shelters?"
Player: "Of course not! I'll build an alluring female dog out of old lawnmowers and shovel handles we'll find around town and use it to trick him into coming home. Cartoons have proven that animals can't resist badly built mechanical females."
Girl: "?"

Haha! that was very comical as well. I especially like "alluring female dog" and " can't resist badly built mechanical females". I'm cracking up as I write this.

Yes, I've played Bioshock twice. The game took some flack on my usual forum, and I was quite unpopular because I thought it was one of the best games to come out in several years. Next to my personal favorites Deus Ex, VTM Bloodlines and SS2, I would put Bioshock in at a close 4th. My only personal gripe with it was that I felt the story climaxed to early.

I picked up Dreamfall last week but having a hard time getting into it. I think I got about half way through it and installed Indigo Prophecy, finished that, and then immediately started in on Call of Cthulhu, Dark Corners of the Earth. Now that's a very spooky atmoshpheric game. Kind of like a cross between an adventure game and shooter.

[aries323]

mgeorge

Try playing a bit more of Tunguska. It does get better after

Spoiler:

that silly cat puzzle.

Still Life should be OK, though..

[BucketBot]

Originally Posted by mgeorge

Call of Cthulhu, Dark Corners of the Earth.

Ooh! I wanted to play that. Maybe I'll still get it. It sounded awesome. Was it as hard as everyone said? Somehow I missed it when it came out and only actually heard about it for the first time several months ago.
Bioshock was fun, even though it did have it's bugs. I had a lot of issues with the sound, but eventually figured them all out.
Indigo Prophecy was fun, but I had it on my old computer and never installed it on the new one once my old hard drive finally keeled over, so I didn't get to finish it..
I am really tempted to play this Tunguska game just for the cat. Re-reading what you posted about it made me laugh all over again.

[mgeorge]

If you've played Bioshock, I think you'd like Call of Cthulhu. Different kettle of fish, but a very underated game IMO. It's first person and much of the game is spent using stealth, which is pretty good for an xbox port. Not as good as Thief or Splinter Cell, but still pretty good.

There are some FPS elements however you don't get a gun until about half way through the game. So the first half is just soaking in a very creepy atmosphere and getting into the very good story. There are few very tough puzzles in the game as well, but based more on logic than some of the AG games. Although I, dumb as I am, had to use a walkthrough on a couple of the puzzles. Probably a piece of cake for experienced AG'ers.

I think the best part though is if you've ever read Lovecraft, this game captures his short stories better than any other games or flicks I've seen based off his works. There is a sanity meter somewhat similar to Indigo Prophecy that you have to keep an eye on, and there is no HUD to the game which is a great idea. Very unique game and well worth it if you like something away from the norm.

And yes, it is a pretty difficult game, but the story sucks you in so you don't mind a bit of trial and error here and there.

[stuboy]

COCDCOTE is very good IMO. Some of the stealth is a bit annoying and arbitrary though.

The cat story makes a good point; FPSs may also take place in crazy-land where your character can be healed in an instant but at least you always know what you need to do; point the gun at the enemy and click.

Still Life is generally good, although again, it occasionally falls into illogical silliness... look out for the cake bit...

[mgeorge]

Well I started playing Nibiru and actually think the puzzles make some sense. But the way the game is set up is kind of strange. You have to visit various places several times in order to advance, which it doesn't tell you in-game, unless it's in the manual which I didn't recieve in this package.

Once I figured it out the game became better, but it does involve a lot of backtracking which can become pretty tedious. The story seems OK but I actually liked the premise in Tunguska more, at least the little I played.

Which game do you guys think has the better story? Tunguska or Nibiru? And do the puzzles in Tunguska become more logical as the story goes along or do the stay in the same vein as the cat? Cause if that's the case, I think I'll pass on it.

Thanks.

[Tuesdays Gone]

Hey mgeorge,

I can't comment on Tunguska as it's still on my "to be played list" but I'm currently playing Nibiru myself and I'm really enjoying it. I think the story is good and the puzzles make sense for the most part (I've only got stuck once and had to refer to UHS for a hint. ) The main thing is Nibiru has kept my interest and attention so far and that's saying something for me.

Thanks,

Tony.

[fanatic4hockey]

darn cat....jeeeeez after clicking on everything in my inventory to combine things in desperation to understand what in god's name i am doing on the front porch with the items in possession, i was seriously scratching my head when i

Spoiler:

combined tape with a phone...come on, TAPE... PHONE?!

but you said it perfectly, horrible moment in AG history....

and comment to still life... cake made no sense and was a pain in the butt...walkthrough guided me beautifully.

[mgeorge]

What is it with animals and these AG games?

I"m rolling along playing Nibiru. Not super difficult which in my case is a good thing. The puzzles seem to be at least somewhat logical. Very good. The graphics are good, story seems pretty good as well. Then.......

Spoiler:

I come across this secret door. Place some dynamite in the crack in the door. Nice! Wait for it to explode. Go check it out. Apparently one piece of dynamite doesn't do the job. Not likely but hey, it's a game right? Go get another piece of dynamite. The fuse is too short. To short? I can see it plainly, but again, it's an AG game. Shoulda known. So what now? I was so proud of myself because I didn't have to use a walkthrough to this point. I tried everything for over a 1/2 hr, and finally went to the walkthrough. Oh God, here we go again! Now seriously, tying a piece of freaking dynamite on the back of a rat, then placing it in the crevice in the door in order to get to the room? That's almost as stupid as the Cat. Wait. It is just as stupid as the cat.

Odd thing is, I don't really mind. It's such a bizzare thing I found myself laughing my ass off at the absurdity of it. Not sure if it's intentional humor or not, but pretty damn funny nonetheless. Martin is pretty comical as well. No matter what happens to the guy, the inflection in his voice never seems to change. If someone cut his arm off with a machete, he would exclaim; "Someone just cut my arm off with a machete. Now how can I get my tasks done? Perhaps I should construct a makeshift bandage out of the splattered innards of the rat." Sadly I don't think this is intentional.

[Sar]

Originally Posted by mgeorge

I tried to get Dead Reefs to run on my comp to no avail. The game installs fine however once I click to start the game, I get a white screen and nothing else. Have to ctr/alt/delete to get out of it. Maybe it's for the best though as I've heard the controls are horrible.

The controls are horrible, but a decent story and the graphics are amazing. I had the same trouble getting it to start. The problem was my monitor not the graphics card. I had a four year old Dell 15 inch flat panel. the highest resolution the monitor could reach is 1024 x 7-- whatever.

The game requires 1280:1024 My vid card is high end but if the monitor can't get there well you know what happens. Recently got a new monitor that gets up to 1900 something. The game runs fine.

How I discovered that was the game creates a log file in Program files/the adventure company/deadreefs/gamelog
So that may be the reason it won't load for you.

[mgeorge]

I thought you may be right Sar as my monitor is fairly old, however after checking it out, it does support resolutions up to 1280 X 1024. Any other suggestions? I sent an email to the Adventure Co with my issue but have yet to hear back from them. Is the game worth going throught this hassle though? Is the story good? That's all I'm really concerned about. I noticed the requirements for Dead Reefs were up there as far as AG's go so I may want to check it out just to see what it looks like.

Thanks.

BTW; I've been playing Tunguska and Nibiru a bit further and both seem to have gotten better as least as far as the puzzles go and I'm actually enjoying them quite a bit, alternating between one for a while then another.

[Sar]

Originally Posted by mgeorge

I thought you may be right Sar as my monitor is fairly old, however after checking it out, it does support resolutions up to 1280 X 1024. Any other suggestions? I sent an email to the Adventure Co with my issue but have yet to hear back from them. Is the game worth going throught this hassle though? Is the story good? That's all I'm really concerned about. I noticed the requirements for Dead Reefs were up there as far as AG's go so I may want to check it out just to see what it looks like.

Thanks.

BTW; I've been playing Tunguska and Nibiru a bit further and both seem to have gotten better as least as far as the puzzles go and I'm actually enjoying them quite a bit, alternating between one for a while then another.

If not the monitor perhaps the graphics card does not reach the required level. Check that log file to see if it gives you a hint why it failed. With mine it said could not locate a 1280x1024 graphic driver. I knew my card far exceeded that. So checking my monitor I discovered it did not reach above 1024. That was about a month ago and I recently bought a 20 inch flat panel that reaches beyond 2000. I Retried the game and it fired right up. So the game log file reported the correct reason. How novel is that?

It is a pretty good game but I wouldn't exert too much energy to get it going. The personalities are not as engaging as They are in Tunguska. The story is focused on finding a killer. True there are ghosts but this is not a horror game. It is more of a murder investigation. I'm about halfway through so it could change but if you expect horror you will be disappointed.

Graphics are good, story decent, puzzles are rather light but all in all worth playing. But not worth a lot of frustration or effort to get it going.

[mgeorge]

Thanks for the advice Sar. I got it going by changing my monitors resolution prior to playing the game.

The graphics are excellent, however the controls are some of the worst I've ever encountered. I just played it for about 10 min. and can't figure them out. You apparently have to stop before being about to move in a new direction, and then if I try and turn either left or right the camera just swivels around and around and around and around ! The only way I seem to gain any control over the main character is by quickly tapping the A or D key, but even that only works sometimes.

Is there some trick to gaining more control, because if not I'll just un-install. Or let me put it this way. Does it get better with practice?

Appreciate the help.

[Sar]

Originally Posted by mgeorge

Thanks for the advice Sar. I got it going by changing my monitors resolution prior to playing the game.

The graphics are excellent, however the controls are some of the worst I've ever encountered. I just played it for about 10 min. and can't figure them out. You apparently have to stop before being about to move in a new direction, and then if I try and turn either left or right the camera just swivels around and around and around and around ! The only way I seem to gain any control over the main character is by quickly tapping the A or D key, but even that only works sometimes.

Is there some trick to gaining more control, because if not I'll just un-install. Or let me put it this way. Does it get better with practice?

Appreciate the help.

Well yes and no but you do get used to it. W makes him go forward but he stops cold with any object in his path. You can adjust while walking by taping the A or D key. Although letting him run full speed crashing into something provides some minor satisfaction. I am 3/4 through now and the good news is so far there is no place where you have to make a "sudden" move. These controls would prove fatal if you had to dodge anything. One spot about halfway through you needed to quickly tap the talk arrow and then quickly tap the hand arrow. But not too bad.

This should have been point and click. The terrible controls keep this from being an excellent game. The story is good, graphics great, voice acting mostly good. I'm not sure if the controls are the cause or not but it seems to be a rather long game. Of course it may simply be the controls slowing things down. But at a bargain price can't really complain. Now if it cost full retail, different story.